wishbone clover

New Shutterfly Holiday Card Designs - Plus a Special Offer for Bloggers!

Getting mail rocks. Real mail, meaning letters, postcards or thank you notes. The very best mail comes in pretty envelopes, and holiday cards are the prettiest of them all.

Even though I love to receive cards, for the past couple of years December has come and gone without me sending any. But this year, thanks to our new Clever Girls Collective client, Shutterfly, I'll be sending out fabulous holiday photo cards, and I'm getting them done early!

Shutterfly has a huge variety of holiday card designs, with everything from Thanksgiving cards for the super early birds, to Christmas cards and Hanukkah cards for the traditionalists, and New Year's cards for the people (like me, usually) who can't quite get through their To Do list in December.

The first step in picking a holiday card design is selecting your photo. But Chief and I had so much fun this year, I had trouble deciding. Since it's so easy to "design" your card, I was able to quickly try out several different photos and designs.

I love the elegant simplicity of the Pretty Packages design, which complements a black and white photo, like this one of us at my brother's wedding:

For a more subtle photo (or at least one where the colors are a bit muted) this Winter Woods Sky design is perfect! (If you're new here, yes, I'm wearing a Star Trek uniform, and yes, that's William Shatner.)

A more bold, graphic design balances a photo with a field of bright, solid color, like this one. I like the curvy but clean lines of Retro Red Diamonds, and as a bonus, proceeds from this card also benefit the American Lung Association. (Uh, Manilow. I told you it was a big year!)

 

I think a photo with a bit of action -- whether it's patterns on your dress, or strangers in the background -- stands up well to a card with intricate detail, like Swirl Damask Noir.

Of course, if you can't pick just one, then the solution is simple: a collage design like Family Wall Blue Christmas Card.

Are you feeling inspired? Get over to Shutterfly and start designing your own card! And if you're a blogger, click here to go to Shutterfly for information on how you can get 50 free cards this holiday season, and make sure to select Clever 1000 as the referral source.

Disclosure Statement:

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly, a Clever Girls Collective (my company's) client. Participating bloggers are reviewing the new Shutterfly cards and sharing their faves, and have been compensated with coupon codes for 100 free cards. Clever Girls Collective endorses Blog with Integrity, blog transparency and full disclosure, as I do.

 

My Ultimate Family Vacation(s) Plus a Giveaway!

Sponsored By

Cheerios® is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, your ultimate family vacation. As part of a paid promotion for their “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, Cheerios® is sponsoring my post today about what my ultimate family vacation would be. Read mine, Enter the Sweepstakes for a chance to actually win your own fantasy family trip or one of a bunch of other great prizes.

I love to travel, so I'm always happy to pack my bags, whether it's for work, play or family obligation. And I'm always planning the next trip!

My favorite family vacations involve multiple generations, with lots of people coming and going, and possibly a pet or two. In thinking about my ideal family vacation, I realized that it's actually multiple trips. And it's not just being a travel-lover, it's because I want to include everyone!

Although we don't have children, my husband (Chief) and I are lucky to have a lot of family. Both sets of our parents are divorced, with three out of the four remarried to our wonderful step-parents. Combined we have six siblings, three of whom have spouses and children. With nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, and my very active 94 year old grandfather (look out ladies, he pinches, no really), we're well into double digits when tabulating how many bedrooms the rental house needs to have!

With so many people, it's impossible to find a one-size fits all solution, but since this is a fantasty I'm going to plan enough vacation to satisfy everyone! Here are a few vacations that Chief and I would love to host, with open invitations to our families to join us:

August on Cape Cod
A giant house on the beach in Falmouth, with weathered shingles and dormer windows. Six or eight bedrooms, including a dorm style room in the attic where the pre-teen cousins all sleep. There's also a partially enclosed porch, for sunset and fireworks watching.

The back yard has a crooked clothesline, covered with faded red and white striped towels that are perpetually damp, plus mismatched, sandy bathing suits.

Every night the grownups sip icy white wine spritzers and light beers, while the kids play tag and get bitten by mosquitos. We eat lobster so often that we (almost) get tired of it.

September in Sicily with a side trip to Lepcis Magna
I'm half Sicilian on my dad's side. A few years ago he, my stepmom and brother went to Sicily, and it was a magical trip. (Well, magic and terrifying, if you factor in the part about Italians driving on steep mountain roads!)

Their pictures and stories, plus the lure of seeing my "heritage" put this island on my Must See list. Then I did some research and found out that you can rent a villa, on a cliff, with a pool overlooking the Mediterranean. Count me in!

Activities on this trip to Sicily include taking photos, visits to archeological sites, and incessant imbibing of:

• vodka tonics with fresh lemon
• olives
• fresh seafood
• fresh pasta
• wine
• arancini

We also charter a disturbingly rickety, but ultimately safe, private plane, and visit the Roman ruins of Lepcis Magna in Libya, because heck, we're practically there anyway. The return trip is made possibly the by the pilot distracting handsomeness, and a well-appreciated flask of Limoncello.

Who's with us on this trip? It's a grown up excersion that definitely includes the extended Italian side of my family, including all of the aunts, uncles and cousins -- but probably not the nieces and nephews. You don't have to be old enough to drink in Italy, but it helps.

October in Hawaii
If you're sensing a sea-side theme, you're right. And what's not to love? Soft ocean breezes, delicious seafood, relaxing beaches -- all things that Hawaii does better than almost anywhere else, because it's all done with Aloha and umbrella drinks. *Sigh.

Chief and I start this trip with just the two of us in Honolulu for a week, enjoying the uniquely Waikiki combination of a city vacation at the beach.  We stay at our favorite boutique hotel, the New Otani, and eat as much ahi poke as we can stuff into our heads.

From there we island hop to Kauai, and rent a villa on a beach of silky, white sand, where we are joined by the West Coast part of the family (mainly Chief's people). In a show of unity, we all take surf lessons in the relative seclusion of our private beach, and are put to shame by the quickly acquired skills of my youngest brother-in-law.

Your Turn!
I could keep going for all 12 months of the year, but you get the idea. If you are also a travel dreamer, remember to enter the “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, for a chance to win your own ultimate family vacation. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

You Can Thank Kristy

My delightful (and clever) business partner Kristy Sammis insisted that I check out Jerseylicious, a show about hair, New Jersey, and accents.

For some reason, she thought I would be intrigued.

And then she posted the Jerseyilicious makeover widget on her blog, She Just Walks Around With It (go read it once, you will be addicted.)

So yeah, I did it. I think I look kind of pretty. But I am half Italian, so there you have it. I especially like how my extensions are so outta control that they cover my sister's face.

Classy.