Family Holiday Card Ideas, 2014 #ShutterflyHoliday

This post brought to you by Shutterfly.// With the holidays here again (crazy how that happens, huh?), I'm doing everything I can to keep the chaos at a minimum so that my family can enjoy this season. Planning ahead is crucial, so I did some major browsing in Shutterfly's line of Perfectly Personal™ Holiday Cards. In one stop, I created and ordered a stylish set of Christmas cards, labels, stamps, stickers, and party invites!

This year's line of holiday cards offers more than 400 different designs to choose from. While that might seem a bit overwhelming, you can narrow your search for the perfect Christmas card by choosing from flat, folded, 3/4 fold, and tri-fold layouts. Shutterfly also has 4 card sizes and various options for trim and paper type, including scalloped edges, brackets, signature cardstock, and pearl shimmer cardstock.

I usually go with traditional designs, but after much debate, I decided to change things up this year and go with something more trendy. Chalkboards and chalk art are popular, so I went with the Very Merry Frames style and I'm so glad I did.

Vibrant colors, thick and sturdy paper, beautiful design. I'll be framing this card to display.

With the flat stationary cards, I love love loooove that you can play with the designs and layouts to personalize them a bit more. You can add extra photos, choose from various trim styles, edit your sentiments, vary your colors, and choose from signature cardstock or pearl shimmer cardstock. I was even able to create a longer, custom Christmas greeting for the back of our cards.

Did you know that you can also order an entire stationary suite through Shutterfly?

Not only did I order an adorable set of Christmas cards, but I also found coordinating address labels, stickers, holiday party invitations, and even personalized postage!

Don't feel like you need to hire a photographer and spend an arm and a leg on seasonal portraits. I loaded up my three little guys one afternoon and snapped some shots at a local historic home. They were dressed in their Christmas outfits, but you could easily go casual with cute boots, jeans, sweaters, and scarves!

Now that the photos are taken, the cards ordered and delivered, I feel a bit of that holiday stress melt right off of my shoulders. I can't wait to spend a chilly December evening sipping hot chocolate, watching a favorite Christmas movie, and preparing our cards to send out.

Shutterfly has long been one of my favorite brands to work with and order from. I always know I'll receive quality products in a timely manner, and they also run fantastic specials throughout the year!

Visit Shutterfly to choose a special holiday card design to share with your friends and loved ones this holiday season. It's not too early to start browsing, and their line of stylish, trendy, and classic cards will not disappoint.

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. And I always appreciate kind comments.



 Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Shutterfly, but all opinions are 100 percent my own.

Our Winter Photo Session {Newborn and Family Photos, Tips and Tricks}

One of my favorite baby shower gifts was a gift certificate for a newborn/family photo session with a local photographer from my in-laws. We hadn't had professional family photos done since Michaela Byrd was about 6 months old (so, 5 and a half years!), and adding a new baby to the family seemed like the perfect time to update our pictures. I thought I'd share some of the best shots today, along with some of my best tips and tricks for a successful family and/or newborn photo session.

Here are a few of my best tips for newborn and/or family photos:

1. Choose your outfits ahead of time.

Don't wait until the night before to decide what you and the fam will wear. Inevitably, that favorite sweater will need washing, or you can't find your daughter's boots. 

Go online for outfit inspiration. There are some great tutorials on blogs and photography sites for choosing color schemes, styles, etc. 

2. Classic or trendy?

I wanted something that would look current, but not too trendy. I planned to display our photos year round, so although our session was booked for December, after Harris' arrival, I wanted to go with a style, color scheme, and background that would look okay being out in our home in May.

I like pops of color (especially in my own wardrobe!), so we settled on gray and aqua. 

Grown-Ups:

I got so busy in those last few days of pregnancy that I had to shop for myself online, but I found a plain gray cardigan from Dress Barn (of all places!) that I knew I would wear again, and Old Navy had some great men's sweaters for a bargain. I already had a lace cami and found a button up on T's side of the closet that would work with his sweater. As much as I love my bubble necklace, I knew wearing the matching dangle earrings would be too much, so I settled on plain gold studs and a gold bracelet to go with the necklace.

Kids:

The girls' aqua sweater dresses are from Gymboree, and I ordered the gray ruffle leggings online from Best Dressed Tot. I had the hardest time finding ruffle leggings to fit an 8 year old. She is very thin, but has long legs, so when I found them online, I ordered them right away. I also had a tough time finding something "dressier" in gray for the baby. When I came across a simple gray and white striped pants and button-up top set in Target's baby section, I bought it. 

3. Arrive on time (or a few minutes early).

Being a newborn, I had no idea what kind of a schedule Harris would be on, so we just planned a 1 pm session with our photographer and arrived a couple of minutes early. This gave us time to change the baby, brush hair, reapply lipgloss, etc.

4. Extras

Don't forget extra bottles/pumped milk/formula, diapers, an extra outfit for baby, a brush/comb, make-up for touch-ups, and some books or small toys for the older kids. The girls had a lot of down-time while Harris was being photographed. I was lucky that there was a TV for them to watch. Next time, I'll know to bring some things to keep them occupied.

5. Know what you want.

The photographer gave us a questionnaire to fill out ahead of time to know what sort of photos we wanted (posed, outdoor, casual, candid, etc). We had hoped to do a couple of outdoor shots, but it was frigid and raining, so we stayed inside. I knew I wanted a laid-back look to the pics, so we opted to go barefoot. I didn't want anything too formal looking, and I decided to let our photographer have fun with the baby pics. I'm so glad I did, because we got some great ones!

6. Let the photographer do his/her job.

Yes, you should make your wants known, and have a reasonable idea of some fun poses, etc. But I also think it's important to remember that the photographer is an experienced (hopefully) artist. I hated the thought of squelching that creativity, so after telling her the general idea of what I was looking for, I let her take the lead.

7. Don't stress out.
Babies poop. Babies scream. Kids don't always cooperate. Michaela Byrd kept tilting her head at a weird angle. One of the best pics of the rest of us is hiding her pretty face because she was moving her head around. You can't stress stuff too much. A good photographer will go with the flow and let you take a break to feed the baby or have a "settle down" meeting with your kids.

If you've never had a newborn session before, it's really fun to watch. Our photographer had a big "pouf" set up with lots of padding and warm blankets. She used that to pose the baby. Nearby, a heat fan blew very warm air directly on Harris to keep him nice and toasty. He was perfectly warm and cozy in just his Pampers! She also had an amazing iPhone app that played white noise. This kept him nice and sleepy...perfect for posing. Between that and a full belly, we had no fussing or screaming. He was a great model.

Here are some of my faves (I have them watermarked with my blog name so they won't be credited to the wrong photographer):

We had such a great experience, and will absolutely be doing this again. If you're in the DC/Richmond area and are interested, you can message my page on Facebook and I would be happy to give you the information for the photographer we used. I did a lot of research, and her prices were flat-out, jaw-droppingly amazing for someone who does such great work. I highly recommend her!

Next time, I'm hoping for some fun outdoor shots in warmer weather!

What are your best tips for family photos? Your favorite spot to be photographed?

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. And I always appreciate kind comments.

Why You Should Have a Lens Protector for Your DSLR Camera

This is a true story of fear, loss, and recovery. (no, seriously, it is) I hope that after reading today's post, all you DSLR camera owners will rush out and purchase your own lens protector. This post is not sponsored in any way, just consider it your PSA for today!

Let me set the stage for our story:

We are now the proud owners of a six month old German Shepherd puppy who entertains grand delusions that she is some sort of visiting German dignitary in our home. 

What Ellie wants, Ellie helps herself to. 

Michaela Byrd's sandwich, ja. Paper from my purse, ja. T's tie? Ja. 

She especially enjoys carrying small, soft things around. Remember this. It is important later on in the story.

I decided to sleep in a couple of weeks ago. 

That was my first mistake.

Natalie, who enjoys waking at the crack of dawn as much as I love mochas, let the dogs out for me and fed them. It wasn't long before I heard a thud, a crack, and an "Oooooooooh nooooo!"

I had an inkling that this wasn't going to be good news. 

Natalie came upstairs carrying my Nikon. Upon first glance, I was certain that my lens had shattered and we'd be out a bunch of dollars for me to replace it. I was all set to pitch a nice, big hissy fit when I looked closer and saw that it wasn't my expensive Nikon lens that had broken.

It was my Rocketfish lens protector and uv filter. 

Sure, the lens protector was busted, but that's only around $20 to replace. I have never been more grateful to have listened to T and put it on my lens! (It sat in my camera bag for awhile before I finally attached it)

I guess Ellie saw my Nikon sitting out on the counter and either decided to take some still shots, or the pretty lush, soft fabric of the camera strap was too much to resist. My guess is she went for the softy fabric. Again, she likes soft things. I caught her trying to make a grab for some gauze on the kitchen table as I wrote this post last night. In front of me. With her surgery cone of shame on.

So it should be no surprise to me that she would attempt to grab something off the counter when I wasn't around. It was a very good lesson to me as a pet owner and mother of small children to keep my camera in the camera bag when it is not in use.

And I hope, dear reader, that this story was a lesson to you to protect your lens! I can't promise that yours will be shatter-free, but I do know they protect from scratches, dirt, and dust. There are plenty of good brands out there. After being saved once by Rocketfish, I will probably purchase from them again.

Have you ever had a run-in with your camera lens? 

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. And I always appreciate kind comments.

My New Favorite Camera Bag

When I find something I reeeaaally love, I try to share it with you guys. I got a new camera bag not too long ago, and just had to show it off because I've had a lot of compliments on it. This post is not sponsored in any way...just a shout-out for a cool product I fell in love with. I snapped a few quick iPhone shots on the deck last night (couldn't find the old point and shoot). Here's my new camera bag! Don't you love the pattern?

As you can see, it's actually a back pack, which I love because I can take it on field trips, outings to the park, etc. and not worry about it getting banged up the way I do with my JoTotes bag. 

It comes with an insert of padded dividers for keeping your camera and equipment organized. They are completely removable, turning the bag into a real backpack. They are not as sturdy or thick as the padding in my JoTotes bag, but I can fit a lot more stuff in! I will probably add some padding around my Nikon just to be on the safe side. 

This is what I can fit in my bag so far:

1. Lens cleaner and camcorder TV hook-ups
2. Remote control shutter
3. Photography ebook from Kristen Duke
4. LCD wipes and extra lens cap
5. Extra camera battery, extra SD cards, mini tripod
6. Nikon
7. Zoom lens
8. Camcorder

Another cool feature is that the top of the backpack unzips and you can access items that way too. There's another zippered pouch there at the top where I keep the charger for our camcorder.

The bag also comes with a coordinating water bottle holder that's lined with that thermal stuff to keep your drink cool. I tested it with a large, half-frozen water bottle on the day of Natalie's field trip and it was a true life saver. Burning hot temps + out in the sun + ride on hot bus + pregnant mom = no fun. But my water stayed cold and kept me from passing out!

I'm not a huge fan of the one-shoulder design. It felt kind of awkward when I was toting it around. But I definitely love the idea of a backpack for my camera stuff!

I believe this bag, called an "Organizing Pack" on Thirty One's website, is available only as a hostess exclusive. Mine was a gift. But definitely worth hosting a party online or at home if you know a rep!!

How do you carry your camera equipment?

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. And I always appreciate kind comments!

Photography Tips Workshop: Girls' Night Out

Girls' Nights Out are something I look forward to once or twice a month. I love the standard dinner and a movie throw-back, but sometimes it's fun to come up with a new event idea. My sister-in-law (SuSu) and I co-hosted a moms' night out recently that was so cool, I just had to share the idea with you all today. Our Photography Workshop Night Out was a blast!

When I mentioned that it might be fun to have a photographer speak to our MOPS group, SuSu thought that her photographer friend might be willing to work with us. After some chatting, we decided that a Photography Workshop as a Moms' Night Out might work best for our group. Sarah from Kitt Creative opened her gorgeous "Olde Towne" loft studio up to some of the ladies from our MOPS group.

We plugged the event as a "Family Photo Tips and How-To Session" and Sarah promised to do a fun "photo booth" shoot for the moms who attended. Most events we do are potluck style, making it easier for SuSu and I to plan (and not spend a ton of money on food and drinks).

The studio itself is just gorgeous; beautifully styled, great windows, and very comfortable. I secretly pretended like I was in Monica and Rachel's apartment. Sarah and her husband did a great job of displaying their work without being all "Hi, we're photographers, LOOK AT OUR WORK!"

We used the long, rustic table for food and the moms mixed and mingled before we started up the photo booth!

Conversations were going so well that SuSu and I hated to tear the ladies away for the presentation, but it was getting late. Sarah offered some excellent suggestions for lighting and composition. She even used some iPhone shots to show that you can use a point and shoot or phone to get some cute photos if a DSLR isn't in your budget.

Judging by the amount of questions everyone had for Sarah and the fact that we sort of had to push people out the door so our poor photographer friend could get home to feed her baby, I'd say the night was a hit!

Getting out a few times a month to relax and talk with other women is so important. It helps me decompress enough to come home recharged and ready to take on my job as a mom.

Have you been on a Girls' Night lately? What's your favorite thing to do?

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Improve Your Photography Skills (Basic Photography eBook Giveaway!)

The holidays are coming, friends. If you want to figure out the basics to taking good pictures, and take your camera off of the Auto setting, then today's Photography Basics ebook Giveaway from Kristen Duke Photography is for you. Just imagine the photos of your family and the Christmas tree this year! You don't need to be a Canon or Nikon expert to test this book out...just someone who has the desire to take better pictures. Keep reading to learn more about the book and to enter to win your own copy of "Say NO to Auto".

I was in elementary school when I received my first camera. I used it to take pictures of my Barbies all dressed up for a Barbie-Ken wedding. I used it to snap shots on field trips and family vacations. As I grew older, my little camera was replaced by newer models. As digital photography and DSLR cameras became more popular, I was thrilled when T gave me a Nikon and some awesome accessories. 

Confession time. The manual settings on my camera scare me a little bit. There are a lot of numbers and letters. Numbers and letters together remind me of Algebra. And Algebra reminds me of math. I hate math. I've looked at tutorials, camera manuals, and online tips before and they make me nervous. 

When Kristen asked if I'd like to take a peek at "Say NO to Auto", I readily agreed. Kristen is a lifestyle blogger and photographer based in Austin, Texas. I've featured several of her amazing projects here at Serenity Now. Her site, Capturing Joy is filled with creative ideas. I just knew she'd be able to explain things to me!

Kristen explains basic photography terms in a way that I could understand. Reading through the ebook made me feel like two friends were sitting down for a chat. This book is definitely geared towards readers who want to understand the basics. 

The format is easy to read, well organized, and she includes photo examples. I love that she shares pictures of both Canon and Nikon DSLR models and their features. This was a huge bonus for me. I've seen lots of tutorials geared for one model or another, and when you are new to using your DSLR it's helpful to see something similar to your brand. Kristen's book is not at all intimidating!

Here's an example of 3 UNEDITED photos in my dining room taken in Auto mode with the flash on (eeew! dark and harsh), Auto mode with no flash (eh, better, but still dark), and in Manual mode. Clearly the one taken in Manual mode wins here:

You can purchase a hard copy or the ebook (and if you win the Giveaway, Kristen will refund you the purchase price!). The ebook comes in jpeg form, 17 pages. I was able to print them out on photo paper and create a small booklet to keep in my camera bag. I had the pages laminated to keep them from getting beat up in my camera bag. You can even upload them to your iPhone as images. How handy is that?!

I highly recommend "Say NO to Auto"; it would also make a fantastic Christmas gift for a loved one who wants to learn more about taking great photos!

Kristen is giving away a copy of "Say NO to Auto" to one Serenity Now reader!

--UPDATE: Giveaway now closed--

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter, and note that I do verify entries:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and may all of us enjoy better photos this holiday season!

What's in My Camera Bag? (Camera Accessories for Beginners)

I have some fantastic Camera Accessories for Beginners in my stash! My thoughtful husband raided the local camera store last month and gave me some really cool camera goodies for Christmas. I thought it would be fun to show you what I lug around in my camera bag. Those of you with birthdays or special events coming up might like to see this post in case you have camera accessories on your wish list! This is NOT a sponsored post in any way...I just wanted to share with you.

The alternate title to this post could, of course, be "Pimp My Camera." {wink} Anyone else remember seeing commercials for that Pimp My Ride show on MTV back in the day? They'd take someone's trashy car and turn it into a "luxury" vehicle with a fridge, stereo system, king size bed, hot tub, etc. I don't have a hot tub in my camera bag, but I do have some cool stuff:

Truthful statement #1: I don't carry all of this stuff with me all of the time. I keep my old Sony and my iPhone in my purse for those "oooo I gotta snap a pic of that" moments. But if we're heading somewhere that I know I'll want some nicer pictures, I try to take my Nikon.

Truthful statement #2: I am scared of or don't know how to use a few of these items. But one of my 2012 personal goals is to read my Nikon D3000 for Dummies book and learn about the settings on my camera so that I can use my equipment! My Nikon isn't top of the line. It's what we could afford...we're not into the whole "let's throw it on the credit card just because we can" idea.

So here are a few fun accessory ideas that are great to get started with:

1. Extra lens. My extra lens is a 55-200 mm for zooming.

2. Light Scoop. These babies are super cool. They bounce your flash off the ceiling to create softer, more flattering pictures. T gave me these for my birthday (last year) and I still haven't quite figured them out because they require that the user be able to adjust some of those dials and numbers on their camera. The combination of letters and numbers on my camera screen reminds me of algebra, which I barely scraped by in. I've seen lots of reviews/Giveaways for Light Scoop online, but Veronica wrote the first "non-sponsored" review I've seen! These are great for Home/DIY/Craft bloggers...no more crying when the natural light isn't perfect for your photo shoot.

3. UV Filter. Clean your lens and snap that baby on top to protect it!

4. Extra camera cards. Mine hold anywhere from 1000 to 2000 pictures. I asked for an extra one for Christmas, and was surprised with two. They're nice to have in case of loss or malfunction.

5. Lens cleaner wipes and/or microfiber cloth. The lens cleaner came in a little packet, and I use the microfiber to clean off the camera's screen.

6. Extra battery

7. Battery Charger

8. Remote Control- No more hitting the camera timer and rushing to get in the shot before the shutter flashes. I can hold the remote in the palm of my hand and snap away as I please.

Other stuff?

Pretty Camera Strap- I kept the Nikon strap that my camera came with because T is not a particular fan of my girlie August Blossoms strap that I won last summer.

Camera Bag- As for my camera bag, I usually keep my Nikon in the blue and black utilitarian bag you saw earlier. It's small, fits a few extras, and is good for those times that we'll be in a busy place or somewhere I need something "tough" to protect my camera. When I'm headed somewhere a bit fancier, I use my Jo Totes bag. I bought it last summer...pleased with the design, but it's not as sturdy or spacious as I had hoped.

Tripod- If you shoot in auto, a tripod is a good thing to have to stabilize your camera. Also nice for those group shots! Our tripod is actually a cheap freebie that we got with our video camera a few years back. It does the trick.

Lens Cleaner- I got this guy in my Christmas stocking. Fits perfectly in my camera bag and makes cleaning my lens a breeze!

I feel like I should end this post with a note that I am not, nor do I consider myself to be any kind of photographer. I haven't taken any classes, and my knowledge of photography lingo is very very limited. But I've loved taking pictures since my first elementary school camera. I think the photos on my blog have improved some since I upgraded from my Sony point and shoot to my Nikon DSLR last January. I don't shoot in manual often, and I have a lot to learn, but it sure is fun learning.

Do you have a favorite camera accessory or something on your wishlist?