The Best Holiday Cards

With Halloween in the rear view mirror, you know what time it is??!?!  No...not Christmas music quite yet.  But...holiday cards!  The ritual of sending and receiving holiday cards is such a nostalgic and beloved tradition.  With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it's never too early to start checking things off the holiday to-do list!

This year, we're going with Minted for holiday cards. I've always admired Minted's classic style, clean lines, and beautiful paper. My personal favorites are the holiday cards with few colors with a fanciful cursive or statuesque font bearing a holiday phrase to celebrate the season.  After perusing many eligible designs, I have it narrowed down to these favorites....I hope you'll help me choose!

Making Spirits Bright

It's A Wonderful Life

Simple Overlay

So...friends, what's your pick for me?  One, two, or three?  This is just the tip of the iceberg, my friends.   Minted makes it easy, with clickable features to narrow down the plethora of cards available.  Foil-pressed, letterpress, postcard, booklette, or completely custom, each style is categorized accordingly for easy accessibility.  If you prefer to shop by your personal style, scroll down to styles which include 'simple and minimalist,' or 'modern and edgy,' among others...the world is your oyster!

Don't delay in ordering yours!  Visit Minted through November 5th, use promo the code JOY18 for 15% off holiday cards and promo code FS100 for free shipping over $100.  (Offers may be combined).

This post is in collaboration with Minted.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emily's Shower

Love is in the air, summer is officially around the corner, and we're on the brink of wedding season.  A such, tis the season for bridal showers!  I co-hosted a bridal shower for my dear friend Emily last weekend and thought I'd share some of the details.  

In keeping with Emily's wedding colors; rose quartz, eucalyptus green, champagne, and gold, we opted to play up the pink with accent colors throughout the brunch spread.  We kicked off our planning with formal paper invitations (always a must in my book), and Tiny Prints must've read my mind as they had many options featuring my preferred color of rose quartz AND invites indicating brunch.  We settled on this invite as it was simply perfect, though we considered these beautiful contenders.

I had a friend who dabbles in cupcakes help me with fine tune a perfect shade of rose quartz frosting to match the decor.

We played a fun "how well do you know your fiance" game, followed by presents and dessert.

What a lovely day!  Cheers to Emily!

Tis the Season to Get Mail!

Tis the season for holiday cards!  Where collecting the daily mail is such a treat.  Bills schmills, I look forward to receiving and opening the cards of friends and family every year!  I remember as a kid, my mom used to store our pile of cards in a little basket in a hutch in our kitchen.  After school, my sister would pour over them; taking in the festive stamps, the shiny paper, and the candid smiles.  

This year is a unique year for us, in that I wanted to combine birth announcement and holiday card, since our sweet boy joined us on October 23rd, it was close enough that I could've send separate birth announcements, but instead decided to wrap up our shared joy of the season and our babe into one joyful card.

So...I hopped on over to my go-to, Tiny Prints, and got to work narrowing down my favorite winter birth announcement designs {here, here, and here} until I finally found the one! 

This year there are all kinds of options to expedite the process, including their address assistant to address all of our envelopes.  And the option of picking a matching return address wrapper.  Sweet!

If you're looking at the calendar and noticing time is a-ticking - I can't recommend Tiny Prints enough!  So many lovely choices to fit your mood this season.  Don't wait, the current promotion is 40% off site-wide plus free shipping with the code BESTSALE40FS (ends Thursday!).

image1/tinyprints 

Holiday Cards Are Here!

Tis the season for...holiday cards!  I don't know about you, but I'm taking full advantage of the Cyber Monday deals and steals over at Tiny Prints - 40% off holiday cards, using the code CYBER40 through 12/2. And, if you are up late tonight, add the code FLASH1202 and you'll save an extra 10% on your order. Sweet! I am thankful that in an age when everything is becoming digital, people still find the time to craft and mail out holiday cards.  It makes me happy.  Here are some of my favorites…

 ~ merry trails ~

 ~ winter motif ~

~ seasonal luster ~

~ joyful radiance

 ~ clear merriment ~

 

~ chalked merriment ~

For our friends and family - I guess you'll just have to wait and see which one we selected for our 2014 holiday cards when the mail arrives!

images/tinyprints

cards c/o tinyprints

Announcing Your Move

As you know, I'm ever a believer in the art of old-fashioned correspondence, though I refuse to use the term "snail mail."  I love the act of walking to the mailbox, sifting through the contents, and discovering an invitation, a birth announcement, or best of all, a handwritten note from a friend.

As such, you know I did my research when it came to forwarding our new address to family and friends.  "We've Moved!" cards are so much cuter than they used to be?  Here are a few of my favorites over at Tiny Prints.

 

If you're not in the market for cards to send out, here's an alternative, return address labels that announce your relocation, while providing said recipient with your new address.  Brilliant!

Love these!

~ Labels ℅ Tiny Prints ~

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Flowers In Bloom

I adore Rifle Paper Company's prints!  In addition to collecting their notecards, calendars, and stationary, my daughter's nursery boasts not one, not two, but FIVE of their colorful prints.  Lately, I'm loving these photographs from Rifle's lookbook which pairs the artful floral stylings of NYC florist Amy Merrick with Rifle's colorful floral prints.  Stunning!

images via riflepaperco

Birth Announcements

As a teacher, I am blessed with the luxury of summer break, which truly is a pregnant girl 5-weeks out from her due date's dream come true!  Ample time to do...whatever!  My most recent endeavor has been researching and perusing birth announcements for our little babe.  With the plethora of options available, I'm finding myself quite smitten with the selection of birth announcements over at Tiny Prints.  Aren't these adorable?

I am currently torn in picking a favorite...in addition to the all the other darling announcements to choose from on their site! I love all the details; curly fonts, pinks accents, and all!  Now all we need is a baby girl to fill in the guest of honor spot - and send out one of these to our nearest and dearest!  

Sooo excited!!

Which one is your fave?

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Stamps for Spring

Check out the latest forever stamps, they are gorgeous!  Celebrating the cherry blossom Centennial, these stamps are colorful and lovely, perfect for spring.  I just bought a whole bunch!

image/usps

Valentine's Day Cards

Loving these cards for Valentines Day. I didn't think it was possible, but Rifle Co.'s cards just keep getting cuter and cuter. If only my wallet was infinitely deep, I'd buy out the entire shop!

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Card Collectors Anonymous

Ever heard of Curly Girl Design? They're one of my favorite online card shops! I just can't resist their whimsical illustrations, heartfelt messages, and how unbelievable cute and girly each card is. Every time I browse their website I end up buying at least 5 or so cards... (Sigh) Cute stationary has always been my vice...images/curlygirldesign

Bridal Party

These are the cards I sent out, asking friends and family to be a part of my wedding. Aren't they adorable. Thanks a million to Invites By Jen on etsy. She did a fantastic job!

We Go Together

Love these! Some of life's best pairings...Trix and silly rabbits...AND teen girls and vampire!

images/saplingpress

Letterpress Love

I collect letterpress cards, have I told you that? Every so often, I order a handful of lovely letterpress cards and slowly mail them out throughout the year for birthdays, showers, and my fave -- "just because" cards. Currently loving the letterpress creations of Green Grass Press. You really can't go wrong with fireflies in mason jars!

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Nun of That

As a product of Catholic schooling, and someone who was firsthand taught by nuns I am thoroughly enjoying this birthday card. Haha.

image/etsy

Find Your Mr. Darcy

Love this card! Perfect to send to the Pride & Prejudice fan whose aleady found her Mr. Darcy.

image/etsy

Back in the Day

Haha, a delightful card for that mother/father, or "elder," who doesn't share the same generational letter as yourself. Ideal for someone who starts their stories with "back in the day..." Back in the day when giant squids ruled the high seas...

image/etsy-mitchellanddent

Holy S*&@

As a product of Catholic schooling, I couldn't resist these birthday cards by dude and chick. Having grown up with the habit of nuns and priests as teachers, this card made me chuckle. Truth be told, nuns rarely wear the traditional habit garb (at least in the greater Seattle area), but I thought my fellow products of Catholic school would appreciate the holiness of these cards...

images/etsy

Letterpress Valentine Round-Up

Skunk Love {Paper Ink Press}

Wanna Hibernate? {dudeandchick}

Perfect for your main squeeze! {Elevated Press}

You big stud- I mean spud {pupandpony}

Bee My Valentine {anenome letterpress}

image/etsy