Presents Week: BABY!

So, its been three minutes...

Where's the baby?!?

Even if YOU aren't having a baby, odds are someone you know is...

So we present:

$ - Practical: Swaddle Blankets 
Y'all. The Merry Mommas are swaddle moms. Real swaddle moms. Like arms and all. And we are firm believers in it. For us. You do what you want, but we love love love a swaddle. And we love to give swaddle blankets. The ones by Aden + Anais are amazing! Little Merry Millicent just might be still sleeping with hers, at 2+ years of age. And she still just might like a tight tuck in. *might*

$$ - Practical: Baby Carriers
The Merry Mommas are MOMMAS ON THE GO! And we loved both the Moby Wrap and the Baby Bjorn! We think both of these items make for a great gift for your Momma OR Daddy On The Go!

$$$ - Practical: Car Seat/Breast Pump
Okay, so we couldn't pick just one and some moms choose not to breast feed or aren't able too (and that's 100% OKAY! Do what works for you and your family!). Every kid needs a car seat and every mom that breast feeds needs a breast pump. And those things are expensive! Help a family out and if you can give one of these gifts - do it!

$ - Not so practical: Personalized "Stuff"
It's NO secret that the Merry Mommas love things personalized. But we are mature and honest enough to know that it isn't really all that practical. (Collective *gasp* from the audience.) But, it is DARN CUTE! So go ahead, give us personalized gifts...we mean, give personalized gifts to others! Live life on the edge, don't be practical all the time!

You Name It Designs

(personalized and a swaddle blanket = Merry Momma heaven!)

$$ - Not so practical: Shopping Cart Cover
This shopping cart cover is just too cute, but practical...not really. The first months of a baby's life will be spent in a car seat during his/her trips to Target and by the time the baby can sit up in the grocery cart, you have a diaper bag full of stuff and probably another baby on the way (oh wait, that was just crazy ol' Merry Mommas!) and finding time to find the cover and then actually use it...well, probably isn't happening. Anyway, we love these things and both have them, but if we are being honest (and the MM love honesty) we didn't use them very much.

$$$ - Not so practical: Super High Tech Baby Monitor
We promise we aren't trying to start any mommy wars, but for the both of us, a high priced super fancy baby monitor just wasn't a necessity. Now, if you want to give one - GREAT! We both had your standard $29.99 monitor and it worked, but check out this fancy one and maybe get Aunt Betsy to buy it for you!

$ - Meaningful: Personalized Blocks
Some gifts are just meant to be sent after the birth, like these adorable blocks. Those first few weeks are amazing and wonderful and also - well - SO STINKING HARD. So surprise your friend with a sentimental gift and hold her screaming baby for an hour or so and let her shower and nap!

$$ - Meaningful: Blanket from Bebe
Cindy's mom, affectionately know as Bebe, is a seamstress. And she makes blankets for every baby that is loved on by any member of the Brown family. We're sure that you or someone you know is a seamstress or a knitter or could become one and there is nothing more meaningful than a gift made from the heart! If sewing and needles aren't your style, you could paint something or write a meaningful letter. Basically, any gift that is "Made by You" is an amazing one - make your already emotional friend tear up a bit and get busy making something!

Millicent's coming home blanket made by Bebe!

(told ya, we love love love a swaddle!)

$$$ - Meaningful: Housekeeping Services for a Year
A clean house...is there really anything better? NOPE, is the answer! Can you imagine the look on an expectant mom's face when she opens a gift for housekeeping services for an entire year?? We think the look would be called ELATED! When Your Merry Mailbox hits it big and we get hundreds of thousands of hits a day and are millionaires, we are giving this gift to every expectant momma we know! (And maybe a personalized blanket! ;))

And if your baby is now a senior,

don't forget to enter our giveaway here!

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!

Getting Snazzy with the Smiths

Who: The Smiths! Jess, Zach, Caroline (2 years) and Luke (3 months)

Location: Cowtown Photo Booths! My hubby and a friend have a photo booth business. They usually rent it for weddings and corporate events. We set it up in the garage and had fun taking pics. Now, you don't need a fancy photo booth, you could make your own with a solid background and digital camera with a self timer. 

Props:  We got the props at the Dollar Store and Oriental Trading (because we like to spend big bucks!). Santa hat, sunglasses, mustaches, hats, stocking, pom pom and a snowman that was hiding. ;)

Clothes: Red and green - nothing special just what we had!

Comments: We wanted a fun card. The expressions of the kids are just hilarious and did you see that baby fell asleep in picture #3!?!

Designer: I made the card! I used Photoshop and Picasa - the font is called Giddyup. (Tip: we took a BUNCH of pictures and then picked our favorite 4. I made a photo strip look-a-like collage. Just add a border in between the pics. (I was inspired by this!)

Photographer: We took the pics with our photo booth. Check us out at Cowtown Photo Booths.

Favorite Things: We had so much fun making the card. It can be stressful taking "the perfect" family photo. Instead, we decided to have fun with it and capture real life. :) I think we got it all: laughing, crying, sleepy, funny and happy! We even made a video while we were taking the pics - HILARIOUS!

Blog: You can find me at Get Snazzy and Resume Butterfly.

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Katy's Thoughts: I love that they embraced real life. This card showcases that this family is all about fun - I mean makes me want to go make silly faces with my kids right now! I can only imagine the merry that this card brought to all that received it!

Cindy's Thoughts: This is a fun card that shows lots of different emotions and I love that!  I was actually going through the pictures on my iPhone this weekend and there was a series of pictures that I took with Merry Little C - sad, happy, excited, silly, etc. and they brought such a smile to my face -- I know this card did the same for all that received it!

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How can you recreate this card? Jessica said it best - hang a solid color piece of fabric, buy some fun props, set your camera for auto and you are all set! Don't be afraid to have fun and act silly - "picture perfect" is only defined by those that are having their picture made. We do showcase a lot of seemingly "perfect" cards... but we LOVE true-to-life, honest photographs that capture the every day moments that we should be thankful for!

Get PINspired: 

1. Can't decide on just one picture for your card? Then a photo strip is a perfect option? Check out this cute set of brothers, this adorable family and a card that also comes with a gift! 
2. Wanting to stick with traditional and go red and green?
• For Mom - Click here and here for two fun polyvores
• For Dad - Click here for some fancy pants and here for a fun watch
• For toddler girl - Check out this amazing red dress and here for this green party dress
• For toddler boy - Click here for a great tie combo and here for some fun pants
• For tween or teen girl - Click here and here
• For tween or teen boy - Pinterest hates us. Seriously, all that kept coming up was pictures of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But, we did find this, this and this!

JOY

**EDITED**

Wow! We are overwhelmed with the number of people that are seeing this post via Pinterest. WELCOME to Your Merry Mailbox! We hope you love what you see and we invite you to scroll on down to that "follow" button on the right panel to ensure that you get the latest updates, tips, and Pinspiration to spread the merry!!! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Who: Merry Momma Cindy, Merry Husband Josh, Merry Littles C, A & M

Location: The family picture and the big girls pictures were shot at the entrance to a subdivision in Bryan, Texas.  Millicent in the O was shot in Sarah's studio.

Props: JOY letters were purchased from Craft Cuts.  I don't even know how I found the company, but I found it and ordered them.  Josh spray painted them a light dusty gold color and I thought they turned out darling!

Clothes: The big girls outfits are Persnickety and Millicent's lacy romper was from a darling boutique in Lubbock, Texas called My Cup of Tea.  Lots of boutiques carry them and you can also order them off ETSY, in fact 5,826 items popped up when I typed lace romper into ETSY!  Josh's shirt is from Banana Republic and the jeans are from Gap.  I have on brown boots from Kohl's, skinny jeans from Target and the shirt is from Old Navy.  (Any other Mommas out there notice something wrong about the wardrobe price differentiation?!?  I guess that's just what Mommas do!)

Comments:  The inspiration for this card came directly from this darling card.  I don't know who these people are, but whoever you are - YOUR PICTURE IS TO DIE FOR!  A donkey!  I tried to talk Merry Hubby Josh into a donkey, but he said I was pressing my luck!  And, to be honest, I wanted to make the card my own.  As I mentioned we bought the letters from Craft Cuts and just played around with them during the photo shoot.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the finished product!

Designer: Sarah Burns of Butterfly Chaser Photography

Photographer: Sarah Burns of Butterfly Chaser Photography

Favorite Thing:  I love everything about this card!  The lighting is amazing, especially in Merry Little C & A's pics.  The letters JOY are fun and add a disincentive pop to the card.  You can't go wrong with Persnickety outfits.  I love the big girls smiles.  I love Merry Little M's little tiny leg "hanging out" of the O and I love that her mouth is making and O (She was mere 8 days old during this photo shoot.)!  I love how perfectly the bible verse fit that stage of our lives.  I love everything about this card!

Blog: Hot Mess Munsons

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Katy's Thoughts:  I love that the bible verse captures this moment in their lives so perfectly. I also love the new mom glow of Cindy and how excited that C & A are to have a new baby sister. I love that Josh goes along with the "crazy" ideas of Cindy because he knows how well it is going to pay off. I LOVE Mills. Love, love, LOVE her in this card. Seriously, you can't get much cuter or more joyful than a newborn baby. PERFECTION. This card brings me joy each time I see it!

Cindy's Thoughts: I think I've said enough...but I do love it!

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How can you recreate this card?  Adding a disincentive pop - like oversized letters - to a card can really make a difference.  The large letters are easy to find (or make if you are crafty) and you can use them to spell any holiday greeting!  I have seen wooden letters at Craft Cuts, Michaels, Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store.  

Get PINspired:  

(Speaking of Pinterest... you may have seen this card before. A few months after we mailed them out Craft Cuts sent an email asking customers to send in pictures of their products being used. We did and got $25...and thought that was the end of it. Until I saw our family's face popping up everywhere! Let's just say if I had $25 for every time it has been pinned...seriously - it's crazy and fun!)

1.  Love, love, love this card.  I love how the family decorated this card!  These darling little boys are full of JOY!  Don't have three kids?  Don't worry, add the family pet!  One kid family, that's cool too!

2.  You can always use the graphic design to spread the JOY!  These little darling kids exemplify JOY!  This family is full of JOY, too!

3.  Remember, you don't have to use JOY - Ho Ho Ho! is pretty stinking cute too!

4.  Lastly, JOY is all about perspective! ;)

And...

We have a BIG surprise coming up this week, you may want to hit that "follow" button on the right for a chance at something fun.... 

A Carnival Christmas....

**EDITED**

Wow! We are overwhelmed with the number of people that are seeing this post via Pinterest. WELCOME to Your Merry Mailbox! We hope you love what you see and we invite you to scroll on down to that "follow" button on the right panel to ensure that you get the latest updates, tips, and Pinspiration to spread the merry!!! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Who: Merry Momma K, Merry Husband R, and Merry Littles R, E and baby bump L (who at the time we referred as MAK)

Location: Local traveling carnival at the oh-so-merry Post Oak Mall in College Station, Tx

Props: The amazing backdrop was enough prop for us! For a few shots we did have the kids eating some popcorn, but none of those shots made the card

Clothes:
Katy - Old Navy Maternity Tunic (Check out their latest here); Old Navy Maternity Jeggings (If it was socially acceptable I would still wear these!)
Ryan - Combination of Ralph Lauren, Kohls, and Old Navy
Radley - Next Direct Sweater (Similar here); Children's Place Jeans, Bow Tie (Can't remember the shop but tons on Etsy); Ralph Lauren Sports Shirt
Emersyn - Next Direct Yellow Jacket - Similar in big girls here (that I purchased in June to wear for this card because I am crazy); Old Navy Skinny Jeans

Comments: At some point during the Summer of 2011 I got it in my head that our Christmas card pic HAD to be at the local carnival. Because, well, I'm crazy.  So - I called up the good 'ol information line at the Post Oak Mall and asked them when the carnival would be back in town and as the stars sometimes align, the carnival was going to be there just when we wanted to take pics! I absolutely adore how these turned out and get tons of compliments on this card still. If you are thinking of taking pics at a fair/carnival (and I highly suggest that you do) just be patient with your kiddos. LOTS and lots of distractions are out there - we paused the shoot to let Rad ride a couple of rides and those pics ended up being some of my absolute favorite! (Check out the bottom right of the card)

If you notice, Radley makes a few "costume" changes throughout. Don't be afraid to go with something different than planned - the night was warmer than we expected and he just wasn't that comfortable - so we let him change clothes and he was happy and we got some great pics from it!

Designer: Sarah Burns of Butterfly Chaser Photography

Photographer: Sarah Burns of Butterfly Chaser Photography

Favorite Thing: I love that my baby bump was peaking through - this was our first card as a family of FIVE!

Blog: The Queen of the Kings


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Katy's Thoughts: Clearly I love it. :) Everything is just merry and bright!!! 

Cindy's Thoughts:  I love every single thing about this card.  I love the carnival scene.  I love the clothing - Emmy's jacket and Rad's bow tie.  I love that the front is one picture and the back has a collage of pics.  BUT, what I love most is the glow Katy has!  And I think it rubbed off on Ryan, Radley and Emmy!  The entire family looks "for reals" happy and well...they could be anywhere in any clothing and the card would be amazing!  Pregnancy GLOW = key to amazing pics! (I wouldn't recommend you getting preggers just to have a great Christmas card, though...babies are awesome and all, but they are a lifetime commitment! ;))

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How can you recreate this card? Go to a carnival/fair, take some pics, and ENJOY! :)  Play it up with props like cotton candy, popcorn, funnel cake, colorful clothes, and big smiles! The great thing is your clothes don't have to "match" which we find is what stresses people out the most about a photo shoot. Just play with it and let your personality shine! Seriously, you won't regret it!!!

Get PINspired:

1. We can't narrow down our favorite pins just check out our entire Carnival and Fairs board (and you may recognize some faces)!
2. Our picks for styling your darling daughter for a carnival card: Matilda Jane, Whimsy and Style, Persnickety, and shoes from Joyfolie. We also think that this is pretty darn cute stuff, too! And don't forget about her head! Favorite shops include ChicPretties, Cozette Couture, Bella Bowz and Sewz, and LoveCrushBowtique (seriously, check out their headdresses - Merry Momma K may be ordering one for this year's card!).
3.  To make your little man look delightful, try some bowties, adorable hats like this, this  (can't beat that price!!!) and this; and you can't forget his feet! We love Next Direct for shoes and a good 'ol fashioned pair of Chucks is always a win!

What other ideas do you have! Feel free to share in comments.

And...

We have a BIG surprise coming up this week, you may want to hit that "follow" button on the right for a chance at something fun.... 

An introduction...

On Tuesday we displayed a bump so today we thought we would showcase an adorable way to reveal what was hiding in a bump! :) And didn't they do this so nicely?

Who: Sharon, Mark, baby Grant and Chloe the beagle

Location: Our Home

Props: Basket was purchased many years ago; stuffed puppy is Jelly Cat; baby blanket was custom made by Haley Davis.

Clothes: I have no idea what we were wearing - I was still in new baby haze. And sweet Grant was in his birthday suit! :)

Comments: Throughout our pregnancy we used a "chalk board" theme for fun updates and announcements. Starting with our pregnancy announcement, where our sweet dog Chloe presented a chalkboard sign stating, "I'm going to be a big sister" followed by weekly chalkboard signs to show my growing belly that also compared the baby's size to fruit or described my cravings that week. When we announced baby's gender we used chalk paint on a cardboard box (boy or girl) and gave a friend our sealed results to fill the box with the correct colored baloons, which we released in a park to discover we were having a boy! Therefore, when our photographer showed us a birth announcement/Christmas card with a chalk board theme, we knew it was the one! We also like that the template was front and back and allowed for multiple photos to be displayed.

Designer: Bird Design (recommended by our photographer)

Photographer: Sarah Burns of Butterfly Chaser Photography

Favorite Thing: We treasure these photos and love that our dog was included. She's been part of our family for ten years and will always be our "first baby". 

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Katy's Thoughts: Love the use of a consistent theme throughout - even if the parents are the only one who really know. The colors are simple so the focus stays on this sweet family and precious baby! And that bottom left picture of Baby Grant - to die for! :)

Cindy's Thoughts: In our very first post we discussed our love for receiving mail.  The number one reason mail is fun is because it is ALMOST always GREAT news!  Have you ever received an invitation to a funeral, no!  You have received invites to parties and weddings! And I don't know if there is anything more wonderful than the announcement of a BABY in the mail!  A Christmas card and a baby announcement...well this Merry Momma is in heaven!  I love this card because it is clean and crisp yet is also a chalk board style (sometimes the chalk board style can look messy to me!).  And I love this card because that baby is just precious, my favorite picture is the one of Grant with the stuff animal - so sweet! 

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How can you recreate this card?: There are tons of birth announcement/Christmas card combos. To make this your own, just think about what is important to you. Do you want a double sided card? How many photos do you want to include? Do you have siblings, pets, other relatives that would add to your design? Mom also kept the design simple so the focus is on the family and most importantly their special package! :)

Get PINspired:

1. If you are looking for a precious way to announce your special gift then click here, here and here. And this one makes our ovaries do a little dance. 
2. If you want to get the family/siblings involved then click here, here, here and here. (We tried finding more examples with fur babies but can't - so if you have any pinned please share in the comments!)
3. And if you are looking for chalkboard inspired cards, then check out this board. 

Have a great weekend!! Be sure to check in on Monday because we have BIG stuff coming up next week...

Wonderful Wyatt

Hi friends!  After all the fun of WWLW and TBT, we are back to posting darling cards!  Today's card features a super cute family...though we may be a tad biased, Jessica was Merry Momma Katy's college roommate and is Merry Momma Cindy's sis-in-law. All these connections aside, we know you will think the card is WONDERFUL too!

Who: Zeke (Dad) Jessica (Mom) Wyatt (Favorite Son)

Location:  Beaumont, Texas – Random barn that was damaged during Hurricane Ike

Props:  No props

Clothes:  Gap, Target, Etsy, Old Navy and Baskin’s (you can tell we are country)

Comments:  Our photos served a dual purpose; they were Wyatt’s three month photos and to be used as our Christmas card. We chose the red and white color scheme because of the dual purpose. It was our first Christmas as a family of three so it is a little extra special.

Designer: Tiny Prints

Photographer: Lacy Hampton 

Favorite Thing:  My favorite thing about the card is that is captures the many personalities of our precious Wyatt and family.

Blog: Still working on that………

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Katy's Thoughts: Lots of boy moms seem to be discouraged by the lack of props/cute clothes for the little fellas and Jessica just proved that there are TONS of cute things for our little men!

Cindy's Thoughts: Well, the cute little boy that just happens to be my nephew makes this card pretty stinking adorable.  Additionally, I love the use of more than one picture and the darling hat and suspenders!

 
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How could you recreate this card?  The great thing about this card is that it really does focus on the family.  There are great backgrounds (fence, barn, grass), but nothing you couldn't find if you drive around your hometown.  The key to recreating this card is to have great photographs of your subjects and find a fun card on Tiny Prints, Zazzle, Minted, etc. and match your clothing to your card choice.

Getting PINspired:  If you are thinking of recreating this card, check out these pins:
1.  Who doesn't love cute kids??  Click here, here, here and here!
2.  Family pics are always great, too!  Click here and here!
3.  And pics without kiddos are awesome too!  Click here!

What's your favorite thing about this card?  Leave your comments below!