It’s November 25th
Giveaway is closed.
I just realized it’s exactly one month until Christmas. Have you bought your holiday cards yet? Have you even taken the photo for it, if you do that? It’s best to do so early so there’s no rush, but if you haven’t yet, it’s not too late!
A few tips I learned when I was preparing to take our photo:
- Choose the layout of your holiday card beforehand, that way you can take a photo to fit it perfectly.
- Don’t start off the shoot offering bribes, because by the end of the shoot the kids won’t care anymore.
- Try for candid, not posed shots.
- Pretend you’re not taking photos anymore, and hold the camera away from your eye, but still pointed at your kids, and snap away! This really only works outdoors where no flash is necessary.
- If all else fails, merge individual photos of your kids into one, or choose a collage design that lets you include more than one photo.
This year, for the first time, I ordered magnetic holiday cards from MagnetStreet Baby. We included only our kids in the photo. They change so much from year to year, but everyone knows what my husband and I look like.
My girls’ faces are going to grace the doors of refrigerators all over the world! Their name may fool you, but MagnetStreet doesn’t only sell magnetic products. They also sell folded and flat linen cards, coordinating labels, and seals for most of their designs. If you can’t find just the right one for your card, they can even create one for you.
I should be getting my cards sometime this week. I’ll reveal what the photo looks like then, as well as tell you what I think about the cards themselves. I can tell you that I really enjoyed the entire ordering process. Yes, you read it right – I enjoyed it. I usually despise ordering anything photo-related because it’s quite tedious to get it looking just right. Often times you lose your entire project because you take too long to finish, or accidentally click on the wrong button. Not the case at all with MagnetStreet. The hardest part is deciding what design to choose!
It’s all quite simple. After you’ve added your chosen layout to your cart, you get to personalize it by either launching an interactive tool or filling out a form and uploading your photo. If you decide to fill out the personalization form, the MagnetStreet designers will fit your desired text and photo into the card themselves. If you choose to launch the interactive tool, like I did, you have full creative control over what your card will look like.
With the design tool you can upload photos to your gallery, edit text, and customize the colors of the card. To add the photo, you just drag it from the gallery to the card, and position it as you’d like. It tells you what the photo quality is (aim for excellent!) right away. The text editor is great. Not only can you add your own names, but you can change the card’s message, like from “Merry Christmas”, to the more politically correct “Happy Holidays”, or whatever you’d like it to be. The text’s color, size, and font are all customizable. What really impressed me is the color editor. You can change the color of almost every aspect of your chosen design, and thanks to the live preview, see it instantly change before your eyes. With MagnetStreet you can truly create a completely unique card. It’s unlike any other company I’ve ever ordered from.
MagnetStreet Baby is giving one of my readers a $100 credit towards the purchase of anything on their site. Birth announcements, holiday cards, invitations, labels and seals – the choice is yours.
All you have to do is visit MagnetStreet Baby, take some time to look around, and leave a comment here letting me know what you think you would buy with the $100.
For extra entries:
- Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
- Subscribe to my feed (or let me know if you already do).
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Please leave a separate comment for each entry. If you don’t have a blog, don’t fret – you can also get an extra entry by sharing this post. Just email it to three of your friends and CC me in the email: mariana[at]ridingwithnohands.com
US entries only. Please leave a valid email address or blog URL in your comment. This contests ends at 11:59 pm EST on December 4th, 2008. Winners will be chosen via random.org, and have 24 hours to claim their prize.
88 Comments
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Hi, I'm Mariana. I'm a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful little girls. Read about all the products we use and love, enter a giveaway or two, and feel free to contact me!
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I would like some of their snowflake and pink & blue ribbon design labels and seals, so many nice designs and these are so nice to have on hand since I love writing letters. Also pehaps some holiday cards or magnetic products… lots of choices on their site!
micaela6955 at msn dot com
These are so fabulous. They’re little gifts unto themselves! The vertical mittens holiday card is way cute! I wish they made magnetic business cards,too!
quitecontrary1977@hotmail.com
Mary Jenkinss last blog post..Giveaway Reminder
As a mother of two who won’t sit still together for a posed photo, I’d definitely go for the “Lovely Snowflakes” cards. Very pretty.
Jennifer Irvings last blog post..And the Sexiest Man of 2008 is…….
oh they are all so cute! I really like the -corners-horizontal one! Thanks so much for the chance!
Dees last blog post..A Thousand Word Thursday #8- HAPPY THANKSGIVING
i subscribe!
Dees last blog post..A Thousand Word Thursday #8- HAPPY THANKSGIVING
i added your button to my sidebar!
Dees last blog post..A Thousand Word Thursday #8- HAPPY THANKSGIVING
I would love to win this one! I still haven’t ordered our cards and would pick the Folded Christmas Cards and Dotted Ribbon style. Thanks for a great giveaway – I hadn’t actually heard of MagnetStreet Baby before, and I loved their styles, it was nice to peek in and find a new store.
Katja Presnals last blog post..Gifts for Women under 50$
I would love the Folded Christmas Cards – Glowing Snowflakes. Perfect for people who celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah and so beautiful!!! Fingers crossed I win!
These are great! Love the magnetic holiday card, blue background w/snowflakes!
I’d get the card called Full Photo with Ornament. It’s a magnetic one. I love the idea that everyone can put it on their fridge easily. They always end up on people’s fridges, but this would be so much nicer.
Tara @ Feels like homes last blog post..Pomegranates
I stumbled.
Tara @ Feels like homes last blog post..Pomegranates
Your blog is already on my Technorati favorites.
Tara @ Feels like homes last blog post..Pomegranates
Your button is on my friends page.
Tara @ Feels like homes last blog post..Pomegranates
I subscribed in a reader a long time ago, too.
Tara @ Feels like homes last blog post..Pomegranates
We won’t know what the baby is until he/she gets here, but I love the Magnetic Birth Announcements – Solid Band http://www.magnetstreet.com/store/details/market/524/productId/20485 if we have a girl.
I might opt for holiday cards, though.
I like the Magnetic Christmas Cards – Let it Snow (Blue) – Horizontal and the Magnetic Christmas Cards – Stylish Snowflakes (as long as that, “Merry Xmas” text isn’t required).
Reizas last blog post..Fruit, it’s what’s for dinner.
I would get the magnetic birth announcements in striped.
Amy Huangs last blog post..Thanksgiving
I think I would get a folded Christmas card but the design would depend on what my family could all agree on…and of course the photos we chose.
I’d probably go for the Christmas Cards – Mittens – Horizontal. They would look cute with my baby’s picture.
Kathleens last blog post..Friday Featured Blog: The Gift Closet
I subscribe to your updates too.
I have your button on my blog
since i don’t have any children of my own yet, i would probably give this credit to my friend who delivered twin boys yesterday!! mom and boys are doing great and this would be a great welcome baby(s) gift for her. she would absolutely love this and it would mean the world to her. i looked at the twins announcements and i like the Linen Birth Announcements – Twins – Stripes the best. it was really hard to pick because these announcements are beautiful! thanks for the giveaway and i do hope i win this!!
I would get the magnetic birth announcements with photo collage. So cute!
I would love to be able to get the Linen Birth Announcements – Floral Arch for the birth of my daughter- any day now!
And I subscribed!
What a cute website! I love that you can get matching lables and seals I love the Tis The Season ones!
Thanks!
I subscribed also! YAY!
I love the Christmas card – stylish snowflakes!
I subscribed
I love the Christmas cards with snowflakes on them. I would probably give this to my sister to use with her two girls. Thanks for the giveaway!
I would definitely use it to buy baby announcements. I don’t know which ones exactly yet because I don’t know if I’m having a boy or a girl but there are so many adorable designs to choose from, this just because my new favorite site for this.
I love their site! I would love to win have a $100 shopping spree their. I would buy the return address labels in Lovely Snowflake and the holiday cards in Let It Snow. Thanks for the great giveaway!
I love the magnetic cards.
i would choose the linen stripes birth announcements cards!
This would be an awesome giveaway, my best friend is due soon!
I would buy the- Magnetic Birth Announcements – Ribbon & matching Return Address Labels & Envelope Seals – Solid Band. I am saving their website, it’s awesome! thank you
I loved the holiday mitten horizontal cards. Lots of great cards on the site!
elle@bluemonkeybutt.com
Elles last blog post..Cool Contest
Wow, it is so hard to choose, everything is beautiful! Right now I am leaning towards the Christmas Cards – Chocolate Squares!
i subscribe
Please put me on your list! And I’de love to enter the Magnet Baby Contest! Great Idea! I love the birth announcements!
I would love the red line horizontal merry christmas cards. There is a lot to choose from on this site!
I would love to get the Merry Christmas horizontal cards with the blue striped background. Simple, but elegant. Love them!!
Ginas last blog post..Christmas in the air
I subscribed through bloglines!
Ginas last blog post..Christmas in the air
Thanks for the giveaway! We just had our first child, a little girl, in July, and the magnetic Christmas cards would be perfect. We especially love the Magnetic Christmas Cards – Black Background with Snowflake – Horizontal. Thanks again!
I would buy some Christmas cards. I especially like the photo collage flat cards. You can add several nice photos instead of deciding on just one photo. Thanks!
I subscribe!
I would probably get some return address labels and seals in the blossom print. I know I would order more but I am having a hard time deciding there is just so much to choose from.
I subscribe.
I like the snowfall labels and seals
Valerie Mitchells last blog post..FracturedToy Twisted Silver Giveaway 12/14/08
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valerie2350
Christmas cards with snowflakes is precious and would use it for my baby cousin’s new announcements!
I subscribe via google reader!