No one has ever accused me of being a procrastinator. I think part of the reason I’m able to get as much done as I do is that I’m hyper-organized and don’t put things off. So guess what!? It’s the first week of November and we’ve got our holiday cards photographed and printed! It feels absolutely great to have them done even though that isn’t quite the end of the process yet. We’re also planning to do an online newsletter that we’ll have a link to on the paper cards as well as a little hello video from Pat and I to all of our loved ones. Last year was the first year that we had an online holiday letter and putting it together was so much fun! I’m still figuring out the whole YouTube thing, so I figure this will be a fun little experiment.
Click through for more photos and to see our Minted holiday cards!
I was so thrilled for the opportunity to work with Minted again this year! Our cards last year were phenomenal and this year was no different. The photos from this shoot were tough, because in order for the lights to shine we had to do everything in low light, just after sunset. That means everything is a bit more grainy than your typical photo. The graphic designers at Minted were so patient with helping me make sure everything was just right! I went through four proofs before I was satisfied and they managed to do it all in less than three days!
Getting these photos took a lot of trial and error. It took two separate nights, lots of experimenting with lighting and some extra hands to pull off this hair-brained idea of mine.
Our first night, we were completely alone, looking like idiots trying to wrap ourselves in Christmas lights and futz with a camera remote when this kind soul took pity on us and took a bunch of photos for us. I absolutely adore the photos from that night that we took them (the ones with the tree in them) but they were just too grainy to look nice for our cards. Lesson learned.
We found that the best time for lighting was just a few minutes after sunset. Waiting too long made the lighting too dependent on the lightbulbs and they cast all sorts of ugly splotchy colors all over us. In addition when it was too dark the ISO had to be too high and the photos were too grainy to be printed.
The second night we had the camera settings better but unfortunately it was much colder and horribly windy. You can definitely tell we’re less comfortable (aka freezing) the second night and my hair is a disaster! The second night though we had the advantage of having Annie and Justin to help out with styling and getting us wrapped up in the lights. This was a huge relief.
I picked up the vintage Christmas lights forever ago on Craigslist and they followed me across the country from Wisconsin to California. Now that I’ve used them for their intended purpose, I put them up on Etsy for someone else to use! As a blog bonus, used coupon code ‘sweetshipping” and I’ll ship them for free!
Aaaand, here’s our final card! The design is absolutely perfect, right? We chose a design aptly titled “Shine Brightly” by Rebecca Bowen. The cards are absolutely gorgeous in real life and I’m so glad we sprung for the premium recycled paper. They just feel so distinctive when you hold them. I can’t wait to finish the online newsletter and video portions of our holiday card so we can get them in the mail to our friends and loved ones!
Big thanks to Minted for providing us with these gorgeous holiday cards for this post! If you’re ready to get your holiday cards checked off your list, the promo code ‘HOLIDAY14’ will get you 15% off your order >$150 or 10% off your order >$100 if you order by the end of the day!
Thanks so much for reading A Side of Sweet! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, or Twitter, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts (see sidebar).
And of course the outtakes! Oh the outtakes, my word. There were so many I could almost do a whole post!
Now these made my day. You guys are so cute! Love, love, love the lights on you in front of the bridge. Great work!
Thanks Ashley! I appreciate the kind words!
Hahaha, what a fun post and what a great card you guys made! Made me smile.
Thanks Pamela! 🙂
These are amazing!
Thanks so much Nina!!!
Okay these are SO cute! Picture perfect!!
ClassToCloset
Thanks so much Nicole!!
Oh my gosh, I love love love the cards and what an awesome idea for your photo!! LOVE!!
🙂 Thanks La Tache!
Oh my god! So beautiful!! Such a lovely idea. P.S. I am SUPER jealous that you aren’t a procrastinator. My situation right now is getting rather chronic haha! Too many deadlines and so little concentration! I am having no problem getting the stuff I want to done though..Have a great week! 🙂
Haha, I know – I so have many other flaws that make up for it though! Happy Tuesday!
I absolutely LOVE your cards! They turned out so beautiful!!
And I can’t help but laugh at the thought of you two trying to wrap yourself in lights. 🙂 It’s almost like it was fate that Christina offered to help you!
Thanks so much Sarah! It was quite the sight to see for sure!
Oh my goodness!!! You guys look awesome!! I love your pics – such a cute and adorable idea 🙂
Thanks so much Kelly!
I can’t even handle how adorable this shoot is! You are a genius! And I love that outtake — must have been so much fun =)
Hahaha, thanks dear! It was pretty fun – and a little cold + windy…
MAN! I love your creativity. The Christmas lights – so sweet!!!! Scott and I did something similar during the spring this year, taking self-timmed shots with the Golden Gate bridge in the background for our wedding thank you cards. I had a lot of photoshopping to do. That place was windy! Lol.
Thanks so much Nancy! That sounds adorable. Do you have a link on your blog? I’d love to see them!
Love Minted! I just discovered them recently and got a chance to work with them as well… they have such unique stuff!
Awesome! I really appreciate how consistently high quality their products are too!
Absolutely stunning!! I may have to borrow this idea 😉 Lovely!!
You should! You should also buy my Christmas lights! 😉
Everything about these cards: AMAZING. The lights! The setting! The bridge! SO LOVELY. (I should get mine done before 12/19 this year…)
Awwww, thank you so much Carla! You’re the best. Can’t wait to see your cards!
oh my gawd, I LOVE these holiday cards!!! so awesome and creative!!! love the lights wrapped around you guys! ok, heading over to Minted now!!!
Awww, thanks so much Alice!
Gorgeous! Great idea but I could see how hard it would be to execute with just the two of you! Thanks for sharing.
It’s true. We were definitely a hot mess the first night! If you decide to do something similar, I highly recommend bribing a friend into being a photography assistant!
What a cute idea! Your holiday cards look fantastic 🙂
Awww, thanks Cassandra!
How fun and a cute idea. The photos are adorable. They are going to make a great Christmas card. The Golden Gate bridge is a great backdrop.
Thanks so much! We are lucky to have such a photogenic gem to use!
What a wonderful idea for a Christmas photo! My family would never be patient enough for multiple photo shoots though!! So glad I found your blog at the SITS Mentor forum !
Hi Susan! Thanks for stopping by! I’m lucky that my husband is always up for a photography adventure, no matter how crazy my ideas get!
That is the neatest idea!!
Thanks Jamie!
Oh I love your Christmas card design. Very cute idea. Will have to make note of it for next year… because I’m putting my cats dressed up this year on mine. Ha!
Thanks so much! I bet your card is going to be HILARIOUS!
Haha, sounds hilarious! I hope you’ll be sharing on your blog!
I’m sure it’ll be equally hilarious and frustrating. I already dressed them up in bow ties and tried to take pictures of them with a pumpkin for Halloween… haha My poor cats.