Holiday Card 2012

December 21, 2012 — 10 Comments

It is time to finally share our holiday card for this year…

holidaycard-2012

We posed in our normal location (the Living Room) and this year we thought we would show a little bit more of the kids personalities, starting with a certain 3 1/2 year old girl. In the last year I have begun to understand the drama of a little girl. Little boys have their own issues, but the emotions of a 3 year old girl are hard to beat. So when Maisie started making this face a couple of weeks before the photo shoot, I knew that we had to use it. When the day of the photo actually came, she was reluctant to pout in front of the camera, not that she was willing to smile either. Although in the end her brother was actually more difficult. He loves his costumes, but he wasn’t happy with the agreed upon outfit. He wanted to be wearing even more stuff! The surprise of the shoot were the cats, who both came to visit while we were working on it, so we just snapped their pictures, without any treats!

The Details

We always try to put in some fun details.

1. This year Mr. S. decided that bunny slippers were in order. We actually only bought 1 pair. Since, everyone is shot separately, we passed them around.

2. This is the first year that we didn’t put up the big tree for the shoot. Instead we used the little silver tree that is now sitting on the piano. We also brought in the chair from the Dining Room and the extra side table from the front porch.

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3. The painting above the mantel this year is The Treaty of Penn with Indians by Benjamin West, painted in 1772. Benjamin West was from just down the road from here.

4. Mr. S. is reading a vintage copy of Robinson & Crusoe from our book shelf.

5. Maisie is wearing the antenna from her ladybug Halloween costume, while I am trying to fix her costume.

6. On some of the outtakes we are all wearing fake mustaches.

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7. The fire in the fireplace use to be fake but we now have gas logs, so it is actually real.

8. The photo is comprised of 7 or 8 photos, put together in Photoshop by my super talented Mr. S. In reality we shoot a couple hundred photos to get the right combination. Here are a few of my favorites:

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To see some of our previous cards: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! I’m off to see if I can get the rest of the coatrack up before family starts arriving.

Cheers!

 

10 Comments

10 responses to Holiday Card 2012

  1. This is awesome. How can I get on your card list? 😉 I know that 3.5 year old’s face and crossed arms look very well. Happy Holidays to you!

    • Hi Jen and thanks! Happy Holidays! I’m glad I am not the only one who knows that look! All you have to do is ask to be on the list!

  2. WOW!!! This photo is wonderful, and I can’t believe it’s multiple shots put together in Photoshop. I never would have guessed! (If Maisie needs any pointers on her crossed-arm-stance, please let me know. I practiced that pose from ages 3 through 9. I am quite good at it.)

    • Thanks Katie! Yes, all those years of Mr. S. sitting in front of a computer have paid off! Although, the key to making it work is having a tripod and a picture of the scene without anyone in it to start. Although I often ask for the impossible (i.e. make me look tall and skinny) which he won’t do.

  3. Love it!! This is a tradition our family looks forward to every year! Happy holidays to you and your great family – love and peace for the New Year too.
    xoxo the Hechts

  4. I love them! Where do you get your gorgeous dresses? Are they handmade?

    • Hahaha…my sewing skills are definitely not up to par for that! This year’s dress is from Boden (which I adore, although usually flinch at the prices). I justified it because I was going to an opening that I needed a vintage inspired dress for. Most of the rest of them are just pieces from target and ann taylor loft (with vintage aprons).

  5. My eye was drawn to your Waverly Gem fabric on the sitting chair, I was just looking to sew parson dining chair covers out of it for my family of six!! I was then mesmerized by your beautiful eclectic taste…you have a wonderful home and amazing family!! Keep up the good work!

    [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘1733574767 which is not a hashcash value.

    • Heather, thanks so much! I ADORE the Waverly Gem fabric. I think it would be great as dining room chair covers. I keep trying to decide if I can use it anywhere else in the house. It is so graphic, I think I will just have to admire it on the chair, although part of me feels like I should stockpile some extra fabric “just in case”. As you can see I have a fabric problem.

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