Festive Friday with the Jacksons

Who: The Jacksons - Tom, Katy, Blake (5), Ally (5), Addison (1) and Bailey (1)

Location: The porch at Christopher's World Grille in Bryan, Texas

Clothes: The girls are in Old Navy and Blake's outfit is from Dillard's and Cavender's.

Designer: Nichole Quick of Quick Design Company

Photographer: Jenny Livingston with JML Photography

Katy's Comments: I wanted a traditional card, but I didn't want to use red and green because I wanted to be able to use the pictures in my house all year round. Black and white is always a safe bet and I really love the pop of red!

Katy's Favorite Thing: My favorite this about this card is that by some miracle all four kids are looking at the camera AND smiling!!!!! HAHAHA! With two sets of twins….this is almost unheard of!

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Merry Mommas' Thoughts: Two. Sets. Of. Twins. We are going to repeat that. TWO. SETS. OF. TWINS. That is just awesome! And they are just darling! Way to go MOMMA! You are a rock star! Okay, now that we have discussed the two sets of twins (we can't stop saying that!) let's talk about this card. We love it. We love the kids outfits, they coordinate so well and it is cute to have the baby twins matching! And the smiles…sweet and genuine. We love the tie in of the old painted wood barn and the wood floor of the porch at Christopher's - great job Nichole! This card makes us smile, thanks for sharing Katy!

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Be sure to check out our PINTEREST boards for more 4 sibling fun and barn wood!

Spreading the Merry with CLOTHES!

Hi!  Merry Momma Cindy, here.  Like Merry Momma Katy, Valentine's Day is a little "eh" for me, too.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE.  And I love all the darling cards that are exchanged in schools across America (and maybe other countries? {do some research on that , Cindy})  I don't really love the crowded restaurants and the overpriced flowers.  Now, I love eating out and getting flowers.  I just don't love paying for them. Ha!

Anyway…back to what the post is really about…you know what I do love about Valentine's Day - the CLOTHES!  What?  You don't buy Valentine's clothes for your kiddos?  Well, this post is for you!  I've got options, lots of options!  And if you have a Valentine wardrobe, share your secrets in the comments - we LOVE comments!

First, we're going to take a quick trip down memory lane and look at the Merry Little Munsons in their Valentine wardrobe.

This picture is from February of 2010 and was taken during Annaliese's 9 month photo shoot with B4 Photography. The fun hair flair is the photographer's and the shirts are from some really fun place that I can't remember. (Sorry!) I printed this picture out and sent it with a traditional Valentine's Day card to our family.  

(I didn't know about Pic Monkey back then!)

In February 2011 we sent these fun cards thanks to the talents photographer and designer Sarah Burns of Butterfly Chaser Photography.  The LOVE and XOXO shirts were made by my mom, who the girls affectionately call Bebe!  Aren't they awesome!  Don't worry if you don't have a seamstress in the family, I have some ETSY links for you below.

And now onto the nonprofessional pics! Caroline's heart shirt is from a local store - And Sew On. You may remember them from our 12 Days of Merry.  The girls have on cute knit dresses from Old Navy in the top right pic.  Old Navy is always a WINNER for holiday themed clothing!  In fact, in the middle picture the big girls' shirts are from there.  Millicent has on embroidered onesie with Baby Legs.  Check them out, there are so fun!  The matching outfits are from Mis-Tee-V-Us.

Now, that's fun and helpful Cindy…but what can I buy today?!?

Well, you're in luck…I did some research and put together outfits for babies, toddlers and kids!

Baby clothing from Old Navy

Toddler Girl clothing from Gap

Toddler Boy from Next Direct

Girl from Crazy 8

Boy clothes from Gymboree

And because there's lot of different fashion taste out there, I found smocked clothing, tutus and personalized and handmade clothing for you to buy too! (You're welcome!) 

Smocked clothes from Vive la Fete

Pettiskirts from Oopsy Daisy Baby

Red & White Outfit            Truck of Love

Boy/Girl Tee                  Cool Ladies Man

Kid Scarf                                     Baby Hat

Happy Valentine's Day Wardrobe SHOPPING!

We can't wait to see your pics - post them to our Facebook page on February 14th!

We'll share the MERRY LOVE all day long!

Merry Times Three & 12 Days of MERRY

It's DECEMBER!

It's CHRISTMAS CARD SEASON!

Y'all...you really have NO IDEA how MERRY this makes the Mommas! 

So MERRY that we are hosting the

12 Days of MERRY Giveaway!

(More on that later)

First, let us introduce you to three times the MERRY with the Self Triplets...

Who: Abigail, Wyatt and Jessy Grace

Location: Harry Meyers Park, Rockwall, Texas

Clothes: Girls - Wonderfully Made Children's Boutique; Wyatt - Target

Designer: Snazzylime Card Design

Photographer: Chrystel Ross (friend of Amanda's)

Favorite Thing: The "suessy" style of the girls dresses - and then hello! They are my kids, they are too cute! ;)

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Katy's Thoughts: I love how this card is capturing each of those sweet kiddos personalities. And I'm a sucker for a polka dot!

Cindy's Thoughts: I love the sweet faces and the bare feet on this card!  I also love the use of red, hot pink and lime green.  

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How can you recreate this card? This card is BRIGHT and we love the use of red, hot pink and lime green, such cute tones just off from the traditional red and green.  And when you have darling triplets, how can you go wrong!

Get PINspired:

1. Have older kids?  Don't forget about the Myer's bright pink and green card!
2. This card uses the red, hot pink and lime green too. (We wish that little girl would smile, though!)
3. Pink and glitter....pink and sparkle - pink is for dressing up!
4. This card and this card don't use the red, but are super cute nonetheless!
5. Hot pink and lime green aren't just for clothes - check this and this out!
6. We know you can't just have three babies at once...but if you do...can you take this picture?  And this one, and maybe this one!  Okay, this one and this one, too! And everybody's favorite triplets!

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And now for something extra MERRY.

Because Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year... we present the...

For the next 12 days the Merry Mommas and 12 wonderful sponsors are doing a giveaway a day! Without giving away too much think about all the things the Merry Mommas LOVE... hair flair, food, photos, stationery and fun! Check our blog daily for your chance to win one fabulous prize! (Only one prize/person).

AND...make sure to FOLLOW our blog for FIVE chances to win!

Today, the Merry Mommas teamed up with Jumping Jax Designs.

We love Becca and her work!
In fact, she is the designer of our beautiful blog and the darling 12 Days of Merry graphic. If that doesn't persuade you enough, check out a sampling of her work below.

The winner will receive a $35 credit to her shop!

Enter TODAY -- each giveaway will ONLY be open for entries from 5am until 11:59pm!
So really...enter today!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to the 12 Days of Merry!

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!

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!

A Perfect Paro Post

Merry Tuesday! Today you are in for a treat - Becca from Jumping Jax Designs (aka the lovely designer of this blog) is sharing her family's card with us!

 

Who: Travis (Dad), Becca (Mom), Jax (3) and Jory (1)

Location: Research Park in College Station, Texas

Props: We just used a crate and some blankets that our photographer had. The park provides a great backdrop so we didn’t need to add much! :)

Clothes: Travis: Old Navy button up and sweater, jeans are Levis, Becca: Head to toe Target!, Jax: BabyGap vest & cords, Morgan & Milo shoes, bowtie from an Etsy Shop, Jory: H&M dress, Children's Place tights, headband by Little Roo’s Boutique & moccasins by Minnetonka.

Comments: We found a few poses on Pinterest that we liked and showed our (amazing) photographer. She took note of them, but as always with kids, you just kind of have to take it as it comes and do whatever makes them happy in the moment. My favorite picture from the shoot is the one where my son is upside down – it captures him (& our family dynamic) perfectly. I made our card to coordinate with the outfits we wore!

Designer: Yours truly! I have a design business called Jumping Jax Designs. You can see more of my cards (and more pictures from that session, too!) on my website.

Photographer: Sarah Burns of Butterfly Chaser Photography

Favorite Thing: I love the punchy shade of red. I am generally not a fan of traditional red and/or green for holiday cards, but I love the bright red that I used, which I pulled from the color of my daughter’s bright red/orange dress!

Blog: You can view our personal blog at The Paro Post or my website at Jumping Jax Designs.

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Katy's Thoughts: My thoughts are this card is pretty darn cute! You can tell that they are totally in their element and really just a fun, spirited, happy family! I also love the subtle design on the back of their card. Becca has an amazing eye for graphic detail and her sweet family is the perfect model for her work! 

Cindy's Thoughts: I love the RED!  It is bright, fun and holiday-ish without the typical green and red look.  I also love the use of red and brown together, it gives the card a warm feeling.  I love Jax's bow tie and Jory's boots are to die for!

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How can you recreate this card? Red and brown. Red and brown. RED AND BROWN! Seriously - LOVE! Just do it! 

Get PINspired:

1. Ok, so let's get over this "my family has to be looking into a camera lens with perfect smiles on their faces." because you don't!!! Be you. Period. (that must be the theme for this week). Let's take a look at some families that do just that...
• Silly faces are merry
• Upside down kids are merry
• Upside down kids with animal print and a bare belly is really merry
2. Jax has some mad style - too much cute to list. He inspired some new pins on our Toddler Boys Board that you should check out.
3. Did you see Jory's polka dots? Are you jealous? Well, then... Polka dots for Dad.  Polka dots for Mom. Polka dots for tween. Polka dots for little girl. Polka dots for baby. Polka dots for dog.
4. Create your own PINSPIRATION!! How you ask? By using the code for YMM readers! That's right - Becca is offering 15% off anything in her shop when you check out with the MERRY15 code! 

Also make sure to like her Facebook page to get the scoop on her upcoming deals for the holidays!

A getting MARRIED Christmas

This sweet couple just got married THREE weeks ago! Check out their fun way of telling the world just how "MARRY" they are!

Who: Travis and Donna

Location:  Pilot Point, TX- my great-grandparents' farm

Props:  We didn't use any real props, but the setting of the picture is dear to our hearts. 

Clothes:  Donna- shirt Banana Republic; Travis- shirt Ralph Lauren

Comments:  Christmas was 8 months before my wedding- a perfect time to send a Save the Date.  I emphasized the word “married” as much as I did because I wanted to make sure that the recipient would immediately notice it was a Save the Date and not just put it in the pile of all the other Christmas cards.  

Designer: ME!! 

Photographer: A coworker of mine does photography as a hobby, so she took some pictures for us. 

Favorite Thing:  I like that it looks like a Save the Date card but also looks like a Christmas card without sacrificing portions of either.  It completely accomplished both tasks.  

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Katy's Thoughts: I kind of love the play on words. Cute simple and easy to accomplish with other Christmas themes as well!

Cindy's Thoughts:  Well, Donna is a bestie...so of course I love the card! :)  I think my favorite thing is the look of happiness on both of their faces!

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How can you recreate this card? I think the key to this card is just to keep it simple. Old/vintage/rustic buildings make great backdrops for pictures. They add lots of fun texture and depth without taking the focus away from the people in the pic. And the holidays are a great time to share news with family and friends - love the double purpose of this card!

Get PINspired:

1. Looking for a great way to tell the world that you are so merry about getting MARRIED? Then click here, here, and here!
2. Lots of examples of great photos with barn backdrops are here, here, and here!
3. If I was going to take pics in front of a barn, I'd want it to look exactly like this!
4. And for more ideas, FOLLOW US on PINTEREST! 

Really, what is more merry than getting MARRIED?!? Tell us your favorite thing about this card!