I was chatting with Chrissie, a dear friend of mine, about the craziness of Christmas and how we’re putting so much pressure on ourselves to create the ‘perfect’ Christmas. We’re forgetting about the kids and what they want, and instead, we’re ‘balancing’ the Christmas tree so that it looks aesthetically pleasing!

We decided it was important to remind ourselves and our kids how much fun it is to just get creative at Christmas and make heartfelt gifts that are lopsided, a little wonky, and that look nothing like the perfect styled images you see in magazines (but that are made with love, and remind us of the true spirit of Christmas).

We thought it would be such a nice idea to document our crafty exploits and with a national handmade magazine on board, we set about planning a photo shoot. We were lucky enough to secure the services of Zara-Jane Photography. And we owe her so much for helping bring our little project to life. All these images were taken by her.

We had a giant brainstorming session one day to come up with a list of easy but very sweet Christmas Craft Projects. Then all we had to do was gather supplies.

Meanwhile I approached some of my favourite handmade businesses, to see if they could help set the scene with some of their beautiful creations.

I also set about designing a collection of my own Molly and Mama pretties, including dresses, skirts with matching appliqué tees, hair accessories and a tutu or two! It wasn’t long before it all came together and we were ready for shoot day!

The sun was shining on the day of the shoot, and the girls were smiling! We did have my little chap to help out too, but sadly he was reluctant to be photographed. But he loved helping out as a little side kick! He did a great job gathering supplies and suggesting camera angles. And sometimes it’s good to remember that it isn’t about creating ‘perfect’ images but having happy kids.

With three giggly girls to photograph though, we knew we were in for some fun. Especially when there were sweets involved!

The day was relaxed. The activities were fun. The kids were creative.

We probably ended up with a bit more glitter than we had anticipated, but it added to the fun. And that was what it was all about really.

In the end, we had some gorgeous creations to take home for Christmas.

We all learnt something new that day. While the tree wasn’t perfectly decorated nor the craft table aesthetically styled, you can see the fun that was had. The girls developed a real sense of pride over their creations and plans were made to continue creating more goodies at home.

We really gave them the best gift that day; time. Time to have fun, be creative, explore, giggle and just be themselves.

You can make many of the projects shown in the images. In fact, there’s a whole post about it HERE. We’ve included 10 simple craft projects that you can make with your kids.

All images were styled by yours truly. Our story was featured in Issue 14 of Tickle the Imagination Magazine ‘Christmas Wishes’. You can see the full article from pages 96 to 109. We were so thrilled with how it all came together. A special mention must go to Tanya the editor for her beautiful layout. Her dedication to her magazine and to supporting the Australian hand made community is inspirational.

Thanks also to the following contributors;

• Archer & Mary for the stunning scalloped patchwork cushion
• Couture Crafts for the pretty hanging fabric bunting
• Onepear for the rustic hessian ‘Peace’ bunting on the piano
• Sweet Tashie for the delicate little felt stockings hanging on the tree
• Strawberry Bow-tique for the cute little hair bows in pastels
• Threefold for the lovely paper rosettes hanging in the window
• *all clothing and flower hair accessories by Molly and Mama

What sorts of things do you make for Christmas with the kids? I’d love to see. Happy creating, Lauren x