Card-articles

What’s So Great About E-cards?

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:36:35 +0000

Some wonderful person decided to invent something called an e-card. My first e-card produced mixed feelings. I wasn’t sure what I was in for when I found it in my email. However, to my delight, it was uplifting, touching, and funny. What a great way to reach out to people! I was amazed at the ingenuity of the creator. Of course, whenever something is invented, it is inevitable that someone will decide to improve upon what already seems to be a perfect idea. E-cards have evolved into wondrous things, bringing delight to recipients worldwide. There are those which are also printable, to allow the receiver to keep the memory for future reference as a hard copy. If the e-card is interactive, of course, this serves no purpose. The interactive e-card is fun for all. Who can resist clicking on a card and bringing its parts to life! E-cards are used by many online businesses to generate traffic to a web site. It certainly draws attention and brings potential customers who may not be able to resist the information the web site uses to enrich your knowledge of its product or service. Some people may even decide to check out the other parts of the web site as a favor for using the free e-cards. You can customize your e-cards with photos and even videos, which make them much more personal. There are programs available to allow a person to generate their own e-cards rather than using the ones offered by the web sites. This is a gift indeed to those who prefer more control over their choices. Besides which, some people really get a kick out of taking pictures of themselves or others to share with the world. Many people are talented and highly creative with free reign over their own videos. Would you like to send out wedding invitations? Send an e-card! This is indeed a modern approach to an age-old event. Who wouldn’t be delighted to receive an e-card invitation to a wedding? It would certainly perk up the inbox! Of course, e-cards can even be welcoming to those who don’t want pesky invitations. How so? Some people do get pleasure from clicking the delete button, and it won’t clutter up your garbage can! Would you like to send flowers to someone far away, but can’t afford to have it arranged at some expensive gift shop? Just send an e-card with flowers and save yourself tons of money. You can send flowers to as many family and friends as you wish as long as your fingers can stand the pressure on the keyboard and your eyes can focus on the screen! Yay! Everyone’s happy. Would you like to send out party invitations that rock the screen? E-cards can make it fun. Make use of the endless supply of graphics and sound and animation. Delight your friends and family and perk up their usually dreary email. E-cards can also give you a way to connect with someone you may be too shy and insecure to otherwise attempt to communicate with.

What Are Greetings?

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:36:02 +0000

When you dwell on a word, sometimes it can begin to sound foreign. You may start to wonder if the word is truly spelled the way you speak it. Ever grab a dictionary just to check it out? Think of the word “greetings”, for example. How did someone even come up with such a word as greetings? The definition is: the acts or words of one who greets. So, then, what does greet mean? It means to address with friendliness, to meet or receive in a specified way. Well, then, what is the purpose of greeting cards? As one who has studied the English language to any extent, a person should agree that it is one of the hardest languages to learn. Just the word “greetings” should solidify that fact. Greeting cards, for example, do not always address one with friendliness. Sometimes they address a person’s sadness or forgiveness or anger, even grief. But when one thinks of greetings and greeting cards, one thinks first of friendliness or joy. Greetings are meant to bring acknowledgement. Perhaps acknowledgement of something negative, or something positive, or even something completely neutral is in order. Greetings are supposedly a way to touch someone in a kind way. When one sends a greeting card, usually it is for a birthday or maybe even just to say hello and reconnect with a friend or loved one. Sometimes, however, greetings are to comfort. As in when one loses a loved one and a greeting card can touch their heart and ease their loss in a personal way. Sometimes, greetings are a way to bring a smile to someone who has been ill or hospitalized for an accident of some sort. Greeting cards can uplift a lonely soul. They can soothe the pain of a person when he or she may think no one cares. There is such a joy in receiving funny greetings from someone when you have had a terrible day or a terrible week. You open the mailbox and think “What is this?” Maybe there is no name on the outside. Many people send greetings without a return address. It can be considered rude to some to expect anything in return. Maybe you have angered someone or hurt their feelings and need to put your thoughts on paper, but just can’t seem to find the words. All you have to do is go to a store that sells greeting cards and find the perfect solution. It brings a sense of fulfillment to find just the right card. It can also be quite time-consuming for those who don’t really know exactly what it is they wish to send! But, oh, the relief when you finally come across that card that says what you want in just the right way. Many a relationship has been saved by something as simple and low-cost as a greeting card. There are, of course, greetings that are less tasteful when one wishes to convey negative things. I do have to wonder about creators of greeting cards that say things to purposely anger someone. I personally believe it warps the meaning of “greetings” entirely!

Greeting cards with love

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:35:39 +0000

Greeting cards are indeed one of the best ways to reach out and touch the person to whom you wish to convey love. Love is one of the greeting card industry’s best friends. Love sells products. Love sells words and images. Love even sells colors. When you sell greeting cards, you sell emotions. Love is the strongest emotion. The love that is shown with a simple greeting card can start a relationship that will last a lifetime. Whether it be a friendship-only type of love or a relative reconnecting with another relative after a long absence of closeness, or the most common love of a couple seeking that special bond, a greeting card can play a big part. Anytime a greeting card is given to someone who is in pain, it shows a love of someone who cares. When a person is hospitalized for a life-long illness, a greeting card can be a daily reminder, placed by the bedside, that the person is not alone in their suffering. When someone has suffered a hurt with another kind of pain, the pain of losing someone loved to death or separation, a greeting card can show a tender love of compassion. When someone has hurt feelings, a greeting card can show a love from empathy or a request for forgiveness. When a small child has been separated from their parent, grandparent, sibling, or even a best friend, a greeting card can send love across the miles. Love is the most tender of emotions. The pictures on a greeting card can show love to introduce the caring that is placed inside with the words of the card. It helps clarify and create the mood when a greeting card has a loving picture as a preview to the feelings inside. The card may even help melt a hardened heart that has closed itself off to love. Never underestimate the power of a greeting card meant to send a bit of love. While some scoff at the simple act of a card given, others depend upon the card’s power to smooth the way for a deeper relationship with the recipient. A person’s favorite colors, favorite flowers, favorite animals, or a hobby shown on the front of the card can touch something inside their hearts or jog a long-lost fond memory. The person then opens the card and may smile if a smile has not yet been forthcoming. Once they read the words that were chosen with care, it will seal the mood. After that, it is often only a bit of time before a phone call or letter or even an email of much awaited thanks will evolve. Once more, love is revived and celebrated. Greeting cards….so simple and yet a saving grace for many. It should jog the memory to recall the nervousness with which the first greeting card was given by a shy teen to a sweet first love. Maybe the memory is of a lonely elderly person trying to find a soul-mate after years of missing their spouse. Whatever the memory, you can bet there is a greeting card involved somewhere along the line!

All About Postcards

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:35:14 +0000

Not many people think about or discuss postcards anymore. Postcards are usually associated with travel. When someone takes a trip, they may say, “I’ll send a postcard.” Postcards are sold in most convenience stores and travel stops and are the lowest cost greeting card one can find. The low rate on a postcard certainly makes it user friendly for even the lowest budget. Although the postal rates have risen, the postcard is still a mere twenty-four cents a stamp to send. Not a bad price to send a greeting to someone to keep in touch. Postcards were not created for long, windy letter writers, but for the short notes that get to the point. Whereas you can have room to write quite a bit inside a regular greeting card, the postcard allows for very little, but sometimes a little says a lot! A normal postcard size is 3-1/2 inches tall by 5 inches long. The card is divided usually on one side, with room for a note on the left and a space for the stamp and address on the other side of the line. The “front” of the card is usually a picture of some sort, such as the state to which the person has traveled. Although cards can be made from several different materials, I’ve even bought a postcard made of what appeared to be copper, with the picture as a 3-D type molded into the card. Postcards were patented in 1861 by a gentleman in Philadelphia. However, the first in the United States was created in 1893. Printers published this type of greeting card for a penny. There were eras in which the type of postcards changed. There was a linen era, a photochrome era, and in France, erotic postcards appeared in 1910. The British created cartoon postcards, also known as “saucy” for their humor. Who knew something as simple as a postcard could be so complex!? There are at least 22 defined postcard terms. There are postcard collectors, postcard publishing houses, postcard books, postcard pals, postcard associations, exchange sites, and web sites all about postcards. You can even create an online postcard, which actually look cute and appealing. There is a company that creates something similar to a postcard, but it has unusual shapes. The company had to get permission to allow these type postcards to go through the mail without an envelope. There are postcards that include facts, which can be quite impressive. I once bought a postcard with an Indian alphabet listed, which involved pictures with interpretations. Postcards can show miniature maps of an area, which could be helpful. Postcards are used also to enter contests. Many contests will state that you may enter by putting your name and address and phone number on a postcard to mail to their company, no purchase needed to enter. Of course, you do have to buy your own postcard and stamp! Although, if you enter a contest with a postcard, I would think that would take the “greeting card” definition away from the card. After all, a contest entry isn’t a greeting.

All About Ecards

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:34:48 +0000

Perhaps one of the best things about the internet is the availability of the ecard, also known as the electronic greeting card. There is such a huge selection of sites that offer ecards, it is almost impossible to even conceive of a number. The word “free” might in a sense be misleading, since the sites have to have some sort of income to exist. Hence, pop-up ads and cookies that provide for the junk mail we must endure for the seemingly free ecards. But to many, it is but a minor annoyance to endure such things for the sake of something free. Anything free seems to be a way to grab attention immediately, however temporary it may be for those who quickly learn that free is not always what it seems. Ecards exist in an immense variety. You have the ever-popular all-occasion sites, of course. There are the miniclip ecards, animated ecards, talking ecards, musical ecards ecards that contribute to a cause for a small and hopeful contribution, religious ecards, flash and Java ecards, and free ecards if you subscribe to the site. Of course, that means more pop-ups and cookies will be inevitably coming your way. But, alas, we must have advertising! Ecards are vast and interesting. The ecards with themes should win over anyone who has an obsession, such as Elvis or teddy bears or even motorcycles. You also have ecards for all occasions and festivals of India. There are Hindu ecards as well. Certain web sites even allow public participation. You are allowed to submit your own pictures, drawings, photographs. It’s amazing how many web sites you can come across that offer free ecards. Know, as well, that you can use different keywords to search for the ecards. Not to forget, the different search engines should provide differing results. The invention of the ecard was certainly an invention for the curious. It might also be an invention to cause dismay should you have a slow internet connection or should your computer suddenly shut-down on you before you are allowed to finish viewing your ecard from a much-adored friend or loved one. It’s like trying to view a card you receive in snail mail, only to have it snatched out of your hand before you get to the much-awaited punch line. Oh, the horror! I suppose there are those who are hooked on sending ecards. They are, after all, a source of amusement for many. Most people do need a good hearty laugh. However, sending in bulk could be viewed in bad taste. No one wants their in-box of email to be overwhelmed, even by ecards. So, please use discretion and self-control when you discover the interesting and joyous world of ecards. Besides, isn’t there some sort of rules to govern good manners, even when using our rights to something free? It’s like taking the whole stack of napkins off the restaurant table when you really only need a few. Someone somewhere has to pay for them, and though they do offer them for free, there’s really no need to be greedy.

All About Birthday Cards

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:34:22 +0000

Birthday cards come in all shapes and sizes, types and methods. You can get funny birthday cards, emotional birthday cards, and children’s birthday cards. The best place to easily find cheap birthday cards is to go to a discount store like Walmart. However, if you want something really flashy, or just like to spend a lot of money on your friends and family, you can always shop for birthday cards at a specialty store like Hallmark. You can also find great birthday cards online. You can find them to order in print, order in bulk, or order several different birthday cards for many occasions at the same time. Alternatively, you can send birthday cards electronically, through email. There are many websites that allow you to pick your general birthday card, then add your own birthday or other message to the birthday card. You can also send musical birthday cards and animated birthday cards. While some of these services are free, many of them require registration. One thing that is becoming very common is hand made birthday cards. You can find handmade birthday cards at flee markets and craft shops. You can also occasionally find handmade birthday cards at wholesale clubs like Sam’s Club and Costco. You may think that handmade birthday cards are expensive, but really they can be quite reasonable. You can often find boxes of handmade birthday cards for around ten to thirty dollars. These days birthday cards come in all shapes and sizes, and all genres. You can find birthday cards related to every child’s age from one to eighteen. You can also find birthday cards related to every landmark age, such as age twenty-one, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, and eighty. I imagine they also have birthday cards for ages ninety and one-hundred, but I haven’t seen them. You may need to special order these birthday cards, as few people reach that old age in today’s society. Themed birthday cards are a lot of fun. Themes such as “over the hill” are very popular. My father received an over the hill birthday card with the phrase “you’re a national treasure…unfortunately the government has failed to allocate funds to your maintenance.” These birthday cards are very humorous, and make older men especially feel much better about having their birthday. There are also themed birthday cards for the younger generation. Birthday cards with sexy women, alcohol, or crude gestures are very popular with today’s young people. There are also Disney themed birthday cards for younger children. These birthday cards include themes such as Disney Princesses, Cars, Aladdin, and other Disney favorites. Some of these birthday cards are pop-ups, and some of them are musical. Disney birthday cards are always a lot of fun to open, read, and play with again and again. It’s almost like another toy! The best way to learn about birthday cards is to visit the birthday card isle at any department store, discount store, or Hallmark store. Birthday cards are so versatile, you are sure to find a birthday card perfect for your son, daughter, grandchild, spouse, or other friend or family member.

All About Post Cards

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:33:54 +0000

Post cards are a great way to let people know how you are doing and what you are up to when you are away from home. However, there are many other times when you might send a postcard to someone. Postcards have their distinct advantages over other types of greetings like greeting cards and personal letters. First, they are shorter, and take less time out of your busy schedule or fun filled vacation to prepare and send off. Second, the cost of a postcard is minimal compared to the cost of a greeting card or special stationary. Finally, postcards are handy because they cost less in postage to mail to your loved ones. Almost anything can be a postcard. You can create a postcard out of a regular 5″ X 7″ index card. Simply draw a line through half of the back of the card, and write the name and address you would like the post card to go to. Then, on the other half, you can write your message. This is an ideal way to send post cards, because you can write on the back of the index card if you run out of room. Simply stick the stamp on the corner, and mail! You can send a postcard from anywhere in the world while you are traveling for business or on vacation with your family. Postcards are also a great way to stay in touch while on a honeymoon, because you don’t have to take time away from your new spouse to chit chat on the phone or write a lengthy letter. By sending a postcard, you valuable time is spent with your new husband or wife, and your friends and family back home still know you are doing alright and you’re still alive. Post cards can be sent at any time, from anywhere. If you just want to let someone know that you have been busy and would like to get together for dinner sometime, you can send them a postcard. You could also send them an online postcard if you are really pressed for time. Post cards also make great invitations. Not only are they fun, brief, and to the point, they cost less to send. This can be a great advantage if you are having dinner parties often, or if you are planning a wedding, second wedding, anniversary party, family reunion, or vow renewal ceremony. These events can often involve hundreds of people, and sending post cards is quicker, cheaper and less time consuming than invitations. One advantage to using post cards as invitations is that you can print the postcards on your computer. Simply obtain a free template from the internet, and enter your event information on one side. Then you can print the post card invitations. Use labels and a word processor to create address labels for the to and from sections of the postcard. Stick on the labels, fix on a stamp, and you’re ready to go! As you can see, post cards carry many advantages, and can be used in many more instances than many people believe. Buy a batch of post cards and send them out to your friends and family today!

All About Online Greeting Cards

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:33:23 +0000

Everyone enjoys sending and receiving greeting cards. But not everyone has the money or the time to put into buying and sending greeting cards to their loved ones. That is where online greeting cards come into play. Online greeting cards are more economical because they cost pennies compared to dollars. Some are even free! Online greeting cards are sent by email, so you also save the cost of postage. If your Christmas card list is especially long, that can be a big bonus! Online greeting cards are also more personalized. You can set them up with personalized music, graphics, animations, names, ages, anniversary numbers, and other features. This way you know that the person you are sending an online greeting card to really enjoys the online greeting card that they receive. It will be something to be cherished for all time. Online greeting cards can be found at many websites that you already visit such as Yahoo, Google, MSN, Excite, Lycos, and Alta Vista. Online greeting cards can also be found at websites such as Blue Mountain Arts. Do a simple internet search for online greeting cards, and be surprised as you see how many links come up! Other online greeting cards can be created using your word processing or desktop publishing software with your email. You can create a one page or two column document that you design yourself. This allows for even more personalization for your online greeting card! Insert pictures from a birthday or family reunion, fun graphics related to the person’s hobby or one of your own, embed sound files to make it play your voice or a special song, and include your own poetry, story, or message. You can take this online greeting card one step further using Microsoft Word by setting up the greeting as a mail merge, and sending it through your Outlook email to everyone on your list. The mail merge will automatically fill in the personal names and email addresses, so that each online greeting card sent will be just for that person. Create one online greeting card and send it to everyone on your Christmas list at the touch of a button. All for free! Online greeting card templates can be found to make creating your own online greeting cards simple and easy. They can easily be personalized and altered, just as with other online greeting cards. The difference is that the online greeting card is saved on your computer so that you can use it again and again. You can use these online greeting card templates to do the merge described above and send to everyone on your online greeting card list quickly and easily, but without putting as much effort into the design of the online greeting card. As you can see, online greeting cards are a great way to send greeting cards to everyone in your family and all of your friends, for any occasion. They can be found by doing a simple internet search, save you money, save time and effort, and allow you to personalize. No doubt about it, online greeting cards are definitely the way to go!

Types of Greeting Cards

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:32:49 +0000

Greeting cards are a great way to celebrate any occasion, or just let someone know you are thinking of them. You can find greeting cards for birthdays, anniversaries, missing you, valentines, thinking of you, friendship, mother’s day, father’s day, retirement, thank you, and any other occasion you may think of. Anniversary greeting cards are very popular. You can find many types of greeting cards for anniversaries. Many anniversary greeting cards are specifically designed for the landmark anniversaries, such as five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty five, thirty, forty, and fifty. There are anniversary greeting cards to wife from husband, to husband from wife, to parents from son or daughter, to grandparents from grandson or granddaughter, and even from niece or nephew to aunts and uncles. There are also funny and sentimental anniversary greeting cards. Missing you greeting cards are fantastic for friends who are far from each other. You can find funny or sentimental missing you cards for any occasion, whether you are on vacation, or simply live far apart from one another. Missing you greeting cards are also available for lovers, husbands and wives, and other occasions. You can even find missing you greeting cards for people who are in jail or prison, if you go to the right kind of greeting card store. Valentine’s greeting cards are very popular. You can find valentine’s greeting cards for children to pass out in classes and to friends, valentines to send to grandparents or parents, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, friends and family. There are funny and sentimental valentine’s greeting cards available. Some are even sexy or gratuitous in nature. Thinking of you and friendship greeting cards are great for letting someone know you care about them. Even if you live in the same town, or even on the same street, you can send a greeting card to someone who is feeling down in the dumps. It is proven that when people get greeting cards in the mail, it raises their spirits and makes them happy to know that someone cares. That is exactly why they have thinking of you and friendship greeting cards! You can get religious, family oriented, friendship, sentimental, or funny friendship and thinking of you greeting cards. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are great times for letting your parents, or anyone who has acted like your parents, know how much you care about them by sending them a greeting card. There are greeting cards available for mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, grandparents, step-fathers, step-mothers, adopted fathers and mothers, and anyone else that might have had a hand in raising you as a child. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day greeting cards are no longer just for mothers and fathers. These greeting cards are for everyone! Other types of greeting cards include retirement greeting cards, thank you greeting cards, I’m sorry greeting cards, and Get Well greeting cards. You can find funny greeting cards, sentimental greeting cards, sexy greeting cards, or simple greeting cards with just a picture. The best greeting card, anyone will tell you, is one that comes from the heart.

All About Holiday Traditions

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:32:18 +0000

Holiday traditions vary from country to country, faith to faith, family to family. But some holiday traditions are very universal, and practiced all over the world. There are holiday traditions for Independence Day, Christmas, Hanukah, Easter, Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and other holidays. Christmas holiday traditions usually include a Christmas Eve dinner party, with plenty of egg nog, caroling, and good spirits. Holiday dinners on Christmas Day are typically turkey and stuffing, ham, or lamb with lots of yummy sides like mashed potatoes, yams, and other holiday foods. Perhaps the biggest and most popular holiday tradition is holiday greeting cards sent to everyone on your Christmas card list. In recent years, new traditions have been formed to include a Christmas letter with the holiday card, that is a summary of what your family has been up to the previous year. Hanukah is an important holiday for those of Jewish faith, but basically consists of the same family, big dinner, and gift giving elements as Christmas. When family cannot be together for this holiday, send your loved ones a dradel and holiday card to let them know that they are still involved in the family holiday celebration. Thanksgiving holiday traditions in America include holiday turkey, and football games. It’s a time for family, and letting everyone you care about how much you are thankful for their very existence. That is the essence of this holiday-thanksgiving, of course! Because we all lead such busy lives in today’s society, and family cannot always be present on these special holidays, a new tradition has arisen. Thanksgiving holiday cards are now available to send to all of your loved ones who can’t come to Thanksgiving dinner and watch the games with you. Unfortunately, the turkey and big screen tv don’t fit into the envelope! Easter holiday traditions usually include an Easter egg hunt, baskets full of candy left by the Easter bunny, and church services dressed in, well, Sunday best. Easter holiday traditions are probably the favorite for most children, and the bane for most parents due to the sugar high. However, Easter is really first and foremost a time to celebrate Christ and family. When you cannot have family present for this important holiday, send them an online holiday greeting from the Easter bunny to lift their spirits. Independence Day is a very important holiday to Americans, especially in light of recent world events. With the war on terrorism in full swing, those who should most celebrate this holiday are not in America, but the Middle East. For those who miss out on fireworks and good spirits, it can be a depressing time. Cheer up our soldiers with a holiday greeting card, letting them know that we recognize their efforts for our country and the flag for which they fight. The most important element to any holiday is family. When family cannot be with you for one reason or another, it is important that they aren’t left out. Sending a holiday greeting card can change that around. A simply holiday greeting card and a special phone call spreading holiday cheer can make it feel like you are together, no matter how many miles may separate you.