The Headlines:
I get excited for holiday cards.
I like them to look good, original and, well, not cheap.
Yet, I want them to be cheap.
I know, I know… no one likes the word cheap. Especially in marketing. I don't like the word cheap… but sometimes "less expensive" just doesn't bring it home like CHEAP does? You know what I mean? Hopefully you do or you may be extremely put off in the very first paragraph if this blog!
Back to business… now that Thanksgiving dinner is almost over (or is over, depending upon when you read this)… it will be time to switch into High Holiday Alert! Which, at least for me, includes Holiday cards. Holiday cards are my thing. I wrote about it last year… I just like doing them. I like getting them too. Each year there are a few families that I anticipate getting. You know who you are! Because they're good, i.e: fun to look at, themed, heartfelt. I feel like it's a families way (outside of Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) to kind of connect to people that matter to them during this special time of year - near and far. It's traditional, it's kind, it's expensive. Between the stamps, the photographer (if you hired one), the cards… it can cost a lot to keep that tradition going. There are cheaper options. But, being One Picky Chick - I want my cards to look like I got them from a designer graphic artist who custom made them, for me. Well, now I have one.
I've been using them for the last few years and here's why. They let you create your own cards (from scratch) paying NO EXTRA MONEY. I am NOT a graphic designer but here's the deal: they are. Their call center staff is in Jamaica and the (mostly) Jamaican ladies I speak to on the phone can do what I can't. My Christmas cards this year are crazy. I have a picture on front like normal. But on the inside I placed 10, yes ten, tiny pictures around the message… plus I wanted to add a smaller picture on the back with some extra text. They did it all… NO EXTRA CHARGE! I thought they for sure were going to add an extra charge for TEN extra pictures on the inside of the card. Oh no… I got 10 cards with my own message, 60% off! I think they were $6. Of course there was a coupon… they always have coupons. And I only order 10 so I can see it for myself before I order another 200. I want to get it right.
Here's a postcard we made 2 plus years ago when we first moved into the house we live in now. The picture supposed to look crazy because we just moved and it said "Sorry for the chaos…" on the outside "but we moved!" on the inside... in quirky writing.
It's nothing super special but it was original and cheap. And I'm using it because I didn't want to put my 2014 Holiday cards on my blog this year.
So, if you're game here's how you can custom make your own cards for, well, I'm just gonna say it… cheap. Start by clicking HERE. It will take you to a link which will give you a $10 off coupon plus you'll probably be able to find another percentage off if you search their website for a promo code. Then get yourself to "Holiday Photo Cards," then "Shop Photo Cards" and then "Browse all Photo Cards." Until you see the first box that says "Upload a Complete Design" only you don't have to upload a complete design… just the picture you want to start with. But be prepared with a bit of a plan. what does that mean? Think about it.
5 Tips for Holiday cards:
TIP: some graphic artists are more talented than others. If you're not getting what you want from one, hang up and dial another… she may be better.
I can promise you your cards will come out great… I get compliments every year and I'm convinced that's due, in part, to Vistaprint. Plus it might be because I start thinking about them in mid-May. But whose counting?
I get excited for holiday cards.
I like them to look good, original and, well, not cheap.
Yet, I want them to be cheap.
I know, I know… no one likes the word cheap. Especially in marketing. I don't like the word cheap… but sometimes "less expensive" just doesn't bring it home like CHEAP does? You know what I mean? Hopefully you do or you may be extremely put off in the very first paragraph if this blog!
Back to business… now that Thanksgiving dinner is almost over (or is over, depending upon when you read this)… it will be time to switch into High Holiday Alert! Which, at least for me, includes Holiday cards. Holiday cards are my thing. I wrote about it last year… I just like doing them. I like getting them too. Each year there are a few families that I anticipate getting. You know who you are! Because they're good, i.e: fun to look at, themed, heartfelt. I feel like it's a families way (outside of Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) to kind of connect to people that matter to them during this special time of year - near and far. It's traditional, it's kind, it's expensive. Between the stamps, the photographer (if you hired one), the cards… it can cost a lot to keep that tradition going. There are cheaper options. But, being One Picky Chick - I want my cards to look like I got them from a designer graphic artist who custom made them, for me. Well, now I have one.
Vistaprint.
I've been using them for the last few years and here's why. They let you create your own cards (from scratch) paying NO EXTRA MONEY. I am NOT a graphic designer but here's the deal: they are. Their call center staff is in Jamaica and the (mostly) Jamaican ladies I speak to on the phone can do what I can't. My Christmas cards this year are crazy. I have a picture on front like normal. But on the inside I placed 10, yes ten, tiny pictures around the message… plus I wanted to add a smaller picture on the back with some extra text. They did it all… NO EXTRA CHARGE! I thought they for sure were going to add an extra charge for TEN extra pictures on the inside of the card. Oh no… I got 10 cards with my own message, 60% off! I think they were $6. Of course there was a coupon… they always have coupons. And I only order 10 so I can see it for myself before I order another 200. I want to get it right.
Here's a postcard we made 2 plus years ago when we first moved into the house we live in now. The picture supposed to look crazy because we just moved and it said "Sorry for the chaos…" on the outside "but we moved!" on the inside... in quirky writing.
It's nothing super special but it was original and cheap. And I'm using it because I didn't want to put my 2014 Holiday cards on my blog this year.
So, if you're game here's how you can custom make your own cards for, well, I'm just gonna say it… cheap. Start by clicking HERE. It will take you to a link which will give you a $10 off coupon plus you'll probably be able to find another percentage off if you search their website for a promo code. Then get yourself to "Holiday Photo Cards," then "Shop Photo Cards" and then "Browse all Photo Cards." Until you see the first box that says "Upload a Complete Design" only you don't have to upload a complete design… just the picture you want to start with. But be prepared with a bit of a plan. what does that mean? Think about it.
5 Tips for Holiday cards:
- What picture do you want to use? Change it up a bit. You shot on the desert last year, this year try the beach.
- Have a particular idea and theme. Quirky or traditional? Thoughtful or funny?
- Say something that means something. That can be short and sweet or a small paragraph about your hopes and dreams!
- Try non-traditional colors. At the beach - turquoise might be nice. Red and green get old!
- Do what you want. It's your card. Make yourself (and your family) happy!
TIP: some graphic artists are more talented than others. If you're not getting what you want from one, hang up and dial another… she may be better.
I can promise you your cards will come out great… I get compliments every year and I'm convinced that's due, in part, to Vistaprint. Plus it might be because I start thinking about them in mid-May. But whose counting?
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