Jen Russum

I am a snail mail gal. I send Christmas cards that include an old-fashioned family update letter. I send birth announcements, party invitations, and encouragement notes through our faithful postal service. While I'm all for digital shortcuts in most circumstances, there is something about addressing and stamping an envelope I hold dear to my heart. And I know everyone loves receiving fun mail that isn't junk, a bill, or jury duty.

I always get lots of questions about where I get my cards and how I design them, so I thought I would share that info here, since it's officially Christmas card season and all.


First, unless you can design your own cards on Illustrator, Etsy is your friend. I scour Etsy for all my correspondence needs, including birthday invites or Christmas cards. Some recent shops I've used are: Katy Girl Designs, Bean Press, Sweet Hammer Press, Babybaloo, and Shelley's Paper Studio. For Christmas cards, I broadly search for "Christmas photo card" {or something like that}, and then I just click on designs until I find a few options I like. Usually a card will catch my attention and when I click on it, I discover I like many of the cards by that particular designer. When I am throwing a party, I have a theme already so my search will be specific, such as "vintage airplane invitation" or "garden tea party." If you find something you like, but it's not exactly what you need, message the shop owner. They can almost always customize their products to fit your needs. For example, I used a wedding shower invite for Zianne's "Rockin' Robin" first birthday party, and the designer removed one of the two "love birds" from the illustration for me. I order all my cards as digital downloads, so they usually cost between $10-15 and the owner typically gets them back to me with customizations within 1-3 days of placing my order.

The next step is to print my invites. If I am doing a small batch of invites {fewer than 50} for a party, I will just print locally. OfficeMax/OfficeDepot always does a great job for me. Call your nearest store and ask for the printing center email address. You can email your order and attachments to them directly without dealing with the uploading system on the store website. I email them all the time and say, "Hi, I'd love this many... printed this way... and I'd love to pick them up tomorrow morning..." and they always get my order done super quickly and call me if they have any follow-up questions. When I am sending out more than 50 cards {i.e. Christmas or birth announcements}, I use Overnight Prints. They have amazing 5x7 postcards that can be printed single or double sided. Since I like to include a letter with my Christmas cards, I use this postcard format. I upload my Etsy Christmas card file on the front and add my Christmas letter on the back {which I just write on a customized 5x7 page in Microsoft Word and then save as a PDF}. Since I print on both sides, obviously I can't mail these as regular postcards. Overnight Prints offers accompanying envelopes for a $5.00 fee, and all my cards and envelopes arrive together. I love companies like Tiny Prints as well, but most of their designs aren't two sided and wouldn't allow me to upload a letter. so I love the flexibility and quality that Overnight Prints provides. *One quick note: despite the name, Overnight Prints actually has rather slow shipping. You can get things overnight if you pay a hefty fee, but plan on at least one week mailing time otherwise.


Although I LOVE addressing envelopes because it allows me to experiment with my faux "calligraphy," I often don't have time with two kids at home. Now I usually make my own labels in Microsoft Word. There is a template for labels that matches the Avery sheets that have 3 columns and ten rows. I make labels with our return address on them and pick my own design, font, and colors to give them a little flair. I finally copied all our friends' and families' addresses as well, and I use these when I don't have time for hand-lettering. I print these at Office Depot for a couple bucks.

So there you have it. This is how I send mail that is customized and beautiful to celebrate births, birthdays, and holidays. Sure, it's a little more work on my end, but I love how our cards turn out each year, with no company logos or stringent design parameters. I create exactly the card I want, and I hope they bring a smile to those who receive them.

Here are some of the best deals I've found on the web during this crazy shopping weekend...

Leggings for my little girls...

A cardigan for mom...

Classy, high quality jacket for 40% off...

My favorite paper company is having a sale. I want this recipe box...

I seriously need to unravel my photos...

A great tutorial to master your DSLR camera...

And 75% off this shop. What?

Lace top extender...

New leggings...

A new sports bra {or two}...

A military jacket...

This floating arrow necklace...

The coziest robe...

Blanket scarf...

Leopard purse...

Succulents I can't kill...

Some abstract postcards...

And you can never go wrong with one of these...

*Also, if you will be shopping online these next few weeks, I highly recommend using ebates. With one extra click you get cash back on all your purchases. I think I've made about $100 since last Christmas simply buying things I would have bought regardless of the rebate.

Shopping online this holiday season? Use EBATES to get cash back. They literally send you a check in the mail. I've been using it for two years and love it!

A new friend brought this brunch bake to us, and it was delicious!

The blind eyes of abortion...

When grief gets sinful...

I guess I'll visit the Amazon book store next time I go to Seattle...

What is my goal in memory-keeping? Need to figure this out and deal with my photos.

This looks like a great rug shop with high quality and low prices...

A good list of gift ideas for young kids...

These leggings are so great and only $7.99 right now. Totally bought two pairs yesterday.

Social media marketing trends for 2016...

Kind of loving this leopard handbag...

We sang a song at church this weekend called "Set a Fire" by Jesus Culture and one of the lines says, "So set a fire down in my soul, that I can't contain, that I can't control." The words continue to ring in my mind...

Because I want control. I love control. I can sing beautiful lyrics on Sunday morning but if I really think about it, asking God to do anything in my heart, mind, or soul that's beyond my control is not actually my preference. My flesh loves to control EVERYTHING.

I like my house a certain way. I like my coffee a certain way. I want to have a certain number of friends who treat me a certain way. I want my laundry done a certain way. I want my kids to behave a certain way. I want to go on a specific number of date nights and vacations and post a reasonable number of pictures on Instagram. I like to read one book a month for fun, and if the bed doesn't get made right or if a baby wakes up before I've read my Bible, I get mad. I want control of every aspect and detail of my life, and when circumstances sail out of my control, I get angry. I mope, I complain, I harbor bitter thoughts even when I don't say them aloud. But I often say them out loud.

I love control.

But the Christian life is about not being in control. It's about surrendering to the One who is ultimately in control. When I survey my life, I realize my absolute inability to keep everything running smoothly. The coffee may taste good, but the baby wakes up early and I don't get to finish it. The date night ends with an argument. The kids refuse to smile for the camera. And this doesn't even get into the spiritual realm. The cleanliness of my house and the quality of my date nights are insignificant when compared to the utter helplessness of my heart. My attempts at righteousness are futile, and even my most disciplined moments are often tangled up with sin - complaints, bitterness, and pride in my heart.

I am so slow to recognize that I follow a God who is in control. Absolutely in control of everything. He set the stars in place (Psalm 8:3) and he holds the world in his hand (Psalm 95:4). He never sleeps, and he is never caught off guard. Nothing ever happens that is outside his plan. He is stronger than every evil force and no circumstance takes him by surprise. He knows every person on earth by name, and the history of the world is woven together for his glory.

I worship the One who controls the whole universe (Colossians 1:17).

And so I pray that I would genuinely sing, "Set a fire down in my soul, that I can't contain, that I can't control." I've never had control anyway, but I hope to cultivate a spirit that is thankful for the surrender. Thankful for a God who messes up our plans, moves us to new places, puts strangers in our path, and calls us to meet the needs of others, even when it wasn't on our calendar. Set a fire to my false sense of control, Lord. Burn it up and refresh me with the living water of your Spirit.

There is a Pentecostal spirit on the west coast. You can go to the most traditional church in California {or Washington for that matter}, and you will see people dancing during worship in the front row. If you survey the more reserved worshipers in the back aisles, you still might catch some hands raised or hips swaying in time to the music.

I first noticed this difference when I moved from Seattle to Texas for college. In the Bible belt, I learned so much about theology and learned how to deeply study God's Word. I grew spiritually at my church in Texas, but worship looked different. A bit more serious. Few hands raised. No one dancing.

I am a girl who loves God's Word. My giant study Bible is one of my most precious possessions. I believe Scripture should be studied deeply, memorized, meditated upon, and applied to every circumstance of life. My theology is reformed, and I believe the Bible clearly shows that salvation is ordained by God for his elect, by grace alone through faith alone.

But I am also a girl who loves to dance. I love the feeling of dancing before the Lord, lifting my hands to worship our maker. I love the idea of praising God in creative ways - through song, poetry, essays, photography, painting, and the list goes on.

I went to a meeting recently at a school with a Pentecostal heritage. A faculty member there explained to me: "A Calvinist church in the area will be more focused on theology, but we are more focused on living life empowered by the Spirit."

Does this have to be an either/or issue? I don't think so. I believe we can live in a way that is deeply informed by God's Word, with minds that seek to know the doctrines of the Bible and hearts that are in tune with the Spirit's presence and promptings.

Let's not be "Bible people" or "Spirit people." Let's be people that write in the margins in our Study Bibles and sway our hips during worship.

Intrigued by these photo books...

A great list of healthy snack ideas...

Living as pilgrim parents...

How busy women can serve in ministry...

I am in the market for a new area rug. Here are a few I like so far: Aztec // Arden // Geo // Classic

And while we're at it... a really cute bath mat.

The scientific reason I'm a sleep training maniac...

Cute headbands with an awesome cause...

Good thing I live in California now...

In college, I lived with a girl named Kate. Together, we lived in our first off-campus apartment and then in two different houses after that. Kate was an excellent mover. Whenever we were moving to a new place, she would wake up bright and early on moving day, finish packing up a few little boxes, and by the evening she would have everything settled at our new house. Boxes unpacked, sheets clean, pictures hanging on the new wall just so.

I, on the other hand, would be drowning in boxes for a month. I would get stuff hung on the walls six months later or possibly not at all if another move seemed imminent. Because here is truth... I suck at moving.



I don't understand the Kates of the world. The ones who make moving look so easy, even a little fun. The opportunity to move everything I own from one residence to another one? Let's do it! It will be a cinch. A few of the ladies I follow on Instagram have moved recently. They are Kates. I have photographic proof that they left their old house on a Friday, and by Monday morning they were all set up in their new house with pictures on the wall and their home-schooled children working blissfully at the dining room table while homemade chicken stock simmered on the stove.

HOW IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE?!

I have been working on my house all weekend long and as I sit here, I can see my dining room table littered with THINGS, a mirror leaning against a wall, and a straggler box sitting in front of our fireplace. And that's just the living area. The upstairs is even worse. And I can't even consider what our garage looks like or I might have a panic attack.

Granted, there were a million reasons this move was extra hard on us. We've never moved since having kids. A move out of state is ten times harder than a move across town. Micah had very limited time off from work since he took time off when Talitha was born this summer. I am in a crucial part of my grad school career {you know, the part where I apply for REAL jobs}, and I don't really have time to be dealing with moving boxes. The list goes on and on. But when it comes down to it, the Russums are simply not good at moving. Stuff doesn't get packed right. Or it doesn't really get packed at all. Our things get broken. If you know me at all, this might surprise you because I am an insanely organized person. The problem is that I thrive on structure and when my structure gets disassembled and put into a moving truck, I get really overwhelmed. The chaos of moving is crippling to me and I become an avoider of piles and boxes, which makes the process even worse.

The way I see it, there are only two options:

A) Become a full-fledged minimalist and get rid of everything we own. This is very tempting right now.

B) Become rich enough to hire a moving company from start to finish on our next move. I will just have to keep avoiding these lingering boxes to work on job applications...

To all the Kates of the world, I applaud you. I respect you. I envy you. Teach me your ways or, better yet, come whip my house into shape.

I have made so many friends through social media. A few of my closest friends in Arizona were girls I met through blogging. Our first play date here in California was with a girl I originally met on Instagram.  I feel like moving to a new area is much easier these days when you can establish new friendships over Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.


But since moving to California, I've also made a new friend the old-fashioned way... at the public library. It was one of the moments where God gently reminds me that He is leading us in the midst of the chaos, in the midst of the moving boxes and air mattresses and mini-fridges and ants in the kitchen {this is our life, you guys}. We had been living in our empty house for a few days, and I decided to take the girls to explore the local library around the corner. When we arrived, a fellow mom with a baby in a stroller noticed I was new and said, "Oh, you must be here for story time. I'll show you where it is." We just happened to arrive five minutes before toddler story time and suddenly Z was singing, playing, and popping bubbles with all the neighborhood kids. After story time, I walked up to the circulation desk to open an account and started chatting with another mom  there.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone new where you can just feel the Holy Spirit is very present and powerful in their life? This was how I felt talking to this woman. I just gazed into her eyes as she talked to me about Jesus, her seven kids, homeschooling, her church, and an array of other topics. By the end of the 40 minute conversation, I was ready to ask her to be my mentor, but instead I just said "Can I get your phone number? You're my first friend here." {The humble truth.} A few hours later, Angie texted to invite us over to dinner that night. A true picture of godly hospitality. I seriously want to be just like her someday. Since then, we've visited their church, met up at the library again, and I'm now officially storing my breast milk in her freezer since we still don't have one at the Russum abode. If that isn't true friendship, I don't know what is.

In a world of tweets and Instagram likes, I'm pretty thankful to have met someone the old-fashioned way, by striking up a conversation. I'm thankful for toddler story time and for dinner invitations and for a God who sends me to the library at just the right time to meet other moms from the neighborhood. No detail is too small for a God that loves us so greatly.