Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Free Photo Cards, Baby Announcements, etc with Free Photo Fun

Before I start my weekly/bi-weekly Free Photo Fun post, I wanted to go into another great way to use these free photos! And, if you couldn't tell from the title, I mean using them as Photo Cards!

When my youngest son was born in 2007, I wanted to send out announcements ( approx 70 of them ) to all my family and friends. BUT, I couldn't find any reasonable priced cards anywhere. Besides the fact that I wanted something with a slightly personal touch.

So, I created my own in Photoshop, my photo editing software on my PC.

On top of the look I created, I also punched holes in the top and bought some blue ribbon from a craft store clearance bin and put little bows on each announcement. It really dressed it up and made it much more...well...me!

How did I get over 70 of these for next to nothing? I used all these free prints that these photo companies give you. :-)

First, if you have Photo editing software on your PC, you can create your own personal look, too. I am not that creative, so I looked at different magazines until I saw a design I liked and then went to Scrapgirls and bought some digital paper to create my own.

While designing my card in Photoshop, I made sure I was working on a 4X6 page. That is right...this is a 4X6 sized photo card. Why? Because you can then print it as one of your free 4X6 photos.

Once I was happy, I uploaded it to the company I was going to use and had it printed as many times as I could for free. For example, Snapfish has 50 free prints right now, so I would have uploaded the picture and had it printed 50 times....for free!

It was so easy, so cheap AND I loved the look of them! Then, you can add any personal embellishments from scrapbooking, etc, when they arrive, if you want. Or, you can leave as is.

Not creative but still want to use this idea for Christmas cards or Thank You cards after the Holidays?

Click here to go to Scrapgirls. Once there, go to the the Boutique tab. Scroll down and go to Cards and Crafts. Under there, you can visit the Cards Templates section to see many different 4X6 templates. You can then fill them in with any paper or colors, designs, extras you want to make it your own.

Or, of course, you can design your own.

While at Scrapgirls, don't forget to sign up for their Free Newsletter. You will get free downloads from them. It is so fun!

Now that I have explained all that...on with my normal Free Photo Fun post.

I am going to focus on Snapfish again this week? Why? Because they have increased their New Member Free Photos to 50 for a limited time. It is normally 20. Click here to access.

With shipping/handling charges, your final cost comes to about 6 cents per print.

In addition, click here to access all current Free Photo deals going on. Or, you can click the Free Photo button at any time in the left menu bar.

3 comments:

Abby said...

I have just done the exact same thing for my 7 week old son. I love my cards and am so pleased at how cheap they were. Do you have any recommendations for envelopes? I have had a hard time finding envelopes and I don't want to pay shipping. Thanks!

MomNixon said...

This is SO true! thinking outside the box on conventional mailings can save you a ton! We made our (300) wedding invitations out of printable vellum and wallpaper! I sewed little paper envelopes with silver thread... My husband was game until I told him we had to punch holes in them all and tie the little ribbons through the top!!! You should have seen his face! :)

Carrie @ Moneysavingmethods.com said...

Abby,

Most stores will have boxes of plain white or cream colored envelopes in this size for a couple bucks. I think they are called card envelopes.

In my Wal Mart, they were near the photo section ( where they sell the cameras ). But, could be different for all stores.

I bought the cream from Wal Mart, since my baby announcement had cream in it.

Want to reduce your shipping? Consider signing up for the risk free trial to Stamps.com ( I have it listed under my Holiday Savings button ). You get $5 free. Usually, when you go to cancel that month, they extend your trial and give you another $5 free. It helps defray the cost a bit.

 
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