Saturday 17 November 2012

A Christmas Photo Shoot

(This post is part of my Frosty Festivities Blog Event)

For my daughter's first Christmas, I did a photo shoot with her, and then put the photo onto the front of all our cards that year (2008). But I didn't like making lots of cards so similar. I still like to take a Christmas photo of the kids, but now it gets put inside the card instead. It's a great way for relatives to get a picture, as they don't see us as often as they'd like, and having the photo loose inside means they can just slip it into an album.

This year I struggled a bit with lighting as our house is quite dark in the winter, and it's been too cold and grey outside. So I've ended up with shadows on the walls, and most of the photos were too blurry, but I've ended up with a few I can send:


Hasn't little miss got a cheesy grin?!


Cheeky boy kept moving around, and making the shots blurry. I thought he might stay stiller with a candy cane, but this was the only picture when he didn't move with it!


I like this one, as Little Miss' smile is more natural. It's just a shame Cheeky Boy had deserted us by this point to go in search of more food!

I made the photo shot background by punching lots of 2" circles from old, single-sided Christmas patterned paper:


Then I put the circles back to back, so there was a pattern each side, and sewed a straight stitch down the middle:


I put 10 lots on each string, but I should have done 15 as they were a bit short. I blue-tacked them to the wall:


And then positioned the kids in front! And I can use these to decorate my daughter's room this Christmas, they'll look great hanging from her cabin bed, so she can duck through them like a chain curtain!

Be Inspired:
  • Make some paper bunting with circles
  • Create an item that could be a photo shoot prop or background
  • Do a Christmas photo shoot

Do you ever do a Christmas photo shoot? I want to do another one with us all in this time. There's some fabulous ideas for photo shoots by other bloggers here, here, and here

Don't forget that a comment on this post, or on any of my posts from this weekend, will count as an entry into the Grand Giveaway {NOW CLOSED} but only if you've registered your interest in winning that here!

I'll be back soon with a layout! x

31 comments:

Julie H said...

Love the idea of making bunting as a photo background! I usually do Christmas cards featuring photos of my children, as well as gift tags. the extended family was quite disappointed I didn't do them last year, so I'd better hop to it and do a photo shoot!

K said...

ooo, cute bunting!

Last year I did a Christmas photo on the front of our christmas cards, and I'm planning on doing similar as it went down so well. Just need to book the MIL as she's got a posh camera, the understanding to go with it, and a make-shift studio :D

TING!!! I have an idea .... be back later :)

Annie Claxton said...

Aaaah! they look so cute! Love the idea of the circly bunting. I've never done a Christmas photo shoot, but I do have a pic of my cat wearing a tiny paper hat and playing with a cracker toy which I thought might make a good card ... :o)

Jackie said...

Love your idea for the background! My daughter wants to do a photo shoot this year as the school photos were so awful...so might have to help and do something like this!!

Lisa-Jane said...

I love this idea for jazzing up windows in Winter too. Its near impossible to get a decent shot of more than one child isn't it but yours are great!

Miriam Prantner said...

Cute photos! Love the garlands. We haven't done a Christmas photo shoot....just seems like a mountain too far...

humel said...

Those circle garlands are fab, love that idea! We never do a Christmas photoshoot - with the exception of The Tomboy's first Christmas, when we made use of a special offer with a local photographer :) Having said that, the year both my kids were in KS1 and hence both in the school Nativity, I did manage to get a shot of them both in costume and used that on the front of our Christmas cards :)

Jane said...

what gorgeous photos, a great idea when you have a young family

scrappyjacky said...

I tried doing a photo shoot of all 8 of MIL's grandchildren and great-grandchildren....never again!!!
These have turned out beautifully though.

Julie Baswell said...

They are so cute. The bunting too. I can totally see this done in Christmas shapes.

Margie said...

Love your idea for a christmas photo shoot!

KraftyKaren said...

Fab photos and I love the bunting. Have never done a photo shoot prior to Christmas - we are off on a cruise for Christmas this year so should be lots of opportunities for some nice photographs.

Karen said...

What adorable faces!!! My children are grown, but I managed to get family photos with both of them over the summer and again a few weeks ago when they both were home. They're not Christmasy, but they'll go in our holiday letter to friends.

Scrapdolly said...

I love the one where he has the candy cane and what a clever idea for the background. I like them as decorations

Lesley G said...

Simply great!

MiniOwner said...

Your children are lovely! A super idea for the bunting.
Sue x

dogmatix said...

I don't do a photo shoot (hubby hates having his picture taken) but if we had children, I would invent all manner of bribes to do one as I love the idea. I am planning to do one of my sisters family when I go home and love the idea of the bunting....may have to run a few off b4 I leave :-)
I love your pictures .... I am guessing they really capture their personalities :-)

vixen said...

What a lovely easy decoration for a photoshoot, love your little son eating candy bless him and your little girls smile is gorgeous x

Becky said...

Lovely photos - hoping to do a shoot with my adult children's and their young cousins next weekend :-)

Zahra said...

Managed a great snap last year with my 2, but not so well prepared this year - mind you, we're only just half way into November....plenty of time!

Sandie said...

What lovely photos. One of my favourite all time Christmas shots was my middle granddaughter in her preschool nativity. She was pulling faces to relieve her boredom and some are classic.
Perhaps I'll make a card using non seasonal papers - I still love the shot even though it is a couple of years old. Then I can post it on your challenge!!

Alison said...

Why didn't anyone do these things while My kids were littlies?!
Alison xx

Lou said...

such cuties and your decorations look like fun x

li-bee-ti said...

They're so sweet! love the garland.

Katie said...

Love the circles garland, I wonder if I could manage to do that with my sewing machine (I'm rather un-sewing minded!). I've taken to doing Christmas photo shoots since my boy was born in 2010. We took it outside this year and went to the beach for a more Kiwi Summer themed photo! I have a Christmas canvas I painted a few years back and it's a tradition to take my boys photo with that for the Christmas cards!

To boldly polish said...

Aww, how cute! The background is a great idea, I've made something similar with candy before.

furrypig said...

we have never really done a Christmas photo shoot but I wished we had done the same thing every year so we could look back over the years. Still it is never too late to start!! Great pics love the candy cane sucking!

Lizzie said...

Your kids are lovely. It made me laugh, that your little chap kept jumping around - and more so when he had his sweeties!
I recognise some of the papers you used for your little strings (I did a mini-book tutorial a couple of Christmasses ago,for Shimelle's Creative Circle Blog Hop, using some Papermania 6" papers... you used some of the same ones!).
Great little banners - I haven't yet tried machine-sewing paper for my craft projects. I tend to favour the glue method for these. The stitching does add a little extra "something" though.
Great photo-shoot - sweet pictures. The "Frends and Relashuns" will be pleased!

Fay aka Beautifullily said...

Your daughter looks just like you in the photo you have of yourself on the blog, cute photo shoot

scrappymo! said...

Your daughter looks so similar to you!

Cute photos...you are going to have such a great photo for your card insert.

Marilize said...

Love making circle garlands and am planning on making looooooong ones for my upcoming 30th party. It's outdoors and I am hanging the garlands from the trees.

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