It's BLACK FRIDAY!

Y'all.

Black Friday is NOT just for stores, it is totally online now!

And lots of the Merry Momma's favorite card websites are having sales!

Get those cards ordered today so you can send them in to us!

Minted
20% off holiday cards orders $150+, 15% off $100+

Tiny Prints
30% off any order and 50% trim options

Pear Tree
30% off Golden Pears or 20% off sitewide

Zazzle
75% off wrapping paper and up to 60% off everything

Shutterfly
Save up to 50%

Fine Stationery
10% off $100, 15% off $175, 20% off $250

HAPPY SHOPPING!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

WWLW: Put on your Yarmulke

Today the Merry Mommas have turned the blog over to Melanie! A former colleague and current friend of Merry Momma K! We wanted to take the time to honor another special time of year ... Hannukkah. But since we aren't Jewish, we thought it would be better if we left today's post up to someone that is! Thanks, Mel!!

While the much of the world, and most of the BCS, is getting ready for Christmas, a few of us are celebrating a lesser known minor holiday known as Hanukkah. For those less familiar with the holiday, here's a little background...

(For those of you that need a little Hanukkah 101, check out this post from My Jewish Learning)

This year is especially unique because for the first time since 1888,  Thanksgiving and Hanukkah coincide and thus creating a holiday fusion of epic proportions. Here’s a nugget of wisdom from one of my favorite Rabbi’s, Matt Rosenberg, the Director of the Texas A&M Hillel Foundation, “I like to think of Thanksgiving as a profoundly Jewish holiday since it involves giving thanks and gratitude to G-d (and the word for turkey in Hebrew is Hodu, which also means thanks!)  And with the holiday of Hanukkah, we are celebrating religious freedom for everyone, much like the pilgrims were celebrating upon their arrival on this continent.”

Like Thanksgiving, it gives us a chance to express our love, thanks, and gratitude for the blessings in our life as well as spend time with our loved ones. The Hanukkah tradition, like Judaism as a whole, has evolved and is celebrated in various ways, but regardless of whether you light the candles every night or not, it’s a time to reflect on where we have been, where we are going, how we can collectively best perform the mitzvah (good deed) of tikkun olam (repairing the world), and your personal relationship with G-d.

So, here's to all of my fellow Jews and honorary hebrews. Happy Hanukkah and many more from the Krugel clan. May the warmth and glow of each candle you light make your heart and home happy and your Hanukkah bright it’s the Festival of Lights! Shalom - Peace to you at Hanukkah and always. 

Now, in the spirit of the Merry Mommas... a little card delightfulness. 

We had planned on sending out tacky Hanukkah cards this year however due to family illness and well, Hanukkah being in November, we ran out of time. However here’s my formula for a Hanukkah-rific holiday card:

·       1 Part adorable puppy:

·       1 Ridiculously tacky, yet amazing, Hanukkah puppy sweater

·       Lots of shiny Hanukkah wrapped oversized boxes to use as a background

·       A few fabulous sweaters for the doting Mom and Dad

    

·       An awesome photographer and Voila!

Since we don’t have any kiddos quite yet, any future cards will definitely be featuring our furry munchkin!

For more musings from Melanie... check out her awesome blog: Dreaming in Cubish. 

Cheers!

You can spread the MERRY lots of ways and the Hunter family choose to do so through CHEERS!  Isn't that fun!

Who: Ernest, Shannon and Shelby Hunter

Location: 19th Street in The Heights in Houston, Texas

Clothes: Ernest - Joe's Jeans, Converse Jack Purcell shoes, Polo Ralph Lauren shirt and sport coat, Bulova watch; Shannon - Old Navy top, J.Crew skirt, Kate Spade necklace; Shelby - Old Navy

Designer: Blonde Designs exclusively for Shutterfly

Photographer: Dianna Montoya of Karelle Photography

Favorite Thing: We tried the upside down shot with Shelby on a whim, but when we saw it..we LOVED it.  We were looking for a card that we could send to our friends of all religions; and the look of pure joy on Shelby's face in the photo's just screamed "Cheers!"

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Katy's Thoughts: I love that this card captures that unexpected moment of pure joy that a child can experience. It's those moments we should celebrate all year long!

Cindy's Thoughts: Happy.  This card just makes me happy.  It is fun and bright and full of color.  It sends a cheer to everyone!  And that Shelby...well, she's just adorable - upside down and right side up!

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 How can you recreate this card? Have fun.  Yep, that's it -- just have fun!

Get PINspired:

1. Remember the naughty and nice cards we featured?  Those are fun! :)
2. In fact, all of these are fun (or funny)!
3. Smiles and laughter are universal!
4. Colors!  We love colors!
5. Mustache you always be silly??? YES!
6. This isn't a card, but how stinking cute would this picture be on a card!  Take note, it may be on one of the Merry Momma's card in 2015! (You know we already have 2014 planned!)
7. Y'all.  OH MY GOODNESS!  This is so stinking precious and oh so fun!  It may have to be 2016!

Menorah Monday

Happy Monday, Merry Readers!

We are breaking rank today and going rogue.

Meaning - there is no card to post. But hey, this is our blog and we will do what we want to. Mkay?

Since this week is the week of Hanukkah, we wanted to highlight some cards that celebrate the Festival of Lights. But alas, we are limited on the number of Jewish friends we have that also send cards. However, we did want to take the time to recognize this celebration, but, honestly, the amount of information we had on this holiday was limited to this:

Source

And as "true to life" as any sitcom can be about six "twenty-something" friends that live in NYC and have jobs that allow them to hang around their apartment and coffee shop all day long while never having to repeat an outfit can be... something tells us that this information was wrong.

Source

So, to expand our knowledge a bit more, we did what any college-educated (x4) women would do... we Googled it.

But, of course, a YMM post wouldn't be complete without some type of card inspiration. So, here are our top Pinspired picks for a fabulous card celebrating the Festival of Lights!

Clockwise from top left: Minted, Etsy, Shutterfly, and Suite Paperie

Merry Moving

Who: Adam, Amy, Addison and Audrey Cornett (and there is a little Allee in utero)

Location: Veterans Park, Arlington, Texas

Clothes: Girls - Children's Place, Parents- shopped their closet

Comments: I love the contrast between the bright red banner across the middle and the black and white photos.  Also, I liked this card because it served double duty as a "We've Moved" card.  We moved in late November and I sent the cards in early December.

Designer: Shutterfly


Photographer: Beyond the Blue Studios

Favorite Thing: I saved money by having it serve two purposes and everyone thought I was really on tops of things! :)

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Katy's Thoughts: Bottom right picture of those sweet girls is precious! I also think that the snowflake is an under utilized symbol during Christmastime and in Texas, we should take snow any way we can get it! ;)

Cindy's Thoughts: I am a sucker for black and white photos - I love them!  They are so fresh, crisp and pure and this card exemplifies those qualities! 

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How can you recreate this card? Ask your photographer for black and white images!  You won't regret it! And dual purpose cards are awesome and smart!


Get PINspired:

1. Y'all.  MERRY and BRIGHT in black and white...LOVE IT!
2. Black and white photos are so romantic!
3. And because we love y'all, here's an entire board dedicated to black and white photos!  Check it out and follow us!
4. Be sure to let Santa know you've moved!
5. Home is where your family is.
6. Lots and lots of cute Christmas/Moving cards...HOME is what Christmas is all about!

TBT: That time we went to NYC (again)

So maybe this week's throwback isn't so long ago, but we promised a recap of our little trip to the Big Apple and couldn't very well wait an entire year to post, could we! We don't think you'll mind! 

May we present...

1. Be a tourist. Don't be afraid to "look like a tourist." NYC is filled with some of the nicest people we have met. Ask questions, get recommendations on locals favorite spots to eat and shop, ride the subway, hail a cab, take silly pictures in subway stations, eat food from a street vendor, spend too much money on something you don't need. Visit St. Patricks, try something on at Tiffany, go to a museum.  BE A TOURIST.

2. See a show. Even if you aren't "show people". You will not forget it. Tickets seem pricey but it is worth every penny to see live theater and if you hit up the TKTS booth at Times Square you can find some great deals. This time we ventured away from musicals and hung out with Orlando Bloom for a couple of hours. Not to shabby. Especially since we were THIRD ROW! Matinees are awesome, but they are only offered on Wednesdays. Check out the Broadway website for a list of current shows!

3. Throw away your normal schedule. This one even works with kids! (Merry Momma K and Ryan took the kiddos in 2011 and had a blast!) Sleep in, stay up late, eat at random hours. It's all part of the fun of being on vacation! The picture below is us at dinner...at 10PM. Which may be about 5 hours later than our normal dinnertime. Don't judge.

4. Take a stroll down 5th Avenue. Buy something. Be happy. We also like to play the "guess how much this costs game" at Bergdorfs. That is until they kick us out. :) (Just kidding.)

5. Make unexpected stops. Both times we have been to the City together our plan has been "let's not really have a plan" in the sense of we don't need a minute by minute of each day. We have items that we want to accomplish but that's about it. On this particular day we were just walking around and stopped into a random Italian place around 49th and Broadway. For over 2 hours. We were pretty merry after that. ;)

 6. Take a tour. We can't recommend this enough! We also think if it is your first trip, then you should schedule a tour on one of your first days! It is a great way to get to know the sites and sounds of an amazing place and really orients you to your surroundings. When we went in 2004 we took a Sex and the City tour. If you are fans of the show then you will love it! This time we did a Night on the Town Tour through GrayLine and can't recommend it enough! We had so much fun, learned a lot about the history of NYC, saw some amazing sites (like an up close and personal view of Lady Liberty), ate at a yummy restaurant in Little Italy and ended our night on the Top of the Rock. Seriously. Take a tour.

6. Take a walk through Central Park. No matter the time of year. Venture down to 59th Street and 5th Avenue and take a stroll. 

We are ready to go back! Who's coming with us!?!

WWLW: Christmas Card Displays

The time is fast approaching when your mailboxes start to become STUFFED chalk full of merry. If you are anything like us, checking the mailbox beginning on December 1 is a major highlight of the day - so much so that no one else is allowed to check the contents first. 

So, now that you have all that merry in your hands - what do you DO with those cards? 

We are here to help!

1. Frames - A great way to reuse something you already have! Or an inexpensive investment via Goodwill or any "dollar store". 

Clockwise from top left: Savvy Photographer, Holly Mathis Interiors, Pinterest Image, Tip Junkie

2. Repurposed Items - Recycling is a good thing - so why not recycle some items you already have? You can usually get pallets for free at a local lumber yard, branches fall out of trees all the time ;), barn wood, chicken wire, and shutters are also pretty easy to find when antiquing!

Clockwise from top: House and Home, Pinterest Image, Pinterest Image, Lolly Jane, Shanty 2 Chic

3. Wreaths - Not going to lie, some of these are kind of intimidating and require some work, but we LOVE the idea of having a display that keeps your cards preserved for years. 

Clockwise from top right: Good Housekeeping, Better Homes & Gardens, Crafty Sy

4. Wire holders - You've probably seen these everywhere. Merry Momma K found hers at World Market last year and LOVES it. 

Clockwise from top right: Green Cricket Salvage, Queen of the Kings, Pinterest Image

5. Non hanging display - Not everyone has a ton of free wall space in their home. (And we are not fans of the "let's just tape these cards to the wall" kind of display. Sorry.) Make a book, use some glass canisters, or set under the glass top on a table - these are the perfect alternative!!

Clockwise from top left: Flickr, BH&G, Pinterest Image

6. Evergreens - What a great excuse to put up one more tree during the holidays! And while we don't have homes with stairs, those of you that do should totally use that space to share the merry! 

Clockwise from top: Sunny Side Up; BH&G, Pure Style Home

7. Cutest display of all time - Seriously. This is happening. Especially since you are all going to mail us hard copies of your cards, right??

December Daily

Do you have any other ideas for displaying your cards? We'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment below!

Howell's: A Year In Review

Who: David, Kristin, Emma (3) and Cate (1)

Location: Downtown Bryan, Texas

Props: None

Clothes: Girls - Dresses from Gap, shoes and shirts from Children's Place; Mom & Dad - shopped their closet (or in other words - no idea)

Comments: The picture on the front was the only one we got that day where we were all smiling!  Oh the joys of a 1 and 3 year old just getting over a terrible sickness.  But, I was determined not to reschedule {again!}...we rescheduled once already.

Designer: Zazzle

Photographer: Kristy Hamilton

Favorite Thing: I always like getting a letter with updates from friends and family with a card, but I knew I would never get that done...so I was excited to be able to put a couple of updates on the back of our card about our year and include individual pictures of the girls.  I also liked that the front was just one big picture so everyone received a Christmas card but could display our family picture all year long.

Blog: The Howell Happenings

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Katy's Thoughts: You have to look closely, but that little tiny wrinkle in the leg of Miss Cate... holy pajamas... baby legs get me every.single.time. :)

Cindy's Thoughts: I absolutely love the "mini-letter" concept.  Don't get me wrong, I love the long letters too, but sometimes a brief update is fun!  Also, the girls smiles - which are mischievous, cute and fun - are too stinking adorable!

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How can you recreate this card? What makes this card great is that is so about their family and what is going on in their world...it shares a darling photo and then gives you a brief update.  So grab your family, get a great family shot and then reminisce about the previous year!

Get PINspired:

1. We love the chalkboard cards, remember our post about them?  We even did an entire board about them.  Well, you can use that look for your mini-letter/year in review concept too!  Check this, this, this and this out!
2. You don't have to have a picture to share the MERRY, this and this card are great examples of year in review cards.
3. Someone, anyone, please do a card like this!
4. Keeping up with the Jones!
5. Y'all.  This card is absolutely stunning...and funny!  LOVE IT!
6. And because we love you so much, check out our entire board!

Go West!

Technically, we are back "west" from our fun trip to NYC! (more on that later this week) And "going west" brought us to this sweet card! Enjoy!

Who: The "W" Family

Location: Our home in College Station, Texas

Props: None

Clothes: {Front} Robes off of Zulily {Back} Girls - Matilda Jane, Mom - Dillard's, Dad - No idea!

Comments: Originally, the card was going to feature all of us in our pajamas at home...but since we send cards to all my husband's clients, we decided not to put the adults in the pajama shot.  We didn't want the card to just feature the girls (people care about us, too! :)), so we did a two sided card that accomplished my goal.

Designer: Shutterfly

Photographer: Sarah Burns of Butterfly Chaser Photography

Favorite Thing: I love the girls smile on the front and the lighting of them on our bed. I also love the sweet shot of the four of us on the back.

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Katy's Thoughts:  Two things I love about this card: those sweet curls on the girls in the top picture - totally reminds me of sleeping all night in sponge rollers (which may now become a stocking stuffer for one of my girls). AND those bare feet in the bottom picture. I am so weird about shoes and love a bare foot picture. I kind of also love that each set of parents is wrapped up in their own special moment with a darling daughter.

Cindy's Thoughts: If you have met me, you know I kind of dig on a big bow. That sweet hair flair on the littlest "W" is amazing. I also love a Matilda Jane. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Can't recommend them enough!

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How can you recreate this card? We love that Mrs. W wasn't afraid to rethink her plan and make two separate cards from one. Each side gives a glimpse into their life and tells their story so well. The key to this card is knowing your audience - if you "need" to send cards to business associates then make sure to consider that before putting the final touches on your merry masterpiece.

Get PINspired:

1. Faith - Hope - Love...isn't that what Christmas is all about!  Click here, here and here for other examples of cards spreading the MERRY with faith, hope and love!
2. As a loyal reader you know we love Matilda Jane (and no one paid us to say that {but if someone wanted to send us free stuff, we would say LOTS more! hint, hint} ... anyway... Matilda Jane has darling things that really are good for photographs - layers, stripes, florals, ruffles - just cute stuff!
3. Looking for robes for your Christmas card or Christmas morning...look no further!  Here, here, here and here are cute robes for the kids!  Mom gets an extra special robe!  Dad will look debonair in this robe!  And OF COURSE your ELF ON THE SHELF needs one too!

TBT: NYC 2004

Roughly nine years ago this was us. Living it up in the big N-Y-C...

Things of note: 

1. The Statue of Liberty was still open but it was too cold to climb to the top. (Read: we were lazy)
2. We liked to take pictures with our hands in the air.
3. Katy tried to be as cute as Cindy is with short hair. And failed. (Seriously, never let me do that again).
4. This was over New Year's...and we tried to act like we were too cool for school to be at Times Square when the ball dropped. And then, just as Harry realized he couldn't live without Sally, we went RUNNING to see it happen. All the streets were closed as far as Central Park but we made it in time just to see the crystal ball disappear.
5. We fell in love with a restaurant in Little Italy "Sorrentos"... so much in love that we ate there two nights in a row! #fatties
6. We are in head to Gap in all of these pics.
7. Cindy convinced Katy that she should totally use her credit card for the first time. $900 and a "fresh off the floor" dress from Bloomies later and Katy was done. (The dress was only $100 - Cindy is just a great influence and convinced Katy that she "had to have" all that other stuff too)
8. We had flip phones.
9. We did a SATC Bus tour and got to see all our favorite spots from the show - Carrie's Apartment, Magnolia Bakery, Samantha's place in the Meat Packing District, Big's Place and more!
10. We discovered there is nothing like spending time with the bestie in the best city in the world! 

We promise a recap of our trip when we return!!!

Start spreading the news...

Frank has a new rendition he'd like y'all to hear/read...

(Source)

 

Start spreading the news

We're leaving today

We want to be a part of it

New York, New York

Our tall leather boots

And skinny jeans say

They want to feel the cold of it

New York, New York

We want to wake up in a city

After a full night's sleep

To find we have nothing to do

But shop and eat

Our little town blues

Will melt away

We're sharing the merry in all of it

New York, New York

Once we make it there

We will have stories to share

As soon as we get back from

New York, New York!!!

(Regularly scheduled blogging will resume next week!)

World Traveler

Today we bring you Christmas Around the World...

Who: Morgan Coomes

Location: Fenway Park; San Diego, California; Colosseum, Rome, Italy; Yosemite National Park; Hollywood Walk of Fame

Comments: This card captures the places I travelled the second year I worked for American Airlines.  I wanted to take advantage of the perks of the job and my goal was to travel to at least one international location.  The message was my own personal reflection on the year; although I had been all over the world I knew there was no better place to be than at home with family and friends for the holidays.

Designer: Shutterfly

Photographer: Various friends that were traveling with me.

Favorite Thing: If you'll look closely, I am wearing American flag sunglasses in the Hollywood Walk of Fame picture - it was the 4th of July weekend!

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Katy's Thoughts: More.Power.To.YOU! Seriously! I love this. I love that it highlights her year. I love that she is living life to the fullest. I love that she is sharing her journey with her family and friends! LOVE!

Cindy's Thoughts: Morgan...girl you can jump!  How cute is her San Diego pic -- real cute!  I agree with Katy totally on this one...this card is just great!  It's fun.  It's shares Morgan's story and does remind us that traveling is fun, but so is home!  LOVE it!

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How can you recreate this card? So, we've been getting lots of emails and FB messages from our nearest and dearest (thank you!!) and some of them mention an apprehension or two about "but we aren't really the kind of people that should send cards". For like 1000 different reasons. I'm single. I'm a single parent. I have fur babies but no kids. Etc...

Well - this card PROVES YOU WRONG! It's amazing! And the key to recreating this card is to live life, and share that merry with your nearest and dearest. (And us).

Get PINspired:

1. Here is a great example of card spreading joy through the {entire} world.
2. We definitely think if you are anywhere near icebergs, then you should do this!
3. We love the idea of a simple photo that showcases your love for travel with a letter to accompany everywhere you've been.
4. We know a DARLING girl that would think this is a great way to spread the merry... 
5. And, if anyone is feeling generous and wants to send us on an ultimate Christmas Vacation, then feel free to check out our top picks...

A Merry LITTLE Christmas!

Who: Avery (4) and Ella (10 days!)

Location: B4 Photography's home studio

Props: All the props belong to B4 Photography.  We loved using the baby carriage!

Clothes: {Front} Avery has on a Santa shirt from Dimples & Dandelions, her skirt is from Old Navy and the zebra leggings are from Baby Legs.  Ella's headband and bloomers are from an Etsy vendor (sorry, I don't remember the exact shop).  {Back} Everything in the picture belongs to the photographer (which is why I love her!) including the pettiskirt.

Comments: We knew we wanted to have a dual purpose card - Christmas and birth announcement - and we love the results.  The owner behind Sweet Sosbee Designs is a friend and we love her work.

Designer: Sweet Sosbee Designs

Photographer: B4 Photography

Favorite Thing: Those two sweet and fun girls!


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Katy's Thoughts: As you may recall, I have a thing for rosettes.  Add a sweet newborn and her adoring older sister and I'm in love.  I also love the trim of the card!

Cindy's Thoughts: I am just going to be real here...you know what I love about this card - Avery's nails!  Yep, I love the darling girls, the fun chair and stroller prop, the cute clothes, the fun hair flair...but the nails...they just make me merry!  It's all in the details, y'all.

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 How can you recreate this card? There are two things that we think you need to take away from this card -- it has a dual purpose {LOVE THAT} and a fun and funky shape {LOVE THAT TOO}.


Get PINspired:

1. Check out our entire board of baby/birth announcement cards!
2. You don't have to have a baby to do a dual card, don't forget about announcing weddings and engagements!
3. THIS IS THE MOST DARLING CARD EVER!
4. Check out all these fun shapes!
5. And don't forget to paint your nails!

TBT: 30 years ago...

THIS HAPPENED!

According to the trusty ol' internet,

Christmas 1983 will always be associated with

the Cabbage Patch Kid CRAZE!  

Did you get a Cabbage Patch Doll in 1983?

What do you think will be the toy hit of 2013?

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Cindy's Thoughts: Friends, my parents are awesome, like really awesome.  I love them...but...that picture below is from 1984!  Yes, 1984, not 1983.  I don't know if we received Cabbage Patch Kids in 1983, but I guess we did in 1984.  And frankly, I guess that just goes to show you that stuff doesn't really matter, but love does!

(Don't you just love the scanned pic from my Mom's 

Christmas photo album! {It's a POLAROID, a Polaroid!})

Katy's Thoughts: There are few kids that are as loved as my brother's and me. Seriously - countless stories of my parents going above and beyond the call of duty, especially my Momma. Well, the year I decided I "MUST HAVE" a CPK was beyond 1983 (because I was 4 in 1983 and probably didn't pay enough attention to what was all the rage). However, at some point I was old enough to care and be jealous of everyone else that had a CPK. So of course, I wanted one for Christmas. And as fate would have it - there were NONE left in the great city of Waco, TX. So because my Momma and Mrs. Nancy were SUPER moms and loved Susan and I enough...they drove to SAN ANTONIO to get us one.

Y'all. That's three hours away. On Black Friday. Where people are even crazier than normal.

But, we got them....

(I don't think Susan had opened her gift yet... please check out the way she is eying**  my newly adopted child).  And now all these years later, what I really "get" is all that love that drove them down there for plastic dolls in the first place! Thanks, Mom!  

** Y'all. Did you know that you spell "eyeing" like that??? How weird is that?!? Eying. But I looked it up. And spent way too much time reading all sorts of writing forums in dispute over the spelling of that word. So. Not only did you get a fun TBT - you also got some free education today. We spread merry any way we can! :)