Design your Christmas cards to look like postcards!
I’m thrilled with our Christmas card this year! We ended up doing postcards with Overnightprints.
*Update to this post.
While we still love postcards, and how they are double sided, after a few years of sending our Christmas cards out as postcards, we now send them inside an envelope. Our Christmas cards were getting pretty beat up going through the mail, and if you take the time to send Christmas cards, you want them to look good when they arrive. Post cards are fun because there is a spot on the back where you can write a little blurb with a sharpie on back. With Overnight Prints, I love that it was no extra cost to have the corners rounded. Here’s a tip…after a few years of sending postcards, we quickly learned that it’s best to still send them in an envelope to guarantee that they arrive in nice condition.
We added in the word Post Card into the design to look old school… just for fun. 🙂
I always try to make sure that the year is printed on the card, just so I can remember years down the road which card is which.
Because we were late in mailing out our card this year, I mailed a card to ourselves just to see how long it would take to get back to us (have you ever done that?) I also always save about 6 cards for our memory books and a possible craft project.
Here are a few things that I learned from this years card:
– If sending postcards…here’s a tip from my friendly post office man: Rubberband about 25 (or so) post cards together when you drop them in the mail to make them run through the system more efficiently. I guess postcards don’t go through the mail the same way that regular letters do.
– I had stamped them with a 28 cent postcard stamp not realizing that 5×7 size postcards require a regular 44 cent stamp. Thank heaven they make a 17 cent stamp.
-Per card, they ended up not costing that much more than what we have done in years past. In years past, I have just used a 4×6 print (cheap!) These postcards could be a lot less expensive if we had gone with the 4×6 size, bringing down both the cost of the print and the stamp.
Here is the cost breakdown, because I love to see stuff like this:
I love Christmas cards. As an adult, they are one of my favorite things about this time of year. With all the technology we have access too, Christmas cards in the mail is something I hope never goes away.
ps. I’d love to know…do you try to figure out the cost per card like this? Merry Christmas!
you win! best card of the year!
I love picture cards too! Yours look great!
Very cute! Merry Christmas!
super cute! love the pix on the back too!
I agree, I hope Christmas cards never go away. I will admit I was disappointed to receive a few via email this year!
You card is super cute. I love that it's a postcard and that the corners are rounded. Merry Christmas Kami!
This is such a fun idea! Merry Christmas!
darling idea! i haven't seen a postcard yet…i love them!
Hey, so I'm also wondering… when you order prints from Walgreens, where do you get the envelopes for the prints?
4 years ago I bought bulk envelopes from ebay really cheap (she was wanting to just get rid of them). I then just put together a cute 4×6 picture in photoshop and then print at walgreens when they have specials on prints….I usually end up spending less that $10 for card & envelope together (40 sent out)
And the good thing is, I still have tons of envelopes left!
Got yours this week and LOVED it!
Christmas Cards in my mailbox has brought me cheer every single year.
(hey. that rhymed)
This year I went with VistaPrint.
$15.93 for 50 cards & white envelopes. Free shipping too.
so .31 +.44 +.76 per card
totally worth it!
(though not as cute as years past or as cute as yours)
Wonderful card! I love it!
Thanks everyone!
I love the cost breakdown analysis too. 🙂 I was just thinking yesterday that I want to do postcards next year. Thanks so much for the source!
Oh my gosh! I love this, Kami! Totally cute, and the rounded edges….MARVIE! And I love the cost breakdown. I design my own and print them as 5×6 through Winkflash. I think mine came in at $0.76 with stamps. But I might be considering the postcard thing next year. I still can't get over those corners! Merry Christmas!!
Really cute – I usually love to make my cards but this year with 20 people coming for lunch and 90 christmas cards to send and so much going on it got away from me – and then someone suggested I use all the "leftover" cards from previous years. I did and it felt great.
Christmas Cards never feel like a chore because they remind me of all the wonderful people we are lucky enough to have in our lives.
P.S I love working the cost out per basis.
Post cards next year for sure 🙂
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SUNNY AUSTRALIA.
I love to figure out the cost of the card…but not quite as fancy as you do it :). Some years the price makes me sick. This year we did Costco and I was delighted 🙂
I enjoyed your card. Yes, it's one of those traditions I hope never goes away….Christmas cards in the mail.
Merry Christmas!
I too agree… I hope that mailing out cards never goes away. I love hearing from family and friends and seeing the photos and hearing how family is doing. I love the speed of blogs, emails, twitter, facebook…but don't take my Christmas cards away!
kami. I've been using Overnight for a couple of years now and I LOVE THEM TOO! I've been designing cards and birth announcements and its one of my favorite hobbies. We must have been on the same wavelength with the card design this year… my card is super similar to yours : D
One other tiny hint… I ordered waaayyy back in October, and they were seriously like 60% off. I think I got 250 (we have a TON of neighbors, work partners, and friends all over the us from med school and residency) for about 31 cents a card {plus the stamp}. Thought you'd like to know!
Check out my blog for my card : D
Merry Christmas!
LOVED your card! I might have to steal your idea for next year. 🙂
so cute! i love how those turned out. and wow, awesome spreadsheet comparing costs — you are good.
Ummmmohmygosh Kami, I love these! Brilliant. I am going to have to bookmark and remember for next year!
I love your post cards. I would love to make some for the parents of my students of some of the things we have done in our class. How did you make it? I'm a dork and don't understand how you got it all formatted! Help!
I always forget the cost of those darn stamps which are sometimes more than the card! We got a great deal at Costco…100 cards for $14. But you know I LOVED your card and plan on doing the same thing next year.
Wow, I just checked out the prices at Overnight… and they are great! One quick question, did you go with value or premium cards? Wondered about the difference of printing with digital versus offset presses?
Hey Dana D – we went with Premium.
Holy Cow! I just ran across your blog via Clover Lane's link and just saw your adorable christmas cards. Funny thing . . . Kimball and Chez are my cousins! So funny. Glad we have fun friends/family in common.
hmmm… interesting. I always thought costco was the cheapest until I saw your chart. But then I was doing my own math, I realized it still is the cheapest for me because it gets cheaper per card depending on how many you order….
For 125 cards it ends up being $.69/card. (with stamp)
HOWEVER you don't have to lick the envelopes and that surely does put postcards at the top of the list for next year (licking 125 envelopes by myself just stinks).
So thanks for the idea!
Did you do a gloss finish or just keep in regular??? I cant decide and am sure you did the best option. Mine is ready to go. Thanks for the idea. LOVE IT. Thinking of you and your family at this time!!!!
gloss. Thanks Keri!
Hi, just wondering how you got photos on the back as well. Did you add them after the fact or did Overnightprints print them? Thanks, I love your idea.
This is such a great idea! I am doing this this year. I have a couple questions though. How did you do the back of the postcard with the pics andthe address down the middle? I love the idea just don’t know how to do it…
Thanks!
We designed it on Photoshop.
Do you know someone who can help you or you could pay to help you design it?
Yes I could have someone help me with photoshop… Do u upload the back to the postcard to Walgreens/ Costco ?!
We use overnight prints.