diy: custom Christmas cards on a newlywed budget.

being so far from our close family and friends {and not planning a wedding this year- phew!}, has made Christmas cards a necessity this winter. and not just something letterpress from a box from a store that sells 8,000 identical sets to other buyers- something unique and personal that we can send to everyone we love. i've seen folks spend well over $200 for such cards and THAT was not happening this year. follow these instructions if you're on a newlywed budget too.

first- do your print research. i was surprised that my favorite "diy" online sites are not so affordable after all. do first- your research ahead of time. try local printers or online services you trust. i lucked out and found a groupon for zazzle for less than $20. if you can't find anything in your budget, stop right there and just go buy a box at target.

find inspiration. i discovered a photograph on pinterest ages ago and that fueled our imaginations for our little photography session. we pretty much copied it, but i don't care.

find a convenient backdrop. we don't have a local photographer friend, and didn't feel like dropping cash on a professional session, so we did it ourselves. going on-location seemed like too much to manage with just the two of us, so we used the porch outside our living room.

find reliable technology. your old 3.5 megapixel camera will not produce images worth printing, so get creative. we used an iphone app with a timer {yes, an iphone!} and mounted it on a tripod. easy-peasy. 

 plan your clothing. johnny and i made our clothing choices together- we coordinated, but didn't "match." choose similar tones. in my opinion, this yeilds the best results- cohesion without looking over-thought.

don't sit in direct sunlight- you'll squint AND it will be too bright. go in the shade or wait until an overcast day. we took our photos on a late saturday afternoon, before dusk.

 this is not professional photography, so don't sweat the small stuff. there will be shadows and other errors that wouldn't occur with a pro. i obsessed for a bit. john told me i had to get over it. he was right.

if you aren't good with photoshop or don't own it, use something online to dress up your photos. picmonkey, for instance, has a retouching tool and some neat fx. if you're not using a template for your text and design, think about the wording and typography too. you can add it all using a site like this one.

and save your outtakes- they're cute and funny and i'll always love looking back on them.