Christmas has arrived at the Stories studio! Debra Lovatt booked an early Christmas-themed family photo session and we had the best time with them. Christmas really brings family together and there’s nothing better than being able to witness and capture all these warm moments for people. It’s not been an easy year, but when you’re surrounded with love like this, that’s all you really need.
When I was growing up, I remember the most epic birthday party I had was when I was 8. Growing up in Malacca in the 80s, it wasn’t really common to have major parties for children my age, but my parents had organized my birthday at the new McDonald’s restaurant (the one and only in Malacca at that time!). It was totally memorable for me, especially since my mom baked a gorgeous cake for me, and my friends and I packed into the walk-in freezer to see how long we could stand the cold. I am grateful to my parents for organizing such a party for me.
Now that I have children of own and with the growing influence of Pinterest, DIY groups on Facebook etc, I feel a little ‘pressured’ to do something fun. So a few years ago when my daughter turned 5 and my son turned 3, I organised 2 parties – a unicorn party for my 5 year old and a fireman party for my 3 year old. It was quite fun doing some of the DIY stuff on my own, but unlike my mother, I can only bake instant cakes from those pre-mixes in the supermarket. (Needless to say, I didn’t bake these cakes).
It was a little stressful, but after all that organising, here are some tips to share with other mums who intend to plan their own child’s birthday parties.
I realised that I was putting additional stress on myself in making some of the decorations myself. I went shopping for goody bags, was busy sorting out the guest list, planning food, AND thinking of how to keep everything under budget. Unless you are the kind of mum who truly enjoys this process, the best way to avoid unnecessary stress is to hire someone to do things for you. There are many great decorators / stylists who are great at what they do! (For my son’s 1st birthday, I had an Up themed party and hired Moments). For his 3rd year party, all I did was call the local fire station, do a site visit, and then let the firemen entertain the kids! (You need to give a donation to hold the party at the local fire station. Some fire stations do not allow parties)
If these faces look familiar, it is probably because you saw the incredibly sweet wedding anniversary photoshoot we did with them before. That’s right – we were invited to capture yet another precious milestone for Ewe Jin and Ming Lee! This time, with their bubbly little bundle of joy – Shaun!
They celebrated Shaun’s 100th Day with a small gathering at home – family only – due to the social distancing measures that are still in place. It was such a lovely home with soft light and all the right textures and colours together. Ming Lee also wanted it to be a special one because Shaun didn’t get to have his newborn photographs taken due to jaundice at the time. He’s now a happy, healthy, and handsome little baby!
It’s always a good idea to have an at-home photo session with your kids. They’re changing and growing by the day! The home is a place where all your real family memories are shared. A place of meaning, and of love. More photos below!
Families are spending so much time together at home these days compared to before (for obvious reasons), and it’s so nice to capture some of these simple yet precious everyday moments for them. Nadia invited us over recently and got the whole family dressed in Minion pyjamas! How cute! Managing kids on a photoshoot is no easy task and with four of them bouncing off the walls and goofing around, we also captured a few shots of the “imperfection behind the scenes”. But the truth is, these moments will still be part of their memories and a reflection of what life can sometimes be… imperfect but still beautiful.
More photos below!
The Chews are a family of four who love travelling, gardening, cooking, and of course… watching TV together! Which family past time doesn’t include that? ;P This shoot was gifted to them by their good friend Tina for Keong and Tracey’s 30th wedding anniversary. The special thing about it was that Tina did the same thing 12 years ago! Super thoughtful. At that time, the Chews had just moved into their home in KL and their daughters Lauren and Sara were only age 13 and age 10. Our company Stories.my was also fairly new and Grace had captured a few precious family moments in and around the house.
Fast forward to just last week. Chi Yin popped over and spent the morning with Keong and Tracey, and this time with their two grown up young ladies! They did a few new family portraits, and then had some fun flipping through the old photo album together before re-enacting some shots. It gives us warm fuzzies to be able to journey with families through the years like this.
Now and Then shots below.
