Do you want to know what I really love? Real mail. Maybe it’s because I spend so much of my day on the computer and I get inundated with all kinds of emails, but there’s something so exciting about opening the mailbox and finding a card. I get spoiled in December with piles of Christmas cards and birthday cards, then the rest of the year, it’s pretty much just bills and the occasional magazine. Bummer. But I have to admit, I’m not the best card-sender either. I often choose to just send an email rather than a handwritten note because it’s so much faster {and it’s free}! Since I know how meaningful it can be, I want to do a better job this year of actually sending real mail to people I care about. So, when Cardstore.com told me they’d like to collaborate, I was excited to see what they were all about. {Of course, while I was compensated for our partnership, all opinions are honestly my own!}
I’m no stranger to the idea of photo cards; I’ve used various services to send out photo announcements, invitations, Christmas cards, and other bulk mailing types of things, but I’ve never actually thought to create an individual, personalized card for just one person. You know what I mean? When it’s time to order holiday cards, I immediately head to the computer, but when my dad’s birthday rolls around or I want to send a note to a friend, I head to the card section in the store. But it doesn’t have to be that way! You can create and send a personal card with your own photos and message in just a few simple steps, and it doesn’t cost any more than buying a storebought card! How cool is that?
So. I decided to give it a whirl. I’ve told you before about my dear friend Sarah. She is so many things to me; a mentor, a truth-speaker, a maker, a confidante, a dreamer, a partner in this creative world. And lately she’s been blessing my socks off. So I wanted to send her a card. For the longest time I didn’t have a photo of us together, but when I was a CHA, I told her I refused to leave until we got one. So, we shared an inflatable chair for a few seconds and got this priceless shot.
When I got to the Cardstore.com photo card page, there were lots of options to choose from. I selected “Thinking of You,” and I also needed to narrow it down to cards using only one photo. Then, I chose my favorite card and uploaded my picture. I was able to zoom and position it in the frame so it was just how I wanted it to look. There was an option to change the photo to black and white with a quick click, which I tried, but I ended up liking the look of the color better.
Once I was happy with the front, I moved to view the inside of the card. I was able to change what it said inside and write an entirely personal message. I could even change the fonts and colors of the different parts of my message…that was fun.
Here was my favorite part, though. Since this was just an individual card, instead of having it come to my house, then mailing it to Sarah, I had the option of getting it mailed directly to her. Score! If it were a card for a family member or friend I were going to see in person, I would have just had it sent to me, but since she’s all the way in Michigan, I figured why not let Cardstore do the work for me?! All I had to do was enter her address and my return address, and add the price of postage to my total payment…which I would have had to pay anyway when I mailed it myself.
I got to preview my card one last time, then I clicked the button to pay. The whole thing, card plus addressing and shipping, totaled less than $4. Some of the Valentine cards I was looking at earlier this month were $4.99 a piece. Just for the card. With no personalization, no photo, just a storebought card. Honestly? This is a lot more fun. Plus, I don’t even have to get out of my pajamas to order it! It’s a win-win. I hope Sarah loves it, and it reminds her I’m thinking of her all the way from MD. Have you ever sent an individual photo card?
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