Friday Favorites: Boden, Next and Gap

Not sure if you realize this, but we have an entire page dedicated to our Favorite Things up all the time. (Admittedly we may need to update that page from time to time, but it's a great place to get links fast and furious when you need something.) With all of this back to school goodness in the air, we are in shopping mode, so if you haven't finalized your color scheme/theme for your cards (or let's be honest even started to THINK about them) - you are in luck because we have plenty of inspiration planned for today!

We think clothes should be affordable, durable and obviously cute! Our favorites are a combo of this - many of these retailers carry clothing from infant to adults. We are even share some of our hidden treasures. (Katy really didn't want to share Next Direct with "the world" but Cindy said that it was in the spirit of Christmas). We live by the "it's okay to spend money on clothes if we can wear them again and again" creed.  Over the next few weeks, we will be putting some boards together from our favorites this week, we start with some classics. So... In my best Julie Andrews:

Boden is awesome, we are quite smitten

Next is always ready with stockings and mittens

Gap is a classic, its' wonder still gleams

All are a few of our favorite things

Boden

We like stores that all you to shop for the entire family because they usually have pieces that will coordinate well. This palette would be fantastic for an urban photo shoot or at a carnival or fair. Just add some fun shoes, colorful tights and you are set! 

Fair Isle Knitted Dress/Judy Dress/Wool Blazer/Alice Ponte Dress/Men's Everyday V Neck

Next Direct

Someone build a campfire and grab the smores because THIS has us dying to get outside. We are loving all things plaid (or as we like to call it lumberjack chic)  - just feels comfy and cozy which are perfect adjectives for Christmas. That poncho will be arriving here soon and I **may** even have to try and squeeze myself in the biggest size of that tween tunic. Because clearly. If you never shopped at Next you are in a for a treat - TWO DAY SHIPPING is standard. And, y'all AND, if you ever need to call them (and you totally should) a real, live human answers the phone. And bonus, more than likely with a British accent. 

1. Colourblock Dress / 2. Knitted Stitch Poncho / 3. Longline Shirt Dress /  4. Four Pocket Jacket / 5. Two-Pack Striped Tee / 6. Boys Denim Shirt 

(Sidenote: Let's discuss our friends' across the pond definition of a vest.)

Gap

I know this may seem boring, but we love a monochromatic color scheme. This palette works well with rustic photo shoots, snow (!!),  and we think it would be awesome at a Christmas tree farm.

1.  Women's Cropped Cable Knit Sweater (BR ) / 2. Heritage Toggle Pull Over (BR) / 3. Girls Cable Poncho / 4.  Boys Ribbed Cardigan  / 5. Baby Cable Knit Dress 

If you shop these looks today you will get 40% off at Gap with code BDAY - so you are saving money. Do it!

What are your favorite looks to shop? Any hidden treasures you want to share?

Linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci

The greatest card on earth...

Are you dying to know who was the big winner of the $100 Nordstrom gift card sponsored by the Revelry?  We are too, but the contest isn't closed yet by the time we wrote this, so you're gonna have to wait with us. :) But, perhaps we can distract you with more fun because our Christmas in July extravaganza (oh yes, it's totally at extravaganza status) has one week left and this week has lots of fun in store!

Remember Merry Momma K's card from 2011? It's a fan favorite on Pinterest and we may be a bit biased, but we agree. ;) 

There are lots of set ups you can take advantage of shooting at a local carnival, circus or midway that you can easily fit into a "card theme"

Laughing all the way/Oh what fun!...

Wildflower Photos/Utterly Engaged/Natty Michelle/Amber Lanning/JackE

Merry {KISS}mas..

Two Chics Photography/Alex Michele/SLR Lounge/Something Turquoise/Michael Segal

Visions of {candy} danced in our heads...

Butterfly Chaser/Andy Gottesman/Logan Cole

Merry and Bright...

(You could also do Married and Bright for newlyweds)

JackE/Krista Campbell/Petal Handmade Love/Us 3 Birds/Beth Jansen

JOY to the world...

PinkleToes/Sloan Photographers/Zs the Day/BethJansen

A few tips...

1. Be flexible - these things travel, so you are limited in your dates! If the weather isn't perfect, then be prepared to make it work!
2. Call ahead to see when the least busy days/times are (Or swing by - they may not have a phone)
3. Clothing options are unlimited! Vintage, colorful, mismatched, formal - you name it and you can make it work at the fair!
4. Sometimes rides are broken - and that's a bummer. Be prepared to go with the flow!
5. Budget for the cost of rides, food, tickets and any other part of the fair that you want part of the shoot - this one isn't cheap!
6. Never take candy from a carney. ;)
7. Be prepared for the distractions - because there are plenty. 

But y'all - they are TOTALLY worth it! (We may have to go back now that Landry is here!) And because we love you and want you to be able to prep for a fair shoot - check here for a list of carnivals near you!

This will definitely be an experience the whole family will enjoy! You could even skip the posed pics and do a complete lifestyle shoot and the kids would never know the difference! They will remember that experience for a long time, and our friends at the Dish are talking about just that today! Less clutter - more fun, so head over there! We love that idea so much that we teamed up with The Dish once again to give away an experience to you!

One reader will win a Flying Trapeze Experience from Lone Star Trapeze Academy and two tickets Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus from Samantha Markey, Realtor.

I mean, let's discuss how awesome this card would be...

Source

So what are you waiting for? Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fantastical Friday!

It's Friday and today we have something FANTASTIC for you!

Who: Lyla Bergeron

Props: Carousel horse, lights, ornaments

Location: Pinkle Toes Studio

Clothes: Dress - Tutu Du Monde; Head piece - custom by her momma; Boots - Joyfolie; Tights - Target

Comments: It's probably a Christmas miracle...and probably the Merry Mommas and Michele from Pinkle Toes doing that I actually have my card together in time for the holidays...that never happens! I had this *gorgeous* dress in mind for the session as soon as I saw the set -- I knew something in the same tonal range (silver, white, cream, gold) would be the safer choice but I am not one to play it safe so I went with the unexpected pop of blue! And it's mighty lovely...and the headpiece/crown I wired together on the way up to Michele's studio was the perfect touch for Lyla's curly golden locks too! :)

Designer: Chantal Bergeron of Whimsy and Style Photography (Lyla's momma!)

Photographer: Pinkle Toes (Austin photographer)

Favorite Thing: Aside from my dear girl - the carousel horse of course! I can't hide the fact that I love a good prop (and my garage...errr prop warehouse...certainly can't either!)

One thing I should mention -- it's kind of hard to name a designer for the card sometimes...I always use templates from Bird Design but I modify them heavily (change colors, number of photos, shapes of photos, etc...as necessary to best fit the card).

Blog: Whimsy and Style Photography

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Katy's Thoughts: My thoughts are "why did I not know about Tutu Du Monde?" :) This card screams fantastical to me - just wonderment and joy and all things Christmas magic! Almost as if a Santa's toy shop came to life!! And I am loving all the glittery touches on cards this year!

Cindy's Thoughts: All that glitters is GOLD!  I am loving the gold glitter on the card and the gold accents in the photographs -so fun!  I also love those curly golden locks!  And Tutu Du Monde...wanna sponsor the Munson's 2014 card?

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How can you recreate this card? Use your imagination! Do something extraordinary - and let the focus be on the kiddos! There is just something about seeing the wonder of the season through a child's eyes and allowing the focus to be on them can take some stress away from you when trying to get everything together for pictures! 

Get PINspired:

1. This card reminds us of Merry Momma K's carnival card from 2011 - and if you remember, we already have a whole board dedicated to carnivals and fairs
2. Carousels can add to the picture even if the baby isn't actually riding!
3. Carousels also make a great spot for engagement shoots! ** we should warn you - when searching "carousel photoshoots" on pinterest - interesting images pop up**
4. Now - we can not tell a lie - glitter is not our favorite. But only in the "three dimensional, my kids came home with glitter art projects and now it is everywhere" variety. We are LOVING the glittery fonts and additions to cards! This navy and gold combo is super fun! The sweet addition to this dual purpose card is darling! And this card is awesome! 
5. We love the added fun of the ornaments too!

See? We told you that this was a fantastic Friday?! And you know what would make it even more FANTASTIC....

That's right! An AMAZING give away!

Today, we are once again teaming up with the talented Chantal Bergerson of 

We have already worked with Chantal once on our Ultimate Christmas Card Giveaway and we are so excited for what she has in store for you!

But first, let us remind you of how fantastic her work is...

For even more images, click here!

And NOW let us tell you about the FANTASTIC prize...

The “Tomorrow” session (Retail value: $1028.37):

For so long we've stored our memories, and told our stories via still images. But your life isn't still...and your children certainly aren't still...so why are we limiting ourselves to still portraiture? Still images provide amazing and highly rewarding artwork for your walls and for sharing on Facebook....but when all is said and done it's video that preserves your memories and tells your story best...'cause your kiddos move...they laugh, they hug, they toddle, they squirm...and video captures all these things. Beautiful video is increasingly going to be the way of preserving your family's memories. Why not have tomorrow's session today?

The “Tommorrow” session includes:

·      A 2+ hour video and photo session

·      At least 20 digital images printable to 8x10 (perfect for Facebook sharing and desk/gift prints) with a personal-use release

·      A beautifully edited 2-3 minute family video

·      The option of purchasing larger wall galleries as archival artwork for your walls or of upgrading to digital files printable to any size if you'd like to take the DIY route and design your own wall gallery

This session does full justice to your memories, your artwork, AND your web sharing needs!

Session must be scheduled to be held between December 2013 and March 2014. 

We'd say that this is fabulously fantastic! We'd also say that you should enter NOW....

(Couple of friendly reminders: You may only win once during the 12 Days of Merry and Rafflecopter will not allow you to enter on an iPhone.)

GOOD LUCK!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

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....