just a little birthday treat for novi’s aunt kim, who loves ladybugs almost as much as novi does.
i found these little wooden picture frames (also frogs, princesses, and other animals available) at michael’s for 99 cents each (who could resist!?) and they each came with three markers.
novi had fun coloring in her frame and then choosing a photo for it. naturally, it was from her halloween costume.
my little love bug on halloween
have a ladybuggy birthday, aunt kim!
novi received her first digital camera from her aunt kim and uncle john for christmas this year. photography is one of my favorite art forms, and lately novi has been following suit by miming a camera when she wants to take a picture of something. thus, her christmas gift.
novi's vtech kidizoom camera
while the resolution isn’t the greatest on these toddler-proof cameras, they make for amazing works of art! i love the abstract ethereal quality of some of novi’s very first images, taken over the holidays.
composites of abstracts like this would make great cards or wall art
i also love to see through her lens… the choices she makes as to what is important to her in her environment.
the black bear rug at my mom's house fascinates her
her first game - candyland
no doubt, we’ll be incorporating novi’s photography into many of our future creative endeavors. say cheese!
one of my closest friends has a daughter who is turning two this weekend… but she lives states and time zones away from us. so, unfortunately we can’t attend her fabulous birthday party. the toddler’s momma told me that the party theme, per her kiddo’s request, is ORANGE! orange EVERYTHING! they’re going to have orange decorations, the guests all have to wear orange, and they’ll dine on orange sherbet & vanilla ice cream cake, mac & cheese, and other orange goodies. they’ll be bobbing for oranges and throwing orange and white water balloons. what an awesome birthday theme idea, right?!
novi and i decided that if we couldn’t attend the party, we’d get into the orange spirit from afar… so i initiated a scavenger hunt whereby novi had to find (and mommy could photograph) everything orange she could spy. we looked all over the house: in cabinets, pantries, drawers, toy bins, etc. we walked around our yard and our neighborhood. we walked to a local farmer’s produce stand and went to our grocery store. i snapped away with my nikon d40
after my little color-hunter was sound asleep and (undoubtedly) dreaming orange dreams, i photoshopped the images together into a zesty grid with a dorky little message on top for the birthday girl. here are the citrus fruits of our labor:
this grid will go to the birthday girl, but if you’re just doing this for fun, you could create a grid to print and frame for your child’s bedroom, playroom, or bathroom. you could print the photos to make a collage or photo book. you could just keep them in your computer and let the photos cycle as your screensaver that your child will see and remember each time they’re sitting on your lap at your desk. there are so many creative things you can do with the finished product. i should mention that it gave my daughter a huuuge smile to see the grid when it was complete, so that sense of accomplishment and things coming full circle can be important for a little one to witness.
for those of you with toddlers, i should remark that this kept me and my 2.5-year-old daughter busy for about two or three hours (including our walk and trip to the grocery store) and she remained focused and into it. sweet! you don’t have to hunt for colors, as anything goes in a scavenger hunt, but colors are a fun and eye-catching i-spy sort of thing to do with a very young child. go forth, hunt it, and shoot it! (but only with your camera!)
