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Simple Christmas Memories (Less is More!)

December 15, 2016 by Aliesha

I can’t quite explain it, but this Christmas season has felt very different than Christmases past. Maybe I’ve been sleep deprived or pregnant or both (ha!) almost every Christmas we’ve been married until now, so my memory of what those years entailed has faded. (Yep, just did the math and this is the first Christmas since we’ve been married that I have not had a little baby or been expecting a baby.)

Anyway, this year has felt different because my ideas, goals, and expectations have changed.

We’re doing less, but also more.

Less decorating… more memory making. I have barely decorated the house this year, except for the tree and the mantel. The kids don’t seem to mind. (I will get our stockings hung soon!) We’ve instead spent our time making crafts, cookies, and memories.

Less hustle… more snuggles.

We’re staying in lots. And drinking more hot chocolate than is probably healthy.We’re snuggling up with Christmas books before bed.

We’re lingering on the couch in the mornings before breakfast.

Less “have to’s”… more “get to’s.”

I’m taking things off my (mental) must-do list and making them purely optional. We don’t have to decorate cookies, but we get to. We don’t have to go to that event, but we can choose to if we want to! It’s making such a difference in my heart this season to view all of these activities, traditions, and events as optional fun things we can do. I feel like a tremendous weight of obligation has been lifted this year!

Less perfection… more fun.

I don’t know if you can tell, but the kids decorated this little tree all by themselves one morning!

Less (no) school… more unschooling. We are crafting more, practicing our scissor skills, and even writing a short story (Vera).

We’re also practicing our climbing skills (Theodore). Insert gasping emoji face here.

Less busyness… more time for Jesus.

We’re doing Advent every morning right after breakfast. We read the Bible and a story from The Jesus Story Book Bible with Tad, then we work on memorizing Luke 2:1-20. (If you’d like to memorize it with your family as well, I created a free printable… NKJV… for you, which you can download for free here.)

I’m thankful for all of the Christmas memories we’re making as a family this year. Less is more, and that’s perfect for us.

I’m treasuring my little ones and the gift it is to share Christ with them at Christmas!

Tips for Creating Perfect Holiday Cards {& a Minted Giveaway!}

November 28, 2016 by Aliesha

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a great weekend with family (and, of course, enjoyed TONS of good food)!

Now that it’s officially the Christmas season, it’s time to talk about holiday cards! I love taking the time to design, order, and mail out greetings to my friends and family members, and while I know some people prefer not to send out cards anymore, it’s a tradition I don’t think will ever go out of style!

Today I’m partnering with Minted to share some tips for creating perfect holiday cards!

Tips for Creating Perfect Holiday Cards

Decide on photos first

With so many options to pick from when it comes to card designs, I find it is easier to decide on the photo (or photos) that I want to use, and then pick the card that fits best with my photo plan! On Minted.com, you can easily select which designs you want to see based on the number of photos (1, 3+, etc.).

Pick a style that reflects you

Select a design that fits with your family’s personal style. I’m obviously all about photos and scripty text, so the design I chose was perfect for us! Maybe you like clean, minimalistic designs, or bright, non-traditional holiday colors. You’ll definitely be able to find a design that fits your aesthetic!

Make it personal

Besides adding family photos, you can also personalize your design (in many cases) by changing the colors, the shape of the card, or (my favorite) adding a little paragraph about your family’s year or a special personalized greeting.

Order early

Now is the time to order rather than waiting until mid-December. You will have more flexibility in shipping options, plus you’ll have more time for stuffing envelopes and still getting your cards out on time!

Have the envelopes addressed

Did you know that Minted will address your envelopes for free? I know! It’s amazing. Pick your card design, then look for the little note on the sidebar that says “FREE Recipient Addressing.” All I did was upload my addresses, and then Minted printed the recipient addresses for me. This saves a ton of time and will definitely help you get those cards out in the mail on time!

I was so excited with how my Christmas cards turned out! I picked a design that had lots of spaces for pictures (this one) so I could share a whole bunch of our family photos!

I loved how easy it was to add my photos on Minted’s website. I could easily swap photos around and resize them as needed. So simple!

I chose gold envelope liners to add a little something extra special to my greetings. I love that it makes such a beautiful first impression!

I chose a design that opened up for even more sharing potential! I was able to add even more photos, as well as a little personal paragraph with some special words I wanted to say. The back of the card is blank, which gives me a space to write a little note if I want to.

Isn’t the little “C” monogram on the front fun? It’s sweet little touches like that which make our card feel personal and designed just for us. Love it!

Like I said, having Minted address our envelopes for us is a HUGE timesaver! Of course I always love the chance to practice my hand-lettering, but I’m so glad that this year I can just add stamps and call it a day.

I know I’ll treasure this year’s card and enjoy looking back at the sweet photos of my children and family. I hope that the Christmas greetings we send will be a blessing to others!

Here are a few other Minted holiday card designs I LOVE! (Click on the image to go to the card design at Minted.)

AND NOW… I am SO excited to share with you two very special things!

First of all, Minted is having a big Cyber Monday sale! You can learn more about that right here and start shopping for your holiday cards!

Secondly, Minted is generously giving away $125 credit to Minted.com for TWO Feathers in Our Nest readers!* How great is that?

Click here to enter the giveaway! Good luck!

*Open to U.S. residents

Feel free to pin this post for later!

Disclosure: I received compensation for writing this post in the form of product from Minted. All photos, text, and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

The Best Way to Print Instagram Photos

November 10, 2016 by Aliesha

If you’re looking for the best way to print Instagram photos, I’d have to say that Chatbooks is the way to go! I’ve been subscribed to Chatbooks for over a year now (it’s one of the few subscription services/boxes that I have hung on to for more than a couple of months) and I LOVE getting my photo books in the mail!

Chatbooks is a company that will print your Instagram photos, dates, and captions in small photo books and ship them to you as they are filled up. You don’t have to do any design work… they do it for you! However, you can go in and edit captions, remove photos, or add photos if you desire since they notify you before your book goes to press. You even get to choose the cover photo!

Each book holds 60 photos, so if you Instagram a photo every day, that’s roughly six photo books a year. (So, $48 to have 365 days worth of memories printed & shipped to you in beautiful little books = a VERY good deal!) If you Instagram a LOT, you may fill up books more quickly, but it’s really up to you!

If one of your books needs to be replaced, you can easily order a new copy! (I have a few books that have been chewed on, so I need to order replacements!) Because they are not too expensive, I don’t mind my kids leafing through them when they want.

We keep a few baskets of Chatbooks in the living room for easy perusal! The kids love looking back at our family history (well, at least back to when I started using Instagram in the spring of 2012!).

It takes almost no time at all to set up your Chatbooks subscription. Like I said, they do all the work of organizing the photos into books for you! So simple for this busy mama.

Chatbooks make great gifts or stocking stuffers as well!

If you use my link in this post, you’ll get your first book completely free! If you like it, you can keep your subscription. If not, you can cancel anytime!

Learn more about Chatbooks here!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I was not paid to write this post, but if you join using my referral link, I can earn free Chatbooks. (So can you, by the way! Subscribe, then share with your friends too!)

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Simple Christmas Memories (Less is More!)

Tips for Creating Perfect Holiday Cards {& a Minted Giveaway!}