How Unique Are Your Holiday Greeting Cards?

Every year, starting around Thanksgiving, our mailbox starts filling up with lots and lots of holiday greeting cards. Several of our friends also send ecards but somehow it’s just not the same as getting one in person. It’s always fun to open them and see what delightful design our friends and family have picked out this year. I like to guess who sent it by looking at the card itself, so I try to not look at the return address. Sometimes it’s easy to tell who sent it – a festive Christmas tree is the customary choice of one of our favorite neighbors. My husband’s business partner often sends a very distinctive winter scene while his secretary almost always chooses a beautiful ornament. I’m constantly amazed at the variety we receive. There are casual, light-hearted, fun cards as well as beautiful, time-honored traditional designs. Of course, there are always surprises when someone picks out something totally out of the ordinary.

My sister’s card is usually the most colorful and glitzy of all and she has her six kids’ names, along with their ages, printed inside. Over the past few years, we’ve received more and more imprinted holiday cards and we’ve decided we’re going to be smart this year and have ours imprinted too. Now, if I could just decide on which design! We actually have it narrowed down to five or six – we’re getting there!

The Gallery Collection Now Features QR Codes For Your Mobile Devices

It seems like smart phones and various other mobile devices are taking over the world. Everyone seems to have one. These phones and devices are for so much more than making simple calls. Between texting, facebook, photos, games and apps, there is nothing you can’t do when you are on the go, or just sitting at home on your couch! And now, this technology is making it easier than ever to get the greeting cards you want, directly from The Gallery Collection. How so, you might ask. The Gallery Collection is proud to introduce QR Codes for your mobile devices.

QR Codes are like bar codes for your smart phones and other devices. You simply install a QR Code reader app, which are generally available on the website of your service provider. Then you simply take a photo of the QR code wherever you find it, be it in a catalog, a mailing, or even a poster. Once you’ve scanned the code this will take you directly to the destination set by the QR Code.

The Gallery Collection QR Code

 

The Gallery Collection is proud to be on the forefront of this technology. When you receive a mailing that has this code, just scan away and you’ll be linked up with the most beautiful greeting cards around. Just imagine, personalized Christmas cards, business birthday cards, thank you cards and much more, all available at the click of your device. Isn’t technology grand!

How To Write Calligraphy – A Lost Art

There is something romantic about taking the time to write out a card in calligraphy. The defining characteristics of calligraphy are beautiful handwriting, elegant penmanship, style of handwriting and beauty of a line. But it is more than just a combination of all those things. It is an art and skill that involves touch, pressure, hand movement and flow. Both beauty and grace can become a mastery of work to be proud of. It is also an excellent way to add a special touch to your business greeting cards. With a little practice you can form delicate lettering for an elegant touch.

With a few tools, practice and patience you can create your very own work of art. Open up your creative juices and follow these easy steps. Think of all the cards, invitations and heartfelt letters you can compose. Before you get started you will need the following items.

Felt tip pen/calligraphy pen– convenient, disposable, does not need to be dipped in ink. The tip is broad and flat instead of round.
Fountain pen – refillable, long lasting, dipped in ink. The nib grade fits into slot and holds the ink.
Steel point pen – inked with dropper, creates fine detail, tip needs replacement.
Old Fashioned Quill pen – cut off end to an angle, dipped in ink.

You will notice the calligraphy pen/felt tip pen is slanted at an angle. This allows for narrow or thick lines. As we flatten the angle, the lines get wider. This is the basis of Calligraphy. Choose what you are comfortable with and try different ones as you feel more confident. Use different ink colors to fit what you are working on. These items are available at your local craft/art store.

You will also need fair quality paper. To practice any paper will do. As you progress you might want to go for a thicker quality of paper. Try even using a lined or graph paper to make use of a straight line and height. Good lighting is also important. Have a desk lamp on to make sure you are well lighted. If available, a slanted desk seems to work best. If not, any flat surface will do. Now you are ready to begin.

Calligraphy for Business Greeting Cards

Get used to the pen you are working with. Practice different angles without touching the pen to paper yet. Hold the pen at a 45 degree angle. Use your arm not your fingers to apply pressure. Keep the pen at a constant angle. Lead the tip making sure not to press too hard into the paper. Point the tip in the same direction unchanging the angle diagonally away from you. Start with the letters A-D paying attention to height and spacing. Practice lower and upper case. Feel the flow and angle of the pen lightly touching the paper. Sharpen straight up and down strokes, vertical and horizontally. With a bit of repetition anyone can add that special touch to a simple piece of paper. Just give it a try and find the artist in you.  Remember all it takes is practice and patience.

Welcome Cards Help Ease First Day Jitters

I work for a greeting card company. We sell all types of cards, but our main seller is Christmas cards. Because of this, in addition to our regular employees, we also hire seasonal workers. They are only with us for a few months out of the year, but are an extremely vital part of our team. Without them we wouldn’t be able to get the job done. Using welcome cards is a big part of how we make our seasonal employees feel like part of our family.

Remembering my first day on the job, and how I had the “new kid on the block” jitters, I always try to welcome our new employees. I just give a smile, a quick hello and a welcome aboard. There is nothing like a smile and a friendly word to ease the nerves. It was one of the first things I looked for when I started this job nine years ago. A friendly smile and a kind word can go a very long way in making a stressful situation just a little less so. It certainly made it easier for me.

What also helped make my first day jitters disappear was the lovely welcome card that greeted me upon my arrival. I knew I was working for a company that valued me right away. The signatures from all the people that worked in my department also put me at ease, because I knew they had taken time out of their busy schedules to welcome me.

Business welcome cards are also often sent by companies to new customers as a way to show them that their patronage is appreciated. So why not send them to new employees? So whether it is a seasonal worker or not, a new client or a new customer, any little (or big) show of appreciation and support is welcome.

Design #867CX – Holiday Berry Wreath Christmas Card

I have always loved Christmas cards with simple elegant beauty. Before now I had not thought that the color black was attractive for Christmas cards. It always seemed more appropriate for the holiday season to use more vibrant colors. I changed my mind when a card with the utter beauty of a wreath of gold berries done in lustrous foil against a deep black background took my breath away. Design 867CX – Holiday Berry Wreath Christmas Card, with its sprinkling of red berries and a simple bow done in a rich red foil, has been elevated to a level of beautiful sophistication. Season’s Greetings printed in a flowing script states exactly what I want to convey to my clients and associates.

Design 867CX - Holiday Berry Wreath Christmas Card
Design 867CX - Holiday Berry Wreath
Christmas Card

This exquisite personalized holiday card on sturdy black stock is my choice this holiday season. Design 867CX – Holiday Berry Wreath Christmas Card makes me feel I am sending my clients and associates a tastefully simple yet exquisitely beautiful holiday wish this year.

An Unlikely Testimonial For Holiday Cards

It may seem strange, but I’m really looking forward to my employer’s holiday cards this year. Especially the Christmas selection.

In most workplaces getting Christmas cards from the boss is nice but hardly a cause for excitement. The sentiment is appreciated but… corporate Christmas cards are so often colorless and boring and a little cold. Why bother? I used to say take that money and put it in my paycheck!

That all changed last year when my company started getting their cards from the Gallery Collection. Design 822CX – Shimmering Skyline Card, was a real stunner of a card. An artist’s vision of a glimmering city skyline against a dark blue night sky, with windows glittering as if lit, and glistening snow swirling in the air. It was a card worthy of a frame.

So I started wondering which one my employer would send this year. If anyone had told me that corporate Christmas cards would ever be worthy of any kind of testimonial, I’m sure I would have laughed. But it’s no joke. Sending a card can be more than just an impersonal formality. If your boss chooses the right card, it can really add to the joy of the season.

Design 739CX – Thanksgiving Berry Garden Holiday Card

When shopping for holiday greeting cards I’ve never actually considered Thanksgiving cards.  Automatically I head straight for the Christmas cards.  You know the ones with snow scenes, wreaths, ornaments or Christmas trees as the cover design.   I might choose a card depicting a Nativity scene for those friends who celebrate the day as a religious holiday or maybe a card that observes Hanukkah for Jewish friends.  But in my search I discovered Design 739CX – Thanksgiving Berry Garden Holiday Card, which caught my attention and drew me toward it.  The design isn’t quite what one might come to expect from Thanksgiving cards.  Typically I would describe most Thanksgiving designs as robust, featuring the bold colors of autumn, pumpkins, covered bridges, cornucopias and turkeys.  This card, on the other hand, is a delicate display featuring a spray of berry branches adorned with soft, pastel colored foil berries.

Design 739CX - Thanksgiving Berry Garden Holiday Card
Design 739CX - Thanksgiving Berry Garden Holiday Card

Design 739CX – Thanksgiving Berry Garden Holiday Card, is also a great way to extend goodwill at the start of the traditional holiday season.  And since it is a secular holiday it offers the opportunity to express your feelings to one and all confidently.  There is never a need to concern yourself as to whether a specific card is appropriate or not for any of your friends or clients.

Holiday Wreath Cards at Christmas Time

My Mother and Father could never tell me when it was Christmas, as the thought of all of the fun filled family moments would make me utterly sick with excitement. I would lie awake, which seemed to be all night long, waiting for the noise of his sleigh bells, the sound of glistening snow tapping my bedroom window, the moon shining through our living room window and Santa’s arrival. Mom would decorate a circle of greens with ornaments of shiny red and gold which included sprigs of holly, the tiniest little red berries and a golden bow. The wreath’s fragrance of the forest permeated our home before our family walked through the front door. I knew Christmas was getting closer, and the man who had white hair, and a red suit, would bring special toys to my two sisters and I. I would save my small allowance so I could walk to the Red Letter Gift shop to buy my parents something beautiful. My next clue that my favorite holiday was approaching was the daily arrival of the man in the white truck who delivered our mail…beautiful shiny, shimmering holiday wreath cards. These cards looked just like the wreath my Mom dressed up for our big wooden door. Perhaps she got her idea from those cards. Many other cards were decorated with white sparkling snow covering pointed green trees that led me to even more anticipation. I knew that Dad would soon take all of us to pick out our Christmas tree.

Christmas has always blessed my family with so many extraordinary memories. I have always remembered the excited feeling I got when all of my parent’s very special friends and family took the time to send us their beautiful shiny, shimmering Christmas cards. These friends always wrote a special wish for us. In the time of computers, email and cell phones, some have forgotten about the beauty and the thrilling feelings that Christmas cards deliver to your heart. I learned the thought, time and personal touch a Christmas card brings to my favorite holiday warms the heart for a life time. I continue to encourage my own children that a Christmas card or any type of greeting card will warm, encourage and make a special person smile. And to all a good night!

Design 572AE – Let’s Celebrate! Birthday Card

Are you looking to send festive personalized birthday cards to celebrate employees and co-workers’ birthdays? Design 572AE, Let’s Celebrate! Birthday Card, has a colorful cast of characters that are in the midst of a celebration. Some are wearing party hats and everyone is having fun. There is one gentleman that looks like he is wondering whose birthday it is that they are celebrating. Or if he is anything like me and my co-workers, he is wondering, “Where is the cake?” At the top of the card, “Happy Birthday from all of us” is written out in blue, red, yellow, and green. This whimsical birthday card is sure to please!

Design 572AE – Let’s Celebrate! Birthday Card
Design 572AE – Let’s Celebrate! Birthday Card

Design 572AE, Let’s Celebrate! Birthday Card, is truly a festive way to share your warm wishes for a great day with any employee or co-worker. Such a bright and exuberant birthday card also makes being at work on your special day just a little bit easier to take!

Thank You Cards and Operation Home Improvement

Have you ever sent thank you cards to contractors for a job well done?

I recently had work done on my house. It was not the most pleasant experience for a few reasons:

• My husband, Dan, and I were newbies to major home improvement jobs. We didn’t know what to expect and stumbled through the process a bit. (What, we need a permit???)
• The work we needed done was unexpected, necessary, and completely practical. (Not a “fun” cosmetic project such as a beautiful kitchen or bathroom renovation we could admire when finished.)
• We had just built up our savings to buy me a new car, and now that plan is on hold. (Booo-hooo!)

It all started in March. Mounds of melting snow coupled with days of heavy rain caused flooding in our basement. We couldn’t ignore the problem. We hired a reputable masonry company to waterproof the basement, which included rebuilding our crumbling entryway and installing French drains and a sump pump.

The work wouldn’t be done for a few months, so we at least had time to prepare and save money. April came, and so did my birthday. The cash my family stuffed inside of my birthday cards would go straight to the basement job. Happy birthday to me! And Dan’s birthday was in June, so the gift money inside his birthday cards would go towards the job as well.

When the project finally started, my nerves were shot. Could we afford to do this? Will the workers do a good job? Remind me again why I wanted to buy a house?!

Three days later, the job was done. Everything went smoothly and the work looked great.

I sent our contractor, Adam, a thank you card to express my appreciation. Throughout the entire process, Dan and I had pelted him with lots of questions. Adam was always so patient and put us at ease. Sending a greeting card wasn’t necessary, but I thought it would be a nice gesture since we were so pleased with the work. And hey, maybe the next time we hire them they’ll remember the gracious thank you card I sent and give us a discount!