Every holiday season we roll out a new animated holiday e-card created by Microsoft MVP Sandra Johnson. This card is just one example of how she uses PowerPoint and her design skills to dazzle others.

Sandra Johnson 2011 card

How did she make this card? Sandra used the PowerPoint drawing tools and the Combine Shapes command to create the silhouettes and lines, such as the deer and the snowflakes. She imported the swirls (vector graphics) into PowerPoint, then applied animation effects to the shapes. This card comes with detailed instructions on how to customize it.

Here are the general steps to customize and share this card with your friends:

  1. Take a look at the card by opening it in the PowerPoint Web App
  2. Download it so you can customize it
  3. Add your signature
  4. Save it on Skydrive
  5. Send a link to your friends

Keep reading for more details on how to do this:

  1. Open the card in PowerPoint Web App.
  2. Download it by clicking the Download button in the upper-left corner of PowerPoint Web App.

    Download command
  3. After you’ve downloaded and opened it, make the card yours by replacing the signature with your name.
  4. Save it to your SkyDrive choosing Save & Send on the File tab, click Save to Web, and then click the Sign In button.

    Save and Send

    If you don’t have a SkyDrive account, sign up for one using the Sign up for Windows Live SkyDrive link.

    Sign up for Windows Live SkyDrive

    After you sign up, use the Sign In button on the File tab to save the card on SkyDrive.
  5. Now, send a link to your friends: In your web browser sign in to SkyDrive, right-click the card, and click Share. Enter your friends’ email addresses, uncheck the Recipients can edit box, and click Share.

When your friends click the link in their email, the card plays in their browsers--they don’t need PowerPoint.

Other winter holiday cards created by Sandra include the following:

 Check out her Presentation Wiz website! You can find other great examples of how she uses PowerPoint for businesses, including everything from conveying a company’s brand to recreating an automobile accident for a court case. She also offers free PowerPoint tutorials!