A few days ago the good people at Minted.com reached out to tell me about their new line of custom holiday photo cards and I didn’t hesitate to follow the link and check it out. You see, those who know me well (in real life), know that I have an obsession with greeting cards. I can easily spend 20 minutes perusing store shelves to find the right card for someone, only to come to the realization that it’s not there and I need to look somewhere else. I won’t settle for “okay.” I think it all started when I was young and I’d keep all of the cards I got in shoe boxes. Woody often doesn’t understand why he’ll find a card I received three years ago in a drawer, but each one I save means something special. In the sea of text message and Tweets, cards are a refreshing break from the norm. My spirit gets a boost when I receive a card in the mail, and I hope the same happens for those who get one from me!
While I’ll admit that I’ve never purchased anything from Minted (yet), it is one of the hottest companies around - its Founder and CEO, Miriam Naficy, landed the 25 spot on Fast Company’s coveted “100 Most Creative People” list this year, they’ve expanded into art and home decor, and their products have reached more than 40 million homes (I guess that means I’m way behind on this).
What’s most striking about this company is that it is built on the idea of providing a platform for exceptional designers from around the world to get their products in the hands of consumers. Minted helps designers gain exposure through design challenges - each challenge has a theme, designers submit their work, the community votes and Minted then produces and sells the winning designs (and gives prize money and a percentage of sales + promotion support to the designers). It’s a pretty cool concept.
If you’re like me, you haven’t started sending out your holiday cards and by the time they go out "Happy New Years” might be the more appropriate greeting. Thankfully though, there are options. You might, for instance, want to think about enlisting the help of minted.com. Not only can you customize a card design, but you can upload your contact list and they will address the envelopes and get them in the mail! Sure, not the most personal way to go about it, but it works if you’re in a pinch. Many of the cards are available with “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” or “Happy New Years” greetings, which is awesome for those who want to be all inclusive with their holiday cards.
While there are more holiday photo card options than I can begin to count, not to mention non-photo holiday cards and those for countless other occassions, below are just a few of the ones that caught my eye.
- Modern Shimmer by b.Wise Papers
- Watercolor Bunting by Wind-Up Key Press
- Radiant Joy by Katie When
- Winter Wonderland by Wind-Up Key Press
- Modern Ombre Watercolor by Kaydi Bishop
- Wrap Around Joy by Oscar & Emma
- Banner Wings by Pandercraft
In a conversation with a colleague the other day I learned that she used Minted over the weekend to order her holiday cards and she loved the experience. She was able to try out a few options for the design she picked, and the photo, contact list and ordering process was a breeze. I saw a screenshot of the card she chose and it was super cute, featuring a photo of her dog!
Which reminds me, even though most of these cards show families or kids, you don’t have to have kids, or even be married, to send photo holiday cards!
Have you sent out your holiday cards yet? * Do you send a year in review letter with your cards?
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Minted.com, however all opinions are mine.
2 comments:
OOOf, you have just reminded me that I need to send out my holiday cards too. And it's a good thing to know that you don't have to be married or have kids to send out these cards. I've always been inspired to be a little Carrie Bradshaw like and send out a photo card with just my face. LOL. Maybe it would be a bit vain but why not? Like "Merry Christmas from ME!"
I personally have loved Minted.com designs and have even considered them for business stationery and cards. I think their designs are very feminine, professional, and creative.
Woody and I have done photo cards the last two years, but decided to go the traditional route this year. I think though, that we'll do the photo ones again next year; it allows you to really show your personality and even some fun things you've done over the year!
My goal is to have our cards in the mail on Monday!
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