Tips + Ideas

Suzyana Ong In Misc, News, Promotions, Tips + Ideas

A Christmas Gift Guide

In recent years, Christmas has become a festivity celebrated by many (doesn’t matter what race or religion you are). I mean, who doesn’t love gifts? It’s the season of gifting! But gift shopping can be stressful (we know), and most of us don’t have the luxury of time to go out and shop for them. Fret not, we live in a digital world where everything, including gift shopping, can be at your fingertips. So here’s a list of Christmas gift ideas for young families that we’ve compiled for you busy bees, which you can get by heading to their website or dropping them a quick message. These are all Malaysian-owned brands, so you’ll be supporting another family or small business by buying from them!

The Kraft Store

The Kraft Store offers beautiful and essential handpicked goods such as bath towels, toys, feeding accessories, and books for your little ones. They have a good selection to choose from, so go check out their website to place your order.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekraftstoremy/

Link to purchase: https://thekraftstoremy.cococart.co/

The Flight of Imagination

Together with makchic, we have created an endearing photo storybook experience that combines professional photos of your family taken by Stories, whimsical illustrations by Munsya Rahman, and a heartwarming story by makchic’s Kimberly Lee about the power of creativity and the joy of creating moments and memories. Created for children between the ages 3-8, this book will become a family heirloom worth treasuring. Don’t miss out on our current promotion we’re running for this (ends 31st December 2023).

Link to find out more: https://stories.my/flight-of-imagination/

Dough Little

Dough Little playdough kits are safe to play by children starting the age of 1. Their playdough boxes and kits are based on open-ended play concepts, whereby there aren’t definitive instructions and expectations while the child is at play. Children are encouraged to explore each box and create something amazing within the given theme (examples: create habitats, food, characters, vehicles etc).

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dough.little.playdough/

Website: https://www.doughlittle.com/

Mils and Key x Stories Newborn Gift Pack

Malaysian owned, Mils & Key’s mission is to curate and create safe, functional, sustainable, and stylish modern baby products. Coupled with a photoshoot that can be used for a maternity, newborn or family session, these gift packs that include Mils & Keys aesthetic looking yet functional products are a great gift for the expecting mom. ⁠

Link to find out more: https://stories.my/product/mils-key-gift-pack/

Bin Bin Tan In Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Life, Maternity, Musings, Portraits, Relationships, Tips + Ideas

5 Ways to Treasure Your Pregnancy Journey

Pregnancy is a special time in a woman’s life – full of anticipation, excitement, and joy. However, there is often so much to prepare for that we sometimes get lost, focusing on the to-dos, instead of savouring all the special little moments.

Here are some tips for treasuring your pregnancy, and making the journey just that little bit more special:

1. Take the time to prepare your home

Babies may be small, but they can take up a significant amount of space. From diapers to bottles to clothes, the list of things to buy may seem endless! But shopping for your baby shouldn’t have to be stressful.

Whether it’s a nursery, or carving out a corner in your current room, take the time to think about what works for you and your home. Make a list and run it through with experienced mums. Knowing exactly what items you’ll get also prepares you to designate storage space for the things you need and want, so you don’t end up with more than you can handle.

In the end, having that cozy nook prepared in advance for your little one’s arrival will help build anticipation. Plus, a photogenic corner will help you capture the special moments of your journey.

2. Keep a journal – or even better, a pregnancy scrapbook

Keeping a pregnancy journal is a wonderful way to capture your thoughts and experiences throughout the nine months. You can record your feelings, your hopes and wishes for your baby, your cravings, your daily routines, and more.

For something a bit more special, consider scrapbooking instead. You can include ultrasound photos, baby shower invitations, congratulatory cards, and other mementos. Years later, you’ll be able to look back on these items and remember this special time in your life.

Shan Szetho In Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Tips + Ideas

How to Overcome Challenging Situations During a Shoot

When you book a photo or video shoot, you hope for a smooth and stress-free experience. However, unexpected challenges may arise, and it’s essential to know how to handle them effectively. As a customer, it can be overwhelming to deal with a crying child or feeling frazzled from a tough day. Here are some ways to overcome challenging situations during your shoot.

It’s Okay Not to Be Okay

It’s normal to feel a bit stressed or anxious during a photo or video shoot, especially if you have kids involved. Or, you might have been rushing into your shoot session from a hectic work day. Remember that the photographer or videographer you hired is there to help you capture beautiful moments and bring out your best version of yourself. Try to take a moment to settle yourself before going into your session and don’t feel ashamed to express your concerns and needs to your photographer or videographer.

Bring Distractions

If you have young children, bringing along their favourite toys or games can help keep them occupied and distracted during the shoot. This can help them relax and make the shoot more enjoyable for everyone involved.

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Grace Tan In At Home, Beautiful Everyday, Casual Portraits, Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Family + Children Portraits, Musings, Portraits, Tips + Ideas, Weddings

Printing your photos as a family heirloom

We’ve all been there: your phone is bursting at the seams with photos, yet it’s all disorganised. We take a gazillion photos daily (especially if you are a parent, you’ll understand what I mean!) but these images are lost in the digital world, somewhere between the phone, the computer or the cloud. That is why we really encourage couples and families to print their images. Prints have a longer lifespan than digital images. Due to changes in technology, digital files can get lost or corrupted over time, but printed photos can be kept in albums or frames and passed down from one generation to the next.

It’s a beautiful feeling to be able to display your photos on a canvas on the wall or in an album on your coffee table. They provide a physical connection to the past, allowing family members to see and touch images of their precious loved ones. Family photos serve as a visual history of a family’s past. It’s really heartwarming to hear stories of children looking at their parent’s wedding albums, and asking where they were when the photos were taken! It’s a way for the younger generation to connect with their family’s heritage and understand their place in the family tree.

Printed images can hold such a powerful emotional reminder of an exact moment in time. The memories associated with that event brings back so much happiness. It’s so tangible, and more powerful than viewing images on a computer screen or phone. Why don’t you consider printing some images for your home? I guarantee you that it will add life and make your home even more cosy.

Chi Yin Tan In Beautiful Everyday, Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Maternity, Newborn, Portraits, Studio, Tips + Ideas

Makeup tips for your photography session

We highly recommend putting on some makeup for a photoshoot. That way, you would look your best and wouldn’t have to worry about taking photos from different angles!

After speaking with our makeup artist, Charlyn Leong, she said that there are some things we might do on our own to prepare. For basic makeup, we can prepare mascara, eyebrow pencil, blush, lipstick, compact powder, and oil-absorbing paper. Let’s dive in a little deeper.

Mascara – This is a great tool for enhancing your eyes, and it’s quite easy to use. It only takes a few seconds, and our eyes look better, so why not?

Eyebrow pencil – It’s good to have tidy eyebrows. Before you do this, make sure you have plucked or shaved some hair outside of the eyebrow shape. And then, use an eyebrow pen to fill in the spots that are empty. Just apply it softly without putting on too much pressure to create a more natural eyebrow.