Hallmark brings you Halloween in 3-D, sound

Overall sales are expected to be down, but greeting card sales should hold steady this Halloween and Hallmark is capitalizing on the trend with a new line of cards featuring "visual tricks."

As the cards are flipped open, a haunting image magically comes to life as skeletons dance and black cats cross your path. Sweet vintage-inspired looks and charming extras have been added to greeting cards that can double as holiday decor such as pop-ups, banners, shadow boxes and word garland.

My "visual trick" this holiday season involves 4"-spike-heel boots and a whip. I wonder who would win in a shoot-out?

A bit of a rant, really

I saw "Julie + Julia" today and liked half of it. Julia Child and her husband Paul wrote letters and much of the screenplay was based on a book that drew from that correspondence -- to friends, to family and each other. I think that even if the bulk of their lives had been set in the Internet age, they would have been slipping those thin papers into white and blue envelopes stamped Par Avion and sending them off across the ocean.

I didn't like the Julie Powell part. Not because it was so self-indulgent, not because she was ridiculously whiny about turning 30 (alert: your life doesn't end) and not even because she wasn't professionally (or even quasi-professionally) trained -- but because the character she showed us -- both via Nora Ephron's screenplay and her book (which I read) was simply unlikeable. I never saw the spark, the fire or the love. And yes, I cheered inside as she lay crying on the bed, bitching to her husband (that "saint" that she later cheated on) that her adopted idol Julia Child, when asked about the project, didn't have kind words for it. This cooking blog full of her cyber-complaining about how hard it was to cook the French recipes that took Julia eight years to perfect, bent over stoves and tables that her frame was a good eight inches too large for as she and Paul were shipped around the world. As Julie bawled about how hurt she was that Julia wasn't bowled over with the emulation, all I could think was"Boo-fucking-hoo."

Julia didn't have big, angry meltdowns. She didn't toss food disasters at her beloved husband's head. She wasn't full of complaints and desires for fame and adoration to keep up with her peers. She just displayed unfailing love for everyone around her and devotion to her passion: food. And how did she develop the friendship that would turn into the publishing connection that brought "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" to the world? Well, she wrote a letter, of course.

Pep is going to have a new peep

If we have been a little quiet, it's not without cause: Pep's designer half has some big news -- she's with peep! Congratulations to dear Doreen, a forever friend, great hockey player, amazing artist, creative cook, wonderful wife and dog mommy -- and soon-to-be-mother-of-the-year. And though this scribbler is sad to be without her drinking buddy for a few more months (you can drink when you breast-feed, right DQ?) it'll all be worth it when my new niece/nephew comes into the world and my corruption of him/her can begin.

Superhero-sized licensing deal

Marvel this week signed a long-term licensing agreement that allows Hallmark to develop print and e-cards (and other goods) using the comic giant's more than 5,000 characters from the Hulk to Elektra. Continuing Hallmark's recent trend of technology teasers, the announcement said the cards will "feature lights, sounds and other innovations." Someone please get on details of this, please.

Another twist: "A secondary purpose of the partnership is to include projects announced for domestic and international release that have not yet been covered by a major social expressions category. For example, recently announced feature films from MARVEL Studios (such as The Avengers; 2012), and animated television series' recently produced by MARVEL Animation, are now a part of the agreement."

All-you-care- to-eat e-cards

E-cards have their place (behind paper), but if our best wishes need to get there today -- Hallmark offers a subscription plan that allows you to send all the e-cards you want in a year for less than $10.

And if you don't already track all of your friends' birthdays on Facebook, there is a scheduling option too.

When there is no other way but out

If the poll data cited in this release is accurate, then you probably know someone who has been the victim of domestic abuse. It takes many forms and knows no class, socio-economic or ethnic boundaries. And one of the worst parts is how difficult it is for victims to leave the situation that allows the abuse to recur, as it often means the complete upheaval of their life.

Skidmark Cards is doing its best to make that first step a little easier. They offer a line of greeting cards that "tastefully express and dignify the end of a relationship ... written in a non-angry, non-bitter way." Fifty percent of the proceeds fund domestic abuse shelters, and for $3.95 each with no shipping charges, the small purchases go well beyond the need to bring closure -- they can open the door for a better life.

What is a "pull-my-chin" card?

American Greetings had a big ole $1.69B year. They bought Papyrus and Recycled Paper Greetings. Closed 450 stores. Shuffled around hundreds of staff. Struggled with some licensing lines, including twice failing to jettison its Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears properties. But they continued to grow strategically and better positioning themselves in an ever-shrinking market (sigh) by buying deeper into the high-end homemade side with Papyrus and adding eco-conscious alternative sentiments with Recycled.

What's next? "An ever-widening array of new offerings, including sentimental cards from Kathy Davis; greeting cards with built-in sound, music and special effects; and humorous items such as singing envelopes and "pull-my-chin" cards," CEO Zev Weiss says.

I'm intrigued by the musical envelope concept and whatever "special effects" they may have in the works (thought I'm thinking anything flammable would be a Nova in the making), but can ANYONE tell me what a "pull-my-chin" card is? Does it make you think, want to buy new tweezers or covet someone's playoff scruff?

Sniffed me out like I was Tanqueray

Please add to the list of things I don't want for my birthday this year: Amy Winehouse cards and wrapping paper. I know that I enjoy the occasional cocktail, but I don't think it warrants "Rehab" status.

Living the dream

Some people say you shouldn't mix business with passion.

Here's an example of why that's total BS.

Wis. girl loves paper. Wis. girl loves independent paper store where she buys greeting cards all through college. Wis. girl gets job at said store. Five months later, she buys it.

New life and real life

I recently found out that one of my best friends is going to have a baby. I already have a lot of friends with wee ones and I love being an auntie. But this particular momma is a card freak too, so she's going to get a lot of mail from me over the next few months. Expecting cards can be heartfelt, beautiful and fun -- and especially fun when the recipient has a good sense of humor. And being able to keep your sense of humor when you're carrying another human around in your belly during a long, hot summer AND can't drink wine -- is critical.

I also this week discovered that a family member and a dear friend's mother are both facing fears connected to cancer -- a disease that already has affected my life many times over -- and the lives of nearly everyone I know. Regardless of diagnosis, it's terrifying to face your body/health's limitations. Without a medical degree, there is little I can do except listen, love and support. Considering that the majority of "get well soon" cards are lame/inappropriate and "thinking of you" cards are too sappy, I mostly go for blanks (kind of a choose-your-own adventure girl). I am also considering customizing some of these amazingly frightening cards from the CDC. If any of you have ever gotten one of these, please let me know so I can beat who sent it to you and then send them one about the "concussion toolkit."

Celebrate the little, the big, the scary and the beautiful things that life hands us. Don't wait for someone to give you a pen and say "write me." You'd want someone to do it for you, right?

Take this card behind the middle school and get it pregnant

NBC Universal has inked a deal with Hallmark to "create a line of greeting cards that use content from the studio’s film, television and music libraries." In the lineup, "30 Rock" and "The Office" -- two shows with the best collection of one-liners on TV today. While I don't think that line "Tell her that you want your privates and her privates to do a high-five" will be spoken when you open a card emblazoned with a smiling photo of Tracy Morgan anytime soon, I hope it's at least ready by my birthday in December.

Fresh, beautiful and noisy as hell

I spent a few days by myself (mostly...) at an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic about 7 years ago. Nothing amazing (I couldn't afford "spectacular," but I could afford unlimited beer in my room), but it was pretty and it had peacocks. They are lovely birds -- strutting around, fanning their plumage and distracting me somewhat from the dismal food on the premises.

The first night I was there, after a few drinks and "dinner", I was sitting in a hot tub and heard the most awful screech -- ever. It sounded like someone being knifed. Being a 25-year-old woman on vacation alone in an island nation -- in a bikini in a hot tub alone late at night -- this was a bit disconcerting in a "all the things Mom warned me about" kind of way. I waited. I listened. The sound came again.

I grabbed my towel and booked it back to my room.

After not sleeping all night, I went to the lobby to try once again to contact my online travel agency about a booking issue (a now defunct vacation site that screwed me over for a good $200) and to see if the police had showed up overnight for that dead lady I was sure was found on the lawn after midnight. On the way, I ran into a peacock, gliding across the lawn -- bobbing its head and checking for a snack.

Then it opened its beak....

The good thing about peacock images -- which are the rage in the greeting card world this summer -- is that they are all jewel-tones and flash, without the noise. Trust me, this is one sound Hallmark will not want to license.

Out of town, but not out of it entirely

I missed the National Stationery Show this year. Bad scribbler. My freelance writing/wanderlust drew me south of the equator to Argentina -- which is another story for another blog. Amazing journey.

The doodler reported that the trade show floor was smaller than years before -- less exhibitors, less buyers. But from the looks of the NSS blog, the talent level was as high as it has been in years past. Congrats to all of the LOUIE winners, new exhibitors and pioneers of new designs and technology.

The doodler also exhibited at Surtex this year for the first time - marking her debut on the licensing scene. Before the show -- which ran concurrently with NSS -- opened, she got an awesome shout-out in Print & Pattern. Pep couldn't be more proud of its designer-in-chief!

Remember, she's carried you a lot longer than 9 months

Moms don't quit on their kids. Ever. At all costs. And you were kind of a brat at times. And you know it.

So consider that when you're weighing what to get her this weekend. Smaller bouquet or 2 dozen rodes. Mediocre brunch or a swanky affair. The cheaper card, or a Pep Greetings card. Come on now.

She didn't eat you alive. And she could have. Trust me.

Happy Mother's Day to all of our favorite mommas. We love every one of you.

Creating a brand

When Kathy Davis started submitting her designs to card companies in the the late 1980s, she had no idea what was born from necessity (a divorce) and talent (freelance calligraphy) would become inspirational. The former art teacher with a master's degree built her business design by design. Recycled Paper Greetings believed in her, and the two worked together to develop her brand, which has grown into four separate entities, 15 employees and more than $50 million in retail sales last year. In 2008, she forged a new partnership with American Greetings and wrote a book. Not bad for the rest of your life.

You don't have to be an entrepreneur to develop your personal brand. It isn't all about mugs and gift bags or book deals. Know who you are. Embrace it. Take a risk. And live it.

"Everybody's going to want a piece of you. Make sure you maintain doing the things you love," Davis said about advice she received on drawing boundaries in business.

It applies well beyond the workplace.

Who writes them? Not me. Well, not those, anyway

This Austin (Minn.? Really?) Daily Herald writer has a good point: There are a ton of shitty greeting card writers who, unfortunately, are polluting your local card buying spot with their attempts at wit and insight.

"You would think an industry that can somehow get a greeting card to play music — the Star Wars Theme, the Chicken Dance — could figure out a way to write cards for brothers buying them for their sisters."

Too bad he didn't venture outside of the shoe box. Often the fun comes in working to make a card's "defined" intention meet your purpose.

Always frequent your happy place

One of my favorite card stores in the world is in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh: Kards Unlimited. I got to go there this weekend while visiting my alma mater for a few days of nerdy bacchanalia (but that is another story for another social media medium.)

If you are like me and live in a greeting card wasteland populated only by a (crappy) American Greetings store in the mall, a single aisle at (several thousand) CVS locations and a teeny, tiny Papyrus (full of dull Papyrus cards) -- a store like Kards Unlimited is an oasis. Loads of crowded racks showcasing beautiful (Flying Elephant), pretty (you send me), snarky (uncooked, selfish kitty) and dirty-funny (ripe, mikright) cards of all shapes and sizes. I'm not even going to go on about the temporary food tattoos, zombie stuff and funky cookbooks, but I want to. Badly.

If you have one of these independent gems in your neighborhood -- shop there. Kards Unlimited has been around for more than 40 years and was busy on the Saturday afternoon that I stopped in looking for a "recover soon from your stab wounds and remember not to chase your muggers next time" card (I actually found one) -- but it needs two things to thrive: you and me.

We all feel the pinch

Hallmark Cards this week said it plans to cut 8% of its workforce -- which could result in up to 750 jobs lost. CEO Donald Hall Jr. is keeping a stiff upper lip about the whole thing, but let's be honest -- no one is immune.

That new Peep smell

I once dated somone who lived about a 1/2 mile from the Just Born candy factory in Bethlehem, Pa. He turned into a bit of a stalker, but for a few weeks I did get to experience the joy that is driving around Bethlehem on an early spring day -- the sweet smell of newborn Peeps lingering in the air.

Thankfully you don't have to go out with an emotionally unstable young man to smell the marshmallow candies any time you desire. Just Born has licensed the Peeps brand (and flavors) to be used for a frightening array of products including key rings, stuffed animals, popcorn, candles, figurines and other fine china (tell me if you plan to register for Peep china for your wedding and I don't care who you are, I'll buy you some salad plates) as well as SCENTED greeting cards. Mmm -- Easterlicious.

John Potter, do not make me come and kick your ass

Bottom line: Mail is down 12% and the USPS could be out of money by the end of the year.

“The Postal Service, which has served America for 234 years, is experiencing a very serious financial crisis because of the downturn in the economy,” John Potter, head of the U.S. Postal Service, told lawmakers. He went on to say the losses, in the billions of dollars, are of "historic proportions."

So what does he do? He asks to cut a day of service. Five days a week of mail, people. This could really happen!

Mail delivery is one of the cornerstones of this nation. Even in post-apocalyptic times, there will be mail. Didn't anyone see "The Postman"? (I know it was a terrible movie, please don't miss the point here.) I'll bet even those children in rags got their New Yorkers on time. And their VISA bills. And the sweet, sweet ValPak.

It is time for another bailout. This is bigger than AIG. And the banks. And whatever other madness TARP is covering (unless it's petting zoos. That is completely valid). The mail. We must save the mail. Who is with me?