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How To

Tips for Making Your Holiday Photo Thank You Cards Personal

by Allison on January 6, 2012

In a previous post, “Some Easy Thank You Card Tips,” I provided a quick guide to writing personal and heartfelt thank you cards—but personalized photo thank you cards offer an array of diverse options for making your thank you unique, creative, and tailored to your recipient.  Here are a few ideas to ensure that the photo you include means as much as the message you write inside of your holiday thank you cards this January:

  • Highlight a Shared Moment from the Holiday Season: If you have a photo of you and the person to whom you’re writing your card in front of the Christmas tree or sharing a warm winter hug, by all means include it! A sweet memory together is sure to earn you a spot on the fridge all year round. If your friend or family member was unable to spend the holiday season in your presence, include a priceless moment from Christmas morning or your yearly snow trip instead.
  •  Snap a Photo of You Using or Wearing the Gift: This tip could easily become a little cheesy—but who doesn’t want to see someone enjoying the gift they’ve given? This tip works especially well for young children playing with toys from Grandma or sisters who received matching outfits.
  •  Share More Memories with Multiple Photo Thank You Cards: Include thanks from the whole family by selecting a card that offers room for 2 or 3 personal photos. Take the opportunity to share both your favorite memories from the year past and your gratitude for their thoughtfulness this holiday season!

I’ve included a few of my favorite holiday thank you cards below, but be sure to check out our whole selection of Christmas thank you cards for yourself!

holiday photo thank you cards; Tips for Making Your Holiday Photo Thank You Cards Personal

Cardstore Holiday Photo Thank You Cards, Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

Holiday Thank You Border, Green Dots Tag, Multicolor Thanks, Red Thank You Overlay

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Tips on Creating Your Perfect Invitation

by Allison on September 14, 2011

At Cardstore, we love designing invitations that are both fun and on-trend. But, if the invitation doesn’t meet your needs, all of the design details won’t mean much! Use these tips to create invitations that work for you… and feel free to add some of your own tips!

hat fall; Tips on Creating Your Perfect Invitation1. Choose Your Theme

The whole tone of your event is set by the invitation you choose to represent your theme. If you’re having a dinner party, you might want to go for something a little more elegant, while a kickback BBQ would require a different invitation entirely. The trick is thinking about the vibe you want your party to have before selecting your invitation. If you’re having trouble settling on a theme, try browsing our invitations and use one as inspiration for your event? We do the same thing every week with our inspiration boards! Or, if you’re still having trouble deciding on a theme, here’s a few ideas that are particularly seasonally appropriate:

    • Casual Tailgate: With football season in full swing, now’s the perfect time to gather your friends for a fun tailgate party. (Check out our pick for a tailgate invite)
    • Sunday Football: Maybe the weather outdoors isn’t idea for a tailgate. Hold a similar get-together indoors, with snacks galore! (Try this one!)
    • Dinner Party With a Twist: Theme your dinner party around a type of food you’ve never made before (if you’re up for a challenge), a country, or even a certain sort of food–now that fall is here, I have to admit a pumpkin-themed dinner party sounds especially enticing. (We’ve picked our perfect pumpkin invite!)
    • Autumn Harvest Party: Have a get-together on location just in time for fun fall harvests. Gather friends and family for a visit to the apple orchard or pumpkin patch and celebrate the season with fresh produce. (Here’s a fun fall-theme invitation to try.)
    • Halloween Party: There’s so many different directions you can go with Halloween–everything from its spooky spirit to the costumes generates an array of enticing party ideas. Turn your home into a haunted house, and invite friends and family over to see. Have a  party for all ages with group pumpkin-carving. Opt for a more adult vibe with a costumed cocktail party. Invite friends over for a fun night of scary movies. Go for a more formal vibe with a carnivalesque Halloween masquerade. Or mix and match a variety of themes to create a Halloween party all your own! (This haunted halloween invitation is one of our favorites!)

hoot1fall 300x142; Tips on Creating Your Perfect Invitation2. Provide Party Info

You wouldn’t think that filling in the party information would be too difficult a task. And yet, if you forget any of these pieces of information, you’re going to be having some serious trouble on your hands–whether it be guests showing up at the wrong time or people getting lost on the way to your party!

    • When is the party? Include the day of week, plus the full date (e.g. Sunday, October 9th)
    • What time is the party? Be sure to include both start time and end time (if there is one…)
    • Where is the party? Provide the full location address (not just “Jim & Sue’s house”). Include directions, with landmark references if possible.
    • RSVP! If you don’t tell people to RSVP, how can you plan properly? Always tell people to whom they will RSVP, and how to do so (phone number and/or email address). Also, give them a RSVP-by date, so you give yourself time to prepare!

baloon2fall; Tips on Creating Your Perfect Invitation3. Don’t forget fun details!

Everyone’s favorite part of party invitations are the little details. Mine, in particular, is specifying what kind of attire guest should wear. There’s nothing more fun than adding a little twist to your attire requests for holiday events: festive formal for a winter holiday party, spooky casual for a costumed Halloween party. Add your own special touch by adding your voice or event theme into the extra details. If you’re having a Halloween party, feel free to add in particularly scary or cheesy language. If there’s anytime that cheesy puns are allowed, it’s themed parties! Here is also the place to add any extra notes you might have.

      • Dress attire (casual, costumes, cocktail, etc.)
      • Special instructions (no gifts, BYOB, parking, etc.)

hoot1fall 300x142; Tips on Creating Your Perfect Invitation4. Be sure to proofread!

There’s nothing I hate more than spending time creating an invitation perfect for my event, only to discover I’ve left out information or included a few unfortunate typos. Ask a trusted friend to look over your invitation before you send it out, just in case. A fresh perspective is sure to weed out any errors and typos you may have originally overlooked.

As long as you cover each of the items above, your guests will have everything they need to arrive on time, dressed appropriately and ready for fun!

Since we’re rapidly approaching one of fall’s favorite holidays, here are some of our favorite Halloween invitations:

 

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The Art of Letter Writing: Sympathy Cards

by Allison on July 18, 2011

art of letter writing1; The Art of Letter Writing: Sympathy Cards

Even in writing, offering your condolences for a friend’s of family member’s loss is a difficult and daunting task. However, don’t let your fear of saying something wrong stop you from sending a sympathy card; a well-intentioned letter is always appreciated, regardless of its level of eloquence. Here’s some tips to get you started:

  • Begin with a name: Always mention the deceased by name, though it may be painful. It ensures that the sympathy card comes off as personal rather than sterile.
  • Offer sympathy to the letter recipient:Address the letter recipient specifically. Let them know that they are in your heart.
  • Share a memory: If you can, speak of your experiences or favorite memories of the deceased. Be specific. Letters last a long time, and creating a written record of a memory of their loved one is sure to be appreciated. It not only shows that their loved one continues to live on in your memory, but also ensures that the experience lasts in their memory as well. If you were not familiar with the deceased, try to remember what you have heard from the letter recipient about them: “You always told me how John could make you laugh in any circumstance,” or, “I know how much you looked up to Cecilia; I remember when you told me once. . .” This creates the same personal effect that a memory might.
  • Offer specific ways in which you would like to help: Almost every family dealing with loss speaks kindly of the food left by thoughtful friends and family members. Try to think of things that make good leftovers, like lasagna or enchiladas. If you’re not a whiz in the kitchen, offer to run basic errands–driving a child to an activity or school or buying groceries. Any little bit helps, but offering your aid without specifying how you can help can be too overwhelming in such a difficult time.
  • End with a sincere condolence, again, and a warm send-off. Try to make your letter meaningful, but not too long. The most powerful letters often are those that knew what to leave out.

Writing a sympathy card is not an easy task, but in following a few basic guidelines, you can create a letter that is not only appropriate but also meaningful.

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How To: Throw a New Year’s Eve Party on a Time-Crunch

by Molly on December 16, 2010

how to new years; How To: Throw a New Years Eve Party on a Time Crunch

You’re almost done with the holiday rush when you suddenly realize you agreed to throw this years New Year’s Eve party.  You’re already having to put in extra time at work for everything you missed during the holidays and now you have to take the time to throw a party, too?  Here are some ideas for hosting a great party with little time and effort:

  • Invite: Create a New Year’s invitation to invite your friends, Cardstore.com will stamp and send them for you.
  • Activity: Print out or make your own cards with fill in the blanks, such as “The skill I want to learn this year is ___” or  ”The good deed I want to do this year is ―――,” or get creative with other New Year’s resolution ideas.  Everyone can fill them out, then take turns reading them out loud and guess which one belongs to who.
  • Appetizers: Stick to finger foods.  Trader Jo’s and other grocery stores have a wide variety of hummus, dips, cheeses, crackers, nuts, and chips and you can even get pre-cut veggies.
  • Entrée: Your guests will already be full from appetizers and won’t want a huge dinner, so stick to something hearty, but bite-sized.
  • Dessert: Ask everyone to bring their favorite dessert. If you’d prefer to make it yourself, try making ice-cream sandwiches. Make your favorite cookie dough in advance when you have time, freeze it, and pull it out and put the cookies in the oven the day of.  Scoop some ice cream in a bowl, add a cookie on top, and you’ll have a delicious dessert.
  • Drinks: Provide the champagne then ask everyone to bring their own favorite drinks and mixes.
  • Music: Don’t forget to create a playlist in advance. Make one full of your favorite songs or one that’s New Year’s themed. If you’re not a huge music lover, ask that friend with the gigantic iTunes library to make one for you.
  • For more details and inspiration, check out Real Simple‘s tips on how to throw an easy New Year’s party.

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How To: Make Hand Drawn Ornaments

by Molly on December 2, 2010

cardstyle find clear ornaments4; How To: Make Hand Drawn Ornaments
Now that Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas music has filled up every shop and café, I’ve started to think about what Christmas gifts to get for friends and family.  Ornaments always make for a great gift, but creating it yourself makes it all the more special.  You don’t need to be artistic or even know how to draw, just find some plain clear ornaments, paint pens or glitter glue, and some ribbon and you can turn a plain ornament into a personalized gift for anyone.  Write Christmas greetings, favorite memories, or even draw a simple design for a simple, low-budget, and meaningful present. For more inspiration, check out this blog post on Etsy: Drawing-Free Glass Ornament.

pixel; How To: Make Hand Drawn Ornaments

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