Author: Henry L.

April Monthly Finalists

We’re pleased to announce that 3 Monthly Finalists were chosen for April! Each monthly finalist will receive a $75 Amazon gift card. Be sure to tell us what you think of the monthly winning designs by leaving a comment below; we’d love to hear from you! **And don’t forget, even if you weren’t chosen as a Monthly Finalist you may still be in the running for the $10,000 scholarship.

If you haven’t submitted a design yet for our $10,000 Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest, why wait? You might just be one of the next monthly prize winners.

Make it easy for your friends and family to view the Monthly Finalists by posting the following link to your personal or school website: https://www.gallerycollection.com/greeting-cards-monthly-finalists4.htm

Or, pass on the code below to your school webmaster or someone you know with a website or blog:

Congratulations to…

Britney Broussard of Jacksonville, Florida,
a freshman at The University of North Florida		 Britney Brouusard's greeting card design.
Jena Murphy of Paducah, Kentucky,
a senior at Christian Fellowship School		 Jena Murphy's greeting card design
Lauren Fabin of Berryville, Virginia,
a junior at John Handley High School		 Lauren Fabin's greeting card design

Personalized Birthday Cards and the Big 6-0

On April 4th of last year, I wrote about how great it was to have received personalized birthday cards and company birthday cards from my employers for celebrating my 59th birthday and that, because of how great the feeling was, that was the reason why I was looking forward to the big 6-0 this year. Well, the big 6-0 has passed and what a great day it was!

I actually threw a party for myself at a restaurant and invited relatives and friends – 30 people in all. There was plenty of food, my favorite music, speeches – you know, a real neat celebration. When I got home, I proceeded to read all the birthday cards and open all the presents. Everyone was extremely generous with their gifts and sentiments that were written on the inside of the birthday cards. Once the guests that had accompanied us back to my home had gone for the night, I sat and reflected that the big 6-0 had been the best birthday I had ever had. There were a couple of tears as well as I thought about how great a day it had been.

Since this year’s big day was so special, going back to receiving those nice personalized birthday cards and one from my bosses next year is just fine with me.

Design #808AY – Birthday Star Celebration

Birthday Star Celebration, design #808AY, is the ideal business birthday cards design to send for a dramatic effect. It appears on a striking, matte-finish black stock. The gold foil star is outlined in additional gold foil and surrounded by more gold foil swirls and an elegant “Happy Birthday” sentiment. The main gold star reflects the background light so that you see an array of colors when viewing the design.

This gold and black, elegantly impressive birthday card will serve to impress your recipients, whether they’re customers, vendors, or employees. Select one of our birthday greetings and add your company name in exceptional gold foil print to extend your birthday wishes to those on your mailing list. Send business birthday cards to associates and let them know how much you value their business. Or show your employees that they are an important part of your business and you value their dedication and hard work. Birthday Star Celebration can be used for both the men and women on your list. Either way, they will be impressed by your good taste and thoughtfulness.

Design #808AY - Birthday Star Celebration Greeting Card
Design #808AY - Birthday Star Celebration
Greeting Card

Take Your Child to Work Day 2010

For several years now children have been going to work with their moms, dads, aunts, uncles, etc. on Take Your Child to Work Day to see what goes on in that person’s normal workday. This was the first year that my eight-year-old daughter, Jessica, was old enough by my company’s guidelines to join me for the day. I asked her (in passing really) if she was interested in coming to work with me and after I got up off the floor from being tackled, I concluded that the answer was a resounding, yes!

Jessica and a friend at the Prudent Publishing headquarters on Take Your Child to Work Day 2010
Jessica (pictured left) and a friend at the Prudent Publishing headquarters on Take Your Child to Work Day.

She went through what I call the girl drama process of picking out just the right outfit with just the right accessories and shoes. She asked me many, many questions about how the day would unfold and couldn’t wait for the day to come. She was so enthusiastic that I hoped she wasn’t setting such high expectations in case she would end up being disappointed. Finally the big day arrived (April 22nd) which happened to also coincide with Earth Day this year. I have to admit I was even a bit anxious myself to see how things would progress that day. I warned my husband that we were likely to be home early if she ended up getting bored.

Well, there was no need to worry. Several of my co-workers came up with such creative ways to get the children involved in learning about our company, which primarily sells business greeting cards. Jessica had a full day that started with typesetting and designing her name tag, then meeting with our company president to discuss her future career plans, after which she entered her own order on our website (which she found very easy to use) and designed and photographed her own birthday card design for the mini-catalog that our graphics team produced for the children. After a fun pizza lunch, we headed over to eat some dirt, er, I mean dessert; a fellow employee made an edible flower pot with crushed up Oreo cookies made to look like dirt, complete with gummy worms. Yum!

Everyone gathered like flies when the dirt dessert was put out.
Everyone gathered like flies when the dirt dessert was put out. Thankfully, they weren’t really eating dirt; it was crushed up Oreos!

The afternoon consisted of listening to one of our customer service specialists take a phone order for thank you cards, testing her typing speed to see if she typed fast enough to take orders, and various projects that were assigned for her to complete. She was sad that the day was coming to an end but happy to receive her paycheck and company newsletter before heading home. She couldn’t wait to get home and tell her family and friends all about her experience. Does she want to return next year? Well, let’s just say the outfit is already being planned!

Thank You Cards for Niceties

Personal thank you cards are generally sent to acknowledge gifts received for a birthday, an anniversary, a graduation or some other special event. Or a card of thanks can perhaps be written to a person who did a special favor such as helping someone move or being supportive during a time of great need. Thank you cards are not normally sent for what should be every day niceties, but last week I encountered a situation that drove me crazy. Its result was so positive I decided to acknowledge a good deed done by a person who was really just doing what she was supposed to do. Let me explain…

I needed to buy these particular shelf units for my basement to house my vast collection of compact discs, so after work I headed for that famous Swedish discount furniture store that, if I wasn’t careful, would have me heading in the wrong direction as soon as I left the parking lot and entered the store. Now, I work in customer service, so I am perhaps a bit more sensitive than most when it comes to customer service issues such as getting help to easily finding my way around a store or getting any questions I have answered satisfactorily. Having been to this store before, my antennae were up.

The place’s setup forces a customer to walk around and around and around in search of the particular item they are looking for (making sure, of course, that one passes each and every area on the way to wherever it is they’re going). For me, not finding the shelves after looking in what I thought were the two departments they had to be displayed in, I looked around for an associate to whom I could ask for directions. Of course, there was no one to be found…anywhere!

So, making a fateful decision, I decided to head back to the checkout area where I knew there were employees. Sure enough, I noticed two groups of three having a grand old time watching long lines of people trying to pay for their items. Breaking up the one coffee klatch, the person I spoke to – pointing back from whence I came – told me to go back to the lighting department on the same floor I was on, make a left, and the shelves would be on my right. I dutifully followed her directions explicitly.

CD shelves? Nope.

So, after another lengthy search, I found another rocket scientist with a badge who also showed his pointing skills and told me to find the elevator (a harrowing thought), go to the second floor, walk through the home furnishings department, chuck a right, and the shelves would be in a bin. I followed his instructions to a tee.

Nope, again!

So then I decided to just roam around until I bumped into someone who looked like maybe they worked in the store. After what seemed like the equivalent of traversing five par fives, I came upon a young lady who offered to actually ESCORT me to where I needed to go. We hiked back to a completely different department where, voila, there they were…those nasty things I came to the store to buy!

Now, I won’t go into detail about what I had to go through to give them my money. But, needless to say, when I arrived home, I immediately got out a thank you card, and with the swift stroke of a pen, I wrote a greeting of thanks to Alice (yes, she was wearing her name tag).

I mailed the card out yesterday.

C’mon People Now, Buy Environmentally Friendly Greeting Cards

C’mon people now, smile on your brother. Ev’rybody get together, try and love Mother Earth right now. Help commemorate Earth Day by buying environmentally friendly greeting cards. You can easily find eco friendly personalized birthday cards, holiday cards, thank you cards, sympathy cards and appropriately enough, eco friendly Thanksgiving cards. We need to be socially and environmentally responsible to our precious earth so that our children and their children and their children will be able to enjoy this magnificent planet for years to come.

We are stewards of this earth. We are only here for a short time. We need to care for our environment and protect our natural resources. Buying eco friendly greeting cards is a great start. The manufacturers of environmentally friendly greeting cards will usually advertise on each card the fact that they are eco friendly so everyone who gets a card from you will know that you too care for the environment. This makes a lasting impression. It may also inspire others to become more environmentally responsible as well. You can make the mountains ring or make the angels cry. It’s your call. But remember…Some will come and some will go. We shall surely pass, so when the one that left us here returns for us at last – how will you explain the footprints you left behind?

Employee Birthday Cards Help to Acknowledge your Special Day

Although I don’t look forward to getting older each time my birthday rolls around, I must confess that I look forward to getting birthday cards. I especially like to read what my fellow employees have to say. In my department, many of us are in the same age group (29 and holding if we are all to be believed). Because of this, many of the entries are about age. My fellow office mates try to be “gentle” as they know that when their birthdays roll around, they may be reading some of the same comments. This is all done in good fun, of course, as we don’t want to offend. For a few moments I get to have a good chuckle as I read the little pearls of wisdom that my co-workers have entered.

By sending out employee birthday cards you are sure to brighten the day of your recipients! When I come into work and find a stack of birthday cards on my desk, I know my whole day becomes brighter. I always know that they will be there, because they have been there for the last seven years. I almost forget that with these birthday cards, I am now another year older. I’ve decided that although I can’t do anything about that, I can certainly appreciate that my co-workers have taken the time to acknowledge my day. Oh yeah, and I’m not going there alone!

Design #590AR - Rainbow Ribbons Birthday Card
Design #590AR - Rainbow Ribbons Birthday Card

Design #590AR, Rainbow Ribbons Birthday Card, has curly colorful ribbons on the front. The beautiful pastel colors stand out and make it a perfect choice to convey your message. Because the wording on the front says “Best Wishes,” this card is not limited to a birthday greeting, but can be used for anniversaries or other occasions where you want to send best wishes.

Design #667AT - Birthday Reflections Greeting Card
Design #667AT - Birthday Reflections Greeting Card

Design #667AT, Birthday Reflections Greeting Card, is a buff colored card with a royal blue gift box icon, a cake with candles, and balloons that make the card pop with all things birthday. “Happy Birthday” in the same blue is done in script, just below. This card holds the promise of all the good things that come with birthday greetings.

No matter which card you choose, and whether or not it is being sent to a fellow employee or to a business associate, the recipient will be pleased to know that you took the time to acknowledge their special day.

Customized Crafts using Personalized Birthday Cards

What do you do with your personalized birthday cards after you open them? Okay, you might display them for a while, but when you get tired of looking at them, or tired of picking them up when the cat knocks them over (I assume this must happen, although I’ve never actually witnessed it), you probably dispose of them. If you’re environmentally conscious, you recycle them, and if you’re not, you throw them in the trash. If you’re the sentimental type, you might store them in a box that you only open on those rare occasions when you change your place of residence, or on the even rarer occasions when you clean out your attic. Now, I admit that I immediately recycle the ones with glitter (environmentally conscious, don’t like glitter), however the non-glittery ones face a more interesting fate. I take these used birthday cards and give them another chance to make someone smile, by using them to make customized craft items.

Today I am going to tell you how to make gift boxes. Gift boxes are simple to make, and can be used for small items like jewelry, or those gift cards that are so popular these days. And since gift cards aren’t the most creative gift you can give, at least the box can be creative, right? My favorite design for gift boxes is something called a pillow box. For this project you will need birthday cards, glue, scissors, a pencil, a ruler, a butter knife or other object that you can use to score (crease) the paper to make it easier to fold, and a circular object like a plate to trace the curved ends of the box.

Step 1: Fold the birthday card along its normal crease.

Step 1

Step 2: Flip the card over so you are looking at the back of the card.

Step 3: Measure and draw a straight line along the lower (open) edge of the back of the card, approximately 1 inch from the lower edge. The 1 inch measurement here is really just a suggestion. This portion is going to be cut away from the front of the birthday card, so you may want to adjust this to control the portion of the front of the card that will appear on the completed box.

Step 3

Step 4: Holding the ruler along this line, score it using the back (non-serrated) edge of the knife. You do not want to cut the paper; you only want to make a crease.

Step 5: Fold the card, along this new crease, away from you, and toward the front of the card.

Step 5

Step 6: With the birthday card in this position, you will see a small portion of the inside edge of the front of the card. Trace a line onto the inside of the front of the card, along the folded edge you just created. Cut this edge off the front of the card.

Step 6

Step 7: Turn card over and apply a small amount of glue to the inside edge (the side facing the inside of the front of the card, outlined in red below) of the flap you created in Step 5 and spread it evenly across the entire flap.

Step 7

Step 8: Press this glued edge onto the inside of the front of the card and apply pressure. You may want to place a heavy object like a book on the card to help glue the edges firmly together.

Step 9: While you’re waiting for the glue to dry, you can perform steps 1-6 on your next couple of cards – you didn’t think we were only making one of these, did you? When the glue has dried, place the round object (plate or bowl) on the folded and glued card, so that the curved edge of the object touches the left side of the card. Trace the curve with the pencil. Repeat for the right side.

Step 9

Step 10: Cut along these lines so the birthday card is now curved on the sides, and straight on the top and bottom.

Step 10

Remember to recycle the scraps.

Step 11: Place the round object back on the card and score the curve (using the back of the knife) in the opposite direction from the curved edge to form a shape that looks like parentheses ( ). You will need to do this on both the left and right sides, on both the front and back of the card.

Step 11

Step 12: Here’s the fun part. Turn the card so that the back edge is facing you. Press the curved shape – the one that looks like parentheses ( ) – on the left side toward the front. Repeat on the right side. Flip the card over and do the same thing on the front of the card on both sides. The box should “puff” and the curved folds should hold it in place.

Step 12

You can adjust the height of the box by removing more or less than one inch from the bottom of the card. You can also adjust the portion of the card that is visible by using a fold other than the natural fold of the card. Since these are so easy to make, feel free to experiment and remember to properly recycle the scraps!

Employee Birthday Cards with Sentiments of Fun

I work for a company that sells employee birthday cards, so it is only appropriate that its workers would get a birthday card from those who employ them. The cards we receive are very familiar to us since they come from our own line of birthday greeting cards. It is what is written inside that makes these cards unique. In our situation, four key people in the company sign the birthday cards every year: the owner, the president, the department manager and one’s direct supervisor. In the beginning, the comments were nice, but basically, generic. Expressions such as “Have a great day,” “All the best,” or just “Happy Birthday” are common on most of these employee birthday cards. During the course of my 13 years of employment here, the once generic sentiments have changed somewhat in recent years.

Perhaps I have been working here too long, but the words I now receive seem to be a lot more personal and not always so “nice.” Some examples include: “You are looking fabulous at 60!” (I was only in my 40s); “Eat some cake, you are making the rest of us look bad” (after having lost a few pounds); “Enjoy, but no gloating over the Yankee defeats” (after my favorite Red Sox team won their second World Series). Am I upset by these comments? Not at all, because not only do I have thick skin, I like to dish it out as well. The people I work with have become my family over the years, sharing all my ups and downs. It makes me feel good knowing that they feel comfortable giving me the business. But keep in mind, when their birthdays roll around, I also can send out birthday cards to my fellow employees. So watch out!

True Blue Corporate Thank You Cards Inspire Trust

Corporate thank you cards fill a big vacuum in our modern society and they can fill it with a good impression of your service. It used to be that every time you completed a transaction, at a retail store or with an in-house service-person or even over the phone, the cashier or service person would say, “Thank you,” and probably smile at you. If you were dealing with a really well-run business, those thanks were offered with genuine sincerity.

Nowadays, it seems to me the “service person” is too busy chatting on a headphone set or with fellow employees or “hanging-out with friends” to even look at you, let alone speak to you. Even if they are all alone, it’s often as though you’ve ceased to exist once they’ve taken your payment.

I’ve started saying “Thank you” to them as I put away my change or credit card or receipt. You’d think they’d take the hint, but sadly, the best reaction you can usually expect is if they say, “You’re welcome,” or “That’s okay,” while turning away, as if they had done you a favor.

If you are planning to order business thank you cards right now, or if you already use them as Standard Operating Procedure, you are among the best and the brightest, determined to succeed and grow and persevere. The particular card you choose to send conveys more than your thanks; it tells the receiver a lot about how good you really are.

Design #325AY, Royal Thank You Card, shows you as a true “stand up” kind of business associate, a reliable and clear-thinking person with a great deal of integrity. The embossed blocks of dark blue and lighter blue create a firm backing for the gold foil scripted “Thank You,” set within a fine gold frame. The sturdy ecru matte-finish card stock shows a clean, wide margin around this design, giving substance to your thanks.

Design #325AY - Royal Thank You Card
Design #325AY - Royal Thank You Card

Design #043AT, Corporate Thank You Card, displays modern flexibility on a sound and practical foundation. Presented on subtly textured ecru paper, a perfectly balanced equal-sided nine-part diamond is embossed as the center background, with a level and central embossed line all the way to the side edges. The rainbow foils of the elegantly scripted “Thank You” glow forth in shades of blue, teal, and silver. The “recycled paper” symbol on the back of this card adds a footnote on your sense of responsibility to others.

Design #043AT - Corporate Thank You Card
Design #043AT - Corporate Thank You Card

Either one of these “true blue” corporate thank you cards will represent you with the kind of honor that invites repeated trust in you and in your organizational abilities.