Sunday, December 02, 2007

It's holiday card time ...

Get in line now. The USPS says 20 billion cards, letters and packages will be delivered between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The nation's e-card business may be diversifying and growing, but hand-written notes are here to stay.

"They're very different mediums," the Greeting Card Association says, claiming that e-cards don't actually compete with paper cards in the marketplace. The reason? Emotion.

"An e-card is fun and it's instantaneous, and the sender and receiver recognize that," a GCA spokeswoman adds. "A greeting card has far more sentimental value. You send one for a longer-lasting, deeper meaning."

One company that is bridging the electronic-paper gap is Seattle's GreetQ. GreetQ offers users the ability to select and schedule mailings of actual greeting cards, which can then be sent to your home to sign and mail, or, for a $1 fee, GreetQ will have its staffers handwrite your note and send it for you.

"We aim to do what Zappos.com has done for shoes and what Netflix has done for movie rentals. It’s now time for greeting cards to enter the fold," GreetQ.com cofounder Jennifer Taylor said.

And right on the front page of their site: our friends at Bald Guys Greetings!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Hallmark sees Red

I am a big fan of this campaign -- despite its hipster-overtones -- mostly because I believe that Bono cares deeply for the cause.

The RED campaign supports the The Global Fund -- which is an amazing initiative. I have had the pleasure of covering news focused on world health, poverty, environment and human rights issues for the past 3 years, and part of our major focus is on HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria -- three of the biggest killers in the developing world. Hallmark is selling 23 greeting cards and other products, some of which are made in Africa, a portion of the sales from which will go to Bono's group and support the Fund.

"The company estimates that the donation from the sale of each $4.99 (Product) Red greeting card with sound, for example, will provide a contribution large enough for a single-dose treatment to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV from mother to child during childbirth."

Yes, it's steep for a card -- even one with sound -- but how often do you see something on a U.S. store shelf that could support the prevention of MTCT with antiretoviral drugs?

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Not all e-cards are viruses

The NYT discovers the new breed of e-greetings.

First let me say that no one ignores an e-card, or an e-mail from someone they haven't heard from, all day at work. It sits there and taunts you otherwise.

Second, this is the third mention of Someecards.com in either MSM or by my friends in the past few weeks, which in USAT terms makes it an official trend.

What interests me most about e-cards is that men appear to feel more comfortable with sending them than traditional greeting cards. The convenience factor, I'm sure, plays into it. And the less-dippy-drippy-cheesy humor of some of the site's card (One my favorites: “When work feels overwhelming, remember that you’re going to die.") certainly calls more to the laugh than the heart.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Christmas shopping already?

Check out etsy, where I realized I have been bookmarking items for over a year. Including that damned cereal lamp that I now realize if I buy for my squeeze Patrick Cooper, will likely end up getting destroyed -- as it is a light that has to be "kept out of direct light if possible." Also, it is apparently priceless, which means I can't afford it.

But etsy is a great creative spot for designers and creators of beautiful things like jewelry, glass bowls, fun art -- and my favorite geekery.

Fabulous

FabulousStationery.com allows users to create anything they want -- wedding stuff, baby, calling cards, couples cards, you name it -- they can make it as "unique as you are."

Love the cuppycakes too.

Procrastination -- it's heroin for writers

I cannot believe I waited this long to write something I have been thinking about for months. It feels like Sunday nights at CMU all over again. But even more appealing than the temptation of Purple Hoooter shots at PHI, I have foolishly set up the workstation in my new pad next to my *very* well stocked bar.

Of course, I'm writing about vodka. Maybe I just need to drink some while I write. Naturally.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Hallmark Pop

Since Hallmark has licensed quotes from "Grey's" -- I am hoping they create one with a reference to the "penis fish." Imagine the art for that.

Meanwhile, in another garage....

Zeichen Press, started by two Minneapolis women in their 30s last year, is focused on "vintage old-school letterpress" and is just about breaking even finance-wise. With a line of stationery, coaster sets, CD sleeves and greeting cards -- its creators seem amused by their own modest success. Zeichen is an example of another company that was inspired by a wedding -- in this case, one of the creator's sisters was getting married and she created a card to go with a gift. The reaction led her to muse "Hey, maybe people would buy this stuff." And buy, they have.

Marzipan

The graphic designer who owns Marzipan, a 6-year-old greeting card company based in Wisconsin -- is only 30, but distributes her work around the world and is able to work where all of us would love to -- from home. Lori Dunbar says that her work doesn't sell in her own town of Sheboygan, price point being the issue there, but she's certainly found a way for it to sell elsewhere for $5 each.

When asked about her success, she noted "It's pretty cool." Not too much more to say.

And Marzipan's cards seem to reflect the creator -- simple, understated and quiet -- focused. Is that why all of PEP's ideas are so hard to get down on paper? Is any card big enough?

Saturday, June 30, 2007

In search of Lisa Frank

This story, about a woman my age and her love of and quest to find Suzy Spafford reminded me of how much I loved Lisa Frank as a 10-year-old and how awesome my sticker collection was (deemed the largest in the State of Maine the year I entered the contest at the local hobby shop in Auburn).

"My friend and former tennis teammate in college, Suzie Hayes, (whom I got Suzie hooked on "Suzy's Zoo" about 10 years ago) traveled with me to San Diego from the Bay Area last month. I was so excited the night before, I was giggly until finally falling asleep.When we walked into the company offices, my eyes welled up in tears. I quickly pulled myself together as we went in to meet Spafford, a tiny, warm, modest woman -- a mother of two grown daughters with a big heart.She spent an hour and a half with us, looking through my packed photo album containing all the stickers and cards I won't use. I have doubles of most, so those are the ones I put on cards and envelopes. She signed several things for both of us, then began pulling stickers off the long rolls on each wall, making sure we got the ones that we didn't already have. (Or just in case we needed some extras.)"

This gave me chills. Rolls and rolls of stickers! Road trips with your best friend to a land of your most special images and memories. What would my meeting with Lisa be like? Is there, in fact, a Lisa? Or was it just something else owned by Blackstone or some other private equity firm?

A quick check online and I was excited to find that there is -- or at least was -- back in 1979 -- a Lisa Frank -- and that she (or her entity) is still filling girls' bedrooms and binders with images of unicorns and rainbows ...

Suzy Spafford's work, by the way -- not so much my taste.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Sees

I love Sees Candies. Amazing suckers. Great flavor -- especially the coffee, especially for someone who can't drink coffee anymore and misses it sometimes. From the first time I went to Calif. and found them in a Berkeley shop while we were waiting for our reservation slot at Chez Panisse, I was hooked.

They now offer personalized greeting cards with their orders. $2.95 is a good price point, and you can even add a custom photo.

When I was headed back from Manila in April, the stand in my terminal at SFO closed before I could get to it. So sad. I probably won't go back for a few more months, so if anyone is stopping in SF on their way back to D.C. -- please grab me an assortment.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

New Home

I received a few sweet cards when I moved a few weeks back -- but recently checking out that card set when I was looking for one to send to my friend Megan, who recently relocated from the Burgh to Atlanta, I was disappointed. Girls buying their own homes should have a whole set of options for congratulatory exhaultations for the big event. I did see some new product from the girls at YouSendMe though -- very sparkly, ladies.

In many ways, doing it solo is one of the biggest events of your life. It's truly just you and the mortgage person. And your agent. In my case, it took 30 minutes to sign all the papers and shake some hands. Then I headed to the Italian Store for some much deserved eats ... and (eye) candy.

As soon as there is color on the walls, I expect a flood of guests...

Sunday, March 25, 2007

CafePress gets a run for its money

If there weren't cats all over the front of this Web site, I may have gotten a little more excited. But the rev share model is pretty cool.

GreetingCardUniverse
says you'll see up to 50 cents per card. Considering overhead and the startup costs for new artists (ahem!) this may be a good way to get going for some ... I wonder what the fine print says.

Flirt

Maybe Flirt Keys are the new "Check yes or no" note to pass in class/the bar.

If you can't get enough courage up, liquid or otherwise, to approach someone in a bar, work, the library -- wherever -- and strike up a conversation, maybe you should just find a better wingman.

Will AG come out?

American Greetings looks like they will go big with promoting thier newest venture -- a line with Ellen DeGeneres.

I like Ellen. She's funny. She makes commercials with animals.
She has a beautiful girlfriend and they seem very happy together. She also has a very strong female appeal -- her daytime show is so popular and seems to have gotten her past the fallout of her comedy series, which basically ended when she came out. Which leads me to thinking -- will she and her "team" target the lesbian market with these cards? There's one things Hallmark doesn't seem to touch with its new "edgy" line, and that is gay relationships.

Will AG be the first "big box" greeting card firm to cross the line? Looks like for now the focus is on the Big 4: "birthdays, friendship, thank you and encouragement."

Thursday, March 15, 2007

There are no Hallmark cards for abortions

If you know a woman who has made this decision, you can show that you support her with an e-card. The service is offered by Exhale, a non-profit group that provides post-abortion counseling services. The cards are simple and all are offered in both English and Spanish.

What is probably most surprising is where I found the AP story: Fox News. A pro-choice DME working quietly in their midst, perhaps. One can only hope.

Friday, March 09, 2007

The card box

A lot of people have these. Mine used to be shoeboxes under my bed. Filled with letters and greeting cards from holidays and birthdays. Then Mike got a set of copper pots from W/S and I got to keep the wooden crate they came in. Now that's full and I have been shoving the cards/letters I get on top of it -- under my desk -- for 2 years.

I am moving soon, and I'm sure I'll be going through that box -- and the many other containers all over this apartment that have filled up with recipes, story ideas, published works, books, condo docs ... everything a writer girl needs. And there will be reading. And remembering.

Unlike this woman, writing in the San Fran Chronicle about how she has lost touch with many of the friends whose memories she rediscovered in her card box, I have retained most of mine. But I haven't had kids, or moved a bunch of times, or even changed jobs in the past 5 years. When I vacate this spot, for a sunny place of my own a few miles down the road, I will leave behind lots of things -- but many of the memories I will carry out with me in a box from Mauviel.

Uncooked

Doreen sent me a link to this kind-of-freaky & complicated card company's Web site, and I fell in love with it. Right down to the cricket sounds and bizarre animation.

All of the samples are in Flash so I can't direct link, but check out the one for Father's Day.

Luckily, I don't have that angst as my father did -- and continues to -- take me fishing. A lot.

Friday, February 23, 2007

HBD

Happy birthday PEP blog. You are more than 1 year old. I forgot your actual birthday, so to celebrate, I will make you cupcakes this weekend. Of course, you won't be able to appreciate them without me mushing them into the keyboard, so I'll take some pictures of me and others enjoying them so you can see how your birth brought happiness -- and vanilla, flour and sugar -- to the land.

As long as they don't corner the OCD market

Hallmark has released a 176-card collection which touches on "sensitive" issues like depression, accidental death, losing your job, cancer and eating disorders.

The Journeys collection is mostly focused on the "encouragement" angle. PEP has discussed similar topics, but definitely from a younger, lighter perspective ... which some many consider "insensitive."
We consider them cards you can get/give with a close friend who understands. The inside jokes of cards that are shared by more than you and your friends.

" If you keep washing your hands ... I'm leaving you in the bathroom and taking away your soap privileges"

"I swear ... the stove is off. So are the lights. And the door is locked. Really. I swear."

"That was quite a spill you took off the wagon. I'd help you up, but I'd have to put my martini down first."

If you're afraid of offending, go Journeys. If you want to tell it like it is, go PEP.

Paralysis

This pre-VTD opinion piece explores the idea that "words on cards make men nervous..." Luckily, for some men, it just makes them silly (says the girl who got her very own "Wild Thing" musical VTD card this month. Patrick, unlike me, says he enjoyed opening all of the musical cards and listening to the sound clips.)

I agree with the main sentiment on of this commentary -- don't overthink the card, just buy it. You probably want to steer clear of a woman who takes every word some "hack" writes in a super-sugary card to heart anyway.

Where is Scooby when you need him?

I like to think I'm up on what the kids are watching, including my 31-year-old best friend Jenny who loves Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, but I have never heard of My Gym Partner Is a Monkey. It sounds like I would like it too:

"
The story revolves around Adam Lyon, a human student at Chester Arthur Middle School. After a typo changes his last name to "Lion", he is sent to Charles Darwin Middle School a school for anthropomorphic animals. Shortly after his transfer, he is partnered with Jake Spidermonkey (an actual spidermonkey) in Gym, hence the title. While Adam has to deal with the obvious difficulties humans have performing animal-like tasks, Jake just has fun at everyone else's expense."

Luckily, Hallmark is partnering with Cartoon Network, so I can learn all about what makes this program and its partners so funny via simple illos and tag lines. Spidermonkeys are a good start.


Friday, February 09, 2007

Celebrate Black History month

American Greetings is working with Ebony Magazine to promote cards marking February as BHM with images from past covers of the magazine. Those featured include Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks and Josephine Baker. You won't be able to get them everywhere, but they will be $2.99 on the shelves and will most likely have a lasting historical and cultural value.

$14B in love

Business owners say it's profitable -- and that has only grown in recent years. The obscene amount of candy, the 189 million roses and the date nights at fancy restaurants (something I recommend against, as do most restaurant critics, since it often affects service quality. Just go on the weekend and make something at home that night!). VTD is also the top time of the year for OTC sales of greeting cards. 65% of households will celebrate with one.

Apparently, one of the biggest things in Mississippi this season will be choosing the right tune...

"They're $4.99, but it's worth it, I tell you. You open the card and it will play a few lines from a song - like 'Jamaica, Bahama, come on, pretty mama,' " Singh sings, reciting lyrics from the Beach Boys' Kokomo.

Ah, the beautiful romance of the song my 7th-grade boyfriend performed with his best friend at the school talent show in 1988. And true Beach Boys fans the world over wept.

I was in a card store last week and checked them out. They were big -- fat with graphics and images -- pricey and kind of heavy. The envelope looked like a cross between your acceptance letter to college and your taxes going out. And the music was very loud and played immediately upon opening the cards -- so it didn't make for quiet browsing, which may be a detterent for some. One of the great things about buying cards in a card store is reading through at least 5 of them. If everyone knows you are more drawn to the "I Love Lucy" designs, it's like allowing a peek into your soul. That may be a little intimate than what you want to reveal at (insert name here)'s Hallmark shop.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Greetings from the White House

I work about 4 blocks from the White House. I walk by it when I decide to make the 4-mile track home on foot, including last week on balmy 30-degree evening. Regardless of who is in power, it's always quite a sight. Crowds of tourists taking their photos in front of the fence. The woman who has been camped out in protest under her blue tarp for years. Security. TV cameras. More tourists. The street in front is mainly free of traffic as it was sectioned off following Sept. 11, so you can basically walk down the middle of the road without having to worry about being run over -- unless a motorcade is coming or going.

Lights glow in many of the windows and it makes me wonder what is going on in there (since we know not much thinking is going on the Oval Office) -- in the kitchen, in the side rooms, in the offices. Apparently, someone is sending out greeting cards. While Im sure these folks are not actually working inside the White House, folks at the White House Greetings Office apparently send cards to "U.S. citizens for special occasions, including births, 80th birthdays, weddings and 50th wedding anniversaries." Requests can be made here. If you're into that. Personally, I think I'll wait until the next administration come along. Or see what would happen if one of my friends in a single-sex relationship decided to tie the knot.

Monday, January 15, 2007

CardSavers

Doreen alerted me to this via DailyCandy:

CardSavers give your old cards new life.

A cursive "Z"

Teachers at my public elementary school in Auburn, Maine, was going to make sure we had handwriting as good as the the Catholic School kids in Lewiston. But "z"s -- which I unfortunately had in my last name -- were a bitch. It looked nothing like Zorro. It just looked stupid.

Luckily, the cursive stuck. And depending on how fast I write a letter or a card, people comment on how nice my handwriting is. However, get me going too fast or emotionally, and I'm scrawling all of the page worse than my father on an estimating sheet or my boyfriend trying to figure out new layouts for work.

Now, kids are taking keyboarding classes in kindergarten and only the gifted kids get to devote time to penmanship. No wonder I got 90% typed notes from people during the holidays this year. Everyone has forgotten that a "Q" has a curl.

The year of challenge

Last year was the year of bread -- part of my celebration was working on my cupcake recipe with great success. Doreen can hopefully back me up on that. This year is the Year of Challenge. Work and new clients. New homes (for both of us). Finding our way -- with great design and ideas.

"Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk."

Time to take more risks.

Of course, it's hard for me to the quote the Dalai Lama without thinking of Carl from Caddyshack: "So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one---big hitter, the Lama---long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-galunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consiousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

This doesn't bode well for me reaching a stage of enlightenment anytime soon.

Bad to the Bone

Hallmark is using its (apparently) incredibly popular musical line to attract more men to card buying.

I don't know any guy who would buy a greeting card for another guy that plays music when its opened, especially one that plays George Thorogood, but when it comes to TV theme songs, I could totally buy into the idea of "Law & Order" -- boom-boom!