I’ve been sending photo Christmas cards for as long as we’ve had children. We’ve printed photo newsletters, bought cards with built-in frames, and most recently, ordered photo cards from Costco. The first few years, I chose one of Costco’s designs, but they don’t have a huge selection and many of our friends chose the same design we did.  One year I bought a customized design, but then for the last two years, we’ve designed our own cards.

Designing your own card is time-consuming though, and this year I didn’t start early enough. I was actually considering sending ecards instead of printed ones when I received an email from Charlene at the Little Card Company. She and her sister began the company to create photo greeting cards with a faith-based message. I love to support small businesses, especially woman-owned, and I love their commitment to donate 10% of their profits to Christian humanitarian organizations.

Little Card Company offers 100s of layouts, shapes, sizes (squares, wide rectangles, and skinny rectangles), and themes for photo cards. Some of the designs are available in multiple color options. They also have a large section of “You Create It” cards for all occasions. They offer many religious themes, but they also have many options without a specific Christian message if you are looking for something more universal.

The biggest difference between ordering a Little Card Company card and choosing one from Costco (or other online services like Shutterfly and Snapfish) is that you cannot make your own proof. With the Little Card Company, you pick your design and then upload your photos. Within 24 hours, a designer emails you a proof. (I worked on mine over Thanksgiving weekend, so my proofs took a few days, but I expected that.) Once the designer sent me my proofs, I could make adjustments, and then I received new proofs within hours. I received my cards in the mail in 3 days, and I love the way they look. Unlike Costco’s cards, which print on photo paper with that photo-paper gloss, The Little Card Company prints their cards on good quality card stock. I think the card stock makes these cards feel and look classy.

I’ll be honest – it was hard for me to give up control, but our cards turned out great, and I know they will be unique. I really like the paper they are printed on, and I will be back next year. (Sorry – no sneak peeks at our cards. I want ’em to be a surprise when they arrive in the mail!)

***

Little Card Company is excited to sponsor this post and product giveaway. Go check out their designs and tell me in the comments which one/s you like best. You can get additional entries by sharing the giveaway and liking their Facebook pages. The winner will be announced next Monday evening!

Prize package includes:

• Small, branded reusable bag
• One pack of their newest thank you notes
• One pack of their NEW Share A Scripture cards
• One pack of their NEW Fruit of the Spirt Scripture cards
• A $10 gift certificate for use on the Little Card Company site

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a set of custom cards courtesy of The Little Card Company. All opinions my own.