Christmas Cards from The Perfect Family!

For the past 3 years I've partnered up with Tiny Prints to help force me in to one of my 2 blog posts of the year. The one where I show off our Christmas mantel and amazing Tiny Prints Christmas cards...

Oh how I love decorating a Christmas mantel... Don't we all?

The one thing I think we can all agree on is that Christmas cards on the other hand, are a total pain in the ass. The process of getting family photos taken is awful, it's OK to just openly admit it already. I am convinced no one hates it as much as my 7 year old son Cormac however. He has some sort of PTSD from years past I assume. At the very mention of Christmas card photos, he turns from a sweet, cooperative child in to some sort of rebel alien force I can not talk any common sense or good bribe in to.

About a month ago when I started mentioning that Tiny Prints wanted to work with me on a Christmas post again, he started turning. In my head I was like, "You got this Kenna. YOU. ARE. THE. PARENT." But no matter how many all caps and periods between words you tell yourself... If a kid doesn't want to take photos, no matter how good you sell it... They will not take photos (without a dumb face anyway).

So I had to get tricky. Sneaky. Creative. I had to dig in to my deep deep soul of manipulation and WOW the family with a new idea. A new way of doing Christmas photos. One that I not only knew would make them agree to smiles galore, but one that would leave Shawn and I laughing. Because everything is better if you can laugh your way through it, I said!

Enter: Ironic Christmas Card Photos from The Perfect Family.

You know the photos. You know the card. We've all gotten THE CARD. The one that makes you vomit and ask aloud, "How are we EVEN friends with these people?!". You may have even sent it. Possibly as recent as last year. You may be oblivious to it's obnoxiousness, or you may bathe in it like I do, knowing how awesome your family looks on that beautiful matte finish, round-edged card.

This year, I pitched the idea to Shawn: the 4 of us, on a beach, in crisp white shirts & denim, being, WAIT FOR IT: super in-love and all-around perfect. I thought it was enough. The idea made me laugh just thinking about it, I figured it was a clear winner. I texted my BFF. I said, "How funny is this idea?!..." She said, "It needs something more." I told Shawn... "It needs something more..." He said, "McDonald's. It needs us eating McDonald's." Juxtaposition. What a beautiful idea.

We told the kids. I waited for Cormac's response. He was confused. I felt like a winner already.
Cormac: "So wait, we can eat a McRib during the photo shoot? What if I get messy?"
Awesome Parents: "We welcome the mess. The messier, the better."
Cormac: "This is weird."
Awesome Parents [high fiving]: "We ARE weird!"

Next thing I had to do was get a friend to take the pics. It's not like I needed a professional. It's not the clarity of the photos I'm sending out, it's the idea. I ran it by my friend at work, "What if I take your kids Christmas card pics, and you take ours?" She was in.

As the day approached Shawn kept reminding me of all of the things we could do to make our cards even funnier. "Frolic in the ocean!" he said. I hate the ocean but I had to admit, it had me laughing. He took it farther, "If I carry you in to the ocean, you can't get mad, it's for the good of the Christmas cards." I felt like suddenly I was being manipulated. What a weird feeling.

We made it to the beach the day before Thanksgiving and waited for Golden Hour. We laughed, we ate cold McDonald's. We got wet. We confused our children. It was the most stress-free family "photo session" we've ever had. I don't know how we'll ever top this next year.

But I'm willing to try.

Merry Christmas,

The Perfect Family

PS- If you normally get a card from us, I'm getting them out this week! Shawn offered to address them but- hello- I am way to perfect for his handwriting.

These are probably my favorite just because they capture the juxtaposition so well... Matching white shirts, denim and... McDonald's. They're the most simple and to the point. #BLESSED.

A note telling the people how amazing and blessed you are is super important when sending The Perfect Family Christmas cards. Ours brags about our awesomely athletic children and the fact that Shawn & I didn't even need marriage counseling this year!

"What a Wonderful Life" braces the front of our tri-fold card which is complete with 15 pictures."Merry Everything!" along with our names & ages for every family member- this whole back panel really had me cracking up. I think it's about time we start implementing ages for all.

Photo stamps where you're making out with your husband on a beach are par for the course with a card like this!

This card is part of the Baby2Baby collection I've talked about at the bottom of this post. Of all the cards, it's definitely the nicest and most normal with it's beautiful shimmer card-stock and beveled edge design which Christmas card dreams are made of! Besides the McRib on Cormac's face and Shawn's shirt, and wet hair/sand on my cheek we look awesome... Way to be perfect Birdie.

Custom stamps and an address labeling reading "Joy, Peace and Love" are really the only way to seal off cards like these. AMIRIGHT!

PHOTO SHOOT

Taken by Bianca Serle

Photo Novice

 

If you're considering ordering last minute Christmas Cards I can assure you Tiny Prints cards are quick, easy and have a ton of options to choose from. They are some of the least expensive and highest quality cards you'll find. I made 4 different versions of cards this year, well- because I could. As you can see, they range from funny to downright annoying (think tri-fold). Each card is a different price and quality, and in total seriousness, the one thing I love about the "Peace & Love" card is that it's part of the Baby2Baby campaign. Why not help a family in need while getting yourself some Christmas cards! In total Perfect Family style, it feels like a win-win.

Be sure to check shipping dates before you place your order, so you can choose the right method of delivery for Christmas.

And definitely don't forget to use a coupon code, which can be found here!

A Tiny Prints Inspired "Bright and Cheery" Christmas!

When Tiny Prints contacted me again this year to collaborate on a Christmas inspo post I was honored and overwhelmed all at once. I took a little while to think about it because as most of you know I’ve gone back to work full time, as a Project Designer for Barbie, back at Mattel Toys. This has been a real shift for me in what I’m able to accomplish creatively outside of work and just how much free time I have compared to this time last year when my life revolved around chasing after the kids, planning parties and crafting/blogging in my spare time.

(See my last years "Black, White & Gold Christmas" Tiny Prints post here...)

When I went on the Tiny Prints website to see if anything “spoke” to me, I was immediately drawn in by their fresh Christmas color palettes and unique card designs and holiday décor… SOLD! I couldn’t stop thinking about all the different card options and I loved the idea of offbeat Christmas colors like coral, turquoise, mint and peach. I love that Tiny Prints offers matching envelope liners, return address labels and custom photo stamps to really bring the entire look together. 

What really sold me were the new custom name stockings for our entire family. I became obsessed with the idea of finally updating our stockings and I’m so happy I did, I love the way they turned out! Stockings that are cute and high quality, with our names on them… What more could you ask for!?

I got around to styling our Christmas mantel a couple of weeks ago- one of my pure joys in life! I looked to Pinterest for some inspiration and came across a photo backdrop made out of ribbons that I thought would translate to a mantel backdrop quite nicely! I got out the ol’ ribbon bin and started pulling out anything bright and cheery, my 2015 Christmas theme. After so many depressing things have gone on in the world these last couple of months, I figured a bright and cheery Christmas is exactly what we needed. Nothing cheers me up more than woodland animals and kitschy pieces, so I gathered everything I had in this feel and brought them all together to live on my mantel for the month! They're simply loving the reunion.

I happened to have a wreath from years past that I knew would tie all the bright colors together, and I hit up Target for some cute felt ornaments to hang on the blacks pom-poms that I had draping across our white bricks. 

Our Tiny Prints Christmas cards came and I was even more blown away by their quality than last year. If you haven’t used Tiny Prints before, they print on thick card stock that has a bit of a texture to it, making it look almost canvas like. I was a little concerned how our card with only one photo would print, since the card itself relied on great photo quality instead of a cute graphic backdrop… And it was stunning! The card with two photos was a real crowd pleaser, all of my designer friends simply loved the scalloped edging... It's all in the details, am I right?! I was so proud to mail out our cards this year!

Aside from the mantel, we have another section of the house wear I switch out our decor for the holidays, and that is on top of our credenza. Like so many of us I have been collecting Santa pics of my kids every year since they were born. Every Christmas it brings the biggest smile to my face to see the kid's and their planned out/ color coordinated Christmas outfits sitting on the big jolly guy's lap... This year I let Cormac skip the traditions-old bow tie which was a total drag (for me) but my little surf/skate rat was fighting for shorts so I had to give in somewhere!

 

Seeing the Tiny Prints holiday inspired pillows made me giddy to place my order as we have these two chairs, one on each side of the credenza that I love to put holiday pillows on. I love the quality of these pillows- the colors are bright, the fabric is thick and they just look fabulous. You can even choose the wording on a few of the designs... I actually did the Merry, Merry, Merry one on my own! Each design they have is a nice modern twist on Christmas pillows! 

Notice our last years acrylic photo block there on the left... LOVE this piece. Such a great gift, I actually ordered two of these this year as gifts- they're really fun alternative to a picture frame... I can't wait to give the two I got away as presents! 

To go along with decorating the house this year, I got in to making “Ugly Christmas Sweaters” for a couple of parties Cormac and I were attending. At first, like everyone else I hit multiple thrift shops to see if I could score anything downright horrendous to wear. I came up empty handed and I’m convinced no ugly Christmas sweaters last more than a day in a thrift shop now, since this theme has become so freaking popular in the last 10 years. As a side note, I heard about a new theme this year, “Christmas Onesie Party”… Freaking genius and why haven’t I been invited to one already? I can most definitely fit in to a kid's size XL onesie, I tried one on at Target the other day just in case an invite were to come my way...

MAKING UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATERS:

For mine, I decapitated a moose ornament (kids not happy about this decision, FYI) and sewed him closed at the neck. Then I got some brown and tan felt and created somewhat of a tree stump look to “mount the moose head to”… Get it? I took a brown Sharpee and lightly drew in some tree rings on the tan part of the trunk. I then cut off a few gold glitter branches and hot glued them on- I could have sewn them but I figured there’s no way this thing is surviving a wash, so why waste time on sewing when hot glue will do the trick. To make the moose head cute (you didn't really think I'd be making something actually ugly, did you?) I added some earrings and a bow to her head. I topped the design off with a couple of fake tree branches and a red ornament just for some much needed gaudiness...

For Cormac’s I took an argyle sweater he had and crafted a Santa out of felt to add to it. To make the Santa, I cut a face shape out of cream felt, 2 pink felt circles for the cheeks, one smaller pink felt oval for the nose, two blue felt circles layered on top of two bigger black felt circles and a two small white accent marks created the eyes. For the mouth I cut a lips-like shape out of red and gave a white smile line for some contrast. I gave him a Santa hat out of red felt trimmed with white felt and Cormac found a bag of bells in my craft room so I added one to the end of the Santa hat! I took white batting and created the eyebrows, mustache and beard… And last but not least I took gold wire and twisted up some specs for ol’ Santa to see… When all was said and done I hot glued it on to the sweater and he got some great compliments at his school party! All in all, neither sweater cost me a penny and I maybe invested an hour total... WIN.NING.

Believe it or not, I am about to be off of work for 7 days! In this time I'm hoping to get a blog post up on how I ended up back at Mattel and what the transition has been like for our family... I have it all written in my head, I just need some time to get it on the computer!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas or other holiday if that's what you're celebrating. As a Christian, I am proud to celebrate Christmas... However, I don't say Christmas to offend anyone else, there is never spite in my Christmas wish or my Christmas cards... If you celebrate Hanukkah- blessings upon you! If you like to say "holidays" because you don't believe in Christ... That's fine by me man! I wish you an amazing season regardless of what you believe!

Thanks for reading the laziest blogger who ever blogged, blog.

xoxo

Kenna

Everything I have said in this blog post is my own thoughts and words... However, I have been compensated for this post... DUH.   

Christmas Trends 2014: Black, White & Mixed Metals!

When I was contacted by Tiny Prints to collaborate on their social media holiday campaign #tinyprintsholiday, I was truly thrilled. In my opinion MPM and Tiny Prints are an absolute perfect match! Having just received their Holiday Catalog days earlier I was drooling over their Christmas card line- SO many designs I was in love with!

When the opportunity arose for me to choose my families Christmas cards and other holiday decor- I was seriously in heaven! I decided to go with a "theme"... as any good party planner would. Because I love black, white and gold in our home decor- mixing it in to this year's holiday decor was a no brainer! (I also love that this color palette makes the perfect transition from Christmas to New Years Eve!)

While creating my Tiny Prints order I came up with the idea for an edgy-yet-classic Black, White and Mixed Metals Christmas Mantel. We have a fabulous mantel in our little Santa Barbara bungalow and I could see this mantel played out in my head and I was pumped to create it!

In front of the mantel I styled a "Christmas card and gift wrap station" (I mean, every woman has one of these, right??) which included an area for addressing all of my Tiny Prints Christmas cards- complete with coffee and treats... Hello... Necessities!! The other end of the table was devoted to wrapping presents with style and flair, my two favorite words.

I'm really pleased to show you all of my Tiny Prints picks, including two versions of the 2014 O'Brien Christmas card, our new personalized pillow, a family pic photo block and SO. MUCH. MORE. Also note that today and tomorrow (December 1st & 2nd) Tiny Prints is having some crazy Cyber Chic Sales... 40% off Christmas cards... Don't miss out!

As well as working with Tiny Prints, I have included some AMAZING Miss Party Mom approved items from some of my favorite vendors in the biz which collaborated with me to bring this little in-home photo shoot to life.

Get ready to swoon and drool... All at once. I promise I won't judge.

Here are a couple photos from my Instagram to start us off, search the hashtag #tinyprintsholiday on IG & Twitter for more!

Below I have called out all of the Christmas trends I used in the shoot. I'm seeing these trends in everything from Christmas cards, to stockings to ornaments and more. Thank you to Elena from World Wide Party for this awesome Christmas Trends 2014 graphic below... Show it some love and Pin it, will ya?!

HOLIDAY 2014

• Mixed Metals
• Black & White
• Faux Fur
• Sequins
• Deer, Buck & Antlers
• Polka Dots/Gold Dots
• Subway Art
• Personalized everything! 
• Glitter & Foil accents
• Words: "Gold", "Golden", "Happy", "Merry Merry"
• Bracket Shaped Christmas Cards

Look for these simple DIY touches I used as well... Perfect for you to try this season... In all that spare time of yours!

• Framed wrapping aper
• Fringed tissue tree
• Gold dots on fireplace
• Christmas cards tucked inside of sweet bags instead of envelopes (see IG photo above!)

ENJOY! 

Vendor Info:

Styling & Photography: Miss Party Mom Event Planning

Christmas Cards & Envelopes, O'Brien Family Pillow, Acrylic Photo Block, Photo Postage Stamps, Wrap Around Address Labels, Gift Labels: Tiny Prints
Mixed Metals Christmas Bulb Garland: Party a la Mo
Gold Glitter "Merry Merry" Banner: Pink Elephant & Co.
Black & White Pom Pom Garland: Cupcake Wishes and Birthday Dreams
"The O'Briens" Felt Name Banner: String Dearie
Subway Art: "Have a Golden Xmas" & B/W "Christmas" print: World Wide Party by Elena
Gold Glitter Votive Candles and Mini Gold Glitter and Gold Polka Dot Gift Boxes: Kate Aspen
Gold Dot Stickers on fireplace: Polka Dot Wall Stickers
Black & White Gold Glitter Deer Plate & Coffee Cup: The Pink Poppy Party Shoppe
Custom Name Cookies: Creating Awesomenessity
Mini Gold Glittered Donuts and Biscotti: Autumn Lynn's Chocolate Sins
"The O'Brien Family" Gold Glitter Ornament & Black/White Striped Sweets Bags (with Christmas cards slid inside): Celebration Lane

 

How great is my O'Brien felt banner?! This would be perfect for Christmas photos!

Loving my Tiny Prints Favorite Memory Acrylic Photo Block... Such a perfect gift! 

This super fun tissue fringe tree was handmade by ME! 

Start out by making a cone out of poster board. Get a few different colors of tissue and cut 2" strips. Then fringe them and layer about 1/4" apart starting at the bottom and moving to the top... It takes time and dedication... But boy is it cute!

These garlands hanging from the buck's antlers are just amazing! I love the glitter and the glam in both of them!

My new Tiny Prints Bold Crossing Pillow... I LOVE the personalization with our last name! 

I adore my striped and polka dot envelope liners that perfectly match my Christmas cards- they really add that extra bit of detail I love. 

{Please note that I have TWO Christmas cards... The one shown above is a purely CANDID shot of me and the husband arguing during photos... I thought "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" was a fitting greeting for this shot... Can I get an amen?!}

Who can address 100 cards without some adorable mini-donuts and custom sugar cookies to keep them fueled... Well obviously not me! Personalized sweets are SO Christmas 2014!

My Tiny Prints Personalized Postage Stamps with Cormac & Birdie on them looking adorable topped off my Christmas card envelopes perfectly!

Check out my personalized Tiny Prints Gift Tag Stickers... How easy is that!

And seriously... This personalized gold glitter ornament by Celebration Lane... I'm in love! What a perfect gift! 

And lastly... A polka dot fireplace- well why the heck not?! I may keep it all year.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year...
Thank you for your support this year!

xo Party or Die xo
kenna

This was a paid post and I did receive product and compensation from Tiny Prints... DUH!