...to make an holiday card!
Hi! It's Marnie and I hope to inspire you to consider making your own photo Christmas card.
Why would you do that when there are so many lovely cards to choose from at the printers' sites you wonder? Seriously a great question, and one for which I have no answer, except to say that it seems too easy? or maybe because I have a fear of arriving at a party in the same outfit as someone else? (No, I don't sew my own clothes, instead I stay home. The same could be said of my Christmas card sending (see exhibit A). Perhaps that is my equivalent of staying home!!)
But really, I think I really just love the idea of having something sort of original and homemade. It's the scrapbooker in me.
So let's get started. First, pick your size. Costco is the best price in town, and theirs don't need extra postage, but are an unique size of 6 x 7.5 so don't be caught unawares. Many places have 5x5s, 5x7s, 6x4, and 6x8, though some sizes will require extra postage, so you may want to ask at the post office so you don't have to pay more than the 47 cents to send. It can add up for those of you with lots of fans!!
Next, decide how many photos you want to use. I love the big photo so everyone can what you really look like. (Or my kids, really, as the self timer didn't work out so well this year.) But sometimes a lot of photos can be fun, too. And if you have two sides, then you can do both!
Then, pick a color scheme and style. Here are a few I made this year.
You can tell from the last two that you can totally change the feeling of a card with different colors, and fonts.
This year, I am going with a two-sided card, a new offering from Costco. So excited! I used my favorite Bondoluo font and some woodgrain and polkadots! Perfect! Might I tell you how excited I am for rounded corners? Woohoo!
And for those of you paying remarkable attention, you will notice that this is not the card that I had put together for our Christmas cards this year. (See, again, exhibit A.) I did make that one for us to use, but then discovered the two sided rounded corners at Costco and well...
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you put your card together. First and foremost, the printers sometimes lose as much as 1/4 inch on each side. Be careful with the writing and important photo details. Next, most printers seem to print dark. Lift the curves or lighten the levels just before you send it. It will look wonky on your screen but be better when it prints. Lastly, don't oversharpen your photos. Even if they are printing on cardstock and you are worried that some detail will be lost. Better that than eery eyes.
I hope these inspire you to put something together! I took the leap this year as I realized that I love love love getting photocards, and so it seemed selfish to want them without being wiling to send them. :) Join me, won't you?
