Tag

baby

Browsing

Family Photo 101: Outfits, Poses, Photographers

As crazy as this sounds, it is time to start planning your holiday card photo. My family has taken an annual photo every year since we moved to America in 1996, and I plan on keeping the tradition alive with our new little family. After 18 years of practice, I have lots of tips to share for photos: what to wear, how to pose, and who to use! These things are all very important. If you’ve got additional help hints, please share them in the comments below!


Outfit Tips 

  1. Coordinate everyone’s outfit colors, but don’t be too matchy-matchy. 
    It is important to pick colors that complement each other, but are not all the exact same. Not sure of a color scheme? You can use Adobe Kuler for inspiration.
  2. Observe your home decor before picking your outfits.
    We recently put up a new gallery wall in our kitchen and are only using professional photos (wedding, engagement, newborn, sister’s wedding, etc.). I realized that in all of the photos, we are wearing pastels – there is a coral color in every photo. I’ll continue this trend in our family photos this year, as they will be added to the frames. Is your house full of burgundy? Wear browns or deep reds. Do you have pops of yellow? Incorporate that into your outfits.
  3. Don’t wear all white or all black.
    The detail of your outfits gets lost when someone is in all black or white – with the exception of a dress. Try to vary your color from head to toe.
  4. Avoid too many patterns.
    One plaid shirt is okay, but don’t have two, unless they are in a very similar color scheme. Try to avoid big, bold patterns and stick to solid colors.
  5. Remember that textures and accessories are your friend.
    Add textures to your outfits, like scarves, belts or jewelry. Avoid anything that makes a strong statement, unless it coordinates closely to other family member’s outfits. Another great texture is a chambray (denim) shirt. And it complements almost all colors.
  6. Classic never goes out of style.
    I love a good silk blouse and jeans. Add heels or solid flats and a pretty gold necklace and you’re set. Something that is overly trendy may have you groaning in ten years time.
  7. Wear soft tones to complement skin tones.
    I love pastels on kids – cream and tan also look incredibly good. I would strongly advise against a bright color, as those are much  more difficult to pair together.
  8. Put your baby in something simple.
    Cute onesies and pants always look good in photos! I don’t recommend multiple outfit changes, but having your baby in a sweet formal outfit melts my heart (and others’, too!). Pick your outfits, then find a cute Carter’sBaby Gap, Old Navy, Zara or J. Crew Cuts (or Factory!) outfit to match.

For Herfamily photos - what to wear, photographers, natural light, film, poses, modern, trendy, classic, blazers, cream, white, gap, j. crew, banana republic, mom, babies, dad, kids

Shop These Looks

Week in Review

Week three in Houston has passed, and life is showing no signs of slowing down. This past week, we visited lots of family and friends whom we hadn’t seen in almost three months – some who hadn’t met Isla yet. I was talked into doing back-to-back classes at Life Time Fitness with a close friend, and my body is still recovering. Overall, this week had many highlights, which I’ve captured below:

  • I went to Anthropologie, J. Crew, Carter’s, Kendra Scott and Baby Gapugh, feels good to be back). I subsequently ended up at The Container Store again for more slim-fit hangers.
  • We ate at Ruggles Green and Mary’z – two of our favorite restaurants (see full list of favorites), and I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods for the first time in months!
  • The weather is finally getting more bearable, so I was able to run outside on multiple days.
  • After going to the Durango Farmer’s Market all Saturday, we decided to head to one of the big ones in Houston (and bought lots of Sinfull Bakery goodies)
  • We went to my parent’s house for lunch to celebrate my dad’s birthday (happy birthday!)
  • Isla went to church for the first time (Bayou City Fellowship) and behaved swimmingly! Thank the good Lord.

Most importantly, this week marked the official stomach-to-back-to-stomach rolling and consistent, deep belly laughter from Isla. The former has me slightly nervous (she’s now getting tied into her changing station), and the latter has my heart smiling. That sound is pure joy.

Lastly, the winner of the Freshly Picked giveaway is Wendy J! I will be emailing you shortly. Thank you to everyone who entered.

How was your past week?
review5Her happy morning face // A friend lent us a mamaRoo – why didn’t we have this sooner?

Week in Review

Our first week back in Houston has come and gone, and ohmygosh, I am exhausted. I was so excited about seeing everyone that I might have overdone it by filling up our calendar to its capacity. I was out pretty much all of Monday and Tuesday with food poisoning, then spent the rest of the week seeing family and friends and running errands (so much dry cleaning!). Highlights from the week are captured below:

  • Isla meeting my grandma for the first time (her Great Grandma, or GG)
  • Signing up for a membership at Life Time Fitness and working out for the first time in three months
  • Isla’s playdates with with Lillian, her cousins (Ana, Mila and Lazo) and Ellery
  • Going to The Container Store after many months apart (yes, I’m addicted)
  • Taking Isla into the pool at our friend’s house for the first time (in her sweet Honest Company pineapple swim diaper from Kirby!)
  • Receiving our first Teil Duncan painting – one of her Bulls
  • Eating lunch at my parent’s house with one of my best friends, Andrew, who lives in Boston
  • Hosting two of our favorite friends for a dinner and serving these vegan brownies
  • Going to church at Bayou City Fellowship after being gone forever
  • Isla learning to laugh and doing it often (the cutest sound ever!)
  • And last, but not least, catching up with my best friend, McKenzie

    DSC_1198Sept21DSC_0032sept20_2DSC_0063sept20_9DSC_0096sept20_4DSC_0014sept20_5DSC_0334sept20_8DSC_0375 sept20_7

 

Shop this Post

Isla Loves: Freshly Picked Moccasins (Giveaway)

Freshly Picked is a company that has been a part of Isla’s life from the beginning, as I ordered a pair of platinum moccasins the moment I found out I was pregnant. I had been eyeing them for ages and was excited to finally have a reason to order them. We chose to use the shoes in our pregnancy announcement photo, which you can see here. I ordered Size 1, and although Isla has rather large feet, they haven’t fit her until recently. Now that she can wear them, I put them on almost every day. I love them, and I dream of having them in every single color. Freshly Picked kindly sent me a gold pair, which I am going to have to put into rotation with the platinum ones.

Baby Isla-067

These moccasins are made with quality leather and match almost every outfit. They’re just as cute on boys as they are on girls, evidenced by the fact that both Mason Kardashian and North West love them (although I imagine the watermelon pair are predominately worn by the ladies!). The heel of the shoe is elastic, so they are comfy for Isla’s feet. The best part (for me) is that she cannot kick them off like she does with all of her socks.

I know that I will be buying Isla Freshly Picked moccasins until her feet are larger than 7.34 inches! If your little one, or your friend’s little one, don’t own a pair already, this needs to change quickly.

Baby Isla-074


I’m excited to be teaming up with Freshly Picked to give away a pair of moccasins to one lucky individual! For the first time in the Isla Loves series, I am using Rafflecopter for the giveaway.

Follow the various entry options listed below – the more entries you get, the higher the chance you’ll win these sweet shoes. The giveaway ends at midnight on Friday, September 26. I will announce the winner by Friday. I look forward to reading your responses. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Freshly Picked on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

DSC_0431

FreshlyPicked1

DSC_0408

freshlypicked2

DSC_0288

freshlypicked5

PS The winner of A Little Lady Shop giveaway is Angie P. I will email you to confirm which bow you would like! Thanks!

I was given the Gold Moccasins by Freshly Picked for my review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.

Isla Loves: A Little Lady Shop (Giveaway)

Everything is bigger in Texas, including their hair bows. I must admit it, I am not a huge fan of the over-the-top-floofy flower headbands that take up 70% of a newborn baby’s head. However, I do love cute bows that are appropriately sized for baby girls’ heads (I am a bow fanatic after all). When I discovered A Little Lady Shop, I fell in love. They have the best – I mean, best– bow selection for little girls of all ages. Marie, owner of A Little Lady Shop, kindly sent me three adorable bows – Felt Bow in Teal on Alligator ClipPink Leather Bow on Alligator Clip, and Felt Tails Bow in Navy on Alligator Clip. I love them all so much! The bows are all available in a wide range of colors and the option to be put on an elastic band for a headband or an alligator clip. With Isla’s fluffy hair, I opted for alligator clip. It stays in her hair better than any of the other bows we’ve tried. The bows are available in such a wide range of colors, you could literally have a bow that matched every single outfit (yes, I dream of this).

Not only are their bows adorable, but also they have the sweetest fabric wraps and crown headbands. I am so upset that I did not find these products before Isla was born – I wish she was wearing these in her newborn photos.

These bows are the perfect gift for anyone you know who has a girl or is expecting one. If you fit this bill, then you need them too!


I’m excited to be teaming up with A Little Lady Shop to give away a free bow or headband (of your choice) to one lucky individual! In order to enter the giveaway, you must do the following:

  1. Reply to this post, including your name and which bow or headband you would like to win
  2. You will get an extra entry by being or becoming a follower of my blog, Snapshots and My Thoughts (see ‘Follow’ button at the bottom righthand corner on desktop version of the blog)
  3. You will get an extra entry by posting the giveaway’s URL to your Twitter or Facebook account (please tag @ailee_petrovic on Twitter or mention Snapshots and My Thoughts on Facebook)
  4. You will get an extra entry by re-posting my Instagram post about the giveaway and tagging me @SnapshotsAndMyThoughts

One winner will be drawn at random. The more entries you have, the higher the chance you’ll win! The giveaway ends at midnight on Wednesday, September 10. I will announce the winner by Friday. I look forward to reading your responses.

Follow A Little Lady Shop on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest // Follow Snapshots and My Thoughts on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest


Felt Bow in Teal on Alligator Clip

ALittleLady1

DSC_1031 - Version 2

ALittleLady2

Pink Leather Bow on Alligator Clip

ALittleLady3

DSC_1060

ALittleLady4

Felt Tails Bow in Navy on Alligator Clip

DSC_0235

ALittleLady6

DSC_0272

I was given the baby bows by A Little Lady Shop for my review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.