Month: July 2010

Design #564AR – Butterfly Wishes Get Well Card

In today’s fast paced business world, with all our modern technology right at our finger tips like emails, e-cards, and voicemail, mailing actual business get well cards to co-workers or business associates would have more personal meaning than you can imagine. Design #564AR, Butterfly Wishes Get Well Card, printed on glossy white card stock features a picturesque view of flowering foliage and nature’s quiet beauty the – butterfly.

Green sun kissed leaves displayed behind small clusters of delicate violet colored flowers guide your eyes right into a summer garden paradise. Perched on one of the flowers is a large swallowtail butterfly, with its wings fully spread out, capturing the brilliant yellow and black color design on its wings. This summer garden picture is then framed in a green foil border that matches the sun kissed foliage of the flowers and leaves that appear in the background.

Design #564AR - Butterfly Wishes Get Well Card
Design #564AR - Butterfly Wishes Get Well Card

Centered underneath the framed picture in the same green foil are the words “Get Well Soon” printed in a light airy script that matches the card’s design theme – summer, fresh, and airy. This business get well card, with its picture of a butterfly and summer flowers, contains symbols that bring warmth, comfort, and healing wishes to those who are not feeling well or are on their way to recovery. Sending this business get well cards design is a simple yet refreshing way to express your special wishes to someone.

Craft Ideas for Recycling your Birthday Cards

I don’t consider myself to be a pack rat because I don’t like clutter, but recently I decided to clear out a couple of “junk drawers” and a closet. I finally got rid of the magazines and newspaper clippings with recipes, especially holiday or birthday recipes (that I never cooked) and craft ideas (that I never made). I also tied up the four years of National Geographic magazines that my kids never used for reference for school reports. Duh! When was the internet invented?

As I came across the next hurdle, I knew I wouldn’t part with it. It was my box of personalized birthday cards. I save greeting cards that I receive from friends and relatives. You know the ones with the beautiful wrapped presents on them and the ones with balloons and cakes and candles. I like to recycle things and also love crafting. If I like the design on the front of the card or the greeting on the inside, I just throw the card in a drawer, thinking one day I’ll do something with it. Well, with the drawers and closet overflowing, I had to act. Here are some ideas I came up with:

Idea #1 – Instead of buying expensive wrapping paper, collect all the birthday cards that you’ve received, especially the ones with beautifully wrapped presents on them. Wrap your gift either in brown or white craft paper (I’ve even used aluminum foil in a pinch) or a put it in a plain box or gift bag. You can cut the pictures and words off the cards and paste them randomly on the package. You can even use the inside greeting or verse words. If you have enough birthday cards you can cut out each letter individually to spell “Happy Birthday” or the recipient’s name. I like to use craft scissors with different edges to vary the finish. Your gift will be unique!

Idea #2 – Cut the pictures off the front of the birthday cards and make gift tags by punching a hole in the top of each image and pulling ribbon through it. Tie a bow and tape it to your gift.

Idea #3 – Use birthday cards for your scrapbooking projects. When filling a page with pictures from a birthday, cut the words, pictures, and greetings off the cards. Arrange them around the pictures to add descriptive memories of the special event. Finish the page by adding bows, ribbons, or fabric swatches to add texture. Although I never seem to get the time to do my own scrapbook, I have made pages for my niece to add to her book with pictures I have taken at her special events such as her Baptism, first day of school, and a Disney vacation.

Design #365CW – The Homecoming Holiday Card

Having all the family home for the holidays is a recurring theme that generates warm feelings. If you like winter scenes holiday cards that bring people into the picture, and that tell a story, you’ll love design #365CW, The Homecoming Holiday Card.

In this peaceful scene, we see an adult and a child, hand-in-hand, walking up a snowy path to a farmhouse that’s aglow with welcoming light in its windows and smoke flowing from its chimneys. The time appears to be just after twilight, with the moon and first stars visible, and a sky still alight with the reflection of the moonlight off the white snow. Even the barn has a glow in the windows, letting you know that the animals, too, are home and warm and cared for.

Design #365CW - The Homecoming Holiday Card
Design #365CW - The Homecoming Holiday Card

Are these residents of the farmhouse, arriving home at end of day? Are they visitors, stopping by with holiday wishes, and maybe with a basket of homemade jams? Perhaps they are family who have come from a distance to celebrate the holidays with those they love best. Having spent some years living in the country, I have memories of that crisp, clean winter air and the eager anticipation of trudging through snow toward the gratifying comforts of home and family, warmth and smiles, plus the aromas of a home-cooked meal.

Like the original painting from which it was printed, this scene is enhanced with a gold foil frame. The matte-finish white card stock is the perfect medium for the quality and purity of this comforting scene. Sending this winter scene holiday card is a caring way of sharing these feelings of security and the comforts of a peaceful sanctuary.

The Great Anniversary Cards Caper

How can I incorporate my love of reality television with my love of cards? This question has been on my mind as of late. I’ve decided to come up with a pitch for a new show called The Great Anniversary Cards Caper. The premise will have a group of contestants who will give out business anniversary cards to employees of a chosen company.

We will keep the number of contestants to ten. The contestants will be given an assignment at a different company every week where they will have to discover who is having an anniversary with the company that week. They cannot say who they are or what they are looking for. They will need the gift of gab to get people talking about their time with the company and incorporate that into the business anniversary cards they will design. The cards will be in the form of a sandwich board and used to celebrate the anniversaries of employees for that week.

The companies will also be happy to participate as they will get an employee to help out for a week, they will get free anniversary cards for their employees, and they will be on television. Can we say free advertising?

The contestants will be judged on their ability to get along with others, the amount of information they acquire, and their imaginative anniversary cards presentation. I love this idea. The second season can be birthday cards for employees. I am sending this idea to Mark Burnett as we speak. Wish me luck.

Design #171AY – Rainbow Welcome Card

I can’t think of anyone I know who, as a newly-hired employee, wouldn’t appreciate a resounding “We’re so glad you’re here!” from the workplace staff. I do think giving employee welcome cards is a sincere, concrete, cost-effective way to convey that sentiment, and the rainbow-hued foil “Welcome” on design #171AY, Rainbow Welcome Card, makes a great statement (and gives you star power, too, highlighting your good taste!).

Did I mention the artfully-placed, multi-colored stars and swirls? You’re not whispering a stiff, company-issued greeting here. With Rainbow Welcome Card, you’re upbeat, thinking positively, and showing your genuine thrill at having this person join your team. At the same time, you’re reassuring your newest member that she or he belongs and is valued, right from the start. In uncertain economic times, it becomes all the more meaningful.

Design #171AY - Rainbow Welcome Card
Design #171AY - Rainbow Welcome Card

If the idea of employee welcome cards didn’t register on your radar before, Rainbow Welcome card will pleasantly surprise both you and your recipient. If this sort of thing comes standard at your place of business, consider adding some color and emphasis to your “old stand-by” offerings with the eye-catching enthusiasm this design imparts. The most successful companies, regardless of their size, make employee happiness a big priority. Look how easy it is to do your part!

Dark Stock Business Christmas Cards Will Make a Lasting Impression

As the employee selected by my boss each year with the responsibility of sending our business Christmas cards to our clients, this job entails wading through the dozens of holiday cards catalogs mailed to me and selecting which company has the nicest as well as the fairest price. In the past, I have usually chosen a design that is generic in nature since our customers are quite diverse. Some of the corporate holiday cards designs I have selected have been a light buff color or just plain white.

However, this past season I went a different way; I picked a gorgeous black holiday card from The Gallery Collection. The card’s design included the words “Holiday Wishes” in a beautiful gold foil with stars and swirls accenting the sentiment above and below. The detailing on the card was incredible. At first I was hesitant to use this card because you don’t normally see that many dark styles and I wasn’t sure if it would go over well with the recipients who may have been used to receiving more traditional-looking business holiday cards.

Your customers will love this dark stock Christmas card - design #817CX, Starlight Holiday Wishes
Your customers will love this dark stock Christmas card - design #817CX, Starlight Holiday Wishes

But I needn’t have worried! The day after the cards were mailed out, the compliments started coming back to me fast and furious…via emails and direct phone calls. “My goodness, what a terrific-looking design!” “Where did you find such a magnificent card?” “Does this company you bought the cards from have other designs in other dark colors?” These were just a few of the extraordinary responses I received. It was overwhelming.

This year when I am ready to order I am going to have The Gallery Collection’s beautiful catalog right at my desk or maybe even go right their website and check out their business Christmas cards offerings that come in black or perhaps a navy blue or a deep red. Whichever one I choose, I know the design will again be a big hit!

June Monthly Finalists

We’re pleased to announce that 3 Monthly Finalists were chosen for June! 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…

Christina Yurksaitis of Portsmouth, Virginia,
a sophomore at I. C. Norcom High School		 June Monthly Finalist for The Gallery Collection's $10,000 Greeting Card Scholarship - #8554
Brittany Vesper of Clarence, New York,
a senior at Clarence High School		 June Monthly Finalist for The Gallery Collection's $10,000 Greeting Card Scholarship - #8534
Kristall Gutierrez of Nampa, Idaho,
a senior at Columbia High School		 June Monthly Finalist for The Gallery Collection's $10,000 Greeting Card Scholarship - #8582

Design #335AY – Bedazzling Happy Birthday Card

Personalized birthday cards are just one of the many ways to acknowledge an associate or an employee, letting them know that they are an important and integral part of your team. It shows that each individual is vital to the success of a company and worthy of a personal acknowledgment on their own special day.

Design #335AY, Bedazzling Happy Birthday Card, evokes the spirit of fun. The “Happy Birthday” sentiment is cleverly spelled out with a colorful array of dots. These dots vary in size and give the impression that the artist had a grand time as the creation was bedazzled into a fun filled design.

Design #335AY - Bedazzling Happy Birthday Card
Design #335AY - Bedazzling Happy Birthday Card

If you want to bedazzle with personalized birthday cards, consider this design or check out one of the many other designs offered by The Gallery Collection. You are guaranteed to find one that will tickle your fancy.

Business Birthday Cards Keeps Business Moving

What if you could lift up the spirit of clients, contacts, and employees in one fell swoop? Of course, in today’s economy your first question is going to be, “How much is this going to cost?” Naturally, you will have to take that into consideration, but let’s look at the big picture first.

Recognition is a valuable tool in promoting lasting relationships. Acknowledging someone’s birthday by sending them birthday cards is a positive and inexpensive way to show their importance to you. I started to send business birthday cards to clients and employees when I received one from a vendor who had unsuccessfully met with me the week before my birthday, to try his stationery supply company.

He wrote inside the card, “I checked your horoscope for your birthday, and it advised you that things would be stationary in your life for a while. Since stationery is in my life for a while, I thought you might feel a kinship, and try our stationery for your office.” He added a post script, “We offer a special discount for Birthdays!”

The card gave me a chuckle, and reminded me of the terrific salesman who had sent it. While I didn’t order from him immediately, there did come a time when my supplier let me down, and the first vendor I called was my business birthday cards sender. His humor and friendly persistence won me over.

Naturally, every card will not elicit such a success story. The point is that people appreciate thoughtfulness in any form. You never know how one small gesture may keep your business moving along.

Design #584CS – Winter Frolic from All of Us

Design #584CS, Winter Frolic from All of Us Holiday Card, is a festive way of saying Season’s Greetings to just about anyone. This design features four penguins dancing carelessly in the snow. They are wearing red reindeer antler hats and have rosy red cheeks. Santa Claus is featured center stage wearing his typical garb we have come to know and love – his red and white hat and coat along with his signature black boots. The green mittens that are occupying his hands help to bring your attention to the snowflakes that are gently falling all around them. The snow is highlighted with silver foil that reflects the full color spectrum. The words “Season’s Greetings from all of us,” which are written in bold red ink, seem to pop off the white stock paper.

Design #584CS - Winter Frolic From All of Us Holiday Card
Design #584CS - Winter Frolic From All of Us
Holiday Card

The card comes with a white envelope that is lined in silver foil and is available in the seal fast envelopes. Design #584CS is the perfect Season’s Greetings holiday cards to send to friends, family, and those special clients you could never do without.