Shutterfly Dinner & Apres Thanksgiving Bloggers Feast {Giveaway}

(me and Sarah from Sarah’s Cucina Bella)

Last year, I got together with some of my favorite bloggers to celebrate a second Thanksgiving.

I mean, really.

It was an evening filled with a vegetarian-inspired feast and lively conversation.

So you know it was going to become an annual tradition.

Natch.

(Or a twice-annual tradition, since we also do it for Valentine’s Day too.)

But this year, there was a slight twist. The generous folks at Shutterfly sponsored our dinner. Which was pretty perfect because it meant we could concentrate on making dessert, and checking out their new holiday catalogs.

Win.

Win.

And dessert? Well, it was bountiful. As all good blogger feasts should be. Sarah made her Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies, Patsy brought a Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with Creamy Pumpkin Glaze, a recipe she got from Kristen of Dine & Dish, and Joanne brought a Bourbon Pumpkin Bread Pudding. The kids had individual ice cream cups from a local dairy, and everyone was sent home with Jersey Cream cupcakes from a local cupcake place (profits of which are going to restore the shore after Hurricane Sandy had her way with it). Decadence? Yeah, we’ve got that.

Luckily the Shutterfly folks sent some card samples for us to  oooh and aaah over. Which is how I discovered, and subsequently fell in love with, their matte cards. Thicker than the average glossy photo card, these are so very much more. A smooth finish and vibrant color. I was so hooked I ordered my cards the very next day. And since snapping the photo and ordering cards was one of my small goals from last week, I snuck in just under the wire.

Phew.

I happened to get the perfect shot while we were at my sister’s for Thanksgiving. Posed, but full of happy smiles, and lots of color.

Which, next to a candid shot, is my favorite thing.

Although I do keep an eye on our photographs during the year for the perfect picture for our holiday cards, since I take so many, I really aim to use a picture from the last quarter of the year because the kids change so much at this age. I was just looking at a picture of Madeline from August, and she has changed physically since even just then, a mere three months ago.

If you still need ideas on capturing the #CardWorthy shot of your family, check out Shutterfly’s family photo page for all sorts of tips.

My biggest tip? Throw the generally accepted idea of perfection out the window, and go with what’s perfect for you and your family. Sometimes the silliest, craziest pictures are the very best ones, capturing your family’s personality at its finest (and most real).

Candids are, without a doubt, my absolute favorite.

Those unscripted moments.

Love.

And now to help you with your holiday shopping (’tis the season!), Shutterfly is giving a $50 gift code to one of YOU! And with all their awesome sales, fifty bucks goes a LONG way.

PRIZE: One $50 Shutterfly promotional code
TO ENTER: Leave a comment and share your favorite Shutterfly product or photo tip.
FOR MORE ENTRIES: Tweet this post with the hashtag #CardWorthy. Or Pin this post and comment that you’ve done so. Or follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram, if you don’t already (and come back and tell me you do). Or follow Shutterfly on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, or their blog. And tell me you’ve done so. That’s a lot of extra entries!
GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Monday, December 3, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST
WINNER ANNOUNCED: In an upcoming post and via Twitter. If winner doesn’t respond with address info within 48 hours, a second winner will be chosen.
NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
FINE PRINT: The winner will be selected using random.org.

Want to win even MORE? Some of my favorite girl bloggers are also giving away $50 Shutterfly gift codes, so you can go enter on their sites as well … Joanne from Eats Well with Others, Sarah at Sarah by the Sea, and Patsy of Fam, Friends, and Food.

Good luck!

Tomorrow? A chili recipe that is waist-friendly.
Wednesday? A restaurant review.
Thursday? Craft time!
Friday? A recipe for Caramel Apple Cheesecake.

*This post and our dinner was sponsored by Shutterfly.

Print it!