My prize arrived! Folio Ecoframes {Berkshire Children Photographer}

A few weeks back I won a competition – yes, me, who never wins anything! I was so chuffed, specially because I was competing against other brilliant photographers, so I was very honoured to have been chosen. I even considered if I should call myself an award winning photographer, but it’s not really an award, is it? More like a prize-winner. And today my prize arrived: a beautiful FOLIO 10×15 ecoframe, complete with a picture of my daughter I shot in Bristol last summer.

I had already decided I was going to add those frames to the products I offer, firstly because I love offering beautiful, nicely finished products to my clients, but also because they are as green as you can get, made of reclaimed wood – which also means every frame is a unique product. They come in three sizes – 10×15, 18×12 and 24×16 – and two finishes: antique brown and vintage white. The photos are printed on heavyweight canvas and protected against dust and UV light with a fine art varnish.

I chose the dark finish to go with the very light picture I had picked and to say I was impressed when I opened the box is an understatement: I nearly cried. It looks so gorgeous it just went straight up on my wall. The attention to details on all finishes is incredible and I just can’t fault it. It is perfect!

Still in the bubble wrap

 

 

 

Details of the back

Up on my wall :)

I would just like to say a big thank you to Folio and Stewart for choosing me as a winner and for the amazing customer service. You are a star!

To my valentine {Berkshire family photography}

Today I could talk about love in general, or about the wonderful couple I had the pleasure to meet last weekend. I could talk about their wedding and how happy I am to be their chosen photographer. But I decided to take Valentine’s Day personally this year and talk about my own valentine. The man without whom I wouldn’t be here – and by here I mean HERE, in this country, in this profession, doing what I was born to do everyday.

 

Mr T, I only am who I am today because of you. Your support through good and bad – and especially really bad – times has made me stronger. If I have now the courage to pursue my dreams and believe in my work, it is only because you believed in me first. I love you so so much – to the moon and back? ;)

Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.

It’s almost here: what are you getting for Valentine’s Day? {a collaborative post}

A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking what I should do for Valentine’s Day – I mean, here on the blog, for the readers. I could write a post about how or why you should buy photography gift vouchers for your other half but then it starts getting boring after a while, doesn’t it? So I had an idea: why not team up with some awesome local businesspeople who can show us what they offer for Valentine’s Day? I randomly emailed some people who I thought would be interested and asked on twitter and facebook - and I met these incredible people who agreed to give us – that’s you and me – some great present ideas.

With the word, our guest bloggers! :)

Mary Malyon, from Natural Baby Shower, an awesome Baby Boutique based in Chertsey, Surrey:

At Natural Baby Shower we love babies, but we never forget their adults especially on Valentine’s Day. We’ve got a fantastic range of beautifully-made, organic gifts for parents and non-parents alike:

Purepotions Organic Bath Oil:

Luxurious and 100% natural, Purepotions Bath Oil contains organic oils including nourishing sunflower, soothing safflower and lavender, chamomile and calendula – all known for their healing properties. There are categorically no nasty parabens or petrochemicals, just pure bathing loveliness for your Valentine.

Pure Potions Skin Salvation Organic Bath Oil £7.75

 

Womama Organic Birthing Wrap Dress:

Despite the gossip mags full of prancing super-models, heavily pregnant  and still in their smalls, Valentines undies will not win you brownie points with most mamma’s-to-be-very-soon. Womama’s super-soft organic cotton wrap is a stylish alternative. A beautiful nightgown which flatters and celebrates the lovely bump; a great replacement to ugly, nylon hospital birthing gowns and the wrap also looks great over jeans in late pregnancy and early motherhood when a mum needs something quick yet elegant to throw on in the morning.  We’ve only got a few left in stock, you can check availability here>> http://naturalbabyshower.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=womama.  More colours (including a Valentines Red) and sizes coming soon.

Womama Organic Birthing Wrap Dress – Ocean Blue. £49.95

 

Oi Oi Nappy Bags for Mum AND Dad

His and hers nappy bags, the perfect Valentines present for parents-to-be. When you become a mum it’s easy to lose sight of the stylish maven you once were. Even if she has a fantastic collection of It bags, it’s unlikely any of them will have space and pockets for nappies, wipes, extra clothes, toys: the list of baby paraphernalia is endless. This is where OiOi bags come in: they are on-trend AND they’ve got a special pouch for used wipes. Could a mum could ask for more? We love OiOi’s leather tote in Valentine’s red.

And if Dad wants his own bag, the Daddy Rider fits the bill. What better statement of intent? “I’ve got my own nappy bag, and I will change the nappies!”

OiOi Red Leather Tote (left) £180; OiOi Daddy Rider Messenger Changing Bag (right) £190

 

Boo Boo Baby Luxury Mummy Spa Kit

The ultimate pampering gift set for Mums – whether her bump’s just beginning to show or her little one is already toddling. This luxurious, at-home Spa Kit will leave her skin glowing, firmed and stretch-mark free thanks to our three best-selling products, all wrapped up in a gorgeous, glossy box. Safe for use during pregnancy and nursing.

 

Boo Boo Baby Luxury Mama Spa Kit £39.99

Natural Baby Shower has also an incredible online shop so those a bit far away from Surrey can enjoy these great products as well. And you can also like their Facebook Page or follow them on Twitter.

~*~

Here are Sarah Evan’s, from rightbag.co.uk, recommendations:

For Women – Plum Purple Krusell iPhone case

Soft and durable the case will form like a glove around your phone.  Made from high quality genuine suede leather, with a super soft lining, it’s one of our biggest selling iphone cases.  It would make the perfect present for any one who wants to protect their phone with quality and style.

 

Plum Purple Krussell iPhone Case £16.99

 

For Men – Checker Flag Pat Says Now Laptop Bag

These gorgeous Pat Says Now bags stand out from the crowd. Made of high-quality PVC, the padded interior compartment perfectly protects your laptop against shocks and the elements.  There is ample space available in the main compartment for your mains adapter and books.  The exterior front and back panel fasten securely with Velcro and smooth running zippers, which are easy to use.  The clever designs in bright colours make every bag a unique accessory for out and about. The perfect present for a man that wants to stand out from the crowd with an excellent quality, bang on trend look.

 

Checker Flag Pat Says Now Laptop Bag from £36.99

 

For Men – Gelaskins Union Jack Skin for iPad 2

Gelaskins iPad 2 Cover Skin customises and protects the front and back of your iPad. The skins are made from 3M vinyl technology for easy and repositionable application. It can be removed and reapplied leaving no marks or residue and is bubble free with a durable scratch resistant coating.  The skins are compatible with all iPad 2 acccesories and even come with downloadable matching wallpaper. The skins are extremely thin (less than 1mm) but offer tough, scratch protection.  So if you want to avoid the bulk that comes with some other iPad 2 cases then the Gelaskins are for you. The perfect gift for the man that has everything.

Gelaskins Union Jack Skin for iPad 2 £22.99

 

For Women or Men – Verso Prologue Kindle 4 case

The Verso Prologue Antique Case Cover is wrapped in luxurious fabric.  It is an exceptionally crafted cover and could easily blend into an old world style library disguised as a classic novel. But admirers will soon realize this cover offers far more than a striking vintage appearance. A handy front pocket makes a convenient place to store travel or business documents.  The interior cover features a velvety microfiber fabric to help protect your device from scratches. The unique design features the Verso patent-pending strap system to enable a secure fit for tablets and e-reader devices.  The perfect compromise between a book and a Kindle.

 

Verso Prologue Kindle 4 case - Red £36.99

 

For Women – Knomo Slim Black

The Knomo Slim is handcrafted from durable nylon quilting and leather for the ultimate protection against knocks or bumps. The unique design stands out from the crowd whilst being practical to boot and the front zipped-pocket is handy for your travelcard or other small items. The Slim’s retractable padded handle is comfortable to carry and helps it to easily fit into a larger bag. The detachable, extendable strap means it can also be worn across the body or on the shoulder while the slip pocket on the back can carry cables or paperwork.   The Slim, like all other Knomo products comes with its own unique tracker ID number printed on the double stitched tag within, to help you be re-united with your bag if lost. Pippa Middleton’s favourite laptop carrier, and our best selling laptop case.  The perfect present for some one who loves beautifully crafted gifts, the Slim will not disappoint.

 

Knomo Slim Black from £49.99

Rightbag.co.uk is an innovative online shop specialising in funky, stylish tech bags for women (and some for men too) – from your computer to your kindle, they have got it covered (no pun intended, honest). You can also like them on Facebook or follow their Twitter.

~*~

And finally, Lisa Berry from Cheeky Little Prints and Gifts, an online shop selling wonderful keepsake jewellery and an exciting gift range.

Fingerprint Charm

A solid silver charm showcasing your child’s fingerprint.  Regular fingerprint charms are currently available as hearts, curved hearts, circles, rectangles and squares. These beautiful charms are perfect for necklaces and some are also suited to charm bracelets. You can present your fingerprint charm on a stunning sterling silver snake chain or perhaps a beautiful charm bracelet, just add it to your order.

Fingerprint charm from £44.99

 

 

Fingerprint Cufflinks

A pair of solid silver square fingerprint charms with sterling silver cufflink fittings soldered at the rear. Each hand crafted cufflink features a fingerprint as well as hand inscribed name personalisation. The cufflinks can be a combination of either 2 child or 2 adult fingerprints or 1 of each.

Fingerprint cufflinks from £84.99

 

Small Rimmed Plate – Ceramic Keepsake Kit

Our Ceramic Keepsakes are now available in kit form!  It is now possible for you to create your own Ceramic Keepsake, perfect for our customers that live too far away to visit us and these kits also make perfect gifts! This Ceramic Keepsake Kit contains a fully glazed small rimmed plate, a pot of special paint in your chosen colour, a sponge and full instructions.  These kits are easy to use; simply apply the paint with the sponge to your child’s hand and/or foot and then place their hand and/or foot onto the glazed ceramic piece to make the print.  Don’t worry if the print is not what you wanted, you can either wipe away smudges with a damp cloth or a baby wipe or you can wipe off the whole print and start again!  Enough paint is supplied for several prints to be taken.  You can personalise your Ceramic Keepsake by painting on your child’s name, age or a message etc using the remaining paint and a fine paint brush.  Alternatively you can use a porcelain painter pen to personalise your item and these are available to purchase from us.  The porcelain painter pen can be used to personalise any glazed ceramic item.  Your Ceramic Keepsake needs to be left to dry for 24 hours and is then baked in the oven according to the instructions supplied.

Small Rimmed Plate - Ceramic Keepsake Kit from £14.99

 

Coffee Mug – Ceramic Keepsake Kit

This is the coffee mug version of the plate above and works exactly the same way. For the coffee or tea addicts out there!

 

Coffee Mug - Ceramic Keepsake Kit from £11.99

As well as on their lovely website, you can also find Cheeky Little Prints and Gifts on Facebook.

 ~*~

So, I am hoping by the end of this post you will have plenty of ideas – and if you have a different suggestion, why not share on the comments below or on our Facebook Page?

Finally,  I would like to say a big big thank you to Mary from Natural Baby Shower, Sarah from rightbag.co.uk and Lisa from Cheeky Little Prints and Gifts for their fantastic suggestions. I hope we can take our collaboration further in the near future!

Location ~ Black Park, Wexham {South Bucks Family photographer}

Welcome to the new feature on our blog! Every Monday I will posting some of my favourite locations throughout Berkshire, South Bucks, London and possibly the whole UK. The aim is to help you choose the perfect location for your child or family session, as well as to showcase great places to visit with family and friends. The star of these posts will (more often than not) be my daughter Lily – with occasional appearances by Mr T -, and the photos will be made specially for the articles. So here we go!

The first of these fantastic location is Black Park country park. Located just off the A412 between Slough and Iver Heath, it’s an ideal place for a family day out, photographic or not. It’s got an amazing playground for the little ones, a lake, picnic areas and a great (and reasonably priced) café. It is also pushchair and wheelchair accessible, and has toilet and baby changing facilities. And because it’s so close to Pinewood Studios, you have probably seen it in big film productions such as Harry Potter , Casino Royale and the newest Robin Hood (the one Russell Crowe is in) – so you might even meet a celebrity whilst you are there!

D’s maternity shoot {London and Berkshire newborn photographer}

Last week I headed to North London to photograph D’s beautiful bump on my first ever maternity shoot. I met D through a mutual friend and we clicked right from the beginning, she’s extremely creative and full of ideas, which always helps  making unique and fun photoshoots. It was a day for experimenting with light and learning lots of lessons and I got a set of images out of it that I am really proud of. Thanks D and E for having me and letting me shoot your bump (and feeding me lovely scones with jam and cream). I can’t wait to meet baby H – who should be making an appearance any day now! (And if you want to have your bump or newborn photographed, I have a special for you, so read on!)

Maternity and newborn offer!

I am looking to expand my maternity and newborn portfolio, so I am offering 25% off newborn sessions (which include a maternity shoot) to everyone who books before 15th Feb. Because it’s a portfolio building offer, your due date needs to be on or before the 30th April and to say thank you I have thrown in a surprise present for you. Sessions to be held at your house or location of your choice. For more details (not on the present, it’s a surprise!), please contact me.