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Leanne Ford’s season’s greeting used to be quick and to the point. “I’d text, ‘Hey, Happy Holidays! Here’s a picture of my kid,’” she says. But lately, the interior designer has been going screen-free in all areas of her life: she started a print magazine called Feel Free, signed up for Analog Sunday’s guide to getting offline, and she’s sending out physical holiday cards. This year’s batch is extra-personal: she designed them in collaboration with Shutterfly—and you can shop them, too.
Ford brought her unique style to her series of cards and premium photo books, combining vintage-inspired typography, hand-drawn details, and artistic touches. “My goal was to make cards that people will hang up instead of throw away,” she says, putting it simply. Her second objective was to make holiday decorating extra-easy, tapping into her altar ego “Lazy Lee.”
“Lazy Lee likes Christmas decorations…but she’s real lazy,” says Ford with a laugh. Ahead, we asked the design pro to share what’s on her shopping list this season.
My Season’s Greetings
I had all these different vibes I wanted to try. The scribbling is my actual handwriting; some are inspired by my love of Polaroids and European movie posters. I like fun, messy, and art-focused.
My Favorite Festive Candle
One is palo santo sticks—I use those year-round. Another is this Frasier fir candle that’s so Christmas tree-ish that if you have a fake tree and you get this candle, you’re going to have the same smell happening. And I love everything by Tatine, they have really yummy wintry candles.
My Picture-Picking Tips
“Perfect” pictures don’t really excite me for these photo books. I like the imperfect, in-between; the moment after everyone’s smiling, the messy kitchen table, the ones where you’re not looking at the camera. The simplest thing is to make all your pictures black and white. It automatically makes it more interesting. My second tip is to play around with cropping. There’s a rule in photography where if a picture’s not that good, just make it bigger.
My Christmas Decorating Take
I get a boatload of greenery, like pre-hung garland, green wreaths, a tree, and then I’m done. It smells delicious. It feels cozy. I’ll put it down the banister. I’ll put it around the door. I’ll put it in obscure places. That is good enough for me.
My Present-Wrapping Trick
I buy a roll of Kraft or white art paper and then I can go wild: I’ll scribble on it or do a cool bow. I still like my monochromatic look. Sometimes I’ll use newsprint as wrapping paper or brown paper packages tied up with string.
The Gifts on My Shopping List
One of my favorite gifts for all ages is the Camp Snap camera. I also just put out boots with Beek that are cozy and comfortable. I’ll be giving them to many people.