Christmas is almost here! And I’m already thinking about when it’s gone! :( I love having a special keepsake that I can take out year after year at Christmas time and think about the years I’ve used it. Especially my stocking! I still have and use my stocking from when I was a little kid! So does John! We argue each year about whose is better, it always makes me laugh, because your stocking is so special in it’s very own way. It holds so many memories, and nobodies can be better than yours :) I hope that Ivy and Leo feel an attachment to their stocking as they grow up!

But a stocking isn’t the only way to remember each Christmas and relive the memories. I LOVE a personalized ornament! I put our Christmas card photo on ours so that we have a good memory from each of our Christmases year after year. They’re so fun to look back on! While John and I only have had four Christmases married to each other, I can’t wait to see them when we have 20! Or 50! Plus, fun to see the kids grow up year after year in our family photo. Leo and Ivy’s Baby’s First Christmas ornaments are such a joy to see each Christmas season. And always make sure to remember to put the year on it!

And this year, I’m really loving all of the beautiful wrapping papers out there! Now, there are personalized wrapping papers! You can even put pictures on them! How fun to have wrapping paper with your child’s photo on it! I think Ivy would about die seeing herself under the tree! :) Plus, fun to have spare paper leftover for next year to see how they’ve changed. This idea seems so neat!

ivy stocking | leo stocking | wood trees | felt tree with berries | white tree | white marble tree | white twig tree | colorful garland

 Whichever way you go, I really enjoy a keepsake from each year to think back on the year and how much has changed. Just a fun way to remember all the memories we’ve shared over the years.

Which Christmas keepsakes do you use?!

wrapping paper || black trees | navy polaroid | happy tree | floral | frames | merry and bright
stockings || pom | santa | polar bear | santa
ornaments || gold square | merriest | floral | navy circle | baby first xmas | photo baby first xmas | gold merry circle

There are TONS of sales going on right now at Tiny Prints and Minted! Happy shopping! :)

Have you seen this 100 Christmas Photo Ideas? So fabulous! I LOVE seeing each family post their family photo on Christmas Day, dressed up, in pjs, at church, opening presents, love to see what everyone does! These 100 ideas really get my creative spirit going!

And Christmas is in 12 days!!! EEEK! How’s your shopping going?

Happy Monday! Have a great week!

And here’s a little throwback – look how wittle Leo looks last Christmas!

SWOON

It’s that time of year again! That love/hate relationship with family photos, trying to get everyone to cooperate and FREAKING smile, which is near impossible. But then you get that one fab photo and you’re not quite sure how, but you can’t WAIT to get it on a Christmas card! That might just be me, but I am preeeeetty much obsessed with holiday cards! I also do love taking family photos, because from my experience, no matter how big of a shit show you think it was, the photographer always surprises me with photos where I’m like, HOW DID YOU GET THIS PHOTO.

These last photos we took (see the urban photo shoot here) with Emily Mitton Photography were some of my favorites! Still shocked how great they turned out! I was positive that Leo was sucking his fingers or crying the entire time, Ivy was her flighty self running around amuk and being crazy, and John was fighting with Leo trying to hold his hand down and out of his mouth, all while I was sweating and trying to get two kids to laugh naturally (riiiiiiight) and get a smile out of them! But like I said, always to my surprise, the photographer somehow nails it each time!

I can’t wait to share my holiday card with you! I love going to the mailbox each day with new cards from our family and friends to hang on our board. Love holiday cards! This year I chose a pretty modern hipster design to match our urban photos. I’m really into minimalist simple this year and toooootally loving everything black and white. Can you guess which card design we picked?!

Here are some of my favorites this year from Minted and Tiny Prints

Top – 1 | 2 | 3
Middle – 1 | 2 | 3
Bottom – 1 | 2 | 3

I LOVE Minted and Tiny Prints! Their cards are the best out there! Plus, on many of these holiday cards you can change the colors on the card, the greeting, add gold shimmering foil that is soo beautiful, so many options! Overall there are tons of ways to personalize these cards!

And now this year, Tiny Prints also offers free address recipient printing, just like Minted does! THIS IS HUGE! I have my addresses imported that I’ve used every year, and the beautiful designs they put on the envelopes with the addresses are so pretty! I love that I don’t have to write out the addresses! Time saver during the busy holiday season!

34 days till Christmas! Just sayin’! EEEK!