I really like being creative, but if I am honest, since Caroline was born a little over 6 months ago it’s been really hard to find the time to get down with my creative self. However, one thing I have consistently been able to do is monthly chalkboard photos of Caroline that I post on Facebook/Notabli, send to family, and have included in her baby book. While I was pregnant I saw something similar and have put my own spin on it.
It is so easy to do, but it appears like it took a lot of time and effort.
I get so many compliments on them, and if I am a few days late taking the pictures, people begin asking me when they are coming.
All you need is a chalkboard, chalk and a camera. I have been using a fancy shmancy Canon camera, but the first month or two I used an iPhone and the pictures still came out pretty good.
Because Caroline has just begun sitting up on her own and crawling I also make sure I have a nice blanket for a background.
I use chalk, but recently I saw at Creative Habitat that there are chalk markers that are paint like, that you can use. However, those are more expensive than a couple of bucks for a box of different colored chalk. Also, if you don’t like your hand writing you could type up what you want to write and print it off.
So each month I write what month it is, Caroline’s weight, her height, and milestones she is meeting and things she has done in the first month. If some things have been particularly hard I have included them too. Really, it’s whatever is on my mind at the time.
The most important thing I do is take like 100 photos (thank god for digital cameras) in all different angles to ensure I get a few good pictures.
I am NOT a photographer, but man if you take enough photos (knowing you are going to delete a bunch) it is amazing how good some of the photos can be! I then keep the best 10-15 and send them to friends and family and post them. Not all of these photos include the chalk board, but are part of the overall shoot.
This is definitely something you can do with older kids. Right now I am doing these photos monthly but as she gets older I envision doing them on her birthday (February) and then on the first day of school (August/September) which is about 6 months later.
One last comment, I do kill myself each month to get a cute photo of Caroline with Copper (our dog/first born). I have found it takes a lot of silly sounds from me (to make Caroline smile) and treats (to get Copper to stay).
For me, this is something really doable and I know I can stick with it. I think eventually I might even find the time to do something really creative with these pictures. What do you think?