Thursday, February 27, 2014

Mailbox Memories: The Unexpected

Today we present another challenge. But before we get to that... how many of you sent a letter to someone last week? Hmmmm???

Well, if not...then you have double duty this week.

First let's begin with a lesson. According to the USPS...

First-Class Mail
Minimum Weight: None.
Maximum Weight: 13 ounces (over 13 ounces, First-Class Mail becomes Priority Mail).
Letter Maximum Weight: 3.5 ounces.
Minimum Quantity to Mail at Commercial Prices: 500 pieces.
First-Class Mail letter-size pieces that are square, rigid or meet at least one of the nonmachinable characteristics are subject to the nonmachinable surcharge.
Flat-size pieces that are rigid, nonrectangular, or have uneven thickness will pay the parcel price.
All mailable matter can be mailed as First-Class Mail. Some things MUST be mailed as First-Class Mail (or Priority Mail), including:
  • Handwritten or typewritten material
  • Bills, statements of account or invoices, credit cards
  • Personal correspondence, personalized business correspondence
  • All matter sealed or otherwise closed against inspection.


Great information, right? But what does this mean??? Well, readers and fellow sharers of merry... this means that the sky is literally the limit as to what you can mail. In fact, there are so many fun things that you can mail that a fellow blogger has an entire blog dedicated to just that. MAILING FUN THINGS.

Like a bouncy ball.


Or Sprinkles.



Or a disguise.



And a homemade HOPSCOTCH board.



Y'all. This momma is amazing. We salute her with the HAIL MERRY award. (Which doesn't actually exist, but it totally should).

::open notebook. make note of hail merry awards. debut in May.::

So our challenge to you.

Find something. Create something. Craft something. Buy something. That is 13 oz or less. Take pics of you packaging it all up and ask the receiver to take pics of getting it. And then send it in. Think of the fun mailbox memory you would create for someone. THIS IS AMAZING and we want to see how you share the merry!!!


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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

WWLW: Milestone Celebrations




What can we say... we are a sucker for celebrating big. Even the smallest things are a big deal to us... so give us an actual special occasion and we may need to be restrained.

And sometimes all of that work and effort may not get the reaction we hoped...but it is definitely worth it. And milestones aren't called milestones for nothing... so pull out all the stops and do something unexpected!!

So... we present to you our favorite ideas for celebrating those milestone birthdays....


TEN


Take a cue from Letterman and do a Top Ten List.



Or take a cue from Warren Buffet and make it rain via gum drops and money. (The picture doesn't have a source but it was pinned with the idea of hiding 10 $10 in the jar.)

SIXTEEN






Let the whole world know that it's a day worth celebrating (or hiding!)



Be the ULTIMATE parent/grandparent/bestie with this. (And then adopt us because this is super fun!) (And clearly this person doesn't exist because there was no source for this picture).

TWENTY




You are finally out of your teens!!! And that's about it. (Ha!)

THIRTY





The thirties definitely became the wine decade. And what better way to celebrate that new found maturity than with some personal wine labels.


FORTY





Give the gift of Christie, Lewis, Shakespeare, Rowling, Tolkein, and Shankle. Have forty friends send their favorite book to the birthday boy or girl.


FIFTY




Rock that age - and let them know that they should too! Find 50 rocks and have people write messages, memories and quotes. Because half a century is something to ROCK!


SIXTY/SEVENTY/EIGHTY






Sixty words or MORE... get everyone in on the celebration. Read this story and think about how awesome it would be to receive and GIVE this gift!



Have any other ideas on how to celebrate a milestone? We'd LOVE to hear it. Seriously...just click on that little comment button below... we promise it works even when we aren't giving something away! :)





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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Movie PINspiration...

Today we are showcasing some movie birthday themes that have some great potential for a fun party!

Check out sweet Caroline's 4th birthday... and let me just say the force is strong in this one.

See...


Caroline loves Star Wars. Like big fat puffy paint heart on a tshirt LOVES it. She gets it from her Daddy. And while Merry Momma C may not have been thrilled with this adoration of movie series... she is an awesome Momma. And when Caro wanted a Star Wars party, they delivered. And it all started with this darling HOMEMADE party invite.



Not the greatest picture, but there are others similar here

So this got us thinking...what other movies could serve as some PINspiration for sharing the merry? And then THAT got us thinking that we should ask you, dear readers. And we did. And you answered. So... here are our top picks for a movie themed birthday party.


FROZEN

We couldn't even begin to think about doing this post and not suggesting Frozen. Seriously our kids are obsessed with it. We could quote it in our sleep. And for good reason... it's a precious movie and would make an adorable party theme for a girl OR A boy.


This would be a great party to throw in the summer. Especially the Texas summer when the heat is at its hottest and you want nothing more than to be cool. And this Etsy vendor made it super easy for you to share the merry via the perfect party invite. (Boy invite here and girl invite here.)




Now, while not an essential part of the party... we are going to go ahead and say that wearing the merry is an essential part of the party. :) Seriously... it is so fun to get everyone all coordinated! And, it doesn't have to be huge or cost an arm and leg. This tshirt is adorable and Merry Momma K may purchase for the hubs and Rad. And this dress is awesome... and BONUS... has the word "practical" in the title, which for our all of our merry littles is key since they would live in their dress up clothes. 


CARS

While not the most recent release... cars are classic. A quintessential part of boyhood. This movie will withstand the test of time and the toys will literally never go away. 

This ticket to the races would be so fun to get in the mail (we showcased this same vendor yesterday)  and this Pit Pass = major cool points for any kid (big or small... 5 or 35!). And we love any opportunity to show off the cuteness of the Merry Littles and know that you feel the same way about yours which makes this Mater invite perfect!



We love this personalized tshirt for your little racer. 

Alice in Wonderland

We realize that not everyone is in the same stage of life as us but Disney is kind of classic. And Alice in Wonderland was mentioned by a couple of our readers. We think that this would be a great theme for those tweens and teens. Check out all of these lovely invitation options. 



This movie lends itself to so many ideas... you could go shabby chic, totally mad or a bit vintage. I am crossing my fingers that someone I know will have this as a party theme just so I can get one of these invites in the mail!!



Now, we realize that tweens and teens may not want to wear a costume to their party. Or maybe not these costumes. BUT... Alice in Wonderland + teenager costume in Pinterest brings up some interesting choices that we don't feel like sharing here. This is a family blog afterall. But this etsy vendor does AMAZING work.... Landry's 3rd birthday may just have to be a "tea for three" party!!! 


Thank you...

We all know that a party isn't complete without a thank you note. But, we didn't really find any that we fell in love with for these themes. So.... we attempted to make some printables. You should be able to right click on the images below and save to your computer. They are formatted to print as a 5x7 notecard. 





(Rabbit Clip Art Here)


Just click on any of the images above and it will open in a new window. Save or print. We recommend printing on 100# white cardstock! Enjoy sharing the merry! 

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Monday, February 24, 2014

They say it's your birthday...

Something big is just around the corner... the littlest Merry Little will turn TWO very soon!!!

(Wait, what?)

And, well, in honor of this fun celebration... we are dedicating this week to birthdays! From that special first birthday, to the fun kinder years and even to adults... we are going to bring the party to you. In honor of that sweet birthday girl, we are starting with some first birthday inspiration.

We do first birthdays big(ish) around here. And by now you know that we also do crazy big around here, too. (Meaning, sometimes we are crazy).

So I will own that crazy and admit that on the second whole day of my child's life, I had already planned her first birthday party. It's ok - you can judge.

She was going to have a rainbow party because it fit perfectly with a March 16 birth date... you know spring time...pretty colors, yadda yadda. I had the invitation planned, what she would wear, the decorations, etc... But then this happened...



And as we took these pics at each of her photo shoots, I was sweetly persuaded to change my plans and throw a princess and the pea themed party...


 and even sent thank you notes to match with room at the bottom for a quick personal note.


So, you are probably asking yourself (or telling me)... "Great, Katy...what does this have to do with me?" Well.. I will tell you! The first year of life is BIG! And not just for baby...but for Mommas and Daddys too! YOU MADE IT! YOU SURVIVED. Now throw yourself a PARTY!

And, we really love the idea of carrying out a theme from beginning to end. And your loved ones and friends will appreciate the time and effort too! So here are our top 4 favorite COMPLETE ideas for birth announcements, party invites and thank you notes!


What better way to show how much you are SOARING with pride, joy and love than with this theme? Please pay close attention to the TICKET party invites!! This would also work for movie themes, a circus, or magic show party!

Share the Merry: Birth Announcement Here
Share the Merry: Party Invite Here
Wear the Merry: Boys Shirt Here
Share the Merry: Thank You Note Here




I must admit... I do not love how boys clothes always refer to them as monsters. Creativity at its worst. BUT... I LOVE this birth announcement and there are so many easy, fun party ideas for this theme. PLUS girls can rock this theme too! I think it would be adorable for twins.

Share the Merry: Birth Announcement Here
Share the Merry: Party Invite Here
Wear the Merry: Boys Shirt Here
Wear the Merry: Girls Dress Here
Share the Merry: Thank You Note Here



So this hat. Maybe enough of an excuse to have a baby just for that hat. (KK - GET THIS FOR GRAHAM!!) I love the black invite with all the pop of color, this adorable dress and these trendy thank yous that can be used all the time!

Share the Merry: Birth Announcement Here
Share the Merry: Party Invite Here
Wear the Merry: Girls Dress Here
Share the Merry: Thank You Note Here





Isn't this song just lovely? We all know the words, we have probably all sung it to one or more of our children and it's just so sweet and whimsical. A fun theme for a "rainy season" birthday and totally could be gender neutral!

Share the Merry: Birth Announcement Here
Share the Merry: Party Invite Here
Wear the Merry: Sunshine Outfit Here
Share the Merry: Thank You Note Here



What do you think? Any birthdays coming up in your house? We would love to hear all about it! Let us know in the comments below!


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Thursday, February 20, 2014

Mailbox Memories: Letters to your loved ones

Hi friends!

Have you seen this commercial?


You have tears in your eyes, don't you? You aren't crying alone, we do too!

As a loyal reader, you know that we have discussed "keepsake photos" all week. We showcased monthly pictures, yearly pictures and even showed you pics of us in our pjs!  And CLEARLY we love pictures.  But you know what we love even more, the stories that go with pictures.

In a society that values a selfie more than a hand written note, we want you to take 30 minutes today and write a letter to someone you love.  Tell them why you love them or share a funny story or whatever you want to share.

While, we know Sophie isn't really real - YOUR kid is.

So, write a letter to you kid about when they were tiny. Tell them how you felt the first time they laughed. Tell them your fears. Tell them how brave you were and ARE. Tell them about things you don't see in a picture. Tell them about you. Tell them a story about when you were little or how you fell in love with their other parent.

And if you don't have kids, send a letter to your spouse, your mom, your friend...tell them something that will make their day better.  Share a story from your perspective. Tell them about you.



And, because we like to make you cry (in a good way) enjoy this story!

Words matter! Say kind ones today!

With love,
The Merry Mommas



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Wednesday, February 19, 2014

WWLW: Month By Month

Are you still giggling over our keepsake photo? We are!

We hope you enjoyed it. We really do want this blog to a place you turn to for card (all kinds) inspiration and fun. Thanks for joining us in our blogging journey.

We are still smitten by Lyla's pictures! Yearly pictures are just an overall awesome idea...and lots of families start doing these way before the child's first birthday with "monthday" pictures. The Merry Mommas sure did ... well ... with babies #2 and #3 ... those first kids may get all the attention, but blogs/pinterest/etc. just weren't near as popular in 2007/2008.(Sorry Radley and Caroline!) We both had professional monthly (newborn, 3, 6, 9, 12) pictures taken and also did monthly pictures taken by "moms with fancy cameras" aka US!



This is Millicent, Merry Momma Cindy's baby.  Things to note - (1) Yes, Cindy likes a big bow, remember. (2) This is not an original idea, the idea was found on Pinterest.  Whoever came up with it, though -- SMART!! (3) Cindy's momma (Bebe to the grands) made the onesies.  (4) It does kind of break our heart to look at these pics, Millicent is over 2 years old now.


This is Landry, Merry Momma Katy's baby.  Things to note - (1) I totally wanted to do the same series as Cindy with Mills, but she beat me to it (;)); (2)  I fell in LOVE with this picture on Pinterest (3) I had a special bin for all those blankets/fabric for easy access (4) Some of these are just fabric scraps around blankets (5) She wore a gold head piece each month (6) Except for one year in which she wore my wedding tiara

We did massive amounts of research (read lots of blog stalking and Pinterest looking) to find some other great examples of Month-By-Month photos...enjoy!

Check out The Hills are Alive for a look at the complete Month-by-Month!

This series focuses on his CUTE face - Famille Summer Belle.

How fun is that chair? And that background? And the balloons? (you know we love balloons!)
Mom*Tog is a great resource, check her out!

And for you over achieving parents ... Week-By-Week photos are a really cool idea!  And, kiddos do really change each week.  This darling little one is the daughter of the Young House Love folks.

 AND

Wait for it...
 
 (We looked and looked and can't find the original source. If this is yours, please let us know!)

MONTH-BY-MONTH and a CHRISTMAS CARD!
Y'all. This. Is. Perfect!
(And act surprised if you see one of the Merry Mommas 2014 card looks similar!)



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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Our Turn

Y'all...we loved Lyla's yearly series and can't wait to see it in a 12 years!  You loved it too, didn't you?  It is just precious and is going to be such an amazing gift.  As the Merry Momma's were preparing the post, we started chatting about our favorite things and what we would put on a keepsake photo now…and then we created this:


You. Are. Welcome!

Bwahahahaha!!!!!!!!

(This is the most recent picture of the two of us…again, you are welcome! ;) It was taken on a girls trip, at a dance party while drinking wine as we talked about how much we love our husbands and our kiddos and then Katy blogged about it on her personal blog. Seriously, it was! And of course we gchatted about it later!)

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