My twelve-year-old was doing a report on sheep. As I read it over (she is still at the stage where I am allowed to see her work), it struck me that the word “carding” took on a different meaning for me.

Technically the term carding means to cleanse, disentangle, and collect together (as fibers) by the use of cards preparatory to spinning. When I thought of the hundreds of times I sent greeting cards for one occasion or another, I realized that I was carding too.

Get well cards are an attempt to “cleanse” a person of illness. Similar to prayers, they help the sender to express a wish for recovery, and at the same time help the recipient to feel cleansed and refreshed in the knowledge that someone cares.

Sympathy cards help us to disentangle some of the emotions that explode upon us in times of trial. Even if it is just for a moment, they take our thoughts to a different place – a place where we can reflect upon the thoughtfulness of others and feel some semblance of peace.

Birthday cards gather together all of the fun and joy of celebrating most everyone’s favorite day.

Finally, I thought, these greeting cards are also preparation for spinning the thread that will become the story – the story of recovery, moving on, or subsequent birthdays for all of the people who are remembered with the greeting cards in their lives.

I am on the scholarship committee, and I have seen things that make me wonder why anyone would enter a contest when they have no chance of winning. Now, that is a very negative thought to have, but really people! Here are a few tips that will increase your chances of having your entry considered.

1) Know your subject matter. We are a business-oriented greeting cards company. We will not be putting your sexy, half-dressed girlfriend on the front of our corporate holiday cards or business birthday cards. We don’t make Valentine’s Day cards or Halloween cards. Do some preliminary research by going through the website, and get a feel for what we are all about.

2) Submit original artwork. We are not looking for photocopies of our greeting cards or our competitors’ cards. Be original. Be creative. And be unique!

3) Don’t wait until the last minute. Waiting until last minute will not increase your chances of winning; in fact, it is risky because you may miss the deadline. Also, you are putting yourself in a worse position by not giving the judges time to examine your work when there is a sea of other last minute entries…and there are many!

4) Read and follow the criteria for judging. The criteria is posted on the scholarship page of our site (http://www.gallerycollection.com/greeting-cards-scholarship.htm), and they could not be clearer! Here’s the list for you to view:

1. Overall aesthetic appeal
2. Quality of execution
3. Creativity and originality
4. Successful incorporation of design elements
5. Appropriateness for use as a greeting card
6. Attractiveness to The Gallery Collection’s corporate and consumer customers
7. Suitability as a design in Prudent’s Gallery Collection greeting cards line (see website for current designs)

And finally, good luck! I have seen some remarkable talent coming in. Please keep up the good work!!

There are so many occasions for which to send greeting cards offering congratulations to friends and family – a birth, a graduation, a promotion. These occasions and many others should not go unnoticed in the corporate world. I feel that everyone, especially those in a leadership role or in human resources, should have company congratulations cards on hand to send to associates or clients offering these well wishes when the time arises. High quality congratulations cards convey an upbeat message in a very professional manner.

In our private lives we seldom hesitate to send a message of congratulations when an occasion to celebrate or remember comes along. These well wishes and positive thoughts are appreciated, enjoyed and remembered by the recipient. At the business level we all should seize the opportunity to forward a positive thought or message to those we work with in and out of the office. Our co-workers certainly will appreciate it and it is also a nice way to maintain a positive business relationship with a client.

My friends’ son Evan recently turned two years old.  It feels like just yesterday I was holding him as a newborn.  It’s amazing how time flies!

Evan’s grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends all gathered for a birthday party, where we showered him with food, presents, and personalized birthday cards.  His parents helped him carefully look at the greeting cards before letting him tear through the pile of gifts.  My friends like to keep all of the greeting cards given to their son so he can look at them when he’s older and see how much everyone loves him.  They even keep the little paper holder I make to accompany the cash gift my husband and I always give him “For the College Fund.”  They want Evan to appreciate the thoughtful sentiments extended to him, and greeting cards are perfect for showing that affection.

I also hold on to my greeting cards for sentimental value (and because I tend to be a pack rat!).  I don’t go through the greeting cards very often but when I do it’s entertaining.  The collection of birthday cards, thank you cards, Christmas cards, wedding invitations and other various greeting cards is almost like a time capsule, bringing me back to a particular year and evoking memories of what I was doing at that point in my life.  Much like photographs, greeting cards have the ability to capture moments in time.

During Evan’s birthday party, we of course took plenty of photos to capture that particular moment in time.  When he is older, I bet it will be interesting for him to go through all of the birthday cards, Christmas cards and other assorted greeting cards that were given to him over the years.  And the older he gets, he’ll likely come to realize how fast time goes by just like the rest of us!

Do people who receive get well cards actually recover faster than those who suffer in solitude? Proponents of positive thinking would agree that well wishes and greeting cards from the world outside the sickroom can’t help but have a healing effect. When I’m not feeling well, even if it’s only a temporary state, it’s easy to fall into an “invalid mode,” moping about in a weakened state and feeling left out of life as though I’ll never again be myself. So, when a delightful dose of sunshine comes to me via greeting cards in my mailbox, it’s amazing how my spirits and attitude get a burst of good energy.

Some get well cards will make you laugh, even though it may hurt to laugh; for instance, right after surgery. Some greeting cards can be so touching to you that they give you “misty” eyes. The best may be those greeting cards whose pretty designs cause you to smile every time you glance at them, because the greeting cards bring to mind the kind and thoughtful people who sent them. You could even get all three of those reactions from a single get well card sent from an unexpected source.

When I’m unable to say “Get Well Soon” to a person with a chronic or terminal illness, I will still send a gentle-looking greeting card that says “Thinking of You.”  I hope the greeting card helps them feel less isolated by knowing that I remember them and care about their situation. Even friends who are “sick at heart” over personal setbacks can use pleasant notecards to point them toward a brighter day. My rule of thumb is to ask myself, “Would I like to be thought about when I’m away from social action?” (Of course I do!) “Do I want to answer the door or the phone to visitors?’ (Oh my goodness, NO!) “Would get well cards make me feel better?” (You bet it would!)  And then I go ahead and do just what I planned to all along…I send the cheeriest greeting cards I can find!

The stars are not aligned today, because it was another one of those mornings. You know the kind I mean. My husband spilled the milk on the table and it dripped onto the floor. Do you think it would miss me? Nooo! Of course not. Then he says he’s in a hurry and asks if I can clean it up. Before I can answer, he says “I’ll send you a thank you card.” He thinks he’s very funny when he plays on my love of greeting cards. The family always teases me and for the most part I am amused, but not today.

Of all mornings, I’m running late, I have a wet spot on my blouse and I have a meeting concerning business thank you cards for the upcoming year (how ironic) first thing. There’s nothing worse than showing up to work disheveled, tired and annoyed. Anyway, I rushed to my desk and a colleague stops me to ask a favor. Can I please make some copies before the meeting because he had to finish a report? So much for sitting down first and enjoying a sip of tea.

From there it just gets worse. The copier needed the toner changed and can you guess what happened next? I somehow got ink smudges on my pants, the paper ran out, and it’s meeting time. Of course I am the last one there and everyone looks at me puffing, sweating, smudged and stained. That’s the kind of morning I had. I was so glad when it was lunch time.

When I came back from lunch there was an envelope on my desk. Inside was a thank you card from my colleague of the morning. He said he appreciated my helping him out. The art of sending thank you cards is not dead and there are still courteous people who express appreciation. The business thank you card was even more coveted than one coming from family or friends.

It just goes to show that, no matter how your day starts, a greeting card will brighten it up and put a smile on your face. Now you see why I have a profound love for greeting cards.

Prudent Publishing is announcing a new website and charitable program to assist those who wish to honor our veterans by sending cards of appreciation and caring. The website, www.Cards4Veterans.org, will be coordinating shipments of free greeting cards to schools, charities, churches, and other organizations that wish to send cards to veterans and veterans’ organizations.

Cards4Veterans.org is in the process of being designed and should be up and running soon. Please check back in a few days.

There is a book out by John McCain along with Mark Salter entitled “Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them,” which relates inspirational stories about people in different walks of life who made tough decisions in order to achieve success. One of the more interesting chapters is about businessman Marshall Field who developed innovative ideas and, through hard work as well, established his own department store, which to this day is still in business.

Working for a long-established and most successful greeting cards company, The Gallery Collection, I found quite a few similarities between Field’s business practices and the one’s used by our longtime owner, Arnold S. For instance, the book talks about how Field gave wide responsibilities to his customer service employees to make decisions normally made by supervisors or top executives. In our company, our employees also have the freedom to decide on account credits or whether a customer deserves a new order of greeting cards free of charge.

Field also felt that practicing conservative techniques – taking the time before deciding if an idea will be successful before discounting it – was sound for business. The Gallery Collection, having already established a successful line of all occasion cards decades before, spent quite a few years deciding whether to enter the business Christmas cards arena. Ultimately, the Christmas cards sales have exceeded all expectations and have become a major part of the company’s success story.

To promote employee loyalty, Field made it his credo to treat his employees with courtesy and respect at all times. Our owner and CEO, Mr. S, has done the same, which is one reason why so many employees are still with the company after 20 and 30 years of employment.

This particular chapter in McCain’s book illustrates only some of the attributes Marshall Field used to become the successful owner of the “largest department store in the world,” and which other businesspeople can subscribe to in order to become successful as well.

Some years ago, there was this guy on the radio on one of those all-talk programs who gave out advice to listeners on personal finance, as well as on how to handle oneself under certain situations one may encounter during a particular day. One thing that he always told his listeners was: “You can’t go wrong doing the right thing”.

Following that adage on a daily basis will not only keep you out of trouble but will also give a deep feeling of joy for being an overall good person. One way of being nice to someone is to acknowledge when an individual has done a good turn for you. And a great way to show appreciation is to reciprocate by sending a thank you card to that great someone, or corporate thank you cards if business related.

When is it a good time to send out a thank you card? Well, I would think the answer is anytime. Certainly, to acknowledge the receipt of a gift of any kind, whether for a birthday, anniversary, graduation or any other kind of special event, is a must. However, to send out a thank you card to show sincere gratitude when someone has done “the right thing” can make the sentiment expressed even more special. A good deed, a favor, anything that is done unexpectedly – it can be a terrific opportunity to say “thank you” with a thank you card.

One such occasion that happened to me was when my family was moving into our new home. After a long day of not only lifting boxes to and from the old house but also supervising the movers to make sure they didn’t break anything, we were pretty tired. While taking a break, finally, as afternoon turned into evening, our doorbell rang. We were new to the neighborhood, so who the heck could it be? It turned out to be our friend Kathy, her arms filled with bags of food that she had picked up at the local fast food establishment. She handed the bags to us, turned back to her car and shouted out, “Enjoy!” And she was gone. Naturally, we were flabbergasted and overwhelmed.

Our friend certainly did “the right thing” by showing her generosity. And the thank you card she deserved was sent out as soon as we found the greeting cards buried amongst all the boxes piled up in the new house. Not to mention how good the chicken tasted!

Today I received a few anniversary cards. Getting greeting cards always cheers me up. Oh, the greeting cards weren’t for my wedding anniversary though; they were corporate anniversary cards recognizing my first day of work for the best greeting cards company ever! I know I sound like a cheerleader, but I think it’s important to cheer for the good things in life. One of the best things is greeting cards!

I think I mentioned I love sending greeting cards, but that means I also love receiving them. When we get anniversary cards at work, they are signed by the company chairman/owner, president and department manager. I think giving corporate anniversary cards is one of the greatest morale boosters. The gesture tells people that they are recognized for their importance as valued members of the company. The anniversary cards are followed by a personal visit and congratulations on the anniversary. How fabulous to work for a company where you can feel appreciated.

I was surprised when I first started working here. During the first week, everyone greeted me by name and encouraged me to join in with different activities. I thought it must be a front – everyone can’t possibly be this friendly or this nice. All these years later, I still am amazed to feel that every day when I come to work. Consequently, I am happy to go to work every day. How many companies can say that their employees are eager to come to work? Not enough! Maybe we can give lessons. Giving employees greeting cards is a start!

Anyway, Happy Anniversary to me and I hope to celebrate many more.