she did it all herself

A couple of weeks ago, I photographed a pretty rad one year old birthday party for a sweet little boy named Beau. His mama is an awesome friend of mine named Abbi. She is super creative {I think it goes with the name ;)} and has a blog that documents her creations here.

Several months ago, Abbi contacted me about booking me to shoot her son's party. When we discussed the price, I suggested we do a trade: some of her amazing mint chocolate cupcakes in exchange for my photography services. When I got the cupcakes from her, I gave half of them to my niece for her birthday {she had tasted the cupcakes before and loved them!} and half to my mom for Mother's Day {she kindly shared them with the family, as moms tend to do}. I love the idea and the reality of trading services/goods as opposed to always dealing in money. I kind of hate money anyway -- and I kind of love it. And I can't live without it. Okay, so anyway, if you have goods or services you could trade for a photo shoot, don't hesitate to ask about doing that instead of paying cash. :)

Now, on to the party! Abbi did a remarkable job creating every single party detail by hand! She is amazing, really! If you are looking for someone to plan a party for you and take care of the details, she's your girl fo' sho!

Here's a glimpse of the awesomeness that was Beau's first birthday party...













The favors for the kids were these fun little items, wrapped up inside a small burlap bag...



Yes, she made all the cupcakes and treats, as well!





And here are some people pictures from the party, too... :)


{the birthday boy and his mama}







I think he was happy when he saw his little cake..! :)





First bite! So precious. Melt my heart.







You can find out more about all the amazing party details and how she did it all, over on Abbi's blog Z As In Zebra.

Abbi~ {and Andrew and Beau and the rest of your whole awesome family}
I thoroughly enjoyed photographing such a fun, detailed, well planned party! Can't wait to hang out with you guys again. Thank you for having me be there.

~abi~