5x7 print and envelope tips

Most of my designs that are for invitations, birth announcements, or Christmas cards end up being printed as a 5x7 photo. Sending the design file to a digital photo lab is always easy, and a 5x7 card, in my opinion, looks best. If you will be printing a Redbud Christmas card or another design in the future, here are a few price comparisons for 5x7 prints:

• Sam's Club - 38 cents each for one hour / 34 cents each for multi-day
• Costco - 39 cents each
• Shutterfly - on sale now for 50 cents each, normally 99 cents each
• Walmart - 58 cents each
  
• Snapfish - as low as 59 cents each for 50+ prints
• Walgreens - $1.59 each (although I think they go down to $1.00 if you order a certain amount)

5x7's are a bit high maintenance when it comes to finding envelopes, but there are several options. Envelopes that fit a 5x7 perfectly are called A7, but they are hard to find in stores. Something I have done in the past is buy a cheap box of generic Christmas or greeting cards and use the envelopes from that box, as they usually fit a 5x7 perfectly. I have also bought "invitation" envelopes from an office store. They are a bit bigger than a 5x7 print (5-3/4" x 8-3/4"), but they work just fine, and are relatively easy to find. My friend Annalee just happened to ask the salesperson at Walgreens about getting 5x7 envelopes with her prints, and he told her that he would give them to her for free as long as she printed her cards there. (As Annalee told me, it never hurts to ask!) Just in case your Walgreens worker isn't as friendly, here are some options and price comparisons for invitation envelopes:

• Office Depot - $8.99 for 100
• Staples - $12.39 for 100
• Office Max - $13.99 for 100

My goal is to eventually provide printing services (complete with free envelopes with your order!), but until then, I hope this is helpful! Feel free to leave a comment if you have any other helpful tips or suggestions. As always, thanks for your support of Redbud Designs!

winner!!

Merit chose...

Here's how it all went down...

Congrats, Chelsea! Email me at sharon.redbud@gmail.com, and we'll get the process started!

Thanks to all of you who entered and helped spread the word about Redbud's card designs. And don't worry if you didn't win! You can still get your hands on a Redbud Christmas card HERE!

working on it...

That may just have to be my motto for the time being. I am thankful to be crazy busy with designs at the moment. I have just begun designs for custom Christmas cards, and oh, is it fun!! Thanks so much to everyone who entered my recent Christmas card design giveaway! I am "working on" getting my little assistant to draw a name and will announce the winner tomorrow. While you wait, here are some samples from the many projects I have been working on lately for friends, family, and strangers alike...

blogs...

 

business cards...

 

t-shirts...

 

cutie baby announcements...

...and invites.

 

(Zoey is my sweet little niece whose birthday is TODAY! Happy Birthday, ZoZo!)

Check back tomorrow for the giveaway winner!!

pre-designed christmas card GIVEAWAY

I finally have a few pre-designed cards ready to go! You can view the details and designs by going HERE and clicking on the Horizontal and Vertical links at the bottom of the page. I will be adding a few more designs in the next week or two, so check back often by clicking on the Christmas Card button in my sidebar!

a couple of my faves

 

I think it is only fitting to announce their arrival with a GIVEAWAY, don't you? Here is how to enter:

• For one entry, simply view all of my pre-designed cards and let me know in a comment which is your favorite.
• If you are a follower of this blog, you get an extra entry.
• And another if you are a Facebook fan.
• And ANOTHER if you mention this giveaway on your blog.
• Oh, and yet another if you link to it on Facebook.
• Want one more entry? Grab my Christmas card button over there in my sidebar and place it in your sidebar.

The giveaway will end Friday, November 6th at midnight central time.

I appreciate all of your support of Redbud Designs. Christmas card designs are some of my FAVORITE things to do. I would be honored to do one for YOU!

because sometimes words are not enough

I like being creative. In fact, I love it. It is a part of who I am, so when I started Redbud, I don't think I really thought about how difficult it might be to be creative for a living. I'm not gonna lie, it carries a little bit of pressure! Most of my designs are for people I don't know personally, yet each design must reflect each client's personality, and, especially in the case of a blog design, their life. I sometimes find myself lacking inspiration, and it is in these moments that I turn to music (my favorite Pandora stations to design to being Beyonce, the Weepies, Meiko, Patsy Cline...), a favorite site, or in the following cases, a clients' inspiration or mood board.

Jamie was one of my first blog design clients, and she was the first to make a mood board for me. She gathered images that captured not only her, but also the colors and overall feel that she had in mind for her blog design.

Jamie's board

and her design

Jamie has sent many of her friends my way, and a couple of them have followed her lead and created a mood board of their own. Amy felt the first design I presented to her didn't quite fit, so I suggested she create a mood board. She ended up having a lot of fun with it, and, in the end, we ended up with a design she loved. Success!

Amy's board

and her final design

Lindsay Ann sent her board first thing. It was extremely helpful to have from the get-go, and helped me capture her personality although we have never met in person.

Lindsay Ann's board

and her blog design

Kate didn't create a mood board for me, but she did decide to show me what she wanted for her sweet baby's announcements, instead of just tell me. She liked the feel of Amy Butler's Faded China line of fabric, specifically, Grey Lacework.

(photo via amybutlerdesign.com)

And here is baby Eydie's announcement (is she not SOOO cute?!!)

 Mood boards can come in handy for many occasions, whether you are planning a party, designing a room in your home, or putting together an outfit for a special occasion. To put a mood board together, you could use a website like Scrapblog, or, especially if you are into fashion, you could check out Polyvore.

This is, of course, not something that I expect from all of my clients, but it is something to think about if you are thinking of getting your hands on a Redbud design. Speaking of, I'm off to create another. Thanks for checking in with what is going on at Redbud!