I’ve mailed out MOST of our Christmas cards, and I always like to share with my blog readers after I’ve done so. This is the creation I made this year. I really enjoy the whole process: taking the pictures, designing a card, stuffing, and most importantly slipping the cards into the mail box to send to the people I love! My dear friend Heather from Heather Walker Photography came into our home in October and took the pictures on the front and back of our folded card. I LOVE them so much, and I plan to print the front image on canvas. It’s our family cuddle time, and I feel it shares our love for each other perfectly.
I decided on a folded card, and on the inside, I did a big collage of fun pictures from the year:
To see more of the above images, click on: Utah\Alaska\East Coast\Kids Triathlon\Bluebonnets\Girls in blue
Above images: Halloween\more East Coast\more Alaska (I still have plans to share about the sunglasses pic)
In the images above, Heather photographed us playing with balloons and making crepes. My husband is a professional crepe maker. At least pro to us! He learned how to make them when he lived in France as a missionary, and we get them nearly every weekend. It’s fun to have documented a fun family tradition. This is the type of photography I’d like to move towards, family memories in the home.
Here is our card printed:
I’ve decided since I share so much on the blog, I want to keep the names of my family private. So I edited it, here is a snippet of our family letter:
See our past family pictures:
2011 card and letter
2010 card
2010 pictures in the snow
2009 card & photo shoot bloopers
2008 Card, pictures, and letter
2007 ???
2006 Santa card
I’ve got my parents AND grandparents in town for Christmas this year, it is enjoyable to hear the stories from my grandparents who are 88, telling my kids they didn’t have electricity or running water in their homes as children.
I’ve successfully delivered 104 bags of treats/gifts to school & church teachers, piano, scout, dance, friends, neighbors, seminary students, youth girls, and those that have touched our families’ life in the past year. I made about 10 batches of my favorite Christmas Crunch, and also packaged some paper plates as a gift as well.
{I saw the plate idea HERE and modified it by adding silverware, and more to the poem.}
Merry Christmas, everyone!!! I’ve gotten a bunch of cards from you, and I simply LOVE it, thank you! If you still want to send me a card, I’d love it! Get my address HERE.
I’ve got some fun family activities planned in the next week, so you might not see a new post, but follow those links above for some fun light reading in the meantime!
Kristen Duke
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Loved your card, love your family! Love the gift for friends (pinned it!)
I shoulda mailed you a gift of paper plates;) I know you love ‘em!
I love your card! The colors are so wonderful, and that is so incredible that you were able to get so many different pictures on there. It is really fun to look at. It’s perfect for a photographer like yourself to have a card with so many pictures. Haha, I just went back and read your list and that is funny about “Christmas card picture overwhelm-er”. I think it’s great. (And you look fabulous in the photo shoot at your house – so skinny!)
I am so amazed that you did 104 treat bags. How in the world? I have four kids too, just a little younger than all yours, and I’m barely making it with just their gifts and teacher and family gifts. Maybe I’ll do New Year’s treats for neighbors and everyone else at church, etc.
Thanks for all your inspiration. I have pared down what blogs I read to save time, but I still really enjoy reading yours. Sorry I don’t comment more often (and I’m sure many others feel the same way) but it’s only because of time issues. Have a very Merry Christmas!
Hi Jenny! I totally understand the time issues, and I SO appreciate hearing from you and others whenever…every once in a while is great! I love to hear your thoughts, thank you so much on the sweet compliments, and really, I didn’t even know how many gifts I made til I counted at the end. Ummm, yeah…a little crazy, but my treats are SUPER easy and quick to make, that’s why I make them!!! And after I made my card, I worried I’d overwhelm people, so I had to own up to it! You know, there are people out there who get cards sometimes who make fun of them, so I thought I’d beat ‘em to the punch! Merry Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!
Such a beautiful card! I love all the “in the moment’ photos!
thank you, Cari! Candid shots are my fave;)
i just went through all of your cards and they’re all awesome. i especially love the cuddle pic on this year’s card. merry christmas!!!!!!!
oh good! Glad to hear that someone checked out those other links!!!
Merry Christmas, Kristen. Was that first shot taken from the second floor looking down? It has great perspective!
PS. My mother the grammarian gives you a gold star for using fewer rather than less. Apparently it’s fewer in number and less in quantity such as fewer number of dishes and less mess. I still have so much to learn!
oh, my grammar can be SO horrible, so I’m glad I got a gold star this time!!! For the family pic, we were laying on a bed, and my photog friend was standing above us (also on the bed) with a wide lens. Great perspective, glad you like it!
Cute!
It’s such a darling card! I totally want to copy it for next year! But you guys are cuter than we are so I don’t think it would compare.
Your cards came out adorable and I loved checking our your previous year cards too. Last years at the Christmas Tree place was perfect too!