“As soon as I saw you I knew an adventure was going to happen.” – Winnie the Pooh
I fist met this adorable little man last year at his newborn session, after photographing him as a bump for his mothers maternity photo shoot. Seeing them all again was just the best! I loved hearing all about their little adventures, milestones, and memories that have been made in the past year. I especially enjoyed hearing about those times he ate the dog food!! Luckily today we swapped the dog food for yummy cake, as we marked his first birthday with a wonderful nautical adventure themed cake smash.
To co-ordinate with the blue hue’s from his newborn session his Mummy wanted a nautical themed set for his cake smash session. I know from their photo premier appointment they also had a lot of vintage inspired nautical decor, including a beautiful world map in their home. After the pre-session consultation I got straight to work, hand painting an exciting adventure back drop for this little nautical sailor.
To give that old world vintage feel to the scene I wanted to create something that was almost water colour looking for the backdrop. You’d be surprised how many times I had to sketch out the world map. I’d start with Alaska and then not have enough room for Australia. Then start with New Zealand but end up with India in the middle of the painting. Eventually I got to grips with the scale and managed to figure out a good ratio. In painting this backdrop it reminded me just how big our world truly is. I hope little E will explore every continent and each of the seven sea’s when he’s older.
Wanderlust – (n) A strong desire or urge to travel and explore the world.
We accessorised the set with wooden touches. One of our most recent props in the studio is a beautiful wooden and leather suitcase, which went perfectly with this theme of adventure. E’s Mummy brought along the teddy bear we had used in his newborn session. I remember him being the same size as that teddy bear, and how beautiful the picture of them nose to nose was. Placing the bear in the suit case to be part of this session was a very special indeed. It’s those little touches that I love so much about these sessions. As requested by his parents we used the blue wooden boat from the studio which little E loved crawling in and out of. I also couldn’t resit purchasing a little wooden toy boat when I was planning this session. Not only was it colour co-ordinated perfectly for the set, E loved exploring all it’s little details.
“If happiness is the goal – and it should be, then adventures should be a priority! – Richard Branson
I adore his little cake topper so much which went perfectly with the theme and colours. As ever I have the incredibly talented Danni from Faithful Designs Stationery & Styling to thank for that. The swirling sea sponge cake was designed and decorated by Lorna of Ezzie Cakes. On Mums request she used cream cheese butter cream for the icing which she sculpted into wonderful waves around the cake. Little E is more of a savoury guy than a sweet tooth, just like his Mama. His first adorable little Sailors outfit, and matching hat is from his own wardrobe which mummy brought with them and afterwards we changed him into a beautiful little nautical nappy cover, braces and matching bow tie, all from Cake Smash Props.
Life is meant for spectacular adventures. Let your feet wander, your eye’s marvel, and your soul ignite. – Slvcwriter
If you can’t tell from my blog feed I absolutely love creating and capturing these special sessions. What a wonderful milestone memory for your little one’s first birthday. If your baby is fast approaching their first birthday (I know, I know, slow down time!!) then I’d love to help you ignite your imagination, and dream up a wonderful theme to mark their very first birthday with style. From themed cakes, to hand painted backdrops. The cutest of outfits, and the messiest of mess’. Allow me and my wonderful team of makers to help you create some one of a kind memories!
To see more of the wonderful themes we’ve created in the past click here and view our cake smash gallery. For more information about our cake smash photo shoot’s, and how to book you can find all the information here.
Baby E, I wish you the most wonderful first birthday! May your life be one big adventure, and may you treasure all the memories you make along the way.
