"bump" is three :: birthday photography

little "bump" is 3... can you believe it?  as i love to do, he woke up the morning of his birthday to a little 'party' that just so happened to also serve as a backdrop for photos!  there i go being sneaky again.

i stacked up all of his presents facing the rocking chair, so he naturally sat in it to open them.  this put him in perfect position for photos!  the cute #3 came from his grandma - she wrapped his gift and stuck it on top like a bow.  what a wonderful prop it turned out to be!

besides fringing the paper streamers (which took longer than i thought) this may have been the easiest photo set-up yet!  now if only i can get him to actually give me a real smile while looking at the camera.

happy birthday to "bump"!

baby bird :: nature photography

when baby birds peak out their tiny heads over the nest each spring, i am always amazed.   i feel like they have already made such an accomplishment being that they were once just a small fragile egg.  besides predators (like daisy dog), they have to survive such crazy wind & rain!  not to mention the silly mom's that build their nest in an unreasonable place that they have trouble returning too (like inside a garage).

i'm just sayin...  baby birds are impressive.

sidewalk chalk scavenger hunt :: kids

a fun, outdoor game that is secretly educational?!  teehee, i'm so sneaky with my boys.

last week, "the monster" and "bump" had a friend over.  after riding circles around our garage on their bikes for a couple hours, i brought out the sidewalk chalk.  we traced our bodies, drew on funny hats and then i told them we were going do a scavenger hunt.  i think just the word "hunt" got them excited!

this was a great game for each of their ages because it forced the oldest to practice reading each assignment and the younger boys practiced counting & learning their numbers.  we went all the way to twelve and i sent them looking for such things as rocks, sticks, leafs, toys, worms, and trash.

do you have a favorite outdoor game that is also educational?

mossy school desk :: garden inspiration

since opening the shop, kind and generous souls offer to me the rich history tucked away in their attics.  some items are in beautiful condition and others... well, not so much.  but, because i have hope and optimism, i usually take anything they offer with thankfulness and decide i may use it for something someday.

my dentist gave me this desk.  it had been sitting outside, in his garden, for years and was falling to pieces.  the wood was rotting and he thought maybe i could use the iron legs for a project.  after staring at the desk for a couple months, i decided to leave it as is, but cover with moss.  what do you think?!

i imagine this under a big willow tree in a vine-covered yard, next to an old stone fountain.  it's magical and dreamy...  like a secret garden.  or the garden in 'great expectations'.  it belongs somewhere incredible.

if you are in town, you should stop by urban sassafras to check it out!  you will love it, i promise.

floral market bag :: diy

be a style icon at the market with this diy canvas bag decor.  just think... you could be as cool as "the monster".

scrappy flag :: diy :: holiday decor

independence day is exactly one month from today.  do you hang a flag as summer decor?  if so, here's a fun way to show your holiday spirit & support!  i simply used scrap ribbon and fabric (i did buy the star fabric however).  i glued the strips right over an old canvas.  i think this would look lovely hanging on a front door!

xoxo

find the little heart :: nature photography

can you find the little heart in the image above?

we have had ridiculous amounts of rain lately (as has most of the rest of the country).  itty bitty mushrooms have been popping up all over the place.  and... you know how i love all things little.  so, of course, i have been there, lying in the wet grass, every morning trying to snap the perfect pictures of these perfect mushrooms.

then (then!), i was looking through all of them for editing and i came to this one.  it's lovely, don't you think?  and if you look very very closely, you can see a tiny heart hidden.  do you see it?  if so, let me know in the comments below!