This week it seems that much of the eastern United States is covered in snow (and I’m sure Canada too because isn’t this always the case? ;P).  We hope you’re all staying warm and cozy, and enjoying the snowy blanket more than our little man did on his brief encounter! ;0)

Happy Snow!

First, can I just say how much fun we had getting your cards?  Every day of the holiday season was like Christmas as we made a mad dash for the mailbox to see what was inside! :0)  We received so many wonderful cards and each and every one was special because they made us think of you.  Thanks for including us on your mailing list and for participating in our 1st Annual Holiday Card Contest!  We plastered our kitchen cabinets with your cards and that in and of itself became quite the art installation. :0)

Now, you may be wondering who won the contest…man it was hard to choose!  You guys are so creative/beautiful/funny/just plain awesome!  We did finally choose a winner, but there were a few that really stood out that just have to be mentioned too.  Our honorable mentions are:

Phil and Mindy – Phindy Studios. We heart them – and if for no other reason than the ridiculously over-the-top excitement for hot chocolate that Phil exhibits here. ;0)

Craig and Jennifer – Mr. and Mrs. Weddings and Events. This gorgeous vintage style design had us drooling…

Evan and Amanda – Evan Baines Photography. There’s no faster way to my heart than through a beautiful pop-up and Robert Sabuda is my FAVORITE!  Bonus points to you guys for choosing his wonderful cards.

Amber and Tyler. From the moment they first met with us to discuss photographing their wedding, we have completely adored these guys!  And a card from Saudi Arabia??  Come on!  That’s sweet.

The Baxters – Ohana Photographers. Sean and I have just about decided that no contest on our blog would be complete without the Baxters because after all, they bring it every time! :0)  April, the eldest daughter of the Baxter clan did the amazing drawing of their family for the front of the card.  She is crazy talented!  As if that wouldn’t be enough, they then went on to quote Elf and cemented their place as the most awesome family – ever.

And now – the winner is…..(drumroll please!)….

Bobbi and Mike – Bobbi+Mike. These guys took dedication to funny to a whole new level!  Each little photo is hilarious and the whole thing is just so well executed!  They were so committed that my grandmother came in for Christmas and felt really bad for them because she thought they really look like this. ;0)  Gah – it makes me laugh all over again every time I see it!  You really must click on the link to see the close ups of these images!  Great job you guys!  We loved it and your iTunes gift card is in the mail!

So you’ve seen the photos involved in the making of our card, but we didn’t want to show the actual card before Christmas in case it would ruin the surprise if you hadn’t received it yet in the mail.  (side note: if you didn’t get one and would like to, please send us your updated address for next year.  We had old addresses for a handful that were returned and we’d love to keep up with you!)  Here is our card from 2010.  We went with an old Saturday Evening Post theme and we’re super excited about it because as far as we’re concerned, we’ll never have to come up with a creative card idea ever again.  This is the first edition of the Happy Holidays Post –  get ready to collect the series! ;0)

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to mail us your beautiful cards and participated in the 2010 Holiday Card Contest!  Can’t wait for next year!

Every post is better with photos so I thought I would share a few from our latest family shoot while we wish you Season’s Greetings.

We take lots of photos of Seven and we try to be conscious about making sure that one of us is in a lot of the photos with him, but images of all three of us together are fewer and farther between.  That why we are so grateful to have wonderful friends who just happen to be talented photographers that we can do Christmas card photo swaps with! :0)  We went out last month will our friends Phil and Mindy to do a family shoot for our holiday cards and I love the images they created for us!  Thank you guys soooo much!  Here are a few of our favorites.  Hopefully you sent us your address so you can see what we did with them because I have to say, when making that creation I was in rare form if I do say so myself. ;0)  ha!

If we didn’t have your address to send our Christmas wishes to you personally, we hope you and yours are having a wonderful holiday season and that your Christmas is spectacular!  We appreciate you checking in on us on our little blog so much and love hearing from you, or just knowing you’ve stopped by. :0)  We look forward to lots more dialogue and adventures in the year to come!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

– Sean, Mel, and Seven