DESIGN 7: FRONT
DESIGN 7: INSIDE
Message: “May the joy of our love for children bless us at Christmas and everyday.”
DESIGN 7: BACK
Specs: Vertical 5×7 card on archival linen with the inside design spanning the inside spread, folded in the middle.Do you know this family? Help them win a prize by leaving a comment about their card design!
What I love about this design — I love the front! Love everything about it — the vines, the swirls, the colors, the textures and of course the images of the girls. But what I love most about this card is the fact that it so clearly represents what this family’s photo session was supposed to be about. The mom wanted nothing more than to celebrate her life with her family in this moment by doing the sorts of things they routinely do, like going down to that duck pond (background image in the center). She specifically told me she wanted a simple card design. When I sent her this design, I wasn’t sure it would be simple enough, but I truly loved the fact that I was able to work the duck pond into the card. I purposefully kept it understated, adding a faux linen texture to the image itself so that when it was printed on linen paper, the image would almost disappear into the fabric for a very subtle effect. It’s one of my all-time favorite card designs.
Click here for contest details, but be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back to this post so that you can leave a comment about THIS card design, especially if you are commenting in order to help your friends win the prize!
Cheers! And thanks for visiting the blog!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:55 am
DESIGN 6: FRONT
DESIGN 6: INSIDE
Message: “Peace. Hope. Happiness. Health,” signed in the empty space on the right side.
DESIGN 6: BACK
Specs: Horizontal wide format 5×7 card on archival linen, folded in the middle. The card opens on the short end resulting in a unique wide format card that opens to a full 5×14 spread.Do you know this family? Help them win a prize by leaving a comment about their card design!
What I love about this design — the bright colors and patina texture remind me of the ocean and sand, where we took the pictures. I especially love the inside spread with the natural smiles of the boys as they play on the beach. The “film scratches” were added in Photoshop simply because something about these photos reminds me of an age gone by, and that reminds all of us to save and cherish our childhood memories. And who can resist smiling back at those beautiful eyes and bright smiles on the front of the card? I love it! Love the back, too, with the shot of the boys running off to play.
Click here for contest details, but be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back to this post so that you can leave a comment about THIS card design, especially if you are commenting in order to help your friends win the prize!
Cheers! And thanks for visiting the blog!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:40 am
DESIGN 5: FRONT
DESIGN 5: INSIDE
Message: “Brightest days and warmest nights/may your holidays be filled with joy.”
DESIGN 5: BACK
Specs: Horizontal 5×7 card on archival linen with the inside design spanning the inside spread vertically, folded in the middle.Do you know this family? Help them win a prize by leaving a comment about their card design!
What I love about this design — I had SO much fun working with this family! The picture on the back of the card is one of my all-time favorite images, a spontaneous family hug with mom and dad’s faces showing natural, unposed smiles as they gaze into the eyes of their adolescent children. Who wouldn’t want to memorialize a picture like that by putting it on a Christmas card? It’s perfect! Even so, I didn’t want it to compete too heavily with the front of the card, so I gave it a washed texture to make it just a bit more subtle than the front. When I went to this family’s home to deliver prints (including that picture on the back as a 16×20!) their home and yard were decorated to the nines with lights and beautiful ornaments. I wanted to bring that out in the card by giving the front an all-decked-out-for-Christmas theme. I kept the inside simple to balance the decked-out front, again, mimicking the family’s style of a fun exterior with one simple theme: family is everything.
Click here for contest details, but be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back to this post so that you can leave a comment about THIS card design, especially if you are commenting in order to help your friends win the prize!
Cheers! And thanks for visiting the blog!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:55 am
DESIGN 4: FRONT
DESIGN 4: INSIDE
Message: “Wishing you a Christmas touched with wonder. Happy Holidays”
DESIGN 4: BACK
Specs: Vertical 5×7 card on archival linen with the inside design spanning the inside spread, folded in the middle.Do you know this family? Help them win a prize by leaving a comment about their card design!
What I love about this design — the sweet image on the front of the baby in focus and the out-of-focus parents gazing adoringly at him is beautiful, for one thing. I love the three-dimensional effect of the baby popping out of the scene! And I love the inside design, with the large image of the baby with sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks measuring a full 5×7. Extended family members who receive this card could frame that portion if they wish to, so for the price of a card design, this family also got to send out frameable 5×7 images to all the aunts and uncles and grandmas on their list. The overall theme of the card was designed to compliment the family’s wardrobe of soft leather textures and rich brown colors.
Click here for contest details, but be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back to this post so that you can leave a comment about THIS card design, especially if you are commenting in order to help your friends win the prize!
Cheers! And thanks for visiting the blog!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:50 am
DESIGN 3: FRONT
DESIGN 3: FRONT FLAP
Message: “A beautiful Christmas of joy, peace and wonder.”
DESIGN 3: INSIDE SPREAD
Overall size: 15×5. The card was signed underneath the family picture.
DESIGN 3: BACK
Specs: Horizontal 5×5 tri-fold card on archival linen with the inside design spanning the inside spread, folded in thirds.Do you know this family? Help them win a prize by leaving a comment about their card design!
What I love about this design — I designed this card with a clear blue background because I dream of blue skies for this family. The clean lines compliment their minimalist style, and the snowflakes compliment stenciling created by the children’s grandmother in their rooms. I especially love the front design of this card with just a picture of hand-holding. To me, that’s what the holidays are all about, hand-holding being the simplest way to show affection, especially between mother and child when part of the reason for hand-holding is to guide and protect.
Click here for contest details, but be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back to this post so that you can leave a comment about THIS card design, especially if you are commenting in order to help your friends win the prize!
Cheers! And thanks for visiting the blog!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:33 am
DESIGN 2: FRONT
DESIGN 2: INSIDE
Message: “Warmest greetings from our family to yours.”
DESIGN 2: BACK
Specs: Vertical 5×7 card on archival linen with the inside design spanning the inside spread, folded in the middle.Do you know this family? Help them win a prize by leaving a comment about their card design!
What I love about this design — the warmth generated by the careful cropping of the lamp on the front echoes the theme of warmth of the family gathered around the chiminea, the metaphorical warmth of family gatherings as classic as Rockwell. The faux textures and deep red color compliment this client’s exquisite sense of style.
Click here for contest details, but be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back to this post so that you can leave a comment about THIS card design, especially if you are commenting in order to help your friends win the prize!
Cheers! And thanks for visiting the blog!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:45 am
DESIGN 1: FRONT
DESIGN 1: INSIDE
Message: “Wishes of warmth and joy this holiday season.”
DESIGN 1: BACK
Specs: Vertical 5×7 card on archival linen with the inside design spanning the inside spread, folded in the middle.Do you know this family? Help them win a prize by leaving a comment about their card design!
What I love about this design — the rich earth tones compliment the beach theme, conveying an overall sense of warmth. The photo on the back of the boy playing soccer is beautiful as a sepia-toned image, complimenting the classic styling.
Click here for contest details, but be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back to this post so that you can leave a comment about THIS card design, especially if you are commenting in order to help your friends win the prize!
Cheers! And thanks for visiting the blog!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:50 am
Just because I like to start out with an image and I love this new wide angle lens, this is another test shot from my new Nikon D3.
ISO 1600. 1/250s at f/4.5. 14-24 mm lens. Focal length: 14 mm.CONTEST DETAILS
I will begin posting my holiday card designs tomorrow, Jan. 1, 2008.
The three designs that receive the most comments will be entered into a finalist round. The grand prize winner — the family featured on the one card that receives the most unique comments — will receive a $150 credit to be used toward prints or print products from their session or toward a new session in 2008!
AND, the owner of the e-mail address that sends in the most comments relating to card designs will receive a FREE family session in 2008. Comments must be legitimate and unique. I reserve the right to delete any comments that seem repetitive, copied or insincere. One comment per e-mail address per day will be counted. If you comment on one card design, feel free to leave a response comment, but only one of your posts will be counted for each design.
Let the comments begin!
NOTE: In the “name” field, rather than put in your full name, you may put your initials, or just your first name, or a nickname. I will know who you are by your e-mail address.
Don’t leave your comment here though. Be sure to go back to the specific card design that you meant to comment on! (Click “back” on your browser.)
Bookmark the blog and THANKS for visiting!
Happy New Year!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 4:31 pm
As you can probably tell, I had a great time designing holiday cards this year!
If you received a card, I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts! So stay tuned to this space. I’ll be posting the designs one-by-one starting next week.
The three designs that receive the MOST comments will be entered in a blog poll where blog readers can vote for their favorite design.
The family with the design that gets the most comments will win a big prize (yet to be determined, but trust me, when I say “big” I mean BIG, though do keep in mind I’m no Oprah) so, keep your eye on the blog! And if you’re one of my card clients, ASK YOUR FRIENDS to bookmark my blog and leave a comment! Your prize just might end up being THEIR prize too!
That’s a hint.
Oh, and one more thing: I finally ordered my own family’s cards yesterday, so if you usually get a card from us, and haven’t gotten yours yet, it’s on the way! If you’d like to be added to my mailing list, e-mail me your snail mail address and I’d love to send you a card! Happy New Year everyone!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 1:06 pm
This is the best kind of snow. The pretend kind. The kind you don’t have to shovel. The kind that doesn’t make your car slide around.
Isn’t it cool (ha! so to speak) how I can take a picture and add some borders and snowflakes to make it look wintery? This works great for holiday cards! For all my clients who have already ordered cards, you’ll be relieved to know that I’m in the Christmas mood and working on designs as we speak! And don’t worry because once we place the order with the printer, the cards only take a few days to get here. You’ll love them and it will be SO worth the wait! If you haven’t ordered yours yet, probably better move that task to the front burner. Just a hint.
Cheers and happy holidays!
~jules
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 9:37 am
