While technology has made drastic improvements in the field of communications, it has also taken away the personal touch that came along with handwritten cards and letters. Many people now turn to email and text messaging when it comes to getting in touch with a friend or relative. Emails may be useful in the workplace and when it comes to discussing dinner plans for the evening with friends or family, there are certain situations in which an email is inappropriate. While email and text messaging may be convenient, there are still some circumstances in which an email or text message should not replace a hand written note for the sake of convenience.

When it comes to thank-you cards for a gift received or a favor done, take the time to write out a thank you letter. Hand written thank you’s show that you appreciate the favor or the present and that you want to personally thank whomever the card is addressed to. By taking the time to personally write out a thank you card expressing your gratitude for a specific gift or favor you are showing the person that gave you the gift your appreciation. Or, if you are having a dinner party or a celebration, inform your guests by sending them a hand written card with the date and the time of the party. A generic email sent out to all invited will not make your guests feel special.

The easiest way to make sure that you always have suitable writing material available when you need to send a personal note is to purchase some personalized stationery. With the large selection of stationery that is available you will be able to choose stationery that reflects your own personality and sense of style. You can select the color of the stationery and the color of the monogramming. Take the time to look through different types of personalized stationery so that you are pleased with your ultimate selection.

By buying personalized stationery that reflects your own personality you will be much more likely to want to use it. In fact, you will probably end up enjoying writing out special notes and mailing them to friends and family so much that you will cut back on sending emails and text messages in favor of making all of your communications more personal.

The act of writing a letter involves sincerity, figuring out how to make paper planes takes skill

For all of the technological innovation and advance in communications, letter writing paper represents perhaps the symbol of simplicity.

A single letter sheet – flat, smooth in texture and waiting to be put to use. Of course, writing a letter would be the obvious choice for this noble piece of paper. But what about some other options? Like, say you were trying to figure out how to make paper planes? Think about it – that letter sheet is more versatile than you might expect. Continue reading ‘The Many Uses of Letter Writing Stationery and Letter Sheets’ »

Write a thank you message that captures the power of Thank You

One of my most important goals in life is to teach my children that the simple act of saying ‘thank you’ is among the most important things they can do. Of course, saying ‘please’ ranks right up there, but ‘thank you’ takes the cake for me.

Teach children to say thank you

Two simple words – thank you – hold so much power. Saying thank you not only expresses gratitude but also respect, courtesy and often love. For a child, saying thank you is short and sweet. For us grown-ups, it can become a more intricate task, especially when we are putting our thoughts into writing.

I would certainly say there is an art to good thank you note wording.

My mom writes me thank you messages for just about everything. I save all of them, not only because it makes me feel good to read them, but also because they are treasure troves of memories, helping me recall how we celebrated special occasions and how I expressed my love to her in gifts.

How to Write Thank You Notes

For me, the number one rule in how to write thank you cards is to try not to make it read like a thank you note. Confused? How boring is it to read “Thank you for the blender. It blends really well. We will get a lot of use out of our blender. Thanks again.” Blah. Instead, try something like… Continue reading ‘Thank You Card Wording And How To Write Thank You Notes’ »

Restore That Personal Touch With Custom Business Stationery

When did business get so impersonal? What happened to the days when the best business deals were done with a handshake or, better yet, a hand-written note? Of course, times change, but some things should stay the same…like using stationery to personalize certain business communications.

Granted, we need to streamline processes to keep up the pace, especially in today’s cutthroat market. Online communication certainly has its place. However, sometimes reverting to seemingly old-fashioned practices – sending personalized business note cards, for example – can actually catapult you ahead of your competition. In a word, it’s all about ‘personalization.’

The Intimate Impact Of Custom Business Stationery

That personal touch. Personalized attention. You know what I’m talking about – we hear it all the time. People appreciate and remember being treated like they’re special. Continue reading ‘Personalized Business Stationery Makes Business Sense’ »

Personal Letter Writing Can Enhance Our Lives

Is personal letter writing becoming a lost art? We’re all so busy these days.  Everyone’s running here and there with a million things on their to-do lists.  Too busy to sit and chat.  Too busy to take a break.  Too busy to really listen.  Too busy for writing personal notes.

Take a moment (yes, you can spare a moment!) and think…when was the last time someone wrote a personal letter to you?  Do you remember when you received a hand-written note on beautiful, personalized stationery?  How did it make you feel?  Do you still have it?  I bet you do.

Writing Personal Notes Convey a Deeper Sentiment

Hand-writing personal notes on elegant, personalized stationery send so many messages to the recipient:  Continue reading ‘Personal Letter Writing – Make Time for Writing’ »

Monograms throughout History

Although monograms spiked in popularity most notably in the Victorian era, monograms and monogram stationery were commonly used during the period of our nation’s naissance and steadily thereafter.  One would rightly assume that our forefathers took pride in their monograms; George Washington’s, for instance, was emblazoned onto his gold encrusted china.

In the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, soldiers often had their monograms emblazoned onto their buttons to signify ownership of clothing.  Monograms were also used on personal effects and, of course, monogram stationery.

During the Victorian era (1837 – 1901), personal monograms were very in vogue, a European craze that crossed the pond to pervade American culture.  Every sophisticated gentleman corresponded on his own personalized monogram stationery, and every respectable lady displayed dainty monograms on embroidered linens and embossed stationery.  The monogram was seen not only as a status symbol but also as an illustration of personality.

Modern Day Monogramming

Since then, personalized monograms have ebbed and flowed with fashion and trend.  Continue reading ‘The Significance of the Monogram’ »

On June 15, we received the following email from a customer:

“In this tough economy jobs for college grads are hard to come by. My son applied for a position and was one of over a hundred applicants. Only 3 of the 100 wrote a personal thank you note for the interview. His was the only one on personalized stationery. His boss recently told him that the personalized stationery was the deciding factor…the difference that set him apart from the other applicants.  Thank you “Gifts in 24″ for turning out a quality product at an affordable price for your customers such as my son.”

Wow. Does it get any more convincing than that? Out of 100 applicants, this college grad distinguishes himself with a hand-written note on personalized stationery.

I got to talk with Tyler Stricklin and his mom, Pauline, who originally shared his story with us.

Giftsin24.com: Why did you choose to write a note on personalized stationery instead of sending an email?
Tyler Stricklin: Well since I was young I was always taught to write thank you notes. They started when I was young on construction paper and over the years they have developed in to your general cards with blank space to write comments. As I graduated college I wanted to be sure that my thank you notes to employers got the point across, made a bold statement, and stuck out from the other applicants’ notes. My personalized stationery accomplished everything and more. Continue reading ‘New Grad Lands Job with Help from Personalized Stationery’ »

Short, Sweet, and Worth Holding Onto

Giftsin24.com and Samara O’Shea are pleased to announce the winner of their National Card and Letter Writing Month Essay Contest.

Don Blankenship was a bit of a trouble maker in his youth. Looking back, he’ll willingly admit that he was hungry for attention, but I’m sure at the time he would have said no such thing. It’s safe to assume that he was not the type of teenager who would have been moved by a letter from his grandmother. Why then, all these years later, does he still hold  tightly to a simple missive she wrote to him in honor of his graduating from high school? It was his thorough explanation of his relationship with his grandmother’s letter that moved us. His story is a great reminder of the power of retrospect. It is a gift to look back at a situation and see it with new eyes. It’s how we uncover ourselves. We are pleased to share with you Don’s winning essay and his grandmother’s letter.

Letter from a Poignant Pen

By Don Blankenship

At the time, it didn’t seem like much, a handwritten note scribbled on rose colored stationary. Gripped with the excitement of my impending high school graduation, I nonchalantly tucked it into a shoe box in my closet. When things died down, I would make the time to send the obligatory thank-you note. After all, my grandmother would understand. She knew how I had worked for this moment, and she would want me to take the time to revel in my success. Her closing lines had summarized this fact so succinctly: “Remember to stop and enjoy the view, but never dally too long, there are other mountains to climb. You, dear one, are among the best of mountaineers.”

Characteristic of her lighthearted sense of humor, she had made a reference to my West Virginia heritage.  In the Mountain State, I had grown-up surrounded by my large immediate family: two brothers, two sisters, and myself. My parents worked diligently to meet our necessities, and as the family’s self proclaimed teenage rebel, I hadn’t made their lives easy. I was constantly skipping school, falling in with the wrong crowd, and testing any authority figure that would muster the courage to produce a challenge. My younger years were driven by vain attempts for attention-a product of intense sibling rivalry. I craved the spotlight and was less than reticent in securing its glow.

My grandmother, who lived several hours away in Northern Ohio, had sensed this longing. Although our relationship had consisted of a few stolen moments during school breaks and on holidays, somehow, she had a special way of making me feel important. At times, it seemed as if I was the only person in her world. My success and happiness took precedent above her personal indulgences. Freely she offered devotion, and as a young egotist, I satiated myself in her attention. Of course, a milestone such as my graduation would warrant a written response. While the letter wasn’t particularly lengthy, I could almost feel the emotion emanate from its pages.

I never got around to writing that thank you letter. Grandma died that summer of cardiovascular disease; however, the letter she wrote is no longer relegated to the recesses of my closet. It sits neatly folded in a decorative glass jar on my nightstand. When the obstacles seem too multiple to bear or my heart is filled with bliss over life’s numerous joys, I remove the letter and savor its wisdom. It comforted me with the death of a close aunt, and I chuckled as I read it the day I graduated from college. Somewhere located in those few scrawled lines her spirit lives, continuing to reach out with so much consideration left to give.

Dear Grandson,

Congratulations on your graduation. I knew you could do it! Unfortunately, I cannot be there to watch you walk across the stage, but know that I am rooting for you. You have made me very proud.

It seems that only yesterday you were a baby, and now you are crossing one of life’s major milestones. Education is the stepping stone on the path to greatness, and you are well on your way. Remember to stop and enjoy the view, but never dally too long, there are mountains to climb. You, dear one, are among the best of mountaineers.

With much love,

Nana

More than an interior design element, a writing desk carves out your intention and simplifies our lives

Back in simpler times, think Jane Eyre, Emily Dickinson or Laura Ingalls, both gentlemen and cultured women spent a good portion of their daily time working very seriously on the personal correspondences. Before the times of phones, computers and text messages, the act of writing to others was the primary form of communication especially when people lived far away from each other on country estates.  The arrival of the post was met with much anticipation and replying to the daily letters was a social responsibility of any cultured individual. 

Granted those days are long gone, but the writing desk is one aspect of those simpler times that really could use a good strong come back.

While you might not have a whole bunch of “personal correspondence” to reply to or a great novel to pen, bring back the writing desk allows you to have a designated area to keep track of your bills and write out checks, or quietly relax and read the paper or talk on the phone, organize household chores like coupons and rebates, or even to sit down and make a “honey do” list for your family. If you are a writer, or keep a journal, then having a place just for that activity helps calm you down and stay true to your task. What the writing desk does is denote the seriousness of your time and effort, and if you train them correctly, over time, other family members may even learn not to disturbed you when you are “working at your desk”.

An area dedicated to the calming practice of writing is not only a nice concept, but an attractive home design element. A writing desk can be tucked into a seldom used corner of a dining room, or a foyer, or a bedroom.  You can transform the look of a corner from dead, useless space, to an active and necessary part of your home. Plus the writing desk itself bespeaks of a quiet elegance and a nod to tradition.

There are many different styles and types of writing desks to choose from. From a big traditional banker’s desk to the Hepplewhite ladies secretary; from a tambour roll top desk to a modern glass and steel artifact; there is a wealth of furniture designs and prices to choose from. Plus, almost any table like piece of furniture can be turned into a writing desk just by the intent and the necessary desk objects.

Things to consider when planning your writing desk:

You will need a comfortable chair: Whether the chair itself is always at the desk, or maybe stored along side in a narrow area, a simple straight back chair will do or a more padded office type model, the choice is yours.

A suitable surface to write one such as a desk blotter or tablet: If you are really going to use the desk to write out things with a pen and paper, then a smooth and giving surface allows a smoother hand to your writing. Glass can be sued if you wished to protect a wood top on the desk, but then a desk blotter allows the pen to have some “give” on the glass.

Treat yourself to some fine writing implements: There is nothing like a well made pen. Granted we all have tons of freebees that we have no idea where they came from and the lovely standard Bic ballpoints, but a smooth clean hand not only makes writing a pleasure, but even the worse chicken scratch looks nicer with quality ink. Consider a higher quality gel writer, a fine jeweled ballpoint or even a fountain pen.  Stock up on a few different kinds until you find a clear favorite.

Attractive Desk Accessories: Having a tray to keep you mail in, a special box for stamps, a pencil cup or two, a box for paper clips, and more allows you to personalize your writing desk in a way that is perfect for you. While you can go out and buy all new matching desk accessories, we love the eclectic look of mismatched found objects choose both for their utilitarian purposes and their pure good looks. Consider a chipped teacup with a lovely pattern for paperclips, something attractive and functional as a notepad, a small decorative silver box for stamps, a pretty vase to hold your pencils.

Quality Stationery: We, of course, could not leave it out, but really, you have to write on something! Just as a good pen will improve the quality of the look and feel, a beautiful set of stationery will also denote the importance of both your time at the desk and the words which you write. Consider a set like our Monogram Personalized Stationery Wardrobe; sitting on your desk, envelopes waiting in a pretty box, pen in hand with a hot cup of tea or a nice glass of wine at hand.

Bringing back your own personal writing desk allows you to take some time out of your hectic life for yourself and the things that matter to you.

Plus, if you do write the great American Novel, your writing desk might get auctioned off just like Charles Dickens’ writing desk or end up in a museum someplace under glass with your name on it.

Not too bad for a quiet corner of your own.

Celebrate National Card and Letter Writing Month

April 1st - May 10th 2009 - Free Printed and Embossed Return Address

April is National Card and Letter Writing Month

“Spring is a time of hope and renewal, and the US postal service has a message for everyone who needs to reinvigorate relationships or rekindle romance: Touch them with a letter they can feel-and keep.” Source: US Postal Service.

Free Printed and Embossed Return Address on Your Stationery Envelopes from April 1^st – May 10^th 2009 (Mothers Day)

To mark National Card and Letter Writing Month as a time of Classic Correspondence Giftsin24.com, a high quality personalized stationery company is celebrating with 40 days of Free Return Address from April 1^st – May 10^th 2009 (Mothers Day). During these 40 days Giftsin24.com customers can benefit from savings of 25% to 45% on all Notes and Cards that offer the free option for Printed and Embossed return address on their stationery envelopes.

We at Giftsin24.com want to do our part to make it easy for everyone to write and connect with the most important people in our lives. Nothing is more personal than a handwritten note. Rediscover the timeless art of letter writing. Share and record your thoughts, memories, hopes,  and dreams with friends and loved ones. How about writing a romantic love letter?

Don’t Miss Your Chance for Winning a $150 Gift Certificate and 2 Books

Participate in Giftsin24’s Essay Writing Contest for National Card and Letter Writing Month

Customer Favorites that benefit from Free Printed/Embossed Return Address

• Traditional Monogram Notes
  Savings of 45%- $30.95, regularly $55.90
• Bordered Cards
  Savings of 38%- $39.95, regularly $64.90
• Executive Cards
  Savings of 41%- $34.95, regularly $59.90
• Bordered Notes
  Savings of 41%- $34.95, regularly $59.90
• Banner Cards
  Savings of 41%- $34.95, regularly $59.90