Unfortunately, I cannot tell you how to create the perfect Christmas flat lay because quite frankly, I don’t even know myself haha but I can guide you and share a few tips that I find useful myself. Getting that ‘spot on’ flat lay for Christmas can be a right task and sometimes you just don’t know where to start. Below are some of the props that I have bought for my Christmassy images and which I think are worth investing in if you want to create the perfect festive feel for your feed!
- The Peg Board
These are great for any flat lay. For Blogmas I will be using mine to put Christmassy quotes on there and also a countdown to Christmas. So whether you put it on the floor for the picture or you are doing a desk shot, one of these is definitely worth investing in. I bought mine from Primark and it was only £6!! If you haven’t got a Primark near you then you can always order it online. I’ve linked a few below.
-Copper or Silver boarder A4 Peg Board, eBay, £12.95 HERE
-Square White Frame Peg Board, eBay,£9.30 HERE
-Wooden Frame Square Peg Board, Amazon, £12.95 HERE
- Wooden Log Centre Piece
I recently purchased mine from Amazon. It was the cheapest one that I could find and the only one that would arrive before Christmas haha. I originally bought mine to display my festive baking on but I’ve also been using it to put products on for flat lays to create a layer. I probably could’ve done with a slightly bigger one, but as soon as you want the bigger size, the prices start hitting £20.
-Wooden Log centre piece that I bought, Medium Size, Amazon, £6.99 HERE
-Wooden Log centre piece, Larger Size, Amazon, £10.79 HERE
- Cinnamon Sticks
These are a great little decoration to top hot chocolates or to fill in the blank spaces for a flat lay. I bought mine from The Range. I can imagine that any craft shop would also sell them.
-Cinnamon Sticks, eBay, From £1.70 HERE
- A Gold Tray
H&M Home is a godsend when it comes to this sort of stuff. Everything in that shop is just the perfect instagrammable / blogging prop. Their stuff can be a little pricey but you are paying for nice quality. My gold tray cost me £8 and I’ve been a little careless with it and it is now covered in scratches so do show it some love if you buy one haha. Again, perfect for any flat lay at any time of the year. Here are some dupes I found online for a reasonable price.
-Long Oval Gold Tray, Amazon, £7.99 HERE
-Rectangle Gold Tray, Amazon, £11.99 HERE
- Candy Canes
I bought mine from Home Bargains, but I imagine you can get them pretty cheap anywhere considering we’ve hit December now. They are the perfect little prop to for hot chocolates or to have in the background. Cheap but very Christmassy!
- Pine Cones
I actually borrowed my pine cones from my Nan’s Pot Poirri, but if you go for a nice country walk you might be able to find some haha. Or of course, buy some online!
-Snow Covered Pine Cones 9 pack, The Works, £2 HERE
- Christmas mug
You can’t have a Christmas picture without a hot chocolate in it! I went all out and used whipped cream, marshmallows and a flake to top it off! You can use mason jars which look quite rustic or even a proper christmas mug to create the full effect. If you haven’t already got any at home then majority of supermarkets will have them, especially places like The Range and Home Bargains. Having your drink in a Christmas mug can be great space filler for pictures!
- Tinsel or a festive garland
Tinsel isn’t everyones cup of tea but you have to admit, as soon as you see tinsel you know it’s to do with Christmas. You can literally buy it anywhere. It’s super cheap too! It’s great for hanging on the wall or even being a space filler for flat lays!
!! Check all crafty shops have they will always have a cheap selection for small Christmas props! !!
Tips For Taking a Flat Lay Picture:
- Take your time. You can either nail a flat lay in 5 minutes where everything is perfect or you’ll spend about half an hour trying to take one. If you aren’t happy with it, then look at the image and see what you can change, eg. add new items or change angles.
- Natural lighting. You want to be taking your pictures the brightest time of the day because that way your image will be clear and have good lighting. If you are really struggling with lighting, then buy a studio light to help lighten everything up. I have one and honestly it was the best birthday present Eli bought me haha!
- Use a light simple background. Using a basic background gives you an easier opportunity to build the layers up to create texture. (E.g Use white carpet as your base, and then you could add either wrapping paper or an open book as your second layer, and then place your items on top). Also by using a lighter background, it makes the items stand out more.
- Explore all angles. Try doing birds eye view, and then maybe try one slightly lower to the side. Whenever I do a flat lay I always take it from about 5 different angles so I can then scroll through them and choose the best one. Also try getting closer to the items. Sometimes the best ones are when not every item is in shot.
- Find your style. Do you like the clean tidy flat lays, where everything is neatly lined up or do you prefer the messy ones with items all over the place to make the image look fuller?
- Add that pop of colour. It’s all fair and well saying you need a colour palette but I think it’s more important to choose what colour you want to stand out the most. If your flat lay is very monochrome, then add a few items with a bit of colour to bring the image to life.
- Start off with the item you want to focus on. Then build around that.
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