It's that time of the year to start getting your Holiday cards ready! Yesterday we talked about getting the right family photograph to adorn your seasonal greeting. Today, I have a few ideas of what to do once you have those perfect family photos… a Holiday Card 101, if you will!

From this point the world is your oyster. You can put as much time, effort & money into your cards as you want, or keep them super simple.  Here's a list of some great options…

Number One |

For those of you out there that are comfortable with basic digital scrapbook design, it's super simple to design your own card and then either print them on some fabulous paper on your home printer or from any number of places that do any type of color printing.  Here is a card design that I tinkered with for my cards this year…

Here is the front with my four kiddos.  I just took them out a few weeks ago and played around with a fun Merry Christmas sign and managed to get some fun shots.

And, here is the back.  One of the main issues in my life is that I am always behind the camera and I have very few family photos with me in it.  I hadn't dressed myself for photos that day, but I managed to find a person passing by to kindly take a picture of the whole family.  I set-up the shot and switched the camera to auto and managed to get a decent shot. So, the moral of the story, be creative! 

For this design I used a digital kit from one of my FAVORITE designers Rhonna Farrer.  Her Christmas Junque kits are SUPER FUN!! Rhonna even has printable card kits that all you have to do is plug in the picture, print them and your done.  That's a great option if the whole design process scares you.

Number Two |

If you are not wanting to touch the whole design aspect yourself, you can go with an option like Announced Designs. With this option you pay a SMALL fee then send over your photos Lara plugs them into a fabulous design of your choosing and then she sends you the digital files for you to print on your own.  

This is a FANTASTIC option and it allows you greater flexibility in many ways.  You decided how much you want to pay for printing and such. Plus, for a little extra, Lara can personalize your card and match the colors to your outfits and stuff.  LOVE this option… I especially love that I am helping a small business!

Number Three |

Here is the big box option… If you don't want to worry about design or printing, you can go with some fantastic companies that take all the work out of Holiday Cards. Some will even address and send them for you. Here are a list of some of my favorites…

Tiny Prints |

I love the designs at Tiny Prints. So fresh and modern…

Visa Print |

Vista is a GREAT option if you have a tight budget. The designs are a little more generic but overall its a great option…

Shutterfly |

Shutterfly has been my go to for many years.  They have fresh fun designs and their turn around time is amazing.

So… there you have it. A number of options for creating the perfect Holiday card to send to your family or friends.  Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Quanza or just want to say hello.  These are great options for a simple photo card.