Capture that "Family Photo" and enjoy the holidays with Shutterfly!

It seems like lately, there has been quite a bit of “family portraits” talk in my house. We have never really gotten pictures done of the family, usually I’m too busy behind the camera trying to capture cute shots of Abby and hubby doesn’t typically like to be in photos (then again, neither do I! that’s why I hide behind the camera). Usually the only time of year we get any pictures of all three of us is in the Fall as the holidays approach. There is so much going on, so many times we gather with other family members and we are dressed up that we usually ask a family member to take a few pictures for us. Here are two of my favorites from last year:

My sister took this picture of us at Thanksgiving when we all gathered at our dad’s house. I think out of the ten she took this was the only one with all of us looking and smiling (and Abby not crying lol). Nothing fancy to it but I love this picture of us. 

Once again my sister took the picture for us. This is at Holiday House, a really awesome event that takes place here every November. We normally meet up with my sister, brother-in-law and niece to take pictures in front of all the Christmas decorations. Usually the pictures from Holiday House are the ones we use for our Christmas cards each year, this wasn’t the picture I used since we’re not looking at the camera but I love this one. Abby experiencing things for the first time, her first trip to Holiday House, her fascination with that sparkly bow, its just a moment in time that I cherish.

With the holidays quickly approaching, I know I need to start thinking about our Christmas cards. Being a military family means that I have my military “family” to send cards to along with our regular family. Most of my military family live states, even countries, away so I love to be able to send a photo card that let’s them see how Abby is growing. Plus photo Christmas cards are so personal and unique, instead of a generic card anyone can pick up at the store, creating a photo card not only adds our personal touch with the picture but also my personal touches creating it. And for me, Shutterfly is my go-to place for my photo Christmas Cards. The selection of cards to choose from is fantastic, there are so many different designs available and so many different colors that finding a card to suit what I’m looking for is simple. Plus the quality of the cards is outstanding, much better that what I was expecting. The cards are so colorful and sturdy that I know our family members keep them displayed throughout the year. Check out a few of the designs:

 

 

This year Shutterfly is doing something really neat, its called Shutterfly Family Day Photos. If you are anything like me, you come up with all these fantastic ideas of what you want to do in your family photos. You either see someone else’s photos and think “oh wow, I want to do that” or you see a fantastic location and ideas of the endless possibilities start to fill your head. Then, when the day comes you realize that as great as your ideas seem, they also seem impossible to pull off! You probably wonder how in the world that other family managed to capture that photo you loved. I don’t know about you but trying to capture that “perfect family picture” is really hard with a stubborn toddler (and sometimes stubborn hubby lol) and I often don’t achieve capturing the picture I really wanted to. Well, this is where Shutterfly Family Day Photos come in. Here’s a little more information: (borrowed from website)

I love this idea! Planning a fun day with friends to capture special moments and just enjoy each other’s company! Plus it takes so much of the stress out of everything! Check out Shutterfly Family Photos for Indoor & Outdoor Ideas, tips on creating unique holiday cards and other fun tips to make capturing your family photo and creating your cards easy and fun! There’s even a downloadable toolkit to help you out, I love some of the ideas listed and will definitely have to give them a try during our next photo shoot!

Along with my Christmas cards, each year I head to Shutterfly to create a photo book for my sister. I started this tradition a few years ago, I was clueless as to what to get my sister for Christmas and I really wanted something special. While browsing Shutterfly one night I came across their Photo Books and knew immediately it was perfect, exactly what I was looking for. I created a photo book documenting my niece’s first year, starting with pictures from when she was born and ending with pictures of her first birthday and 1 year pictures. I gathered pictures that had special meaning, that captured special moments and even a few really cute ones that always made us laugh. It was a gift that truly came from me, I worked many long hours and the end result was perfect. With Shutterfly’s help I created a unique gift just for my sister and she was completely surprised. Being able to have all those special pictures/memories right there in one book, to be able to flip through and recall those times meant so much to her. I think she even cried a little 🙂 I have continued that tradition each year and my sister loves to be able to pull out those books and look back at all those fun, special times.

So as the holidays approach, take a deep breath and relax. You’ll capture that “just right” family picture and then let Shutterfly help you create beautiful, unique cards as well as special photo gifts to share with friends and family!