Dec

(Making a) Holiday Card Tips

Posted by: Janine in General

If you’ve been following the holiday card from a family photo tutorial at TipSquirrel.com, you might want a few more tips for making your own holiday cards! If you haven’t been following along for the past four weeks, feel free to hope on over to TipSquirrel and have a look (pt.1, pt.2, pt. 3, pt.4)!

#1 The Photo:

It’s easier to start with a photo that has snow, but it’s certainly not necessary! You can also use indoor photos, such as those taken of the Christmas tree, or at holiday parties. Use your imagination to “holiday-up” non – holiday photos (Christmas lights on your brother, perhaps? Oh! I may have just come up with next years cards!!). The main thing is to be creative with your personal family history!

before

#2 Show your skills:

We found out a long time ago that people love to see the “before” image somewhere on the card, plus it fit perfectly for our business so we always include the before on the back of the card, along with a little information on the photo and what was done to it.

back_label

#3 Sizing:

When you make your card you want to keep the size in mind. What’s the use in spending all that time to make a great card when it doesn’t fit in an envelope? The envelopes I use are 5 ½ X 8 ½. I start with a regular letter size document in photo shop, as I print them on 8 ½ x 11 card stock. The card will need to be cropped, so it helps to lay out the space before you begin. To get the correct size to fit the 5 ½ x 8 ½ envelope, you’ll need to either crop ¼ inch all around, or, to do less trimming (I’m all for less trimming!), crop ½ inch from one side and either the top or the bottom. Keep your document size at 8.5 x 11 and use guide lines to mark the crop lines. It’s important to keep the placement of the card when you print!

crop_guides

#3 Layout:

There are plenty of card templates free online to help you if, like me, you tend to confuse easily. I get all mixed up about what goes where to make it print right. But you can also grab a piece of paper, fold it like a card and draw or write on it to show you the way!

layout

#4 Make the inside nice:

Bring a little of the outside element, such as the theme of your pattern background, to the inside of the card, around your greeting. It makes it even more special! Use patterns, shapes brushes, even some free clipart! But more importantly, use your imagination!

Inside