It's true. I am writing about something other than food. Because Shutterfly is offering free photo cards to people who blog about which of their new holiday card styles they like. And since I was going to order cards from them anyway, well, you get the picture! Many thanks to Lady Ozma, who told me about this.
So for those of you who think I'm just spamming about Shutterfly, you, too, can blog about what cards you like and get 50 free ones. Info here: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/
So here we go. I've actually been using Shutterfly for years. I have 2 Shutterfly share sites to share pictures with my family, and I make books just about every year. I have sent cards from them for birth announcements, Christmas, and birthdays.
I have also made calendars and note cards over the years. One year, I did a calendar of our trip to Hawaii, and gave it to my parents for Christmas (since they love Hawaii too). Another year, I did a calendar of our trip on the San Juan River. Still another year, I had a really cool idea: I got a bunch of blank note cards using photos of flowers I took in Hawaii. I probably had 5 different photos and got 15 of each. Then I put together my own packs of stationery, so everyone got a few of each photo and envelopes to go with them. They made a great extra gift for everyone, and I still receive them occasionally when people use them as thank you notes.
This year, they have a bunch of new Holiday Cards. Here are some of my favorites:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/charming-little-trees-holiday-5x7-folded-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93495
Love this one. First, it's got that handmade card look, without me having to cut out little trees. And it says Happy Holidays, which makes it more universal, especially for my family. And you can have a picture on the inside as well as the outside! Hooray.
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/joy-magic-story-christmas-5x7-folded-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93495
Again, we've got season's greetings, which may be a cop-out for those who don't want to send out 6 different kinds of holiday cards. But still, love the places for all of the photos. It's kind of like a combined card and letter. Sweet. I'm also a big fan of the agey scrapbooky look.
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/tree-of-hope-american-lung-association-holiday-5x7-folded-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93495
This one gives a donation to the American Lung Association, which is a good thing. It's also simple and elegant.
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards/midnight-snowflakes-christmas-5x7-folded-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93495
I have a thing for snowflakes, and I love this one. Simple, elegant, and in blue and silver. I am pretty sure I am going to use this one myself, except that the kids are all wearing green in the pictures this year. We'll have to see how it looks.
For a somewhat less expensive option, you can go for the flat cards. I love this one:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/oh-joy-joy-christmas-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93479
It makes me joyful.
If you want the links to the main parts of the site that you'll need, here they are:
Christmas Cards
Christmas Photo Cards
Calendars
Finally, they do still have the old style photo cards, but I do love the new 5x7 cards so much. I absolutely love that you can write whatever you want on the inside, from a one-liner to a short letter. I was planning on just sending off a single photo but now that I have seen these cards, we'll be sending out something much much cooler. So go check it out! And do forgive the trip away from food for a while.
