Saturday, January 1

Amazing Creative Christmas Cards from the Bale Family

by Karen Robert

These holiday cards were just submitted by the Bale family and they are some of the best series of cards I’ve seen this year. I adore how this family really goes for it every year always with a creative sense of fun and flare. It helps that Dad is pretty skilled at Photoshop, though it should be noted that the photos for all of these cards are taken by themselves with a timer. I am in awe.

This was their card in 2007. It’s a fabulous Christmas card where they are helping each other get a star on the tree using in the style of “Cirque du Bale”. I’ve seen many cards with this theme. but this one is particularly imaginative in the way they lean against each other. Lori Bale (Mom) says that they did this in 5 shots all photoshopped together by Dad. The dog was separate, Mom and Dad were taken in front of a green screen, then one of Mom and her daughter, then one of the kids, and finally, the tree was added into the back ground as the 5th shot. This card is a huge success; it’s one of my all time favorites Christmas cards. It’s incredibly creative and incredibly well executed, a perfect combination.

This is the Bale family Christmas card 2000 of the family reflected in an ornament. This is a wonderful idea which I’ve seen quite a lot, but this one is very well executed. I think I may do a blog posting soon showing all of the ornament reflection shots I’ve come across.

Here is their card in 2001. Great Christmas card of kids inside of a snow globe. This is a fun twist on the snow globe card with the kids looking at it from outside as well as being inside. I did a posting on snow globe Christmas cards which this card would fit into perfectly.

Here is their 2003 Great Christmas card of two kids looking inside their fish bowl decorated for Christmas. I have never seen the fishbowl theme, I love the hats on the fish. I wonder if the line inside the card was “Fishing You a Merry Christmas”?

This is the Bale Family Christmas card from 2004 of a photo of their dog stealing a slipper of one of the kids. It’s such a cute idea for a Christmas card. I am curious if this was one shot of photoshopped together.

Here is the Bale family card from 2005 where each member of the family holds a blank card and they are photoshopped one within the other. Photos of frames within frames are another theme I may explore in another posting.

The Bale family Christmas card 2009 made with Sparklers with time lapse photography. See more cards using light and time lapse photography.

And here is their card form this year, 2010. I love it! They posed the family into a scene mimicking the Norman Rockwell painting, “Freedom From Want”, but with a modern twist. This reminds me very much of a card by Theresa Thompson mimicking the same painting. Notice the dog, the lizard and the rabbit at the table. I also like the original Norman Rockwell painting in the background.

And finally in honor of the day, here is a New Year’s Day card from the Bale family from 2002. On this one they photoshopped more confetti into the picture.

A huge thank you to the Bale family for taking the time to share these with me. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next year.

Happy New Year!

More Christmas cards are coming they are still coming in and I am struggling to keep up.

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Friday, December 10

Ideas for Christmas Cards with your Dog: Amazing Photographs of Holiday Dogs

by Karen Robert

I love holiday cards with pets on them, in fact I used a picture of a dog wearing a Santa hat on the cover of my book . Dogs are particularly fun on cards because their faces can be so expressive. I decided to find the absolute best, most funny, holiday dog photos ever. As far as I know, none of these are commercial cards, they were sent out by their owners as their personal cards. In my quest for these photos I had to look through pictures of many hundreds of adorable looking dogs all dressed up for Christmas. There are a lot of dog lovers out there! In my first edit I had a hundred, but I finally narrowed it down to these 40 cards, and I couldn’t get any more pared down than that. Each of these 40 photos were so amazing and wonderful, I decided I had to show them all. I adore how most of these dogs look mildly annoyed yet stoic about having to wear a Christmas outfit. I have no idea why, but there is a preponderance of Chihuahuas, bulldogs and pugs in this final edit. Maybe photographers have a penchant for these breeds. or maybe these breeds just have absurdly funny looking faces. I promise I am not biased, I have a Golden Retriever , a breed which only got one photo in my cut.

I’m starting with this picture which was in my book. I think it is one of the great dog pictures. There is something about those bare bulbs above the dressed up dog on a present that I love.

By Eric Getty at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/photeric/2106607883
This adorable photo of a puppy wearing a hat way too big for him is beautiful.

Taken by Chad and found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xmarine1973/2126132328
I love this photo of three dogs (chihuahuas?) wearing hats and looking very much like Christmas.( I love the Kath Kidston Wallpaper as well!)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/88499915@N00/5223766659

This Photo of a German Shepherd with a wreath around his neck is wonderful

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/doublewithcream/3095481950

This is an amazing picture of a dog looking doleful about having to dress up in a Santa Hat.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dianabog/4201761902

This is a very funny photo of a dog wearing glasses for a Christmas card. This dog is one of the few who doesn’t seem upset about dressing up.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rainriver/2133469094

Funny photo of a dog wearing tinsel looking like a tree for this Christmas card.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/venosdale/5172999059
Funny dog photo for a holiday card wearing a hat and scarf.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7234729@N05/3096002699
This dog is so cute modeling a yellow hat and bow tie, like he is a harlequin.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarynleathjames/3100384713
This dog , a pug I think, models a Christmas hat in this Holiday card.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/newstock/3867404188
This is a fun picture of a dog with a big star in front of him for his Holiday Portrait.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rainriver/2096588346

Fun picture of a pug all dressed up for the Holidays

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55023235@N02/5103359752/

Great photo of a dog with a hat on in this Holiday Card, this is one of my favorite dog Cards.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nogsonline/3130883388

Great face on this Bulldog in this holiday photo

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsmetj/242801666 I love the face on this gentleman dog with a bowler hat in this photograph. Priceless.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/priviteraco/4948191712

Cute chihuahua dressed as an angel in this Holiday photo.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsmetj/244601781

This dog is so cute holding a Christmas Stocking in his mouth in this Holiday card.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/new_years_resolutions/4174593857

This pittbull’s face looks adorable with the santa hat on.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ride2anywhere/3089220121 What an elaborate dog Holiday card this is. I love the bone in his mouth.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosebud81592/5209095374

The bull dog in this Christmas card is adorable with a bright red nose.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/diypaper/5044398946

I absolutely love the face on this pug in this Christmas card, it looks like he’s had too much Rum Punch.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bugbunnybambam/2110612296

What a doleful face on this hound wearing a santa hat. He looks very depressed about Christmas.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannah19/4128749010

I love the cat and dog partnership as they look up at the star in this Christmas card. How they got them to do this is a mystery to me.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcpayne/4127595512

This dog is wearing a wreath for his christmas card, and looking very cute I must say.

Found at:

This is a very cute bull dog wearing a Christmas outfit for his holiday card.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/finetra/5192381693

These two bull dogs are wearing very silly antlers for their Christmas card.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/retalesbotijero/4225708517

The look on the face of this bulldog in this Holiday card is so charming, It looks like his eyes are bugging out of his face.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizkerrison/3070993379

Here is a very cute picture of a pug dressed in a Christmas costume for his Card looking mortified.

Found at: Flickr

This Photo of a German Shepherd holding a Christmas Tree branch in his mouth is wonderful.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lamygrrl/3129803046

I love the picture of this black lab with one eye hidden under a Christmas hat.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9936312@N05/4191179762/

Funny Picture of a dog, a spaniel, with antlers on his head.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24569010@N06/3085219549 Another funny picture of a dog with antlers on his head.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rainriver/3094989163 Hysterical picture of a Chihuahua wearing a Christmas scarf in this holiday photo

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/redskygraphics/4132347590

This is a funny picture of three French Bulldogs (or pugs?) wearing costumes for their holiday photo.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/labimposter/306969742

Very nice dog portrait for his Christmas photo for a Christmas card.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chadlatta/5222419517

Cute picture of a dog wearing antlers for his Christmas card portrait

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cryrolfe/3063252084

Here are some very cute long haired dachshunds in this dog portrait for a Christmas card.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/doxieone/3087291621

Very sweet picture of a dog holding a Christmas tree in his mouth for his Christmas card.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28601488@N05/5192462011

And finally, this is one of my favorites of a dog wearing a wig and Santa hat for his holiday card.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pilarkitty/3085113928

“Bone Annee!”

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Sunday, October 17

Creative Ideas for Halloween Cards

by Karen Robert

I am gearing up for Christmas cards. I promise to give you loads of ideas in posts for the next few months.

But first things first, I want to show you some fun and freaky Halloween cards and photos to help get your creative juices flowing.

What fun this family had making this card.

I found it at: http://scrapp-ily-ever-after.blogspot.com/2009/12/doc-brown-20-free-papers.html

Very Wicked card.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbguess/3905368644/

This card is so fun with baby put into a pumpkin shell (and there they kept her very well).This one shows skeletons in very scary looking clogs.

Found at: http://everycloghasitsday.typepad.com/every-clog-has-its-day/2009/10/index.html

Such a scary Halloween card!

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27293890@N05/3359739317/

Pug gone bad.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahfru/4001259907/in/set-72157622577540667/

Great photo of a ghost sitting next to a kid. Photoshopped? I think not.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/damgaard/1802313331/in/photostream/

And since we are on the subject of pets, here is one by Sarah Hunt at:

Find it at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocpetphotos/1390238203/

And here is another pet card, this time with dogs.

Photo by Liz Kearley at http://www.flickr.com/photos/glyphin/4648039946/in/pool-1168009@N20/

Very Scary Shot by Lorcan Keating found at:

See it at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciloisin/5087958175/in/pool-1168009@N20/

This one is in the same vein as the one above found at:

See it at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54262997@N05/5069906654/in/pool-1168009@N20/

And finally, I love these collage cards done by nancy Maxwell James. I could imagine doing them with your children’s photos.

You can see them at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarlumpstudios/4997217244/in/pool-1168009@N20/

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Friday, July 2

My 10 Favorite 4th of July Cards

by Karen Robert

I found some great 4th of July Cards which are unique and inspirational. None of these are commercial cards by the way, all are people’s individual creative efforts.

This digital collage is by Pamela027 on Flickr, it is so creative and inspiring.

I saw this on an ad for http://www.pasanellaandson.com, but I don’t think they created it. If so, my apologies to whomever made it for not giving you credit, it is a fabulous 4th of July message. I love words spelled out by sparklers, they are not that hard to do with a long exposure, yet so fun and creative.

This is creative 4th of July collage was again posted by Pamela027 on Flickr