I want to give a big thank you to Morena at Morena’s Corner for the photoshoot idea she shared for Mother’s Day here, and Father’s Day over at her blog. This is such a sweet idea, and we had our own little photoshoot at home on Saturday to try it out!
I prepared my photo props differently than Morena did, using some wooden letters I found at Hobby Lobby. I decided what I was going to have Raya wear, and I picked out different scrapbook papers from my stash to match. Then I just Mod-Podged them onto the letters.
Really, I planned to spell out D-A-D. But because I waited until Thursday to go pick up letters, they were all sold out of D’s. I must not have been the only one with the idea. ;) So I went with Morena’s original suggestion of L-O-V-E. (I can use the photos for more things this way, too – Grandma will certainly appreciate a few prints!)
I have never Mod-Podged anything onto a really detailed piece like these, so I decided to tackle it like this. Do share if you have an easier way? But I thought this worked well!
Rather than try to cut the paper exactly to fit the letter (I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to line it up well), I coated my paper with Mod Podge first, then also added a coat to the top of my letter.
Then I placed it upside down onto the backside of the paper.
I trimmed it down just a little, to make it easier to work with, and then I used a card to smooth out any bubbles underneath my paper.
Then I let it dry, and used a utility knife to trim the extra paper away.
Then, I put an extra coat of Mod Podge on the top, and let it dry.
Then, the next morning, we headed outside. I gave Raya different letters to hold, and we tried out different places in the yard. We has some good luck on a hill near the road, so she could watch the kids ride their bikes and see the cars. When she had something to keep her occupied, it helped her be a lot more patient with the whole process. For some photos, I used all the letters:
Others, I gave her one letter at a time, and just let her do her own thing. At 18 months, I couldn’t do much coaching, so if your little one is still pretty little, be prepared to take a lot of photos trying to get the right one!
I chose a variety, and got prints of each letter to put in a four-opening frame for my husband for Father’s Day. I don’t have a photo of that, I realized, now that my battery is back on the charger, but I used the collage at the beginning of the post!
In hindsight, I wouldn’t have put her right in the sunshine like this, because a lot of my colors looked washed-out in the photos (plus, even at 9:00 am, it was HOT!) But this was kind of a last-minute idea and we didn’t have a lot of time left to be ready for Father’s Day, so – we worked with what we had.
Overall, though – I think it was a success! My husband LOVED the photos, and we can share some fun ones with Grandma too! Did you all spoil the dads in your life yesterday?
I link up to these great parties!
~ Adrianne
Kim says
What size letters did you buy?
Erika Marsh says
Oh I love this idea! That Love picture turned out sooo sweet! I want to try something like this with my kiddos. Thanks for the great idea!
Jessi W says
Haha, I love her face in the “O” picture in the collage. She's so proud of herself! This is an awesome idea, and using LOVE is super smart cuz it isn't so specific. Thanks for linking this up at The Fun In Functional!
mbdang says
Great idea! I love the use of the letters as photo props! your pictures look great! :)
Full Circle Creations says
I love the pictures and the letters! What a great idea. Thanks for sharing at the All Star Block Party!
Holly
Jessica says
Yep, this is totally doable and cuper cute! I could even have each of my ids pose with I heart and U to make another one…
Jessica
stayathomeista.com
Jean Davis says
I love the O and V pics. Very cute! The one with all the letters is quite precious too. What a great idea!
Kadie says
How fun!! I love the idea, I think we might need to do Daddy or something with the kids next year. I really like the “love” on the ground too.:)
Morena Hockley says
I love it, especially where she is eating the “v”. Adorable! Thanks for the shout out!
Kara at Petals to Picots says
I love those pics!!
Dot says
Cute idea!!!
Melanie says
Super cute!! I know your husband (and entire family) loves them!!
Terry says
I can't believe how big she is getting. Wow. This is a fabulous idea of course and you got some really great shots.