this little house

PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN // TIPS & TRICKS in collaboration with WHITE STUFF (AD)

February half term is here, and what a welcomed break it is after the January slog. I'm excited to have some family time together and to get out and about. I read somewhere recently that we get roughly 940 weekends with our children before they fly the nest, 260 of them already gone by the time they turn five. I'm not usually one for statistics, but these ones pretty much freaked me out. Caleb turns six in April, I daren't even do the math.

This half term break just got a whole lot more precious, and it's making me want to dust my camera off and get those real memory maker pictures. Not capturing anything fancy, just my boys as they are right now at this age. You know, before they ditch us and fly the nest in however many weekends ;).

A lovely side effect of blogging, is how much I've learnt (through trial and error!) about photographing my children and interiors. We recently teamed up with, White Stuff to photograph their new kidswear range, Stuff & Wonder, and we had so much fun doing so. Having two very active boys, I am always on the look out for well made, comfortable, yet stylish clothing, and this collection does not disappoint. Made mostly from 100% cotton the clothing is super soft and durable, the perfect combination for little ones. The range has been a hit with my boys, who are very particular about what they wear, so it's nice to find a brand that we both love.

Whilst giving you a sneak peek of, White Stuff's new children range. I thought I'd also share with you some of my tips and tricks on how to photograph children, and how to get the most out of your images, whether you're using a camera or camera phone. You don't need fancy equipment to capture beautiful pictures of your children, with a few techniques you can start to capture more natural shots of your little ones, the type of shots you'll treasure for years to come.

Lightweight and warm // Puff Me Up Coat

Attention to detail // Volley Knit Jumper

Stylish & Comfortable // Oasis Stretch Chinos

100% Cotton // Volley Knit Jumper

ONLY TAKE PICTURES IF YOUR CHILDREN ARE HAPPY FOR YOU TO DO SO //

A fairly obvious point, but sometimes when there's a special event, like a birthday, we can't help but beg for that picture or smile from our children. Thanks to blogging I learnt very early on that this is not going to get you that special capture you so crave for, you're more likely to get a grumpy child, and no one wants that. I'd much prefer no capture at all than one of them looking uncomfortable and unhappy, regardless if it's their birthday or not. I find that by respecting their wishes when they don't want to be photographed, means that when they actually do, that's when you get the best kind of pictures. The pictures of them happy and having fun, which leads me to my next point...

DON'T GET FRUSTRATED IF THEY'RE ON A CAMERA STRIKE //

Children will go through phases of not wanting their pictures taken, don't let that stress you. It's more important that your child is happy and enjoying their time than you capturing the day. It's all swings and roundabouts and they'll be begging before long to have their photograph taken once more.

Smart & Fun // Time for Tennis Printed Shirt

CAPTURE CHILDREN IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT //

I tend to only take pictures when my boys are fully immersed in a task, whether that's playing with their toys or throwing stones into a river, it can be anything. I personally love their expressions when they're fully absorbed in something as you'll capture that little frown of concentration or the beginnings of a smile. For me it feels like catching a fleeting moment in time, these always end up my favourite captures.

WANT TO CAPTURE MORE EVERY DAY SHOTS OF YOUR CHILDREN? SET UP LITTLE PLAY AREAS //

I personally like to capture pictures of my boys at home, it's these little every day moments that I know I'll treasure in years to come. Big birthdays, you remember, but the every day stuff fades so quickly.

I particularly love photographing my boys together, but rather than ask them to awkwardly stand next to each other for a picture (where you'll be lucky if both boys' eyes are on the camera), I'll instead set up little play areas. They happily play while I snap away, they're my favourite type of captures. Normal every day stuff, but to this sentimental old mum, really special.

Caleb & Archie // Lets Go Jogger

Caleb // Ace Grey Hoodie Grey Marl

Caleb // Matchpoint Tee

Archie // Explorer Sweat

Denin Style // Lets Go Joggers

Archie // Ace Hoodie Rugby Red

TAKE A LOT! //

Ahh the beauty of modern day photography, you can snap to your hearts content. Children are fast paced little creatures so I find the more pictures I take the more likely I'll have a few precious ones I'll want to keep. Also, I find the more pictures you take the less bothered children become of the camera. Ironically, if you're just quietly snapping away with no coaxing this is when they start to give the camera more eye contact. Seize that opportunity when it arises!

GET THEM INVOLVED //

This works particularly well for the camera shy! Let them take pictures of you or things that they want to photograph. I always ask them if there's anything they think I should be taking pictures of too. It becomes a lovely activity for us all to get involved with and I've found their interest in photography is ever growing. They pick cracking shots too...

LET THEM WEAR CLOTHING THEY LOVE //

This is a particularly good point if your wanting to capture your children on a special occasion, like their birthday. In the past I've picked their clothing thinking to myself how cute it will look in pictures. This hasn't always gone down well with my two. However, if they pick their clothing themselves they're much more likely to want to be photographed in them. Ahhh vanity comes to us all young ;). Of course this may mean your child might spend their fourth birthday wearing swim shorts and the top half of Captain America, but I guarantee this will make the pictures all the more priceless.

HAVE FUN! //

Don't think about getting the perfect shot, there's no such thing with children involved. Kids are balls of energy and the best type of pictures are the ones that capture that. This is my favourite one of Archie (pictured above), because it is him all over, a bit of a ham and a show off!

GENTLE DIRECTION //

I tend to avoid directing my boys in pictures, for the obvious reason that most kids tend to do the opposite as to what their parents ask ;). However, if my boys are relaxed and really loving the camera this is when I seize my opportunity to gently direct. In the above picture I suggested they sit on huge log we were passing overlooking the loch, if they'd said no, my picture idea would have not happened, and we would carried on walking. Simple as that. This time however, they said yes and I'm so glad they did as I was able to capture some of my favourite shots of them to date. All the stars aligned. It's rare! So enjoy those moments when they happen.

I hope you've found this post useful, I'll do a more in depth post about what camera and camera phone I use, and how I edit. Any questions you have feel free to ask!

A big thank you to White Stuff for asking us to be a part of their kidswear launch, we are thoroughly impressed with their fun and stylish range. You can find the whole collection HERE.

The boys were pictured wearing//

Puff Me Up Coat // Volley Knit Jumper // Oasis Stretch Chinos // Time for Tennis Printed Shirt //
Matchpoint Tee // Lets Go Joggers // Ace Hoodie // Explorer Sweat //

*this post is in proud sponsorship with White Stuff, as always all thoughts and opinion are my own.

Tuesday, 13 February 2018 Comments: 2

I shared our story about decluttering a while ago and it was a post that seemed to resonate with so many of you. It would seem a lot of us are craving a less cluttered existence, and to think as I explained in my last post, decluttering our home happened purely by accident.

Quick back story, we were moving house and our belongings needed to go into storage, we vowed not to pay storage on anything we didn't need or love, hence the great decluttering. It turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened and we have found a less cluttered home makes busy family life so much easier and enjoyable.

Many of you asked how best to tackle clutter in your home, and seeing as I'm not an expert in this field, more an accidental declutterer (is that even a word? I don't know, but let's just go with it!), I thought I'd share with you the things we found that worked, and more importantly the things that didn't.

Let's start with a big DO NOT. I wouldn't recommend decluttering an entire house in one go like we did unless you really have to, ie moving home, or if you're insane, both of which we were qualified for at the time. It's an exhausting task and you will quickly tire, and the last thing you want to do is give up part way. I know had it not been for our impending moving date I would have absolutely spat the dummy and given up and forever lived in a pile of clutter. No joke.

Instead I would recommend starting off small. Choose an area in your home that would really benefit from decluttering. The kitchen is a good place to start. It tends to be the place where we have the most cupboard space and the most amount of clutter.

When I was sorting through our kitchen it was beyond ridiculous how many duplicates we had of everything. Like mugs, will I ever really need to make 20 cups of tea in one go??! Tea party anyone? I sure hope not. 20 wine glasses however, is a different matter ;).

Simplifying how much you have of one item is a great way to start decluttering. I whittled down all of our mugs, cups, plates, cutlery etc, to a max of eight, you can go lower or higher depending on how many live in your home and how frequently you entertain guests. You'll be surprised by just how much space this simple task will free up. Then apply this method to the rest of your kitchen. Go through all your cooking equipment and utensils, if you have lots of duplicate items that you don't need, get rid of them. By whittling down all these items you'll be freeing up valuable cupboard space in your kitchen. If you're wanting your kitchen surfaces to be clutter free you can then choose the items you use daily to remain out, everything else can now go into your freed up cupboard space.

DO BOX & BAG AS YOU GO. As you start to declutter for a moment it can feel like all you're doing is making a big old mess, and that can be pretty disheartening. It will become all too tempting to just give up and tidy everything away. Therefore have you're bags and boxes ready before you start, label them BIN, RECYCLE, DONATE, SELL. Be honest with yourself about the SELL box, if you don't have time to sell items put them in your donate pile, with the knowledge that it will be benefiting somebody else. As you declutter make sure everything is going straight into the boxes.

Once the boxes and bags are full deal with them there and then if you can. You've gone to the hard work of decluttering don't then have the boxes clutter up your home. Pop them into the car and at the next available point drop them off to be recycled or at your nearest charity shop. Then pat yourself on the back knowing your clutter will either find itself a much needed new home or be recycled. It will no longer be clogging up your house collecting dust.

STORAGE & CUPBOARD SPACES. Poor use of storage space definitely leads to excess clutter spilling out into a home. I have an awful habit for shoving unwanted items into cupboards which then leaves little room for the things we actually need and use. It's all very well storing seasonal or occasional use items, but anything you don't need or ever use should go. Free up that space for the stuff you really need storing.

COLLECT MEMORIES NOT THINGS. I have this quote up in our home, and for an old sentimental gal like me, these are wise, wise words, in the larger but also smaller sense. I used to keep EVERYTHING. Cards, postcards, letters, ticket stubs, receipts, magazines, you name it. Most of these things were kept for sentimental reasons but the sheer quantity of them was unnecessary. I now choose my keepsakes wisely, because once a sentimental old soul, always a sentimental old soul.

This quote and the whole decluttering experience has really changed my view on what I purchase for our home too. I no longer have this incessant need to fill my home with stuff. Instead, I want our home to be filled with memories, and I want our belongings to reflect those memories too. From the ABC tall boy cabinet in Caleb's room which we bought whilst pregnant with him, from the hooks in our dining room which my granddad pulled out of a skip when they were tearing down my mum's old primary school. See, I told you I am sentimental. Do not mistake decluttering for having no sentimental value on things.

I hope this has shed some light on how we decluttered, and I really hope our experience is of some use to you. Please let me know if decide to declutter and if you find any of these tips useful. I can't express how much this has been a positive experience for us. If you decide to declutter remember it should be a gradual process as you're likely to be working through a lifetime's worth of possessions, which you won't just magically sort through overnight. Once you start though, you'll realise the benefits that can come from decluttering your home, and you can slowly work towards having less clutter.

If you missed my last post about decluttering you can find it here!

Thursday, 1 February 2018 Comments: 8

I'm usually that person who takes down the Christmas decorations in January and then despairs how bland and empty everything looks. Not this year though because just as all the decorations were packed away for another year, the chair of my dreams arrived filling that Christmas decor void.

You may remember I went on a press trip with DFS to see their new collaboration with Joules a few months back. I was thoroughly impressed with the whole range and also got to help upholster my own chair and design my own cushion. I was just a tad excited about this as you can imagine, if you missed it you can find the blog post here.

The timing couldn't have been more apt for the chair arriving. A new year. A new statement piece for our home.

I always get super nervous when introducing a new piece of furniture to our home. Kinda like bringing a new boyfriend home, will everyone approve? By everyone, I mean my other furniture. Obviously ;). What looks beautiful in the showroom or on the internet, might not necessarily fit or blend in well with the rest of the room when it arrives. It tends to take me time to fully like new pieces we add to our home.

Then there's the rare pieces that are love at first sight as soon as they arrive. The last time that happened was when our dining table and bench arrived, and now that accolade goes to this Joules Accent Chair. It's like someone delivered Spring to my door, and completed our kitchen space with one rip of the cellophane.

I've always felt our kitchen/living area was missing something, everything is fairly neutral in this area, even the patterned rug, that I think it needed a statement piece to bring it altogether. I worried about a potential clash with the rug and chair but I feel it's just about the right amount of clash. That's a thing, right?!

Also, from a practical point of view, we love watching the television in the kitchen and the small chair we had here originally wasn't the comfiest if you were settling down to a night of telly. Now we are all arguing over who gets to sit in the Joules chair, the chair I keep reminding everyone is my throne. Nobody seems to be listening though.

Did I mention she's velvet?! I know, this fact alone made me fall a little deeper in love. I did question whether I was raving mad picking velvet over cotton with having young boys. My aim has always been to make a beautiful but functional home, as I don't want to be constantly telling the boys to be careful or to mind their sticky fingers. That being said I also think it's good for children to respect their surroundings too, and that starts at home. So my velvet furniture love has finally been indulged!

Along with the chair arrived the cushion that I designed too. It's an embarrassing effort next to the chair itself, but put on our other couch it brings a pop of colour and the floral element too. It also serves as a reminder to what awesome experiences I had in 2017, and I hope this year follows suit.

I actually can't believe we're in 2018 already and the weeks are zooming by too. This year I want to be bolder in my choices, in all aspects of life. From my attitude and self-confidence, to my furniture and interior choices.

You can find the whole DFS Joules collection here. If you want a truly stunning piece of furniture with exceptional attention to detail then look no further.

I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Wishing you the very best for 2018 and I cannot wait to share more on the blog with you this year.

* This post is proudly sponosored by DFS. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thursday, 11 January 2018 Comments: 4

It used to be a long standing joke with my friends and I, that there was no point asking where my clothes were from as they would likely be a one off vintage find or from a charity shop. This was a huge exaggeration on their part, but I was once a huge fan of rummaging in charity shops. That was back in the days when charity shops were like treasure troves, unlike today, where fast fashion regrets mostly fill the rails.

As my style has evolved and I've moved away from vintage clothing, I feel my love of one off pieces, old and new, has now transferred to my home. I'm often asked over on my Instagram account where items from my home are from, and a frustrating reply (I know, as I've been on the receiving end of those responses myself!) is that the item is vintage, second hand, or a one off item from a store years ago. For me though it's those pieces that make a person's home. So, where can you shop to find those special but affordable pieces for your home?

For those that know me, you'll know I'm a huge fan of TK Maxx, my rug collection in my home is testament to that, and I've found so many treasures over the years for my home there. You can imagine my delight to find that, Homesense, is part of the TK Maxx group.

I was invited to explore all their Christmas offerings and I was not disappointed. Not only are they good for the everyday essentials but they totally tick the box when it comes to those special finds too. I feel like all those items I lust over on Instagram and Pinterest were just hiding behind the next aisle in, Homesense. Not only did I find the most beautiful items to make the boys' rooms all Christmassy, I also got lots of lovely gifts, beautiful gift wrap, and I've totally upped my Christmas game in the kitchen department now too.

I love items you find in shops that you can totally make your own, and as soon as I spotted this little wooden tree I knew it had to be mine, the fact it was only £3.99, was the icing on the cake. I then stumbled upon my favourite type of fairy lights...

I adore these delicate wire battery powered fairy lights, they're super pliable and can be hung anywhere around the home (I particularly love outlining window frames), or bunched together to make a lovely light feature. I've got quite a few sets of these already but this is the first time I've found ones with as many as 100 lights.

I thought the lights were perfect for the little tree and hung it in Caleb's room along with the colourful garlands. I like how these colourful garlands have a Christmas feel but I think in the right spot they could outlast Christmas too.

I've noticed handmade felt decorations are really making a comeback, and I love the assorted garlands, decorations and stockings, Homesense had to offer. They instantly give a cosy Christmassy feel and all ranged from £2.99 to £24.99.

Decorating our boys' rooms for Christmas has become a little tradition of ours, it gets them so excited for the season ahead and I like how you can really have fun when decorating children's rooms. Throughout the rest of our home our Christmas decorations are subtle tones, lots of whites and warm fairy lights. With the boys' rooms we go full out colour and they love it.

Tartan Blanket £16.99

No Christmas is complete without the yearly stress over what presents to buy. If you're after a quality item at the fraction of the price or something a little bit different then, Homesense, is definitely worth checking out. Especially for the people that you struggle to buy for each year. You know the person I'm talking about, the person with everything!

Their candle selection is amazing (coming from a lady with a slight candle addiction), and their stationary aisle makes the 12 year old stationary-loving girl in me giddy. Beautiful diaries, notebooks, yearly planners and stationary. Always be sure when visiting Homesense, to check out their prints and frames too. This time I found the most amazing Covent Garden sign.

Planners from £5.99 - £7.99

Large Candle £7.99

Sign £12.99

Of course with present buying comes present wrapping and Homesense has so many lovely options. I found the cutest mason jar with everything you need in it, tape, string and tags. If you find gift wrapping stressful or an overwhelming task with so many presents, I recommend wrapping a few presents each evening in the lead up to Christmas. I find it makes what can be a mammoth task much more enjoyable.

Christmas time means entertaining and hosting for many, and it's the one time of year that serving nibbles from our boys' breakfast bowls doesn't quite cut the mustard. I love all the stylish kitchenware without the hefty price tag that Homesense, has to offer. I actually took the dive and purchased real copper pans, I'd say lusting after copper pans for over ten years is a long enough time to wait.

Bowls £3.99 - £4.99

Copper Pans from £19.99 - £34.99

Two-pack tea towels £3.99

Stemless Crystal Wine Glasses £4.99

Christmas Hot Chocolate & Biscuit set £12.99

There you have all my wonderful, Homesense finds. I'm feeling well on the road now to being organised for Christmas, and I'm really looking forward to hosting over the festive period. Cooking just got a whole lot more exciting with my sexy copper pans. Never have I ever called pans sexy before in my life!! But come on, they are though, aren't they?! ;)

*this post is proudly sponsored by Homesense. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own.

Sunday, 17 December 2017 Comments: 3

One of my favourite things about blogging is I never quite know what emails I'm going to get from one day to the next.

Some days are spent sifting through all the junk mail and unsubscribing to mailing lists I've NEVER subscribed to, other days however, are when the real email gems come in. The emails that make you squeal with delight and then double check the name in case the person has sent it to the wrong Claire.

One such email came from the lovely folk at DFS, who contacted me to tell me all about their exciting collaboration with Joules Clothing. It didn't stop there. They wanted to invite me down to their design workshop, where not only would I have an exclusive peek of the entire collection, I'd get to help upholster my own DFS Joules Accent Chair and design a cushion to go along with it!! My bags were packed before I even finished reading the email.

What I particularly love about press trips is you get a real insight into the brands and learn facts you never knew. I'm a big fan of Joules, but I knew little about DFS, other than they sell sofas. I couldn't help but wonder would this collaboration be a good fit?

The answer is a loud, resounding, YES. It is in fact the perfect collaboration. On the trip I discovered every DFS sofa and chair they sell is made to order here in the UK. I don't know why I had the misconception that their sofas were massed produced and from overseas, as that is very much not the case. They pride themselves on hand-making every sofa to order in one of their three factories in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Having now met both the design teams from DFS and Joules, it was really lovely to see how truly excited they are about collaborating; and the proof is in the pudding.

The collection is STUNNING.

Joules are all about attention to detail and hand-drawn prints, and the DFS Joules collection does not disappoint. The prints and fabrics give every piece that Joules feel, and there are so many hidden little details. From prints under the seat covers, to glass pheasant buttons, to their iconic Joules pink hare on the chair legs, the list goes on. Everything has been painstakingly considered when it comes to the finer details, right down to the piping and the zip colours they've chosen. I really love how this has clearly been a labour of love for both DFS and Joules.

^ Windsor ^

^ Cambridge ^

^ Burnham ^

^ Ilkley ^

After viewing the collection we had a chance to go behind the scenes and see just how the pieces are made. I think there is nothing better than meeting people who are excellent at their craft and I was kindly shown how to upholster parts of my own Joules Accent Chair. The staple gun was pretty scary at first but once I got used to it I was in my element! I literally could have spent the rest of the day there with my staple gun and perspex glasses. A good look, I know!

After reluctantly parting from the staple gun it was time to design my own cushion! This was the part of the day that I'd been most excited about when reading my email but once I was sat down to a blank page with the paints and brushes surrounding me, I froze. What on earth was I going to paint?! Except a big old mess.

This is when the Joules Art and Design team stepped in, inspiring us with real flowers, vintage floral prints, and to not over think it but to simply paint.

I, of course, did at first over think it, but as the time went on and I started to relax it became really enjoyable. My design (which you can see below) will be screen printed as a repeat onto a cushion. I'm so excited and nervous as to how it will turn out. I'll be sure to share it with you when it arrives.

And there you have my wonderful day with DFS and Joules. I'm excited to tell you the collection is now available and you can find it HERE.

If you want a truly stunning piece of furniture to grace your home than this collection is not to be missed. I'm really looking forward to receiving my Joules Cambridge Accent chair and I'll share how we will style it in our home once it's arrived. Here's hoping my cushion doesn't turn out a complete disaster ;)

* This post is proudly sponsored by DFS. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Monday, 4 December 2017 Comments: 12

this little house

PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN // TIPS & TRICKS in collaboration with WHITE STUFF (AD)

HOW TO START DECLUTTERING YOUR HOME

NEW YEAR. NEW STATEMENT CHAIR with DFS (AD)

GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS with HOMESENSE (AD)

A Day With DFS & Joules (AD)

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