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this blog has moved to: inacard.com/blog

while you're there, feel free to kick off your shoes, get comfy and browse through the NEW website.  the site has an updated look, galleries with larger images, a testimonials section and what i hope is a more user friendly navigation site.  as always, your comments and/or suggestions are always welcome and very much appreciated.

website under construction

please excuse the mess at www.inacard.com, as we are currently working on a brand new web design and layout.

a meaningful thanks

"thank you curls" by in a card on Etsy

you all know how strongly i feel about saying thank you.  to me, a thank you, both verbal and written, given and taken, is one of life's necessities.

a quote by Wallace D. Wattles:

"It is necessary, then, to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.  And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude."

here is a bit of info on sending out "a meaningful thanks" with some great do's and don'ts for saying thank you via Envelopes.com blog.

A Meaningful Thanks

Handwritten Thank You Notes are Still the Way to Go

While email has become the primary mode for a good deal of communication these days, etiquette experts, executives, and human resource professionals agree that a handwritten note is still the best way to say “thank you.” A more personal touch really does make a difference — so we thought we’d take a look at the do’s and don’ts of saying thanks.

General Tips:

• Write your note promptly.
• Include the date.
• Be sincere.
• Keep it brief.
• Write legibly – yes, neatness counts!
• Use terms and expressions that are natural for you.
• Notes can be written on informal stationery, except for wedding thank yous that are typically sent on formal stationery.
• Business notes may also be handwritten (or as an alternative, typed on personal stationery.)

Gift Thank Yous:

• Be gracious and appreciative.
• Personalize your note and make reference to the person as well as their gift.
• Don’t indicate any dissatisfaction – i.e., that you plan to return or exchange the gift.
• If a monetary gift, you can refer to how you will make use of the funds (mentioning the amount is optional.)
• Promptly acknowledge receiving a gift that has been shipped to you; send your note within a few days (or call or e-mail the sender and follow up swiftly with a note thereafter.)
• Don’t include photographs or send photo cards if this will delay sending your thank yous out promptly.
• Etiquette for wedding gift thank yous calls for notes to be sent within 3 months of receipt a gift.
• Lateness is not an excuse! If you haven’t sent thank you notes as your first anniversary nears, still do so.
• Don’t forget, gifts should be acknowledged with the same courtesy and generous nature in which they were given.

Business Thank Yous:

• While not required, it’s smart protocol to send a thank you after a job interview. (Food for thought: A survey by CareerBuilder.com showed that nearly 15% of hiring managers would reject a job candidate who neglected to send a thank you note post-interview while 32% said they’d still consider a prospect who did not send a thank you, but that their opinion of him/her would diminish.)
• It’s good manners to express thanks after a business lunch, dinner, party or gala.
• Definitely reach out and thank a coworker, mentor or other business acquaintance that gave you his/her time or advice.
• Thank business contacts for referrals or reference letters.
• If a coworker or colleague has given you a gift, it’s always appropriate to thank them.

In business scenarios, sending a polite note regardless whether you think its absolutely necessary never hurts. It’s also perfectly fine to keep it brief and to the point. Naturally the language and formality will vary from a post-interview thank you to a potential employer to thanking a close colleague who gave you a gift, so pen your notes accordingly.

Finally, always remember to say it with style! Color, texture, formality or informality of the paper stock you select should also be considered as part of your message and personal image.

coming soon onesie

an Etsy customer recently contacted me in regards to my "i heart grandma & grandpa (coming soon...)" onesie.  she liked the idea of using the onesie as a way to announce to her parents that she and her husband are expecting, but wasn't sure what title they wanted to go by as grandparents.  so i suggested doing a onesie that just said, "coming soon" with the expected date.  

as i was creating the design, i thought this little onesie would actually be a pretty fun and special way of announcing to a soon-to-be dad as well of the exciting news.

"coming soon..." onesie now available for purchase on my Etsy shop.

have something else in mind or more personal you want on a onesie? contact me and let's see what we can do!

new notecard designs

happy to announce a couple new notecard designs for the in a card Etsy shop!

here are two designs catered to all you social media lovers...

in the social media world, hashtags (#) are commonly used to mark a keyword or topic, so why not hashtag a greeting via handwritten note? this set is filled with all occasion notecards to say, #hello, #thankyou, #missyou, #loveyou, and #congrats to those near and far.

"hashtag greetings" by in a card on Etsy

arobase, also known as the "@" symbol and how we refer to ourselves in the social media world.

"arobase" by in a card on Etsy

and for those that prefer a classic look, this typewriter font design may just be the one for you!

"typewritten" by in a card on Etsy

for more designs and other stationery related items, please visit inacard.etsy.com!

fun with wall decals

having the tools to create custom designs to decorate your home and/or studio is always a fun perk.  lucky for me, i have tee, of mind's eye design studio.  a.k.a., creator of vinyl wall decals on Etsy shop, put 'em in the wall.  

over the weekend, we worked on creating a wall decal of a quote i found years ago in a real simple magazine that i thought would be awesome showcased in the kitchen.  

a quote by sophia loren:

"The most indispensable ingredient of all good home cooking: Love, for those you are cooking for."

i also wanted to create a new sign for the studio door that i got inspiration from when i saw this image a few months back.

a few pics from our work in progress...

prepping the vinyl decals includes weeding out each individual letter. some may find this process to be a bit tedious, but i find it to be therapeutic.

tee getting the decals ready for application.

here is how each piece turned out...

the kitchen...

and the studio door...

thought it would be fun to include the studio hours as well.  :)

studio hours

open most days 9 or 10am

rarely at 7am or 8am

occasionally 11am or 12pm

we close about 5pm or 6pm

occasionally 3pm or 4pm for happy hour

but sometimes as late as 11pm or 12am

some days we may not be here at all

or we may be here all day

make sure you check out tee's Etsy shop if you want to see other wall designs he has available to decorate your space.

7 rules to understand design & designers

LOOOOOVE this!


*image courtesy of Harmonie-intérieure

www, @inacard, #design

i've been working more on my online business presence lately.  which for me includes, facebook, twitter, my blog and i'm even in the process of revamping my "over 10 years old looking" website.  

since i've waited so long to revamp my website, i'm faced with the challenge of sorting through 12 years worth of work to fit into the most important category of all... the "portfolio" section.  although, it's been a challenge, it's also been pretty amazing looking back at all the work i've done and seeing how much i've accomplished as a designer.  i can't wait to debut the new site to you all!

with facebook's switch over to the new timeline design, i took this opportunity to update my facebook business page and make sure i am using all the cool new apps available to help my page stay current and informative.

if you haven't already, please check out the page and let me know what you think.

work hard... play hard...

here is a quick glimpse at a normal work day at the studio...

work hard...

*photo courtesy of april kawaoka

play hard...

*photo courtesy of mind's eye design studio

a quote by Dale Carnegie:

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."

hope you all had a short & fun work week.  happy friday!

cute 'lil monster in training

this 'lil monster is anything but scary!  more like, he'll scare you with his cuteness and cuddles!  :)

thanks to mama joan for sharing this pic of her handsome little man, zac, sportin' simplewear's "little monster in training" design in a toddler tee.  

all simplewear designs are available as onesies (newborn, 3 months & 6 months) or toddler tees (2, 4 & 6).  you can even mix and match sizes to create a custom "simplewear - 3 pack set" or "simplewear - 5 pack set" allowing your gift to grow with the baby.

got a little cutie of your own sportin' a simplewear design, that you want to show off?  feel free to share them with me, via email or feel free to post directly onto my facebook fan page.

cali summers

a quote by Kellie Elmore, Magic in the Backyard:

"I love how summer just wraps it's arms around you like a warm blanky."

although the weather doesn't feel like the end of summer, kids starting school and labor day soon approaching, i know summer is coming to a close.  

i've been fortunate enough this summer to spend many of my days at the beach with my partners in crime, tee (the boyfriend) and april (my best girlfriend).  whether it be a full day or just a couple of hours, our beach days have been filled with refreshing dips in the ocean, yummy lee's sandwiches, while relaxing and basking in the sun.

just this past weekend, i was able to watch the sunset over the pacific while my toes were being washed over by the extremely warm ocean water.  i couldn't help but feel... blessed!  cali summer blessed!

i mean, seriously, how ridiculously amazing is this sunset???

hermosa beach, ca

this song is a few years old, but i think it's the theme song to my summer of 2012...

enjoy, and try to soak in as much summer as you can before we "fall" back!

silhouette keepsakes

back in 2007, i created a silhouette of my cousin ben to use on his cowboy themed birthday invitations for his 2nd birthday.

as a gift, i took the silhouette and turned it into a little framed keepsake, which since, has been on display in his bedroom.

fast forward to 2012, ben now has a little brother, zac, who recently turned 2.  so of course, it's only fair that i created a silhouette keepsake for zac in celebration of his 2nd birthday.

super bright & super cute

i've really been diggin' bright hot hues lately.  i feel like just a little pop of color brings so much more fun into my days.  my favorite purchase as of late is my nike free sneakers that happen to match my favorite summer nail polish (china glaze in flip flop fantasy).  

super bright and super cute, just the way i like it!

simplewear - 5 pack set

i'm lovin' this baby blue/celery green simplewear 5 pack set i just customized today for an etsy customer.

if you want to customize a set of your own, go to simplewear.etsy.com, or just contact me directly. you can browse through my etsy shop for current designs or view this pdf for a complete selection of over 50 available designs.  don't forget, all designs are fully customizable, so if you have a color preference or want to add a name to a design, just let me know!

his & her vow cards

i had a recent request via Etsy for some his & her vow cards. i thought this was such a simple, yet great idea, i wanted to share with you all. 

the idea is to have his & her vows written on each card for the wedding ceremony and afterward, they would be ready for framing as a special keepsake. what a great item to have on display in the home, so the couple can be reminded from time to time, of what each has promised to the other.

i like that the bride-to-be requested such a simple, yet sophisticated design.

i think i've found a new item i eventually would like to add to my Etsy shop.  :)

i ♥ mamaw & papaw (coming soon...)

i've received so many orders for the "i heart grandma & grandpa (coming soon...)" onesie lately and a few times i've been asked to customize this design with their own version of "grandma & grandpa" or even a few "aunt & uncle" requests, which makes for a special way of announcing your pregnancy to the ENTIRE family!

here is a special one i created recently that is on it's way to surprising a set of parents of their son's new journey into fatherhood.  matthew is currently in afghanistan, so he'll be skyping with his parents as they open this special package.  i can't wait to hear and see their reaction when they open this package.  with luck, i'm hoping matthew is able to get a screenshot of his mother's face as he's promised to share her reaction with me.  

just thinking about it brings tears of joy to my eyes.

custom fill-in invitations

want customized invitations but not quite sure of the details to the party?  

no problem!  all little invites can be turned into a custom fill-in invitation.  so when you figure out the details, you can fill them in on your own.  

here is a look on how our little honey bee invitation got turned into a fill-in invitation...

if you're interested in ordering invitations for your next special event, feel free to email me for more details.

new silhouPETte packaging

back in december of last year, i helped silhouPETte, with their jewelry packaging design.  they recently did a re-order and added a gold foil imprint of their logo to the outside of the kraft gift boxes.  here's a look into the finished product...

stay up-to-date with sihouPETte by visiting their website or follow them on facebook!

"monday blues"

this is my kind of "monday blues"...

palos verdes, ca

manhattan beach, ca

manhattan beach, ca

hope you have a great week!  if you can, try to step into the sun and onto some sand.  i think it does the body (and mind) good.

custom party favor labels

a custom little label can add that special little touch to any party favor.

here are a few examples from Chlo + E showcasing a few custom favor labels i created, from past events they've worked on...

*images courtesy of Chlo + E

as you can see, each label is custom tailored for each event and theme. if you are interested in ordering some custom favor labels for your next soirée, feel free to contact me for more info.

i heart grandma & grandpa (coming soon...)

i've had several requests lately for the "i heart grandma & grandpa (coming soon...)" onesie, so i've decided to list it as a new item on my simplewear Etsy shop.

this little onesie makes for a fun and special way to announce to your parents (a.k.a. soon to be grandparents) that a little one is on it's way!

"i heart grandma & grandpa (coming soon...)" onesie by simplewear on Etsy

happy 5th of july...

hope everyone had a great 4th of july yesterday!  we threw a little bbq get together at our place to celebrate and i got to try out 2 new recipes.  

grilled pizzas and pb&j cupcakes...

the grilled pizzas were inspired by this recipe here.

and the pb&j cupcakes were inspired by 2 recipes found here & here.

photo retouching for days

i always know when sunsets, inc's catalog season is in full effect because my days are consumed with photo retouching bathing suit models and my blog posts become very sparse.  so please excuse me ahead of time.

but, before i dive right back into work (no pun intended), i'm going to leave you with this very funny quote i came across today...

a quote by Anne Morrow Lindbergh:

"My passport is one of the most remarkable photographs I have ever seen - no retouching, no shadows, no flattery - just stark me."

i ♥ snail mail!

here is another handwritten thank you note from my 7 year old cousin that I'm completely in love with and had to share with you all...

his spanish intro and barn scene drawing melt my heart. i love the smile and laughter this little note has added to my day.

proud auntie moment

my niece's first full handwritten note...

i thought it was a sweet coincidence that i saw this quote my yoga instructor posted on facebook as i was opening the card.

a quote by mary beth larue:

"just a little of gratitude or joy goes a long way.  It has the ability to expand and shift your entire life."

summer days

besides workin', it's also been been a...

weekend bbqin'...

outdoor hikin'...

smoothie makin'...

salad makin'...

hat wearin'...

summer drinkin'...

new recipe tryin'...

workin' out...

outdoor music listenin'...

...summer kind of days.  

i'm so glad it's only june, 'cause that means there is still more summer days ahead of us.

hope you're enjoying your summer days so far...