Well as they say, better late than never! I’m going to rattle of my favorite places to order custom holiday cards. What all three of these card companies have in common is quality!  They use gorgeous, thick paper and their photo cards are beautiful!  Here we go:

* Going on 3 years now – I have used minted for all sorts of cards throughout the year. They have some really fresh card designs, simple and beautiful. *features: you can try your photo in multiple holiday design cards at once  *they offer mini books, yearline cards, calendars, folded cards, flat cards and custom stationery. 10% off till Thanksgiving, use the code THANKS10

* Paper Culture is by far the most green of these three. The quality of the card is outstanding. My favorite features: they plant a tree in your honor with each order, all cards & envelopes are 100% Post-consumer recycled, the company is Carbon Free, 130 lb paper (very thick), free mail & addressing service, free custom messages. Paper Culture’s only drawback is that they only offer flat cards! Save 20% until November 23rd, code HOLIDAY20 and if you can’t make that deadline, I think they always offer 15% off your first order.

* New to my annual list is Pinhole Press. They don’t have nearly the selection of Paper Culture or minted, but what they do have is perfect for me! Modern, simple, lovely designs. I really like their 7 photo variable message card! Other than the holiday cards, they offer elegant calendars that feature gorgeous photos (hopefully taken by Keith Pitts Photography) and offer a really unique twist on the calendar – framed calendars! Love it. In addition, they use photos in day planners, photo journals, photo books and photo pads! I can’t wait to order a calendar or two!  Free Shipping on all orders through December 31st!

Last week we had the pleasure of attending the unveiling of The Phoenician Resort’s outstanding new addition:  The Camelback Ballroom.  Being a wedding photographer in Arizona, you have the opportunity to see some of the finest resorts and really special spots for weddings around the valley. The Camelback Ballroom is one of these magical spots.

The room and its surroundings are simply gorgeous – the perfect place to have a large event or an amazing wedding. I especially love the outdoor terrace that overlooks gorgeous scenery and the large windows in the ballroom!  The addition flows, as if it had always been there! The Phoenician was already one of the most beautiful spots to have your wedding (and for us to photograph a wedding), now they’ve added another reason why they are the perfect spot to have your event!

Oh by the way, their handmade chocolates were out of this world. A must when planning your menu!

Here’s an overview from their website: The centerpiece of the resort’s premier facilities is the new 45,000 square-foot Camelback Ballroom, a multi-functional, architectural showpiece in the Sonoran Desert, featuring high clerestory windows, multiple registration areas and a separate valet entrance. The $40 million structure joins seamlessly to the existing Phoenician Grand Ballroom, as well as to a diverse selection of professional meeting rooms. The new ballroom can also be subdivided into seven separate function areas, is complemented by a plaza for outdoor breakout sessions and receptions, and offers stunning views of the resort’s championship golf course and surrounding desert landscape

It’s hard to believe that the kids have been back to school for two weeks.  Even though its still topping 100 everyday, it is hard to believe the summer fun is behind us.  Here’s our review of our summer fun!

Now this review is only our family’s take on staying at these four resorts.   I’m not talking about pools where it’s romantic or great people watching or even super cool water slides. I’m strictly talking about resort pools in the greater Phoenix area that we have actually stayed at AND have a pool specifically for little ones. So in the sweltering Arizona summer, when the resort rates are pennies on the dollar compared to winter rates, it was easy to justify a night away at a gorgeous resort for our family.

When we are lucky enough to head to a resort, our goal is for there to be a pool that is fun for the whole family.  Six story water slides are cool, but our kids are just too young (wait till next year!!! Keith and I love water slides, water parks, etc. etc. can’t wait for the kids to be super swimmers!).  Isabella just turned 6, so she is swimming really well, but Miss Gabs is on her own schedule.  She has had a couple years of swimming lessons (and is currently enrolled), but it just hasn’t clicked with her yet. She still wants to wear her “seatbelt” (a life preserver).  And, she is definitely under the 42″ height requirement of most slides! That leaves us wanting a beach entry pool that Gabs can maneuver at her comfort level and the rest of us can still have fun!

Here were our four stops and our thoughts on each:

1. Fairmont Scottsdale By far, of these 4 resorts, the Fairmont had the nicest rooms.  Keith’s only requirement for a hotel is that the roof doesn’t leak.  I on the other hand, have a long list of what makes a hotel room nice – Keith likes to joke with me that I need 1,000 thread count sheets to be happy!  I’m not quite that bad, but I really like the details and comfort of the Fairmont’s rooms. Very nice.  While this hotel is pretty large, it doesn’t overwhelm you.The property is laid out nicely, it didn’t seem overly crowded.  The family pool is just great!  Lots of fun, 2 water slides and a zero entry pool deck perfect for little ones like Gabs. Overall, this resort is great.  The one drawback:  the family pool was a million miles away from our room!

2.  The Westin Kierland Resort We liked this resort, nice rooms, but it is really, really big!  And even in the dead of summer, with temps hovering around 108, the place was sold out!  I was shocked!  The pool was beautiful, but crowded.  The lazy river and water slide are fun, but Gabby is still too small for their slide.  The children’s play area with pop-jet water fountains and the shallow pool made us happy campers.

3.  Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort We decided to celebrate Isabella’s birthday here, we rented two adjacent rooms and had a big sleepover with Isabella, Gabs, cousin Ava and Isabella’s oldest friend Malia.  The rooms are very comfortable, suites give you that little bit of extra space, which is always welcome when staying in a hotel with small children.  The pool had all of our requirements, zero entry pool deck, water slide, etc.  but was just beyond over crowded.  It almost seemed like any one who lived within a 100 mile radius of the hotel stopped by for a quick dip!  Maybe I would have liked it more if we weren’t standing shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of people who I’m not even sure were staying at the hotel.  It seemed like a big public pool – not a resort pool!  With that being said, everyone still had a great time!

4.  Sheraton Wild Horse Pass This place was just perfect for us!  The room was a little small, but pretty much brand new and very comfortable.  Overall, the resort had a very Southwestern flair, with lots of Native American history, a really nice touch.  The staff couldn’t have been any nicer.  We ended up staying by the pool for like 5 or 6 hours.  There were only a handful of families – divide that up between 4 pools and it was close to a one family to one pool ratio – what more could you ask for?  The best part for us was the one pool that was most perfect for Gabs, it had multiple zero entry pool decks all over this large pool, she had such a blast, running and swimming, being a bald eagle and flying around.  And what made it even better?  The pool was adjacent to the pool bar!  A paradise for the kids and for Keith & I!  We had so much fun.  By far, the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass was our perfect summer spot – the best resort pool for our little ones!

There are lots of stunningly gorgeous pools in the area, and lots of great pools that are family friendly, especially for non-swimmers – we would love input on other family’s favorites!

Ok..it is time to update our annual post about “where to order holiday cards”!

It is the time of year when our portrait customers ask who we recommend to print their holiday cards.  In our opinion, there is nothing worse then having a great picture that does not get reprinted well – it is soooo disappointing!  In order to answer this question properly, I decided to do some research! Hopefully this will save you some time and possibly avoid a headache!

We know that Costco, Target, as well as hundreds of online sites offer their flat one sided photo greeting cards printed on photo paper. Needless to say, these are not our favorites.  Often, there is very little quality control and the reproduction of your image will probably not look that great.  If it is in your budget, we recommend using either a local professional lab or check out the following:

CUSTOM CARDS (Moderate to Expensive)

We recommend Celebrations in Paper right here in Old Town Scottsdale.  If you are looking for something truly unique – something really custom – this is where you need to go!  The quality is excellent and the service is first rate!  Check out an earlier blog post to see some samples that they designed specifically for us this holiday season.  Just be sure to tell Renee that we sent you!

Two newcomers (to my radar anyway) worth including:

Minted. – “Minted.com delivers fresh designs from indie designers printed on luxuriously thick paper, for cards that will be remembered long after the holidays.  Be unique.  Get minted.”  Offer Code: CMH 10% off holiday cards, until 12/15  -  My favorite offering (exclusively theirs) is their Minibook Holiday Cards – tell the story of your year with 3-6  photos.  Matte paper, bound with chic grommets.  $5 each – a little on the pricey side, but beautiful!  Their selection is Keith’s favorite – a good selection of their designs tend to feature the photograph! (Click on the minted.com and it will take you to the Keith Pitts Photography photographer storefront.)

Paper Culture – “…Paper Culture: modern stationery with exclusive designs, 100% recycled eco friendly cards and unparalleled convenience and personalization. Make sure to check out our Mail & Message service where we will address and mail your cards AND print a different personal message on every card if you choose. Mail & Message service is free until Jan 1, 2010″.  WOW!!!  That alone is reason to use Paper Culture – what a great service!!!  I might actually get my cards out if I used them!  Also, they currently have an offer of saving $15 on a $75 order – great deal.  They are environmentally friendly, modern and fresh – and they have some really nice holiday photo cards!

www.tinyprints.com:  even better than last year, they are amazing!  So much to choose from – and they have a great selection of holiday photo cards (which of course is what matters most to us!)  I love the Inspiration Square Folded Card – it lets you include several photos and include custom writing on the inside!  PROS:  they offer limited edition holiday cards, they sell coordinating holiday labels, extremely user friendly site – it is so easy to drag & drop, change greeting, font, color, etc..you can request a sample of your card, but the best is:  they PRE-SHIP envelopes so you can get a jump on addressing the envelopes (if you decide you want to do that part yourself!)  CONS:  I don’t really have any!

www.peartreegreetings.com:  this sites has a great selection of  flat holiday cards – great designs – a breath of fresh air!  They also offer my preferred style: folded. They offer something called a “photo pocket” (looks like an envelopment) – several styles that fold in different ways.  The folded card features your photo personalization, a wrap pocket and a matching return address label.  I love this – they look beautiful!  Like the others, these cards include a white envelope but other upgrades are available.  Here is my favorite budget friendly choice this year …and it is even under $1.

And last but not least, I just do not have a fondness for gimmicky Holiday stuff with my kids pictures all over but I really like their magnets.  Yes, Photo magnets – don’t gasp – they actually have a nice look – and they are replicas of their cards – prices start at $1.33.  I know my grandmother would love one!

I realize that there are endless places to place holiday photo card orders…I would love to hear about others that I have not come across – I would really appreciate feedback!  Thanks!

I just came across the cutest custom gift for a wedding or for a baby (once you know the birth date).  It is a great way to incorporate photography into a special gift…great idea!!  Here is an excerpt from their website:

Born out of this experience, the venture that became frame the [date] is a loving collaboration by two sisters. All photography is original and shot in environment; frames are handmade from wood that is harvested using good timber practices; mats are hand cut from acid-free, high rag content stock. A diverse inventory of number styles, from rustic to urban to traditional, give you scope to create a commemorative piece that is – we hope – as personally significant as the piece that inspired the company.

Hi All,

Some of you are aware that I was on a weeklong vacation with my family to the New England area recently (just got back). While away, we indulged in one of my wife’s favorite meals, lobster rolls (pronounced lob-stah rolls if you are from the area). She researched the areas offerings before we left home and came up with some must haves in any area that we could possibly be as our plans evolved on site. The two that we ended up with were both different and excellent.

To appreciate this you must first know what a lobster roll is. It is usually (or at least used to be) a sandwich containing the meat of a one pound lobster on a toasted hotdog bun (sometimes a hamburger roll). It is most often mixed with mayonnaise but may also be just plain with a side of drawn butter, which is my favorite as I really don’t like mayo.

The two places we stopped at were Costello’s (in Noank, CT) and Evelyn’s (Tiverton, RI). Costello’s is the sister property of the highly acclaimed lobster roll joint (seafood shack) Abbott’s (hence the name on the potato chip bag in the photo). They  chop the lobster in little pieces, form it and serve it on a hamburger bun. They offer both with and without mayo (without is represented in the following photos).  They have a good thing going as it is a memorable presentation and tastes great. They are also rated by Zagat’s.

Evelyn’s goes the more traditional route in that they pull the meat apart roughly and lay it in the hotdog roll. The meat is all tail and claw (yummmm). They also give the choice of mayo or not. They were reviewed on the only food show that I like, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

If life puts you close enough to either of these places then I recommend both. If you can only make one then I recommend Evelyn’s (although Melissa prefers Costello’s/Abbotts). You really can’t go wrong.

Feel free to share your preferences.

Sincerely,

Keith