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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.