I absolutely LOVE Shutterfly. My first experience with the website was when I made the guest book for my wedding in 2012 (you can see a photo of it here). I was so thrilled with the results that I made a book of our engagement pictures and eventually an album of our wedding day photos.
But, Shutterfly isn't bound just to weddings. I have also made custom mugs, magnets, cards, and good ole fashioned prints. I have never been unsatisfied with a project! They have all exceeded my expectations and brought a smile to the face of my recipient.
The only downfall is that Shutterfly can be a bit pricy. But, alas, I have found a few solutions to that problem too!
1. If you sign up for their email list on their website, Shutterfly will send you occasional deals by email (usually once a month).
2. I follow Shutterfly on Facebook. They show up a few times a week on my news feed, nothing annoying, and occasionally a freebie pops up!
3. I also have an account at My Coke Rewards. It's free to sign up and if you drink CocaCola beverages there is no extra cost. Next time you have a Diet Coke look under the cap; that random looking code is a Shutterfly photo book in the making! In my mind, I already bought to soda and now I'm getting something extra! They have a large selection of prizes but my favorite are int he Personalized and Photo section.
Right now there are 28 options on MyCokeRewards, and the selection changes daily! Don't think it's worth collecting caps? I think of it this way: A 2x3 magnet costs 30 Coke Points. Each cap from a 2 liter is 3 points and the codes on a 12 pack of cans are worth 10 points each. If I have family over for a BBQ and buy 3 12 packs, I just earned a magnet!
Yes, with all these deals you still have to pay shipping but I'm okay with that. For example, I'll use a code to get 12 cards (savings around $13.08 based on design) and pay $4.99 per shipping. It works out to be about $0.42 per card, and that INCLUDES envelopes. You'll never find a Hallmark card for that price, and those don't even have your amazing pictures on them!
I love having personalized photo products in my home and I love giving them as gifts. through my methods, I have been able to do this and stay on a tight budget!
After nearly seven years of courtship (nine days shy to be exact) I married my best friend in December. We planned our wedding from out of state, but with Pinterest we were able to share our ideas with family and friends back home. Our family had joked that this was the "wedding of a century" but it truly went beautifully, without a hitch. Here's a sample of our pinspired wedding.
Hair: I adore the hairstyle in this pin. My sister-in-law always has the most gorgeous hair so she was my hair stylist for the day. I love how it turned out.
Guest Book: We had my husband's aunt take our engagement pictures in Old Town Scottsdale. We took the photos and turned them into a beautiful Shutterfly book (I 100% recommend them by the way). The pin uses lay flat pages (which cost much bucko) but I find the traditional style pages work just as nice for this.
Bouquet: I struggled for a long time deciding how I wanted my bouquet to look. We had already decided on hydrangeas and roses so I went to the grocery store and picked some up to start experimenting.
As you can see my attempt was a FAIL. I decided to give up a little control on my mostly DIY wedding and contacted a professional florist with this pin. We changed a few things but it turned out great.
Centerpieces: Lots of Pinterest going on here; favor boxes (with custom ornaments inside), table, numbers, and floral vases. My husband thought I was crazy to put together 30 of these centerpieces on my own (well, me and 5 of my "volunteers") but the pin was so simple! The table numbers came form this pin and a little Microsoft magic.
Mr. & Mrs. Sign: These signs are all the rage on Pinterest but I especially liked the contrast this pin offered by using scrapbook paper. One of my bridesmaids and I busted out the Cricuit machine and this is what we got.
Thank You: We wanted a way to thank our guests for spending the day with us. Inspired by this pin, we sprinkled signs around the reception to show our appreciation. Amazing what a little MS Publisher magic can do.
All pinning aside, none of this would have been half as beautiful if I wasn't able to marry the man of my dreams that day. Love you babe!
You can view my entire Pinterest wedding board here.
