Review: David Bier Photography

Just before Christmas, my children and I met up with London photographer David Bier, for a winter's day photo session in Regent's Park. Specialising in storybook images, David aims to capture children in the moment and document them as they are — happy, energetic, innocent, full of life, and of course, as individuals buzzing with their own personalities.

On the day of the photo session, my kids decided to wake up way too early. Like 5AM early. I wondered... should I cancel? Will the kids co-operate? (I know how my 3-year-old can be sans sleep.) Oh, what a loss if I had cancelled! Luckily, I persevered, and thanks to David's excellent talent, it was a fun, enjoyable photo session for everyone. Keeping an over-tired 3-year-old happy whilst also taking lovely photos? A true mark of an excellent photographer, I say.

Go ahead and take a look at a sample of the photos. More of my thoughts are interspersed among the images (plus a special offer from David Bier Photography at the end of the post).

Let's start with the actual session: My kids immediately warmed to David. He engages with children in a natural and authentic manner. In fact, the photo session was much more a playdate rather than the stressful posed family photographs one might imagine... Their was no work on the part of my kids, except to be just that—kids.

The photographs: The photos actually exceeded my expectations. I felt like David captured my children — their relationship, cheeky humour, zest for life. I wondered if I would miss colour, but found myself treasuring the timeless elements of black and white and the high-quality prints. David showed me 30 images, and I think 28 of them were my favourites. Plus, it was nice to have a few photos with my kids and me, for once.

Things to know: Each photo session is bespoke. From the location, length of session, and the number of final prints to view. And before David starts snapping away, he gets to know you and your children, discusses your expectations, and finds out what you'd like to do with the photographs. 

Another thing: If you're looking for photography on a shoestring budget, David's not for you. But if you're looking for investment photos that will double as high-quality, sentimental artwork, he's your man. 

Special Offer: David is offering all readers a 50% discount on the sitting fee. Book before May 1, 2012 (for a photo session anytime this year) and pay £250 for the sitting fee (regularly £500). Just mention Urban Mums. Prints start from £150. For more info, visit David Bier Photography.

(Disclaimer: While this photo session was complimentary, the review and opinions expressed are my own.)

Valentine's Day Votive

We're not even into February yet, but I am already excited to make this cool Valentine's Day votive with my children. A simple project that will delight my kids — perfect.

Easy peasy directions for the Valentine's Day votive can be found here.

(Pinned on Pinterest from my friend Louise.)

The Artist

Oh wow, I loved The Artist. Saw it over the weekend and left with a smile on my face. I am not one who is accustomed to watching silent, black & white films, but it took about 15 minutes for me to become completely enamoured with this production. Jean Dujardin's smile... Bérénice Bejo's gorgeous face...

Lots of amazing reviews... so just do yourself a favour and go watch it. :) 

(Those who have seen it... Did you love it too?)

design from Molly Meg

I love this Collectors House from Molly Meg. Such a fun way for a child to display their most prized possessions. I imagine my children's travel souvenirs and favourite trinkets would look so sweet in this wooden house. 

Molly Meg is a design shop for children, featuring modern and vintage furniture, toys and decor. A scroll through their site and you'll spot some unique, one-off reclaimed beauties, mixed in with playful modern pieces. Some favourites...

(Truth be told, I kind of want a Buisjes En Beugels desk for myself...)

vintage French school desk and chair

entertaining Light Up Your Mood removable light switch stickers

Maileg

Even the fiercest rodent hater (me!) can't help but swoon over the sheer sweetness of a Maileg mouse. My daughter received the mother and father mice (above) for Christmas. Nestled in a Cuban cigar box, the pair of mice are resting atop a mini mattress and pillow, and keeping warm under a red and white striped quilt. Adorable!

Maileg creates the sweetest collections — matchbox mice, the princess and the pea, baby rattles (love!), and more... Visit Sisters Guild for a well-edited collection of Maileg (including lots of Christmas decor, on sale).

Rifle Paper Co at Caramel baby&child

Just yesterday I popped into the always beautiful Caramel baby&child in Notting Hill. Aside from the tempting winter sale, I spotted the sweetest birthday invitations from Rifle Paper Co.

There is so much to love about this US-based stationery brand. Everything they design — from recipe cards and calendars to children's prints and personalised note cards —is gorgeous! 

Rifle Paper Co ships to the UK, but if you want to avoid the charges, you can always pop into Caramel to see their children's line of cards and invitations.

(I also love this 2012 calendar. p.s. Save 25% on all calendars through Jan 23 with the code "CALENDARS25")

Book review: Dogs Don't Do Ballet

Dogs Don't Do Ballet is one of our favourite books to read as a family. It's a fun, lively story about Biff the dog who desires nothing else but to be a ballerina. Despite facing obstacles at every turn, Biff perseveres and eventually his romantic notions (he prefers music and moonlight to playing fetch or weeing on lampposts) lead to ultimate success. A lovely story!

Written by Anna Kemp, the text is a delight to read out loud, and the illustrations by Sara Ogilvie are colourful and engaging. A firm favourite for years to come (and a steal at £4 on Amazon).

Barclays bikes

Wednesday was such a gorgeous day in London. While my kids were at school, I decadently hired a Barclays bike and rode from St John's Wood through Regent's Park to Marylebone. I love riding along the outer circle of Regent's Park — I feel like it's one of the few areas I can bike and not fear for my life!

 I would put "a casual bike ride in London" (on a sunny day) down as a must for anyone living in the city. My simple, non-scary ride along Regent's Park made me so happy to be in London. 

Have you registered for the Barclays bike scheme? What do you think of it? I've found it's really helpful for the odd bike ride, but haven't used it extensively. 

Illustrated House Portrait

A custom illustrated house portrait would make such a special gift. A 8x10 watercolour and a CD with the file for printing is included in the purchase. Currently a 4-month waiting period due to high demand!

I think a print of our first London home together—a charming (small) flat in Chelsea—might be in order...

Available here. 

(via Pinterest)

London Museums

Now that we're in the thick of winter, we're spending less time at playgrounds and more time indoors.  Here's a recap of some our favourite kid-friendly spots. Particularly helpful if your littles aren't yet in school. We recommend visiting the museums right when they open (usually 10am) for a quiet experience!

Museum of Childhood
London Transport Museum
Natural History Museum
Science Museum (The Garden and Launchpad are well-loved areas.)
National Army Museum

Still on our list to visit:

Horniman Museum

Pollock's Toy Museum

Royal Air Force Museum

Also, be sure to check out this article about family-friendly museums. It details all the essentials like activities, restaurants, loos and more.

Do you have a favourite kid-friendly museum or indoor activity?

Automoblox

I think my husband loves these mini Automoblox cars just as much as our three-year-old son. Made from German beech wood, each car has removable and interchangeable parts, encouraging little ones to create their own designs. A definite hit on Christmas day—for father and son alike.

Automoblox cars (and trucks) come in a variety of models and sizes. Available online from Amazon or Igloo Kids.

2012.

Happy New Year! We're back from Christmas holidays and ready to start 2012. I can confidently say that traveling on an airplane with a 3-year-old and 5-year-old is infinitely easier than it was during their toddler years. I still recall the mistake of taking transatlantic flights (on my own) with both children at 18-months-old... painful.

Here are some tips for traveling with small(ish) children (not babies).

1. When it comes to long-haul journeys, the latest flights available work best for us. Eventually we hit bedtime and my kids fall asleep. (For shorter flights, this doesn't apply.)
2. Have them bring and wear their own backpack.
3. Pack it with an extra change of clothes (this came in handy when travel sickness hit my daughter...).
4. Bring wipes (even if they are potty-trained).
5. Consider buying their own headphones.
6. Pack snacks (I also brought them each a sandwich in case they wouldn't eat the in-flight meal. My youngest will do anything for Tic-Tacs, so these are a must too).
7. Pack an empty water bottle (we fill it up once we pass security).
8. And of course, if you have an iPad and/or iPhone, bring that too...

What are your tips for long-haul flights with kids?

p.s. Cute airplane models (above) from Smallable.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you the happiest of holidays!

(Urban Mums will be back in January.)

(Photo)

Christmas with Courtney of Babyccino Kids!

It's so fun to hear how other people celebrate the holidays! So this year, I asked a few of my favourite London mums to share a festive family tradition. We already heard from Cathy of Anorak Magazine, and now it's time to hear from Courtney of Babyccino Kids:

This year, for the first time ever, we're staying in London for Christmas. We normally head to the US to spend a few weeks with family, but this year we decided to skip all the traveling and enjoy a Christmas in our own home. Which means we get to decorate our house, hang our Christmas stockings and wait for Santa to visit us in London. I'm looking forward to cost days inside by the fire, afternoon art projects with the kids, long walks in the Heath, and baking (and eating) Christmas cookies! Nothing tastes like Christmas more than my mum's sugar cookies — it's one of my favourite things about the holidays. Not to mention how much my kids love them too!

SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE

3/8 cup of butter
3/8 cup of shortening
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 1/2 cups of all purpose-flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt.

Mix thoroughly the shortening, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Roll dough to 1/8 an inch thick on floured surface. Cut into shapes and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 400 F (until very light brown).

ICING FOR COOKIES

One box of powdered (icing) sugar
2 tablespoons (or so) of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
food colouring

Thanks Courtney! 

Christmas with Cathy of Anorak magazine

It's always fun to hear how other people celebrate the holidays, so I asked a few London mums to share their favourite festive traditions.

First, it's Cathy of the much-loved Anorak magazine:

Hoorah, it's December, which means we can properly indulge in all the traditions that Christmas brings! This year, we are spending Christmas in our beloved hometown: London. There are so many events around the city, we really are spoilt for choice.

The thing we love doing most at Christmas is decorating our tree! Every year we theme it. One year we had a Yellow Submarine tree where we cut out old Beatles calendars and postcards and hung them on the tree. Last year was gold and silver. This year, it's all about vintage Christmas with red baubles, tinsels and old Christmas postcards. All around the tree, we will scatter papillotes for Santa's visit and for our own pleasure too! Papillotes are traditional French sweets that contain either fruit jellies or chocolates, a snap, and a joke.

Cathy has also shared some decorations for H&M from the latest Anorak magazine. Click and print to enjoy!