You’ve come to the right spot! Fabulously *festive birthday* invitations for a whole range of party themes. Your kids will love ‘em! 10% off with code 10BDAY.
We’re competing in StartupNation’s “Leading Moms in Business” Competition for the second year! Place your daily vote and help us beat our #72 ranking from last year! http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business/contestant/11742/index.php
Happy Holidays. It’s very subtle. It was just another Christmas greeting, so what’s the big deal? It took years to recognize the erosion caused by “Happy Holidays.” Waves do not just come in and wipe away the beach overnight – it happens gradually. Happy Holidays was very subtle which made it harder to recognize the danger.
I admit I’ve said Happy Holidays in the past and even sent out a Christmas card with that greeting many, many years ago. I didn’t realize that I was slowly being separated from Christ by eliminating Him when I choose that greeting over “Merry Christmas.” Then, several years ago during the Christmas season, I finally saw what was happening. I noticed that Happy Holidays was everywhere and Merry Christmas was disappearing. It hurt my heart to see the erosion of Merry Christmas and I was determined to eliminate Happy Holidays from my celebration.
As a mom and a Christian, I want to teach my children the true meaning of Christmas. I’m always aware that kids learn by example, so my home and life need to reflect the love of Jesus in all I do. We don’t just say Merry Christmas, we live it by doing all we can to the Glory of God. Our family says Merry Christmas in word and deed and that is our mission at The Little Card Company. Say Merry Christmas with us this year.
Blessings from Charlene!
The Christmas season is a great time to consider where Jesus falls in the line of priorities your family has established. Is He at the center or is He closer to the periphery? And, where would you like Him to be?
If you’re feeling like us… that society is pulling you away from the true reason for the season… then let’s find ways to resist that pull and do the opposite. Let’s find ways to keep Christ at the center this Christmas and let’s work to spread the JOY of Christ to those in our lives that might need him most.
We’ve come up with a few simple ideas for Spreading the JOY as a family:
1. Show your children the importance that your family places on Jesus’ role in the season by bringing out your manger first. Talk about the Christmas story (or pull out your Bible and read it) as you set up the scene together.
2. Send out Christmas cards that have a CHRISTmas message – if your kids are old enough, let them address and/or stamp some of the cards. Pray over the cards before you drop them in the mailbox. Pray that the Christmas message would reach your recipients in a fresh, new way this year.
3. Sign up to volunteer as a family to give the example that caring for those less fortunate than yourselves is of utmost importance.
4. Entertain friends and neighbors… Christians and non-Christians alike. Pray before your meals together, invite them to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
There are so many ways you can help share the JOY of Christ this Christmas. Put on those mommy and daddy-style thinking caps and get creative with it! Wishing you a blessed Christmas season!
We recently told you how we’ve been praying for God to provide us with fruitful relationships that would make a difference in our business. And, we also told you how he has been answering those prayers… can we just say that he’s still working in wonderful ways to bring new people alongside us!
One of those people is Sharon. Yep, the same Sharon who entered our Christmas Design Contest this past summer and won a spot in the Top 10! God brought her back to us in a larger way this time – we are now showcasing several of her designs in our 2011 Christmas Collection as well as working on ways to partner in the future (shhh… don’t tell anyone, but she has some amazing kids’ birthday designs, too!)
We thought you’d like to hear more about Sharon in her own words…
“I’m a blessed wife and mother of two wonderful kids and have always been a lover of all things creative; photography, art, graphic design, etc. I studied graphic design in the military but didn’t begin stationery design until 2004 after becoming a stay-at-home Mom. I’m a part-time freelance designer now and love being in a position to help a variety of clients, but especially non-profits and charities. So far, I have been fortunate to work with Second Harvest Food Bank, Girls, Inc. and several pregnancy resource centers across the U.S.
“I really feel that God is the one that blessed me with this talent and I try to do everything I can to make sure that I don’t take that for granted and I try to use it in a way that glorifies Him. I feel grateful for the door that has opened with The Little Card Company and I’m excited to work with them. I have a wanna-be-blog, www.sharonkaycreative.com. that I update when I have time. It’s still a work-in-progress, but I’d love for you to stop by for a visit!”
We are so grateful to have Sharon as part of our team! Here are some samples of her work:
God has been good to us! In recent months, we’ve been praying for Him to provide us with fruitful relationships that would make a difference in our business. And, we are so excited to report that He has been answering our prayers!
Recently, we’ve been introduced to a plethora of amazing, God-fearing people in a variety of fields, from bloggers to photographers to graphic designers and more! One of those amazing people is JoDitt Williams, an extremely talented designer who found us online, even as she prayed for divine direction for her own business.
We’re so thrilled to be partnering with JoDitt this Christmas season and we are very excited to introduce her! JoDitt takes great joy in designing invitations, cards and stationery that help people celebrate life, encourage friends, and share their faith. She has always had a passion for combining art & photos with words to touch people’s hearts and bring glory to God—from making her own greeting cards to send to friends and family, to working as a scrapbooking consultant, to creating colorful Scripture memory cards and computer wallpapers.
JoDitt officially began her design career in 2005 when she founded Joyful Heart Design. This Christmas, she has designed a line of Christian photo cards and invitations exclusively for The Little Card Company, to help believers share the joy of Christ at Christmas and throughout the year.
JoDitt thanks the LORD every day that she gets to do what she loves while making a difference in people’s lives and proclaims God is faithful to His Word: “Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” -Ps. 37:4.
Welcome to The Little Card Company family, JoDitt! We’re so delighted to have you on board!
One of her AMAZING Christmas designs…
A new line of designs created specifically for businesses and organizations to send to employees, clients, vendors, donors, and other associates. Perfect for spreading the Joy of Jesus at the holidays! www.littlecardcompany.com/bizchristmas
It’s THAT time of year again, moms… time to plan for the Christmas card photo! If you’re anything like us, you agonize over things like what the kids will wear, whether the photo should just include the children or the whole family, when and where the photo should be taken… the list is seemingly endless!
This year we decided to lean on some professional experience to help ease the pressure. We hope these ideas from Angela Scott, of Angela Scott Photography in Sacramento, CA help make the process a whole lot easier – and more fun – for you!
LCC: Angela, what is the best time of day to take a photo outdoors?
Angela: Ideally, the best time for outdoor photos would be early morning, within a few hours of the sun rising. A couple of hours before the sun sets in the late afternoon can also work well. Of course, that assumes a sunny day… during the winter months here in Northern California, we tend to have more overcast days, which can provide an excellent filter from the sun and allow for beautiful pictures. So don’t be afraid of overcast weather on your photo shoot day!
LCC: What about indoor pictures? Do we need a place with a lot of natural light or would it be okay to use regular room lighting?
Angela: For the best photos, try to plan your shoot for a time when the most natural light is available. On the other hand, be careful to avoid direct sunlight which can cast hard shadows across your faces. If you have access to professional or semi-pro lighting equipment, they would be effective as a substitute for natural light. Using your personal lamps and/or fluorescent lighting can give a very yellow-orange tone to skin, so I try and avoid using them.
LCC: What wardrobe colors photograph best? Should we avoid wearing patterns or stripes? And, what are your thoughts on everyone in the photo wearing matching clothes?
Angela: (laughs) This one really depends on your family’s personal style. Some clients like to have everyone match, which creates a very classic photo. My suggestion is that parents wear the neutral colors and kids wear the brighter colors… just make sure they blend well and don’t clash! That approach usually makes for a more fun and relaxed family photo. Small patterns are okay (ie, light plaid or pinstripe) and I suggest that only one family member wear a pattern to avoid a chaotic looking photo.
LCC: As a photographer – and a mom! – do you have any tips for getting the kids to cooperate during the photo shoot?
Angela: Yes, if you have younger children make sure they are well rested and fed. And, my number one suggestion during a shoot is for parents to be patient. As any parent knows, it’s difficult to have a child sit still, and a photo shoot is no different. Allow your photographer to work with the kids… funny enough, they tend to listen better to the photographer when being asked to sit and smile. Once the parents step in to get the kids to cooperate it often turns into a battle, and the frustration shows in the photos, which is the last thing we want. Try and have fun with it, moms! The more fun, the better the photo!
Feeling better already? We hope so! Many thanks to Angela for her words of wisdom on the topic. If you live in the Sacramento area and would like to connect with Angela to ask questions or to schedule a photo shoot, please feel free to contact her at:
Angela Scott Photography
Email: angelascottphotography@gmail.com
www.angelascottphotography.com
Angela has a special promotion running that’s perfect for a Christmas photo shoot… check it out here: http://www.angelascottphotography.com/specials/
Every year I have the best intentions of trying to get an early start on my Christmas shopping, but to no avail. I end up get bogged down with birthdays, kids’ activities and Thanksgiving and suddenly it’s December and I have a very large to-do list.
At a MOPS meeting a couple of years ago, we heard several suggestions of how to save time and plan ahead during the Christmas season. Our mentor mom gave us a great idea to take a family photo on vacation and use it for our annual Christmas card. She also suggested that we have our Christmas cards printed, addressed and stamped well ahead of Thanksgiving and then all that’s left is dropping them in the mail the first week of December.
Last year, I took her advice. While on summer vacation, we took a family photo and it was probably the best picture our family has ever taken together. Just getting the picture taken early was a huge relief and I was so happy not to have to schedule a family photo op in November or December. With the picture done, all that was left was picking out a Christmas photo card and having it printed. When December rolled around, I had a lot of shopping to do, but my photo cards were finished and ready to be mailed and it felt great!
If you want to get a jump start on Christmas, we have a great collection of Christian photo Christmas cards that will be sure to compliment your favorite photos. We are also excited to announce that by the end of September the top designs from the Christmas Design Contest will be featured on our website. Check out our Facebook and Twitter accounts for the latest news, information and specials and let’s all get started early on our photo cards this year!
Congratulations to Jake, Danielle,Caleb and Christine! Thank you for your awesome designs… we can’t wait to add them to our Christmas 2011 line-up!
This contest has been an amazing experience on so many fronts. The amount of designers involved, the number of designs submitted, the amount of support for each entry… each of these areas were so inspiring. The most uplifting part of it all was to see a handful of the artists voting for their fellow contestants’ designs – truly a spirit of encouragement and mutual support. We praise God for these positive outcomes!!
Unfortunately, we did have accusations of cheating arise toward the end of the contest. Over the past few days, we have taken the time to do our due diligence around those accusations, and we can say with a clean conscience that we did our best to investigate the matter. In the end, we weren’t able to substantiate the claims, so the votes remained (less one who withdrew voluntarily prior to the end of the contest).
Thank you again for your participation… we are so grateful for your support!
