Portraits

Sarah Lim In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Family Studio Portraits: Sam & Kristy

Kristy won a 30-minute studio family photoshoot with us when she participated in our Mother’s Day Contest in May 2020. 30 minutes might sound short for a family shoot, but it’s possible with a small family! It also helps to plan a little beforehand in order to make the most of any photo shoot. We enjoyed chatting with her leading up to the day to help plan the family’s complementing outfits. They eventually decided on matching denim pieces, accompanied with punch of mustard and one of Sam’s favourite shirts. Feeling comfortable in what you’re wearing is just as important as looking good. We think they nailed both!

The kids warmed up pretty quickly (especially with the range of toys we have at our studio) and we caught some of their cutest, cheekiest moments on camera!

Sarah Lim In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Outdoor Family Portraits at Tiarasa Escapes: Evan & Jasmine

We captured SO many fun moments with Jasmine’s side of the family while they were on holiday at Tiarasa Escapes Glamping Resort! It was a great time away from the hustle and bustle of the city and really quite a nice change of scenery for us. :)

Ever since Evan and Jasmine had their first child, we’ve had the pleasure of being their family photographer through the years. There was even a time when their sister-in-law Careen, had lost all her own family photos on her phone after a trip due to technical issues. So glad we had photos to replace what she had lost!

More photos of this fun loving family below.

Sarah Lim In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

A Christmas Family Portrait: The Lovatts

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.

Sarah Lim In Parties & Events, Tips + Ideas

‘5 Styling Tips For A Cosy Party at Home’ by I Heart Party

Image by iheartparty

It’s already December! Just because we’re social distancing, doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate this magical holiday season with a small party at home. :) It’s a good opportunity to end the year well and make it special for our family and loved ones. To make sure we’re equipped with some home party decor styling tips, we had a chat with the talented event stylist Alice Tan from iheartparty. If you’re planning to host a small party soon, or even if its just for your family, here are five tips to help you get started.

1. I’m hosting a small party at my home and I would like to decorate the place really well. Where do I begin and what does the process look like?

This is where the fun begins! You can start by choosing a theme and colour palette. Easy tip, go on to Pinterest and look for some inspiration or use a colour palatte tool like Cooler to help you find a suitable palette. Then create a budget so that you don’t overspend. Don’t feel discouraged if you have a limited budget to work with. There’s always a creative solution for party decorating!

Image by iheartparty

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Life, Musings, Parties & Events, Portraits, Tips + Ideas

Tips for Planning Children’s Parties

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.

1. If you are not good at something, hire someone to do it.

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)