"and a happy new year"

...the words I've been clinging to to justify leaving my Christmas cards up for SO long! Yes, Christmas is over, but surely I can continue admiring them because afterall...it is a happy new year, right?

Well, I gave myself a month, and decided it was time to take them all down. I am always so sad to see all of the cards go...

...but not nearly as sad as my naked bulletin board! 

The only thing that made it okay was the "happy" I got this year out of my love for all things Christmas Cards. This year I decided to start a little tradition for us by creating a place for us to keep a copy of each of the Christmas cards we send out. My hope is to add to this book each year, one day filling the book with a growing family, special memories and have a place to look back at all of our cards year after year.

I ordered the book from Jenni Bick Bookbinding and I was thrilled the day it came! Isn't it fun when something you order arrives just as you pictured it?!

This book is called the Classic European Bookcloth Photo Album. It is available in so many fun colors, sizes and personalization options. My wheels are already spinning on other fun ways to used these books! I love them! How much fun to have a book of photographs for each year? OR if we're dreaming a book for each season! Lime for Spring, Yellow for Summer, Orange for Fall, Sky for Winter! And don't forget you can emboss ANYTHING on the front cover. TOO FUN.

My book is beige and was embossed with gold. I bought inexpensive gold picture tabs from Hobby Lobby and put our cards in right away. My only regret is that we do not have a Christmas card from our first married year. Sadly, this would have been the easiest year because we could have used a wedding picture, but for some reason it just didn't happen. I've left a spot for 2005 and will have to use a picture from our first married Christmas in place of an actual Christmas card.

2006

2007

2008

2009