Custom Holiday Cards with Minted

If I know anything about myself, it's that I am a girl who likes routine. My morning starts the same way everyday, if I find a sweater I love, I buy it in three colors, and I always always always get my custom holiday cards from Minted. This is my third year getting our holiday cards at Minted (and yesterday happened to be my 3rd wedding anniversary!). Since we got married December 1st, and I knew I wanted to have a few wedding photos for our first holiday card, I started the tradition of sending New Years cards instead of Christmas cards. 

Even though that means our holiday cards come a little after the rush, I know that it also means that our friends and family get snail mail later in the holiday season. Gotta stretch the holiday spirit, right?! 

Minted offers tons of customization options. Every card usually offers several colorways, and you can always change the text. This year, I noticed more cards than ever before can be designed with sayings like "Happy Holidays" or "Happy New Year." It's great to see options that fit everyone's beliefs and traditions. 

The card I chose this year can be done in six different colors or six different foil options. It comes in postcard size, petite size (4.5 x 6), or classic size (5 x7). You can choose rounded corners or square, and there are several options for the back and for envelop colors. So. Many. Possibilities!  

Perhaps my favorite part of using Minted for custom holiday cards is that they print envelopes for you. Envelopes always stress me out, so it's a huge relief not to have to handwrite all of them. Instead, I can add a custom note to the back, or if I'm being totally honest, place a stamp on the coordinating envelope, pop it in the mail, and call it a day. If you're still in the market for holiday cards, be sure to check out Minted. They're often running sales and specials, and their gorgeous quality can't be beat. For now, enjoy a sneak peek at our 2017 New Year's cards.

P.S. If you're not quite sure how to write your name on your Christmas cards, this guide will answer all of your questions. Bottom line: no apostrophes catastrophes.

I received my holiday cards in exchange for this post, but all opinions about this brand are my own! 

Custom Color Invitations with Minted

Minted has long been my go-to source for all things paper. Every year, I use Minted for our New Years cards, and I always find a way to scoop up other Minted items during the year (remember these kitchen labels?). When I started planning an engagement party for a friend with a few of my bests, I knew I wanted to use Minted for our invitations. 

We decided on a stock the bar theme to get the happy couple off on the right foot. I was thrilled to find several stock the bar invitations available to customize. Not only does Minted have a huge selection of cards for just about any occasion, but their customization tools are unbeatable. I love that I can change text to match the needs of my particular event, and I love all of the options for invitation shapes and backings. 

Recently, Minted even started allowing color customization. This new feature that allows you to choose custom colors for any part of their countless designs. After browsing a few of the party invitations, I decided on these invitations, but I wasn't completely sold on the available colors. Enter the custom colors' tool. I quickly swapped out the teal and red for blue and yellow. After a few quick back and forths with a Minted designer, the invitations arrived in my mailbox in less than a week, and they turned out great! 

If you have any parties coming-up, plan to use Minted. You'll end up with a completely unique design especially for your event. Let me know if you give them a try! 

Thanks to Minted for providing me with custom color invitations in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own. 

Personalize Your Kitchen

Raise your hand if you've got a zillion food storage containers in your kitchen. Raise your hand again if you're not quite sure where they all came from (and who they actually belong to). ::Raises hand twice:: I'm pretty sure I'm not just speaking for myself when I say that our food container cabinet is out of control. We've acquired all sorts of containers over the years, and the organization is a bit of a mess. 

This spring, I'm resolving to not only take control of my own kitchen, but help my friends stay organized too with name labels by Minted. Minted's new name labels were primarily created for kids, so parents can label anything and everything, but I saw these labels and thought: why can't I get in on the fun, too?! I immediately thought about all of the trips to friends' houses this spring and summer for parties, girls nights, and other gatherings. I would inevitably be bringing containers filled with goodies to each event, so why not make sure I get my container back and help my friends keep their kitchens organized, too?

Minted's name labels are dishwasher safe, waterproof, & nontoxic, meaning they won't disintegrate when they meet water; they'll last and last and last. I loved the idea of getting labels that had my name on them for my own containers, but I also picked up a few extra sheets to serve as hostess gifts throughout the summer. My friends are always so great about hosting, and every now and then, I love giving them a little something to show my appreciation. 

Stick these labels on the bottom or top of your containers to personalize your kitchen. One word to the wise: careful not to use these on your glass containers unless you want them to be permanent! You can pick up your own kitchen labels from Minted here. The design process is super fun, and there are tons of designs to choose from. Get creative and get organized!

P.S. The energy balls seen here are this recipe. They're super easy, and I make them all the time! 

Shop some of my favorite name label designs here:

I received the labels seen here in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own. 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from me & PPD! I hope everyone's Christmas is full of love, comfort, & joy. I'll be back to the blog in 2016. In the meantime, enjoy some rest and relaxation with your families. Love to you all! 

xo, Nicole

Sending Good Cheer: Holiday Cards with Minted

I think we can all agree that snail mail peaks during the holiday season. I giddily check my mailbox daily awaiting holiday cards from friends and family, and I love pulling out the envelopes one at a time savoring each detail. The details are what make holiday cards so special. If you're anything like me, you've painstakingly poured over your holiday cards making sure every little thing is perfect. 

For the past two years, my holiday card choices have been made even easier with Minted. Minted's user-friendly design marketplace makes choosing a card an incredible experience. I often play with several designs before choosing one, and the site makes it easy to make designs completely my own. One of my favorite parts of Minted's holiday card collections is their foil designs (like this one). I am a sucker for anything that sparkles, so the shimmer of the foil designs makes me swoon. If foil isn't your thing, take a peek at Minted's other collections; they have everything including letter press which makes for a luxe card sure to impress. 

And to further show just how fabulous Minted is, all holiday cards are available with matching envelopes and recipient addressing this year. That means no stressing about messing up envelopes. All you need to do is stuff your cards, stick a stamp on them, and send them off! 

Since Hunter and I got married on December 1st, I decided a few years ago to send New Years cards instead of Christmas cards. Not only does this give us ample time to take a quality picture (you know, because we waited all year to take one), but it takes the holiday cheer through the new year. I love that we send one of the final cards that people receive as an extra special piece of mail at the end of the year. I'm still debating on which design we'll ultimately choose, but check out some of the front runners below. 

In the meantime, head over to Minted and start designing your own holiday cards! I'd love to hear which designs you're loving in the comments. 

This post was written in partnership with Minted. While I will receive a Minted credit for this post, I've used Minted for years, and it is truly a company I adore.