Hiya mamas! Today we’re talking with one of our vendor guide members, and super awesome lady all around, Alison Bernier, about family photos. They are soooooo wonderful once you have the final photos, but getting ready and going through a session with kids (who frankly don’t care about family photos in the moment!) can be stressful. Alison is sharing 10 tips to make your next session more enjoyable here, AND… more importantly, we’re giving away a 45 minute, mini session to one of you Southern CA families! Be sure to enter at the bottom of the post.

1. Choose a location that suits your family best.
If your little one hates sand then the beach might not be a good idea. In home sessions are often best for itty bitty subjects but an open field is fun for older kids who like to run and explore.

2. Try to book your session during your child’s best time of day. If that’s at sunrise then lets do it! The light is pretty then too!

3. Bring snacks and drinks,
hungry kids are grumpy kids. Same goes for Dads!

4. Wear clothing that you can play in.
Short dresses for Mama’s and little girls alike are often hard to sit in. Also avoid clothing with large logos and graphics, they are distracting and can draw attention away from the sweet faces we are trying to capture. The whole point is to capture your family having fun together, playing around and interacting, try not to let your clothes get in the way.

5. Mamas, treat yourself and get a blow out
or your makeup done. It relieves the stress of having to do it yourself and when you feel like you look good you are much more comfortable in front of the camera.

6. Loosen the rules a little,
if your kids are acting up – run with it. Laugh at their silly jokes, tickle them, throw them in the air and spin them around. Have fun with your kids and let them be kids. Sometimes this means letting them behave in a way you wouldn’t normally but usually that means they will be enjoying themselves and be smiling. Those are the moments that feel most genuine and candid.

7. Realize that not all portraits need to be of everyone looking at the camera
and smiling. As a mum myself, I love being able to look back and remember how my little one tried to kiss my cheek or would laugh uncontrollably when her daddy put her upside down and tickled her tummy. I love being able to capture the interactions between each of you. The natural way a Mother will fix her child’s hair or the way a Father can so casually throw their toddler over his shoulder. It is nice to have those classic portraits of everyone looking at the camera but the beauty for me, really lies in the little details. The little things you want to remember later on when your kids are big and grown.

8. Don’t be scared to bribe.
You’re happy to come out and have your photo taken because you’re getting rewarded with pictures that you will treasure afterward. Give your kids (and husband if need be!) a treat to look forward to at the end. If you do bring candy… choose something that wont melt in Dad’s pocket

9. Be yourselves and try not to stress too much.
I know that’s easier said than done but kids feed off our moods. Begging a kid to look at the camera and smile doesn’t usually work, it’s better to play games and be silly with them to try and coax out the natural smiles and giggles.

10. Have fun!
You’re all dressed up in a pretty location wearing your best clothes. Enjoy it!

Now, the fun part… the giveaway! The mini session include:

- A 45 minute Mini Portrait Session with Alison Bernier
- Location of session must be within 45 miles of Costa Mesa
- Session includes 8 retouched digital images for you to print however you wish
*Session is for a group of six family members or less.

If you’d like to enter, fill out the form below! We’ll choose a winner on Monday.

The post 10 tips for your family photo session from Alison Bernier + a giveaway! appeared first on 100 Layer Cakelet.

We’ve got so many of the essentials covered for you mamas. Crib mattress, carseat, baby carrier, nursing pillow, swaddles, sleep help, body care, clothes, and more. It’s just sooooo good! Below is a list of everything our winner will take home.

1. Nuna Pipa Infant Carseat
2. The Happy Sleeper, by sleep consultants Heather Turgeon MFT and Julie Wright MFT. (PS they also offer sleep consultations!)
3. $150 gift card to Flora + Henri for the most beautiful French baby clothes
4. Natursutten natural rubber pacifiers
5. Newton Rest non-toxic, breathable, washable crib mattress.
6. Miffy Milestone Baby Cards for photos of your baby’s first year.
7. $150 gift card to Paige Lauren Baby. They have the softest clothes for little babes!
8. The always genius Puj tub.
9. Ergobaby 4th Trimester Nurture Pack, including their swaddlers, wrap, and new nursing pillow.
10. Earth Mama Angel Baby Pregnancy Essentials Bundle
11. Belly Armor belly blanket
12. Tubby Todd Bath Co. natural, plant-based, extra gentle gift set (obsessed with their soap and lotion!)
13. FridaBaby Nose Frida and Windi
14. $75 gift card to Chasing Windmills for super soft merino wool clothing for this cozy time of year.

Amazing, yes? Use the app below to enter. You can unlock 12 additional entries once you complete the first step. GOOD LUCK!

The post New Mama Baby Bundle Giveaway appeared first on 100 Layer Cakelet.

If your little one is a sweet lady, her bundle will look like the example above. Or for a boy, your choices might be more like the bundle below. Regardless our giveaway gives you all of the essentials for a fresh start to the school year. Clothes, shoes, PJs, lunch supplies, activities for after school, and some stationery for an organized start to the year. We’re so excited to share all of this with our winners!

Each winner will take home:

1. PlanetBox Rover and carry sleeve
2. Tegu mini kit (either the Daredevil or Tint Set)
3. $100 gift card to Polarn O. Pyret for back-to-school fashion from Sweden
4. $100 gift card to Minted for school supplies like name labels, journals, note cards, etc.
5. 1 pair of fun, mismatched shoes form Chooze
6. 1 Raddish cooking kit + apron for making dinner together
7. $100 gift card to Seedling for after school crafts
8. 1 pair of super soft, organic PJs from Skylar Luna

To enter use the app below, as per usual. We’ll email two winners on Friday. Good luck!

The post Back-to-School giveaway for boys and girls! appeared first on 100 Layer Cakelet.

Do you know the super cute kids’ brand Duchess + Lion? Their fall line is out and it’s pretty adorable. Mari Spiker styled this little kids shoot in the mountains of Utah to show off the pieces for fall and we thought you might like to see. AND enter a giveaway to win a $50 shop credit to purchase something new for your favorite little. That tiny car is just the perfect size for these dolls!

Soooo cute, huh?! To enter the giveaway use the app below. We’ll email the winner tmo! Even if your favorite item is out of stock, don’t worry… more are being made!

Photos by Liz Williams, styling by Mari Spiker, fashion by Duchess + Lion.

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It’s not exactly a secret that we L-O-V-E the beautiful books and prints from Artifact Uprising around here. And since we’re guessing that most of you lovely readers are the ones actually shopping for or making Father’s Day presents this year, we thought we’d share our favorite picks from their Father’s Day gift guide (though seriously, you really can’t go wrong with them) and a fun adaptation of our own.

Their gorgeous wood block and print set rates about as high as possible on the Cakelet Approved Gift Guide list. Their signature prints come tucked into a handcrafted wooden stand made from mountain beetle pine. It’s so simple and lovely and it’s pretty much mandatory for every family member (dads and grand-dads, included).

But the real star, especially for mamas like you all who don’t have endless time to create gifts for every holiday, is their premium quality Instagram friendly photo book whose interior pages are printed on 100% recycled paper. It’s the perfect size, both in your hands and in the number of pages. And even a lady with limited time at the computer can put one together quickly using their awesome iPhone app. We all know our best photos come from our phones these days, anyway!

This year Kristina asked her boys to make a list of their favorite things to do with their dad, and created a book for her hubs filled with these memories. She’s given him gifts from Artifact Uprising before so she wanted to come up with something a teeny bit different this time.

She added text to photos that corresponded with each item on the boys’ list. Some of the pages have text and some don’t (getting a 3 and 5 year old to come up with 40 things would have been a challenge!) but it’s such a sweet little memento for Father’s Day.

It wraps up so nicely in a little square, topped with some yummy palo santo wood and a dip-dyed cotton ribbon.

Now the fun part! Fill out the form below to enter our giveaway for a $200 credit to Artifact Uprising! That’s a lot of their beautiful products for presents, or just for filling your home with photos of your family.

*By entering this contest you are also agreeing to receive a 10% discount code and the occasional email correspondence from our friends at Artifact Uprising.

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