GeekSugar

Didn't Quite Get the Holiday Cards Ordered? There's Always New Year's Cards!

Rebecca M Gruber — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:24:05 PST

The rabbit doesn't always win the race! Sure your mantel may be filled with beautiful cards picturing smiling children wishing you a happy holiday, but just because you didn't get around to ordering your family's cards before Christmas, doesn't mean you've lost the race! A new tradition - sending New Year's cards - is gaining momentum and procrastinating mamas are loving it!

I spoke with Meg Bohnert, Shutterfly’s card stylist, and learned that the sending of New Year's cards is growing in popularity. She said, "New Year's is a time to start fresh and wish family and friends well - it's an optimistic time for many, and they want to express that in their holiday card and greeting." As far as when to send them out so recipients don't think Mom was just late in stamping her holiday cards, Meg said, "If you want to send out a New Year's card and make it look intentional, you should have the greeting 'Happy New Year' in your message to friends and family and send it after Christmas."

Take a look at some of the New Year's cards catching my eye right now, and don't worry; I won't think you're late if you start sending them out now!

How Do You Spread the Word About Your Little One’s B-Day Party? Tell Us to Win a Digital Camera!

Sponsor — Tue, 10 May 2011 03:00:00 PDT

Your little one’s birthday party is a very exciting day; something she’ll look forward to for weeks! But a party isn’t a
party unless all your loved ones are there to celebrate.
Shutterfly wants to know how you typically spread the word about a soiree. To automatically be entered to win a Sony digital camera, log in now and answer the question below.

For an array of endearing birthday invites, be sure to check out Shutterfly’s assortment
here!

Official Rules

What Kind of Party Planner Are You? Tell Us and Enter to Win a Digital Camera!

Sponsor — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:00:00 PDT

When it comes to planning a kid’s birthday party, the more colorful and festive the invitation, the better. Shutterfly understands how important it is to make birthdays the most special day of the year, which is why it created customizable invitations that are perfect for whatever your little one fancies . . . this year!

Shutterfly wants to learn more about how you plan parties. Answer the poll question below, and you’ll automatically be entered to win a Sony Cyber Shot digital camera to capture all the kiddy fun!

Log in, and tell us how you plan your children’s birthday parties. Whatever type of planner you are, be sure to check out Shutterfly’s adorable assortment of invites here!

Official Rules

Geek Tip: Print Retro-Style Photo Strips on the Cheap

GeekSugar — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:47:35 PST

I have a big collection of photo booth photo strips in a shoebox from when I was younger. There's just something about the photo booth experience that really captures a moment! If you want to get that same retro flavor but don't have access to a photo booth, then check out Shutterfly's new little sister, Wink. Wink lets you print photo booth style strips in a few simple steps, and all it costs is $2.50 per strip (including shipping and tax). Just upload four photos to Wink (or use their iPhone App) from Flickr, Facebook, or your hard drive, put in your shipping and payment info, and get a sweet and glossy photo strip in just a few days.

Additionally, if you wanted to send a few to your friends as a gift, but don't have their address, you can input their email instead and Wink will send them a preview of the photo strip while getting a confirmation of their address. No spamming, they promise.

Put Your Self Portrait in a Star Wars Puzzle

GeekSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:34:39 PDT

Not only does Shutterfly make it easy to create fun photo books and transform your photos into canvas art pieces, but they have just announced a new lineup of puzzles entitled: Star Wars and Me, Darth Vader and Me and The Clone wars and Me. All you have to do is upload a photo of your child, boyfriend, friend, mom, husband, etc., and Shutterfly will superimpose the photo onto the Star Wars puzzle of your choice! These 125-piece puzzles are the ultimate gift for any Star Wars fan, and they only cost $35 each. May the force be with you and your puzzle creation!

Shutterfly Comes to the iPhone

GeekSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:05:25 PDT

If you are an avid Shutterfly user, have I got some good news for you! First, unlike other photo-sharing sites like Kodak and Snapfish (which have just announced that they will start charging users for storing their photos through them), Shutterfly's CEO has assured customers that you still get free, secure storage through Shutterfly - so no need to stress about that.

Secondly, Shutterfly has just announced a new iPhone app, which allows you to access all of your photos on your iPhone, easily add iPhone pictures to your Shutterfly account and post pictures to a free Shutterfly Share website.

Geek Tip: Turn Your Digital Photos Into Wall Art

GeekSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:00:30 PDT

So you can change your photos to look like mini models, or fool people into thinking you took your pics on a plastic Lomo camera, but what if you love the turnout so much, you want to make it into a work of art? "No problemo," says Shutterfly!

Shutterfly offers some pretty easy ways for your photos to get the attention they deserve. One of the ways is turning your digital pics into canvas art. Just upload your chosen photo to Shutterfly, chose your size, and in a few days, your stretched canvas artwork will arrive at your doorstep. It's not the cheapest service they offer - with prices ranging from $90-150 - but this would make an awesome gift for someone special, or to just give yourself a reward for all that hard work in Photoshop!

Three Ways to Share Pictures of Your Kids

LilSugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:10:19 PST

When we have children we develop the need to share pictures of them with everyone. And we can't help it. They are adorable and deserve to be treasured by our family and friends.

However, in this digital age where we don't need to worry about film costs, the urge to send 100 versions of the same playdate pics to everyone in our address books can be overpowering.

For a list of some simple tips for sharing your lil one's brightest moments and still keep your friends,

Digital Photo Frames: If your lil one's grandparents, uncles or aunts aren't exactly technologically advanced consider gifting them a digital photo frame. They range in cost from about $100 to $300 and are usually fueled by simple memory sticks you can load up before hand.
Make a Baby Website or Photo Page: If you are relatively tech savvy yourself, you should create a simple website or blog on a site like TeamSugar where you can upload individual photos, whole albums, videos and share stories. If you missed your baby's birth, start at whatever stage your lil one is in now. This will give friends and family the ability to log on whenever, from wherever and comment.
Upload All Your Pics to One Photo Community: If you're not ready to create your own site I suggest using photo sites like Flickr, Kodak, Picasa, Shutterfly or Smugmug. The services are free (or offer pro accounts for less than $50 a year) and you can upload your images in a flash. In fact, the services usually offer simple uploading tools that will let you get hundreds of photos online in a matter of minutes. You can then tag them, give them captions and best of all, send the link to your page to everyone you know and demand they add it to their bookmarks. If you're worried about privacy you can create a special "guest list."

Send a Quick Greeting With One of These 19 Ecard Sites and Card Apps

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:47:13 PST

Handwritten cards are always appreciated, but if you've forgotten to pick up a batch for the holidays, sending an ecard today might be your last hope for sending well wishes this season. Let your friends and family know you're thinking about them by shooting off a few ecards today (or whenever you get the urge to say hello).

GroupCard - Want to personalize a thank-you card from your whole family? This site features an electronic pass-around that's accomplished by just emailing the card to the people who need to sign it. Easy as pie.
MushyGushy - Upload photos and cut and place your heads onto awesome video animations! It's like Elf Yourself without the hats.
Postcard.FM - Lets you put together any picture and any song (just upload each file), slap in a message and an email address, and your recipients get a custom card!
Someecards - It's hard not to get addicted to this hilarious site with wacky, cheeky ecards. The site is known for juxtaposing vintage-y images with witty and racy messages. Not your grandma's ecard site.

For the rest of my ecard suggestions (there are lots!), after the break.

How To Plan a Wedding Shower With Online Tools

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 06:57:00 PDT

Planning parties has become infinitely easier with the advent of the Internet, and if you're already familiar with the tools at your disposal, then planning your wedding shower or engagement party will be that much simpler.

Whether you're the one getting married or a friend of the bride and groom throwing the event, trust me - online planning is where it's at. Check out some of these online tools that will help you design an awesome fête.

Online party planning site PunchBowl can help you plan your party, with ideas and advice for every step of the way.
Since the wedding shower is not quite the big, formal event a wedding is, email invitations are perfectly acceptable (not to mention eco and ultra-convenient). One of my favorites, of course, is eVite. They have a few pages of wedding-themed invitations that would be great for a shower, and you can always design your own.

See the rest of my tips after the break.