I get that everyone wants to be unique and do something different that stands out from the rest when they create their wedding Thank You cards but this latest trend with taking pictures of the “morning after” has me thinking we’ve gone a bit too far.

Photos are now a huge part of our everyday lives. Good bye fotomat, hello smartphone. But just because you can do something, doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Especially with wedding photo Thank You cards!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/morning-after-photos_n_1828385.html#slide=1433261

Spring is here and this is the time of year when photo graduation announcements will be stuffing our mailboxes. Seniors are getting ready to move forward to college or jump right into the workforce. Invite family and friends to the ceremony or spread the happy news by capturing a moment in time with a picture. It will last as a keepsake later for your child to look back on and smile. A proud parent sharing a teen’s achievements. Before deciding on a card to send, think about how your youngster would want to be remembered as an individual.

The standard picture I conjure up for High School graduation announcements is a collegiate pose with a stuffy turtleneck or ordinary cap and gown. Stand up straight, force that cheesy smile and blend in with the background of books behind you. If you are bored with the norm, think about something original. You can go for the young pictures to now. A classic baby picture and one of them all grown up. A more creative candid picture with a arty background such as outdoors. A girl sitting on the train tracks or yellow street lines as a metaphor…where am I heading? Or you can embrace the class clown that is your offspring and let them be a bit daring. It all depends on what embraces your child.

I have seen some hilarious examples of using laughter as a tension breaker for this time in a teen’s life. A girl holding a book upside down is a classic. A student covering his face with his gown as if he were Batman or Dracula. Decorating your cap seems to be the new trend. Words like “I is Gradjiated” will always get a chuckle. Even full scale models of a house complete with a lawn. Lego’s atop your cap is popular. And you can’t forget about the bling. Whether you are bragging about your straight A student or excited about your D student just squeaking by, it is an accomplishment to be shared and remembered.

Mother’s Day cards can be sent to many people in our lives. It is not only our own mother that we remember on this day, but also other mothers who have touched our lives with love and guidance. My own list is pretty long because I have many mothers who have helped me in my own journey through motherhood.

Four years ago I had a miscarriage and it was devastating. After about a year, I found myself expecting again. It was a difficult pregnancy and I had to be put on complete bed rest 2 ½ months before my due date. The doctors felt this was best accomplished by putting me in the hospital. Needless to say this was less than ideal when I had a child at home, but lucky for me there was many hands willing to help.My brother’s wife was not working and she took my daughter to stay with her. She still had a week left of school but friends and family would take her to and from school. On the weekends she stayed with my mother or grandmother.

My son, Patrick, was born three weeks after I entered the hospital on my 40th birthday. He was 7 weeks early but a good weight at 5lbs. 3 oz. He stayed in the hospital for two weeks after I left and was finally sent home with a heart monitor. Preemies tend to have lung problems and often will stop breathing. The monitor lets you know that they have to be reminded to breathe. He wore this for two months and luckily did well but the doctor advised that he should not be put into child care for his first year.

Unfortunately, in this day and age it is necessary for both parents to work and after three months I returned to work with the help of many mothers. My grandmother would watch Patrick for three days, my aunt would help her out and my sister-in-law watched him one day, while friends took turns on the fifth day. They say it takes a village to raise a child. My village of mothers gave Patrick the start he needed with love and kindness. This year with my heart felt thanks they will be getting their photo Mother’s Day cards with a great picture of a healthy, happy and mischievous two year old.

My graduation party invitations are going out today for my niece. How wonderful it has been to watch her grow. She came into my heart when my sons were in high school and I needed an input of baby (without actually having one). Little did I know that I would have a hand in raising her. She was a little pixie with a pony tail and missing tooth when we lost my sister and brother-in-law to a car accident. Since all the other siblings were still raising little ones, I had the honor of seeing her grow up in my home. Our family certainly pulled together to let her know she was loved.

Needless to say our little girl was the joy of my life. Do not ever let anyone tell you that you can’t love a child that isn’t your own. My husband and I love her every bit as much as our boys. The boys have welcomed her as a little princess into their busy lives. Now, when she is graduating from high school and embarking on her journey through college we know that she will always feel her worth in the world. We are so very proud that we were able to contribute to her emotional, spiritual and educational growth.

I have sent out the high school graduation invitations with pride and a note to the rest of the family, our girl is grown up. I told them all that although we are giving the party the celebration belongs to the whole family on both sides who have given their hearts and support for all these years. They will all cherish her photo invitations because this is a triumph for them all. It is a bittersweet moment for my husband and I because for the first time in 36 years we will have an empty nest. Remember to celebrate every day because some day you will need the memories.

My mother is one of the single most important people in my life. She is constantly there for me no matter what the situation and does not hesitate to help me out when I need it. She is always trying to better me and make sure that I am doing right in my life by pushing me through college and making me do my all. So, when Mother’s Day comes around, I am not upset when I need to buy her a present on that day like most children would be. I always start with her Mother’s Day cards.

Last year, I found a new obsession with Coach and my mother went out and bought me a bag almost immediately. She started to like the brand herself but my mother would never go out of her way to buy something so expensive if it was for herself. She does not mind spoiling us kids but forgets about what she wants sometimes. I remember I went into the Coach store and bought her a cute wristlet that she had dwelled on when we were in the store one day. I wrapped it up in wrapping paper and then went to pick the card for her present.

My mother and I have more of a playful relationship and those corny, sappy cards would not work for her when I picked them. I had to find the most humorous and funny card that they had in the store and make sure that I bought it for her. After searching for about twenty minutes, I found the perfect one. It told her that she was getting old and how annoying mother’s are, almost similar to the one I got from the previous year. I paid for it, wrote my own witty message inside like I do with all cards, and then stuck it on top of her present.

When she opened it, she was surprised and pleased with the gift and laughed about the card. I always beat my brother in the gift and card department, but this year he did something new. This year he got my Mom photo Mother’s Day cards. My mother is in love with my baby brother who is 5 and is constantly taking pictures of him. My 19-year-old brother is always trying to one up him considering he was the baby for so long. So, he took a picture with my baby brother and they stuck it on a photo card for her. She loved the card so much that it stays on the fridge to this day!

When my son graduated high school, I almost didn’t believe it. My baby had gotten so old! And how could I be old enough to have a son graduating high school? He’s our oldest, so this was my first experience dealing with a child leaving the nest. This was also my first experience dealing with a large graduation party at our house. I was overwhelmed, to say the least, so I went into crisis mode and called my sister. She suggested sending out high school graduation announcements so that our whole extended family felt like they were involved. My son wrote a personal message on the back side of each card. Some of those messages included invitations to his graduation party, and some did not.

My husband and I picked out a few cards we liked, and we asked our son’s opinion. Since it was his graduation, we wanted him to have the final say in which card we sent. He (of course!) didn’t like any of the cards we selected, so he went to PhotoCardsDirect and selected one that he liked. Though he complained while writing messages on each, he was happy once the presents began arriving! Almost every person in our family, even those not invited to his party, sent something. Whether it was a card with a bookmark inside, a gift card, or a check, my son was grateful for every gift he received. I couldn’t believe how well the graduation announcements worked out for us. I am definitely sending them out when his little sister graduates, too!

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and wait, you haven’t got your mother anything! This is an outrage. Your mother is one of the most important people in your life and you almost forgot about Mother’s Day! Well luckily, if there is a will, there’s a way. I am going to shed some light on some of you forgetters out there. Mother’s Day cards are the ideal way to show your mom that you love her and are aware of her holiday!

Most likely, every gift that you would get your mom, she would love since you took the time and the thought to get it for her, which is, of course, is vital for Mother’s Day. However, the most endearing gift you could get your mother would have to be Mother’s Day photo cards. Photo cards are unique in terms of creativity and design. An ordinary card cannot compare to the perfection that is the Mother’s Day photo card. These cards have a key element that the everyday mother’s day cards do not have, and that is the photo(s) of her beautiful children. What can be a more appealing gift for a mother than seeing her children in photos! The photos remind them of how wonderful their children are and how near and dear they are to her. Hopefully, the card will do the trick, and maybe you can take her out for a nice steak dinner too. Nothing says you love your mother like a photo card… and a steak dinner!

So your baby is finally graduating college/high school/eighth grade/kindergarten/nursery school (hey you never know; these days there are graduation ceremonies for all types of graduations!) and you are throwing a big bash to celebrate. You need to send out graduation party invitations, and you really want to send out a photo invitation. However, you don’t have the seemingly “required” picture of the graduate in a cap and gown, and won’t until after the big event is long over. What to do? Should you cave and just buy generic, impersonal graduation invitations?

No way! Instead, just get a little creative with your photo for the photo graduation invitations. One idea for high school and college graduates is to use a baby picture of the graduate. You can even get a two-picture photo invitation and use one baby picture and a recent one. This will strike an emotional chord with the invitees, many of whom have probably known the graduate since he or she was that baby!

Another idea is to take a less serious and more sarcastic tone. Show the graduate studying hard by poring over a book, learning geography (and perhaps making after-graduation plans?) by spinning the globe, or maybe even practicing science with a chemistry set (the more juvenile looking, the better!). Or, you can dress your graduate up in the stereotypical trappings of the studious; dressed in a turtleneck or tweed blazer with glasses, perhaps chewing on a pencil.

Not only will you still be able to send photo graduation invitations, yours will stand out in a sea of caps and gowns!