Make It and Love It

Living here in Oklahoma has its perks….and one of them is that we don’t have long winters.  But this year, it was cold on Halloween and November has been so chilly!  Come on Oklahoma, it’s supposed to still be in the 60’s!  What’s up with these 30 and 40 degree temps we’ve been having….and then SNOW on November 12?!?!  Hey….that’s way too early!  But hey, it kinda forces you to stay indoors and flips a switch to start thinking more about the holidays….and that’s never a bad thing!

One of my favorite things about Christmas time, is sending and receiving Christmas cards.  I don’t know….there’s something about receiving actual cards in the mail that were hand stuffed and stamped by your sweet family and friends, and seeing a quick snapshot of their life and then mentally compare to the previous year.  It’s just magical!  And makes me incredibly nostalgic. :)

For some reason though, Christmas cards are something that I procrastinate doing and usually get them sent out way too late.  But this year, THEY’RE ALREADY ORDERED!! Ha!  I had to put that in all caps….because it just feels so good to have them already done!  But you guys, I was introduced to a whole new line of cards I’ve never tried before and I wanted to test them out before sharing here and let’s just say, I’m more than pleased!

Have you heard of CHATBOOKS?  Sure you have.  They are the company (found HERE) who has made it so incredibly easy to turn all of your Instagram or Facebook entries (or even your photo storage) into little photo albums….for a CRAZY affordable price (about $10)!  Well, now they are offering Christmas Card designs and make it so easy to whip up a card and have them shipped to you, for FREE!!

And I just have to say, I was quite surprised by the quality for the amount they’re charging!

Chatbooks Holiday Cards can be ordered in increments of 20 cards for $20.00 and FREE shipping!  HOWEVER, you can get another 20% OFF by using code: “makeitandloveit20”  You guys, that’s $0.80 a card!!!

Oftentimes companies will up-charge for rounded corners, or for adding more pictures/text on the back of the card, or will sneak in an extra fee for printing your return address onto your envelopes.  But Chatbooks includes all of that….and you all know I love a good deal! :)

But I really love that I could add another little photo of just the kids on the back, plus an update of our family!

(Have you ever tried taking a picture of a picture?  It’s really hard to get a crisp image…so forgive that!)

Chatbooks Holiday Cards are printed on premium and durable paper and to be honest, the print job turned out beautifully.  In fact, I would have to say that this is the first time I have ever ordered a photo of any kind, from any company, that hasn’t turned out darker than my original picture.  Let me explain…  I know computer monitors can vary but it seems that any time I order prints/cards from any company, I end up having to lighten my pictures before uploading them….because when printed, they always end up too dark.  So when creating this card with Chatbooks, I uploaded a lightened version of my family photo (like I always do), but when I received them in the mail, they actually were lightened….just how I uploaded them.  I was actually shocked.  And impressed at the accuracy!  I really could have left them alone and they would have turned out perfectly.  But even a few shades lighter (because of my own doing), these cards are beautiful!

If you’re a person who likes to design your own cards….you can upload your own design and still get them printed Chatbooks, for their really great price and quality as well!  But, if you want to create a super fast Holiday card……making one through Chatbooks is incredibly easy!  You just drop in your photo, add any text you want, and even change the colors on some of the designs.  I tried out several different designs before deciding….but here are a few more that I really liked!

I finally decided on this this one.  I was kind of in the mood for clean and simple this year….and this one was just that! :)

After completing my order, a bunch of these little beauties arrived in the mail…envelopes and all!!!

And then my kiddos grabbed a stack and couldn’t stop smiling, while they admired the front and read each word on the back!

Easy as that—and now our cards are ready to be stamped, addressed, and shipped off to all the many people who we love and miss, so incredibly much!

If you’d like to get going and check “Make/Order Christmas Cards” off your holiday list of things to do, REMEMBER to head over to Chatbooks HERE, and use the code “makeitandloveit20” for an additional 20% off of an already great price!  Ahhhh……done.  Now, doesn’t that feel good?! :)

Talk to you soon!

-Ashley

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This post is sponsored by Chatbooks.  However, all opinions are mine and have been presented openly and honestly…but let’s be real, I would never share anything that I didn’t absolutely love and support.  Thanks for supporting the brands that support this site! :)