This post is sponsored by Basic Invite. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Fearless Captivations!

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is getting holiday cards! As a life-long lover of snail mail, I love that this time of year encourages people to send out cards. Opening them adds to the season of celebration! We display our cards all month long and many of them feature the sweet faces of our friends’ kids.

I typically send out photo-less cards, but this year, we got some cards with our little family from Basic Invite. They were very easy to put together and I hope our families love them as much as we do!

Ordering and sending holiday cards can be a stressful task on the holiday to-do list, but here are four tips to make sending holiday cards easy.

1. Take a Quick Photo

While some people hire a photographer for an annual photoshoot, it doesn’t need to be as time-consuming as you think. Photographers can be a BIG help for the perfect photo, especially if you’re wrangling kids, but you can also make it quick and easy with a tripod and timer. That’s what we did with our photo. It took less than 15 minutes and about 10 takes, but we finally got a photo that we liked. I used the same photo in all of the versions.

2. Customize Your Cards with Basic Invite Templates

Here’s the fun part! You can customize every part of your card on Basic Invite, including:

• Text
• Text placement
• Number of photos
• Colors of the design (add gold, silver, or rose gold foil for extra sparkle)
• Card shape
• Design on the back of the card
• Type of paper (I like matte)
• Envelope color (40 different color options)

Choose from over 800 holiday card options. Don’t worry, you can use filters, like color and number of photos, to narrow down your choices. You can also favorite the ones you’re considering to compare them.

If you’re unsure of the design, you can order samples to see it in person. I got five options of Christmas cards that are a mix of classic and modern designs. Which one is your favorite?

Did you know we also used Basic Invite for our wedding thank you cards? We got two different designs and you can see them in this post. There are cards for every occasion on the website, so you can plan ahead if you’re not doing holiday cards.

3. Say Yes to Free Address Printing

Another way to save time is to say yes to free address printing. You can upload your contact list to have it printed on the envelopes. Don’t have addresses yet? Send out a link through Basic Invite for people to enter their information and you’ll have addresses available on the website when you order.

The envelopes are peel and stick to close, and you can also choose to have Basic Invite send your cards. All these little things will make it easier for you to get your cards sent.

4. Don’t Forget Stamps

Save time by buying stamps online. Order them on the US Post Office website right after you order your cards, so you don’t forget.

Ready to Order Holiday Cards?

You still have time to order and receive your cards before Christmas. Use the code “HOLI30” for 30% off your order.

I realized when creating my cards that the process was a way to slow down in this busy season. Sending cards is a celebration and I recommend it to add joy to your life and those you send them to!

What kind of holiday card design is your favorite?

The post How to Make Sending Holiday Cards Easy appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Disclosure: Basic Invite provided complimentary custom cards. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Fearless Captivations!

As a lover of snail mail, it was important to me to send out thank you cards after our wedding. This was especially important since we didn’t get to talk to everyone on our wedding day and some people weren’t able to make it.

During our ceremony, we shared these lines:

“We come together not to mark the start of a relationship but to acknowledge and strengthen a bond that already exists. This ceremony is a public affirmation of that bond and as their dearest family and friends, it is our honor and privilege to stand witness to this event. This day is made possible not only because of your love for each other but through the grace and support of your family and friends.”

Will and I included some of our favorite things on our wedding day, but the best part was celebrating with our friends and family. We couldn’t have done it (and wouldn’t have thrown a wedding) without all of the special people in our lives.

One of the best things about our wedding was seeing so many of our favorite people in one place. They traveled from different countries, states, and cities. They came to fill our day with love and celebrate this big commitment we were making to each other.

We’ve been excited to share photos from our special day and adding them to our thank you cards was a fun way to do it. I chose the photo strips design because of my love of photo booths and to share multiple photos from the day. I also like the simple, single photo card for guests who simply want that fridge photo.

I partnered with Basic Invite to create our thank you cards. Basic Invite’s website was easy to use in making them. Their options for colors, paper type, and fonts allowed me to customize every detail of the card. They also include complimentary envelopes with peel and stick sealing and addressing to make the process so much easier! If you want a consistent wedding suite from invite to thank you, you can customize their templates.

Thank you, Basic Invite, for these beautiful cards! If you’re looking for custom cards, including holiday cards, they offer a wide selection of cards for all occasions.

Have you ever made custom cards? What were they for?

P.S. See all my wedding posts here!

Let’s take this adventure on the go. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Our Custom Wedding Thank You Cards appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

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• Downtown Special: pepperoni, sausage, black olives and mushrooms

The post DIY Pizza Greeting Cards + Pizza Giveaway appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

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Valentine’s Day was a starting point for my love of letters and crafting. In third grade, my teacher had everyone bring in a creative Valentine’s box. Mine was a computer made out of two boxes and Valentine’s were slid into the floppy disk opening. (#nerdalert, anyone?) In the last couple of years, my valentines have included hand-drawn robots, anatomically correct hearts and various creations with paper hearts, glitter and glue in some form or fashion.

While I’m a tad late sending out my valentine’s cards this year (sorry, friends!), I did finally get them done! With the marbled paper I made for my DIY Marbling Party, I cut out pretty hearts and glued them into unique designs on blank craft note cards and envelopes. I also tried rectangles like the one below.

(Ok, I didn’t actually send JJ a valentine, but he totally deserves one. *wink*)

People have many thoughts about Valentine’s Day and I’ve heard them all this week. Some think it’s absolutely unnecessary while others love the opportunity to add a few hearts and guilt-free chocolate into their day. I’m a fan. While it gets slightly out of hand with giant teddy bears, big bouquets and thought-less gift-giving, I think it’s a nice reminder to stop and show appreciation for the people around you. I’m not great at consistently sharing my feelings verbally, but Valentine’s Day reminds me to take some time to create something unique and to write thoughtful words. It’s always fun getting snail mail, and sweet handwritten notes make it even better.

If you need some pointers on what to write, try these prompts to spur your thoughts.

• I think you are ______. (name some adjectives)
• I appreciate you most when you _______.
• My favorite memory of us is _______.
• I’m thankful for your _______. (name some talents)

Hope you are having a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Have you ever made homemade cards? Tell me about them!
What’s your favorite Valentine’s memory?

The post Happy Valentine’s Day // DIY Heart Cards appeared first on Fearless Captivations.