2012 Holiday Cards

I spend an above necessary amount of time on my holiday cards.  I seriously spend hours and spend hundreds.   The first task is selecting the right design for the card itself and there is no shortage of great designs this year.  I have an entire board on Pinterest dedicated to finding the right card and have been pinning ideas from Swanky Press, Minted, Shutterfly and all of my favorite stationery stores for months.   Check my board out and let me know what you like best for 2012.

After selecting design, the next hurdle is to find the right pictures. I agonize over this for –again – an unnecessary amount of time.   I like having a photo of Molly (and now Connor) that’s as close to Christmas as possible so that it’s “current.”   I take some pictures all dressed up in Christmas gear and fancy outfits but invariably end up choosing an everyday shot of Molly on the beach on our Thanksgiving vacation.   This was our card last year…

My next quest is the perfect holiday address stamp.   The envelope should be as perfect as the card and picture itself.   Quite obviously I use my PSA Essentials personalized address stamp and switch up my middles for a holiday theme.   Last year I used four different ones, 2 from PSA North Pole and 2 from PSA Tree-O.   I used hunter/red ink to be even more festive.     Which do you like best?  I am a big fan of the “Happy Holidays Letter.” If you have been lusting after a personalized stamp, you’re in luck because they’re on sale at Cyber Savvy Shop right now for just $26.00.  If you want festive holiday designs, you can add a Peel & Stick pack to your order for 25% off, or just $11.25.    

The next step for me is to find the right postage stamp.  I love vintage ones from Paper Nickel Stamp Company. They’re real postage stamps from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s!  Stack them up and they look superb on your envelopes and really stand out in the clutter. 

So what are you doing for your 2012 holiday cards?  It’s about time to start thinking of them, don’t you think?