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.

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!

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 ♥ 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."

scott + lori : wrapped up in love

i've known scott since i was in high school.  he was a friend of my sisters and quickly became like a big brother to me.  (he even left me with his nintendo game system and ALL his games when he left for college.)  i reconnected with scott via facebook a couple years ago and in doing so, he discovered that i specialized in custom wedding invitations.  when the time came, scott and his fiancé, lori, got in touch with me to create their wedding invitation.  

scott & lori wanted wedding invitations that were simple, yet elegant and modern.  i immediately knew my "wrapped up in love" invitations would be the perfect suggestion.  this particular design has been customized and personalized a couple times over the past several years and each time it always looks like a brand new invitation design.  i love how each design reflects the bride and groom along with how they envision their special day.

here is how scott & lori's turned out...




i've been told that one of the favorite things about this invitation is how it's all self-contained so when each guest opens their envelope it makes for a very clean and pretty presentation.



love the idea of this reply card that lori had!

the added insert is always great for giving your guests any additional information to make their travels that much easier.  whether it's directions to the church and/or reception or hotel suggestions for those out of town guests.

a wedding set is never complete without the thank you note.  using just the couple's names allows for any leftover thank you notes to be used for a later time.

little cowboy notecards

i'll eventually get around to creating matching notecards for all my little invites. but for now, they will just slowly be created as they become requested by my customers. :)

happy to announce the little cowboy invites now have a coordinating notecard set and are available for purchase on my Etsy shop.






"little cowboy notecards" by in a card on Etsy

forecast: a chance of (baby) shower

my little shower invitation, got a little twist recently.  i had a custom request for the invitation to be all pink with really cute wording to go with the imagery.  little registry inserts were added to the invitation along with matching thank you notes.

if you like this set or want to create a custom set of your own, email me and i'd be happy to help you announce your next party.

counting my blessings

a quote by Barry Neil Kaufman:

"Gratitude is one of the sweet shortcuts of finding peace of mind and happiness inside.  No matter what is going on outside of us, there's always something we could be grateful for."

as i turn thirty-two today, i am filled with so much gratitude...

grateful for all my amazing friends and incredible family that remind me not just today, but everyday, how truly blessed i really am.

a few things that made today extra special...

black friday thru cyber monday SPECIALS

in a card notecard special on Etsy... buy one, get one FREE!

a $20 value for only $10!

these notecards make a great little gift for others as well as yourself. what better way to say thank you or a simple hello then with a handwritten note.

choose from 4 suggested sets or mix 'n match and pick any 2 designs from the following:

the rose collection

 - smells like roses

 - a rose is a rose

the convo collection

 - convo me

 - the original email

the royalty collection

 - your highness

 - fleur de lis

the thank you collection

 - thank you

 - thank you curls

FREE SHIPPING on all domestic simplewear Etsy orders from now until cyber monday!

visit simplewear.etsy.com from now until 11/28/11 and just use coupon code: FREESHIP11 during checkout.

enjoy & happy shopping!!!

with love & gratitude...

this is what i will be thankful for today and everyday throughout this holiday season...

thank you for the food before us,
the friends & family beside us,
and the love between us.

happy thanksgiving!

up, up, and away...

those that know me, or know my blog, know how important thank you notes are to me. both sending them and receiving them. whether you write a novel expressing your gratitude or simply write those two gracious words, THANK YOU, it's always wonderful to read.

there are always fun ways to send thank you notes.  a postcard style thank you is more casual and informal, but if it fits your theme and saves you time from writing a novel to each guest, then i say, why not? an added bonus, it saves you some money on postage too!

here is a thank you postcard i created for zac's mom to send out after his 1st birthday party. party theme was from the disney movie, Up, if you couldn't tell.

the parties continue...

the summer seems to be pretty jam packed with parties and all sorts of fun events as my inbox has been consistently receiving inquiries and requests for birthdays, parties and baby showers.  here are a few that started off the summer for me.

i received a special request for a garden bug theme birthday party in the style of my little invites.  the outcome was this little love bug invite that will shortly make its way to my etsy shop along with a couple new designs i've been working on.  (stay tuned for those!)

a lovely young lady contacted me after seeing my 30th themed cupcake toppers and wanted to do something special for her own 30th.  here are her flirty thirty cupcake toppers and matching thank you notecards.

to complete the minnie mouse themed birthday party invitations i designed, here is a look at a couple additional things i did to help bring in the theme to the event.

buffet tags

*above photo courtesy of client

cupcake toppers

*above photo courtesy of client

monogram thank you notecards