vistaprint - the one stop printing shop are offering everyone free thank you cards!   Yes, that's FREE Notecards from VistaPrint.com!which can't be bad after recent weeks of heavy spending. 

Like most printing and card retailers, they appreciate that once the gift giving and getting season has passed, many of us like to write a note or two in appreciation. 

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Written by Geraldine Jozefiak
Craft Expert and Demonstrator

For your FREE 28 page guide 'Never Run Out of Things To Write In Greeting Cards Again' Click Here

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A 2008 calendar is a traditional gift at Christmas time and also one of the must have items for those of us who like to plan our lives a bit!  Vistaprint - the premium quality photo design and print firms and now offering you one of the best calendar deals of the year.

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2008 calendar calendar calendars online calendar
Written by Geraldine Jozefiak
Craft Expert and Demonstrator

For your FREE 28 page guide 'Never Run Out of Things To Write In Greeting Cards Again' Click Here

Sometimes a thank you card just isn't enough to show your appreciation for a thoughtful, or seasonal gift.  There are times when you want to make a bigger, brighter or 'fresher' display of thanks.  These are the moments when a Thank You Gift Basket or arrangement does just the job.

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thank you cards thank you gift
Written by Geraldine Jozefiak
Craft Expert and Demonstrator

For your FREE 28 page guide 'Never Run Out of Things To Write In Greeting Cards Again' Click Here

Gift cards - feel, felt, found. Perhaps the title wasn't my best, but two things to recommend to you here.

One - a great idea for a card which I haven't come across before. It;'s from Happy House Quilts. This is a delightful place to browse and not just for those into quilting.

What's nice to see is the combination of new ideas.  Is it a gift or is it a card?

It's really two things in one - a brooch and a card.  And it'll be perfect for all those gift occaasions wehn you want to give a card plus a little something else.  Nothing too large, nothing too expensive, and something easy to post.

 I heard about them from Craftzine which is full of all things crafty and a great place to stop and take a look around.

Craft cards are so popular at the moment - as are crafts in general so anything which brings together two different art forms will have a interested public. 

I love anything textural and visually interesting like this - and even if you aren't tempted to purchase, you could always take the idea and incorporate it into your handmade cards, stretching your card-making techniques.  If you're a crafter you're bound to have some felt or offcuts around. 

Perhaps you could play around with different shaped leaves and add your own calligraphy or art at the bottom. 

Do a bit of lateral thinking and allow your brain to go for a brain walk.

I don't think we take enough time out to just 'be'.  We're all too busy being busy that sometimes we should allow our creative nature to just 'be'.

Perhaps I should recommend some books on creative thinking and mind maps.  Which reminds me - how did I get onto  this when I was talking about brooches?

 It just shows you how inventive our minds are, and if we put them to work, there's really no limit to where they'll take us.

 

gift card
Written by Geraldine Jozefiak
Craft Expert and Demonstrator

For your FREE 28 page guide 'Never Run Out of Things To Write In Greeting Cards Again' Click Here

                                            I love Facebook and I love Moo cards.  They’re right in their with Web 2. 0. social  bookmarking offering a people's card store.  If you love Facebook – this is the site for you!  You can print direct from your Facebook photos through the direct link facility to your Facebook Account. I knew this was in the planning and now it's here, I'm impressed.

This Moo card printing services creates excellent paper cards that you can personalize with your own print choices and words. 

And you can choose how many of what design you get in your pack.!  What versatility, what a novel idea.  You’re no longer bound by the pre-packed images. 

Not only can you pick and choose which of the many images to load from their ‘photo stream’ by mixing, matching – or deleting, you get to have a say in how many of the images you get of each.  The more you delete the more you get of the remaining images.  Simple?  It’s child’s play.

Moo have been kicking up a storm for some time now.  They started in Business Cards and have moved into Greeting Cards because of the obvious pull of create and print options offered by the big online companies.

The joy is that once you get comfortable with their system you can order mini cards, note cards, greeting cards and stickers. Let’s look at the choices:

MOO Greeting Cards made from your Facebook photos. Use up to 100 different photos Only a few days left on this promotion, so get cracking.

MOO MiniCards - £9.99 for 100 unique photo cards

MOO Greeting Cards  featuring up to 10 of your favorite images. Pack of 10 cards and envelopes. Remember, you get to pick and choose how many of each photo.

MOO Stickers 90 vinyl peel off stickers in a handy tear and share book.  Great for all sorts of things!.  6 desigsn per sheet and choose from 6 colors.

You can also get mini note card holders, gift certificates and of course, their original business cards.  

The process is really simple: and you can explore their photo themes through their search box.  The layout is clear, crisp yet colorful and  is surely a winner.

 MOO MiniCards, Stickers & Greeting Cards made from your Facebook photos. Use up to 100 different photos.

facebook moo cards paper greeting cards
Written by Geraldine Jozefiak
Craft Expert and Demonstrator

For your FREE 28 page guide 'Never Run Out of Things To Write In Greeting Cards Again' Click Here

The Visa Gift Card has arrived! It’s the modern way to give ‘credit’.  Forget vouchers, coin cards and redeemable coupons.  Microchip has made things simple. You can now give personalized credit cards as gifts. And with the highly respected Visa name behind it, this has come just in time for the holidays!

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prepaid visa gift card visa gift card visa gift cards
Written by Geraldine Jozefiak
Craft Expert and Demonstrator

For your FREE 28 page guide 'Never Run Out of Things To Write In Greeting Cards Again' Click Here

Confidently writing a greeting card message can be one of the  most difficult parts of the card giving process.

We think we’ve done the hard bit in finally choosing the right type of card for the occasion.  We put all our energies into deciding on the most appropriate style and form of card and then after all that effort we’re faced with another decision! 

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Greeting Card how to write a sympathy card how to write a thank you card
Written by Geraldine Jozefiak
Craft Expert and Demonstrator

For your FREE 28 page guide 'Never Run Out of Things To Write In Greeting Cards Again' Click Here

Many of us, at some time or other have had reason to say sorry sorry.  Apologizing isn’t easy for any of us, and it takes an open heart – and practice.

It can often be easier to write, than to say.  And it may be an occasion when to begin with at least, you’ll feel it’s sufficient just to say sorry, without adding to it too much. 

But going the extra few yards, by adding those extra words will really make a difference to the one you’re apologizing to.

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sorry sorry blame it on me
Written by Geraldine Jozefiak
Craft Expert and Demonstrator

For your FREE 28 page guide 'Never Run Out of Things To Write In Greeting Cards Again' Click Here

Doing Origami paper folding using specialist paper is a delight and highly recommended for creators of handmade cards.  I’ve written before about the sensuous nature of origami papers as a Tea Bag Folding and Origami fan.

We crafters, no longer content to handle bought cards, have the pleasure of ‘housing’ our own regular stack of touch-feely papers.  At any time we can pull out, admire and caress our stack of all that’s best in paper folding papers.

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origami origami paper Tea Bag Folding tea bag folding paper washi paper
Written by Geraldine Jozefiak
Craft Expert and Demonstrator

For your FREE 28 page guide 'Never Run Out of Things To Write In Greeting Cards Again' Click Here

There’s been a bit of a rumpus in the UK this week as Jack Straw, The Secretary of State for Justice has criticized greeting card firms for banishing the words "Happy Christmas" in case they upset ethnic minorities. 

The whole point of his irritation is a feeling that Greeting Card Companies are ‘airbrushing’ out Christmas, which as Mr Straw points out, celebrates the birth of Christ.  His argument is against the platitudes of ‘seasons greetings’ and happy holidays’ – greetings which he sees as dismissing the very point of Christ-mas after all.

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Christmas card Greeting Card greeting card industry
Written by Geraldine Jozefiak
Craft Expert and Demonstrator

For your FREE 28 page guide 'Never Run Out of Things To Write In Greeting Cards Again' Click Here