Christmastime is Here...

When Steve and I embarked on our adoption journey, we created a Life Book that can be shown to prospective birthmoms (I like to call it our “pick us” book!) which gives these special women a glimpse into our lives and who we are. One of the requirements of our agency was that it needed to be done using Shutterfly. It's a great way to produce multiple copies quickly as needed (or in case one gets lost) and it offers a final product that can withstand little fingerprints (many birthmoms are already parenting little ones that may enjoy perusing the books as well!), and hold up to many years of browsing through the pages, as the books become somewhat of a keepsake for these birthmoms (we'll also have a copy made for our baby, so they can see what their birthmom was looking at when she chose us for her precious babe). I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience using Shutterfly, and I can’t wait to make many more digital scrapbooks (it’s addictive!). Another cool thing Shutterfly offers is photo cards. One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is receiving photos and letter updates from those I love. I've always wanted to do a cool holiday photo card, and this is such an easy way to make the perfect one! My goodness, Shutterfly will even stamp and mail the cards for you if you want! Does it get any easier? They have a wide variety of designs, which allows lots of creativity without all the work! Here are a couple of my favorites…I’m still deciding on which to use for our very first photo Christmas card…


Here are some of the cool ways to use Shutterfly this holiday season, from fun cards to personalized gifts…

Holiday Cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards – I can’t wait until it’s our turn to have the token “holiday card with the kiddos in all their cuteness,” but I also happen to have a pretty amazingly dashing husband and adorable dog, so what’s to say we can’t have a holiday card with us in all our cuteness, right? Who knows…maybe this will be the last year before we get to add an adorable mini-face to the mix!

Gift Tags: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-gift-tags – And how cute are these? Definitely better than the whole “cut some extra wrapping paper and fold it in half to use as a makeshift gift tag because I forgot to buy some” concept that typically happens in my house.

Calendars: http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars – Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE calendars. I often have at least 3 going at one time (it really is a sickness…but I think it’s actually hereditary, as my sweet grandma shares the same passion). With Shutterfly, you can personalize calendars for yourself, or make a fun gift for your loved ones that truly lasts all year long!


How would you like 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly? Click here to find out how (http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form)...