a super cute little person: this cash money

the house is quiet. i'm up editing tonight and looking back at pictures of a special little man: cash.  i call him cash money. 

his mom and i got together to photograph his 6 month mark in this big world and i fell in love with him all over again looking over his images this evening.  

i know you will too when you see his cute mug in these pics.

here he is, folks.

i am mesmerized by him.

<3 breaker, for sure!

this was just before he tumbled over into the grass.  did he cry? nope. he's a stud.

ok, now he's crying. he was over it. done. and he needed some love from mama. 

jess, thank you for letting me photograph your little man. i could just eat him up.  he is such a joy to be around; such a good, mellow baby.  another joy i get is hanging out with you and i am laughing as i think about some of the crazy adventures we have had together lately.  

i love it all. thank you for your friendship and for everything. cheers to many more crazy adventures together!

cash, love ya kid!  i'd take you any day and twice on sunday.  

xoxo, aj

Bledstein Family: In Between Raindrops

bledstein family: in between raindrops

this weather has been crazy but i love it.  the cool fall weather and rain actually make southern california feel like we are experiencing some seasons. yay!!  

my friend and her family took a chance with me and we danced in between raindrops one afternoon.  i am so glad we did.  we had a blast and captured some great shots.  

the morning we were supposed to meet, it was pouring rain.  we kept in contact all afternoon and had our fingers crossed that the clouds would part - even if just for a little while.   about an hour before we were scheduled to meet i called my friend: "do you want to meet?  i asked her.  "i'll leave it up to you." 

by then it was lightly sprinkling.  she lived close to where we were going to shoot pictures. 

"it is clear here. let's go for it!"  she said.

she was right.  the sprinkling stopped just as i pulled up and parked to meet her.  i could not believe it.  the clouds gave us some great cover and we set off for a walk with her family.

everything about our surroundings screamed: FALL!  the colors, the crisp smell of rain and wet leaves on the trees.  

it was perfect.   

the whole family

i love this shot of the girls playing in the tunnel

emily and family: thank you. i loved everything about our time together that afternoon.  i loved your girls' spirits. 

i loved your willingness to dance between raindrops with me.  i loved the opportunity to capture some fun memories for your family and i look forward to our time together again.

xoxo amanda jane

teper family: there is more than one way to create a family

there is more than one way to create a family.  adoption is one of the ways families are created.   adoption is the legal process that allows someone to become a parent of a child,even though they may not related by blood.  in reality, adoption is much,much more.

opening your heart and your home to a child is one of the most generous things anyone could ever do.  the teper family is hoping for the opportunity.  they are on the bumpy and often emotional roller coaster ride known as adoption.  they are opening themselves and their family up and hoping for a chance to expand their crew. 

being a parent is a self-less career.  parenting (good parenting) requires your full attention, full-time.  the demand of children can be all-consuming, but SO worth it.  being a parent is also one of the most amazing privileges you commit to.  as a parent you witness small miracles every day.

marisa told me about their decision to adopt.  she told me her family has to assemble a profile and package for prospective parents to look at.  the package needs to tell their story and express why they want to adopt a child.  pictures should be included in their packet.  we set a date, got her man and her son together at the park and shot some pictures.  

my wish is for the teper family to be selected for an adoption - soon.  my wish is for the prospective parent to see what a loving and warm environment their baby could be raised in.  these 3 have a strong bond and would be delighted to make their crew a family of 4.   
dave works hard to provide a good life for his family.  marisa is a full-time, hands-on mom who helps coach her son's baseball team.  cameron is a quiet boy, incredibly intelligent and kind.  he will be a terrific big brother. any child will be blessed to grow up in their home and be protected by their hearts. good luck to all of you this journey. xox aj

Applique All The Way! [I sound like a cheerleader in high school]

for those of you who know me , you know that i LOVE to make and receive homemade gifts.  i love making goodies for people and watching them open those gifts.  i love making things for my children and seeing them wear it.  

last year when i went part-time at work i started making even more gifts for my friends and family.  like many of you know our life goes in cycles.  right now i am in the "mommy cycle" so most of my friends are having babies, have just had babies or our kiddos play together.
do you remember the last post with sadie's lemonade stand?  i made her shirt with the number 1 on it. (if you were here, you'd see my big proud grin)  
to be honest, all those birthday parties and baby showers get crazy and expensive.  that's when i decided a homemade and heartfelt gift was the way i wanted to go.... hence learning to applique.  

this cute tie applied to a onesie is the perfect gift for a baby boy

with a lot of trial and error and some research on the internet, i taught myself how to make appliques.  you can applique any design.  you can put them on onesies, t-shirts, bibs, aprons - on just about anything.  i made a few (ok, A LOT) and learned as i went.  now that i've done it so many times, i finally have a system in place and my work flows pretty easily.  check it out and try one for yourself. 

here are the items you will need to make your own applique:

- design or letter of your choice (simpler is better)

- pencil or pen for tracing

- iron

- fusible webbing (i use wonder under)

- cute cotton fabric

- t shirt, onesie or whatever items you want to applique onto

- thread

- scissors

**note: i wash, dry and lightly iron each piece of fabric and garment before i start this process.


set your iron to medium/high with no steam. iron the fusible webbing to the fabric you have chosen for this project.  i use only the amount i need for the design to conserve my supplies.  only rest your iron on the fusible webbing/fabric for about 8-10 seconds. and be careful not to slide the iron.  

the fusible webbing bonds to the fabric

once you've selected a design, trace it onto the webbing-side of the paper that you have bonded to the fabric. cut out your design. ** this is the old school way of doing things.  if you have a cri-cut die cut machine or a silhouette, this part will be much easier for you.

select your design. trace onto wonder under-backed fabric and cut out.

when you have completely cut out your design, peel away the backing layer of the fusible webbing.  your fabric should have a distinctive texture on the back of it.  place your design wherever you like it on your clothing item- bonded side down.   with the iron still set at medium/high and no steam, place the iron on top of the design for 8-10 seconds.  lift the iron and repeat - set the iron on the remaining portion of the design for another 8-10 seconds.  again, be careful not to slide the iron or your design may move and become wrinkled.

iron set to medium/high and NO steam

the fusible webbing has bonded your design to the clothing item.  however, if you're looking for a little bit a stronger hold you can sew around the edges of the design.  i like to do this because that way i am confident the design won't peel off when i wash it and it looks super cute with some colorful stitching.

you can stitch by hand - the sloppier, the better sometimes - or use a sewing machine.  

stitch around your design

i use my grandmother's old sewing machine.  i took it to a local vacuum cleaner and sewing machine repair place.  the guy was great and gave it a tune-up at a decent price. when using the sewing machine, you can use a straight stitch or a zig zag stitch.  either one is cute. if you're asking for my opinion, i prefer the straight stitch because it's easier to do and the finished product looks "cleaner."  additionally, be careful that your clothing doesn't get all bunched up and you wind up sewing the front of the shirt  to the back of the shirt.

yes, my name is amanda and i have done this.

see how the shirt is pulled up so that i'm only sewing on one layer.

go around all sides of your design.  when finished, snip your threads and there you go! wrap up your homemade goodies in a cute bag with a big bow.  your friends will love them and you will feel good knowing you've made something from the heart for those whom you love.  

let me know if you try this; i'd love to hear how it goes!  

if you're not the martha stewart-type, then shoot me an email and i'd be happy to sew one of these beauties up for you at a very reasonable price!

just a few little goodies i'm working on right now

Would YouBuy Pink Lemonade From This Cutie?

my girlfriend and i were working together a couple of weeks ago when she turned to me and said "my baby turns one and i need a theme for her birthday party."

my first question was "what are the colors are you using for the party?"

"i don't know" she says "maybe pink and yellow."

"how about Pink Lemonade?" i ask.  

and there began the theme for sadie's first birthday party.

would you buy pink lemonade from this cutie? 

i sure would.  isn't she delicious? 

she is as cute as she is sweet.  

sadie turns 1!

her mommy and i started coming up with all kinds of ideas for her party.  

of course, we would need some thematic pictures to go with it.  

sadie's mommy got to work making her lemonade stand.  i cranked up the ole' sewing machine and crafted her a personalized onesie to wear.  

last but not least, we had to have lemons - lots and lots of lemons!

she is SO big!

my wingman sandra captured this one

bubbles!!

sadie turns one in august.  she is a beautiful baby with 

that dark hair and china-doll skin.

  so soft and cuddly.  i know she feels how much she is loved.

 i hope she knows how much fun we had that day in the lemon grove taking her picture.  

she let us mess around with her for quite a while before she made a stink about it.   

this was such a fun project for me.  not only did i get to hang out with my girlfriend, but i got to hang out with 2 girlfriends and love on a really tasty little baby.

sadie - thank you for being such a willing party in our crazy idea. you were a great subject for me to practice on.

lauren - thank you for coming out to hang with me and my people and for letting me "practice" on your yummy baby girl.

vanessa - thanks for being a super bubble blower :)

sandra - as always, thank you for being a RAD wingman; you rock. some of the images you caught were incredible!