Christmas Postcard 2018

For many years I've sent out a postcard instead of a Christmas card (I think for 7 years now!) While non-traditional, it is a fun, easy, creative, inexpensive way of sharing what is going on in our family...I have done a infographic with random stats about our family.

Do you have any non-traditional holiday traditions?

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Christmas Postcard 2013

As usual in blogland, I am a day late + a dollar short...but I think these are pretty cool, and worth sharing. 

For the last few years I have sent out a postcard as a Christmas "card." 

I think I ultimately made the change a few years ago because my Christmas list was pretty long (100 cards) and with postage it added up. I didn't want to not send cards at all, because there are a lot of people who I think of often but never pick up the phone to call...so I like that we have at least ONE communication during the course of the year.

My main issue with a postcard is that the information is out there...rather than struggle trying to squeeze in a brief yet vague holiday message about what's been happening, this year I decided to create an infographic with random information about our family. {please ignore the portions I've masked...if you really want to know anything about me, feel free to ask...}

Pretty cool, right? 

And, they cost under $20 with shipping for 100 post cards! Awesome, right? Plus postcards mail at a lower rate, which is about to go up, but for a roll of 100 cost only $33, so $53 for 100 Christmas Cards + Postage. Practically a Christmas miracle! 

I'm also fairly excited about our family picture...we took it ourselves with a tripod and a camera remote. Our dog always looks terrible in pictures, in this, he actually looks normal. Not bad for a DIY...although we probably took a hundred (or more) terrible pictures...next year, I'm going to have family pictures taken. (I say that every year!)

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday...here's to great things in 2014!

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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

So as I'm sure you already know, it's been a little busy around here. I've been MIA {again} and super crafty {yay} and had total ADD {gah!} but Christmas is finally here. I'm enjoying spending time with family.

My in-laws are here to celebrate Christmas with us and we're enjoying catching up and eating lots and lots of delicious food. We are awaiting Santa's arrival, although our little one says NO every time we ask him if Santa is going to come. He's never sat on Santa's lap, and actually RAN away crying when Santa waved hi to him at the mall the other day...oh well, maybe next year...

In the meantime, Merry Christmas to you & your family.

I send out a post card each year. I used to do shutterfly cards, but for some reason {I think the cost of postage} I switched to post cards. It's easy. It's much cheaper...and it's cute.

I used Photoshop to make my card this year. I'm very novice and insecure about my photoshop abilities, but ended up seeing that the genius photographer Rebecca Cooper from Simple Things provided templates {here and here} to make photo cards using Photoshop. I ended up using her 2010 templates, but I changed some of the colors & fonts because her templates were very bright and my photos were very dull colored. I think it worked out and I'm so glad the Rebecca shared these awesome templates. {PS her blog has awesome info about photography & she just moved back to Canada after living in the Carribbean with her family~I can NOT imagine!}

Once the image was finished, I uploaded it to Overnight Prints and received it very quickly (not overnight) for about $30 for 100 cards AND shipping. I don't mail out 100 cards, but even so, it's much less to buy 100 cards and not use all of them. The postage is $0.29 each. So there you have it--a cost effective answer to Christmas cards: Christmas postcards.

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The Holidays--Christmas Postcards--why not?!

I feel like I walk a (very) fine line between loving the holidays and hating them. I love the traditions, receiving gifts, being with family, and of course the food. I hate the shopping, the pressure of coming up with the perfect gift, and the stress in general.

For some reason, I like to have my Christmas cards out BY December 1st (but usually the day after Thanksgiving is preferable.) I'm not sure if I just like being the first Christmas card in my loved one's mailbox or if I just like having that ONE task checked off my list...but it's neurotic. I realize that.

And here I am, in a panic, because I need to MAKE my Christmas card so I can send it out in 15 days. Ahhh! I intended on taking my son out in a cute outfit over the weekend to a picturesque WV locale (of which I'm not really sure where), but alas, the weather did NOT cooperate. It's been rainy, cold & very overcast for a few days now....so no photos for our family.

At first,  I had great big plans (I'll order the remote for our camera so we can set it up in a tripod and take the picture ourselves---because that's what we really need to do--right?!) I suppose I've changed my expectations because today I settled for ironing a clean white sheet (people don't normally do that, right?) and using a very scientific system of rope, knots, and clothes pins, and managed to hang my backdrop from our landing....I was able to get a few pictures of my son & both dogs, even one of my son RIDING one of the dogs (not normally allowed) but this is a special occasion.

Trekkie, my adopted girl, we love her but she makes us crazy. 

Mason, my firstborn, he is truly a piece of work, but as much as we put up with him....I suppose this is proof that he puts up with us as well! 

Normally, not allowed, Callum is taking Mason for a quick ride. Mason wonders if this kid is for real. 

I must add, that at one point, I would use preset formats from Shutterfly.com, they are fantastic and if you order early, they are generally on sale. BUT, last year I decided as an attempt to save money I would send a Christmas postcard (less postage, less cost per card, and less paper waste too!) I thought it was a great idea, and I received a wonderful compliment from a dear friend asking where I ordered from last year, but I'm a glutton for punishment. Without spending an arm & a leg, it was expensive to send customized/personalized Christmas postcards (the ones I came across were super cheesy I might add.) SO, last year I spent HOURS and HOURS creating the perfect layout, format, font, photo. The first card I ordered even looked horrible when printed because of an unfortunate blurry photo, but luckily 123print.com, has an amazing return policy, so after some minor tweaks I reordered and was much happier with round 2.

So here I am...starting to sweat it, not loving the pictures but thinking okay I might be able to make this work....but in usual fashion, I'm starting the holiday season in my usual fashion: slightly panicked, beginning to stress, dreading what I have to do...

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