Highly recommended

Anyone else read SundryBuzz? I check in now and again because Linda and Swistle are pretty much my favorite mommybloggers but I'm just not that into products. Unless we're talking sewing notions (thread?) or fabric I usually couldn't care less.

So I was as surprised as anyone when I realized during my commute this morning that tonight's post was going to be a list of highly recommended items.  Tested by me (or Mr. H).  Enjoy!

Etsy Gift Guides I was looking in between trying to upload an obscene number of photos to Costco.com (I was in the middle of one of my periodic panics about losing my daughter's childhood memories to a hard drive failure. This particular attack brought on by my in-law's computer loss) Um, where was I?

Oh yes,  the Etsy Gift Guide.  So good! I sort of naively thought that Etsy (all handmade stuff) would not be a good place to shop for, say, my brother-in-law but I may have been wrong. The gift guides are a great way to narrow down the vastness that is Etsy.  If you go to my Etsy shop you can click on my list of favorites (it appears at the bottom of my profile page). If you are likely to be someone I am buying a Christmas gift for, do me a favor and don't click on my favorites list. Either way, check out the gift guides.

Enough about that, I'm not as witty a reviewer as Swistle so we will move along to Chai.

Chai tea--See the box there on the right? $3.50ish at Target and oh so yummy.  Half stuff from the box, half milk, perfect warm beverage and way to get calcium. Several cups of yummyness for the price of one Chai tea latte at Starbucks.  This stuff is milder than Starbucks but I still like it.

Bulb tester--And that thing to the left of my yellow mug, that's a Christmas light bulb tester. This may have saved Mr H's sanity when, after he got all the lights on the roof, half a strand on the garage went out. $4 at Target. Totally worth it.

And now that I've given my recommendations, I need yours. I finally took a roll of film for the Christmas card shot. Got a few contenders. I don't have a scanner so click this photo to enlarge

Issues:
-photo on left-you can't really tell it's a Santa hat she's pulling off. Also, tummy hanging out (sort of cute) and random background.
-center photo-fold in shirt obscures year (which is kind of the point). Hat is a bit odd and her smile is so big you can't see her eyes. Also, as with the first photo, the lighting is harsh and shadowy
-right photo-where are her arms?  Also, no smile (but okay expression?). Need to crop book out of background.

What say you? Which should be the card?

P.S. Top photo has nothing to do with this post--more on that tomorrow.

Comments

[Swistle]

I like the far right photo best.

THANK YOU for the Etsy tip. I was trying to shop there the other night and I was just DROWNING. I couldn't find anything because I was getting thousands and thousands of hits for every search, so I gave up. I'm going to try the guides.

[JenniferB]

I like the middle photo the best -- even though the year is covered up, which I know is the point. You could always do a cute '07 stamp on the corner of the card or something. I like the shots of smiles so big that you can tell they are really joyous.

[Sonja]

My favorite photo is the one on the left, but for a Christmas card, I'd probably choose the one in the middle. Her smile is contagious, and the santa hat is a cute touch. You'll just have to get over the fact that the year is obscured. And if you can't, the photo on the right is a close second in my opinion. I think it just depends on what you're trying to capture: her joy (middle) or her angelic-like expression in 2007. (Because that picture on the right is pretty darn cute, yo!)

[lauren]

definitely the middle. smiles that big need to be shared. and those sweaters? what kind of prehistoric moths are living in your house? :)

[Mary]

I like both the left and the middle

[KristaMB]

Tough choice on the photos. I think I like the one on the right the best, followed by the middle photo.

I can't wait to find out about the first photo you posted. A new craft in the making?

[Debie Trotti]

I love the middle one. The hat and that smile are priceless.

[Yay Toast]

I vote left or middle. Middle is the cutest but if you want the year to show on the shirt, then the left is the next best choice! Very cute!

[Lil' d]

All 3 - seriously. I have given up getting one decent picture of my kids, so I always end up copy / pasting several photos on to one image (like you see on those photo cards), then I get it printed off like a normal photo. Same price, but you get to combine all the good points from each pic. I can e-mail you a copy of this year's one if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

[Richelle F]

I'd say a collage, too if you could. Then you get all the views. I do like the smile in the middle one and the right one is pretty cute.

[Sandy]

I really like the middle one best - it definitely portrays Christmas joy!

[Karin]

The middle one has the best expression and the best lighting.