I don’t know about you, but ordering school pictures always freaks me out.  The company who takes the school pictures at Sari and Hannah’s school requires payment before  you even see the pictures.  They also don’t send home any photo proof.  I’m not a big fan of buying what I can’t see first, especially when they don’t always turn out that great.  It’s the typical messy hair because they just came in from recess OR a stain on their shirt from lunch or art class.  But, I’m sucked in every year because they want a class picture which you only get if you order their individual school photo.  On a good note, this does help raise funds for their school.

To help combat my school photo phobia, I take our girls pictures every Fall and Spring.   To make it go as smoothly as possible, first I figure out where I’m taking the pictures.  I look for natural light and no direct sunlight.  If the light is filtered through trees, I really love that!   Then, I pick out their outfits ahead of time try to keep the session to 15 minutes or less.  I also do Sari and Hannah’s photos at a different time than I take Abby’s.

This year, I took Sari and Hannah onto the bike trail just behind our house and I love how they turned out!  I took Abby’s photos while the big girls were at school.  I kept Abby in our yard and basically followed her while she played.  Abby was playing is the wooden window Brad made for the girls and their little outdoor fort.  Getting down on her same level really puts things in perspective!  And, you get much better photos.

Here’s a couple layouts from our Fall Photo Shoot! I created these layouts with the September Memory Works Express Kit and some NEW products in my Etsy Shop now ~ SEQUINS!!  As always, I’m layering smaller pieces of paper and other elements under and around my photos.  *** Remember to put your adhesive about 1 inch from the edge on the backside of your photos to make tucking elements little elements under photos easier.

Here’s Abby!!  I added doilies, gold stitching with my sewing machine, Studio Calico & Freckled Fawn Wood Veneers and bakers twine.  I also matted her 4×6 photo onto solid card stock to make it pop out against the busy patterned paper background.

 Thank you for stopping by today!  I’m linking this post up to a the “Sew On It” challenge from The Paper Girls Challenge Blog.  This is fun challenge blog, so check them out and play along!!

Now, do something creative today!

Jody