postcard

When I couldn't find a budget-friendly poster or print of my friend's favorite painting for her Christmas gift, I decided to go instead with a postcard of the piece found at a museum store, made wall-worthy with a simple frame. It's an inexpensive solution for fellow last-minute shoppers, but it's also a tip to use year-round in your own abode. Postcards or even past birthday and holiday cards from your own collection can be displayed solo or grouped together strung on a wire, pinned on a framed corkboard, or in affordable frames like Ikea's small Ribba frame ($3) for much less than a large print or original art. And if you want to make a statement with your small postcard, try placing it in an oversize frame. If you're in need of some inspiration, I've pulled together some of my favorite postcards pretty enough to adorn the wall — shop them below!

Last week, I posted a request from Carrothead in the CasaSugar community group Assisted Living. She was looking for a good way to display some pictures of Paris, which were rather small. CasaSugar readers came through for her with some great suggestions, and community member Bunnyhorse linked to a photo of her own display of small artwork.

Isn't it true that sometimes the simplest solution is the best? I love how Bunnyhorse has created a theme wall with the travel postcards and license plates. It seems to be a paean to wanderlust! Be sure to check out Bunnyhorse's cool style with her awesome vintage and handmade Etsy sites, too.

Do you have something similar in your home? Try posting it to the Lovely Little Vignettes group to show it off.

The holidays are a good time to look back and give thanks for the good things that have happened in our lives over the course of the year. Even unfortunate events have their silver linings! Additionally, it's a good time to appreciate the people that mean the most to us — like our troops that are serving abroad.

Although our friends and family who are overseas can't be with us during this time, we can send them our love and well wishes in the form of a postcard. Let's Say Thanks allows you to do just that. Free to send, once you select your postcard (which have all been designed by children) and a prewritten message, a postcard will be sent out to troops around the world. I can't think of a better (or simpler) way to give a little hope and cheer during the holiday season!

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You know I'm a fan of digital postcard services, so I did a little (discreet) dance when I found Postcard Express ($4) for my iPhone.

You can take a picture at whatever fabulously exotic location you're at, and then you add your message and the email address of the recipient. It'll even geo-tag your photo/postcard for you.

The finished product looks so much like a traditional postcard, you won't miss buying the cards and making sure you have postage.

Add this cool photo app to your must-have list! Called Postman, this app allows you to snap a pic of something interesting —say, a cool sculpture you found in the middle of a park — then tag it with your location and send it to someone (or, if it's cool enough, everyone) on your contact list in the form of a postcard.

Not only that, but you can upload your postcard pic to a number of different of social networking sites to share with your online buddies. Postman costs you only $1, but I'm predicting that it will be worth much more than that in fun.