2018 Holiday Gifts

Five tips to capturing the best photo for your Holiday memories

 Five tips to capturing the best photo for your Holiday memories

I have been so bad at Christmas cards the past few years. I honestly have just resorted to a fun FB post where I can hit ‘post’ and whomever reads it gets their Sluka Merry Christmas. That is so lame, I know. Honestly, I always had intentions of getting a photo but getting all of us including our older boys together when we are dressed for photos is hard!

I need to do a better job this year of being on top of it. As the creative director and cofounder of CardFool, Tim McCabe has put together his five tips to capturing the best photo.

1.       Magic Time. If you have grade-school kids, be prepared to get in and get out. Kids typically can sit and participate for about 20 minutes. But with a game plan, you can utilize those 20 minutes efficiently.

 

2.       Get Lit. Make sure the background is properly lit. With cameras these days, you can review a photo before you go ahead and print it to ensure everyone’s faces forward and clearly visible.

 

3.       Skip The Props – if you are having more than eight people in the frame, skip the props and instead focus on your location. You don’t need any extras like bales of hay or a gigantic Christmas tree taking up precious restate. Think simple and clean, regardless of how many people are in the photo. This applies to everything, clothing, background, poses, etc.

4.       Smartphone – if you don’t have a fancy camera, or know someone who does, don’t worry. Today’s smart phones are equipped with a great camera. The key to making the photo professional are three simple tips. First, have someone else snap the photo. You don’t want your holiday photo to be a selfie. Second, capture the photo both horizonal and vertical, making sure that the legs and head are not chopped off. That way when it comes time to choosing the card layout, you have some options. Third, have fun with the filters. Your phone comes with several color options and lighting, play around with it, but don’t choose more than two different filters to prevent the photo looking over-processed.

 

5.       Have fun – with today’s busy life, treasure the moment that your family is all together and you’re spending some quality time capturing a great moment. Reflect on the past year, your family’s accomplishment, and don’t forget to say “cheese.”

Once you have the photo selected, users can visit www.cardfool.com and choose from a variety of templates, craft your own personal message, and ship directly to anyone first-class mail in the U.S. for just $3.99.

Gift Guides, Kids

Easter Basket Ideas For The Kids – Gift Basket Round Up

I have partnered with the following brands for feature

Easter Basket Ideas For The Kids - Gift Basket Round Up

Roaming the aisles trying to find something fun and unique for Easter baskets is our favorite sport, right? Not really! I would be a lot more organized and save a lot of time if I knew exactly what I was looking for as I walk into the stores (it saves more time for the shopping I really like such as the kitchen and grocery section)! Here are some ideas that may help you out a bit!

teeth whitening

OK! So I wanted to start with something you can find while shopping for the kids! This is My Magic Mud® Activated Charcoal Tooth Powder for Whitening. But we all hear there are some side effects using activated charcoal? By American Dental Association standards, this brand is within range of being safe. My Magic Mud® states that they don’t know of any other activated charcoal brands that have performed the tests they have.

My Magic Mud® has been evaluated in a lab to ensure its safety, however the charcoal you’ll find in supplements and in bulk may or may not be safe depending on the particle size and quality. Because it only takes about 6-14 days to show results, you will have whiter teeth by Easter gatherings. I found it on Amazon for $11.97 shipped!

Drink Box

Now for the toddlers! The Drink in the Box and Snack in a Box are both reusable drink and snack boxes that are better for the environment than juice boxes and individual snack packs and they are both BPA/BPS and Phthalate free. It reduces the risk of mold and they don’t leak or spill. Also available on Amazon.

HABA Game

HABA always has the sweetest games that promote strategy and age-related skill development. Splish Splash Catapult is a game where rabbits have a water fight (not with real water) with their catapult. The skill is to aim well and hit rabbits with the water balloons (again, not real ones). Options to earn extra points too! And you can also shop Amazon for HABA games.

Movin Monkey set

Gears!Gears!Gears!® Movin’ Monkeys Building Set will be a hit! All the kids can stay busy while you get easter dinner ready inventing, building with STEM play in this 136 piece set with moving gears and more. Also available at Amazon!

PLay Foam

Playfoam is a hit! Educational Insights has fun options and this 4 pack of no-mess molding fun will occupy them for sure! Playfoam never dries out so creativity is ongoing! Find all options of Playfoam from Educational Insights on Amazon.

Play Tape

InRoad Toy’s Play Tape will turn any space into a car lovers dream! With straight line, long and short track tapes as well as ones for the curves, the hot wheels will get used on Easter! Find it in rolls and sheets and find road signs and more at their website or on Amazon!

Zip It case

ZipIt Animals Mini Pouches are made with one long zipper and are so fun to open and stuff! Clip it to a bag and stuff with keys, chapstick, change and more. These will be a hit hanging off the backpacks. This is the Bunny! I found the 3 pack of all animals on Amazon.

Holiday Gift Guide 2017, Home

Tips For Decorating Your Christmas Mantle

I have a fireplace in my new home! I have always wanted a mantle to decorate and our new home has one. So now I have been searching for a fun way to decorate my mantle for the holidays.

Tips For Decorating Your Christmas Mantle

One of the most commonly decorated areas of a home for Christmas is the mantle. This is not only where you will hang your stockings, but it is the perfect place to set decorative items. The following tips will help you decorate your Christmas mantle in the shabby chic theme.

Use Distressed Wood Frames

If you have pictures on your mantle, and many people do, you don’t have to take them down just because it is Christmas. Instead, keep the pictures up, but switch out the frames. Even if you already have shabby chic-friendly frames, now is a great time to put away the white frames (like these) and bring out some distressed wood ones. This really adds a fun look to your mantle where the rest of your shabby chic Christmas decor is probably white, silver, and pastel colors. It gives some nature to your mantle without getting too far from the shabby chic look you want to acquire. For a bit of fun, you can even switch out the pictures and replace them with pictures of angels, snowmen, Santa and Mrs. Clause, as if they were friends and family members.

Create a Village on the Mantle

Many people create a Christmas village and put it on a table, but why not put it right on your mantle? It keeps it high enough to be away from kids or cats who are a little too curious, as well as being in a room where your family probably spends a lot of time during the holidays. Not only that, it is a convenient place to spread around twinkle lights and p lug them in, allowing you to easily illuminate your shabby chic-style Christmas village.

Use Vintage Items on the Mantle

For more traditional decorating of the mantle, you might want to use various decorative accessories and figurines. For a shabby chic look, try to find items that are vintage or at least have that old-fashioned look to them. Some items that work perfectly include an old pair of white ice skates, vintage milk jugs and bottles, or Santa Clause figures that have the old dress as opposed to the bright red dress and hat of the more modern styles.

Add Spray Painted Bottle Brush Trees

Bottle brush trees are really popular during Christmas since they are inexpensive and always add a fun element. However, instead of the bold green ones, you can either get them in white and other pastel colors, or spray paint them yourself. Spread them around your mantle in between other decorative items.

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Holiday Gift Guide 2017

Children’s Holiday Game – Star From Afar

Product was sent for this #HolidayGiftGuide feature

Children's Holiday Game - Star From Afar

Children’s Holiday Game – Star From Afar

We have become quite familiar with holiday hiding games leading up to Christmas morning with the popularity of Elf on the Shelf. Now we have several choices and all aim to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in our families and remind our children about the real meaning of the Holidays. The new children’s Holiday game – Star From Afar is a lot of fun.

It comes with a book-the story of the 3 Wise Men’s journey following the star to newborn Jesus. Then you have a wooden nativity set that match the character illustrations from the book. The nativity gets set up in a special place in the home minus the wise men, Jesus and the star.

The week before Christmas you start a nightly game of hide and seek. You hide the star and in the morning the kids look for it. Once they find where you hid the star they place the 3 Wise Men in that same spot. The Wise Men follow that star everyday and on Christmas morning you ‘hide’ the star on the front of the manger. Now the Wise Men are placed at that manger too along with baby Jesus. The book tells the story so they understand the journey.

Start your own Star From Afar Journey by visiting https://starfromafar.com/

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