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My studio has been a whirl of Christmas sparkle and Newborn magic recently so Cake Smashes have taken a bit of a back seat recently. Its such a shame because look at these amazing sessions that I've had recently.  There's not much that makes me smile more about my job than seeing my clients come back to me for their birthday cake smash sessions. Gone is the tiny curled up little newborn and in their place is this bundle of personality and character just itching to get stuck into that cake.  It's not all about the cake with my smash sessions though, they are a three part shoot which gives us plenty of opportunity to capture every little giggle and smile. We start off with some beautiful portrait shots, these can be done on a plain backdrop (set up in front of the main set) so you've got something a little more classical if you wanted.  Then comes the messy fun, the unique set for the smash is discussed beforehand and handmade by me to match your brief perfectly. Sometimes the little ones can be a little shy about getting stuck in so its always best that you wear clothes you don't mind getting a some cake on if they need a little encouragement. Wooden spoons often come in to play to give them a hand too, this can help if your little one is a little hesitate to start!  Some smashes are super messy, the cake goes everywhere. The cakes are included in the session fee, and made by my fab baker at Belles Bakery.  Some are a little more reserved, have a good taste and explore but prefer to leave the cake for Mum and Dad to enjoy at home with a cup of tea ;) you get to take the remaining cake home with you!  Finally we have a bubble bath to clean up, its a perfect opportunity to grab some happy bubbly pictures.   Cake smash sessions are £99 and you can find my image pricing here As you can probably tell from the photo spam that is this blog post, I do enjoy a cake smash! They are full of laughter and celebrations. I'd love to see more of you in for cake smashes in the new year so get in touch if you'd like to book in for your little ones first birthday shoot. Check our Yeovil photographer Sarah's blog this week on photos to capture this Christmas. She has a massive list of photographs you might want to capture this year to remember your festive fun.
I've had the same one since I was a little girl, my mum made them for my sisters and me when we we were young. Over the years my mum has been adding to the collection, she made my daughter one, and my husband, my niece and nephew and brother in law, we all have our own, very special advent calendar. This year my mum has been working hard on a gorgeous cross-stitched calendar for my little boy.
Each day has a little box tied to it with a treat inside and a festive picture underneath to count down the days. I love it so much each year it brings such memories of my childhood, Christmas Eve always contained a little gift, earrings when I was older, or a treasure hunt when my sisters and I were younger. I am so incredibly lucky to have such a talented mum.  Since my Christmas Mini shoots finished I've been left with a little less Christmas cheer in my day so I fell into the google and Pinterest black hole and started looking at all the other gorgeous ideas out there for re-usable calendars and who knew there were so many out there!
Hobby Craft have some amazing sets, so you can personalise yours as you wish. Glitter and Caffeine (amazing blog tittle!!!) has some beautiful ideas to get crafty this advent season. If you don't feel so crafty, but still want to invest in a re usable advent calendar to start a new tradition and reduce waste Etsy and Not on The High Street have some amazing UK sellers, here are a couple of my favourites: LisaAngelLtd has a beautiful personalised LED calendar, or a wonderful advent train! BettyLovesUK has a really sweet tree which you add colourful baubles to - but her last Christmas order is tonight! So get in there quickly! Phoebesflummery offers a wooden box calendar with a scandi feel, perfect for little toys or treats! The Alphabet Gift Shop has a very festive wooden reindeer! I know my kids would love one of these (but nothing beats Nanna's special calendars in this house!). Bespoke & Oak Co offer this fabulous personalised 'Count Down to Christmas Advent Box' From wooden boxes to fabric designs, reusable advent calendars are the way forward and here are some ideas of gifts to go inside them.
I can't wait for Joshua to see his calendar and I'd love to see pictures of yours this year too! On my googling search I came across Natalie Moss's blog, a few weeks back she posted about Christmas gifts. Natalie is a Maternity photographer in Surrey, she has blogged about this week.  I don't know if its psychological or not but it seems like since the clocks went back it really does seem like the days have got colder. Winter coats and hats are a must on the school run now and of course that means the endless fights with willful little ones to get them to stay wrapped up, I'm sure my little man can take a jacket off in under 2 seconds - and that is after endless arguments to get him in it! It can be incredibly frustrating when answering yet another why should I wear a coat as you're rushing to get out the door so here are a few tips to hopefully make things a little easier on you all.  1) Find a coat they are excited to wear - it sounds so simple but involving your little one in the winter coat shop this year could help overcome their resistance to wearing it. 2) Make sure it's comfortable - children are always on the move so making sure they aren't restricted in it means that it's less likely to be cast aside halfway around the climbing frame. 3) Sometimes we don't give our little ones credit for how much they understand, explain to them that they could get poorly if they don't wear their coat. If your child is little, you can use animals as an example. Animals wear coats of fur because they get cold, too, and without their coat, they would be very sick. 4) Make a big fuss of them - my little ones love to be told how grown up/handsome/cute they look. Who wouldn't loved to be told that they are beautiful and how proud you are of them for wearing their new coat! If you do find that special coat that they love to wear how about booking in for an outdoor family photoshoot with me more information can be found here: http://www.clarelongphotography.com/prices.html  Hertford Photographer Joanne has some fab outdoor photography for inspiration.
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Newborn, baby and family photography by Clare Long Photography, Sidcup, Bexley, Kent and London.
© Clare Long Photography 2023
© Clare Long Photography 2023