When Ruby was born a few years ago, I had custom thank you cards illustrated by the super talented Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. We sent them out to friends and family for all the amazing gifts and tokens of love we received. Once we ran out of the cards, I thought it would be fun to update it again with a slightly older Ruby. And since then, we now update it every year or so (with our newest shown above).
I loved the mini portraits so much, I started framing one of the cards from each year and hanging them by our front door. Sadly, our cat family has shrunk, but it's fun to see how our human family has grown over the last few years!
{Photos by Casey Brodley for Oh Joy. Painted portraits by Rifle Paper Co.}
That is so lovely! What a great idea, also to have it updated every year or so. A very original family portrait. You have inspired me, I might go look for something similar for my soon-expanding family :-)!
I love this so much. Can’t wait to have a growing family just so I can have some portraits 🙂 (ok, maybe for other things too, I guess…)
This are adorable. It’s such a great idea to frame them.
These are darling! I would love to have these of my family. Very cute.
I absolutely love Anna Bond’s work! These are absolutely adorable.
I am in love with Annie Bond’s work! And what a wonderfully adorable idea 🙂
xo, ellie
http://withlovefromellie.wordpress.com
This is so beautiful – and such a wonderful keepsake! I absolutely love it, and they look great framed.
xx Kathryn
http://www.throughthethicket.ca
Such a great and adorable idea! And to add even more precious- the framing! Love it! I just may have to steal this idea!
Love this!! Just waiting for our little one to be a little older to get it done too! Hope they do it for regular customers/non designers.
Where on the shop can I get custom cards like this?
Yes they do!
Joy
Hi Ji,
See here:
https://riflepaperco.com/shop/personalized/
Best!
Joy
These are so adorable and such wonderful memories!
http://thepeculiartrouth.com/
Kind of side-eyeing the fact that if you wanted to opt for the single pick-and-choose portrait notecards, you’ve got 17 white lady faces to pick from, and two brown lady faces (both the same shade) – and I presume if you were like, “9 looks the most like me but could you make it a brown person” you’d have to pay for customization.
They look fantastic, great idea 🙂
http://www.mintnotion.com
Oh that’s so lovely! Love this idea!
I love Anna Bond’s work!! This is so cute! I also frame cute postcards/cards too, such a good idea! The pen and washi tape are so cute in the first picture.
omg what happened to the cats?
so, so sweet. I love how in the most recent one I can recognize the clothes you and Ruby have been wearing in many of the blogposts, or at least the most prominent posts.
Sad about the cats, but I guess that’s the journey of life!
Omygoodness. This is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. I adore those pictures. The progression is just precious!
one of my favorite ideas you have shared! where do you get the frames to put them in?
Thanks Melissa!
Just at a local frame shop! Since it’s not a standard size, it’s a custom mini frame 😉
Joy
This is so cute!
Just adorable!! Did you buy a print or is this the card that you framed?
We have done something similar each December with our Christmas cards but have chosen a different artist each year and then purchased a larger version to frame. It is a wonderful way to capture our family and also our own little work of art. I’m glad to see this idea shared more widely!
What a wonderful way to document your growing family, I do love Rifle Paper style illustrations (carrying their branded iPhone cover everyday!) and would certainly want one to capture a changing family over the years.
This is so cute!
So beautiful! I’m thinking of having similar portraits made for a living room gallery wall in our new home and update it yearly 🙂
How adorable! I love Anna Bond’s illustrations and hope to get something similar when I start a family. So beautiful, I love seeing the Cho family grow!
That is such a great and adorable idea!
these portraits are really amazing. I also love the way you displayed them on your wall.
amazing!
beautiful!
so pretty!
So cute!! I love that you put the new one under the old one. So, so sweet.
Hi Anastasia!
We just framed one of the cards 😉
Joy
Sadly, two of our cats passed away within a year of each other. So we just have the one left ;(
Joy
Hey Kristina,
I can’t speak for Rifle but I would assume if there is enough interest in a certain type of person or skin tone, they’d add it into the mix!
Joy
Awww, sorry to hear it. Rest in peace little kitties!
Such a cute idea 🙂
So cute! And so sorry about your kitties. I know how hard it is too loose your furry family members.
Joy, these are adorable! I also love that pretty pen! Where did you get that from? 🙂
Oh, wow! I love this so much! Definitely keeping this in mind.
Anna Bond is so talented!
brunchandbijoux.blogspot.com
I love this! Yours turned out great!
Do I need to contact Rifle for custom stationary? On the website I only saw the option for a single portrait, not a family.
So beautiful! Definitely stealing this idea for our little family.
Does rifle paper co still do these?
I am not sure, but I think they always take custom jobs if there’s interest!
Joy