Saturday, January 1
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.
Sunday, May 16
by Karen Robert
When looking for quotes for the captions on my vintage photo cards, I realized that some of the wisest things ever said were said by Winnie the Pooh (with a little help from AA Milne of course). He really is such a wise old bear. I realize that I’ve got to read these books. Amazingly, I never did read them to my kids all the way through. I watched the original Winnie the Pooh with them many times though. Sadly, I am not joking. Don’t bother sending me a comment that I am a pathetic mother, I have already said it to myself.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.
A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book.
A little consideration, a little thought for Others, makes all the difference.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book.
Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book.
I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words bother me.
– Winnie the Pooh
I used to believe in forever . . . but forever was too good to be true.
– Winnie the Pooh
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
– Winnie the Pooh
If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book.
If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.
– Winnie the Pooh
If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.
– Winnie the Pooh, Disney Pictures
Just because an animal is large, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want kindness; however big Tigger seems to be, remember that he wants as much kindness as Roo.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book
People who don’t Think probably don’t have Brains; rather, they have grey fluff that’s blown into their heads by mistake.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book
Poetry and Hums aren’t things which you get, they’re things which get you. And all you can do is go where they can find you.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book.
Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book
Some people care too much, I think it’s called love.
– Winnie the Pooh
Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book
They’re funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you’re having them.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book
When late morning rolls around and you’re feeling a bit out of sorts, don’t worry; you’re probably just a little eleven o’clockish.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book
When looking at your two paws, as soon as you have decided which of them is the right one, then you can be sure the other one is the left.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book
Wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.
– The House at Pooh Corner
You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book
I am making a card with my favorite of these quotes “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” I thought it would be a good card to give to teenagers because sometimes we forget to give them words encouragements. Though they seem to bungle along, they often do things right, more often than we give them credit for. I found an article at http://www.radicalparenting.com/2009/03/30/winnie-the-pooh’s-guide-to-raising-teenagers/ It is a funny article called “Winnie the Pooh’s Guide to Raising Teenagers”. I tell you, the Winnie the Pooh books are sneakily wise.
Wednesday, May 12
by Karen Robert
Help, I need a caption for this photo for a card. Something funny, witty, unexpected or hilarious would be nice. It can be a birthday card, a card for no reason or anything else you can think of…just plain old funny will do. 
Winner gets 10 free cards with envelopes. I will be accepting all ideas until June first when I will post my favorite 3 captions along with the winner. Thanks!
Tuesday, May 4
by Karen Robert
It seems Mayor Bloomberg has just made a comment on the recent car bomb attempt here in New York City.
Friday, January 8
Jeremy Pedron
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremypedron
Tuesday, December 22
by Karen Robert
Putting the Holiday Greeting inside the photo is a fun and easy way of saying Happy Holidays, but it also gives the kids something to do in a photo. Without something to dothe kids run out of patience before you have the shot and you are left there pleading “just three more shots…please!!”
Here are a few which made it into my book, “Merry Christmas From…150 Christmas cards you wish you’d Received.” There are numerous shots out there where the kids are holding letters spelling out a word. This one where the dog has the ‘O’ around his neck , I think is particularly successful.
It was shot by photographer xxxxx. I love also how the little girl is chewing on the ‘Y”. You know she would have had a hard time sitting there without a prop.
This Christmas card spelling out Ho Ho Ho uses the same concept. 
It was taken by photographer Shaelyn O’Neil. You know the kids will remember this card for years to come.
Another way of putting the words in the picture is simply to have your children holding a sign. This picture was also in my book.(add photo) It was taken by photographer Jay Shoots for his Christmas card one year. His daughter is standing inside a cranberry bog. I adore the simplicity of this. The handmade sign makes it incredibly charming. Had she just been standing there with no sign, it would have been a sweet picture, but something would have been missing.
Here is another picture where the child is holding a sign. 
This picture was taken by my friend Tanya Mallot who is an amazing wedding and children’s photographer. She sent this out one year for her Christmas card. I think it is incredibly charming; I especially love the shadow the ‘Peace’ sign casts on the wall behind him.
Tanya Mallott also took the photos for my Christmas Card which I sent out many years ago. I did an iron on transfer on T-shirts for the words on both on the front and back of the kids’ shirts. The fornt of the card was the front of their shirts and the back of the cards was the back of their shirts. I have a particular passion for cards which have fronts and backs. It makes them almost 3-dimensional.
Lately I’ve seen quite a few cards where people are using children’s blocks for their Christmas message., like in this photo. What a great way also of informing people of an upcoming birth.
If you are really adventurous, try doing a card like this. It will take some photoshop skills, but it is absolutely fabulous. I wish I had found it in time for my book. This is also in the favorites section at the moment, under the corporate cards section. They are evidently an ambitious and creative team.
IHere is another take on that theme, this couple didn’t actually need Photo Shop for this , they just laid on their bed and spelled out “melekelikimaka”, that’s Merry Christmas in Hawaiian in case you are like me and didn’t know. (add photo)
As usual, if you have any ideas for cards, or if you have a fun card to show everyone, Go to the “Submit a Card” section on this site. Don’t forget to tell me who you are so I can give you credit for your idea.
Monday, December 21
A Christmas Sweater Wedding
This couple decided to have a wedding with the theme of bad Christmas sweaters. What a fun wedding this must have been.
Monday, December 21
wide eyed and be-sweatered
Monday, December 21
