printable cards – Page 2

Free Valentine’s Crafts and Paper Projects for Kids

Not everything about Valentine’s day has to cost you a fortune. In fact, some of the most enjoyable aspects don’t.

This year, you don’t even have to run to the store to buy craft supplies and paper. You don’t have to stand in store aisles picking out a big box of Valentine’s Day cards for your child’s classmates. Just head to our printable cards or photo cards section. You’ll probably be amazed at the variety and number of colorful free printable Valentine cards we offer. But, wait! That’s not the best part.

Did you know that you could turn this into an easy and fun Valentine’s Day project for your kids to do?

What better way to spend a wet or freezing afternoon or an unexpected school closing than by helping your kids make their own, free Valentine’s Day cards at home?

Older kids can browse and select their cards themselves, They could even upload a picture you approve of to a photo card, print it out and add their own personal touch or note. With younger kids, you can encourage them to select a card or picture they like, or select one and print it out for them and get them to color in or doodle on the blank side to personalize it.
By encouraging your kids to make Valentine’s Day cards –

* You save what you would have otherwise spent on expensive store bought greeting cards

* Kids have the opportunity to express their creativity and talents, thus spending a few minutes away from TV, internet or video games

* Friends, teachers and relatives who receive the cards appreciate them more as your child took the time to personalize each card

* You teach your kids the value of money, time and effort

* You get to spend time with your children and engage in a family Valentine’s Day bonding activity! Just what it’s all about.

And it all takes just a few minutes. Browse, select, personalize and print!

Tip: You don’t have to settle for making just greeting cards with these printable cards. Use them as wall posters, invitations to Valentine’s Day parties or even as wrapping papers for Valentine’s Day gifts. If you come up with cool, new ideas for Valentine’s Day projects, tell us about them!

Sent out your Christmas cards yet?

I don’t know about you. But I never really get tired of printed greeting cards.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I think free ecards are fabulous. Especially when they’re so easy to send.

But, even after I’ve sent free ecards, I still like to print out a bunch of photo cards to give to my friends and family when I see them on holidays. There’s just something about a physical greeting card – the smell of paper, the feeling of holding a special wish in my hands, the magic of the hand written note and the uniqueness of adding my family picture to them – that I haven’t yet outgrown.

Thankfully, you don’t have to choose between ecards and printed photo cards this Christmas. You can give your loved ones both – at no cost.

You know that gotfreecards has a large selection of wonderful, animated, free Christmas ecards. But, you probably didn’t know you could also create your own personalized printable Christmas Photo Cards and Photo Ecards.

For what’s Christmas without a picture greeting card or holiday newsletter from your family, eh?

So, go ahead and print out a personalized Christmas photo card today. Simply upload a great picture to one of our existing 5 X 5 greeting card templates and print it out. You can then add a personal note or invite your friends to your Christmas party in your own handwriting. It doesn’t get any warmer or more personal than that.

Or, if you prefer sending an ecard, but with a personal touch, opt for a free photo ecard. You choose a picture to upload, type in your message, select a frame, title, music and effects for your photo ecard. And we deliver it to your recipient on the date you specify. And that doesn’t get any easier!

Free ecards, photo ecards, personalized printable Christmas cards – whatever you prefer, there are plenty of options. And the best part? You don’t have to settle for one.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

I don’t know about you. But I never really get tired of printed greeting cards.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I think free ecards are fabulous. Especially when they’re so easy to send.

Thankfully, you don’t have to choose between ecards and printed photo cards this Christmas. You can give your loved ones both – at no cost.

For what’s Christmas without a picture greeting card or holiday newsletter from your family, eh?

Free ecards, photo ecards, personalized printable Christmas cards – whatever you prefer, there are plenty of options. And the best part? You don’t have to settle for one.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Thanksgiving over, Christmas is here – What are we working on?

Here is a quick update on what we are up to in the GotFreeCards Christmas HQ:

1. Have you checked out our new Free Christmas Ecards?

2. We have started a whole new line of Printable Christmas Photo Cards you can add your photos and send out Christmas cards right from your home.

3. You can also create Free Printable Christmas Cards on your desktop to snail mail it.

But do not forget we keep adding many new Free Printable Birthday Cards. So enjoy our site and leave us your comments.

Thanksgiving Activity for Kids – Printable Thanksgiving Cards

Thanksgiving is coming right around the corner, and that means it’s almost time for us to reconnect with family members we very rarely get to see. Thanksgiving is also a time for grandparents to get hugs and kisses from grandchildren who live so far away from them. How great would it be if this Thanksgiving you could help your son or daughter with a fun little project…something they could show to Grandma or Grandpa on Thanksgiving Day? Well, here’s how you can do it!

With all the great free animated ecards available at Got-Free-Ecards.com, there are also a ton of “do-it-yourself” card projects, perfect for young children to do (with a little help, of course!). With just a few easy steps, you can help your son or daughter make Grandma and Grandpa fun little printable cards.

First, go to the Free Printable Thanksgiving Cards page. Once you’re there, you’ll see all kinds of different designs to choose from, in thumbnail form. You and your son or daughter just pick your favorite one, and click on it. Oh, if you just roll over the thumbnail images with your mouse, you’ll get to see a larger preview of the image, too.

If you pick one of the coloring cards, all you have to do is click on your design, and when the larger image appears on the next page, click “Print.” Then, you and your child can color in the picture together. With these coloring cards, you can add your own text and photos, too; but they’re also perfect just the way they are, too.

If you don’t want to do a coloring card, though, just pick your favorite design among the others, and click on it to go to the design page. The first thing to notice are the two tabs at the top of the page: “Cover” and “Inside.” Clicking on each tab will show you a preview of the corresponding parts of the card, and you can edit both the cover and inside to your heart’s content. For now, let’s start with the default: the cover.

A default image is displayed. You have a couple choices here. You can leave the image as is, delete the image (by clicking the X at the top left hand side of the image) and upload your own, or add your own photo over top of the existing image, repositioning it as you see fit. If you want to add your own photo in any event, click the button to the right of the image that says, “Add Photo.” You’ll be taken to an explorer window, where you and your child can look through all the pictures on your personal computer. Find the one you want to use, and click “Open.”

After the picture loads, if you decide you really don’t want to use it, click the new X that appears. Otherwise, by clicking and dragging anywhere on the image, you can move it around the screen. You can also, if you position the cursor at any edge of the picture and then click and drag, resize the picture. There’s also a little curved arrow at the top right of the image, too. By clicking and dragging that, you can tilt the picture to different angles. (All of these features, by the way, can be utilized with the default image, as well.) Once you have your image just the way you like it, it’s time to move on to text.

Click the “Add Text” button, to the right of the card, and a text box appears inside the card. After you type your message, you can maneuver it around the screen, in exactly the same way you did with your image. Now, to the right of the card, you’ll see a bunch of font options. Here, you can change the font, the color, style and alignment.

Now that we’re done with the cover, click the “Inside” tab at the top of the card, and design the interior any way you like—exactly the same way you did the outside!

All that’s left to do now is print. If you just want the whole card on a single side of the page, which you can fold yourself later, click “Print 1 sided.” If you want to print your card on the front and back sides of the page, click, “Print Front & Back.”

It’s a relatively easy process, as you can see, and a fun activity you can do with your son and daughter. And don’t forget Grandma and Grandpa—they’ll love the Thanksgiving card you and your child made together!

How do I make Christmas Photo Cards?

It’s become a tradition, in many families, to mail out Christmas cards with family photos attached to everyone on the gift list. I have a niece, for example, who I’ve watched grow up, one year at a time, just through the yearly Christmas cards her parents send out. Now, the tradition of sending photos to your family members along with your Christmas cards has gotten a whole lot easier, and a whole lot cheaper, too.

The first thing you need to do is point your Internet browser to the Got-Free-Ecards Christmas photo cards page. On this page, you’re going to be faced with the first of several decisions: what size card do you want to create? Currently, there are designs available in 5” x 5” and 8” x 4” sizes. And within those sizes, there are several designs to choose from. Just pick the one you like the best, and click on it.

On the next page, you’ll see a larger version of the card you’ve picked at the top of the screen. Below that are options for customizing the font—including alignment, color, size and style—and on the left size of the screen there’s a list of step-by-step instructions for making your card (so even if you forget everything I tell you here, you’ll still be set!).

The first thing you’ll want to do is hover your mouse over the center of the stock photo on the card. A button will appear, which reads, “Upload Photo.” Click it, and you’ll be taken to an explorer window, of the contents of your computer. Go through the contents of your computer, find the photo you want to upload, and click, “Open.” The stock photo on the card should be replaced by your own personal photo.

Hover your mouse over the picture again. Along the top edge of it, you’ll see three more icons: to zoom in or out on the image, or to flip it around in 90 degree increments. And at the bottom of the picture, just below the “Upload Photo” icon, there’s a “Best Fit” icon. Now, if you use either of the “Zoom” icons, you’ll be able to click and drag your photo across the screen. Use this feature if you want to crop it in a specific manner. Also, after using “Zoom,” an icon appears at the bottom of the picture, to the left of the “Best Fit” icon, that will allow you to automatically resize the photo to cover 100% of the screen. And, if after all your own fooling around you’re still not happy with your own results, just click that “Best Fit” icon, and the picture will automatically resize to an optimal fit and position.

Now, if you want, you can leave the stock message—“Merry Christmas”—as it is. Or, just click once, anywhere over the text, and you’ll be able to retype your own message. Now, see the gray box above the text? Click and drag there, to move your message anywhere on the screen. And you can even change angle at which your message appears, by clicking and dragging the green colored curved arrow at the top and right of the text box.

Now it’s time to mess with all those text options at the bottom. You can change the font color, the size, the formatting style (like bolding and underlining), and even the type of font itself.

If you’re satisfied with everything you see, then there’s only one thing left to do: click “Print.”

Not only is this whole process a lot more personalized than sending regular Christmas cards, it’s also less time consuming. And, best of all, (if you ask me, anyway) it’s absolutely free! So this Christmas, why not change up the tradition, and try Christmas photo cards

How to Save on Back-to-School Shopping

Researchers agree that back to school spending is likely to see a dip this year. BIGresearch forecasts that back-to-school spending in 2009 will be 7.7 percent lower than last year’s. The results of a survey by BrandKeys suggest that back-to-school sales will decline 10 percent this year.

If you’re a parent budgeting for your kids’ back to school shopping, you don’t need a survey to tell you this. You’re probably already out there, looking for ways to save on your kids’ school supplies while still getting the biggest bang for your buck.

Here are some steps you can follow to stay on budget and some tips on smart and savvy back to school shopping –

Identify what you really need to buy. Go over the school supplies list and then check off the items that your kids already have, which can be recycled, reused or handed down to a younger sibling. Notebooks with blank pages, sheets of paper, pencils, markers and other stationery, geometry tools, backpacks and several other items fall in this category. You don’t have to cut back on essentials, but if you can reuse or recycle something, you should.
Make a list of shops, bargains and websites with the best deals. Start your research a few weeks ahead, shop around. Every store places certain items on clearance and marks up the prices on other items. With a little looking around, you’ll be able to snag the best deals on school supplies. Stores like Staples, for example, have crayons, pencils, pencil boxes and other items on clearance for pennies. Dollar shops always have some good deals on certain items. Don’t leave out the discount stores either. Or, consider shopping along with a couple of friends at a warehouse store, so you can buy items you all need in bulk and split the cost.
Visit Garage Sales. You may find some great bargains on student desks, chairs, book shelves, stationery, lamps and other items that you may not find elsewhere. If the items are in re-usable condition, there’s no reason to overlook this avenue.
Shop smart online. Visit sites like deals2buy.com and milo.com. Milo is a local shopping search engine that lets you compare prices and brands in local stores in your area. Deals2buy is updated with the best deals, mainly on electronics, computers and gadgets (and which school kid doesn’t need those?!). Most of them are limited-time deals, so if you really think something is a steal, go for it.
Use coupons. Clip or print coupons wherever you find them. Save them in an organized and easily accessible manner and be sure to use them when you shop. Maybe you won’t use all of them, but sometimes, you never know which ones you’ll need.
Take advantage of post back-to-school season deals. The real deals happen a few weeks after school starts. You’ll find incredible bargains on many school supplies. This is the best time to stock up on supplies for the next school year.

With these tips, back to school shopping doesn’t necessarily have to be a budget breaker. With a little extra effort and thought, you could kick the school year off with great savings. You could, of course, start with Free Printable Cards that wish kids a great new school year, without costing you a dime.

Share some of your favorite tips on back to school savings.

Free Cards to Beat Back to School Blues

Nobody’s ever explained it to me.

How does summer pass by so quickly? And why?

It’s always been the case. Even when I was in school, it seemed as if the 10 months of the school year dragged on for ever, but the 2 months we were off – just went by in a flash.

When I was a kid, we lived far away from my grandparents, cousins and my extended family. Since we lived in a different country, we got the chance to visit them only once a year. Those summers were the best! It was like being in a whole other universe with no school, homework or teachers, no reminders of regular school routine. Spending your vacation in a completely different setting can be so refreshing.

Back to School Motivators – New School Supplies

Anyway, it would all pass far sooner than I liked. The only thing that motivated me to head back home and get ready for another school year was the thought that I would be getting new school supplies, crisp new notebooks, shiny new pencils and pens, a brand new bag, maybe, new uniforms and shoes. Those were the little things that made the transition back to school somewhat easier. Of course, back then, I didn’t have to worry about shelling out my hard-earned money for any of those things.

The Back to School Price Tag

Today, it’s a different story. As a parent, I see the back to school routine in a slightly different light. Yes, it means kids go to a new class to learn more than they did the previous year and that parents can breathe a sigh of relief as they wave to their kids getting on the school bus after spending two boisterous months at home. It means the house is quiet again, at least for a few hours everyday and that stay-at-home or work-at-home parents get some time to themselves once again. But all of this comes at a cost, of course. My daughter hasn’t started school yet, but I’ve heard that back to school purchases can cost anywhere between $200 and $400 per child!! Whoa! No wonder then, why I see that some parents are as concerned about schools reopening as their kids.

It’s always a good idea to spend money wisely and save where you can, regardless of the state of the economy. But the current crisis makes prudent spending a necessity.

In the next post, I’ll share some back to school money saving tips that you can use to cut your costs while still getting your kids everything they need.

Meanwhile, check out our free printable Back to School cards. They’re great for cheering up kids who’re not too happy about going back to school. And if you’re trying to find back to school deals, how’s a $0 greeting card for a start?

Don’t forget to share your tips on back to school saving in the comments.

How to Create Your Own Printable Cards

If you have never sent a Printable Card before, we have good news for you. If you have been using the Printable Cards section on gotfreecards to wish your friends and family on special occasions, then we have even better news!

Introducing the new, improved, easier-to-use and better-to-view, personalized Printable Cards with photo.

If you want to send a Printable Card, here’s what you do.

1. From the several Printable Card themes available for the occasion of your choice, click on the one you like best.

2. Cover

Do you see the two tabs Cover and Inside? First, choose the Cover tab. (It is selected by default)

3. Image

· If you’re happy with the image there, leave it as it is. If not, you can rotate it, resize it, re-position it or delete it and replace it with an image from your computer.

· To resize the image – drag its corners. To rotate it – drag the curved, green arrow on the top right corner. To re-position the image, drag it to the position you want. To delete the image, click on the X on the top left.

· To upload a picture from your own computer, click on the Add Photo link on the right. Select the image you wish to upload. When the image is uploaded, it will appear in place of the default image. You can resize, re-position or rotate this image in the same way.

· Once you are happy with the image on the Cover, you could add text.

4. Adding Text

· Click on the Add Text link on the right. It opens up a Text Box.

· Type in your message. You can resize, re-position and rotate the text box just like the image.

· Choose the font, text size, alignment and text style from the options on the right. Add as many text boxes as you want and arrange them any way you like. So, there’s literally no limit to how creative you can get with your Printable Card.

5. Inside

· If you’re happy with the image and text on the Cover, move on to the Inside, by clicking on the Inside tab. If not, go back and make necessary changes.

· Upload an image from your computer, resize or rotate it, add text and customize it just as you did for the cover.

6. Printing Your Card

· You have two options. Choose Print on One Side, if you prefer a smaller sized card that is folded over twice. (The way you would fold a handkerchief) This is a compact printable card.

· If you prefer a larger card that has a single fold across its center, choose Print Front and Back. (This opens up like a magazine or newspaper.)

Birthday Cards

It is been a while since we wrote about our birthday cards. Now that all the major events of the summer like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and 4th of July, is behind us. We want to re-introduce birthday cards to our audience. We have close to 100 free birthday eacrds. They are funny, silly, apt and truly artistic. If you want to add photos to them just click on add phot and voice red button and upload your photo of choice.

We have also introduced a completely new feature all Free Printable Birthday Cards

have you had a chance to review that? It is an excellent resource for for the last minute birthday cards to print at home for the summer birthday parties. We have commissioned some excellent young artists for the artwork we are sure you will enjoy it. So gohead and explore …

Summer Family Time Ideas

Summer sure is funny. One minute you’re thinking, “What a great 4^th of July! Glorious summer days ahead.” and before you know it, it’s time for back-to-school shopping. Nobody really knows how the days in between whiz by so fast.

Between summer camps and family obligations, don’t overlook the many opportunities these months provide to bond with your kids. That’s what summer breaks are for, after all. Your fondest memories of childhood are probably those of summer breaks. Today, kids barely need the company or want the supervision of adults as they fiddle with their gadgets – text-ing, IM-ing, tweeting and downloading. So do you ever wonder how you can put the magic back into summer?

It’s easy. Try doing as many of these as possible. Feel free to add to the list and share your ideas for a great family summer time.

Get out with your kids more. Take a walk. Go swimming, hiking or biking. Take them to the park, museum, library or a picnic spot. Shoot some hoops. Drive around. Stop to admire scenic views. Just do the things that you always put off doing. Plan to spend at least a few minutes with your kids outdoors everyday.
Do crafts or other projects together. It could be as simple as going through your CD collection with your kids, listening to some of your favorite songs and organizing your media cabinet. (See how many birds you kill with that one?) Or, start a summer blog that you and your kids can update, describing the places you visit and things you do, adding photos and videos – a great way for you to get up to speed on the latest web technology. Create a scrap book or photo album. Use our free printable cards section and encourage kids to make personalized cards for grandma, grandpa or other relatives you may be visiting.
Organize ‘No reason’ parties. Why wait until a birthday to get all your friends and family together? Just pick a convenient day and invite everyone for a picnic in the park, a backyard BBQ or a pool party. Remember that sleepover you promised your kids, but have been postponing? You won’t find a better time than now. Or how about a neighborhood camp-out night in your yard? Imagine a dozen kids and grown ups lying on their backs, trying to identify constellations! Somehow, fun multiples when shared. With our Twitter Party Invite, you can send word to everybody within minutes. It doesn’t get any simpler. So go ahead and throw that summer party for absolutely no reason, other than to make memories with your kids.

Whatever you do, just don’t let the summer slip by without doing at least one new thing with your kids.

Share with us – how will you be spending time with your family this summer?