Beach Photo Attire

I am always getting asked about what we wear for our beach photos, I thought this might be a good time to address all the questions because many of you are taking family beach vacations this summer. With a little pre planning you should be able to pack clothes that coordinate with each other before you go.  This year I had several people comment on our attire for this years shot.  I have to say, we already had everything in our closets so I didn't have to buy anything new, which is even better in my book!! I started with my dress, I found this sweet thing at Marshall's last year it is made by Max Studio.  You could find dresses similar to this just about anywhere this time of year.  I then when to my hubby's closet because lets face it, he has the least amount of clothing to work with!  This shirt was a purchase from Kohls a few years back.  Khaki shorts are always a must for our photos, they just work with everything and nothing says beachy like khaki!  My son Dayton had this cool plaid shirt from Aero and even though it was a plaid it had all the colors that I was looking for so I went for it and love how it looked.  Little Myah's outfit was also from last year, I had purchased this swimsuit cover up in Seaside at Ducky's toy shop it is made by Karmal Living.  I love looking at the clothes while we are on vacation, especially summer-y stuff because we can't buy that stuff all year long up here in the north.  The head wrap was purchased from the same place, I love how it keeps her fly aways from flying away while we are on windy beach.  Which also reminds me to tell you to basically shellac your hair with hairspray before you head out otherwise you will not like the way your bangs are flying in your face the whole time.  I never have taken our photo with us wearing "color" but I was really pleased at how we complemented the water and sky. A few other hints that I have learned the hard way are:  Take photos on a not so bright evening or morning, shadows can be really tricky and we tend to be squinting more on bright days.  I like photos when the water is a bit calmer too.  Look for a spot where there are not too many visitors, get as close to the water as you can and have your photographer be at a 45 degree angle shooting you so mostly water is in your background, not shell seekers!  I take most of our photos on the last night that we are there, we have great tans and everone looks relaxed and happy!  Go out of your comfort zone when looking for something to wear, I never wear long, strapless dresses but this one is so comfortable and I really wanted to cover the large scar on my leg in case you could see it in photos, I also think it makes me look thinner than I really am, who doesn't like that!!! Ha!  Just be casual, my favorite photos of our family are like this one below, not really posing at all, just being us.  Keep it simple, I could have put a cool new necklace on but I really wanted to keep the relaxed feel so I opted not to fuss myself up too much.   

Spring Break 2012

 I took these of Myah a few days into our vacation , I usually get more of her than Dayton because she is a more willing participant!  For now at least!  This was a skirt I found at a second hand store a few years back it is a Children's Place brand.  I just paired it with a simple white cami. 

 I love just letting her play in the ocean!

 Our friend Abbie was along on this trip so I caught one of her doing a jump, love her simple jeans and  cami too!

 I also knew that I was going to trash this skirt, I wanted her to get in the water, I have done this before when she was really little too and just love how it looked!

 Bare feet are a must in beachy photos!!! No shoes!!!!

 Make sure to get one of just you and your sweetie pie! 

 And some of just the kiddos playing around! I have become an orange freak lately! Love that color!

 I always take this shot every year, I love looking back and seeing how much they have grown!

 I always can find the handiwork of some creative kid on the beach so I try to snap a few of a sandcastle while we are shooting. 

 Spring Break 2011

Same outfit for Myah last year it still fit this year so I used it again! 

 I also took thise of just her as well, I paired a Target bathing suit with a sweet tulle skirt borrowed from my niece.  I loved using her little Asian umbrella as a prop. 

Spring Break 2010

 This was my khaki and white year, you can always go with this option, it is classic. 

 White polos for the guys with khaki shorts.

 Old Navy ruffle dress for Myah.

I love using a few props, like these pencil starfish. 

Lake Michigan 2008

You don't have to travel to the ocean to get great beach photos.  We live in Michigan and are blessed with miles of gorgeous beaches with the Great Lakes. This sweet eyelet dress was from the Gap, they always have a sweet spring white dress each year. 

Again, just the kids being the kids, I love this one of Dayton holding Myah's hand, even though you can't see his face you can feel so much emotion.

I hope I have given you some good ideas, go looking through your closets and see what coordinates, it doesn't have to be all matchy matchy to look great! 

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Remember Me????

Well hello stranger!  I know, bad blogger award coming my way right?!  Truth is, my blog has taken a way back seat in my SUV.  So much has happened since my last post.  Part of me wants to blog about it so that I don't forget, other part of me wants to forget it. 
After our fall in August with the broken bones, wheelchairs, walkers, turning my leg into a bionic woman's etc.... I just got really burnt out on the house.  So much work, no way to get it done.  I learned to just let stuff go, really hard for a girl like me!  I hired a cleaning lady even!  I am happy to report that I am doing much better, still feel tinges every now and then just to remind me that I am the bionic woman but all in all, just happy to be able to ride my bike with my puppy in the basket.  A dream come true really!  In February my 16 1/2 yr old son came in and said something to me that no mother wants to hear, "mom, I found a lump, down there...." cue my heart stopping.... he ended up having surgery to remove a cyst the size of a postage stamp that, praise God,  was benign.  He missed almost a month of school due to the recovery and pain of it all.  We thought we were all pretty much healed up for a while and Myah broke her wrist on the playground, a slight break but still ended up at the ER.  Those people call us by name when we walk in now.   Right about then we had our spring break trip planned to Florida. A week before we left, Mark had an altercation at work trying to arrest a bad guy and ended up getting hurt after 4 people fell on him, causing a bulging disk in his lower back and pinching his nerve.  He has been in so much pain for the past 2 months and finally had surgery 2 weeks ago to remove the bulge and put the nerve back where it belongs.  He is still in alot of discomfort but glad to have the surgery over.   His younger brother Eric got married a week ago and bless Mark's heart he tried his best to enjoy it! 
So now that you have our medical history, lets get to the real reason you are here.... photos of the house and projects!  I still have so many areas that are just not  right yet but I am banking on yard sales to help me out of that jam.   I have enjoyed living back up north and seeing the different treasures that you find in different regions.  I've kind of gone back to my vintage roots, I love pieces that look like you could have pulled it from your neighbor's curb.   I also have acquired some sentimental pieces from my hubby's side of the family.  With a much smaller home to work with I am trying to be more choosy with the items that I display, family items always come first in my book!  I also have been keeping a mostly black and white scheme, remember a few years ago when I showed you Aunt Penny and Uncle Ron's house,  well, she had lots of black and white ticking and toile accents and it looks so classic, so I am giving it a whirl.  I love how a dark piece can ground all the white in the room. 

 The new entryway host my starfish collection this summer.

 Got this cool cupboard for our bedroom, it was one ugly piece for $15, a  few coats of paint and she is a beauty!

 The lady practically begged me to take this half table ? home with me! 

 Got this metal cutie just yesterday, my hobs lobs basket fit on the shelf perfectly!

 This fern came from California, dragons tail I believe it is called.  I just potted it in a small celery vase with some moss and it seems happy!

 These shelves have given me 16 fits, I finally have them the way I want them, these
office pieces came from my hubby's family. 

 Paper plates and napkins on the table, it IS summer right?!!!!!

 Dining room wall, my $5 mirror with my $1 picture. 

 My ironstone collection is growing, I pick up pieces at thrift stores and yard sales, I put my
vintage silver pieces behind the white dishes for a bit of bling.

 Old family keys, probably the key to Grandma's heart!

 The key to my families' hearts are to EAT! 

 Got this cutie pie at a sale for $10, it is perfect for storing the puppy chow. 

 My mother's day gift, antique round graters, hard to find these, I have a votive inside them and they look so pretty at night. 

 Found this basket in Florida at the goodwill, perfect for coralling things by the stove.

 In Myah's room, another vintage chalkboard, this one is special, hubby's grandma played with it!

 Hmm, looks like my knob needs a screw!

 I about fainted at an estate sale when this platter was $5!!! Can you say, MINE!!!

Well, summer is here in the North and I am going to get out and enjoy as much of the sun as I can, I heart the mower calling me!  I promise to be more faithful with my posting, I love looking back at my posts and seeing how much things have changed!   Please leave a comment if you stop by, I miss my bloggy friends!