An Early Christmas Gift

You may know what a fan I am of Shutterfly, especially their photobooks. I have ordered one for my parents for each of our family vacations since our 2006 cruise. They love them and they're a great personal Christmas gift. One thing I've never ordered from Shutterfly is Christmas cards - not because I don't like them, but being single I typically don't order a photo Christmas card to send out. I just don't like photos of myself that much. :) BUT... this year I have a new furry baby who happens to be very photogenic and looks fabulous in front of my Christmas tree. And since Shutterfly is offering 50 free Christmas cards to bloggers, I just may have to take them up on it. Interested yourself? Click here for information.

The offer is for the 5x7 folded cards or flat stationary cards. Here are my favorite designs in each category:

5x7 folded - One thing I really appreciate about this style of card is the ability to include an additional photo on the inside. Great way to get more bang for your buck.

1. Retro Christmas - I love the black&white photo with red writing scrolled across it. Very classic, very much like something I'd like to do in my scrapbooks. And the photo on the sample is precious!
2. Stylish Snowflakes Black - This one's bright and fun, quite contemporary, and I love the non-Christmasy colored snowflakes on the black background.
3. Santa's Belt - Adorable design! So cute, and I like how you can feature up to 4 photos.
4. Give Joy - Another that features a photo with text overlay, but the text is so contemporary and I love that it features the words "joy" and "peace." That's what Christmas is all about.

Flat Stationary

1. Family Wall Red - This isn't one I'd choose for myself at this point in my life, but I really like the option of a collage of family photos with the last name initial prominently featured in the middle. A very classy design.
2. In Color - A fun, untraditional square shape and again, nonChristmasy colors for the text.
3. Retro Kaleidoscope - The text setting is a creative use of multiple fonts, and I like how the red and lime green are a modern twist on the traditional Christmas colors.
4. Let Peace Flourish - a square, front-only version of the Retro Christmas card above.
5. Mod Ornaments - Creative display of your personal message overlaying the photo.
6. Joyous and Blessed - Another one where the sample photo initially caught my eye, but the message of this one is my absolute favorite.

Now, I just need to figure out which card this photo of Brodie will work best with, or take a photo of him that will work with my chosen design (when I make that decision). Caption: "Merry Christmas from Brodie and his mama." Nah, probably not! ;)