EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

Having trouble getting that "perfect" Holiday card photo? Well, you're obviously not alone and to prove it, here are some of my personal photo shoot rejects.

But have you ever noticed that it's the "rejects" that really capture the spirit of the day?

All the funny, serendipitous moments?

So before you dress up your kids yet again and drag them out for a retake, take another look at the photos you have.

Because the silly one...

The one that shows their personalities in all their crazy glory...

May just be the ONE.

OK, maybe not this one.

HOLIDAY CARD TRENDS FOR 2009

Sending out a big thank you to strollerTRAFFIC for checking in with me on this year's Holiday Card trends! Go here to see what's hot for 2009!

LAST DAY FOR 20% OFF!

Now is definitely the time to take action on ordering your Holiday Cards. I know it doesn't seem like an urgent matter, but these things take time and you need to address and stamp all of them and the post office gets very busy this time of year...

Not convinced? Well, would a nice little discount motivate you? Order your Holiday Cards from Pumpkin Petunia this week and receive 20% off IN ADDITION TO any quantity discount that your order qualifies for!

So don't delay, order your holiday cards today! Simply email me and I will set up a special order for you to receive your discount. I apologize for the extra step of having to email, but the shopping cart is set up in a way that makes it difficult to offer a discount on top of a discount. But I promise to make the extra step quick and painless and this way, we'll get to touch base right away to discuss your order.

Discount expires at midnight EST Friday, November 13th. Pricing, with discount, is as follows:

1-25 Cards: $1.60 each after 20% discount

26-50 Cards: $1.48 each after 20% discount

51-75 Cards: $1.36 each after 20% discount

76 - 100 Cards: $1.28 each after 20% discount

101 + Cards: $1.20 each after 20% discount

DON'T DELAY! (WITH A DISCOUNT INCENTIVE)

Now is definitely the time to take action on ordering your Holiday Cards. I know it doesn't seem like an urgent matter, but these things take time and you need to address and stamp all of them and the post office gets very busy this time of year...

Not convinced? Well, would a nice little discount motivate you? Order your Holiday Cards from Pumpkin Petunia this week and receive 20% off IN ADDITION TO any quantity discount that your order qualifies for!

So don't delay, order your holiday cards today! Simply email me and I will set up a special order for you to receive your discount. I apologize for the extra step of having to email, but the shopping cart is set up in a way that makes it difficult to offer a discount on top of a discount. But I promise to make the extra step quick and painless and this way, we'll get to touch base right away to discuss your order.

Discount expires at midnight EST Friday, November 13th. Pricing, with discount, is as follows:

1-25 Cards: $1.60 each after 20% discount

26-50 Cards: $1.48 each after 20% discount

51-75 Cards: $1.36 each after 20% discount

76 - 100 Cards: $1.28 each after 20% discount

101 + Cards: $1.20 each after 20% discount

FINAL DAY FOR 50% OFF!

Today is the final day to take advantage of our 50% off Holiday Card Promotion! If you do not have your photo yet, no worries. Simply go to the Holiday Card section of our shop and place your order using the design that you think you prefer. If your design choice changes once you have your photo, no problem! We'll switch out the design to your new choice when your photo is received.

To take advantage of the 50% discount, simply choose a design and enter the quantity desired. During checkout, enter code EARLY50 to apply the discount. Please note that this offer cannot be combined with other discounts or offers and is only good toward holiday cards.

Place your order today and feel good about the fact that you have at least one holiday errand under control. To get all of your holiday plans in order, be sure to check out Giverslog's holiday checklist. AmberLee of Giverslog is going to help us all stay ahead of the holiday rush this year. I can't wait!

HOLIDAY 2009 AND 50% OFF

Holiday 2009 is here! After a bit of a delay from an embarrassing circle cutter injury, I am back and ready to hit the holidays full tilt. This year, all photo cards are available on both Kodak Professional Endura Supra Matte Paper and as Cardstock Panel Cards. Panel cards will be sold in sets of 50, 100, 150 and 200 and will be added as an upgrade to your order.  As always, photo cards on Kodak matte will be available in any quantity (need 88 cards exactly? no problem!). Premium envelopes are always included. (do I sound like an infomercial yet?)

More designs will be added here and there as I begin to design around the orders that I receive, so keep checking back.  Like my style but don't see a design that exactly suits your photo, not to worry! I always design around the photo. I'm obsessive that way; physically incapable of just dropping a photo into a design without tweaking it to suit the photo perfectly. Just drop me a line and we'll work together to get just what you want.

Oh, and I almost forgot. You still have two days to take advantage of our 50% off early bird discount! This promotion is not to be missed. See full promotion details here, then email me here to set up your order reflecting the discount. Then imagine the thrill of having your holiday cards all wrapped up by October 1st!!!

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT

...the Holidays will be here. Scary, isn't it? But you know it's true. So don't forget to order your holiday cards by September 15th to receive 50% off ! For more details, go here.

Note: Holiday 2009 designs are scheduled to debut next week. These designs will absolutely be available to those who place their order before September 15th. We always custom design around your photo, so don't be afraid to place your order now!

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY (for a huge discount!)

Are you busy enjoying the last bits of summer? Us too! While at the beach, be sure to bring your camera along because it's a great time to snap that Christmas card photo! Yes, I said Christmas, but I'm not trying to rush things - I promise. It's just that the beach is the perfect setting for a photo of your family. 

Think about it: the beautiful open sky, fresh happy faces from the salty ocean air, everyone is relaxed and content. 

Or, have you already taken your family vacation? Well you just may have the perfect shot to make a beautiful holiday card that will also let your family and friends know what you've been up to this year. Sort through all those vacation photos now and look at them with a critical eye. Remember that cropping and touch-ups can be a quick and easy way to turn a great family memory into a beautiful card. But don't worry about the touch ups yourself, we take care of all of that for you!

So start thinking about that holiday card photo now and you'll be able to kick back relaxed and satisfied that you've already got one holiday task crossed off that list. A major stress completely eliminated - Woot!

{one of my favorites from Holiday 2008}

And the best part? (other than avoiding at least a bit of the holiday insanity) If you order your cards on or before September 15th, you'll receive 50% off your entire holiday card order! (offer cannot be combined with quantity discounts, but never fear, the quantity discounts cannot compare to this offer!) We have never before offered a discount of this magnitude; you definitely do not want to miss it. Simply email me here before ordering and a custom order will be set up in the shop reflecting your discount.

To view a small sampling of our holiday card selection, go here. Tons of new designs will be added during the course of this promotion so if you don't see anything that suits your style, not to worry. I'll be happy to give you an advance preview of all designs. In fact, many cards will be custom designed around the photos submitted by early birds like yourself!

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT EXTENDED!

After much begging and pleading and countless tales of woe, I have decided to extend the early bird discount on holiday cards through November 7th! Ok, so there was no actual begging, but there would have been if I wasn't such a pushover.

The fact is, I understand how hard it can be to get it together for holiday cards. The weather needs to cooperate, the children need to cooperate and all the stars and planets need to be aligned in that perfect "i need to take a great photo" formation before it can all come together. And that's not even to mention the cooperation needed from the cold and flu season gods!

So there you have it, one whole extra week to place your holiday card order. But remember, an ordinary photo can become an extraordinary card, so don't hold back on those shots that you're on the fence about. Send them along - you just may be surprised with what we come up with!

In the meantime, you can browse all of our holiday cards designs here. Now get to it!

STRESS-FREE HOLIDAY CARDS

Well my friends, it's that time of year again! Time to coordinate those outfits, decide on a location and cross your fingers that no bumps, bruises, black eyes, rashes or major illnesses plague your children just before the big day. What big day you ask? The big holiday photo shoot! And yes, all of the aforementioned ailments and deformities have struck my own children just as I was hoping to get that great shot for my holiday cards. Actually, 4 of those five occurred simultaneously just last year. But not to worry, all was well and I managed to snap individual shots of each child between illnesses and injuries, resulting in this:

Not too shabby considering that we were in the midst of strep, violent reactions to medication and little miss peanut stumbling around like a drunken sailor! I have higher hopes for this year, of course. I always have high hopes. It's October 1st after all. There's plenty of time to capture that one great shot that will be mass distributed in our one big family press release of the year.

So here are my tips for a great holiday card victory in 2008!

Number One: start early! And by early, I mean now. Right now. Drop what you're doing and run!!!! No, just kidding about the running, but do start now. Figure out what everyone will wear, decide on a location or even better, scroll through some of your photos from summer vacation or days at the beach and see if you already have that one great shot.

Number Two: Don't stress! Your photo does not need to be perfect. It just needs to capture the essence of your family. You want your childrens' personalities to shine through, you don't want stiff little robots saying "cheese!" Because let's face it, that is probably the only moment your children stood still all year. That's not them! 

Number Three: Choose a card design that suits your photo and your family's personality. Or, if you find a card design that you love, keep that in mind during your photo session so that you get some shots that will suit the design. But if you do this, remember to be flexible. The best shot may not suit your chosen design at all, but if it's "the one" let the shot dictate the design because in the end, it's the photo that's important.

Number Four: Can't find a card design that's just right? No problem! I love to design a card around a photo - it's one of my favorite things to do. Just let me know which designs you prefer, send me the photo and I'll use that as a jumping off point for creating the perfect custom card for your family.

Number Five: Read this fantastic article with loads of tips for photographing children. 

Number Six: Remember, this is supposed to be fun! You have a wonderful family and you want to share that with the rest of the world (or at least 100 of your nearest and dearest) along with your best wishes for a wonderful holiday. This is about taking the time to connect with family and friends; keep the spirit and purpose of the cards in mind and be happy. 

HOLIDAY 2008 HAS ARRIVED!

I am thrilled to announce that Holiday 2008 is now ready and available on my website! This year, all photo cards are available on both Kodak Professional Endura Supra Matte Paper and as Cardstock Panel Cards. The new panel cards will be sold in sets of 25, 50, 100, 150 and 200 and will be added separately to the shop later today. As always, the photo cards on Kodak matte will be available in any quantity (need 88 cards exactly? no problem!). Oh, and premium envelopes are always included. (do I sound like an infomercial yet?)

I will be adding more designs here and there as I begin to design around the orders that I receive, so keep checking back.  Also, if you like my style but don't see a design that exactly suits your photo, not to worry! I always design around the photo. I'm obsessive that way; physically incapable of just dropping a photo into a design without tweaking it to suit the photo perfectly. Just drop me a line and we'll work together to get just what you want.

So there you have it folks, browse at your leisure.  I'm off to take a nap...(don't I wish!).

P.S. Check back later for tips on getting that great shot for your cards!

SNEAK PEEK

I've been working especially hard finalizing the Holiday '08 line of cards and gifts for the big relaunch of the Pumpkin Petunia website. Since I haven't had time to blog, I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of what I'll be posting about on Monday. I am so excited to show you what I've been working on!

SEEING IN TECHNICOLOR

When it comes to photos of my children, I have always been drawn to black and white photography. There was something about the quirky expressions and creamy skin of a newborn captured in black and white that made my heart skip a beat. But lately, I find myself drawn to the other side. No, not the dark side, the bright and fun side of full-color photography.

This change has been reflected in my professional life as well. Where I once designed photo cards almost exclusively in black and white, I am finding myself creating designs around color photographs more and more. There was a time in the very recent past where I would create a group of prototypes around a client's photo that included just one, obligatory design based on a color photo. Now, I am finding myself designing around full-color photos more and more. This change has come about mostly due to client preference and client request. At first I resisted, wishing they would choose my favorite designs that seemed to always focus on black and whites. 

But now, I'm wondering if my signature style is evolving into one that embraces the vibrancy of color photography. I have a feeling that Holiday 2008 will feature a record number of  full-color photo selections as I see the preferences of my clients evolve. Where they once considered black and white photography "something different", the sweeping popularity of b&w has caused the tide to turn and full-color designs are quickly becoming the new something different.

As for my own personal preference, the jury is still out. I have to admit that I still almost immediately convert my favorite photos to black and white. The difference now is that, once the photo is cropped and edited, I am sure to save a copy in full-color as well. Looking at them side by side, I'm still torn and am not sure which way my heart is leaning.

So what do you think? Do you prefer the color or the b&w photo of each of my girls? And in general, is it black and white or color photography that has your heart? I'd love to hear! ♥