This one…she’s our beauty. She’ll tell you so. For the first time ever last night I heard her use the word “beautiful” in reference to a glittery little play shirt she has. She then went on to say, “I beautiful.” Yes, Gentry girl, you are. You most certainly are.
We have been BUSY since getting home on Sunday! We literally pulled in the drive just in time to watch kick off of the Super Bowl and things haven’t really settled down since then! Not that our life is overly exciting by any stretch of the imagination…there was just a ton of stuff to get unpacked and put away after being gone for two weeks. It takes a good week just to get settled back in!!
As fun as it was to be back in Kansas, it is so incredibly nice to be at home. There is just something about being in your own home with your own stuff that is comforting! And after spending four of the last six weeks away from the comforts of home, you better believe that this girl isn’t going anywhere anytime soon!!
I had high hopes of some fabulously fun photo shoots back in Kansas but as I mentioned in another post, those didn’t happen!! And because I hardly used my camera at all the entire time we were back, I was itching to get it out and have some face time with my two sweets!! Gentry and I headed out yesterday for a shoot and then I took Huntler out today!! I am creating their Valentine’s this year and what is a homemade Valentine without a picture?!
So now I have 200 images to sort through and narrow down in all my “free time” this week!! The funny thing is, I snapped three quick pics of Gentry today while waiting on Huntler to finish running {he was apparently needing some exercise?}. The one shown above was the first one and I absolutely adore it! I wish that plastic tote weren’t in it, but I can most definitely live with it!
{And because I often find myself reading blogs and looking at pictures and wondering where things came from I thought I would share this afternoon! I made her hair bows, bought the wings at Michael’s and the sequined headband is from the “big girls” section of hair stuff at Wal Mart! If anyone knows where I can find some bright colored sequined headbands along with black and silver I would be MOST appreciative!! Oh and her outfit is from Babies r Us over the summer…she got it for her birthday but just grew into it recently!}
I realize I am all over the place today, but just bear with me! I haven’t updated in forever and I feel like I have so much to share!! While we were in Kansas I created this Valentine for Gentry but have since totally nixed the idea of using it so I am posting it! While I do like it and think it is really cute, it just wasn’t doing something for me!! Does that make any sense whatsoever?! I can’t really put my finger on it, but it just isn’t quite what I think I want! I have since downloaded a couple of other digital kits and hope to get to work tonight creating something fabulous and new!
For some reason I feel like I am caught up in a 1970′s time warp!! I am really into the vintage style post processing, gnomes, owls, mushrooms… I am not really sure all those were big in the 70′s, but I guess that is how I see it in my mind?!
Anyway, I decided that I really wanted to incorporate mushrooms into Gentry’s Valentines so that I could make mushroom treats for all the kids that we’ll be handing these out to! I instantly thought of the cupcake pops over on Bakerella’s site and knew they would be the perfect shape for adapting them to look like little mushrooms!!
So I do what any computer savvy mom does, I “Googled” it and found the cutest little forest party there EVER was! It was done by Cathy for her two oldest girls back in October! So stinkin’ adorable!! I would have loved to have been there to see all the cuteness myself!!
Anyway, here are the mushroom pops she created…I personally like the idea of not putting them on the stick because I KNOW me and my talents in the kitchen are limited to say the least! But surely I could handle them in cupcake liners and wrap them up with cellophane and tie them off with cute ribbon?!! Ahhh….how cute does that sound?!
So even though I have changed my mind about the Valentine itself, I am more than likely still going with the forest-y theme and will be able to incorporate these little gems despite my change in plans!
And Huntler is going to getting some custom little Valentine’s himself! Train related – but that goes without saying. I have a nifty little craft that I plan to do with him as well. What is a train Valentine without a train treat?! Not sure if anything from our shoot this morning is going to work though so I am waiting on Daddy to help with the “prop!!” More on that later…
And one last thing here just for giggles!! I am going to show you the before and after of the picture from above. I obviously like my style of post processing and while I know I have come a LONG ways in the wide world of Photoshop, I am still learning! Anyway, I know that some sweet photographers pop in here from time to time and I would love to hear any little bits that you have to share on this image!!
The before…scary, hunh?! This moment happened SO incredibly fast that I didn’t have time to change my settings and it is a bit underexposed!
And the after…I edited it downstairs but have since come up to update my blog and it looks different up here to me.
Continue to keep sweet little Cora and her family in your thoughts and prayers. My heart is still aching for her and her family as she faces the challenges that lie before her.
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by Bethany
SWEET pics of gentry, of course! what a dolly!
ok, so you want to know how i make sequined headbands?? Its a lil fun secret….!
I go to joann’s and buy about 15 inches of elastic, sequined trim…and the colors are ENDLESSSSSSS…..heck, buy a yard and make several. Just have to put in a few stitches to your desired “tightness”.
Now, get your hiney to joann’s!! have fun!
love the pic of gentry! (love her name too…is it a family name?) i can’t for the life of me figure out how to use photoshop!!! i downloaded the free trial and nearly through my computer out the window in frustration!
cora has been on my mind non-stop…it’s just so heartbreaking.
xo
I am so happy you are home! I love the pics too! Can’t wait to see you guys next week.
I love that pic and I’m shocked at how it looked before! You did an AMAZING JOB of salvaging it! I never would have guessed it started out so dark! And if it makes you feel any better, I honestly didn’t even notice the plastic tote before you mentioned it.
I have also been following Cora’s story since you posted about her last week and have cried and prayed for their little family every day. I can’t even imagine…
PS: I love your new siggy! I usually read on Google, so I’m not sure how long you’ve had it, but it’s too cute!
Oh she is a doll!! Those cupcakes look yummy!