3 Tips to Choosing YOUR Perfect Holidays Cards on Shutterfly

Last week on Facebook, I made an announcement to my friends and family that almost left a tear in my eye. 

I hate to inform you, my Holiday card will NOT be the first you receive one you receive this season.

You have no idea what this means to me. Usually by now I have my finished cards in hand, labels printed and stamps bought, just waiting for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to hit the post office. But this year, the day before Thanksgiving will find us half way across the country, visiting with Jason's family in Nebraska. And the weeks leading up our trip (a 10-day road trip, BTW) swamped with shows, school things and OH YEA - the Kawaksai Disease Foundation Gala. So, I "let it go." {breathe in... breathe out}

Yes, it's killing me. 

But just because I won't be sending them out "on time" (to me!) doesn't mean I'm not LOOKING. Because you KNOW that the moment I get home and upload my 5000 pictures from the Sony NEX F3 (my Sony Moms product for November) of my kids in all kinds of cool places like The Rocky Mountains and Moab, UT, I will have those cards out before you can say "Jingle All The Way..."

And since I obsess, I thought I would give you a few HipMamaB tips to think about when you are choosing your perfect Holiday Cards.

 
cards shown include: Modern Squares, Best of Wishes and Definitely Naughty. 

1) Personality

What is your family's overall personality? Are you a classic family? Preppy? Modern? Whimsical? Silly? What do you want people to immediately think when they open your card? Then find a card template that matches what you want your card to say about you. 

Also is there a color that best represents your family? Ours is {duh} turquoise... so cards that have that primary color in them are definitely more "us."

cards shown include: What Fun, Double the Merriment and Wishing Holly Jolly

2) Picture(s)

Are you planning your card around a picture or your picture around your card? There is no right or wrong answer to this one. You may have had special pictures taken specifically for your cards or you may have taken an amazing vacation that you want to share. You may want to stage a photo for a specific card you like, or you may have multiple pictures you want to use. And once you have your images in hand, play around and make a few different cards to see which card works best!

card: Frames of Happiness

3) Fonts

It's the marketing person in me, but I strongly believe in you are what your typeface is. Yes, I'm the person that spends 25 minutes going through font lists when creating documents and photo collages, and flat out refuse to even walk into shops and spas that use Papyrus or Curlz in their logos. 

Fonts say a lot about your style, and can card from timeless to tacky in .2 seconds. Even if YOU are not really a font person, step out of that box and think about final impact on typeface with a card. So don't go playing around with them. Chose a card with a font that speaks to you and just fill in your name and walk away. That is the beauty of card sites like Shutterfly!

Those are the things I think about when creating my annual card. And NO, I would never think of going digital. It's part of the spirit to get the mail and display all your cards - so don't even think about taking me off your list.

If you are more on top of things than I am this year, until November 14th Shutterfly is offering 40% off cards with the promo code: HOLIDAY

*disclosure: This is a sponsored post from Shutterfly.com. 

Playing With: The SONY XPERIA Tablet S

As part of my ongoing Sony Moms program, this month I had the opportunity to play around with the latest XPERIA Tablet S. Now I will preface this by saying I'm an Apple girl and have been for awhile. That being said, there was an Android-based "learning curve" for me when playing with this product. But it's just like anything new to you - at first it doesn't seem "right," but when you figure it out, you're golden.

So, what did I like about the XPERIA?

1) The "folded magazine" design. I can hold it quite well. That turned-over look gives you something to grip when holding the tablet. 

2) That it's "splash proof." The main point of the tablet being resistant to splashes is so that you can use it in the kitchen for recipes, which makes perfect sense. But I also see it as kid proof. You never know what's headed your way with little fingers around... Apparently some of the tablet been having some issues surrounding this feature, but Sony did release this statement on the topic: 

As we had announced previously, while all other functions of the device still work as intended, a limited number of our new Xperia Tablet S released in September 2012 may not meet our splash-proof specification. A free inspection program to correct the issue is now open and available to our customers. The program provides customers with an easy process to repair or replace their affected device, at no charge. More details and instructions on the program are available at http://esupport.sony.com/news/460/US/EN.

3) The Guest Mode - The Guest Mode allows you to share the Xperia Tablet S with friends and family with a different look and settings for each user. Additionally it has a restricted app access to areas you don't want anybody to see. This is perfect for sharing the device with your kids, as it allows you to have your apps and them not to have access to them. This is nice because I feel that I can hand over my tablet to the kids and not have to be worried they may come across my Stupid Zombies addiction. 

*I had a chance to review this product as part of the #SonyMoms program. I did not receive compensation for the post nor did I get to keep the tablet. 

Readin' it Up on my Sony Reader PRS-T2

I like holding a book. I like the smell of books and the feel of the paper. I like turning the pages and once I’m done, either shelving them or loaning them to friends or family.

I’ve fought hard against eReaders because I never wanted to give up the feeling of holding a book. But now, that has all changed.

Like many other things in my literary life, I blame 50 Shades of Grey. I read it on my iPad before it came out in paperback and it opened up a whole new world to me. The world of “no one can see what you are reading.” Which is how I read all three 50 Shades in 4 days over Easter Weekend.

I’ve been using my iPad for reading more and more, but things about it were not perfect. I couldn’t take it to the pool and lay in the sun and read, it was heavy to tote around in my bag and I was always worried about dropping it or losing it. So when Sony sent me their new Reader PRS-T2, I was excited to try it out.

There are a few things I really like about it – like being able to read at the beach or in direct sunlight (thanks to the E-Ink® Pearl V220 touch screen), being able to toss the under 6 ounce reader in my bag, the AMAZING battery life, and being able to purchase books easily over the WiFi connection.

While at first I grumbled at the smaller {than my iPad} screen, I now like that people can’t look over my shoulder to see what I’m reading… as you know of my current addiction to the romance, supernatural and smut genres. And while it may not be fancy like a Kindle Fire – I really like not having to fight with my kids over who gets to use it.

Another cool feature is the ability to post a short passage from books purchased from Reader™ Store to Facebook directly from the device along with the book cover, author and title. That is, if you want people to know what you're reading... lalala!

But now let’s talk about that; What h been reading. I seem to have become the defacto go-to to find out the latest in good, easy to read chic lit books.

The Good:

Shadows of Night – by Deborah Harkness

This was the sequel to Discovery of Witches (#2 in the All Souls Trilogy)– one of my favorite reads of last year. While I did have to go back and read Discovery of Witches before reading this one, it was a good, easy read. It was the obvious middle-child of the trilogy, with lots of lines left hanging. But I can’t wait for book 3!

A Light Between Oceans – by ML Stedman

Amazing book about love, family and children and a lighthouse 100 miles off the coast of Australia. Its beautifully written and you can feel the characters plight and emotions jump from the (e)pages.

Night Circus – by Erin Morganstern

You MUST read this book. The scenes created in your imagination through the brilliant details of this book are insane. The words beautifully blend together to tell the story of a magical circus and the people that create it and love it. This is one of those books that as you read you can’t help but envision what the movie version will look like – and I’m hoping for Tim Burton/Danny Elfman collaboration on this one.

This is Where I Leave You – Danny Tropper

Heart felt story of a family forced to sit shiva together after their father dies. The pain of the main character is almost too much to bare at points, but its also a wonderful reminder that you may not know the people in your life like you thought.

The Romance

Love Unscripted and Love Unrehearsed -  by: Tina Reber

These books delve into what happens when a movie star falls head over heels in love with a small town girl he meets while on location. While every girl at one point has dreamed of George Clooney or Ryan Gosling just walking into you life and making you love him, what would it really be like? Could you watch him pretend to make love onset to the new hot starlet? Could you stand the media attention all of sudden coming your way? Do you just leave your life and business and go on location with him?

I was lucky enough that I finished Love Unscripted the DAY that Love Unrehearsed came out, because I may not have been able to wait. I really enjoyed the fantasy and the reality of the love story between Taryn and Ryan.

Gabriel’s Inferno / Gabriel’s Rapture – by Sylvain Reynard 

Another series climbing to the top of the best sellers list on the 50 Shades bandwagon, although this was more “troubled romance” to me than erotica. Once again its about falling in a deep love with someone that you can’t date and the repercussions of doing so. Lots of historical and art references, so I guess it makes it a thinking {wo}mans 50 Shades?

The SMUT

Bared to You – by Sylvia Day

This book has been number 4 on the bestsellers list right behind Christian and Anastasia for weeks now. While when I read it month ago after first reading FSOG, I thought it was almost an exact knock-off, my second read of the book leaves me thinking it’s actually better than 50.

While yes, Gideon is a mega billionaire with a tortured past and he meets Eve when she falls down in front of him, there are plenty of reasons to like this book better. First – the writing is much better. Second – there is no uncomfortable S&M scenes to winch through.

Book two in the Crossfire series comes out in a few weeks, and I’m just hoping we wont find out Gideon’s issues stem from being seduced by his mother’s best friend. But all in all, a good, sexy read. 

**ETA:

I have now finished Reflected in You,  the second book in the Crossfire Series. My feelings are a bit muddled about this one. Even with its resemblences to FSOG, Bared to You is the better of the two books. If you read Bared, then you (obviously) have to read Reflected. You won't hate it, but you may not love it. It's just so much of "Really? Why would you do/say that when you KNOW he/she is going to be pissed??" that it almost gets boring. Between the sex and fighting, I found myself wanting them to end their relationship. I mean, how much can two people take 3 weeks into a relationship? 

But, it kept my attention and was an easy read. I hope book 3 doesn't take as long to come out, but I'm wondering if they are on a 1 a year schedule now?

Have you read any/all of these books? What's on your current MUST READ list?

*Disclosure: I received the Sony Reader PRS-T2 as part of my participation in the #SonyMoms program. For more information and specifics on the new Sony Reader PRS-t2, please visit the SONY website. Opinions are my own!

Summertime fun… just in time for Summer to end.

It’s the last week of summer break for my kids. Next week marks the passage into 3^rd grade for Lucas and {transitional} Kindergarten (a 2-year K program at our school for kids with late fall birthdays) for Zoe. Being that it’s late August and school is about to begin means one thing in San Diego – our summertime weather has only just now started. SIGH.

All summer the kids have been begging me to get in the pool with them, but being a spoiled So. Cal native means I only take a dip when it’s really warm out. Besides, you should see our community pool after a day of 1000 kids…not really where I want to be swimming.

Last month Sony asked me to be a “Sony Mom.” As an ambassador for this program, I’ll have the opportunity to review various products over the next few months. The first product was a Sony Cybershot DSC-TX20, a super cute waterproof camera perfect for capturing those days at the pool and the beach.

While I couldn’t wait to try it out…I kept waiting for warmer temps. Then I went to NYC and somehow managed to bring the sweaty weather back with me. Flip side? I finally got to really try out my new Cybershot.

The kids had a great time “posing” underwater, and the pictures and video were clear and crisp. For a little more drama, I ran the images through Snapseed and played with coloring and effects. I love the cool vintage feeling.

 

Next time I want to do a full “dressed-up” underwater photo shoot with the kids. I also can't wait to take this camera to the beach or snorkeling. Guess we may just have to take some kind of tropical vacation...  

Now that we are all dreaming of sitting on a beach, sipping a Pina Colada, I will give you the techy info:

The Sony Cyber-Shot TX20 comes in five different colors: orange, green, black, blue, and pink. It’s currently retailing for about $300 – but check around because the price ranges.

It has:

- 16 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor

- Waterproof, dustproof, freeze-proof, and shockproof

- 25mm equivalent lens with 4x optical zoom, 8X virtual zoom via “Clear Image Zoom” technology

- “Extra High Sensitivity” technology enhances low-light shooting capabilities

- Captures 12 MP still images while shooting video

- Full HD Movie Shooting capabilities with 1920×1080/60i and two direction Optical Image stabilization with “Active Mode”

- 3.0" touch screen

- BEST FEATURE EVER: The "Soft Skin Mode." It's like automatic air brushing for the skin. I highly recommend always keeping this feature on when shooting anyone over the age of 10. Your friends will thank you and will probably use the picture you take of them in this mode as their new Facebook profile picture. Seriously. It's that good. 

**Disclaimer: I was selected to be a part of the Sony VIP Mom Blogger Review (#SonyMoms) program. I was given a Sony Cyber-Shot TX20 for the purpose of this review. I was not otherwise compensated. The thoughts and options shared above are my own and do not reflect those of Sony.

BlogHer 11 in 5 Words

EXPERIENCES

Photo by Kimberly of the Go to Mom

DRINKS

The Smurfette Drink from the Clever Girls Collective "I'm with the BRAND" party

FLASHMOB

MobHer - #Operation Glory Photo by Lindsey G (@modchik)

FRIENDS

SDMOMfia on the Smashburger party bus SWAG

Goodness from @RomyRaves #WineRaves party

More to come when my brain starts functioning correctly again.