Gallery Collection Scholarship Contest – Fourth Round Winners

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Congratulations to the winners from the fourth round of voting in the Gallery Collection Scholarship Contest!

10 Designs moved on to the finalist round as a result of them finishing in the top 10 in voting, plus, our scholarship team also used our 1 save available to us on the design submitted by Jennifer Soriano. A beautiful design featuring three cupcakes. Who doesn’t love cupcakes?

Check out the top 10 vote getters and the saved design that are moving onto the finalist round in the gallery below.

What to Bring to an Office Thanksgiving Party

What a cool idea! Having an Office Thanksgiving Party!

I am fortunate in that I work in a very culturally diverse workplace. So, whenever we have any sort of food event at work, it’s an amazing display of something from every corner of the world. But, I have to say, for Thanksgiving, I think I’d want to lean more toward a traditional menu.

Office_Thanksgiving

That being said, it’s probably not going to be easy to roast a 15 pound turkey in our lunchroom. But not to worry, we have a couple of options. We could cook the turkey at home and reheat in the microwaves. In fact, there probably isn’t any thing you can not heat up in a microwave. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, veggies – wow! We could carve the turkey and place on serving platters and then set out all the fixins’ as a buffet. I’m sure lots of people would want to bring in part of this feast to share.

Or, for a “no mess, no fuss” option, I saw an ad from a local deli for “Thanksgiving on a Bun”. We could either order a bunch of those or simply ask for volunteers to make up sandwiches at home with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce and pop the whole thing in the microwave and then place all the sandwiches on platters and people could help themselves.

We can not forget dessert. I’d go with an assortment of pies, already cut up on plates and allow folks to choose their favorites. I’m sure getting volunteers to bring in dessert would be easy – even if it wasn’t homemade!

Of course, there is a challenge – and I can only speak for myself here – but how are we going to accommodate the naps that always follow Thanksgiving dinner!

Greeting Cards Highlight – Merry Christmas Cards

I am not a fan of the over-commercialization of modern day Christmas with its emphasis on shopping and gifts. However my search for Merry Christmas cards to send to family and friends has brought back fond memories of simpler times. I have narrowed my choices to these five designs due to the warm fuzzy feelings they have evoked from years gone by…

Christmas Cookies Holiday Card

Holy Infant Christmas Card reminds me of the true meaning of the holiday- the birth of Jesus Christ. As a 3rd grader in Sunday school, I was chosen to be the narrator in the church Christmas play. Dressed as the Star of Bethlehem, I recited the story of Jesus’ birth from verses memorized from the Bible.

Candlelit Merry Christmas Tree is an enchanting fir tree decorated with glowing candles, glimmering silvery ornaments, pine cones and red berries set against a beautiful star- filled night sky. Its peaceful feeling makes me feel the beauty of this captivating season.

Christmas Cookies Holiday Card  brings back the delicious sugary smells emanating from Mom’s kitchen when she was baking the holiday cookies. She would let me stir the batter, spread the frosting, and add the red and green sprinkles once the cookies were cooled.

Country Bridge Christmas Card recalls many trips to ski country growing up in New England over Christmas school vacations. The snow was pristine, the distant landscape mountainous and the ride through the New Hampshire wooden bridge was bumpy and loud.

Cupcake Christmas Card is the ultimate best present ever! A tree that grows cupcakes surrounded by swirling snowflakes and peppermint candies. What more could my sweet tooth ask for- yum!

9/11 – Thirteen Years On and Still In Our Hearts and Minds

The Gallery Collection remembers the 9/11 terrorist attacks. From the victims of the attacks, to the first responders and every day citizens who rushed in to selflessly help others. From the World Trade Center, to the Pentagon, to Flight 93. Thirteen years later, and they are all still in our hearts and in our minds.

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How to Increase Sales with Christmas Cards

Owning a small business means that I have to make sure that all my choice make sense. Every purchase I make has to be carefully thought out. Is the purchase necessary? Do I need the item? Does the benefit of this purchase outweigh the cost? What about advertising? Do I advertise and if so, how do I get the most bang for my buck? Should I send out holiday cards this year? I really enjoy sending out cards during the holiday season. Ugh!

Gold Star Christmas Card

 

So I got to thinking! I really want to advertise my business and wondered how to increase my sales with Christmas cards. After careful consideration, I determined that I could do both. After all, I display all of the holiday cards I receive. I look forward to hanging them on the wall and am always grateful that someone took the time to add me to their list of recipients. With this in mind, I started an online search. One of the first sites that came up was The Gallery Collection. After checking out all the beautiful Christmas cards that they offered, I settled on a calendar card. It depicts wonderful, seasonal images. To this, I added a heartfelt thank you, as well as my company information. I can’t think of a more cost affective way to advertise my business all year long. Money well spent for sure!

Greeting Cards Highlight – Calendar Cards

This holiday season I am sending calendar cards to all my correspondents. As a small business owner, I think this will be a great advertising tool. With my name business info printed at the bottom of the card my name, address, phone number and web address will be front and center throughout the year. My only problem is which card to choose since I find so many attractive. I have narrowed it down to my five favorites.

Four Seasons Calendar Card

The Leaves and Berries Calendar Card emits a peaceful feeling with all those soft colors of light teal, yellow and grey will make people want to look at this all year. They most likely would hang in a prominent place at their home or office.

On the other hand, the Four Seasons Calendar Card is equally attractive. The highlighting of the trees as they change from winter to spring then on to summer and fall are each set against a background of a vibrant color that also draws your eye.

My third card is the Sunny Day Calendar Card. It is just plain cheerful with its blue and yellow buildings, the sun shining over the entire scene. With the flag flying it almost feels like a Fair. The calendar section has a background of blue which I really like.

Small Town Calendar Card looks like a picture of Americana. You can almost feel yourself walking to Main Street to shop in every season. Colorful rolling hills give off a feeling of peaceful serenity.

My final choice would be the Sweet Seasons Calendar Card. Who doesn’t love a cupcake? These cupcakes have a character all their own. The winter one is decorated as a snowman sparkling with golden snow. Spring is decorated as a flower with April showers. The summer sparkles with red white & blue icing and sparkler candles. Autumn is all dressed up as a pumpkin amidst an avalanche of leaves.

Can you guess which I choose? Going with the sweets to sweeten the year for everyone. Here’s hoping it gets a prominent place close to the snack drawer!

Do You Need to Send Holiday Party Invitations to Employees?

I was on the Holiday party committee last year and it was the first year I was involved. There is an awful lot of work that goes into planning that I never knew or frankly, thought about. It was a good experience for me but being the newbie I had to try twice as hard to get my suggestions approved. Each year an email was sent to the employees giving the details of the party; I thought holiday party invitations would be nicer. I had to come up with a proposal that would be not be dismissed. I did some research to find the invitation I had in mind and the cost. i knew it would be a hard sell, spending money on the invite when an email worked every other year.

Save the Date Holiday Party Invitation

My proposal was centered on thankfulness to the employees that worked so hard all year and a printed invitation would be respectful of that hard work. We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. I pointed out that people like to be treated well every day but especially around the holidays when we take time to count all of things for which we are grateful. An invitation can be a kept as a reminder of a great party, it can be brought home to show the family that the company appreciates dedicated people. It says “We’re better because of you. Thanks for all you do.” Or “It’s great working with you. You are one of the reasons for our success.”

My idea was a unanimous YES! I was actually thanked for bringing new ideas to the group and the employees really did appreciate the gesture.

Greeting Cards Highlight – City Scenes Christmas Cards

I have had the great pleasure of traveling around the country and visiting 42 of the 50 states. At different times of my life, I have been North, South, East and West and points along the way. When I viewed these great City Scenes Christmas cards, I was taken back to some of those fabulously happy trips.

Boston Beacon Hill Christmas Card

Being a fan of history, the quietly elegant Boston Beacon Hill card is one of my favorites. Traveling to Boston brought out the history buff in me. I was able to see where the tea was dumped in the harbor, I know the British thought dumping the tea was an act of vandalism (quite honestly we might think the same thing if it happened today), but to us it was one of the first steps in a revolutionary new concept of freedom. Bunker Hill, Faneuil Hall, the USS Constitution and Beacon Hill were some of the other sights I visited, but my favorite was the beautiful homes (where many famous people through the years have lived) in the Beacon Hill area. Oh and Boston has great New England Clam Chowder. Happy memories, great card, worth seeing for sure!

Seattle Harbor holiday card at twilight with its great scenic view was another favorite place I was privileged to see. The laid back welcoming attitude of the Seattle people leaves you feeling really good about the city. I remember standing in the very spot that is pictured on this beautifully rendered card and thinking I could enjoy watching this peaceful view forever. Now everyone knows Seattle has great coffee, but have you ever had a Hangtown Fry? That is an oyster/bacon omelet and it is worth visiting Seattle just to experience it.

Who couldn’t love the iconic Beverly Hills City Hall Christmas Card with the palm trees swaying in front? I loved the glitz and glam of this area. Who among us doesn’t dream of living with day after day of sunshine in one of those fabulous mansions? It may be a day dream, but I remember having a burger at the famous Brown Derby and enjoyed my day dreaming of the famously glamorous stars of the 40’s & 50’s walking through the door. It is amazing how many different foods are available in Beverly Hills and some of the most famous chefs have restaurants there. Everyone should visit the land of make believe at least once.

The Miami Skyline Christmas Card as viewed through the tree branches in this card bring back the really surprisingly vibrant energy that you feel in Miami. Party City for sure. The nightlife here has to be experienced! South Beach, Downtown or Wynwood/Midtown will provide a vast variety of nightlife and I enjoyed this immensely, of course, I was a little younger when I visited. This was also my first introduction to Cuban food. Great flavors without the really hot flavor in some other Spanish cuisines. Biting into a great Cuban sandwich will also transport me back to one of my favorite spots.

The New York City Skyline with Statue of Liberty Christmas Card is probably one the most beautifully moving pictures to me. Have grown up with this view all my life, I still never tire of it. There is a different feeling in New York than any other city in this country. The feeling of sophistication, the vibrancy of walking on the city streets, the culture that is so diverse and plentiful adds to the attraction of New York. It is considered one of the premier destinations for visitors from around the country and the world. This is where you get the best of the best from every different cuisine in the world. The best pizza, the best Italian, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, French, German, etc. can be found here. But the absolute best treat is to have a hot pretzel from a street vendor, now that is food heaven.

As you can see I am a great foodie, but consider this foods as well as pictures trigger a happy response to all those great memories we have stored over the years. So eat, travel and live life to its fullest.

Paralyzed Veterans of America Central Florida Chapter – Gallery Collection Charitable Donations

The Gallery Collection, as part of our charitable donations program, recently donated 500 birthday cards to the Paralyzed Veterans of America Central Florida Chapter. The PVA sends these birthday cards to the Veterans that they serve throughout the year.

Sophisticated Presents Birthday Card

The Paralyzed Veterans of America Central Florida Chapter and the membership is comprised of those who have sustained a spinal cord injury/dysfunction or disease and those people who support the quest of the membership for cures to their infirmities or seek to help create an atmosphere whereby the injured and suffering can assume a place in society that can be mutually beneficial.

For more information about the Paralyzed Veterans of America Central Florida Chapter, and how you can help, please visit their website at http://www.centralfloridapva.org/