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Archive for November, 2012

Nov 30

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Cardstore- proud sponsor of Sesame Street float at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

We really hope you were able to tune into NBC’s broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade last week! If you did, then you probably noticed that beloved Sesame Street characters (including Big Bird, Cookie Monster and many more!) riding Sesame Street’s parade float which was proudly sponsored by Cardstore! The characters performed their anthem, “What I Am,” which is about being proud of who you are and staying resilient in trying times.

Here’s another great photo of the gang, as they take a corner in the parade and wave to the fans- how fun!

Sesame float 4 300x199; Cardstore proud sponsor of Sesame Street float at Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade!

We were so excited to be a part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and to support our longtime partner Sesame Workshop, because we truly believe that the joy of the holiday season isn’t complete without taking the time to send a little you to family and friends – no matter what street they live on.

Looking to spread some holiday cheer, Sesame Street style? Check out the collection of Sesame Street greeting cards available now on Cardstore:

 CS SC BLG sesame IMAGE3; Cardstore proud sponsor of Sesame Street float at Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade! 

Cards shown above include: Super Grover Birthday, Sesame Street Nutcrackers, Sesame Street Tree Trimming, Sesame Street Birthday

Nov 30

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What to Send: Kid’s Christmas Cards from Santa and the Elves

For those kids who have been extra nice this year, why not get them excited for the upcoming holidays with a letter from Santa Claus himself? Cardstore has a fantastic selection of Christmas cards that can be personalized for any little one to show they’ve been added to the Nice List. Add details about all the sweet things they’ve been doing lately to show why Santa will be leaving plenty of presents this year. Given ahead of Christmas, a Kid’s Christmas Card is the perfect reminder that Santa is always watching.

Next Tuesday, December 4th is Santa’s List Day, the day when Santa and his elves finalize the naughty and nice list! Show your little one which list they’ll end up on with a Kid’s Christmas Card made just for them and straight from Santa’s desk this Santa’s List Day.

You can even get the celebrations started early by joining in on the fun of the classic German holiday, Kris Kringle Day. On the night of December 5th, children leave their shoes in front of the door, hoping that if they’ve been good Kris Kringle will leave them fruits, chocolate, and other sweets. On the morning of the 6th, these little ones learn if their behavior has been rewarded this year. Along with a personalized Kid’s Christmas Card, this holiday would be a special way to get the whole family excited about Christmas day.

How will you show your kids Santa has been watching this year? Do you have any fun Santa Claus/Kris Kringle/St. Nicholas traditions? Let us know in the comments below!

CS SC BLG kids cards IMAGE; What to Send: Kids Christmas Cards from Santa and the Elves

Cards shown above: From the Desk of Santa, Nice List, North Pole Elves

 

Nov 30

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Celebrate First Christmas in Style

CS SC BLG holiday 1st SLIDER1; Celebrate First Christmas in StyleThe holidays are a great time for reflecting on what has made your life meaningful this past year–and the changes, big and small, that have made a difference. A new baby or a new marriage make the holidays particularly bright; holiday activities take on a whole new glow! As a couple or a family, you can engage in every Christmas activity as if for the first time–chopping down your Christmas tree, baking holiday cookies, playing in holiday snowfall, visiting Santa, or waking up on Christmas morning. Your first holiday season as a couple or as a family is truly a bit of holiday magic, and friends and family will want to share in the magic with you.

Sending a Christmas photo card that highlights baby’s first Christmas or couple’s first Christmas is sure to send a holiday smile; everyone will want to see a photo of the newlyweds trimming their tree together, or a baby all bundled up to brave the snow! Share a photo (or a few!) of your family celebrating the holidays, and send a holiday memory to family and friends.

 CS SC BLG holiday 1st IMAGE; Celebrate First Christmas in Style

Cards shown above: First Christmas Together, Merry Christmas Overlay, Pink Baby’s First Christmas

Nov 23

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Christmas Photo Ideas for Pets

Purrfectly personalized holiday cards starring your pet!

Pets are an important part of our families and absolutely deserve a starring role on holiday cards. But how do you get them to appreciate this honor and behave for the best Christmas card pet photos? Try these holiday pet photo tips, reviewed and approved by our own Mr. Buckles (star of Cat Makes Card video).

Find the best lap- If you’re including your pet in a group photo, be sure they are in the lap of the person they are most comfortable with.

Pet spotlight- Group photo not going so well? You may want to consider taking a photo of your cat or dog by themselves, and just selecting a photo card with multiple photos. Here’s an example!

No flash, please! Not only is using a flash annoying for your cat or dog, it also creates bright green/gray eyes, similar to human red-eye. There is no easy way to eliminate it from a photo, even with retouching.

Speed matters- If possible, set your camera’s shutter speed on a fairly fast frame to keep up with a squirming pet.

Be prepared- Help keep your dog or cat’s attention on the photographer by bringing some of their favorite toys and treats with you to the shoot.

 

Special tips from Mr. Buckles:

Stay calm- Pets don’t do well in stressful situations. Speak softly and calmly, and they will be more inclined to sit still.

Shoot at eye level- It’s usually the most flattering for everyone, anyway!

Keep it real- Take lots of photos, even between poses. Often you can capture a sweet moment that is even more representative of your bond than a perfectly posed photo.

Best Christmas cards for cats

 ; Christmas Photo Ideas for Pets   ; Christmas Photo Ideas for Pets

Christmas cards with cats shown above: Meowie Christmas and Green Merry and Bright

Best Christmas cards for dogs

; Christmas Photo Ideas for Pets   ; Christmas Photo Ideas for Pets

Christmas cards with dogs shown above: Dog Christmas Tree and Bow Wow Christmas

Of course, any of our holiday photo cards would look great starring your cat or dog…  which one will you choose?

Nov 22

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Happy Thanksgiving from Cardstore!

We at Cardstore hope you’re spending the day with family, a thankful spirit, and plenty of turkey and other yummy delights! With all the hectic rushing around of the holidays right around the corner, Thanksgiving can be a welcome break to sit back and reflect on all the wonderful people that make your life worth living. As you feast on delicious Thanksgiving eats, who are the people that you’re thankful for? What sort of things have made your life special this year? Thanksgiving is a great time to contemplate your blessings–big and small–and to thank those that help to create them. What are three blessings that have made your life special this past year?

We would like to thank you for your interest in Cardstore and your readerly support; it’s people like you that make every work day at Cardstore a little brighter. Happy Thanksgiving!

 CS SC BLG CSthanks IMAGE; Happy Thanksgiving from Cardstore!

 Thanksgiving Cards Pictured: Thanksgiving Homes Thanksgiving Cards, Give Thanks Wreath Thanksgiving Card, Give Thanks Photo Thanksgiving Card

 

Nov 21

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Thanksgiving Deal: 75% off Holiday Cards!

CS SC Badge 11212012; Thanksgiving Deal: 75% off Holiday Cards!

Families are finally all together to celebrate Thanksgiving, which means it’s the perfect time to take your holiday card photos and create your holiday card! To help make this process even easier, Cardstore is giving everyone 75% off holiday cards today, Wednesday November 21, through Sunday, November 25, with the code CCN2175 . Since it’s the season of thanks, we can’t think of a better way to show our appreciation for you than with this fantastic deal, just in time for your holiday shopping.

If you took advantage of our 10 free card deal a few weeks ago, why not take inspiration from your favorite card or two in the bunch to get your holiday cards now? A deal like this is one of a kind, so be sure to get 75% off of your holiday cards now! With so many festive, cheery, and personalized cards to choose from, all from the comfort of your own home, creating your holiday cards is the easiest thing you’ll do this entire holiday season.

 

Nov 20

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5 Great Holiday Card Photo Ideas

 1.  No cheese, please

It seems that most kids (and some adults) naturally say “cheese!” whenever they see a camera. But getting the best image sometimes involves not only not smiling, but pretending the camera isn’t even there. Try playing a game that you know makes the kids laugh, having a tickle war, or just sharing a quiet moment with each other.

 CS SC BLG 5photo tips IMAGE 1; 5 Great Holiday Card Photo Ideas

 

2. Get in close

 Try to get everyone in the photo touching or making a connection in some way. You want everyone to look like one unit. Take the photo below, for example. Just moving their faces closer to each other and having them all embrace each other made the photo look so much cozier!

 CS SC BLG 5photo tips IMAGE 2; 5 Great Holiday Card Photo Ideas

  3. Get on their level

When you’re taking photos of young kids, try getting down on the floor and experiencing the world as they see it. Not only will your photo be more visually interesting, but your subject will be able to connect with the camera much more naturally than when you’re looking down on them.

CS SC BLG 5photo tips IMAGE 3; 5 Great Holiday Card Photo Ideas

4. Focus on the background

Well, not literally, but you want to make sure the background complements your image and isn’t distracting. When looking for possible locations, a brick wall, wooden fence, or some other textured surface will make a great backdrop & add subtle interest to your photo. If your background seems too busy and switching locations isn’t an option, try moving your subject further away from the background and closer to the camera. It will place more focus on the person you’re photographing and blur out what’s behind them.

CS SC BLG 5photo tips IMAGE 4; 5 Great Holiday Card Photo Ideas

5. Leave space around the edges

For maximum usability, try leaving a decent amount of space around your subject(s). This will allow you to have art or text overlaying your photo if needed. It’s no fun to find a holiday card you love, but not have enough space around the edges of your photo to use it! 

CS SC BLG 5photo tips IMAGE 5; 5 Great Holiday Card Photo Ideas

Nov 19

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Holiday Hand Lettering Cards

It’s no secret that what makes a card unique is often its sentiment–and how that sentiment is presented. Beautiful lettering amounts to beautiful cards, and Cardstore artists make beautiful lettering a priority! Looking at the finished card, it can be easy to forget the artistry that goes into it. With the array of intricate types available, the art of hand lettering is often forgotten. However, looking at some of our holiday cards, you can see that the lettering has more to it than any ornate font could. Here are a few before and after shots of hand lettering in holiday cards, and so that you can get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes at Cardstore.

Here’s what hand lettering looks like at the artist’s desk:

Before WEB; Holiday Hand Lettering Cards

Here is how those same hand lettering projects are used to create the holiday cards that you see on site:

after; Holiday Hand Lettering Cards

Does hand lettering play a role in your selection of the perfect holiday card? Let us know!

 

Nov 19

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Meet Mr. Buckles- Star of “Cat Makes Card” video

Have you seen Mr. Buckles come to the rescue of his beloved roommate, Sarah? Poor Sarah is overwhelmed with her holiday to do list, and rather than sit idly by, he springs into action to assist her. (He clearly has a little fun while he’s at it!)

While Cardstore does make it really fun and easy to create perfectly personalized holiday cards, we think that Mr. Buckles is definitley someone special, and wanted to get to know a bit more about this festive feline. So, we sat down with Mr. Buckles to learn more about him and his feelings toward the holidays…

Full name: Mr. BucklesIMG 9585 300x199; Meet Mr. Buckles Star of Cat Makes Card video

Gender: Male

Breed: One of a kind

Age: When you have 9 lives, who keeps track?

Favorite pastime: Napping

Hobbies: Hanging out with Sarah at the park and amateur model

Favorite Christmas traditions: Having a quiet breakfast with Sarah and then playing under the tree. I sure love all that wrapping and ribbon!

Any holiday advice? Don’t sweat the small stuff. As long as you’ve got a fresh bowl of milk and a lap to sit on, everything is hunkey-dorey.

And with that, Mr. Buckles was off to help Sarah finish up some holiday wrapping!  CS SC BLG buckles IMAGE; Meet Mr. Buckles Star of Cat Makes Card video

Want to see Mr. Buckles in action? Check out his video on YouTube!

 

Nov 16

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Holiday Newsletter How To

Everyone loves hearing about your year in a holiday newsletter–but that doesn’t mean you should share everything that has happened this past year! Here are a few things you might want to steer clear of this holiday season:

  • Endless Stories about your Pet–We get it! We think your pet is adorable too–but not as much as you think so!
  • Awkward Family Stories–Had a major misunderstanding this year, and want to get it off your chest? Did your teenage daughter just break up with her boyfriend, or did your husband get fired from his job? Your most personal dramas might be better kept in the therapist’s office than the holiday card. Let everyone in the family approve your holiday newsletter before it gets sent–and avoid drama that leaks into the new year!
  • Embarrassing Health Problems–Did you or your family member visit the doctor this year for a less-than-flattering reason? Might want to keep that one in the family, because that’s just TMI.
  • The Humble Brag–Sharing one or two great accomplishments of the year is an awesome idea–by all means, share that new house or great new job! But remember–the holiday newsletter isn’t your resume; no one wants to see that! No one will appreciate excessive boasting, even when it’s covered up with humble overtones.

Now that you know what not to do, how about some fresh ideas for how to write your holiday newsletter?

  • Let everyone in the family compose their own segment–friends and family will love hearing about your accomplishments in your own words. Offering multiple voices prevents the Christmas newsletter from getting boring, and it lets everyone have a say!
  • Include personal photos!–They say that a photo speaks 1000 words–and while that might be an overstatement, loved ones will enjoy seeing how your family has changed this year.
  • Be specific–What makes your family unique? Make your holiday newsletter stand out by including things no one else can–like unusual after school activities or fun vacation memories.
  • Share a funny story–One way to get out of the trap of simply listing everything that your family has done this year is to tell a funny story. Did anything unusually amusing happen to you this year? Share it to send a holiday smile!
  • End with a Christmas wish–Don’t let your holiday newsletter be all about you! Spread the spirit of the season with a sincere wish for the new year.

Now that you’ve heard our tips for what to write in your holiday newsletter–and what not to write–why not start composing your holiday newsletter now? Share your funny stories and holiday newsletter tips in the comments, and visit the site to browse our selection of photo holiday newsletters and get writing!

CS SC BLG newsletter IMAGE; Holiday Newsletter How To

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