A Mountains and Moose Cake Smash: Using watercolor cutouts to create a cake smash backdrop

Happy birthday, Maverick! This cute little guy is one of our recent baby graduates of the Collective Membership. For the last year, I’ve had the joy (and honor) of photographing Maverick’s milestones. I’ve gotten to know him and his parents pretty well. I can’t believe it’s already time for his first birthday cake smash! We planned a super fun mountain and moose cake smash, to echo his nursery theme at home. It turned out so perfect! 

I am a huge fan of watercolor art. There’s something about the soft colors and the way the edges bleed into each other, not to mention the delicate details. I like to decorate our home with watercolors, and I enjoy incorporating it into my styled portrait sessions, too! When families come to me with a specific theme idea for their baby’s cake smash, I often look to see how I can include watercolor artwork cutouts in their setup. Maverick’s cake smash theme turned out to be the perfect chance for some watercolor cutouts! 

One of my favorite places to find these designs is from independent artisans on Etsy, and you know I love supporting other artists and small business owners! I purchase the design, and print it as large as possible on a 40” poster. Places like Staples can do this for you, and you want to make sure to use a matte finish paper to avoid any shine being reflected back at the camera in the studio. Then I cut it out and use it to create the backdrop. I have done this for countless themes for my clients (and even for my own children’s portrait sessions and birthday parties!), and I love the variety that it lends to my sessions without cluttering up the studio with even more expensive props. Plus, as a minimalist at heart and a huge fan of reduce/reuse/recycle and avoiding one-time-use props and items, this works for me!

Bringing everything together for Maverick’s theme was especially fun, and I scoured the internet for adorable moose artwork. His nursery has a moose & mountains theme, with a mural that his father hand-painted, and we wanted to incorporate that into his first birthday portraits. I adore how it all came together, and the moose really are the cutest little moose I have ever seen!

Happy birthday again, little guy!! I’ll miss seeing you in the studio every few months - but I’m so proud to have captured your big moments this past year.

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Grayson Turns Two! A School Bus Cake Smash for My Little Guy

My sweet little boy turned TWO this month, and I still can’t believe it!

We celebrated with his favorite thing of all time — SCHOOL BUSES! Grayson is absolutely obsessed with school buses, and he points out every single bus we pass when we’re in the car. The hardest thing about the quarantine for him? There are no school buses on the roads, and he never gets to go out in the car, either! He’ll be so excited when he starts spotting them all over town in the fall again!

Grayson wore the cutest little outfit with suspenders and a bowtie, and I couldn’t even believe how much he smiled for the camera. Normally he’s hesitant around the camera, but he brought all of the grins and laughs this day. He dug right into his cake, which is the first time that has ever happened with him! I did three cake smashes for him last year (perks of being a photographer’s kid!) and he didn’t like the cake for any of them. But this time, he got out some big chunks, picked up the whole cake, and got a little bit messy!

This sweet boy is so full of personality, and it really shows! He loves being silly and making others laugh, and he really let that shine for his portraits. Love him so much!

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A Boho-inspired Cake Smash Session for Twins

Oh my goodness, I just love these little girls!  I’ve been so lucky to watch Finley & Bella grow through their entire first year, capturing all of their milestones from their newborn session to their first birthday.  Just look at them now!

It is always an honor when a family trusts me to capture their most precious gifts on camera, and when they continue to bring their babies to me as they grow — that is the very best feeling for my baby-loving and photo-loving heart.  

I have loved watching these girls together, and I can’t believe that these babies who were only FOUR POUNDS when I first held them last year are now these healthy, happy, and beautiful little girls on the brink of toddlerhood.  Aren’t they gorgeous??!?!

Family photos are always some of my favorites to capture during our birthday sessions.  Mom & dad have survived 365 days of this whole parenting thing, and they are in an entirely different place than they were when they first welcomed their girls to the world a year ago.  Plus, they are on their way to mastering the art of being parents of TWINS, which is a whole other ballgame!  

So when Finley & Bella felt more like crying during the cake smash portion of our session, you know what their parents did?  They didn’t panic.  They didn’t start crying, too.  They just rolled with it — they know that there have been so many moments over the past 12 months where their little girls expressed themselves this way, so they rolled with it. 

Besides, I happen to think that crying babies are pretty adorable and I always make sure to capture those little tears on camera when they do happen.  Just imagine pulling this photo out at their 16th birthday party or on their wedding day — classic, right?  

Happy birthday to these sweet little girls, tears and all!  

If you loved Finley & Bella’s cake smash, see how they’ve grown by checking out their newborn session, first Christmas session, and milestone session last Mother’s Day!

A Dreamy Session with Newborn Twins

Celebrating Motherhood Photo Event with Twins

Holiday Sessions with Twins

Is your baby turning one in the next few months?  Email us at hello@nicolestarrphotography.com and let’s chat about planning the perfect birthday celebration for this milestone! 

Use the contact tab above to get in touch, and you can also browse more cake smash inspiration in the “Sessions” tab above!

Do you love this boho teepee as much as I do?  Learn how to make one for your home or for your next photo session!  Our DIY teepee tutorial has become very popular over on the blog, and we'd love for you to save this to Pinterest, too!