Ashley Hackshaw, Author at Ashley Hackshaw / Lil Blue Boo

Welcome to 2 Weeks of Photography with LBB

October 18, 2010 by Ashley Hackshaw

Welcome to our two week series of photography related posts at the Lil Blue Boo blog! Whether you are new to photography or a seasoned pro, we hope you walk away having learned something new or find a link or resource that you might not have heard of before.

We love practicing photography at Lil Blue Boo! It’s a hobby that has brought us a lot of satisfaction. It’s fun to search our town for new locations to shoot at, and discovering new props we can use. We both agree that we are FAR from professionals, rather we are mommies with fancy cameras 😉 However, we are constantly learning new things about our equipment and ways to achieve better photos. Most important piece of knowledge we have learned, you can take beautiful pictures no matter what type of camera you have. Throughout this series we will be sharing some technical information about photography that helped us along the way, along with some fun things you can do with your photos, craft projects, and our favorite links and resources! There are going to be some amazing guest bloggers too!

So, grab a button and lets talk photography!

Butterfly Birthday Party

October 18, 2010 by Ashley Hackshaw

Lisa here! Miss Elle turned 3 over the weekend! She requested a butterfly themed party and mommy delivered. It was butterfly overload! This was probably the easiest party to throw together. I’m going to tell you how I did it!

1. Party decor is focused entirely around the table. I rent child size tables and chairs from a local party rental company along with the table linens in a color to coordinate with the theme. I wrap tulle around the chairs for a little something extra.

2. I was inspired by this picture over at Martha Stewart. Instead of cutting out paper butterflies I opted for artificial butterflies, and I hot glued them everywhere 😉 Let me recommend Just Artifacts on eBay for the lanterns. You can search for artificial butterflies on eBay as well. These are going in Elle’s room, they will look so cute!

Butterfly Birthday Party Decor Ideas via lilblueboo.com

3. I can’t take credit for the centerpiece. This was my mother’s idea. We realized about 20 minutes before the party that our moss needed a little something extra, so she cut down a branch off one of the neighbor’s trees and hot glued butterflies on it. It turned out pretty perfect.

4. Upon entry to the party, our little guests received a pair of wings and a skirt. All purchased at the dollar store. If you don’t shop at the dollar store for party favors you are missing out! Plates and napkins were also purchased at the dollar store!

5. I hire someone else to entertain my kids, so I can enjoy some time with the other mamas, sit back and take pictures, and enjoy all the yummy food 😉 Is that wrong?

6. I decided to go with cupcakes this year. Wow, that made things so much easier! Last year it was about 100 degrees and cutting a cake while you have 15 kids waiting for a slice was a lot of pressure and I will never do it again!

That’s pretty much it! You too can throw a dreamy butterfly party for your little one. I’m not sure who had more fun, me or Elle 😉

The Li’l List

October 16, 2010 by Ashley Hackshaw

A Li’l List of new and favorite things to share!

Anna from Noodleheads made this adorable peasant dress with one of my favorite patterns from Leila and Ben. She used the Lil Blue Boo Li’l Leggings pattern for the cute striped pants! Love this outfit!

I just got some goodies in the mail….one package was from a favorite upcycled clothing store: Dress Me. Check out Boo’s newest t-shirt! Pieced and blocked from recycled knits!

I’ve been trying to add more upcycled items of my own for boys…..here are some silk screened appliques from recycled t-shirts I made this week…..aren’t they cute?

I love Zazzle! I added my Swedish Dala horse graphic to some shoes for Boo:

We are still loving the ones with Li’l Mei and on them:

Finally, next week is Lil Blue Boo’s Two Weeks of Photography! Photography has come a long way. Years and years ago my father worked for Photo Corporation of America….he and a few friends left and started a photo company called American Studios which put photo studios into WalMart. As a baby I was used in many of their ads…..these are from around 1977/1978….check out the sitting fees and prices…..this was before digital too!

I found this cool sheet of photography stamps my dad gave me when I was little for my stamp collection:

I grew up around photography….but it was all now antiquated studio photography. I’m so excited about the next two weeks and ready to update my photography skills! Lisa has put together an amazing two weeks of posts…..and it all starts on Monday! Guest bloggers, tutorials, fun products, downloads, giveaways etc!