Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone in the states enjoyed Thanksgiving weekend!

We had a time with family.

Last month we had our family photos taken.

Family photos are so stressful for moms I think.

We had by my cousin's wife Jacquel take them and she was great--fun, affordable, and we're so pleased with our photos!  You get the digital files of your photos so you can actually do something with them.  It kills me how expensive it can be to print photos from photographer.  My kids were being pills so I was just hoping to get one picture with all of us looking semi-happy with eyes open and we definitely got more than that.

Here's Jacquel's blog Moment  by Design if you live in Utah County and are looking for a photographer!

I read this article on tips for styling family photos a while ago and thought it had some good ideas to think about.  I tried to use the tips but had to adapt them fit our style and family obviously, as my husband wouldn't enjoy wearing a scarf no matter how much it made a family photo pop.

So I started thinking of a color palette I liked, and grabbing fabric out of my stash.

I ended up liking a gray/blue color scheme with yellow accents.  I always worry about being too matchy matchy, but I really liked the more simple color scheme, so I tried to use the corduroy and velvet to add some texture.

As  I got planning the only fabric I had to buy was the sapphire velvet, which worked out great.

I was so excited at the collaboration of all my fabric,  then stopped to realize all I had was fabric--which meant I guess I was going to make all this crap.  But I was excited.

My friend Natalie is my friend that I always ask for fashion advice, and I was telling her my plan and if I remember right, she called me a maniac.  Which I agreed with, but I had a while before our pictures were scheduled so I thought it would work.

It was a close one.

The morning of our pictures I finished my blazer, made my yellow scarf, and sewed Ellaria's little velvet shoes.  I ended up not having time to make my trouser jeans, so luckily Lynette helped me out with that.

Rhett's negroni shirt

RJ's vest and trousers, jacket

Ellaria's dress

My blazer, jeans.

It was a little maddening and more than once I asked myself why I ever thought it would be a good idea to sew the majority of our clothes for this picture.  But in the end it does add another personal element of these photos for me.  I guess it makes me love the pictures to obviously see my family, plus they're wearing all the imperfect things I made (or Lynette). 

This was my favorite of Rhett and I.

 I think this is my favorite, my boys with actual real smiles...a rare photo for us.

You should also check out Lynette's most recent post of everything my mom has sewn her...it's pretty cool and I should try to find as many things my mom made me to copy her idea for a post.
 Check out my mom's sewing skills here.