My memories of my mum from my childhood are of her always being very hands on. Whether it was arts & crafts, baking, reading or even putting on make up with me, my mum was patient, thoughtful and creative.
Although I don’t remember a lot from when I was a child, the tiny snippets I do remember are what inspires me now I’m a mother.
Having a very creative mum meant we would spend hours on different projects. One of my fondest memories is making a 3D rainforest when I was about 6 years old. My mum cut out a cardboard box so it only had the back, sides and base. We then painted lots of tropical plants and trees to go inside. We added a poisonous frog, a snake, a swinging monkey. The whole thing was just magical. (It helps that my mum is really good at drawing and painting so everything looked incredibly realistic).
I was so proud of what we had made I took it into school to show my friends. My teacher loved it and decided it would be a great project for the whole class to do. So we all paired up and everyone made one for themselves. I was suddenly the coolest kid in the class. Or at least I felt like it!
Using only, a cardboard box, some paint and glue, and a whole lot of love, we not only created an amazing piece of art, but more importantly, we made memories. Memories that I still treasure today.
Fast forward to my life as a mum and it’s memories like these that have moulded me into a very sentimental parent. Every little thing that my children create or make is so special to me and I find myself sticking everything on the art wall.
(Well, except random cuttings that Lamb brings home from school. I appreciate he’s learning to use scissors, but a scrap of cereal box just isn’t going to ‘cut it’ for the display!)
When Lamb brings home a picture from school, the look on his face when he gives it to me is just priceless. He’s so proud of his artwork, and you know he’s tried his best to create something truly special. Something made with love. Even if to us, it’s just a scribble, to him it tells a story. He knows exactly what each line represents, what each colour is for. It’s his little creation.
It seems I’m not as natural at the creative side of parenting like my mum was. Which is surprising considering my background. But, I do my best to use art as a tool to teach my boys to be expressive and free. To encourage them to make marks on a page however they feel necessary. There’s no right or wrong, they can do as much or as little as they want.
My little Bear Cub hasn’t shown much interest in colouring until very recently. He’s a little wild compared to his big brother, but I’ve decided to allow him to explore art at his own pace. He much prefers felt tip pens as they create more mess (and much quicker) than a crayon or pencil. Much more suited to my ‘spirited baby’.
At 17 months, he doesn’t have one piece of artwork on the wall. So any little scribble he does has suddenly become something I want to hold onto!
Pampers recently got in touch and asked me to create this piece of writing in collaboration with their ‘Made with Love’ campaign. After reading about how their nappies are so carefully made, here in the UK, I was instantly drawn to my love of my children’s artwork; how I treasure their creations because they are made with love.
As a parent, I want to ensure that the products I use with my children are not only safe but comfortable. We’ve never had any issues with Pampers and I’ve always found them to be soft on their skin. As over 80% of the production team at Pampers are parents themselves, I can imagine a lot of love and care are put into each Pampers nappy. You can certainly see that from this video.
As a customer of Pampers I was completely unaware of the rigorous testing they have in place to ensure their product is of the highest quality and the safest for newborn skin. Did you know that Pampers are the only nappies to be recommended by the British Skin Foundation?
What’s even more impressive from what I’ve learned about the brand, is that each day over 1500 nappies are checked using 130 test methods and 24,000 measurements, by hand in the UK. As a designer who works with production and measurements for my own brand, I can’t quite believe each nappy goes through such a thorough checking procedure! It’s quite phenomenal actually.
Whether it’s one pair of hands scribbling on some paper, or the 28 pairs of hands that make a single Pampers nappy, we know they’re both made with love.
#Pampers #MadeWithLove
* This post is in collaboration with Pampers and P&G but all thoughts my own.
Alex says
Love that your mum was so creative! In my house it was my dad who did all the crazy crafts and school projects – he even sewed bespoke dresses up for my barbies and dolls! I love getting arty with Lily – it’s one thing we really love to do together.
Angela Milnes says
Such a beautiful post and I love this idea. It’s nice for being a creative.
Fashion and Style Police says
My kids are so proud of their artwork too. I keep everyone of them.
Nadia says
I love that your mum was so creative and did all those things with you. I’m sure your boys will love you for everything you do, too. We love Pampers here and have used them since birth, still do.
Jenni says
I have to admit, I secretly threw out some of the creations that had piled up over six years, when we moved house. I do keep the really special ones though.
Emma - Life According to MrsShilts says
I never realised that Pampers went under so many rigorous testing, but it’s good to know I’ll be buying Pampers again for baby boy (due in January) x
Claire @ The ladybirds' adventures says
I can relate to this. I’m a sentimental person too and I like to be a creative hands on mum too.
Jenna Parrington says
Ahh this is such a lovely post and I’m the same, I get so sentimental about SO MANY different things. I’m a hoarder when it comes to my two kids! PS: Love Pampers!
Ger ( It's Me & Ethan ) says
Aww this is beautiful! What a lovely idea . No doubt your son had plenty of fun making them too ! Beautiful memories x
Jayne @ Sticky Mud and Belly Laughs says
What a lovely post! And one to look back on. I’m very sentimental and love to keep my boys pictures and makes. I don’t know how much more artwork the fridge will hold though 🙂 x
Ami says
Oh I love this what a beautifully written post and your pictures are so stunning xx
lambandbear says
Thank you so much hunny 🙂 xxx
anna says
That’s so true, I especially love the cards they make for mothers day and other occasions – they’re always soo proud to hand them over because they’ve made them with so much love <3
Amber says
Oh, Alex,. this is beautiful! I bet your mum will feel so proud when she reads this. You are such a super mum and it looks as though your little boy takes after his mama in the creativity department already! Stunning pics, too.
Sarah Howe says
Love the images hun 🙂 those creations are just so precious and just amazing memories to keep 🙂 xx