This post is sponsored by Yahoo! Mail, which is encouraging families to stay in touch via email – which we think is pretty cool.

I do my best to pop a handwritten note to friends and family, especially on their birthdays or when they’re kind enough to send a gift for my kids, but I’ll be honest, since adding my fourth child, it’s become much more challenging. Let’s just say it can be hard to even get my bills in the mail, let alone a note. (Shhhh, please don’t tell Emily Post. Or my mother.)

Since discovering the joy of designer email templates, I’m actually feeling much less guilty about sending a thank you or a well wish via email. While of course it’s not the same as sending a handwritten note, it’s a terrific second choice, especially if your handwriting is as atrocious as mine. Here are three of my favorite templates that will help turn your plain old emails into gorgeous cards. –Kristen

Red Stamp app

We’ve been long fans of the beautiful cards and stationery at Red Stamp. Recently, they came out with an amazing app that allows you to create customized cards right from your smart phone, then email them to that lucky someone. Even cooler, you can add a photo of your kiddo which beats just mailing the photo right from you phone..

Cartolina

These gorgeous, retro-inspired e-cards are perfect for everything from baby announcements (so smart!) to birthday cards. Or even just a lovely way to turn your “Hey, just wanted to say “hello!” email into something extra special. The artful design really makes them look like paper cards printed on fancy, expensive paper. Only they end up in an inbox, not a shoebox.

Meeblemail

You’ll never send a plain email again once you’ve tried out Meeblemail, which features lovely email stationery designs from the likes of Kara Ross and Trina Turk. Choose from monograms, pretty patterns, or classic designs, and make your personal email correspondence actually personal for the first time.