Anyone can make this photo Christmas card – as long as they have a dog and a baby. And as we head into the holiday weekend, we’re looking forward to watching “the kids” unwrap their presents (yes, Burger gets some too), gorging on goodies, and spending time with family and friends. But before the festivities officially begin, we wanted to take a moment to say HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you guys and share our little family Christmas card.
The image above was the card we sent out to our family and friends (in case you can’t see, the text reads: “Hope you get your mitts on everything that you want this season“). This is the template we used through Snapfish (we just provided the pic and the wording of the note and they printed 40 5 x 7 cards on matte photo paper & provided envelopes for each one to the tune of around $25 thanks to a coupon code that we googled around for).
Getting the shot was a bit more involved than our previous years’ cards (which starred Burger as a reindeer, a kiss-monger, and a big brother in waiting) since we had a dog and a baby to work with this time (everything from getting Burger to actually wear his trapdoor sleeper to keeping both of our models in place was a bit of a challenge). But we had tons of fun watching Clara try to lick Burger for a change (weird, but true). And since we know you guys love behind the scenes stuff, here’s our “set” of sheepskins in the ol’ den where we shot it in early December:
Notice the block acting as Clara’s stand-in while she was getting a diaper change? Oh and here’s a fun fact, Sherry actually photoshopped that bow on Clara’s head after we uploaded the pic since there’s no hair to clip a real bow to yet. Anyway, happy holidays to all! May your days be merry and bright- and may your chihuahuas (and other various family members) be held tight.
Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15!
Lyndsay M says
This is so adorable and thank you for the behind-the-scenes set shot! These look like they could have come out of a professional studio and i LOVE the photoshopped bow!
Kelley says
SO glad I’m not the only one who wraps presents for my little dog!! :) Merry Christmas!
Lani @ Diapers and Divas says
So cute! Clara is adorable, and Burger sure has that “over the shoulder” glance down pat!
Nikki T says
Clara is too cute for words!! And of course, so is Burger!
Happy Holidays to you! Thanks for a great year of blogs, looking forward to 2011 :)
Letty says
The picture is perfect! Merry Christmas to you in your new house/Barbie! Can’t wait to hear about what presents you get ;)
Cait @ Hernando House says
So cute! And the block stand-in is too funny!
Ami @ beyondpeasandcarrots says
Love it!! I never would have known that bow was photoshopped in, if you hadn’t mentioned it!!
Happy Holidays to you guys too!!
Tammy says
Maybe professional photography should be your next venture?! They both look wonderful, but Clara is the absolutely cutest little thing I’ve ever seen!
Sara @ House Bella says
So stinkin’ adorable! Clara licking Burger? That’s a new one.
stacey says
Great picture and Merry Christmas to you all. You kids are so lucky with your photo shop….my mom used to TAPE a bow to my bald head!
Jen K says
Too funny! I immediately thought, How did they get that clip to stay on her head?!
Kristen says
I was wondering how that bow was staying on! Clara and Burger look adorable. Merry Christmas!
Alicia says
Your ‘scene’ is much cuter than ours… but our photo ‘shoot’ took 77 photos to get 3 smiling ones! ADORABLE!
Alicia says
Love the bow!! Too cute!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!
Laura *You Stir Me* says
best one yet! A very Merry Christmas to you too!
Melinda says
Darling! When I first saw it, I wondered if you had taped the bow to her head – hahaha! I love both of their expressions!
sarah jerger: paper + stitch says
oh. my. goodness. ADORABLE!!! We took a photo with our dog and cat this year and it proved to be quite the challenge. I can only imagine throwing a baby into the mix. Kudos! Merry Christmas!!
Lauryn says
I love it! I have never done this but read about a Mama who used KY jelly to put bows on her little girls head. Her hair was slow to come in. She would use a dab of the jelly, stick the bow on, and let it dry. She said it worked perfectly. So if you can get over the other uses of KY jelly…you might want to try it! :-) Your PS bow looks great tho!!
heather says
My very first thought when I saw this, aside from “adorable” was “how on earth is that bow attached?”. ;)
Nice job guys!
Mrs. Money says
Merry Christmas, John and Sherry!
Melissa Irvin says
Love the card! Burger is such a wonderful older sibling!!
Monika says
Very cute card!
Happy Holidays!
<3 Monika
Monica says
You have very photogenic “kids!” Love your holiday card this year.
Katy says
How adorable!
A friend of ours had twins, a boy and a girl, a few months ago. Though the babies had no hair, mom wanted to distinguish them from each other for the benefit of strangers and visitors. SO, she attached a bow to baby girl’s head with a little dab of Caro syrup.
Jen F says
What a sweet picture. Wishing you guys the very best Christmas ever!
Kim says
That is so stinkin’ cute! Love the added touch with the bow. My mom used to use a little dab of Karo syrup to stick bows like that to our heads when we were bald babies. Worked like a charm and came off easy with just a little water. Happy Holidays to you!
Abby @ a delightful design says
This is just the cutest! Pure joy at it’s best! Merry Christmas,
abby
Kate says
Love it! And I’m so glad that you explained the bow, I was thinking “Did they Photoshot that in? I hope they didn’t use doublestick tape?!?”. I’m so glad to hear you did not tape a bow to her head, lol!
Misty says
Absolutely Fabulous! You have to very wonderful models for the perfect Christmas Card!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Abby @ a delightful design says
OOPS! “pure joy at *its* best.” :-)
Corie says
This is SO adorable! Merry Christmas : )
Shannon says
Awwwww! So gosh darn precious!
Is it just me or does Clara make you think of the HP baby singing “I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates”?
YoungHouseLove says
That baby totally reminds us if Clara! Must be the big blue eyes and the bald head!
xo,
s
Jessie T. says
Sooo cute! Happy holidays!
wishful nals says
sweetest card! clara has so many expressions. they are all so cute! oh, and of course burger does, too. ;) happy holidays to your sweet family!
Lorrie says
Absolutely adorable!!!
I am so amazed that you can always get Burger to sit still. We made a family portrait with our dogs last year and one of them ended up on his back, upside down looking at the camera!
Vonda says
Merry Christmas! Love the card but was wondering if you taped the bow to her head or what. Gotta love photoshop!
Elisa says
I would’ve thought that was a professional portrait – but I read your site so much that I knew you’d make the set yourself at home! And voila – I was right! I must buy faux sheepskins because OBVIOUSLY they work for EVERYTHING!
Jessica says
bald babies are the cutest :-)
Merry Christmas!
Jennifer says
After my daughter’s first bath in the hospital, the nurse brought her back to me with a bow in her hair using the KY jelly trick mentioned above :-)
I love your Christmas card! I bet the out-takes are hilarious :-)
Nina says
My cousin used to tape bows in her daughters hair, or on her head since she had no hair. Its a great picture!
Jennifer says
Where’s Burger’s bow??
Lindsay says
I didn’t have hair for a long time when I was a baby and my mom used to velcro bows to my head…I prefer your photoshop idea instead lol
Jaime A. says
Oh – that is the cutest card ever!!
Love it!!
Rosi T says
My cousin one in my family has a bunch of a little bows she puts on her daughters head without a clip, she just puts some ky jelly on the back of the bow and puts it on her head and somehow it sticks, it works great :)
Danielle says
Adorable!! Merry Christmas!
Amanda says
Love this! How many photos did it take? ;)
Merry Christmas John & Sherry (& Clara & Burger)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amanda,
It probably took around 30 pics to get “the one” thanks to a squirmy girl and a wiggly pup. Totally worth it though.
xo,
s
Ashley @ sunnysideshlee.com says
ah-dorable! Love Clara’s big smile! And how Burger is sitting like such a little gentle-dog :) Thanks for sharing!
Summer says
By the way, I was COMPLETELY bald until I was three years old, and now I have a whole lot of very enviable hair. Good things come to those who wait. You just hold out, Clara!
Claudia Bravo! says
Not only did you just give me one more reason why I want to pick up two sheep skin rugs at Ikea but you made me even more excited for our first love.bump that will be arriving this spring. Tommy and I will open up the envelope that contains “paint chip confetti” I made (explained on my blog) with shades of blue or pink on Christmas Eve! (We’ll be on the phone together since he’s currently over seas.) I have two gifts ready-to-go containing girly and boy attire and will then present our families with the box containing the big surprise! Again- Love Love Your Card!
YoungHouseLove says
Such a cute way to celebrate a baby on the way!!!
xo,
s
Ally says
The camera definitely *loves* little Clara, and it’s looks like the feeling is mutual :) So sweet!
Looking at the old header and the new header, I had to smile…does the great city of Richmond only have 1 landscaper, perchance?
2 big trees planted right in front of the house ~ CHECK! :)
Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night :)
xox
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Ally,
I know isn’t that funny?! We took it as a sign…
xo,
s