Clara is officially six months old today, which means we’ve reached the halfway point our weekly photo project (you know, the one with the fabric backdrops and photoshopped onesies).
At 12 weeks in, we broke down the “how to” behind the project right here, so this post is just more of an update – since we’ve now accumulated another three months worth of pics. Here’s a snapshot of the first 25. You can check them all out up close here on Flickr.
It’s hard to believe that we’ve taken 26 weekly portraits already. And thankfully we still look forward to our Friday afternoon appointment with the camera, some fabric, a white onesie, and our model. We worried that we’d regret the weekly decision and wish we opted just for monthly pics, but we actually look forward to Friday photo shoots and whatever facial expression adventure Clara will take us on each week. Whether it’s yawning…
…deviously twirling an invisible mustache…
…or even breaking out a ballerina costume to celebrate Halloween (pointed toe and all).
And in the affordable but meaningful holiday gift idea category, even though there are still 26 more photos to go before we hit our one year mark, we plan to package the collection-so-far in a little photo album Christmas present for the grandparents (I realize I sort of just gave away what they’ll find under their tree, but they’ve gotta know it’s already coming). And once we amass a full year’s worth of weekly pics, we’ll do a fancier hardbound book version for everyone (using Shutterfly or Kodak or something).
Oh, and lately we’ve been thinking that we may carry on the tradition past the one year mark because we’re enjoying it so much. But we’ll probably scale things back to just monthly photos at that point. We can only afford/use so much fabric after all. And speaking of all those swatches, from a DIY quilt to framed art or a fabric bunting, we’re so excited to repurpose all of the fun textiles we’ve been collecting thanks to this little daughter documenting project of ours. Can’t believe our baby girl is already half a year old. They grow up so fast.
It’s so fun to see how her little personality has developed over the past six months – up to this picture which is so fun and happy! Love the fabric, as usual! Thanks for sharing your adorable daughter with all of us!
Can you share how you have managed to get the number behind the hand etc…I had started a similar series for my little one and sometimes when she moves her hand I have trouble superimposing the font.
Hey Pria,
We rasterized the type and then used the erase tool to shave the number/words so it looks like it’s behind things. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
You’re girl is a beauty! I can see both of you in her and that makes for a perfect combination…
That’s so dang cute! What a doll. I took a picture of my son everyday for the first month just to see the changes. It was crazy!
xoxo
Lila Ferraro
Hi Guys!
A friend of mine just told me about the two of you. So I hopped online and found your blog. LOVE what you do and have really enjoying browsing around your blog. I have just accepted a job in Richmond and will be moving from Nashville, TN sometime next month. I truly don’t know anything about Richmond and wondered if you could give me some advice about some different areas I should start looking in to find a place to call home. I will be working in downtown but have been told that Chesterfield is one of the best areas. Once I find that place to call home, I can start putting your great ideas to work!!! : )
Appreciate any advice…
julie
Hey Julie,
We’re in Bon Air (part of Chesterfield County) and we love it. Getting downtown is a breeze (about ten minutes or so, door to door). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I really hope to do this with our baby when it’s born, but don’t know how to use photoshop/don’t have it, so would love any other ideas anyone might have!
And happy 6 months Clara!
Love those big blue eyes!! You can tell she has lots of personality!! Just a thought, I’ve never seen her in a bow…You should put a big bow on that cute baby’s head! (I’m from the south, can ya tell?) :)
I can’t believe that first smile is real! It’s so perfect. She is incredibly photogenic. I love the idea, and plan to steal it if I EVER get pregnant! Gah! :)
Blurb is brilliant for photo books, i use them and their quality is A***** !
Love the photos, its amazing how fast time has past! :)
What an absolute stunner! And such personality…. It’s unbelievable the changes week to week – she’ll so appreciate this project when she’s older. Happy half year birthday Clara!
Just wondering if one yard of fabric is still work now that your doll baby is getting so big! Currently pregnant and love the idea but wondering how long 1 yard will work for the weekly pics. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hey Casey,
Our little girl is in the 90th percentile for height (as a 5’2″ momma, I’m so proud!!!) but she still easily fits on one yard. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I saw a few other comments out there about Blurb, but I just wanted to add my recommendation for Blurb.com to create photo books. I think you guys would have a blast designing the book–there are so many layout options. And the end result is super professional.
Love this idea and I totally plan on stealing it for my little one. Where did you get all of the cute fabric? Did you buy it all at one time?
Hey Erin,
We got all of the fabric from JoAnn Fabrics or Hancock Fabrics (on clearance, collected over time) with the exception of a few backdrops that we already owned (like the floral three week one that we created with two pillow shams that we already had, etc).
xo,
s
Oh my gosh, these are so darling! I mean, I already knew they were, but seeing them en masse is just so overwhelmingly adorable. This will be such a cherished gift your the grandparents!
Happy half-birthday Clara!
I agree that Clara will probably chersh these photos when she’s older! It’s amazing how much they change from week-to-week. It makes me wish I did weekly photos of my daughter instead of monthly. But something is better than nothing, right?
Oh man, she is SO cute!!!! Thanks for the smile this evening. You will be SO glad that you did this when she’s all grown up. :) And so will she. She will love looking at these pics.
This project is so-o cute!! Did you ever get to see Mila’s Daydreams when the pictures were still up? You can see a montage of the photos here but the actual photos were (like Clara’s) really something special! http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/p/about-blog.html Molly in Fla.
I love that you’re doing it, but you SO wanna drop to monthly once she hits one. You’ll be expected to do for #2 whatever you do for #1, so if you are still doing weekly when #2 comes along you might not cherish the appointment so much!
I’ve been doing monthly for my daughter and its gotten MUCH harder to do since her younger brother came along!
This is quite possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. While my talent isn’t out of this world I think I will save this idea for when I have kids and at least attempt to make it as adorable as these. Clara will love looking through these with you when she’s older.
These pictures are so great… you guys do a really good job at keeping things varied yet consistent. My two cents on albums – after doing a seriously (like, overboard) thorough search and evaluation on photobook printers, you might want to look into AdoramaPix for something really high quality. They’re more expensive but for the price, the quality is insane. I actually redid my wedding album with them after being kind of “meh” on the ones we first did through Blurb and will probably use them whenever I want something with a more keepsake feel. Just a tip!
What a cutie-patootie!
Just another happy Blurb customer… by far, the best photo books I’ve found yet!
happy half-birthday, clara!
20 weeks is my favorite pic by far… so sweet! :)
As a wedding photographer, I have dealt with a lot of album companies. I LOVE mypublisher’s albums and they are always having sales so I can buy one album and get another free or both for a good discount. (Never ever pay full price:) Their large hard cover albums are my fav!! So there is my little plug for mypublisher.com!
I think the most recent picture is the best one yet!! Great shot and happy 1/2 birthday Clara!
this is so completely adorable i cant even stand it. when i have a baby one day.. i will do this.
She is just too CUTE! I giggle at every facial expression. :)
Really great pics. They would make a great calendar too. You two are very creative. No wonder you are so successful.
that picture is so adorable! i just had to comment on it!
I am getting ready to have my second baby and would love to do this! I have Picasa, but can’t figure out how to draw a circle… I know how to add text, but not sure what free software i can use that does this….I know it has to be simple but help!! Also, any cute ideas on what the big sister can be doing in the photos- kinda feel bad that I didn’t do it with her…. Thanks!! Love your blog!
Hey Bonnie,
We’ve never used Picasa so we can’t help you there, but if you download the free font Fyra that we use it automatically puts the circle around the number (see original post – linked to in this one – to see where to download the font). As for including big sis, you could take a second version of the photo each week to include her – maybe either laying or sitting down next to her sibling or even a separate photo of big sister alone wrapped in the fabric or using it as a cape, skirt or dress. You could also involve her by letting her pick the fabrics! Have fun – you can’t go wrong.
-John
WOW! 6 months already…It goes by fast my son is now 12. I really liked your weekly photos of the little one. Just a little info you could make a quilt using each piece of fabric and if you are willing you can also cut out the numbers on the onesies to coordinate with the fabric in the picture. This can save a lot of room in the storage department and then Clara will have a nice quilt to grow up with. Just an idea! What ever you both decide I am sure will turn out great.
What a great idea!! And your daughter is adorable.
That first shot is just precious! She is such a pretty girl!!
Love-love-love it! The pics look so great all together and the book idea is perfection!
What, 6 months already?!? she’s such a doll. I love how she’s still pretty bald, I just love a bald baby! :-)
If you continue weekly (or monthly) photos, could you just pick some sort of neutral fabric or bedspread that you have, and just re-use that as a backdrop? That way you don’t have to keep buying more fabric.
Yes, we definitely could do that, but picking out the fabric is half the fun! We’ll probably go with monthly shoots after we reach 1 year, with crazy fabric each time- just to keep the ever-changing look of the backdrop that we love.
xo,
s
I totally vote for a quilt too! A crazy quilt would be so fun, and would probably be really meaningful to Clara too (maybe not when she’s a kid, but definitely later!).
I have a crazy quilt that my great-grandma made, and it’s so fun to look at all the fabrics that were popular from that time and recognize them as my mom’s dresses, or my grandma’s blouses from family photos.
Plus, it’s really colorful, and just recently lots of families have been requesting to use it in their family photo sessions! Lol!
Just wanted to pop in to tell you guys that I have thoroughly enjoyed your Clara-posts! I started following the blog before I was pregnant, and now have a little girl that was born just 9 days after Clara. Since Clara and Zoe are so close in age it’s been extra-fun seeing her show up occasionally.
Also, I love your neighborhood. Whenever I’m in Richmond my friends and I like to cruise around checking out all of the houses. We’ve been checking out different parts of Richmond for about 10 years and Bon Aire is one of my favorites. Congrats on the new house.
Oh my gosh, isn’t she (and this project) the cutest thing ever! I always see these weekly/monthly photo traditions & always say to myself that I would like to do it, and then I go and have kids & forget to do them… My 3rd son turned one year old on Friday, and I cannot believe a year has passed. So wish I had done something like this, even monthly! Great job keeping up with the project!!
Consider doing a monthly or daily photobook from Project Life (www.beckyhiggins.com) for the next year. That second year is the most amazing, even more so than the first, as they grow so fast and do so many new things! Project Life comes in a traditional paper-ring-binder version or a digital version, and I think it would be a great fit for Clara’s second year. Becky’s site also has great tips for photographing children against a fabric background (children eventually sit up!), so thought you might want to check it out! I will now stop punctuating everything with exclamation points so that I look like I’m yelling at you!
I love both your ideas of a birthday banner and a quilt made from the fabrics. With so many and a yard of each, you’d have enough fabric for both projects and some to spare. Pillows, stuffed animals, baby clothes, flowery hair barrettes, you’ve got enough for quite a few projects!
Happy 6 month bday to Clara! I am so blessed that a good friend of mine share with me this project while I was pregnant- we are borrowing your “inspiration” and doing this as well! We just took our week 8 photo and plan on keeping up with this all year!
A little tidbit for those of you who want to try this and want to keep it super affordable- I asked around to friends who I know are crafty and they’ve given me a stockpile of fabric scraps that I am borrowing and will return once we’re done with photos. Which makes the project totally free! Also, you never realize how many cool fabrics are already at your disposal- we’ve used pillowcases, bedspreads, dresses, towels…you name it! Hope that helps encourage anyone who thinks buying new fabric each week would be too costly & time consuming. :)
Another very happy BLURB customer here! It’s so easy to use and very customizable. I made two albums of our wedding photos for our family and the quality doesn’t compare to the others!
Oh my goodness—what a treasure this is/will be. My daughter is pregnant and I have sent this to her more than once! LOVE seeing them all together/ Girl, you have some seriously awesome fabric! ;D I would love to recommend “MY PUBLISHER”—I get nothing from this, but I have been VERY pleased with the books I’ve purchased from them and they almost always have a BOGO coupon code….
so cute!!
I made a cuddly memory blanket out of all kinds of pieces of special textiles – the T-shirt I was wearing when my husband asked me out for the very first time, the first babyclothes of our four boys, my own babydress … every piece of textile has a special story, and my boys loved it and used it on the couch whenever they felt sick.
What an adorable, happy baby! That face is too cute!!
I just love this project you guys did. Wish I would have thought of it when my little guy was born! You will cherish these pictures forever! She is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing her adorableness with us!
You guys are doing such a great job w/ Clara. She is lucky to have such sweet and doting parents.
They grow up RIDICULOUSLY fast! My son is 2 now and i can’t even believe my eyes!
It’s such a sweet project your doing. She’s a doll. :)
Oh boy, is she ever adorable. Love those pics.
Congratulations on a happy & healty growing baby girl- she’s precious – and her many expressions are priceless!
I recommend using the fabric for quilts. If anyone in the family sews, you could make one for Clara & the rest could go to the local hospital for needy babies (going into the foster system, special needs, etc)