Our Christmas Cards with Minted

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is sending out our Christmas cards. Last year we went with a photo with just kiddos that we adored, but this year I knew I wanted a family photo, which is much easier said than done with two small ones. While on vacation we decided to take a chance and see what we could come up with. Thankfully it went off without a hitch and we managed to capture quite a few winners.

A few tips on capturing a great family photo...

1) Dress in what you are comfortable in. You can wear complementing outfits without being too matchy matchy.
2) Keep it simple...especially when using a self timer like we did for the first image. If you try too hard it will show, and not necessarily in a good way.
3) Be yourself. Again this goes back to dressing in what you would normally wear and stay away from too many trends unless that is who you really are. People want to see the real you.
4) Have fun!!! So many people put too much pressure on having to get that perfect shot, but in the long run you will see the stress of it all on your faces. The in between moments are always our favorites anyways.
5) Using a self timer can be hard even for a photographer like my Mr. so asking a friend to help can be a life saver. It also gave us the chance to do something that comes completely natural to us...walking as a family.

Then comes the choosing of the card. We being the creative types like to be a bit different and try to choose something that not only represents our family, but our photography as well. Once we saw Minted we knew they would be the best choice for us. The quality is superb with thick paper and the designs are fresh and so very unique. We liked them so much we choose two different designs this and this one. Really it was too hard to choose just one...so we didn't!

Now to get addressing so I can have them ready to send out the week after Thanksgiving. Yes, I like to be on top of things.

A Charmer

Another local real estate beauty going for $529,900. The choices of fabric, art, antiques, and style all lend itself to such great design. The bedrooms may be my favorite part. Each one puts such a smile to my face. The built-ins are fantastic and a seagrass rug is always perfection in my opinion. I even love the slipcovers on the outdoor chairs. This also makes me think this home was decorated by a pro, no detail over looked.

*as always if you interested in this home email me I will get you in touch with the listing agent.

Harvest to Holiday- The Event

Yesterday I attended the Harvest to Holiday event at the French Market. I had the most wonderful time and met so many inspiring women. Of course I took photos and wish I could have shared them all, but I know better than to do that. The first photo is an arrangement that would be so easy to recreate. A gorgeous basket of some sorts and all your favorite herbs is all it would take. I could see this sitting in my dining area right by our big window. Hope to see you over on Mrs. French to see more from this most fabulous event!

A Full Nest

This is a cookbook...


That was made for this family...

Why? You may be wondering, well it is to raise funds for an upcoming adoption that they have underway. They are adopting two little ones from Uganda, Africa and all proceeds will help to bring them home. This family is one of my favorites. Jeremy has been a great friend since college and when Lauren came into the picture, well we made fast best friends. Our children are growing up together and I can't wait to see them add two more. I know my Ellie and KJ are excited to have more friends to play with. I can imagine all the happy messes now.

So if you would like to know more and possibly purchase a cookbook that we all had a hand in, be sure to go here. I even shared my pizza recipe that tastes remarkably close to my favorite one that I shared about here. I have already started using it and I can attest that it is filled with good eats. Plus it will make great Christmas presents. It will be kind of like you are giving two gifts in one!

Design Love

{image via lonny}

Today I am sharing my love of new & old on my other blog Mrs. French. Hope to see you there!