Mixbook Christmas Card Review

As most of you know (I say that a lot, don't I?) I have been stressing about money, especially since Christmas is only a little over a month away.  I was thrilled when I was asked to review Mixbook's Christmas Cards.  Just in case you don't know, Mixbook is:

"a leading photo products company that helps people create custom photo books, cards, and calendars. Whether starting from scratch, or using one of our thousands of professionally designed templates, every Mixbook product is 100% customizable. With Mixbook, you can truly Make It Yours™".

The process of making my card was simple enough.  I just picked the design I liked and uploaded the pictures I wanted to use.  It seriously only took me about ten minutes to finish my card, and I think it came out great.  I have to say, though, that with the variety of cards they offer, I had a hard time deciding on the perfect card for my family.  I am more into the whimsical than the traditional, but trust me when I say they offer something for everyone.  You can even start from scratch and make a card that is completely your own.

If you are looking for an affordable place to order your Christmas cards, check out Mixbook.  You can find them on twitter and facebook, too.  I love mine, and if you want me to mail one to you, email me your address.  Or message me on Facebook.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Have You Thought About Christmas Cards Yet?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Stonehouse. All opinions are 100% mine.
 I mentioned in a post the other day that Christmas is only two and a half months away.  I am starting to panic a little bit, because I have just begun to shop, and I still have so many things to buy.  My goal is to get as many things on each kid's list as possible, without going broke.

I am also trying to decide what type of Christmas cards I want to send out this year.  For the past couple of years, I have sent out plain cards, without pictures.  Last year, my sister told me that if I am not going to send pictures of the kids with the card then there is no point sending out cards.  I thought this was a little odd, but she said that the pictures are what she looks forward to the most.  I always thought it was the sentiment behind the card.  You know, the fact that I was thinking of her and wishing her family a happy holiday season.  She's lucky I don't send her some business christmas cards
this year!

I am going to do what I want, of course, and that will probably be sending out cards without pictures.  I usually pick cards that are a little funny, as opposed to the serious, religious ones.  I love this card:

The reindeer are going to use a plunger to get Santa out of the chimney!  That is awesome!  I also like this card, and it would make my sister happy because it's a picture card.   With both of these cards, I can have whatever message I want printed on the inside for a small fee.  I love this option, because sometimes I think I have found the perfect card, only to realize that the message inside is horrible.  They also have personalized envelope you can buy (for only $3 per pack of 13), and for an additional small fee, you can have an image printed on the envelope.  I love this!  It's the perfect way for your card to stand out from the rest.

I guess I am going to try and get a decent picture of the kids.  If I can't, I'll be sending out plain old Christmas cards, and my sister will just have to deal with it.

Thw Wylie Family Christmas Card

I had the best of intentions. I had my sister take a family picture (which is now this blogs header) and I was going to make it into Christmas cards.

It didn't happen.

At this point, there is no way they will make it to people before Friday. Besides, I don't have money for stamps.

Maybe I'll do better next year...

What Do You Think?

I was looking at photo christmas cards and really like this one. It is fun, and not too traditional. I used the most recent picture of the kids, which just happens to include an elephant. What could be more "me"?

Don't worry. I won't use that picture when I order. I need to get the kids a little dressed up, and I really want Junior and I in it this year. Maybe this weekend I will suggest a photo session. My friend Carrie just did a photo shoot with her family on the beach, and the pictures came out awesome! I think I might steal her idea, although I will have to switch the beach for the lake, since we are pretty far from the ocean.

Whatever I decide, I am sure the picture I choose will be perfect. It will be of my family, so how can it not be?

Thinking Christmas Thoughts

Is it crazy that I am already thinking about my Christmas cards? Every year I say that I am going to get a picture of the kids done, but it has been quite a few since I have actually done it. I am telling myself if I start preparing now, I might get it done this year. What I really want is a family picture, but I know Junior hates the idea.

Whatever I decide, I want to get some of these adorable address labels to put on the envelopes. I love the little guy in the tree suit.

I'm not going to get too many, though, because we don't plan on being here next year.

Christmas Cards

I got my first Christmas card in the mail today. Thanks Crystal! Love you too, girl! Anyway, that kind of jump started my butt into filling out mine. I would love to send cards to all you guys. If you want, email me your addresses. I have no problem mailing to Canada, so Tammy and Kristen, make sure you guys send me yours, too. Thanks!!!!

My email : elephantlady777@yahoo.com

Etsy

I am loving etsy! I'm not selling anything in my shop, but I sure am buying from others. Last night I found the cutest little necklaces for the girls for Christmas, and they were only $5 each! I am so excited! I have seen so many bracelets and earings I would love to have fo myself, but I will wait until after the holidays to spend money on me. The talent and creativity of people amazes me. I also bought some gift tags the other night that are adorable! Head over to kristin's blog to peek at them, cause I bought them from her!

Holiday Photo Cards From VistaPrint

We all know that VistaPrint has great offers for business cards. Did you also know that they have great photo cards that are perfect for Christmas? They have a nice selection, and you can create the perfect Holiday card in minutes. You can upload your own pictures or logos, or use some of their 70,000 free stock images. You can chose between folded or flat cards, and they even have a collage option, where you can upload up to six pictures. I personally love their caricature feature. With this feature, you can add cartoon likenesses of the whole family, even pets. This would be perfect for my sister, who always includes her dogs in her holiday photos. They also have foil accented cards that add sparkle to your Christmas cards. If you are more likely to sent out Christmas newsletters, VistaPrint can help you with that as well. They have hundreds of templates to help get you started. Do you already have your card designed the way you want it? Simply upload your file, and let VistaPrint do the rest. You can receive your cards in a little as three days. When you order your high quality, reasonably priced cards, use the coupon code XmasFree to receive ten free holiday cards.