Couples Week: Darling Dudleys

 Love is in the air and it's COUPLES WEEK at Your Merry Mailbox!

This week we are going to feature cards of some of the cutest couples around. Make sure you check the blog everyday to see the cute cards and get ideas for your next couple photo shoot!

  

Who: Ryan and Katelin Dudley (and little bitty tiny baby G :))

Location: Sweeny, Texas (The photographer's parents have land there.)

Props: none

Clothes: All clothing was previously owned and most is several years old.  It's proof that you don't always have to purchase something new for pictures!  I did a little Pinterest research and was able ro recreate several looks I liked with things we already owned.

Comments: This session also included pictures with my family for my parents' Christmas card (which is way cute by the way!).  Ryan and I traveled down to my hometown for the weekend and were able to have a few images taken of just for our card, as well as family pictures.

Designer: Kirby Betancourt of Ambient Studios

Photographer: Kirby Betancourt of Ambient Studios

Favorite Thing: I loved the lighting and the scripture, but my favorite thing about our card was the fact that we were able to include our newest family member!  When these pictures were taken I was only about 11 weeks pregnant and the idea that we were actually having a baby was still very new.  It's amazing to think that last year our card was one of our favorite wedding pictures and although not visible, our sweet Graham was included this year!

Blog: Life of the Darling Dudleys

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And now for your reading pleasure - a LOVE story...

Ryan and I met at Texas A&M through an organization that Merry Momma K actually sponsored at the time!  (Not only did I meet my husband, but I also gained a friendship that has blessed me in so many ways!  Needless to say, I always encourage people to become involved in organizations.)  Ryan and I became friends quickly but didn't begin dating until the end of our senior year.  After a year of long distant dating, we became engaged and the rest is history!

I knew shortly after meeting Ryan that he possessed all of the qualities I dreamed of in a husband - qualities which i admire even more now than I did when we first me in 2008.  Ryan and I compliment each other in so many ways.  Where I am uptight and obsessive (it's okay, I own it), he is easy going and relaxed.  He loves me fiercely, leads our family and has a heart for Jesus.  I wrote on my blog a few weeks ago about the much circulated article stating that there was not one specific "soul mate" for each person.  And I agree with the woman that wrote the article, there are probably plenty of men who wold have made great partners; however, I know without a doubt that God had a specific plan when he led me to Ryan; to be his wife.  And am I ever glad I listened.

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Merry Mommas Thoughts:A Christmas card that announces that there is a tiny precious miracle on the way...well, you just can't beat that! We totally agree with Katelin - the LIGHTING is all kinds of great! And on a more technical note (you know, because we are so technical around here) we love the script-y font and the combo of fonts used on the card - it really makes the card easy to read and appealing to the eye. The design's illusions of a trim is also really appealing to the eye! And lastly, they are just stinking CUTE!

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How can you recreate this card?  Grab your honey and head to the nearest tree! Don't forget to pray for great lighting too!

Get PINspired:

1. Our Oh Baby! board has lots of ideas for announcing the pregnancy and for when the baby comes, check it out!
2. This one may be our favorite!
3. But a card that features shoes is always going to rank high on our list! (Hint! Hint! Josh and Ryan...we like shoes!)
4. And this is a sentence we never thought we would write:  This ultrasound pic is ADORBS! (Sorry, but most ultrasound pics are a tad weird! It's a pic inside of your body!)
5. Maybe you aren't that into pictures (it's okay, we still love you!)...you can always announce your news this way!  It's super cute!
6. This lady speaks truth!
7. This card is cute and funny, but we don't know if the Merry Momma could send it!  Our MOMS get our Christmas cards!  Eek!
8. And y'all...what's better than a card that features Blue Bell.  (The answer is NOTHING!)

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!

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...