Shopping - NorthHantsMum

Review 2016: The English Charm Company – 3d Casting

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 7th July 2016 in Gifts, Local Mum Businesses, New Parents, Newborn, Reviews of Things to do 1 Comment

The English Charm Company

Foot and Hand Casting for my 20-week old

Situated in beautiful parkland of Worting House, Basingstoke, I was met by Natasha the owner of the company and an Accredited Trainer for the Craft Academy.

I was taken her small but adequate studio where examples of all her work were displayed from Silver Charms to 3d casts. The studio is open every Monday and Tuesday to browse her showcase, to making appointments and to take impressions on the day for orders

Natasha was very friendly, welcoming and reassured me about the whole process (which took about an hour) and explained what she was doing and why.

The experience was enjoyable and only a few hours after my appointment I was notified that the casts had come out well and just needed to dry off, which would take about 2 weeks but ready in time for Fathers Day.

As promised the casts were dry and painted in time for Fathers Day.

My partner was very pleased with his gift.

I would definitely recommend this service if you are thinking of a lifetime keepsake or a special gift for a loved one.

For more information about products, appointment booking or to attend one of the training courses contact Natasha on 07792 503411 or email hello@theenglishcharmco.co.uk

Training classes run Wed, Thurs and Fri please ask for details.

You can find more details about The English Charm Company at their website: http://www.theenglishcharmco.co.uk/

Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter,Google+,Facebook Page, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!

Recommended beauty products for a new Mum!

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 21st June 2016 in Clothes, Mums, New Parents, Pregnancy, Shopping, Wellbeing 0 Comment

I don’t normally have “beauty” posts on NorthHantsMum but Vicky, one of the NHM Writers, did such a great job on this post, it would have been wrong not to publish it!

Thank you Vicky for this great post!

I wish someone had bought me some or all of these products when I was a new Mum! lol.

Recommended beauty products for a new Mum!

Is it just me or is there always some advert trying to tell you that this wonder product is what you’ve been waiting for? And that this is especially true for new mums. Whether it’s an all-singing all-dancing changing bag that unfolds into an amazing entertainment centre for your little one complete with iPad and safety harness (ok, I am exaggerating) or something as simple as a buggy clip (these are brilliant by the way), there is always something.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and decided it’s time to be selfish on my blog, because I’m going to tell you about some wonder beauty products I have come to rely on as a new mum. And guess what, they aren’t for baby, they are for you!

Now don’t get me wrong, there are days when pyjama bottoms, an old t-shirt, greasy hair scraped up in a ponytail and not a scrap of make-up are the best anyone can hope for, but I’d certainly be lying if I didn’t say that there are times when you just want to look nice and be ‘like your old self’ again rather than wandering around in a zombie-like state in yesterday’s clothes.

I’m afraid I don’t really subscribe to the notion that you can never look nice or have time to do your hair or slap on a bit of make-up (if that’s what you want to do of course) just because you’ve had a baby. If you want it, or more to the point, need it that badly, you will find time – even if you do have to sing the ABC song on repeat at the same time!

So, let’s get on to the important bit, what are these products. For me, dry shampoo is an absolute must. I used to be a strict every other day girl when it came to washing my hair, not anymore! But since my little boy was born almost eight months ago, I’ve got a bit creative with up dos and my hair is actually in much better condition to boot, as I’m not straightening it to death every day. Batiste dry shampoo with a hint of brunette is my go to product. An absolute essential.

Next up is No 7 Instant Illusions. This does what it says on the tin. It gives the illusion of eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, brightens those weary faces and gives you a lovely magical glow. You can wear it on its own or under foundation. It’s essentially the budget version of Clarins Beauty Flash Balm.

Sticking to the skin for a second, Maybelline’s Baby Skin primer is also a dream product for me. Now this is definitely just for adults, not the little ones! It’s a really lightweight primer which again, does what it says on the tin, and gives you super baby-soft skin. It’s great either on its own or excellent as a base for foundation to give it some staying power – and we all need that!

I am a firm believer that mascara can transform your mood in one fail sweep – all puns intended. For me, it’s my desert island product. It opens up my tired eyes and gives me a little bit of put-together-ness. My all-time favourite is Max Factor Masterpiece Transform in black. People actually have asked if I am wearing false lashes several times, when wearing this… flutter flutter.

My final product (for this post anyway – I could go on…) is concealer. An absolute must for hiding those dark circles or camouflaging some post-birth hormonal breakouts. The Max Factor Mastertouch is my favourite. For me, it’s a budget version of YSL Touché Éclat. It suits my skin perfectly and there are several shades to choose from to ensure you get the best colour match.

So there you have it, a little insight into my inner sanctuary when it comes to beauty products. For me, there’s nothing better than personal recommendations, especially when it comes to skincare, hair care or make-up. Don’t feel guilty for taking 10 minutes to ‘put your face on’ or do your hair some days. It’s not called war paint for no reason.

For more of my inane ramblings, check out my blog misschiefv.wordpress.com

A Very Special NorthHantsMum Mother’s Day Gift!!!

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 25th February 2016 in Gifts, Mums 0 Comment

Mother’s Day is just over a week away, so not long for the loved ones in your life to get you something sorted in time!

If you could forward this post to the significant children and/or man in your life, I will be very grateful 😀 😀

A Very Special NorthHantsMum Mother’s Day Gift!!!

Are you hoping to receive a very exclusive Mother’s Day gift this year?

If you are, I have just the thing for you!

An “I Support NorthHantsMum” Bag!

291 — Mr NHM modelling the “I Support NorthHantsMum” bag

(Mr NHM told me to tell you that he is available for freelance modelling at very reasonable rates. I tried not to snigger too much when he said this! Hahaha)

You can see in the picture below how big and sturdy the bag is. I use mine ALL the time.

If you would like to have one of these VERY exclusive bags, one can be yours for the very special price of £8.

All monies raised from sales of the bag will go towards the running costs of NorthHantsMum.

For more details, please email me at NorthHantsMum@gmail.com.

Thank you for supporting NHM!!!! 😀

OPENING TODAY!!!!!!!! Basingstoke John Lewis at Home and Waitrose

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 12th November 2015 in Shopping 2 Comments

Basingstoke John Lewis at Home and Waitrose opens TODAY at 9am!!!

I was incredibly lucky to be invited back to see the new John Lewis at Home and Waitrose stores a couple of days before they opened to the public. (I guess they liked my review last month! lol)

It was REALLY awesome to be able to see how much had changed since I was last there, just under a month ago. It’s an incredible feat to think that just a month ago the stores were literally building sites. They have had 120 people setting up the John Lewis at home store alone!

John Lewis at Home – Downstairs

Trevor, the Implementation Project Manager for John Lewis at Home, showed us around the John Lewis part of the building.

90% of the store was “checked and signed off” ready for store opening on Monday!!! Four days before the store opens to the public!

The Kitchen Appliance area was FAB!!! I did my very best not to lust over the KitchenAid’s! lol. (Who knew, I would one day covet a KitchenAid! How times change! lol).

The Christmas section is brilliant!!! They have a huge area dedicated to gifts, so if there is someone who might be difficult to buy for, this is the area for you!

The Nursery Advice section is really lovely. It’s in a quiet corner of the shop and they have a seating area for you to use whilst in this area. I could have browsed this section for HOURS! They even have a “testing” car seat for demonstrations!

The Basingstoke John Lewis at Home store is the biggest at home store in the UK.

Towards the front of the store is the Beauty area. There will be Liz Earle, L’Ocitane and someone else I didn’t quite catch! There will also be a consultation area for the Beauty section.

There are also Large Electricals, Refrigeration, Linens, Duvets and Towels sections, and loads of other areas I didn’t have time to make a note of!

John Lewis at Home – Upstairs

Upstairs in John Lewis at Home is all about Lifestyle. There are sections for everything to do with your home, including room sets, kitchen sets, a fabric gallery (see one of the pictures below), a sofa studio, travel goods and a HUGE consumer electronics corner including sonos technology.

Customers can choose from an edited selection of 16,000 products across furniture, furnishing accessories, homeware, technology and nursery departments in-store, and use iPad terminals to shop the retailer’s full assortment online.

I also loved the mattress area at the back of the store on the 1st level. Its a very relaxing area.

The lighting section is gorgeous!

There is a whole area where you can choose which furnishing you would like a choose from racks and racks of fabric.

There is even a consultation area where the John Lewis at home team can help you with planning what you want/need!

Waitrose

Jamie Rodgers, the branch manager of Waitrose Basingstoke, showed us around the Waitrose store.

The cafe upstairs is AMAZING!!! It’s the largest cafe that Waitrose have! When I saw it last it was a dark building site. It literally was a shock when I saw it this time.

It’s HUGE and soooo light and bright!! I love the little areas that they have. They have a quiet area for relaxing in and little cubby areas. They even have a window into the kitchen so you can see your meals being prepared!

Downstairs the store itself is MASSIVE! It’s much bigger than I expected. It has over 20,000 product lines! Last month it was a complete building site and it’s really quite amazing how different it is to when I saw it last.

I am soooo looking forward to seeing the Juice Bar and Wine Bar in action! 😀 I’m particularly looking forward to the wine bar as you can enjoy tapas and wines from Waitroses’ award-winning collection!!!

I also can’t WAIT to see the atrium when it’s finished. It’s a huge area and you can see it’s so bright and with a great view across the town. Sooo excited!!!

Branch managers Ali Gilbert (John Lewis) and Jamie Rodgers (Waitrose) will cut the opening ribbon alongside the first Partner to be employed by each shop at 9am, and representatives from local organisations that both shops are supporting as part of their charitable Community Matters scheme: Ark Cancer Charity, Spotlight UK and Basingstoke NeighbourCare.

A couple of things to note

The subway to the stores will be closed for a couple more weeks so if you are walking to get to the stores then please use the pedestrian crossing that is near the Station or use the subway which takes you into Basing View.

There is free wi-fi in the stores.

John Lewis has a click and collect point and if you order your purchases online before 8pm, they will be in the store the following day before 2pm!

You can order anything from John Lewis, not just At Home, to be delivered into store.

There are two baby changing areas. One in each store.

There are at least 4 high chairs in the cafe upstairs.

Parking is at the back and on top of the stores. There are 450 parking spots, 15 of which are for parents and children. Parking is pay and display.

They say: “John Lewis at home and Waitrose Basingstoke brings John Lewis and Waitrose together in a unique way – the two shops will share office space, a dining room and locker rooms. This joint venture allows customers to shop at both John Lewis at home and Waitrose in one trip, and ‘at home’ customers will have the benefit of Waitrose’s catering facilities.”

John Lewis at home will be open Monday to Saturday from 9am – 8pm and from 11am – 5pm on Sunday (10.30am as browsing time).

Waitrose will be open on Monday to Saturday from 7.30am – 9pm and from 11am – 5pm on Sunday (10.30am as browsing time). The café will be open Monday to Saturday 7.30am until 8pm and Sunday 10:30am – 4:30pm.

The shops are located at Basing View, Basingstoke, RG21 4BF.

John Lewis at home & Waitrose Basingstoke – First Look!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 13th October 2015 in Shopping 4 Comments

I am very, very, VERY honoured to have been invited to have a look around the new John Lewis at home and Waitrose store which will be opening in Basingstoke on Thursday 12th November…

John Lewis at home & Waitrose Basingstoke – First Look!!!!!!!!!!!

With less than a month to go until opening, I was invited to look round the new shops and see how everything is coming together. The tour was given by Ali Gilbert, John Lewis at home Basingstoke Branch Manager and Jamie Rodgers, Waitrose Basingstoke Branch Manager.

This will be the third and biggest co-located shop in the John Lewis Partnership portfolio.

Work started over a year ago on the project and it’s amazing to see how much had been done. Throughout the 68-week construction process, the project has:

Removed 57,320 tonne loads of chalk from the site
Installed 3.4 miles of underground ductwork
Used 4,500 tonnes of concrete
Used 600 tonne of steel for the building’s frame
Individually installed 4,780 feature tiles to create the building’s striking sail
Laid 1,800 Tonnes of tarmac to form the road

It’s pretty impressive when you see the numbers above!

I had already been asked to provide my shoe size so I knew we would be wearing steel toe capped boots. When I arrived I was introduced to everyone and then we had a safety briefing and were given our boots, hi-vis jacket and a lovely red hard hat.

The Atrium

We were first taken to the atrium area. With less than a month to go the building is really taking shape inside but it’s still a construction site (hence the boots and hardhat!). However, you can already see that the atrium is going to be a beautiful, bright and welcoming area with lots of glass and natural light. The atrium will have a juice bar and a welcome desk and will also be the main point of access for pedestrians.

You will then be able to go into either the Waitrose shop or the John Lewis shop. The car park is on the roof of the building and there is both a travellator and numerous lifts to take you to where you want to go in the stores.

Ground Floor in Waitrose

We were first taken into the ground floor of the Waitrose side of the building. Jamie talked through how the store will work. There will be the usual areas that you would expect in a Waitrose but I was really pleased to hear that they are increasing their “free from” area to reflect changing dietary needs. There will also be a large “food to go” area for those people who don’t like cooking.

I was really intrigued to hear that on the ground floor in Waitrose there will also be a wine and beer bar which will also serve tapas and deli platters!!!

Jamie talked through how the My Waitrose card will be crucial to shoppers. Especially the new “pick you own offer” which allows you to have even more discounts on your favourite products.

You will also be able to use Apple Pay, there will be the usual self scanners, traditional tills, self service counters and click and collect.

Ground Floor in John Lewis at Home

We then walked over to the John Lewis side of the building. Ali explained that once you’ve walked through the atrium there will be a Liz Earle area, an area for candles, gift food and then stationary.

There will be an area to the back of the ground floor for John Lewis which will have the seasonal displays. As it won’t be long until Christmas when the store opens, I can’t wait to see what the displays will finally look like!

I was delighted to hear that the new John Lewis at Home store will have the biggest nursery area in any “at home” store and will also have a “nursery advice” area which will be a personal shopper for people shopping in nursery “at home”.

The store will stock 16,000 products lines which is only a small element of the 350,000 lines that John Lewis actually stock overall but there will be kiosks available where you can order everything online to be delivered in to the shop. If you order by 8pm the evening before, the item will be in the store before 2pm the next day!!!

Floor 1 in Waitrose

We then went upstairs to see the Waitrose area. Waitrose Basingstoke will include a customer café with a made-to-order menu, offering a hot and cold breakfast, lunchtime salads, sandwiches, plus tea-time treats such as pastries, cakes and desserts, all of which will be made from the same ingredients that can be bought in the store. The cafe will provide 166 covers which I think means seats (Nick, the architect emailed me to say that this means there will be about 40 tables! lol). There will be two areas to the cafe, one which is an “eating” area and one which is a “thinking” area. There will be a full meal services available, with dishes of the day and the menu will change seasonally.

Behind the cafe is the partner (employee) area. Both Jamie and Ali were very keen to show how they really value their teams and how these shared partner areas will be key to the success of the shops. The new shops had over 1200 (!!!) applicants for positions and will provide 369 retail jobs. I was really pleased to hear how they have targeted local people, from places like the Shaw Trust and BCOT for these jobs.

Floor 1 in John Lewis at Home

We then walked through to the John Lewis side of the building. We saw the “vision” area and Liz talked through how the upstairs floor will be more about the John Lewis “lifestyle”. There will also be an area for Tech Support/Tech Services and they even have a separate “quiet” area for testing out mattresses!!

We then went up to the top floor to see the parking area. There will be 420 parking spaces and I checked and there will be at least 15 parent and child parking spaces. The car park will be pay and display and the charge will be refunded in store against your purchases.

Summary

I was very pleased about John Lewis and Waitrose coming to Basingstoke but now I’ve actually seen the site I’m SOOOOO EXCITED about it!!! I hadn’t appreciated how ahead of the market this co-located shop is going to be! It’s really going to put Basingstoke even more on the map!

Waitrose will be open from 7.30am to 9pm Mon to Saturday, John Lewis will be open from 9am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and both will be open on Sunday from 10.30am for browsing, then purchases from 11am to 5pm.

Both stores will open for the first time on Thursday 12th November at 9am…I can’t WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lee Orchard Photography

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 6th May 2015 in Family Photographers, Gifts, Guest Posts

Who is Lee Orchard Photography?

Lee Orchard is one half of a Husband and Wife photography team.

We are parents to 2 young kids, which is where we got our love of portrait photography from, especially Maternity, Newborn & Kids portraits.

As we’ve been through the Maternity, Newborn and Toddler stages, it gives us a great understanding and background for this style of photography having taken 100’s of photographs of our kids and the pregnancies.

We offer portrait sessions in our home based studio in Farnham.

Maternity

Our Maternity portraits offer a range of photos, from classic poses to floating wrap photos. They are designed to show you at your best during your pregnancy.

They are not just for the Mum, the Dad can also be involved, helping to create a loving photo of the parents to be.

Newborn

A newborn session is something to cherish. These are for babies up to 5 weeks old.

A session can last 3 hours or more, allowing time for settling, feeds, breaks, snacks and cuddles! (for the babies of course!)

We have a wide range of props that are used, from hats & wraps to baskets and rugs, creating a wonderful photo of your baby that you can look back on in future years.

Kids & Family

Our portraits don’t stop at Newborn. We offer Baby, Toddler, Kids & Family portraits with different background and styles, colour and back & white images.

Kids Creative Mini Shoots

All kids love dressing up. As part of our portraits options, we’ve created new Creative Mini Shoots just for Kids. These are short, affordable sessions, of your kids in a creative style.

They can dress up in their favourite outfit, come along for a short photo shoot and get a great creative photo that you & they will treasure.

Adult and Business

Not forgetting the Adults, our Adult portraits can be anything from Glamour to an informal portrait. You could even dress up too!

Or if you run a business, we can update you business portraits or social media profile photos, website portraits & avatars!

As well as Business portraits, we can also offer products photos, food photography or come out and photograph you on location.

We offer a wide range of photography, please visit our website for more information.

Thank you for taking the time to read about us.

Lee

Website: www.LeeOrchard.Photography

Email: Photography@LeeOrchard.com

Twitter: @LeoPhotography

Facebook: facebook.com/LeeOrchardPhotography

Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!

All Our Own Crafts 2015 – Grand Opening this Saturday!

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 14th April 2015 in Festival Place, Gifts, Shopping 0 Comment

I’m soooo excited to see that the “All Our Own Crafts” team are back, even bigger and better than before!

Many of the 40 local crafters in the shop are NHM Readers and Supporters and I’m delighted to see that there are so many people involved.

Congrats to Tracy, Kate and the team and I’m sure it will be a HUGE success!

All Our Own Crafts 2015

A new POP-Up craft shop in Festival Place, Basingstoke will launch with a grand opening on Saturday 18th April 2015.

This project was devised by Basingstoke residents Tracy Braybrook and Kate Donohoe who originally opened All Our Own Crafts in October 2014 for 3 months, giving local residents a unique chance to retail their crafts within the busy shopping centre. This will be the second time All Our Own Crafts will be in the centre, with the shop opening in April.

Festival Place have granted the pop-up shop the use of an empty unit opposite Laura Ashley for a two month period. It will display the crafts of 40 local people.

All Our Own Crafts will hold a grand opening from 9am on Saturday 18th April 2015 with lots of fun activities within the shop.

Normal opening hours will be Monday to Saturdays 9am to 6pm and on Sundays 11am to 5pm.

For more information, visit All Our Own Crafts Website or their Facebook page HERE.

Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter,Facebook Page, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!

Baby Love Photography: Baby, child and family photoshoots for just £100

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 4th March 2015 in Family Photographers, Gifts, Guest Posts, Local Mum Businesses, Special Offers for NHM Readers

Baby Love Photography – Baby, Child & Family Photographer based in Fleet, Hampshire

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and that couldn’t be truer than when you have a child. It seems like only yesterday my son Flynn was born, but it was in fact nearly eight months ago. Where has that time gone?! Now thanks to a lack of sleep and the dreaded ‘baby brain’, I can barely remember what happened yesterday, let alone cast my mind back half a year to what facial expressions he used to pull, the clothes he used to wear, or how his hair used to look…..

….Fortunately I have my photographs to remind myself of those little details.

My name is Emily Gregory and I am the owner of Baby Love Photography. I absolutely adore taking photos, whether it be of a newborn baby having not long entered the world, a six-month-old who is really starting to explore or a one-year-old well and truly on the move. I’ve spent many a shoot running after toddlers or gently encouraging dads in front of the camera, despite their protests of “You don’t want an ugly mug like me in the photo”. If it falls under the remit of baby, child or family, I’ll capture it!

I am a lifestyle photographer, meaning I take the most natural of photos in the most natural of environments. I don’t work in a studio – I shoot on location, so either in your home or at a location of your choice. I use natural backgrounds and light wherever possible, but don’t worry if your home isn’t blessed with windows galore – my camera is well equipped to cope in darker conditions.

For just £100, you will receive a 1-2 hour photoshoot and 10 digital images. These will be delicately edited and emailed over to you to use as you please, whether that be displaying them on social media for all to see, forwarding them to friends and family abroad or printing them out and giving them as Christmas presents.

So what are you waiting for? Book a photoshoot with Baby Love Photography now and allow me to create some beautiful lifestyle shots that you will treasure forever.

Website: www.baby-love-photography.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/babylovephotography2014

Twitter: @Baby_Love_Photo

Email: Baby_Love_Photography@hotmail.com

Telephone: 07891 908319

Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!

Ideal Imaging Photography: Don’t just think outside of the Box; GO outside of it

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 25th February 2015 in Family Photographers, Gifts, Guest Posts, Special Offers for NHM Readers

I’m very fortunate to be able to start this guest blog with a friendly hello to many of my existing local customers. 2014 was a truly amazing year during which I met so many wonderful families that I feel rewarded on a daily basis in my chosen career. Your support has been incredible and I would like to publicly thank you for putting your trust in me and my camera to provide you with lasting memories from your lifestyle photography shoots.

For those of you who I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting, a warm welcome to Ideal Imaging. Based in Old Basing, Hampshire, I specialise in family lifestyle and newborn portraits, along with wedding photography. Despite being my bread and butter, photography is my passion. I love what I do and that is reflected in my excitement over each and every couple or family that I work with. In fact, in my spare time, I enjoy … more photography – this time in the form of landscape photography. I’m always learning and have recently returned from an unbelievably satisfying week of one-on-one instruction in Italy with one of the top landscape photographers.

I believe that my love of landscapes enhances my ability to spot a great shot in a lifestyle shoot and this is one of the reasons that I take my camera and my creativity outside of the traditional studio setting to bring out the best in people. Don’t get me wrong, studio photography has a place. But it is a very different scenario to a lifestyle shoot. To put this in to context, imagine that a studio photo shoot is about spending two hours trying to get one ‘perfect shot’ whereas a lifestyle shoot is about spending two hours capturing lots of great, candid images of everyone thoroughly enjoying themselves and therefore at their very best and ‘just being’.

Ask yourself the question; what do you love to do as a family? I’d be willing to bet that it isn’t the former scenario described above. I’m a parent too; I understand the pressures of creating that perfect photo. The constraints of both time and space in a studio setting simply do not lend themselves to you (the collective you) being yourselves. Worries about children ‘warming’ to the photographer, ‘performing’ for the camera and generally being on their best behaviour mean that this is not conducive to creating a relaxed collection of memories to look back on. This is why I don’t just think outside of the box with my photography, I go outside of it.

With my old-fashioned approach to customer service I spend time getting to know you before I take a single photograph. I want you to feel inspired to break free from the accepted norms. I’ll encourage you to wrap up warm on a crisp, frosty morning and head to the beach for an invigorating walk, or to think of the warmth of spring and imagine running through a dreamy bluebell wood. You might prefer to consider a late afternoon frolic in the sunshine with the family dog or to feel the rush of the wind kicking up the autumn leaves and the glorious autumnal colour palette that season delivers. Whatever the time of year, we can work with the weather to provide you with a collection of stunning portraits that come alive with the personalities of each individual featured in the shot.

We’re programmed from a very early age to ‘smile for the camera’. I can give you a guarantee that you will never hear me give that instruction during my time with you. Not because I like to capture the enigmatic Mona Lisa pose, but because it just isn’t necessary as you’ll be doing the things you love, all with the bonus of having an expert photographer on hand to facilitate and capture the enjoyment that comes naturally to your family.

With my local knowledge, I have immediate access to many beautiful locations including Tylney Hall in Rotherwick, The Elvetham Hotel in Hook and The Vyne in Sherborne St John. All of these locations are steeped in history and make a spectacular backdrop to your personal portfolio. But lifestyle photography is all about you and if you prefer another location, or even your own back garden, we can tailor the session to suit you.

Without the constraints of time or the fixed limitations of four walls, we’re able to include more of what you love, and who you love. Bring the whole family along. In the past year alone I’ve worked with groups of up to 18 people covering the entire family tree. From newborns to great grandparents and every member of the family in between; including the person who is usually nominated as the family photographer!

Whether you’re looking for a piece of wall art to display, a timeless album to showcase your entire shoot or mounted prints and digital images of the highest quality, my flair for design and creativity guides you through the experience seamlessly to create unique galleries to last a lifetime.

After the shoot, a lot of my clients choose to stay and play a while longer. After all, they’re simply having fun with the family! For me, giving you a fantastic experience is only half the job done and I set to work on creating a professional slideshow. This is usually within about a week or two, for your review in the comfort of your own home. No trekking off to another studio and feeling the pressure of a sales pitch. The photographs that we’ve created together will speak for themselves allowing you to make relaxed decisions about how you’d like to remember your time with me! I firmly believe that your images should be presented at their very best so that you can cherish and adore them for years to come. I work very closely with a couple of leading labs to bring you the finest selection of products, all made from the highest quality materials that will last in your family for generations to come.

As a thank you to you for taking the time to understand a little bit more about my approach to lifestyle photography, I have a special offer for all NHM readers. It’s for a Spring time themed family lifestyle portraits session in the grounds of Tylney Hall Hotel. A summary of what’s included appears below but for all the information, FAQ’s and to secure your package please go to: http://wp.me/p4A8xE-3gd

I wish you all a very happy 2015 and hope to meet you in the coming months.

All the best,

Alistair Jones, Ideal Imaging

Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!

The English Charm Company

Recommended beauty products for a new Mum!

NHM Readers Recommend Local Places for Preloved Items

Spotlight Centre

Christ Church, Chineham

Besom

Basingstoke Voluntary Action

Is there anywhere else you would recommend?

A Very Special NorthHantsMum Mother’s Day Gift!!!

Basingstoke John Lewis at Home and Waitrose opens TODAY at 9am!!!

John Lewis at Home – Downstairs

John Lewis at Home – Upstairs

Waitrose

A couple of things to note

John Lewis at home & Waitrose Basingstoke – First Look!!!!!!!!!!!

The Atrium

Ground Floor in Waitrose

Ground Floor in John Lewis at Home

Floor 1 in Waitrose

Floor 1 in John Lewis at Home

Summary

Who is Lee Orchard Photography?

Maternity

Newborn

Kids & Family

Kids Creative Mini Shoots

Adult and Business

All Our Own Crafts 2015

Baby Love Photography – Baby, Child & Family Photographer based in Fleet, Hampshire