Category: Eco-Friendly Greeting Cards

The Benefits of Custom Greeting Cards

Custom greeting cards are perfect for every business. No matter what line of work you are in, you have at least 100 customers or clients that deserve a custom printed greeting card from you or your business. I have read some marketing facts that show it costs 10 times less to keep a current customer than it does to get a new one.  This is the benefit of custom greeting cards. It also shows your appreciation to your current customers or clients in a very inexpensive way and it preserves your ongoing business relationships.

By the way, custom greeting cards are wonderful for personal use as well. The greeting cards are excellent for birthdays, holidays, or any special life occurrences. Custom greeting cards really touch the hearts of the people you send them out to.  In our world of faceless electronic communication it has become very important that we reach our customers in a memorable way.

Whether I send out a single greeting card or a few, say for a holiday, I almost always receive emails and text messages thanking me for the greeting card I that sent.  When I receive this kind of feedback I become more aware of the impact I created. One positive is that I have made someone smile and be happy, so I feel good too!

Another positive is that my greeting card has physically been opened and read, I wonder about emails we all send, sometimes it is just easier to hit “delete all”.  There is no question in my mind that my card will be placed somewhere in their home or office, for quite a while.   

Are you in the Market for Greeting Cards?

How do you shop for greeting cards?  When I was in the market for our yearly supply of birthday cards, I wasn’t exactly sure where to start.  My predecessor would make trips to the local discount store to purchase greeting cards.  No offense to her as she was doing the best she could, but the cards were always so flimsy and looked cheap.  This was not how I thought our business should be represented.

The first thing I did was hit the internet.  I went to multiple sites and requested catalogs.  This was a great way to start.  Most companies not only sent me a catalog but a sample of their greeting cards and sometimes even their envelopes.  It was really helpful as I was able to compare the quality of greeting cards from each company.

Once I narrowed down my choice to The Gallery Collection, I hopped on their website to see their full line of greeting cards.  It was so difficult to select one from all the beautiful designs.  They were nice enough to send me samples of my 6 favorite.  I then passed them along to my colleagues in the Human Resources Department for a vote.  We have the perfect birthday cards that I am proud to send to our customers and staff.

Office Fun for Earth Day

 

Earth Day has arrived, and there’s plenty of ways to celebrate the day while working in the office. For example, go on a company walk or a hike. Whether it’s a quick break to stroll the surrounding scenery, a planned excursion to a wooded destination, or an optional day-off meeting — going on a walk or hike with coworkers is a great idea. Not only is it a relaxing and healthy way to spend some time, it will also allow employees to form stronger connections to each other and to nature. 

Another Earth Day option is to bring in seedlings, seeds, or full blown plants, soil, pots, and paint. Take a break from work to have a joined activity of decorating pots and planting some flowers, fruits or vegetables, or other plants! Try to pick something everyone will enjoy and is pet-friendly, just in case. Not enough time to host this workshop-esque atmosphere? Allow employees to take their plants home and either plant them outside or in a pot. Supplies can be found at your local Dollar Store, so don’t worry about a hefty price tag! Don’t forget to hang up decorations for Earth Day and place posters or flyers in high-traffic locations with fun facts. Try using facts relevant to your office or the people you employ. Include Earth-saving tips to encourage better global citizenship.

Have fun celebrating Earth Day 2018!

Saving Time And Going Green – Environmentally Friendly Greeting Cards

When choosing my birthday cards this year, I decided to purchase environmentally friendly greeting cards. It’s always nice to play a part in helping the Earth we live on. The cards are still of fabulous quality. There’s nothing lacking, so it just makes sense to do something green. What better way to share my thoughts and wishes to those I care about?

Environmentally Friendly Greeting Cards

Greeting cards always express sincere sentiment. I’ve always enjoyed including a little handwritten note within the cards to add something special. This year, I decided to purchase my cards all at once because I am extremely busy with my job and school activities. It’s difficult to run around to the convenience store on a whim. In order to save myself time and money, I decided to get my own personalized birthday cards. The cards I selected are all recycled paper and show the recipients that I genuinely care about our environment. Inside, I included the family signatures. This is great for us- it’s difficult to get every member of the family to sign cards because we all have very different schedules! Of course I intend on including my little notes within the cards, but the idea of having them pre-signed saves me from scrambling at the last minute!

Environmentally Friendly Greeting Cards for The Green Team

Our town’s Environmental Commission put together a birthday celebration for the Green Team’s President. The Mayor and City Council attended. I only knew the president for a short while and she didn’t smile much. I had just ordered environmentally friendly greeting cards from The Gallery Collection and gave her one. I was thankful I did because after her speech on saving trees she read her birthday cards. The first thing she did before she read the card was flip the card over and look at the back of the card. She got to my card, paused, looked at me, then she smiled and passed my card around to everyone, even the Mayor! She was so impressed that I had given her an exquisite birthday card. Most importantly she was extremely impressed that the cards and envelopes were made out of recycled paper.

Not only were the cards eco-friendly but they were made from renewable energy and manufactured in a paper mill powered by wind-generated, renewable energy. Wind power energy produces zero greenhouse gas emissions, is fully renewable and reduces the need for imported oil. I was the talk of the party! Now she sends everyone eco-friendly personalized birthday cards. There is so much waste that effects our planet and ultimately affects our health. Being part of the Green Team and the Environmental Commission makes me very aware of the negative effects waste has on our planet we call Earth. As I learn more about the environment I realize how much waste is really accumulated, I also realize that the more I do my part in being green the more I can contribute to the future of our planet. I am thankful that there are companies like the Gallery Collection that goes a step forward in preserving our planet.

Spread Christmas Cheer With Recycled Greeting Cards

We all know it is of utmost importance to show your clients how much you value their business. Sending them Christmas cards is a great first step. What’s an even better way, you ask? How about sending them recycled greeting cards? Why not give the best impression you can possibly render?? When you send out environmentally friendly cards, you are providing an excellent example. With today’s economy, it is super important to reuse, recycle, and be “green” in as many ways as we can. Your clients will not only be impressed; they’ll be extremely happy to know that the person they conduct business with is eco-friendly.

Design 725CS - Vintage Holiday Greetings Card
Design 725CS - Vintage Holiday Greetings Card

The Gallery Collection features many Christmas Cards that are FSC certified or are produced with recycled paper. Some of those cards boast proud symbols of our green ways, such as Design 725CS – Vintage Holiday Greeting Card. In addition, our ink is agri-based ink made from vegetable oils extracted from linseed and soy. Why not take pride in the choice of cards you send out, and choose one that is ecological? Your clients will notice your good taste and be pleased. Better yet, you’ll know you’re taking the right steps to help our fragile environment while showing your clients you care!

Saving Paper Twice: Using Environmentally Friendly Holiday Cards

Every year around the holidays, we all send out dozens (sometimes even hundreds!) of greeting cards. Usually, we save some, display some on the mantle or the fridge, but most of them end up in a pile to be recycled. I began buying environmentally friendly holiday cards in order to make my efforts to be festive a little more green, but I still ended up recycling so many holiday cards that I received. It seemed so wasteful that I had almost given up on sending holiday cards and decided to send e-cards instead. Then I went to a friend’s house during the holiday season, and she had streamers made of cards strung up throughout her house. At the top of every doorway and even hanging from one window sill, she had ribbons strung which were holding old greeting cards. I was amazed at her ingenuity in re-using old Christmas cards as decorations. Her idea only works for horizontal cards, however, so I began to give some thought to new ideas of re-using greeting cards to decorate. This is the list of ideas I’ve come up with over the past two holiday seasons:

•    Holiday Postcards:  If I receive a holiday card which only has writing on the one panel inside, I cut the front off of the card and use it as a postcard. I draw the lines and boxes on the blank side and leave the design from the front of the card as the front of the postcard. Then I can mail someone a Christmas postcard! It costs less in postage, too. If the card design is a photograph with no writing on it, many times it is suitable for all occasions, not just holidays.

•    Holiday Streamers: My spin off of my friend’s idea was to create streamers from all kinds of cards: vertical, horizontal, even photo cards. I simply punch a hole in the top and bottom of each card and string a ribbon through the holes. The ribbon covers the back of the card so that the front design can be seen when the streamers are hung. In order to avoid the streamers being too heavy, I usually cut the card in half if it is a folded card and use only the designed half. These streamers look beautiful all over the house, and they can be used year after year. The greatest part is that you’ll never run out of materials!

•    Paper Ornaments: For those of you who want to be even more creative, you can cut ornaments out of old greeting cards. Simply make a stencil of a holiday-related object, such as a candy cane, a stocking, a Christmas tree, a dreidel, a snowflake, or any object that relates best to your holiday traditions. Using the stencil, you can cut out many matching and non-matching objects out of received greeting cards. We decorated our tree with these paper ornaments last year and they looked beautiful! This is a great, easy craft to do with children, and then you can let them color on the blank side if they wish. You can even use a little glitter glue on the edges to make it extra special.

Being eco-friendly can be so much fun, and it can be a money-saving adventure in these trying times. Kids love craft projects, especially around the holidays, and even more so when they know you’ll be displaying their beautiful artwork around the house. These ideas are just a starting point. If you think of more great craft ideas to re-use recycled greeting cards, please comment below and let me know. Happy Recycling!

Eco-Friendly Holiday Cards and Lessons Learned

I consider myself a fairly open-minded person and I also love to learn new things. I remember so many times being in school and learning the lesson for the day and having a light bulb go off in my head as I finally caught on to the concept that my teacher was trying to get across. I see it now in my own children’s faces when they finally get something that I am trying to teach them.

The reason I mention this is because I recently had another light bulb shine bright in my head when I went to order my Christmas cards. It finally occurred to me that I can make a difference in the environment with the purchases I make. So for the first time this year, I am choosing environmentally friendly holiday cards to send to my friends and family. I know there are still a lot of things that I can do in my daily life to be more environmentally friendly but I can honestly say that I do think about the environment and make conscious decisions to help protect it for my myself, my children, and my children’s children. By choosing products that are made using eco-friendly methods, I can make a difference. The Gallery Collection offers many Christmas cards made from wind power as well as recycled cards and also FSC certified energy sources.

I always enjoy sending my greeting cards during the Christmas season but this year, I feel really good about sending environmentally friendly cards. And now I’m off to see what other purchases I can make that will help protect Mother Earth. Any excuse for some more shopping!

Are Environmentally Friendly Greeting Cards The Way To Go?

A card has different meaning for every individual. One person can see it has a special note while another individual can see it as a waste of paper and another tree gone. However, things are different now. Many companies offer environmentally friendly greeting cards that are gentle on our resources but still allow you to express your gratitude, well wishes, and holiday cheer along with your regard for the planet.

One environmentally friendly card that I absolutely love receiving is made on seeded paper. Instead of throwing the card away or storing it in a bin you can plant it and watch a beautiful flower bloom. However, there are some cards that you never want to let go – personalized birthday cards. Personalized cards have that special touch. It shows that the sender thought of you. I store birthday cards in a bin and read them over and over again through the years.

This past birthday, my mother fell ill. I was so focused on my mom that I didn’t get the opportunity to read any of my cards. I place them all in a bin and said I would get back to them shortly. Days, weeks, and months passed – until the other day when I was rearranging the closet and I saw the bin where I store my birthday cards. I received so many thoughtful wishes. Each one had a different note with a wonderful birthday greeting. There was one card that stood out among the rest. The paper was luxurious and it featured gorgeous, sparkling stars. It really caught my eye. Then I saw that it was from my Mom. She wished me a happy birthday and said “I know how you feel about the environment!”

I was a bit puzzled until I turned the card over and saw that it was an environmentally friendly greeting card. I had no idea such a lustrous card could also be good for the planet! It brought a huge smile to my face. In my opinion environmentally friendly greeting cards are definitely the way to go!

Environmentally Friendly Business Holiday Cards – An Inexpensive Way to Make a Statement

Remind the people and companies that you do business with that the environment does not take a back seat to your bottom line. And the festive holiday season is a great time to do just that! Consider sending environmentally friendly business holiday cards to your vendors, business partners and clients. Now, more than ever, they are an inexpensive way to make a statement that your business cares about the planet.

When it comes to holidays cards for business, to send or not to send shouldn’t be the question. Every business wants to enhance their current relationships, attract new clients and customers, remind old clients of their existence, and show appreciation to all of those they do business with.

It does not take much time to make an impact. Get on the internet and visit GalleryCollection.com. You will find plenty of holiday cards that are FSC certified, which means that the raw materials used to make the paper stock were harvested and replenished in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. The paper used to make these beautiful holiday cards is also made with wind power… paper made from renewable energy! Your customers, clients and business partners will be pleased when they see that you have not only reached out with warm holiday wishes, but that you did so in an environmentally friendly way. The icing on the cake is that you do not have to spend a lot of money to send out elegant, rich looking environmentally friendly business holiday cards.