The Paperlife

Baby Lila - Bloomington Normal Heyworth Illinois newborn photographer

How would you like to find her hanging in your garden shed this spring?  

SWOOON!

Here's a few more:

 

Testing photo sizing

Please excuse our dust (and crazy random posting)

 

A little changing and re-arranging going on for 2014.  Please forgive all the testing going on and stay tuned.  The blog is going heavy on my photography with a little pinch of my paperlife in the form of what I am calling Life Captures, my new way of doing things this year.

Hugs,

Amy

Senior Photographer Bloomington Heyworth Jacksonville, IL

Wow, these are just fabulous, had so much fun with this smart, handsome, and charming young man, along with his sweetheart and momma.

Fresh Off My Desk

Caught this from my car window in pick up line the other day.  Totally an everyday thing I see right now but, I know it will one day seem like it went so fast.  This is really why I scrap, to remember these crazy little everyday moments that I know I won't if I dont document it.

NO big news today, just outside painting furniture for the shop.  Lets just say Wishes is getting some trendy gray furniture real soon!  Speaking of Wishes, I was just thinking today I need to scrapbook about it, we are already on our 3rd upgraded space since we started a year ago and it is such a fun creative outlet in my life.  Gotta document that soon!

It's Thursday right?

Yes, it is, I know but, seriously how did this happen.  We started of crazy and it has been every since.  Hoping for a very calm weekend.  Jaycie Claire woke up Monday morning with her whole right side of her face and neck swollen.  Figured out it was a filling in a tooth gone wrong and severely infected.  Long story short, I spent the rest of the morning in an O.R. waiting room.  She is totally fine now, would never know anything was wrong but, if on behalf of other 7 years olds out there I could say one thing, take your children to a pediatric dentist.  Big mistake on our part, their teeth and mouths really are different!

Ok, on a positive note, last week was create central around here so I did get lots of extra layouts to share with you, here is one for today:

This is Jaycie and her good friend Carsyn after dance the other night.  They enjoyed the trampoline and a subway dinner. They are both so into gymnastics and working on their stunts and so fun to watch!

Just a quick instagram pic nothing perfect but, I love it and the finish against all the pinks.

The glassine envelope was done with ranger adhesive medium that turns sticky when heated, a background harlequin stamp, and glitter.  Really working on layering lots.  I love the depth and dimension it gives the layouts.  Just a lot more interesting to look at.

Thanks for looking!  Be back soon.

Amy

What's Up Wednesday!

Happy Half way through the week!  

We are in crazy busy spring mode but, the weather here is terrible, wet, and chilly so it makes it not so fun.  Poor Tucker had a minor injury to his finger last night at baseball practice.  He says to me this morning, and I quote, "Mom don't get mad but, (oh boy here it comes)  when the ball hit me I thought in my brain, "Son of a Nutcracker that hurt!""  Oh dear, how do you not laugh at that?  I didnt and said that I was very proud he did not say that out loud.  (Note to self, to much ELF movie in the car, must change the video.) 

Here is Dimples right before the incident yesterday:

and up next is this crazy nut, right before gymnastics and dance last night.  She is working hard to get her recital down early next month.  Apparently she was in a face making mood.

and boy can she make them!  Check out the creepy baby blues in that top picture!  Kind of scared me when I posted it!  And the toothless grin!  Gotta love that, wish I had a picture of what I looked like toothless, we didn't really document that sort of thing back then but, it would be so fun to see and show her!

Well, Like I said happy wednesday!  Hoping to clean a little up here today, finish some photoshoot editing from the weekend, and create a little something in the studio I have been dreaming up.

 How about you?

Documenting the Real -- What What

This is a Layout I did purely to document the backstory for Tucker when he gets older.  I think it is important for him to know he is always in the forefront of his parents minds, we want to give him every bit of support we can, and just for medical history to document things we did with him to aid in his physical obstacles.
The documentation.
the reality right now,  this is just TONS of fun!
And last my new favorite way to use inks, mists, and paint as textural splatters.  Took me a while to figure this one out but, I have a great new technique I refined LOL, leave me a comment if you would like me to show you how I do it in a future post.  Until next time, go make a beautiful mess of your paperlife!  Hugs, Amy

Determined

Just documenting this girl's right now, in today's layout.  Want to remember that even at age 7 her character is unbelievable.  She sets goals, she goes for them, does the work, and pushes herself, without any outside influence from us.  It is just in her to do her best and do the work.  I don't have that so much, and I am amazed I am the mother to someone who does.  I want to be her when I grow up, I have said that since she was little and it rings more true everyday.

here is a little fact.  I love to paint on my layouts and on this one I did just that.

these little veneer cards by American Craft are just to cute!  Hoping we see more of these from them in the future.

you can see under the title here I sewed a lassine bag with sequins, confetti, and glittter to add a little fun and texture to the layout.  The key in doing this is to shake the bag to spread the contents evenly and then free arm sew with your machine to keep them dispursed throughout the bag when the layout is placed in an album.

and last the "lovenote" from me.  Those of you who know me know 99% of every layout I do includes a journaled love note to my subject.  Its really what this hobby is all about to me.  

I started my spring sessions yesterday for Amy Coon Photography and got to photograph the cutest 6 month old out in the park.  I am working on editing those today and will hopefully have a sneak peak for you real soon!

Make a beautiful mess of your paperlife today,

Amy

MIssing Her.....

....today!  But good news is she is on her way home.

(shot on Friday as she  (im) patiently waited for Grammy to get here!)

she left Friday after school to go see her cousin, my niece, Abby perform in her second play this year.  It is called a Hairy Tale and Abby played the evil queen.  Which I hear she loved and that is so funny because Ab is about as sweet as they come.  Tucker and I had to stay home, regrettably because, well, he is BOOKED till summer with activities here.  I got this photo last night from the play 

This is Jaycie, Abby "the evil queen" Olivia, and Grant.  They are all four cousins!  Only missing 3 including Tucker from their age group in the family.  They all love each other, have so much fun together, and support one another at such a young age!   I love this.

On another note I have to tell you Tucker and I did find time to do something fun together last night and that was go see the movie, "42"  I cannot tell you how amazing this film is.  I have never been in a packed theater with people from every walk and age of life and had what was at least a 5 minute standing ovation after.  It was moving.

Harrison Ford was unforgettable in this as well.

Ok so I am off again, as soon as Jaycie and Grandma arrive I have a sixth month photoshoot with the cutest little guy ever in the the park this afternoon.  I can't wait to play with him!!!  

hugs, Amy

Cra-Cra.....The Scallop's Tutorial

HI!  new phrase at our house popping up is cra-cra!  (public school gotta love it LOL)  Anyway, I took this picture of Tucker in the backseat on our caride to the farm Easter weekend and it really sums up when he does his best Cra-Cra faces.

The kid is nuts, he rides back there totally into his movies but, the minute I turn around he always gives me these crazy looks with his headphone on.  HAh

This was totally just an artsy experimenting design.  I have been noticing sea scallop layers on everything lately and wanted to try my hand at my own.  I love how it turned out!!  All I did was take a glassine bag and cut it into 1 inch strips.  I then accordian folded the stips  and rounded off the end while it was folded.  I unfolded the strips and layered them with adhessive one on top of the other and then stitched the top layer on for effect.  I think it looks really cool and gives a fun texture!

See all the scallops featured in good old BHG magazine this month, that is just one spot I have seen them popping up.  Keep your eyes peeled they are everywhere, especially in fashion right now.  Next I am going to do a more girly layout with this same technique I came up with but out of pink tissue paper.  I will share that in a future blog post here.

another fun element to the page was cutting up the handwritten text from Maggie Holmes Crate Paper collection sheet of paper to get it to say just what I wanted about these little moments and then sewing them on the layout.

Hope you enjoyed this and got some inspiration!  Try it on your layouts, I would love to see what you come up with.  Click on the paper and art tab above to see more of my work.  Until next time, go make a beautiful mess of your paperlife!

Hugs,

Amy

JUMP

Jumping Beans is what I have around here these days.

This is an instagram photo from the first day my mom and I put the Coonkids trampoline together.  I kid you not, they jumped for 7 hours straight that day!  I was beginning to wonder about their well being by the end of the day!  I mean, is jumping that much in one day healthy?  

The photo is not perfect (and neither is my handwriting) but, thats ok its real! and I love that, I mean the looks on their faces in it is priceless.

If you have followed me for a while here at the paperlife, you can see my style is evolving, I am such a trend watcher and follower of home decor and fashion and the trend I am loving right now is CLEAN! Monochromatic, and soft!  I actually call it "dreamy"  

One thing will always stay true to me though, and that is, my layouts are my love-notes and letters to my kids and those I love.  That is how I always have and will think of scrapbooking, a place for my journaled love-notes to those who matter to me.  So even though I hate my handwriting, its real, and real is me.

It was hard to get them to show up well on camera but I LOVE the opalescent sequins I found on the white background, I wish I could do it "in person" justice on here.  And gold! oh how I am in love with white, sugary soft colors, and GOLD right now!

One last thing about this one I want to mention is the "feel" of movement I tried to achieve with my design.  I placed key elements in 3's all over the page to make you eye travel.  I wanted to get the "feel" of JUMP suggested to the viewers eye without literally putting a dotted bouncing ball pattern or something on the layout.  That is fine but, just not me, I always try to achieve my theme in a much more sophisticated "suggestive" Way.  this was also done by putting the cut labels on either side of the layout edge to suggest movement continuing on!  Hope you like it!  You can find a gallery of my stuff at Studio Calico which is where I have been hanging out since you last saw me!

Thanks for coming to check on my Paperlife!  See you real soon with something new from our neck of the woods!  (and thats a literal statement, we really do live in the woods! HAH!)

Loves,

Amy

 

still Scrapping............

and freshening up the old blog so, bare with me it could get wonky

Haven't they gotten big?

YiKES

Halloween 2012

Hi just dropping in quick to document halloween 2012 on the old blog. Sheesh it has been so long I think I have forgotten how to do this maybe.

Private Tucker

Strawberry Shortcake

Halloween 2012 Pretty Much Rocked!

Next up, we are making Christmas lists and working out hard to eat lots of Turkey at the end of the month.

Trying to get as much Summer in as We can...............

.............before its gone.

GRADY'S Fun Place........Check that off the 2012 Summer bucket list.

Hanging Out

Not much going on around here but some major hanging out.

Here's the proof:

Fave summer hangout snack for her, the orange, "not pealed, cut in 4's"

look at those peepers!

Fave summer hang out food for him:

"Ginormous" target bear container of animal crackers he has wanted forever.

Gussy's is a bone for sure

Fave hang out activity together, DSi Mariokart, for very long time running.

fave hang out question:

"what's for dinner?" All day long, followed by that face.

Thats all we got, back to hanging out. 

Found on Camera........

......random 4th Coonkid goofiness.  Clearing off the camera and just got a few of the kids waiting for the fireworks the other night, but I love them.  They are random and real, so thought I would share them and their details.

the girls is so full of personality, who knows what this conversation was about with a friend she found out waiting too.

practicing his baseball throw with pop-its and then......

stomping on the ones that didn't pop.  ((btw I think he could be a contortionist look at how crazy his little stick legs can bend)

Jaycie CLaire putting out imaginary fires while playing fire martial.  (sidenote: we carried snow white with us everywhere for the past few days after watching Mirror Mirror.  Great movie)

Apparently Snow White got hungry for some cookies?  I am telling you what Jaycie Claire and her imagination it never stops.

and finally "dimples" was kind enough to stop his pyro activity to let me get a picture.

Random.

But fun.

Thats how we role.

Happy Birthday USA!

It's the 4th of July!

Can you believe it?

I am happy to report we are home from the family reunion on the farm and my Dad's Corn is definitely well over "Knee High by the 4th of July"  (old farmer's saying)

Today is our puppy dog, Gus's 7th birthday and he is still as spunky as the day we got him.  Fitting birthday for him.

We had some family shots gathered last week thanks to my Wishes co-owner and Friend Echo.  She did really good with my camera, I just set her up and she shot away.  We were gathering website media shots for our new online store and both of us took family ones as a bonus.   So glad we did.  And here we are:

And can I just say, get your family photos done!  At least every few years, I know it takes work, I know you want to loose that last 10lbs first, and it is usually all a pain until you get to the shoot but, you can't get these moments back and life moves fast.  Preserve what your family is all about right now, you will be so glad you did!

If you are local to the Bloomington or Jacksonville IL area and need some help capturing your family, I would love to assist you.  I have just redone my photography site as well, so go visit me there and get all the information you need then contact me for a fun little time preserving your memories.

Here's to the 4th and Family,

Amy

Oh Oh Oh She's Magic......

HI, back again soon because I talked Jaycie Claire into doing this fun theme shoot with me and I can't stand it I have to share.

Fair warning, this is going to be photo heavy in order to really show you what I tried to capture.

I love doing shoots that tell a story, especially the authentic story but, sometimes its also fun to do shoots that transport you into a made up magical story, or what I call a theme shoot.  And that is what this is.  I had a vision in my head of a "magic show theme" and with the help of a very well loved hat in our family and Jaycie Claire's fun personality this is what I got, and can I just say I love how it turned out!

So Abracadabra (I heard that a lot during this) here she is:

Now wasn't that fun?

I have a senior session soon with a really fun girl and I cannot wait to put into motion a little theme idea I have for her!  Stay tuned.

Best Wishes,

Amy

See I still Scrap.........

Change is Good.

Change is in full swing in my life.

Kind of taking the summer off to get this Change I am doing all figured out for my online life.

One big amazing Change is my fitness, if you follow me on FB or twitter you know I am on Week 8 day 2 of Turbo Fire!!  And the change in me, not just my body, is unbelievable.

However, somethings will never change, this I am certain, I love to scrapbook, and even though I haven't been sharing as much of it on here with you it is still happening almost daily.  I am just creative and addicted like that.

So, very overdue, here is some proof with this super cute line I picked up this week at my LSS  The Scrapbooking Studio.  It is a pretty new Crate Paper line and I loved it when I saw it and it just felt so Jaycie Claire, so heres what I did with it:

painted my own shabby chic journaling spot on this layout

really into gold this summer and that frame in the collection had me at hello.

cute bike stamp from Prima

ruffle ribbon from Maya Road

You can thank a sore throbbing ankle that has to be elevated and iced for this blog post.  In other news around "Coon-town":

Some cute little thing finally lost a tooth.

and

This handsome young dude

is rockin his summer baseball season.  We actually have to run to his game in just a few.

Other than all of that, we are just lovin the heck out of our summer and busy EVERY SingLE SECOND!!  Hope you are too!

Best Summer Wishes,

Amy