Gallery Collection Blog

Corporate Birthday Cards Always Make Me Feel Special

I have received some of the best birthday cards from several employers. Every year for my birthday I optimize the “It’s all about me on my birthday” factor where ever I go, even work. I walk through lunch rooms, offices, and even restrooms to let all of my coworkers know that my birthday is approaching. I love the fact that more and more companies are taking the time to send corporate birthday cards to their employees. It may seem pointless or like an unnecessary luxury but it will boost confidence and morale for your employees. It makes them feel inspired, appreciated, and important even, all because of a small gesture from the company on their special day.

I once pranced around thanking every single employee that signed my birthday card, not knowing why everyone found it hilarious. Well, I took the time to ask our manager why my thank you tickled everyone so much. He looked at me with regret then took me into the office and started digging through a pretty cardboard box. Very seriously he said, “This does not mean that we don’t appreciate you or your hard work, it’s just very time consuming to keep track of everyone’s birthday.” With a confused look on my face I asked “Is that what I think it is?” He humbly responded “Yes it is. We order bulk birthday cards.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It doesn’t matter if the cards are ordered in bulk or signed in advance. Working in an office where your birthday is remembered and you are appreciated in wonderful!

Thanksgiving Cards: A Tradition in the Making

Thoughts of Thanksgiving conjure warm images of bountiful tables set in cozy homes, harvests of pumpkin and corn and evenings spent bundled against the chilling air. There’s an unmistakable sense of contentment and appreciation and a wish to feel connected, and sending Thanksgiving cards to family and friends is a wonderful way to share that sentiment with the important people in our lives.

But there’s no reason why that feeling of gratitude needs to remain in the home. Valued customers and employees are the heart and soul of a business, and what better time of year than Thanksgiving to show our appreciation?

We spend the year finding different ways to thank our customers for their business, from discounts and top-notch customer service to receipts with ‘Thank You’ printed right on them to clearly communicate the thought. And once a year we have the opportunity to do something a little bit extra and express that gratitude in a more personal way by sending a Thanksgiving card. It’s a unique way to say Thank You at a time when we’re all taking stock of the important things in our lives.

Sending Thanksgiving cards may be a fairly new trend but it’s one that shouldn’t be dismissed too quickly. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season and brings with it the first waves of earnest anticipation, excitement and introspection. To capture that sentiment in a card sent to family, friends, employees and valued associates connects you and your company to all the joy and optimism associated with the holidays.

Follow up your fall mailing with a bounty of festive Christmas cards as the year comes to a close and you will ensure that you will be thought of with warmth and appreciation well into the year to come.

Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Look Back Series – 2009’s Touching Thank You

In our newest entry into our Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Look-Back series, we wanted kick off the 3^rd annual scholarships month by giving everyone a behind the scenes look at the amazingly creative and gracious way the winner, Lauren Ondreko, sent us her thanks after we let her know that she had won.

2009 Scholarship Winner Lauren Ondreko — Lauren Ondreko

Lauren, who was the first high school student to win the scholarship contest, submitted a beautiful line drawing that featured all of the Christmas essentials like snowmen, presents, ornaments and more. It was a beautiful piece of artwork that to us, defined the spirit of Christmas and we felt was going to turn into a simply stunning Christmas card in our collection.

After Lauren had been told that she won the scholarship, she created handmade custom thank you cards that she sent to our office. It was a surprise to all of us when we received them and everyone in the office was touched by this beautiful gesture. The cards featured the same beautiful line work that made her scholarship entry be chosen as the winner. As if the beautiful drawing on the front wasn’t enough, on the inside of the thank you cards, Lauren wrote a very touching personal note thanking the company for selecting her as the winner.

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This scholarship has been a source of many great moments and memories for us and this was definitely one of the best. These thank you cards made everyone in the office proud to be a part of something truly special and we hope that you enjoyed this glimpse into a moment that truly touched everyone in our company.

Technology Can Save Your Relationship. Thanks Smart Phone!

Really Smart Phone

Keep Birthday Cards Alive!

Today is a faced paced world. We want everything yesterday! All the emails, tweets, texts and Facebook. Everyone is connected at top speeds. Instead of going to the bank to cash your check, just take a picture of it on the newest iPhone. Forgot to send your wife flowers for your Anniversary? Buy them online and have them shipped that same day. There are plenty examples of how disconnected we are these days. Something as simple as taking a few minutes to write out birthday cards is now replaced by e-cards. There is something cold about that. I admit Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with family members who live apart, but we need to stop electronic communication for special events and show people that we really care.

What ever happened to checking the mailbox to find birthday cards waiting for you instead of your computer? Where are the singing telegrams now days? Do we still use them or are we just flash mobbing our way through birthday greetings now? I feel the only people still using actual business birthday cards are in the office. Either from co-workers or employers, they seem like a lasting breed to extend physical cards that you can touch. I know I’m over exaggerating. I really do think sending someone a card, for any occasion, beats an electronic one. I much prefer to jot down a personal note inside the card and hand address the envelope. It’s the simple pleasures in life we take most for granted. Keep birthday cards alive and let your hands get a workout instead of your keyboard.

Christmas Cards – Something Worth Sending

To send Christmas Cards or not to send Christmas Cards. That is the question. Does it make sense to purchase holiday cards? Does it matter if we send them to our customers? Do we really need the extra expense at this time?

Owning a small trucking company has many challenges. In a time when everyone is cutting back on expenses, it seems one is cutting cost wherever one can. This means that companies will give a load to the trucking company that bids the lowest, even if it is only a few dollars difference. It is a fine dance trying to decide how low we can go in our charges, but still make a profit. It’s every man (or trucking company) for themselves. Everything takes careful and meticulous thought and planning.

Because we must plan for each expenditure we make, each year when the holidays approach, we sit down and weigh the pros and cons of sending business Christmas cards. Each year we decide that it is indeed worth the money spent. Because we want to keep our name out there, we decided that it is well worth the small amount spent on each holiday card we purchase and send. We look at it as an investment. A low cost form of advertisement. It is a way to say thank you for considering us. We may not have got your business the last time, but we sure hope to get it the next time.

Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Look Back Series – 2010 Winner’s 5 Favorite Cards

In today’s installment of the Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Look Back Series, Dawnee Burson takes us through 5 of her favorite cards from The Gallery Collection’s line and gives her reasoning for each. Whenever we ask people around the office what their favorite designs are, everyone gives us a different answer, so it is always interesting when we get an outside perspective. We truly appreciate Dawnee taking the time and looking through our line to find her favorites.

1. Natures Wonder Holiday Card – “This card has such a beautiful, peaceful scene. Deer are such beautiful and graceful animals and to see them in a natural setting in the winter season when everything is white and quiet is truly neat. This card captures that and is well named. I think the lighting at the top of the card adds some nice soft color and really adds to the scene as well.” – Dawnee Burson

2. Construction Snowmen Christmas Card – “It is very creative and fun–both the design and the wording–and I like cards that are specific to certain professions or businesses. They have some added charm, and it’s neat to see cards that show aspects of certain professions or businesses.” – Dawnee Burson

3. Cupcake Surprise Birthday Card – “I like the coloring on the card and the funny cartoon people–it shows a variety of personalities like you usually find in an office and it made me laugh.” – Dawnee Burson

4. Bursting Congratulations Wishes Card – “The gold and red stand out nice against the black background. It’s a classy card well suited for telling someone congratulations, but also has some flavor and fun to it in the design with the balloons and confetti popping out.” – Dawnee Burson

5. Meadow Flower Get Well Card – “I think this is a perfect type of get well card. It’s light and cheerful–just what people want when they aren’t feeling well, and I love daisies. They’re simple but very pretty and the writing blends well with the design of the daisies above the words–the leaves embellish both the flowers and the words. Just a relaxed, simple, cheery card.” – Dawnee Burson

We want to thank Dawnee again for taking the time out of her busy schedule to pick out some of her favorite designs. Let us know what yours are in the comments and come back next week when we move onto the 2009 Scholarship Contest.

Be a Boy Scout with Sympathy Cards

We all love good old American boy scouts, right? And why is that? Because they are prepared. “Be prepared” is their actual motto. Everyone likes to be prepared. Does anyone ever say, oh I’d prefer to be unprepared for that meeting, no! So if you like to be prepared, why would it be any different when it comes to sympathy cards.

Actually, if you think about it for a moment, different than with birthdays and anniversaries which you know the date of ahead of time, it is extremely rare to know when someone will meet the end of their lifetime. It also is a part of life and inevitable that we will have to express our sympathy to our friends and family as their loved ones pass whether suddenly or of natural causes, at times even while grieving ourselves. So it makes even more sense to make sure that you have sympathy cards on hand so you can use them or mail them out when needed. It is suggested that business sympathy cards especially should be sent within a few days of learning of a person’s passing so that too much time does not go by before you express your condolences. Remember to keep it simple especially if you didn’t know the person too well. You just want to be able to acknowledge their mourning and let the recipient know you are thinking about them.

Birthday Cards – Can’t Get Any Easier Than That

I am in charge of sending out our employee birthday cards every month. I try to make my list early in the year and file my list by month. I add to this as needed. Each month I try to corral the managers and supervisors and have each one of them sign each card personally. It isn’t always easy though. It seems like someone is always out of the office when I need them. I was thinking that there must be an easier way.

There was also the inconvenience of purchasing the cards and I was having a hard time finding what I wanted at the store, not to mention that it was becoming quite costly. I decided to search the web for a supplier of corporate birthday cards. So I went online and came across The Gallery Collection. There were over 100 birthday designs to choose from. The prices were very reasonable and after looking through all the choices, I finally decided to request a few samples. They were all beautiful, but after much consideration, we decided on two designs. On one set I had our company name imprinted below the greeting. On the other, I decided to have our signatures imprinted, as well. This way we can hand sign and personalize the cards we want. The second design I will use when I just can’t get everyone together to sign. The signatures will already be there. It can’t get much easier than this.

Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Look Back Series – 2010 Winner Interview

In today’s entry into our Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Look Back Series, we have an interview with the 2010 Scholarship winner, Dawnee Burson. We recently caught up with Dawnee to see what she has been up to and were able to find out how the $10,000 scholarship came along at just the right time! Read on to find out just how amazing a person Dawnee really is and the things she was able to persevere through. It truly is inspirational.

Interview with Dawnee Burson

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1. How did you hear about the scholarship contest?
I found it online through scholarships.com. It’s kind of an interesting story. I had looked for scholarships on that website and saved those that were my favorite months back. I was going to apply for graduate school, but was also thinking of a mission for our church. I’m LDS, or a Mormon, and women can serve a mission if they choose for 18 months. One night I got really sick. I thought I just had the flu and went to work, but my dad was worried about me. He called me at work and asked about different symptoms and I started to realize I had had them over the past months. He told me he was picking me up and taking me to the hospital and he and my mom ended up taking me in and I had emergency abdominal surgery for a cyst that had ruptured. I was lucky I made it in just barely in time or my outcome might have been worse; I might not be here. I’m very grateful to my parents for watching out for me at that time and for my hometown community’s support. I came through surgery ok, but unfortunately caught the swine flu shortly after as it was going around New Mexico at the time. I recovered from that but went through a long and rather grueling recovery period that lasted about six months. It was a very difficult time, and it pretty much ruled out going on a mission. I actually took the GRE not long after surgery; it was definitely a rough exam that day. I got accepted into graduate school, which was great, but due to costs of the surgery and repeated doctor appointments I wasn’t sure how I was going to afford it. Still, I decided I was going to go and find a way to do so. I returned to scholarships.com hoping I could find the scholarships I’d saved months ago there and try for one of them.

2. How many scholarships did you apply for?
I applied for a couple with the college I planned to go to and started a couple of those online, but then decided to just focus on this one because I wasn’t doing well, had very little energy, and this was my favorite of them all. It seemed fun and provided such an amazing award, and it gave me something enjoyable to do while I was down. I’ve also always liked cards and thought they’d be fun to design, so it was right up my alley. Plus, I loved the fact that it provided another smaller award that would benefit your school. That is such a cool idea! I have to tell you, though, friends and I used to joke that we didn’t even know if the scholarships online were a real thing. Coming from such a small town, you don’t really know of anyone who’s ever received anything like this or of the companies that provide such contests. It seemed almost unbelievable to think that a company would do something like this, but I certainly hoped the scholarship contests were real and was going to give it a shot because I desperately needed it.

3. What was the idea behind your entry?
I love the outdoors, the mountains, and country homes nestled in beautiful areas. I know a lot of people love that, so I thought I would try to paint a scene portraying that and used my parent’s log home and the Montana mountains where I spent my summers growing up as elements for it. I’ve also seen cards showing all four different seasons and thought I might try a type of calendar card showing the same setting in all four seasons. Since oil paint hardens, oxidizing rather than drying, I thought I might be able to overlay clear plastic sheets on top of a canvas and just paint sections on those sheets to change the season. I had no idea if it would really work, but after doing the first layer and finding the oil paint stuck, it seemed like it was going to, so I created a few more that could be layered one on top another to change the seasons (summer over fall, spring over summer and fall, and winter over the other three seasons layers). I also thought of kids. I know kids love different things like that and thought they might like a card where you could flip one season over like a flip chart to see the next season below.

4. Did you create the entry specifically for the contest or did you submit a piece you already had?
I created the entry specifically for the contest and tried to make it something that would work card-size.

5. How long did it take to create your entry?
It took many months to create. I would paint part of it, then rest for a while till I had energy again and the paint had hardened. Oils oxidize rather than dry so it takes a long time for layers to set before you can paint another layer—sometimes days. I didn’t finish it in time for the year I intended to send it in. I considered doing a quick job to finish it but decided I would wait till the next year and make it a little better. It was hard to wait because I worried whether the competition would occur again the next year; I know things can change, but I waited and sent it in the following year after I’d finished it to the standard I wanted and that turned out to be the most perfect timing actually.

6. Does your entry have any special meaning to you?
It has a lot of special meaning. I think it shows a glimpse of what I love and what a lot of people love. I love the mountains, country areas, and the old style fence you see in the painting. I’m pretty patriotic and I love our land; we are lucky to have so many beautiful areas and I tried to make the scene one. I also love a lot of the simple things in life I tried to stick in the painting—gardens, tire swings, and anything to do with Christmas! Also, I spent my summers on my grandmother’s ranch in Montana growing up, a country area that will always have a special place in my heart, and I was trying to add some aspects of that country to the painting.

7. Where were you when you received the news that you won the $10,000 Scholarship prize?
I was in my apartment at college working on a paper.

8. What was going through your mind when you found out that you won?
About twenty things at once! Disbelief, elation, and a lot of gratitude being the top. I was trying to keep myself contained through our conversation. I was also trying not to laugh at Mr. DeVore’s nonchalant way of telling me I won. He had a good sense of humor in it all and was patient with my stumbling excitement.

9. Who was the first person you told after you found out that you won?
My mom, then my dad and brothers, then my roommate and friends, and then . . .

10. Did you celebrate in any way?
After I calmed down from jumping around in my apartment in excitement and gratitude I definitely did! My roommate and I went out to dinner and celebrated.

11. Have you recommended this contest to other people you know?
I have mentioned this contest to many many people and encouraged people to try for it or to try another type of scholarship contest because . . . they are real! And they are wonderful. Any artist reading this ought to give it a shot, you never know until you try, or continue to try if need be.

12. Did receiving the $10,000 scholarship change your school plans in any way?
It completely changed my plans. I was planning to quit graduate school if I didn’t receive the scholarship to work full time so I could save enough money to return and complete my degree. I have held at least one job all throughout getting my education, usually two, but the costs of a graduate degree can be steep.

13. How did receiving the $10,000 scholarship help you with your education?
Honestly, I wouldn’t have my education right now without it. I wouldn’t have completed graduate school, and I wouldn’t have the great job I have now.

14. What did you use the $10,000 for?
I used it for tuition mostly and some rent.

15. Which school did the $1,000 prize go to?
The $1,000 prize was given as a scholarship to another student, Michaela Stuver, at our college (the College of Natural Resources, Utah State University) and I was allowed to present it to her; that was, honestly, one of the coolest parts of this scholarship, especially as Michaela was pursuing her education to do some neat things in a related field.

16. What was your schools reaction to receiving the $1,000 prize?
Everyone was so pleased! When the cards came out, the college purchased cards to send out for that year’s Christmas cards and sent one to me here in Arizona. I think the scholarship spread some good will and excitement.

17. What are you currently doing?
I currently work as a NEPA planner (NEPA stands for the National Environmental Policy Act) with the Forest Service in one of the most beautiful areas of the Southwest and an area I used to want to live in when I was little— I really lucked out. I feel really blessed.

18. What did you study in college?
My master’s degree was in natural resources with a NEPA certificate. I just received my diploma in the mail a couple weeks ago.

19. What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about entering the scholarship contest?
Do it, don’t doubt yourself, take a chance and do something creative you’ve thought about, and if it doesn’t work out, don’t quit, continue to build on what you know and try again. Success is often built on the stepping stones of failed attempts. I can’t remember how many times Edison tried to make a light bulb work, but it was many. And when he had one of the first models that actually worked, he handed it to a boy who dropped it and it shattered. Twenty four hours later after creating a working model again, he handed it to the same boy. I’ve done contests of various types throughout my life many without the hoped for results, but others that have worked out. You’ll never know what could happen if you don’t try, and give it your best try, and you’ll never know what you can do or come up with if you don’t challenge yourself. Plus, like Edison was with the boy, you’d be amazed at the people willing to take a chance on you or support you, even when they don’t even know you.

20. Were you always interested in art or design?
I have always been interested in art. I always liked to draw and paint and since we didn’t have a lot of elective courses to choose from in our school I took art almost every year if not every year. I had a truly good art teacher who moved to our small town for a few years and he really helped me with painting. I have actually been trying to locate him to send him a card.

21. How did it feel when you first saw the card produced with your design?
Excited, grateful, and motivated to continue painting, and I am. I hope to be able to learn from some other artists, possibly try a few new mediums, and if I can get my pieces to look like I want, perhaps do a few art shows down the road.

22. Do you still have one of your cards?
I certainly do. I have it framed as a reminder of the incredible good things that can happen if you keep your head up through hard times and of the good people willing to give to help a complete stranger in life.

We are honored that even though Dawnee was going through so much at the time, she still took the time to submit such an amazing piece of artwork to us. We want to thank Dawnee again for taking the time out to answer our questions and we hope you enjoyed catching up with Dawnee as much as we did!!!