There is nothing like unexpected thank you cards to bring that smile back to your face after a long day. Thank you cards provide that delightful little spark that can turn your day from a gloomy, rain drenched day to a sunny one. I remember being in fourth grade in class working on sheets of paper with crayons attempting to make all sorts of cards as class assignments. Every holiday was usually ripe as an excuse for our teacher to assign us with the task of creating our own holiday card from scratch for our parents. This was when I first came across the idea of sending out cards for all occasions.

To not send an acknowledgement after receiving help or even a friendly gesture is equivalent to not saying please before asking for something. With social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, it is increasingly easier to stay in touch with friends, family, and acquaintances. These sites do allow you to essentially send a thank you or birthday wish to someone you know as opposed to sending a physical card. Though, no matter how much our technology seems to advance, there are some things that will always stick around and corporate thank you cards are one of those lasting treasures. Sending a thank you card to your boss or supervisor for simply helping you out could always lead to that long-awaited raise you were looking for. So as the New York Lotto’s motto goes, “Hey, you never know!”

I am in the middle of moving for the first time in many years. Packing, shifting, and unpacking boxes is not my idea of a good time. I am hoping I won’t have to do it again for quite a while. (If my first reaction to my new pad is any indication, I won’t! I love it!)

I am lucky enough to have helpful parents and friends who were there to aid me in the move. I was also of enough sound mind to keep a box of Thank You cards on hand (and unpacked) so that I could write out enough notes of gratitude to make it seem like Thanksgiving around the new Casa de Dee!

Next week, my new furniture is being delivered. You can bet the delivery men will be receiving Thank You cards with their tips – especially considering the rotten weather forecast! The Verizon FIOS technician is next on the list, although I have to wait an unbearable three weeks for my installation.

The next time I have to do this all over again, it’s no question – a moving company will be hired! And yes, I’ll be sure to have a box of Thank You cards at the ready on that occasion, too!

Sending personalized greeting cards is one of the easiest and most economical ways to keep your company name foremost in your customers’ minds. When you think about it, they are a low cost form of advertising. When you pay for advertising, you are never sure of who will actually see it or whether it will be seen at all. A greeting card actually ends up in the hand of a live person. Most of us enjoy receiving cards and will most likely hang on to them for a while. Unlike newspapers that end up in the recycle bin, greeting cards are actually displayed, so that everyone in the office can view them.

Assorted greeting cards abound these days. There are so many choices. There are cards to fit every situation. Fun, elegant, simple, feminine or masculine are just a few. There are thank you, congratulations, get well or sympathy cards and let us not forget the most popular, holiday cards. Calendar cards are another good option and are a great way to have your company name displayed every day of the year.

Personalized greeting cards can be typeset with an imprint or can be signed by hand. They can even be a combination of both. One can choose from a provided list of greetings or be creative and make up a customized greeting. Logos can be added to the card or can simply have the company name imprinted. There are so many choices and options available.

When you send a greeting card, you are letting your customers know that they are not just thought of part of the time, but that they are an important component in the success of your business. Everyone wants to feel appreciated and personalized greeting cards allow you to convey this very important message. Sending greeting cards keeps your customer in mind, but more importantly, it keeps you in the mind of your customer.

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 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!

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!

Have you ever found yourself at a loss for just how to say “thank you” to someone? Whether in a business or personal situation, you should never want to let the opportunity pass to let someone know how much you appreciate their generosity or actions.

Business thank you cards may be a little tricky since we want to keep it professional but still add a personal touch. Perhaps a note written inside an already imprinted card is all that’s needed. Thank you cards sent in a personal situation can be totally different. Sometimes silly or funny, they nonetheless let the recipient know how much their act of kindness meant to us. Often times sending or receiving thank you cards brings back a flood of memories, sometimes bittersweet, that allow us to replay the occasion in our minds.

Sending or receiving thank you cards is one of those “feel good” moments that in this fast paced world can be few and far between. We need to be sure the opportunity doesn’t pass us by.

Design #621AE

Design #095AY

Design #503AR

Personal thank you cards are generally sent to acknowledge gifts received for a birthday, an anniversary, a graduation or some other special event. Or a card of thanks can perhaps be written to a person who did a special favor such as helping someone move or being supportive during a time of great need. Thank you cards are not normally sent for what should be every day niceties, but last week I encountered a situation that drove me crazy. Its result was so positive I decided to acknowledge a good deed done by a person who was really just doing what she was supposed to do. Let me explain…

I needed to buy these particular shelf units for my basement to house my vast collection of compact discs, so after work I headed for that famous Swedish discount furniture store that, if I wasn’t careful, would have me heading in the wrong direction as soon as I left the parking lot and entered the store. Now, I work in customer service, so I am perhaps a bit more sensitive than most when it comes to customer service issues such as getting help to easily finding my way around a store or getting any questions I have answered satisfactorily. Having been to this store before, my antennae were up.

The place’s setup forces a customer to walk around and around and around in search of the particular item they are looking for (making sure, of course, that one passes each and every area on the way to wherever it is they’re going). For me, not finding the shelves after looking in what I thought were the two departments they had to be displayed in, I looked around for an associate to whom I could ask for directions. Of course, there was no one to be found…anywhere!

So, making a fateful decision, I decided to head back to the checkout area where I knew there were employees. Sure enough, I noticed two groups of three having a grand old time watching long lines of people trying to pay for their items. Breaking up the one coffee klatch, the person I spoke to – pointing back from whence I came – told me to go back to the lighting department on the same floor I was on, make a left, and the shelves would be on my right. I dutifully followed her directions explicitly.

CD shelves? Nope.

So, after another lengthy search, I found another rocket scientist with a badge who also showed his pointing skills and told me to find the elevator (a harrowing thought), go to the second floor, walk through the home furnishings department, chuck a right, and the shelves would be in a bin. I followed his instructions to a tee.

Nope, again!

So then I decided to just roam around until I bumped into someone who looked like maybe they worked in the store. After what seemed like the equivalent of traversing five par fives, I came upon a young lady who offered to actually ESCORT me to where I needed to go. We hiked back to a completely different department where, voila, there they were…those nasty things I came to the store to buy!

Now, I won’t go into detail about what I had to go through to give them my money. But, needless to say, when I arrived home, I immediately got out a thank you card, and with the swift stroke of a pen, I wrote a greeting of thanks to Alice (yes, she was wearing her name tag).

I mailed the card out yesterday.

All of us at one time or another in our lives has had the real joy of celebrating a special day, whether it was a birthday, anniversary, or a graduation, and have received lots of great gifts. And following these celebrations, we have all sent out thank you cards to those special people, thanking them for their generosity and thoughtfulness.

However, another excellent reason for sending thank you cards would be to let an employee know how much their work and loyalty is appreciated by their bosses and supervisors. These business thank you cards, given out without any fanfare but with a firm handshake and done unexpectedly, would be a tremendous morale booster, especially now when the economy is flagging and people’s minds may be distracted by negative economic news.

Lord knows how many people are worried about whether they may or may not keep their jobs or if they can pay their bills on time. But receiving a small note of appreciation from an authority figure can do wonders for an employee’s state of mind and productivity.

In these challenging times, purchasing and sending corporate thank you cards may be the last thing we have on our minds; when in fact, this is the time we should be sending them. What better way to let your customers and colleagues know that they are appreciated – not just in good times, but even more so in times of economic turmoil.

Expressing thanks and appreciation shows that you value the faith that your customers and colleagues still have in your product or service. I don’t know about you, but when someone takes the time to thank me, it shows me that I am indeed appreciated. This in turn plants a seed. When I know that something I have done is appreciated, it makes me want to repeat the action. By sending thank you cards, we are leaving a lasting, positive impression. By not expressing our appreciation, we are also leaving an impression, and we can all guess what that would be.

Design #095AY, Filigree Thank You Card, is distinctive and elegant. It is a buff colored card with the words “Thank You” done in gold foil. Behind this is subtle, pearl filigree. This is bordered with the same pearl, accented in two corners with a delicate design. This graceful and stylish card is a great way to say express appreciation.

Design #095AY - Filigree Thank You Card

For another option, consider design #691AY, Thank You Elegance Thank You Card. This simply stated, but reflective thank you card clearly conveys the message that you are sending. You may decide to choose a greeting and add a personal imprint or you might decide to add a handwritten note. Either way, the message that you are truly grateful will be clearly expressed.

Design #691AY - Thank You Elegance
Thank You Card

Last May my lovely daughter decided she needed a change of scenery and a warmer climate. Little did I know she would also need some inspiration in the form of some personalized thank you cards!

It all started when she decided to move to California, where, to her delight, the scenery was gorgeous and the weather fabulous. She settled right in as if she had been there forever and soon landed a nice job in a property management office. “But you don’t know anything about property management,” said I. “So what? My boss says he can teach me the business,” said she. And he did. In no time she was promoted to office manager.

Her boss, wonderful guy that he is, surprised my daughter with a luncheon to celebrate her promotion. All the employees were invited to the nice little Italian Bistro down the street. They had a wonderful afternoon of wining and dining and celebrating. My daughter was so thankful to her boss, her co-workers and the little Italian Bistro and she wanted to let them know how grateful she was for all that they had done for her.

So she called me up to see if I had any ideas. Of course I had an idea! I always have an idea and it usually includes a personalized thank you card from The Gallery Collection where I just happen to work, and where they just happen to have the most spectacular thank you cards on the planet.

She had to agree, The Gallery Collection’s thank you cards are fabulous. So she picked out a really lovely design and had her name imprinted in beautiful gold foil on them. She sent them to her boss, her co-workers and to that little Italian Bistro. Needless to say, they all loved the cards (and the homemade chocolate-chip cookies she included with each card!)

She may be 3,000 miles away now, but lucky for her, Mom and The Gallery Collection’s thank you cards are just a phone call away!