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Happy spring cleaning! Tags: business greeting cards, Greeting Cards, Office Cleanup, Spring Cleaning
Greeting cards do not have to be generic items you buy individually at the drugstore. They can be powerful business tools to keep in your office at all times to use as valuable marketing pieces. You can always order your greeting cards online and personalize them with your company logo. This instantly transforms a card into a powerful and thoughtful tool to reach employees and customers. CardsDirect recommends that you always print your logo inside your card to ensure your brand stays with the customer long after they read your message. Keep a high quality logo on file so you can upload it to your CardsDirect order at the time of purchase. We have a professional graphics team ready to check over your logo before printing. Your logo is important for your company, and it makes good business sense to print it on all your greeting cards. Tags: business greeting cards, Greeting Cards, Logo Cards  C/O Envelope Addressing Many times we are asked how to send greeting cards or invitations to someone who may be living somewhere other than their main address. The term “c/o” comes in handy in these instances. This familiar collection of letters is short for in “care of”. It lets the post office know that the address is correct and that you know that person is not the main recipient at that particular street address. It comes in handy when sending mail to someone who may be visiting someone else. You are sending their mail “in care of” another person’s address. For example, this is how you would address an envelope to Mary Smith when she is visiting Jane Doe. Mary Smith You can use this also when you are sending correspondence to someone at their office address. Here is an example: Mr. John Doe And always include your return address on any letters or cards mailed so the post office can easily return them to you if they need to for any reason. Tags: envelope addressing, etiquette, Greeting Cards, Invitations Now is a great time to go ahead and order your holiday cards! Beat the rush by ordering early so you can get them all signed, addressed, and ready to mail before the holiday shopping, cooking and decorating madness begins. And to make them extra special, stick a 1st Class US Postage Stamp on them that will complement the card design itself and entice the recipient to look inside that special envelope. Here are the holiday stamps available for the 2011 holiday season. No licking necessary anymore, the designs are chosen especially to fill the bill on religious Christmas cards to contemporary Holiday cards, Hanukkah Cards and Kwanzaa cards too. It currently costs $.44 to mail a card but the price will increase to $.45 in January. You’ll be money ahead though as these are all Forever Stamps so you can use them… forever, thus avoiding price increases.
Perfect for anyone on your holiday card list, each of these colorful stamps features a colorful ornament in bold colors and designs topped with fanciful bows. The illustrator, Linda Fountain, from Hilton Head Island, SC, sketched the images based on styles from the 1950s, then used cut paper to complete the designs. Fun and festive, these Holiday Baubles add a touch of excitement to any holiday card envelope.
Religious Christmas Cards celebrate the reason for the season and this illustration of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus was painted in oil by the Italian master, Raphael in or around 1513. Entitled “Madonna of the Candelabra”, the painting is now in the collection of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. The image on the stamp is just a portion of a larger painting.
The bold colors of this Kwanzaa stamp clearly show the celebration that takes place over seven days beginning on December 26 each year. The first Kwanzaa commemorative stamp was issued in 1997 with new designs issued in 2004 and 2009, making this the fourth stamp in this series. The design by Daniel Minter was first carved into a linoleum block, then scanned into a computer and colorized. The stamp celebrates family and the colors of Kwanzaa.
The Jewish Festival of Lights is commemorated with this Hanukkah stamp for 2011. The fourth stamp in the series, this one was created by Suzanne Kleinwaks of Falls Church, Virginia. The bold and colorful shapes symbolize the eight days and nights of the Hanukkah celebration with one designed to look like a spinning dreidel, a familiar toy children traditionally play with during the holidays. Sticking a real postage stamp on holiday cards is much more personal than running them through a postage meter. And wouldn’t you agree that you tend to open mail with stamps on them first when sifting through everything that appears in your mailbox? Tags: business holiday cards, CardsDirect, Christmas Cards, Greeting Cards, hanukkah cards, Holiday Cards, kwanzaa cards, personalized holiday cards, Postage Stamps Did you know that the holiday season has already started! Yes, the phones are ringing and orders are flooding in for this years personalized holiday cards. Christmas may be in December but now is a great time to order your Christmas cards online. To help you know what to look for in a supplier, consider these 5 tips. 1. Super Selection- Make sure you have more than enough card designs to choose from. For professional season’s greetings for your business clients and partners, to photo holiday cards for friends and family, you don’t want to be limited in design selections. 2. Creative Customization- You should be able to pick a verse that lets you say what you want to say. The best online holiday card suppliers will give you verses to choose from and/or allow you to create your very own. There should be plenty of space available for your text and you should get to pick the type styles and colors printed so your card is uniquely yours.  Holiday Photo Card 3. Price and Performance- Many card companies will offer discounts and promo codes but make sure the bottom line is no surprise. Watch out for those that show what looks like a low price but then add on costs for such things as personalization, uploading photos, proofs, envelopes and outrageous shipping charges. And make sure they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee before you click that Order button. 4. Quality you can Trust- It is often difficult to tell just what card quality you may end up with when ordering online. Make sure you are pleasantly surprised with your final order by reading online reviews. Also look to see if the company will provide free samples for you to review before placing your order. A trusted company like CardsDirect.com will have been successfully in business for over 10 years. 5. Easy Online Ordering- A card that looks great and is affordable is fantastic but if you can’t easily place your order, it matters not! Look for a site that lets you put in all of your details and easily walks you through the order entry process. And if you can’t find someone to help via email, phone, fax or live chat, keep looking until you find a company who is there to help you if you have any questions along the way. Ordering your holiday cards is a once-a-year experience and should be something you have fun doing! The goal is to be proud of the cards you send so that those who receive them will appreciate you and enjoy a happy holiday season! Tags: business holiday cards, cards, CardsDirect, cardsdirect.com, Christmas Cards, corporate-holiday-cards, Greeting Cards, Holiday Cards, personalized holiday cards, Photo Cards, Photo Holiday Cards  Cursive Handwriting Did you know that those born after 1980 actually text almost as much as they talk. And as for the art of handwriting, forget about it! They’ve never really seen the need to put pen, or even pencil to paper! Sadly, we are witnessing the death of handwriting, not because it was never learned, but rather because no one is ever asked to use this skill past the third grade. Don’t you miss seeing lovely cursive penmanship with curly, slightly leaning letters? The Coca-Cola logo is a great example of just simple cursive letters that identify a brand. Think back to your elementary years. Learning how to write in cursive was exciting and something you looked forward to learning. It meant you were more grown up! It is now up to each and every one of us to work with the younger generations to keep this art alive. What can you do to help? Consider these suggestions: 1) Sit down together and write thank you cards. Children learn by example so set a good one! They can be simple thanks for just about anything, not just gifts. 2) Make your shopping list out in cursive. Ask each family member to add whatever they need in cursive as well. Bet you won’t end up having to buy nearing as many unnecessary items! 3) Write to someone you’ve not contacted in a while. Have children add a line or two to a note you’ve started, in cursive of course. 4) Have everyone add their weekly activities to a monthly calendar in cursive. Bet appointments won’t be forgotten! 5) Stuff a happy note in a backpack, purse or briefcase and make someone’s day! There is really no end to the opportunities to dust off your handwriting skills if you slow down and take a few minutes. You may actually find that it is fun too! Do you have suggestions for helping to keep this art alive? Tags: cursive, Greeting Cards, handwriting, note cards, notecards, Thank You Cards  How To Get Ur Love Back ” />Holiday Photo Card Good question! I’m admittedly biased but let me give you a number of reasons why it does make sense to send holiday cards to your friends, family, customers and business associates every year. 1) In this age of digital communication, a traditional greeting card received in the mail is a special and unexpected surprise. This highly personal form of communication is sincere and meaningful. And they’re fun to ooh and ah over too! 2) Remembering someone with a “real” card that is stuffed in an envelope with a stamp on it and mailed shows you care about them and value their friendship or business. 3) Cards sent during the holiday season are usually displayed and enjoyed for several weeks. For businesses, that means your company name is on display for all to see. In effect, you are advertising your company and showing you care about those you do business with. 4) Holiday cards sent once a year give you an opportunity to stay connected and build loyalty so that friends and business associates you don’t see all that often won’t forget about you! And let’s be honest, isn’t it fun to see those family photo cards from afar? 5) If you are looking for a way to stand out, consider sending Thanksgiving cards in advance of the traditional Christmas card rush or New Year cards that will get the New Year off to a great start. Annual holiday cards are fun to send and to receive. There is a reason Christmas cards have been popular for over 150 years. Why do you send them? Tags: Business Christmas Cards, business holiday cards, CardsDirect, Christmas Cards, Greeting Cards, Holiday Cards, New Years Cards, personalized greeting cards, Photo Cards, thanksgiving cards Staying ahead of the competition means you have to go the extra mile. Here are some inexpensive and easy ways to do just that in the form of personalized stationery. Think how special you’d feel if you received an unexpected card from a business that showed they cared about you. Here are 5 instances when personalized greeting cards can be used to help you stay connected, build new relationships, strengthen loyalty or just let someone know they matter to you and your business.  Birthday Cards 1. Birthday Cards- A birthday is one special day of the year that gives you an added opportunity to reach out and remember someone in a special and unexpected way. If you don’t know the birthdates of those with whom you do business, now is a great time to ask. And it isn’t necessary to know the year, just the day and month! And don’t forget your employee’s birthdays! Showing you care goes miles to build company loyalty.  Anniversary Card 2. Anniversary Cards- Show appreciation for a year on the job or mark the anniversary of a big sale or partnership. Often a nice surprise, remembering a special milestone shows your business is organized, thoughtful and sincere.  Welcome Card 3. Welcome Cards- Welcome new clients to your business family with expected welcome cards. And remember a new employee on their first day with a warm greeting that will help them feel connected.  Get Well Card 4. Get Well Cards- Anyone would feel a little bit better if they received a thoughtful get well card when they’re not feeling their best. A personalized card from your business shows you care about them and their wellbeing. Wish clients, business associates and employees a speedy recover so they’ll be back to full speed soon!  Sympathy Card 5. Sympathy Cards- Let someone know they and their family are in your thoughts by remembering them during a time of sorrow. What other personalized greeting cards do you use? We’ll share 5 more suggestions in our next blog so be sure and come back to see if our list matches yours! Tags: anniversary cards, Birthday Cards, business greeting cards, business stationery, corporate greeting cards, get well cards, Greeting Cards, Sympathy Cards, welcome cards
Greeting. Begin at the beginning by naming the person your thanks is directly to. Sounds simple but many forget to begin with a Dear “So and So” when writing their note of thanks. Specifics. Try not to be vague when expressing your thanks. Mention the item that you received. It can be short and simple like, “Thank you very much for the nice shirt.” If the gift was cash, don’t mention the amount; just thank them “for their generosity”. Elaborate. Add a little bit about how you might use the gift or what it means to you. You don’t have to go into great detail but an extra sentence here will give your note more meaning. Closing. Bring the thanks to an end by adding a comment such as, “It was great to see you” or “I look forward to seeing you soon”. Then add a simple wrap-up like, “Thank you again for your thoughtful gift.” See, simple! Just the idea that you took the time to sit down and jot a quick line as well as address and mail actual thank you cards as opposed to an email or phone call means you have class and proper etiquette! A gracious thank you now will be returned in other ways in the future so get busy and jump on those thank yous the next time you are lucky enough to receive special something from someone who deserves your appreciation. Tags: Greeting Cards, thank you card etiquette, Thank You Cards, Thank-you-notes
The American Red Cross is one of the first responders in times of need so don’t wait, volunteer now. Contact your local chapter if you are interested so that you can be trained and ready to go when needed. There is always a need for doctors, nurses, paramedics and medical technicians but there are plenty of opportunities for others as well. Their site includes a thorough presentation on how you can get involved. During a natural disaster local television stations are a good source for quick news updates and immediate information. You can find a local network affiliate with a quick online search. Often they will let you know where or what help is needed and how to donate your time or energy. As you can imagine, local churches, corporations and community centers will do whatever they can during a crisis but they are called into action immediately and won’t have time to answer your individual questions. Rather than contact them, wait to see what needs they put out a call for and then fill those needs as directed. Often websites are put together immediately by someone local. They may be resources for those who are affected with suggestions on where to go for immediate help or how to contact family members. Or they may be asking for donations or volunteers. An online search will uncover these sites but please remember that just about anyone can create a website these days so do a bit of research to make sure it is a legitimate source of information. And never give out your credit card number or send money until you are certain you know where it is going and how it will be used! There is always someone in need of help somewhere so don’t wait. Take a class that will prepare you to help others, like CPR training, or offer your skills by teaching a water safety course, for example. Begin a local drive now to gather resources that might be needed elsewhere later. And remember blood donations are always needed. Donating and volunteering doesn’t have to happen just around natural disasters. At CardsDirect we support many organizations and people in need. From receiving unused greeting cards and donating them to non-profits as well as sponsoring charitable organizations through partnerships, it always feels good to help others when we can and I’m sure you would agree! To find current volunteer opportunities in your area, consult the VolunteerMatch.org website that lists needs in your zip code and close by. Nothing feels better than helping others! Tags: CardsDirect, charity, disasters, donating, Greeting Cards, red cross, volunteering |
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It isn’t just computers that sucked the life or ink out of handwriting, standardized tests contributed as well. Teachers have limited time to teach so are forced to concentrate on the skills needed for these tests and handwriting isn’t a part of them so attention to that part of the daily classroom learning was been sadly pushed aside. 
