Little Masterpiece Studio

I stumbled across Little Masterpiece Studio whilst shopping at Rouse Hill Shopping Village. The studio sets up temporary stalls at shopping centres all over the country, moving from location to location. I was approached by a representative who offered a sitting and 12 x 8 photograph for the low fee of $4.00.

I was reluctant at first. I had recently had a similar experience with another photographic studio who had asserted some pressure to buy a photographic package. I was assured that there was no obligation to buy.

The photographic shoot took approximately 15 minutes and involved three stagings including a teddy bear box, and a sailor setting.  The Studio had its own props, lighting and backdrop to complete the look.

At the conclusion of the shoot, I ordered my 12 x 8 photograph and two magnets and made an appointment to collect the photograph at a later time.  I also gave permission for my son to be entered into a baby contest which would be published on Facebook.  A couple of days A's photo was published on the Little Masterpiece Studio - NSW facebook page and entered into Rouse Hill February 2013 Popular Baby Contest.

Family, friends and the public are invited to vote for the cutest baby by "liking" the baby's photo. The top three winners for each location would win a portrait of the photo entered into the competition. Now it was time to network and get as many votes for the photo that I could get! Unfortunately, this meant a clogged news feed for my family and friends at first (oops, sorry).

A couple of weeks later I returned to Rouse Hill Shopping Village to pick up my photo and magnets. I was very pleased with how the photographs turned out however I had high hopes of winning my portrait and decided not to make any purchases. Their prices were reasonable but alas I'm a stay at home mum!  There was no pressure to buy. The representative was very helpful and indicated that the  Studio usually returns to each location every three months and that mums can take the opportunity to have their babies photographed at the promotional price on each occasion.

If you are thinking of getting your baby photographed go to the LMS website where you can find the location closest to you, and you can download a voucher to use to get a free sitting, photograph and two keyrings.

Thankfully, my little boy was the most popular baby and we won a 13 x 10 enlargement and a $100 voucher at LMS.  Just waiting on my prize which is being mailed out.  The only question now is where do I hang the photo...?

Look at my beautiful boy! Thank you to my family and friends for their support in voting for my boy. He got an amazing 651 votes.

Nursery prints

I first got the idea for nursery prints from Pinterest.  I found a picture of what I liked which lead me to Etsy and Kari Machal Designs. I loved the simplicity of the designs, the ability to make a custom print which would suit the nursery decor and the ability to make a print outlining Baby A's birth details. I also considered the print to be classic and timeless, not one that would have to be discarded as A grew up.

Kari Machal Designs ("KMD") had a number of templates which I was able to customise to come up with the end result.  I was able to maintain the colours of A's nursery (Ecru cream and Toffee Fingers beige) and incorporate blue for my little boy.

I bought the template design on Etsy and messaged my custom details to KMD.  KMD then prepared a proof for my approval, made a couple of edits and then proceeded with preparation of the prints.  As KMD is an American business the print took a couple of weeks to receive.  When it was received, I could see that the business had taken care with how the prints were sent.  The prints were placed in a plastic ziplock bag with a cardboard insert so that it would not bend, and they were placed in a stiff envelope for further protection.  I received the prints in as new, excellent condition.

All I needed was a couple of frames for mounting the prints in the nursery.  I bought white Modern Living frames from Target and mounted them on the wall with a little help from Hubby M to ensure that they were level.

Attached is one of the printed designs.  For privacy reasons, I haven't attached the birth details print.

I plan to make similar prints for any other baby that I may be blessed with in the future.

What prints do you have in your nursery?