Rustic 1st Birthday Photo Shoot

     I am so excited to finally be able to share the results of Ethan's 1st Birthday photo shoot! Everything turned out perfect and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. I spent hours planning his photo shoot, trying to figure out exactly how I wanted it and collecting everything I needed for props. I knew from the beginning it would be in a rustic setting with Ethan wearing his overalls, sans shirt and shoes. I was surfing Pinterest  for inspiration, when I came across this adorable smash cake session from On To Baby. I immediately fell in love with it and knew I would be making a boy version for Ethan's photos.

      I have a friend whose family owns a wedding venue in Odenville, Alabama. There is a fantastic old barn on the property complete with old wagon wheels and bales of hay. It was the perfect spot for our pictures and my friend's Mom was kind enough to let us use it. Once I had the location, I started collecting my props. I used the chalkboard I painted a few weeks ago to write Ethan's name on and found an old wicker chair at my grandmother's house. I went to the local flea mall and found a great deal on an old Radio Flyer wagon. I bought some cardboard letters, spelling "ONE" at the craft store to put inside the wagon. I really loved the idea of the mirror, so I had my handyman/husband build me a rustic frame and tarnish it with our homemade stain. Brian's work boots were the perfect finishing touch.



   As far as the cake went, I HAD to have a giant cupcake! I bought a silicone pan that makes a cake 25x the size of a regular cupcake. I used boxed cake mix and a tub of icing and covered it with TONS of sprinkles! It looked perfect and it was so much fun to watch Ethan tear into it.

    One of my favorite details of the pictures is the giant moss-covered E. It was not part of my original plan. But, when we pulled up to the barn, the 'E' was hanging from a window. It turns out, my friend had gotten married there the day before and her new last name begins with an E. They had simply forgotten to take it down when they cleaned up after the reception. How great is that? It was the perfect accompaniment to Ethan's pictures.

    We used anything and everything we found laying around the barn. There was an old wash bin, hay bales, and 2 huge wagon wheels. Ethan is a ham in front of the camera and he had a ball walking around and playing. He carried his favorite wrench around with him almost the whole time. (He already gravitates towards tools and is very interested in how they work. Like father, like son.)