Holiday cards are one of my favorite traditions every year.
I remember being a little girl and getting so excited to open our mail around the holidays. I loved reading the family updates, and seeing our family and friends (from near and far) grow up. That being said, holiday cards are still very important to me as an adult.
At this point in my life, it’s still very much the same. I love to see who has gotten engaged, who has had babies, and whose families are growing up before my eyes. As you can tell, I still adore holiday cards. So in this post, I’m giving you — my tips and tricks for a successful holiday card photo shoot AND I’m sharing how using Minted makes sending out our holiday cards easier than ever.
OK… AND one more thing. YAY!!!! We’re hosting a HUGE giveaway with Minted>>>click here. 3 lucky Two Peas in a Prada readers will win $100 to Minted on November 27th, so be sure to sign up! I hope you enjoy! XooX
Shop Our Holiday Looks:
Emily’s Holiday Card Tricks – for the photos:
1.) Give yourself enough time. Every year, I know I need to have our holiday card photo shoot by Halloween at the latest. October 31st is always the goal. This gives me enough time to have the photo shoot, to get the photos back, to pick out the cards, and then to send them out.
2.) Pick out coordinated outfits. So the next part of creating the perfect holiday card is picking out the perfect holiday card outfits – for the whole family. It’s not easy, and I totally blew it this year – I usually plan our outfits out weeks in advance, but this year was more of a “morning of” situation. We usually go with a “fall theme” and this year was very much the same. We stick to white, khaki, navy, forest green, and red. Usually, no matter what combination we’re all wearing, it ends up looking decent.
3.) Schedule your photo shoot at a time that works for you and your kids. This is really important. For us, William is at his best first thing in the morning – and tends to melt down in the late afternoon. That being said, we scheduled a 9am photo shoot, and we were golden – in every sense of the word.
4.) Enjoy the time with your family – and remember – have fun. If you’re not having fun, and your kids aren’t having fun – it will show. I wasn’t thrilled to be taking these photos at 7 months pregnant – but you know what? You make the best of the situation and you make due. And remember – you’ll get at least one awesome photo in the first 10 minutes – anything else is just extra icing on the cake. My favorite photos of William are always the ones where we’re goofing off and just being normal.
All photos by Kourtney Teel, @kokobean
The Cards:
As far as cards are concerned, we’re strictly a Minted family now. I used to use a local vendor in town, but they have since closed, and to be entirely honest, Minted is so much less stress, so much more affordable, and the card options are endless. You can pick your own card shapes, card stock, envelope liners, stamps – I mean the possibilities are truly endless.
I also love that they have a “find it fast” option. It allows you to upload the photo you want to use in your card, and then you can see it displayed in all of the Minted card options. It makes selecting a design SO much easier than other sites I’ve seen.
Also – be sure to make an account- their addressing assistant software is amazing. My husband is a realtor, so we add new clients and friends to our holiday card list every year, and the Minted addressing tool is such a cinch to use. It saves all your contacts from past years, and you just upload a spreadsheet of your new contacts – and the best part? It lets you know when you’re adding duplicates, so you’re not paying for a ton of additional cards, or sitting there for hours reconciling your spreadsheet. Such a score!
Also – because they are so amazing – Minted is giving 3 lucky Two Peas in a Prada readers $100 gift cards! The giveaway runs through November 27th — just fill out the form >>>> here and if you win, we will contact you!
Also – BLACK FRIDAY SALE ANNOUNCEMENT!!! Wednedsay 11/23 – Friday 11/25: Minted will be offering 20% off holiday card and gift orders of $150 or more!
Happy shopping, and Happy Holidays! XooX
Shop Emily’s Favorite Minted Holiday Cards:
