‘Shutterfly’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Shutterfly Dinner & Apres Thanksgiving Bloggers Feast {Giveaway}

November 26, 2012 · Ad-Free, Narrative

(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.

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.

…

Recipe: Warm Cheddar Dip {Hellmann’s}

November 15, 2012 · Narrative

When you know a hurricane is coming and you’re likely going to lose power.

For awhile.

And most probably lose all the food that you have in your refrigerator and freezer.

You make cookies.

No lie. Nervous energy made way for a few batches.

Which, in theory, was a good thing because it meant on our second night of no power, when we were invited to a friend’s house for dinner, I could bring a little dessert.

And I also brought these Smiley Face potatoes. From my freezer. An in-frequent item I buy for my kiddos sometimes.

Good stuff those things are.

But beyond cookies and smiley face potatoes, I also did other smart things. I surveyed the contents in our over-stuffed refrigerator to see what I could make and use up before the power went out.

And then I browsed Instagram.

And those two things combined?

(surveying the fridge and Instagram)

Those two things combined are exactly what led me to this new recipe for a Warm Cheddar Dip. The folks at Hellmann’s had posted it.

And it’s so stupid simple, I could remember it by heart.

One cup of shredded Cheese.

Check.

One cup of mayo. Hellmann’s, natch.

Check.

And by the by, I used the low-fat kind, it’s the only kind we use (next to the olive oil kind).

And half an onion chopped.

Check.

…

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Celebrating Halloween {2012}

November 5, 2012 · Ad-Free, Narrative

Last year, our Halloween was delayed because of a freak snowstorm. This year, it’s anybody’s guess when it will happen. Luckily Madeline’s school had arranged a trunk-or-treat event the Sunday before Hurricane Sandy struck, so they were able to squeeze in a little bit ‘o festivities beforehand.

There are some schools of thought that in the grand scheme of things, Halloween shouldn’t matter or even be a second thought when there is so much devastation and restoration to contend with.

I don’t agree.

The kids need a little bit of happy in their lives right now. Let us adults deal with the grown-up stuff. The kids have all been such troopers in the last week, if we can give them a little piece of Halloween, why not? Nick’s school is in the process of organizing a trunk-or-treat for this weekend, and I think we’re all looking forward to a bit of regular life amidst things like dealing with power loss and gas shortages. And the trunk-or-treat guarantees the kids’ safety so we don’t have to worry about contending with down wires, fallen trees, and road closures….

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Review: Nero Kwik Media Photo Book

December 9, 2011 · Ad-Free

‘Tis the season for creating photo books, right? I’ve got to say, I’ve always been a little intimidated by the thought of creating a photo book. I tend to be a little picky about photographs basecase, and the thought of playing with a ton of them in an effort to create the perfect creative memory? Well, it’s just something I’ve shied away from, for the most part. When I make a photo book, I usually do it the old-fashioned way, with a regular photo album bought at the store, printed pictures, and some scrapbooking paper. You know, the old school way. Until now.

When the folks at SocialMoms asked if I would review the photo book product from Nero Kwik Media, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to dive right in. Here’s how it went:

You have to download the (free) software onto your computer to make these photo books, as opposed to being able to do it online a la Shutterfly, Costco, Kodak, and other similar establishments. I’m always a little bit leary of downloading new software. Once it was downloaded, the program itself is very easy to navigate and intuitive. Which is awesome because I try to avoid reading lengthy directions and manuals at all costs. I selected all the pictures I wanted to use, and then the program actually populated the pictures into the book I chose. That didn’t thrill me, because I would have rather inserted the pictures one by one, where I wanted them, by myself. That being said, it was easy to swap a few pictures out here and there.

There is a great variety of backgrounds, fonts, and colors that you can use, which made it easy to personalize the book as I went along. I also loved the feature that allowed me to blow up a picture to take up the whole page (becoming the background). You can choose soft or hard books, leather or not, and add in text wherever you want it, as you go along.

Beyond the photo books, you can also use your photos to make calendars, greeting cards, slide shows, and videos. The ordering process is fairly simple, although if you exit and go back, it can be a little tricky to figure out how to order a product you made before. I did have an issue with my book, and although it was difficult to figure out how to contact Customer Service, they were helpful once I reached them. Shipping is superfast, which is much appreciated this time of year, and the book was shipped to me less than 48 hours after ordering.

I haven’t received the book yet, but will update this post once it arrives. There are certainly a lot of vendors to consider when making photo books, but given how relatively easy my first time was, I will definitely be back. Would love to hear about the photo books you’ve ordered!

PS – I just noticed that they are currently offering 40% photo books as an introductory offer, and since you can get a completed book for under $15 normally, that’s quite the bargain if you need one for someone on your holiday gift list.

Disclosure: This post is part of a SocialMoms product evaluation, for which I’ve been selected. One free photo book was made available to me for review purposes, and I’ve been compensated for my time. All opinions are totally mine.