Thanks to my sweet husband’s career in the Air Force, we’ve found ourselves doing a bit of moving over the past few years. Since we’re often far from home over the holidays, I love staying in touch with friends and family through the sending and receiving of Christmas cards each year! As a graphic designer, I probably should plan ahead more than I do and get started on a design earlier in the year, but between work and life in general I always seem to wait up ’til the last minute. (Please tell me I’m not the only one!) This year was no different. Determined to create something from the heart and not spend a fortune, I whipped up these minimalistic little cards in InDesign one afternoon with a little creative input from the hubs, and we’re both really pleased with how they turned out.

To my dismay, I realized our little family hasn’t taken many photos together over the past 11 months, so instead of opting for an adorable holiday-themed image, I pulled one of our favorites that just screams cozy and cheerful. I wanted to incorporate a less traditional color palette so I ordered deep plum colored envelopes to bring out some of the rich tones in the photo. Who says Christmas cards have to be red or green? Paper nerd that I am, I chose to print these simple cards on double thick 18 pt. cotton Savoy in a soft, natural white for added warmth. The luxurious texture and weight really makes this modern and understated design pop.

Thanks to the USPS website, I found the perfect stamps to complement our lovely envelopes, too! A little gold marker made quick and pretty work of addressing, although I really need to remember to order extras next year. Spelling has never been my forte, unfortunately.

So there you have it! With a little knowledge of InDesign or even Photoshop, it’s a cinch to whip up your own unique cards for the holidays. I love ordering envelopes from Paper Source and opted for their solid envelopes in Fig for this project. I always suggest outsourcing your print jobs to a local printer so you have the most control of what stocks, weights and finishes are used but there are plenty of reliable online commercial printers if you don’t have anyone local. StationeryHQ does a nice job and offers a great variety of paper options, too. I snagged the gold marker at my local Michael’s and loved adding a little sparkle to each envelope that way.

Do you send out holiday cards each year? If so, do you prefer to order them from a stationery website or do you go the DIY route? Hope this gives y’all a little extra inspiration for any future yuletide projects!