When I said, "yes" to doing a fall preschool photoshoot, my mind immediately went to images of sweet, smiling faces, red apples and a vintage school desk (the same desks we used in school which makes me really old). After calling a few vintage rental stores in the area in search of a school desk to rent, I decided it would probably not be too hard to find someone willing to sell one. In just a few hours, I had found one for 20 bucks through a Facebook contact. Sold!
Before you judge my skills, I have never refinished, repurposed, refurbished or any other "re" when it comes to furniture. But, how hard could it be? Any imperfections would just add character (you'll see some "character" in the images). So, I took this wonderful, extremely brown desk (photo below taken by the seller - cats not included) and began the process of turning it into something photo worthy.
This will do!
For those of you who have done simple projects like this, you'll notice right away that I proceeded doing everything out of order (I spray painted the metal which meant having to protect it while I removed the stain which meant I lost some of my paint, because I'm a beginner and so on). BUT, remember I'm adding character to the desk, so it's all good!
Prepped and ready
Painted. Ready to stain.
Almost ready to add props!
With the desk taken care of, I was still in need of some great vintage books. My lovely sister-in-law had given me a great set of uncovered books that I was really excited about using. I decided to add a few classic titles to the scene, too. I started shopping on Etsy (love Etsy!) and I found a great set of classic Bobbsey Twin books as well as a set that included Peter Rabbit, Stewart Little and Charlotte's Web. Too cute to pass up!
I used these three books in a basket (TJ Maxx) and put the Bobbsey Twin set in the inside of the desk to add detail.
With a small globe from TJ Maxx and mason jar full of pencils, I was ready for my first client!
Love these uncovered books! Thank you, Erin!! <3
Just add children!!
The stain on the desk dried on Wednesday and I was ready for my first photoshoot on Friday - that's a quick return on investment! Eliza (6) and her sister Alaina (4) were my first clients and these sweet girls were absolutely adorable! The images turned out exactly as I had hoped and I can't wait to share them with you!
Stay tuned for my next post and this precious Back-to-school photoshoot!
Karen