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Wishing the happiest of birthdays to @mrshinchhome. May it be joyous and happy and above all clean. Happy birthday Sophie xx
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Words always hurt ❤️
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Happy Valentine’s Day lovebirds! And for those of you who are less romantic, I’ve drawn you a nice picture of a couple of parrots!!!! Lovebirds or parrots? Have a beautiful day x #valentinesday #lovebirds #parrotts #littleflorence #illustrationsofinstagram #romanitc #illustrationgram #customillustration
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So this morning has got off to a great start. My daughter slept through the night for the first time in nearly 8 years!!! Fellow sleep deprived mums will know what a massive deal this is I’m not ashamed to admit she was bribed with a chocolate biscuit and two stories at bedtime tonight I’d she did it. Aren’t I clever. Hhhhm, just discovered she went and slept in her brothers bed instead 🙄😩. There’s been a lot of chat on here about weighted blankets really helping children with additional needs sleep better, Anyone got any experience with one? #sleep #sleepdeprived #weightedblanket #needsleep #downsyndrome #downssyndrome
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I’m currently working on the (I’d like to say final, but I’m sure it’s not) detail for Little Florence’s web based ordering tool. Those who have followed me for a while are probably thinking I’ve been doing that FOR EVER and you’d probably be right. It has taken so much longer than I could have imagined and there have been many times when i thought it just wasn’t going to happen, what am I doing, is it worth it..... That was until last week when I saw a demo and dare I say it, it looked good! There’s still work to do but I can see progress and it will hopefully, be worth it in the end. Shout out to anyone struggling to see light at the end of the tunnel - stick with it, it will all be worth it in the end.
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Anyone else’s weekend just a long list of endless ‘jobs’? Sometimes, being back at work on a Monday can almost feel like a bit of rest and today is one of those days 😂. Looking forward to cracking on with my to do list - it’s a long one!!!!! #mondayvibes #feelingmotivated #letsdothis #littleflorence #personalisedportrait #familyaffair #familyiseverything #familyillustration
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I can’t believe that weeks can go by without me posting to Instagram. Always a sign that I’m busy as orders for Valentine’s Day have started coming in. This I great but it has meant work on the ‘you can do anything’ has slowed down. I did manage to do this marine biologist print though - you asked so I delivered 😊
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Just a reminder that the competition to win a LF couple portrait is still live (check out my post from 2 days ago). Also I had a shimmer of good news yesterday - it looks like my website and online diy selection tool (needs a snappier title), is close to completion. At times I thought it would never happen but maybe I can start to believe and begin putting some plans in place #daretodream #nevergiveup
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Thanks for all your lovely comments on my stories yesterday. And here is Florence the Footballer. Scroll across and you’ll see the boys version (let’s call him Frank). For those who missed stories, I am going to produce a range of personalised prints which empower our children, letting them know that they can be/do anything. I’d love to know what your children would like to be when they’re older. I will choose 10 occupations to illustrate initially and if any are the same as your suggestion, you will be entered to win a free personalised print x #littleflorence #familyillustration #personalisedportrait #illustrationgram #customillustration #everyonesdifferent #youcanbe #girlscan
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Time for a competition to win a Little Florence couple portrait - just in time for Valentines Day 😉 Simply like this post and tag someone in who you think would also like to win a personalised couple portrait. A winner will be picked at random on Sunday 26th January. Scroll across to see a couple more examples.
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I love u - It’s not glamorous but it’s real. With Valentine’s Day just round the corner, it got me thinking of love and then the realities of life. It doesn’t always have to be flowers and romantic nights out does it?? (Every now and again is nice though right?😂) On another note, I love the calm that January brings after a very busy November/December. Enjoying the chance just to create for the sake of creating.
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I’m sharing a few more DIY portraits with you today and will continue to over the next few weeks as I know lots of you find it useful to grab a bit of inspiration from when creating your own family portrait. I love the ones where people make best use of the space available by using bunting and adding levels with side tables and plants and the occasional glitter ball (I imagine lots of kitchen discos with the kids). If you have any questions, just get in touch. Happy weekend xx
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Did you know that today is Nothing Day? A whole day where you are legitimately allowed to do absolutely nothing. Well it is in America anyway which is all the excuse I need to sit back and watch Netflix all day. I wish!!! When has that ever happened?? 🙄😂 In other news, I’ve been day dreaming about this @madedotcom chair for months now. I just love it so much, that I had to draw it. Obsessed right?😂 Ah well, I hope you have a very productive day of doing very little 😉
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I wanted to share some portraits which I did towards the end of last year. All DIY (so developed by the customer, selecting images from a set of pre drawn templates), but show that with some thought and imagination, they can all be very different. #littleflorence #familyillustration #personalisedportrait #illustrationgram #customillustration #everyonesdifferent #smallbusiness #itsinthedetails #everybodysdifferent
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I’m not great at setting goals or resolutions but I do think that January is a good time to look at what I’m doing and remind myself why I’m doing it. And this is it. Little Florence has always been, and always will be, about celebrating our differences. #everyonesdifferent #littleflorence #familyillustrations #downsyndromeawareness #nothingdownaboutit. Not sure who said these words originally. They were found on Pinterest and they are magical
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It’s Backtowork-day!!!! Wanted to clear the decks this weekend so I could focus solely on LF planning today!!! Unfortunately as with all best laid plans, that didn’t happen due to sickness. Not me thank god, my husband. However, as I have a fear of 🤢 (yup - emetophobia. It’s an actual thing) I have spent all weekend disinfecting every single light switch, door handle... 😂😂. I’m pretty sure it was food poisoning (he is notoriously fast and loose with use by dates 😂😂) but my irrational mind was taking no chances 😂😂🙄. So there you have it, a couple of days behind schedule, but happy 2020 xx #happynewyear2020 #backtowork #planning #littleflorence #familyart #personalisedillustrations #perfectwedding
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Finally it’s Christmas Eve (no more it’s the eve of the eve of the eve........ from my 10 year old 😂). Have a lovely day whatever you are doing and whoever you are doing it with. I will be spending this morning checking in with Mary/Jamie/Gordon to see the best way to cook a turkey whilst eating what’s left of the quality street. Happy Christmas xxx #happychristmas #turkey #christmasdinnerprep #littleflorence #familyillustration #personalisedportrait #illustrationgram #customillustration #everyonesdifferent #thankyou
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Oh hello there, it’s been a while!! I’ve been a bit awol on social media lately as I’ve just had my head down creating and processing Christmas orders. I love what I do but seeing the light at the end of the festive tunnel is very welcome and I’m looking forward to some family time (and an evening off). Thanks so much for your orders - I hope you love them. If you do, please remember to leave feedback, it really helps (I had a bad review yesterday and it knocks your confidence a bit 😂). Sharing this lovely photo from @littlebigbell and also tagging the other small brands mentioned as they are all amazing. 1. Personalised signs from @signhiveuk or @modocreative . 2. Interiors lover - the newly published “East London Homes” by @supermarket_sarah , published by @hoxtonminipress . 3. Travel lover - Cornwall or Provence guide books by @weekendjournals ( it’s an amazing curation and photos are gorgeous) 4. For Hipsters - Book on East London or Vegan London by @hoxtonminipress 5. Scent lovers - The Colonia fragrance by @acquadiparma_official or the Jaipur Jewel candle by @matthewwilliamson 6. Gin lover - @pinkstergin ( delicious raspberry infused gin) 7. Personalised plates or mugs by @emma_bridgewater
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When you buy from a small business, it’s usually just one person creating your order, packing it up (usually wrapped in tissue with a little sticker attached because we do love the detail!), envelopes are handwritten and then hand delivered to the local post office. That same person is also in charge of marketing, purchasing, PR, branding, social media.... Every decision made is made by that same person and it can be hard not having colleagues to bounce ideas off. There are no annual appraisals with the boss so the only way you know you’re doing a good job is when the customers come and thankfully, keep coming back. If you can, support that small business you love today. If you can’t buy from them, share their story, spread the word because every referral is so important. Have a lovely weekend #smallbizsat #shopsmall #shopsmallsaturday #smallbusinesssaturday
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I wasn’t sure you know. Things are crazy enough at this time of year but I thought it was a good opportunity to say thank you. You’re a loyal lot. You’ve stuck with me this year even when things haven’t quite gone my way and you keep coming back time after time and I couldn’t be more grateful. So yes, I’m doing Black Friday. There is a 15% discount across all products in my shop. Simply add BLACKFRIDAY15 at checkout. 24 hours only. Thank you xx #blackfriday #shopsmall #shopindependent #smallbusiness #smallbiz #littleflorence #familyillustration #customillustration #illustrationgram #everyonesdifferent
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Shop independent, shop small. If you can. #shopindependent #shopsmall #littleflorence #customillustration #familyillustration #personalisedportrait #everyonesdifferent #smallbusiness #smallbiz
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Black Friday - in or out? I can’t decide. Watch this space
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It’s Monday!!!! Or as my son would say, 9 more days until we get a dog 🐶..... Our family portrait is going to need an update!!!!
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Socks... Alcohol... Golf accessories... Toffee..... Just some of the presents my kids have bought their grandad in recent years. Goodness knows how many left handed golf gloves the man must have now!!! A personalised portrait surrounded by his favourite things created by his grandchildren would make a nice change right? #christmasgiftideas #whattobuygrandad #littleflorence #customillustration #familyillustration #illustrationgram #personalisedportrait #everyonesdifferent
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I was browsing through my catalogue of family portraits, pulling together a few earlier prints to show you where I could guarantee they wouldn’t be gifted at Christmas and I came across this gem from the Summer. I just love it so much. The joy and happiness from your wedding day but also surrounded by the realities of life. I seem to remember this was a present so i hope the family love it as much as I do #everyonesdifferent
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I’ve been a little bit quiet over here as the Christmas orders have started coming in and typically (it happens every November) two out of three children have been poorly this week. Anyone else struggling with winter bugs? Anyway, the best way to deal with it is just to get my head down and crack on and say a big thank you for all your orders. If you have any questions, requests please get in touch
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Happy Friday and just a quick note to say that today is the LAST DAY TO ORDER YOUR CUSTOM ILLUSTRATIONS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Any orders received after today will be added to a waiting list which will be tackled if time allows but will not be guaranteed for a Christmas delivery. I will keep taking orders for the diy prints up until mid December as well as gift vouchers. Enjoy your day!!! Photo: @ajburrowsphotography
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It’s the weekend, already? How did that happen?? Not complaining though - got to love that Friday feeling
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Happy Monday everyone. Back to school today after half term with a to do list as long as your arm. Best get cracking x
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Got a gym junkie in your life? Perfect gift for the fitness fanatic (apart from/as well as Sweaty Betty Zero Gravity leggings - they are amazing, just saying 😂😂). Also, I’m going to be reducing the leadtimes on my bespoke family prints to 4-6 weeks today so there is still time to order for Christmas delivery (just), so don’t delay in getting your orders in.
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Throwing it back to warmer days when festivals were in full force and a summer holiday was just around the corner. Now it’s all about slippers and central heating ❄️☀️
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Half term here for us so there’ll be quite a bit of work/life juggling going on and squeezing hours of work into the day when I can. Just a reminder that there are only a few days left now to enjoy 15% off all personalised family Christmas cards (offer runs out on Thursday). Remember promo code OCTOBER at check out. Link to my shop in bio. Have a great week
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Today will involve looking round a secondary school with my 10 year old, running jobs in town, a swimming lesson for Florence, football training for the 12 year and in between all that trying to fit a full days work in!! Family life is busy right? As the kids grow up, my very own Little Florence family portrait seems to get busier and busier. I will get round to updating it one day - when I can find the time 😂😂 . . EDIT: I’ve just been told that it’s not football training for the 12 year old, that’s tomorrow, it’s actually goalie training for the 10 year old!!!! Send help, or a really organised PA!!!!
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Happy Monday everyone and a happy birthday to you, Dad! I hope you like your present - it’s so difficult knowing what to get you. You always say you don’t want anything and when I ask Mum, she always says “just get him some Thornton’s toffee”, like last year and the year before!! I went a bit rogue this year and bought you a crossword puzzle book as well. You’re welcome 😂😂. If you’re looking for an alternative gift to the usual for Dad or Grandad, consider a Little Florence print. Thoughtful and personal and not a pair of socks in sight! Love you Dad xx
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Last day to enter the Little Florence personalised Christmas Cards competition Don’t worry if you’re not a winner though, there is still 15% off all personalised cards until the end of the month (we can all be winners, right?😉) Do you remember I mentioned my plans for an online ordering tool to generate your own portraits? Hoping for good news later today regarding a demo site. I’m nervous and excited in equal measures. All being well, I’ll share some details with you over the next few days 🤞🏻
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Happy Wednesday!!!
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🌟COMPETITION CLOSED 🌟 Last weeks competition proved so popular I’ve decided to have another, but this time the prize is a pack of 25 Little Florence personalised family Christmas cards (still too early for some I know 😂). To be in with a chance of winning, simply like this post, follow Little Florence and tag as many friends as you like in the comments (every comment will count a separate competition entry). Winner will be announced on Friday morning. Swipe across to see the available personalisation options. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Instagram. #littleflorence #personalisedchristmascards #familychristmascards #competitiontime #inittowinit
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Woo hoo the weekend is almost here. Mine will mostly involve football (standard), a trampoline party and maybe a Malaysian food market. Oh, and my favourite thing - a lie in.
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Little Florence personalised Christmas Cards. Have fun creating your own unique cards - choose a background, customise each person with hair styles and hair colours, why not add a beard and some glasses? Then top it off with a festive jumper of course. Enjoy an early bird 15% discount on all personalised cards throughout the month of October. Simply add OCTOBER at checkout. Link in bio.
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Thanks for all those that have entered the Little Florence competition which opened yesterday (finishes Friday). Its fantastic that so many of you have got involved. I will be spending today working through my Christmas card orders (15% off throughout October). Just wondering, should I do a competition to win some of those too??
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🌟COMPETITION CLOSED🌟 As promised, here’s your chance to win TWO Little Florence DIY family portraits - one for you and one for you to gift to a friend. All you have to do is follow Little Florence, like this post and tag any friends who you think would also love to own a family print. Every individual tag/comment will be a separate entry into the competition, so the more friends you tag, the greater your chance of winning. The competition will end at midnight on Friday 11th October and the winner will be announced on Monday the 14th October. I have a separate competition running over on Facebook so head on over there to increase your chances of winning. Good luck x This competition is in no way affiliated with Instagram. * All the above images have been created using the Little Florence DIY tool *
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Thank you for all the orders for the DIY family portraits. I didn’t make too much noise about it’s launch the week before last. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what you would think, would it be too much of a faff selecting all your personalisation details? Turns out it wasn’t and like me, you thought this was the fun bit and now I’m wondering why I didn’t launch it 6 months ago 🙄. For this reason I’m thinking of running a little giveaway - more details tomorrow. Happy Monday everyone x
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Create your own personalised Little Florence family Christmas Cards. Follow the link in my bio to place an order and don’t forget to add code OCTOBER at checkout for a 15% early bird offer running throughout the month of October. You will get to see a digital proof of artwork before it goes to print and all orders will be posted during the first two weeks of November. I was going to add some nice jingly Christmas music to the slideshow but I thought it was too soon. Save that for next week 😉
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Thank you for all your lovely comments on the DIY family portraits which launched last week. The first lot will be going out in the post today and I have to say I’m so pleased with them - they’re all so different! The build your own portraits also look really effective when they’re based around just one person. These are great gifts for grandparents, teachers, sisters.....well anyone really. Swipe across for a few examples
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It’s the 1st of October which means the personalised Christmas Cards are now live in the shop (link in bio). For those who may have missed a previous post (or maybe it was on stories), I will be offering a 15% early bird discount throughout the month of October on all personalised Christmas cards. Please add the promotional code OCTOBER to your order at checkout. All cards will be printed at the end of the month and dispatched during the first two weeks of November. Doing it this way allows me to pass on any discounts I receive by printing in bulk. Any questions, just let me know x
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Another one of my favourites. (They’re all my favourites actually. They’re all so different - I love them all, a bit like my children!!)
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Just in case you wondered why I started Little Florence and what drives me on..... Words by the very talented Louise @thepranceproject who has the fantastic ability to put my scrambled thoughts onto paper so eloquently. As a small business getting your message across and really showing the heart of your business is so important and I can’t recommend Louise enough if this too is something you struggle with. (and I do love an excuse to share a photo of Florence every now and again 😊)
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Thanks for all your lovely comments yesterday and for those of you who have favourited my shop or already placed orders. It looks like DIY is a go go. Let’s see how it goes x
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I have wanted for a long time to create a family portrait product which is available to everyone from both a price point and timescales. As all my illustrations are currently custom made, they’re not in everyone’s budget and I appreciate not everyone can wait 6-8 weeks for the gift which they would really love to give to their husband next week. You may have noticed that I’ve hinted over the past few months that a website is currently in development where the customer will be able to create their own portrait online using my artwork. It is coming, but as with all good things it is taking longer than expected to produce and I’m having to be patient. This is not easy as I want to tell everyone about it and get excited because it could potentially be amazing. So anyway, in the meantime I have created a new listing in my shop where you can choose your bodies, choose your hairstyle, clothes, hobbies etc - swipe across to see the options - and I will create the artwork based on your selection. These will be available with a weeks turnaround and at a lower price. Follow the link in my bio to my shop and it will be marked as a DIY product to differentiate it from the custom made prints. hope that makes sense. Let me know what you think x
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Thanks for all your feedback on the Little Florence Christmas cards yesterday.. If you missed my stories, I will be launching a selection of personalised family Christmas cards next month. All orders received in October will receive a 15% discount and printing and postage will be held back until the first week in November. That was the general gist anyway - maybe I didn’t have to do stories after all 😂😂😂. I’m just waiting for samples to come back from the printers and then I’ll share with you the actual product but if you want a sneak peak, the artwork is still up on my stories. Have a great Tuesday x
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Monday? Already?
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Thursday, favourite day of the week as l get to take Florence horse riding before school and watch her have the best time while sitting in the sun drinking tea for half an hour. Might pop on stories later to talk about Christmas cards - wish me luck 😉 #itsthelittlethings #rda #littleflorence #illustrationgram #everyonesdifferent #personalisedportrait #customillustration #familyillustration
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Not feeling the bounce this morning as I was up quite late into the night revamping the Little Florence Christmas card designs. These have proved very popular in the past but I have to admit they are quite time consuming. Trying to add a little organisation to the process so hopefully things will run smoother this year. Would anyone be interested in modern day personalised family Christmas card? But first tea!!!!
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A totally free day to focus on work today until 3.15 that is, when I get to watch Florence st her first street dance group. Hoping to pick up a few moves 😉
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Just spent a lovely few days in Barcelona. Although I think myself and the sunshine must have crossed paths halfway over France as the weather wasn’t great. Never mind, I didn’t want to use the hotels rooftop pool anyway 😉. It was a lovely way to hang on to the summer holiday vibe for that bit longer but that’s it now, no more holidays on the horizon for me, so better get cracking with that order pipeline. Have a great Monday x
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Well I have to say I’m very impressed (and slightly terrified) with the orders I’m starting to see come through for Christmas (said in a whisper as I know not everyone is ready to start talking all things festive just yet - it is still September after all). But actually thank you very much - October and November do get pretty crazy - I had to close my books at the end of October last year so it’s really helping to spread my work load. Don’t hold back! #littleflorence #illustrationgram #customillustration #personalisedportrait #everyonesdifferent #familyillustration #smallbiz #itsafamilything #personalisedprint #itsinthedetail
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It’s Monday morning and the kids have just been hit by the realisation that they do in fact have to go to school again!!! Going to spend the next hour being super enthusiastic in the hope it will rub off on them!! Anyone else?? #mondaymorning @backtoschool #familyillustration #everyonesdifferent #customillustration #personalisedportrait #illustrationgram #littleflorence
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I love.this family portrait as it pretty much sums up my experience of raising boys so far - a lot of football, a smidge of hair gel and a bottle of gin (for me not the boys)!!! Actually, I think I would also need to include an Xbox controller (just the one otherwise there’d be nothing to argue over!) and maybe a pile of dirty washing 😂😂. How about yours??? #littleflorence #illustrationgram #familyillustration #everyonesdifferent #raisingboys #footballmad #xboxcontroller
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So this is my 3. Uniforms ironed and labelled (albeit with a sharpie!), shoes polished and smart number 2 haircuts for the boys. Not sure how long this level of organisation will last though. If it’s anything like last year, not long. It took less than half an hour before I realised I’d sent the eldest off to his new secondary school in the wrong uniform!!! I only realised whilst scrolling through all the ‘back to school’ photos on Facebook and couldn’t understand why no one else was wearing grey trousers!!!! 😩😩😩. So on that basis, if I make it through to the end of the day, I’m winning 😊 #nottheendoftheworld #wecanlaughaboutitnow #thewrongtrousers #itsonlytrousers Swipe left for proof that getting that perfect photo is never easy!!!
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One of the things I love about creating the family portraits is getting to know the families (all be it virtually!). Their likes/dislikes, celebrations, birthdays, achievements. Spot the Emmy on the left of this pic. AN EMMY!!!! I mean, no biggie right!!!!!!
