February 20 is #LoveYourPetDay. How are you celebrating? Whether you have a cute cat, an adorable dog, a hamster or an iguana, your pet is an important part of your family. They give us so many things: Unconditional love, unlimited entertainment, even a free reason to get outside and go for a walk everyday. Here are three fun and easy ways to celebrate your favorite pooch, kitty or other companion. How will you mark Love Your Pet Day every day of the year?

Photo & Picture Frame

Keeping a sweet picture of your pet on your desk at work helps you generate those endorphins. Your office mates will love the One of the Family Picture Frame. It’s one of several solid wood picture frames we’ve designed with pet-themed artwork, including an engraved or painted name.

Keepsake Ornament

The holiday season is filled with nostalgia and traditions carried from one generation to the next. Decorating a Christmas tree is one such tradition. The Pawsitively Yours Printed Keepsake Ornament reflects the love you have for your pet.

Photo Agenda

It takes just minutes to upload a full-color photo of your precious pet, and write a few lines of personalized text for a personalized notepad, such as the Family Photo Agenda. Choose an exclusive lettering style and matte ink color. We’ll do the rest. In no time, you can find a place for these agenda sheets in their CrystalClear acrylic holder on your desk, on your kitchen counter, or on your bedside table.

So there you have it. Three easy and fun ways to celebrate #LoveYourPetDay every day of the year. Order today, the item will ship tomorrow, fast and free through FedEx Ground Shipping. When you give Tiny that can of tuna or new collar, be sure to give yourself something a little special too.

What is the etiquette for acknowledging sympathy? In the aftermath of the loss of a loved one, there is a lot to do: gather belongings; plan a funeral, burial or other memorial; settle the estate; attend to health bills and other paperwork; and most of all….grieve. Others around you may express kindness and sympathy toward you. These outpourings of love and concern — through sending flowers, attending a service, mailing sympathy cards and other acts of kindness — may help soften the grief a bit. What are the best ways to respond to these tender outpourings of solidarity and love? Here are the Dos and Don’ts for writing sympathy thank you notes.

Do keep track of who sent what

If someone sent flowers, write a description of them on the accompanying card and keep those in a centralized location — even a shoebox or paper bag will do — so you don’t lose track of them in the whirl of paperwork. In the same way, place sympathy cards, inside their envelopes with the return address, in a similar receptacle. If you like, write on the envelopes whether there is an extensive, personal letter that should be responded to later.

Don’t feel obliged to respond right away

Give yourself time to grieve. You can respond in several weeks or months.

Do order pre-printed cards if you need to respond to many people

If the sympathy notes are pouring in by the dozens or hundreds, it’s entirely appropriate to order acknowlegement stationery, as you see in the samples in this blog. Typically, these are folded notes, inside of which you should sign your name. According to Peggy Post, author of Emily Post’s Etiquette, to those sending extensive letters, or those who are close to the family or loved one, or who have sent mass cards, flowers or other tokens, do write a few lines or more acknowleding their kindness, along with your signature.

Don’t hand write a message to everyone

But not everyone needs to receive a handwritten message inside the card, according to Post. For those who are not particularly close to the family or deceased and simply signed their names in a commercial sympathy card, it’s entirely appropriate to simply sign your name in the acknowledgment card.

Do be specific in your sympathy thank you note

Thank them for the flowers, helping with the ceremony, sharing a beautiful memory, etc. In other words, be specific. You can be direct and brief, but the specificity is important: “Thank you for the beautiful flowers.” “Thank you for the wonderful stories you shared in your card.”

See our collection of pre-printed sympathy thank you cards. Printed on double-thick paper with precision printing techniques, they are a step above what you can typically find through a funeral home.

Discovering personalized stationery has been a revelation. It feels wonderful to pull out a piece and make that first penstroke on the smooth paper topped with my name or monogram. Personalized stationery elevates the experience of letter writing.

For some people, owning personalized stationery is like owning a pair of really good, dark-rinse blue jeans or a string of pearls. It’s something you use often and looks great with everything. But for other people, it’s a bit of a mystery…it’s something you might have heard about or seen in an old photograph of a famous writer at his or her desk, but not anything you or your friends have ever actually owned.

To this point, I was 45 years old when I discovered the idea of personalized stationery. I grew up and live in a northern city in a squarely middle class neighborhood. My friends and family had always sent me notes on plain stationery. When I was younger, we used notebook paper or sometimes plain letter sheets. When I got older, we used greeting cards, or boxed cards from the grocery store. Later, we used email and now texting.

Personalized stationery options

At first, I considered each piece precious; I wanted to save it for “special” occasions. But soon I realized that — at $45 for a box of 25, or $70 for a box of 50 — it cost less to use my stationery than it did to buy a greeting card at the store….way less!

Now, when I want to sit down and write a letter or a thank-you, the first thing I do is to pull out my boxes of personalized stationery and decide which style to use: my white flat card with silver lettering, or my ivory folded note with an embossed monogram or my monogrammed ivory letter sheets.

There are two main methods of personalization: your initials (otherwise known as a monogram) or your name. For the longest time, I owned simple monogrammed stationery — a flat card with a navy monogram and a matching navy border. Simple. Classic. I wanted my first personalized stationery to be traditional like that. When my blue monogram stationery ran out, I tried an embossed monogram. I love that it is 100% recyclable and even compostable, so it is eco-friendly. At the same time, it’s also very classic.

Recently I discovered an intriguing lettering style and decided to try my name as the personalization. I love that one too!

A smart investment

My investment in personalized stationery has paid off. Writing notes and letters has become a pleasure. I delight in running my fingers over the raised lettering or embossing. I feel like my stationery expresses myself beautifully. And when my box runs low, I feel excited about making a decision: Do I reorder a favorite or select a new design?

Personalized stationery options can feel endless. To simplify your decision, go with your gut. What style speaks to you? Look in your closet: do you tend toward the traditional or the trendy? Perhaps take a cue there. Good luck with your decision!

Happy Letter Writing Week! We’re plugged in 24/7. We’re Instagramming, Lyfting, streaming and texting. Spending one week celebrating pen and ink — and perhaps even unplugging — feels like an extremely wonderful idea!

Slowing down and enjoying the pleasures of writing our thoughts to our dearest and closest friends and family may seem quaint, but letter writing can also be powerful. First, reaching out to others can strengthen our sense of community. Second, it can help us to unplug for an hour or two. Researchers tell us our screen culture increases our anxiety, cuts us off from one another and in some ways is more addictive than crack cocaine. Third, and let’s be honest here, letter writing gives us a chance to show off our beautiful stationery. Sure, we can use notebook paper or email, but where’s the fun in that?

I love the smooth feel of the stationery, the raised impression of the embossing or thermography, and crisp sounds of the paper rustling. It’s a total sensory experience, and those sensations are some of the pleasures of letter writing.

Letter Writing Tools

Currently, my stationery wardrobe features two main pieces:

Henley Monogram Wardrobe. Mine is embossed on ivory paper with opal linings inside the envelopes. It’s a classic combination and has the added benefit of being compostable and eco-friendly. I love the traditional letter sheets, enclosures (which I can use for just about any occasion) and folded notes. It’s such a treat to open my box and decide which paper to pull out.

Luna Card. I just received this stationery in the mail, and what a pleasure it was to open! The Luna Card features a beautiful new lettering style, which I ordered in silver raised ink on crisp white paper. It’s so pretty and feminine, but with a modern take, so it doesn’t feel old-fashioned.

So as you go through your contacts and decide whom to write during Letter Writing Week, put some thought into how the paper feels between your fingers, how the design enhances your experience. And if you feel the need to order new stationery, we have a wonderful selection of notes, cards and letter sheets, as well as new stationery to try.

Holiday food, wine and fun pair wonderfully with personalized napkins and guest towels from Gifts In 24. A steaming turkey or ham. A blazing fire. Children’s excited laughter.

The sights and smells of holiday parties warm the heart and soul. Your table is the center of all the action. Be sure to have plenty of holiday napkins on hand for sticky fingers and wet beverages.

Gifts In 24 offers a wide array of personalized designs, from old favorites to new motifs. Customize them with your choice of monograms, lettering styles, foil colors, paper colors, edge styles and more.

Planning the perfect holiday feast? Our personalized napkins come in a large array of foil ink colors and paper colors to match any decor. Use them for the buffet table, dinner table, beverage cart or passed appetizers.

Add pizzazz to your buffet table or powder room with personalized guest towels. We ship both embossed and foil-pressed items in 24 hours.

Christmas Napkin

Create up to three lines of personalization on the Christmas Napkin — Foil-Pressed. Choice of lettering style. Motifs include: candy canes, Christmas tree, stocking, ornaments, Santa’s hat and holiday wreath. High quality, three-ply construction. Also available in an embossed version.

Delavan Monogram Napkin

Monograms signal tradition and taste. Impress your guests with the Delavan Embossed Monogram Napkin. Choice of monogram, paper color and napkin orientation: diamond or square. Bordered edge. Also available in a foil-pressed version.

Yuletide Guest Towel

Coming home for Christmas dinner to celebrate family style. Gathering for the annual holiday office party. There are as many ways to customize the Yuletide Foil-Pressed Guest Towels as there are reasons to celebrate. Personalize these paper party serviettes with up to three lines of text. Choose a foil ink color, typography and paper color. Motifs include: snowman, Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, ho-ho-ho and snowflakes. Also available in an embossed version.

Derby Napkin

The Derby Foil-Pressed Napkin provides a classic look with crisp foil lettering in vivid colors. One line of personalization expertly printed in your choice of lettering style on high quality, three-ply paper in a wide range of colors. Bordered edge. Diamond orientation.

Delavan Monogram Guest Towel

From the powder room to the buffet table and more, the Delavan Embossed Monogram Guest Towel  is the perfect accessory. Offering a choice of monogram and paper color, this guest towel offers endless options. Bordered edge. Also available in a foil-pressed version.

See the entire collection of holiday personalized guest towels and napkins here.

Guests will arrive at any moment. The candles are lit. Warm cider is heating up on the stove, infusing the air with its spiciness. A lovingly prepared roast or chili is ready to serve. How have you set your table? Perhaps a pretty tablecloth in a warm hue, an interesting arrangement of fall leaves or small gourds. And next to every plate: personalized party napkins with a fall-themed motif.

How about your drink cart? Of course you’ll have pretty glasses with all your favorite beverages. Imagine yourself handing a freshly poured drink to your guest with a napkin. What does it look like?

Fall is a time to celebrate the bounty and beauty of our lives, as well as the deep, meaningful relationships with our family and friends.  Customize napkins with your family’s name. Use a family motto or slogan, such as “Embraced in love” or “Gratitude is an attitude” or “Live, laugh, love.” Add an embossed or foil-pressed pumpkin, leaves or other motif.

Here are some of our favorite fall-themed napkins, which you can personalize as you wish. Delight your guests with this special touch at your dining table, drink cart or buffet.

5 Fun Fall Party Napkins

Lily Monogram AirLaid Luxury Napkin: For a fancier gathering, try this sophisticated floral foil pressed design accented with your personal monogram in one of 10 lettering styles. The AirLaid napkin is imported from Germany and features a soft, absorbent material. Select from a variety of foil colors to match your party decor.

Autumn Guest Towel: Strike a warm and inviting note on your party table or buffet with these paper serviettes, which come in a large array of foil ink and paper colors to match any decor. Choose a festive lettering style and a fall-themed motif, such as the Thanksgiving motif shown above. These high quality, three-ply construction guest towels include a bordered edge.

Autumn Foil-Pressed Napkin: Add some shimmer and shine to your napkins with attractive foils in fall colors, including Gold, Silver, Copper, Orange, Red, Purple, Emerald, Teal, or Black. Include up to three lines of personalization on these adaptable and beautiful napkins. Choice of lettering style. Motifs include: fall leaves (shown above), harvest cornucopia, turkey and pumpkins.

Elise Monogram Foil-Pressed Napkin: Perfect for the drink cart or bar area, this foil-pressed napkin is understated yet elegant. The combination shown above offers a modern update on a classic combination: silver foil lettering on grey paper. The three-ply paper feels thick and luxurious.

Autumn Embossed Napkin: Strike a cheerful note on your party table or buffet with these embossed napkins. Embossing is a classic choice when you want to strike a traditional tone. Choose a paper color that coordinates with your tablecloth or other decor, which leans toward the warm colors, such as White, Ivory, Navy, Black, Gray, Silver, Red, Sand or Wine. Create up to three lines of personalization that mark the occasion and select a fall-themed motifs: fall leaves, harvest cornucopia, turkey and pumpkins.

See all of our napkins and guest towels here. You are sure to find the perfect napkin that will give your party table that finishing touch. It takes just minutes to create personalized napkins and guest towels, and they’ll arrive at your door in just days.

In a world that grows more digitized by the day, the act of putting pen to paper is transformational. Here are a few ways the classic form of journal keeping can ground you and increase your creativity:

One: Quickly capture thoughts and information

Ideas emerge at any given moment. Having a notebook on hand allows you to quickly jot them down before they slip away. It’s also a great tool for organizing all your ideas in one place. There’s nothing more frustrating than scattered jottings on receipts, slips of paper and the backs of envelopes.

Two: Improve your mental health by journaling and disconnecting

There is a strong connection between journaling and mental health. The weight of everyday life can bog you down. Studies have shown that expressing your emotions can help manage anxieties, ease stress and cope with depression. Use a journal to express your thoughts through writing, doodling or another visual tactic. Doing so can relieve the stress of overwhelming emotions and other life pressures.

Three: Eliminate distractions

Our smartphones are major points of distraction in our lives. We are constantly getting notifications about text messages, social media alerts, emails and other intrusive apps. By using a journal to jot down your thoughts, you can help eliminate distractions from the virtual world. Whether you are sketching, doodling, journaling or simply making your grocery list, using a notebook encourages you to focus on putting your thoughts on the page.

Four: A way to remember what you don’t wish to forget

Various studies have shown that the physical act of writing can help you retain thoughts and information better than typing on a keyboard or into a phone. The classic pen-and-paper combo requires you to think through every letter and word, which more effectively etches the information into your memory. Writing class notes by hand or jotting down information during work meetings also enhances retention.

Five: Plan and brainstorm more efficiently

Apps on your smartphone or computer can have constricting formats that confine your ideas and workflow. When your brain is on a roll, you need space to capture every thought, no matter in which direction your ideas go. In a notebook, it’s much easier to map things out on an unrestricted, blank page. Your mind can wander freely and creatively.

Find the system that’s right for you

The best way to enhance your note-writing experience, is to personalize a notebook or journal to reflect your style and personality. At Giftsin24, you can select a journal that inspires and motivates you to experience all the benefits of writing by hand. Shop our selection of personalized journal and notepad options to get your brain flowing.

Face-to-face time can feel like a luxury in our plugged-in, 24/7, global work environment. Many of us work virtually in a way that embodies the modern, global, tech-fueled workforce. So when we take the time to attend a networking event, take a client out to lunch or hold a brainstorming meeting, how can we use those in-person events to forge stronger working relationships? One way is to acknowledge the other person’s time with a business thank-you note. It may sound quaint, but it’s one of the most powerful ways to follow up with work colleagues and let them know that we value their efforts.

Here are some tips and tricks for writing a business thank-you note for just about any work meeting or event.

A job interview

No matter if you walked away loving the job even more, or if you’ve concluded it’s not for you, thank the person who interviewed you for their time. Let them know you enjoyed the conversation and learned a lot — perhaps list one or two things: “I enjoyed learning about the new editorial process you’re planning.” If you want the job, this is also a chance to reiterate one or two reasons why the job is a terrific match for your skills. Close strongly by telling them you really want it.

A productive meeting

Always be sure to write up minutes, highlights or action lists so that the meeting team’s work can be captured and shared, and that any action items get assigned and followed up on. When sending that summary, thank attendees for their time and for sharing their insights. Remind the attendees of the ultimate goal of the project and let them know their work will help achieve it.

A business lunch

If you’re the client, and your vendor took you out to lunch, write a brief thank-you note: “Thanks again, Elaine, for lunch. We made a lot of headway. I think your work will help us meet our deadline.”

A networking event

Networking events and mixers can sometimes bring you home with a pocket full of business cards and lots of new energy and ideas. It’s not necessary to thank speakers and panelists (unless you actually organized the event), unless you specifically would like to connect with them on a business idea or to continue the conversation. As to the other attendees, look back at the evening and think about who you’d like to stay in touch with. Inviting them to connect via LinkedIn is very effective. Or try a quick email, or a folded note with your business card tucked in. “It was so fun getting to know you at the Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday evening. Good luck with your business expansion. Here’s that PR firm I mentioned to you. I’ve had good results with them. I’d love to take you up on the offer to grab some coffee in the next month to brainstorm branding ideas for my new company. Let’s make a date soon.”

A business referral

Did someone refer a new client or customer to you? That’s pure gold. Don’t hesitate to write a thank-you note. Word of mouth marketing is powerful, indeed. Your prompt and warm acknowledgment may help encourage more future referrals as well.

End-of-year holidays

The end of the year is the perfect time to thank people — coworkers, clients, bosses and other work colleagues — for a rewarding and successful year together. A simple “Thank you for a wonderful year — we hit it out of the park,” can do wonders. If you want to get specific and point to certain achievements or projects the person worked on that caught your notice, that’s effective too.

For some of these situations, an email or text might be sufficient. But if you really want to knock their socks off, use beautifully crafted business stationery, with your name, title, company and address. Here are two of our favorites.

Your Logo Folding Note – Raised Ink. Print your company logo, personal artwork or design in one of our 11 raised ink colors. A classic look featuring your design on thick, folded notes and color-matched envelopes

Your Logo Knightsbridge Frame Note – Embossed. Boost your professional image with an elegant embossed border on double-thick paper at a price that fits your budget. Choose an optional return address or hand-inserted envelope lining paper to create impressive stationery.

September is National Courtesy Month. Politeness and manners are more than just words. They undergird a whole way of being that can help you feel happier and infect the community around you with good feels. It’s contagious! Here are some ways to instill calm and gratitude in your life.

1. Say “Please” and “Thank you.”

These are the magic words that keep the gears of any community moving, whether you are emailing, phoning, or speaking in person to someone. ‘nough said!

2. Be Kind.

You never know what the other person is going through. When someone speeds by or honk from behind me, I sometimes feel irritated, but other times, I wonder if they are trying to get to the hospital. A person may have just received a cancer diagnosis or notice of the death of a loved one. Maybe they are dealing with suicidal thoughts or feeling stressed by the medical needs of their daughter or mother. Try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

3. Learn People’s Names

It can feel overwhelming at times, particularly if you are meeting a lot of people at once. One man I just met very obviously said my name three times in a conversation, in an effort to remember it. Others try to use mnemonics: “Sweet Sydney,” for example. My husband writes people’s name in the Notes area of his phone. Do what you need to do. It really means a lot.

4. Listen Without Interrupting

We sometimes talk without thinking. Try to give someone your undivided attention, without trying to add your two cents or respond with related stories of your own. And when someone is going through a hard time, it’s the best time to zip it up and just listen.

5. Send a Hand-written Note

Received a gift? Got invited to a wonderful home-cooked meal? Been thinking about a friend and realized you’ve known her for 10 years? You got it…write a thank you note. It’s a time-honored tradition that really seals the bonds of a relationship. Life is short and can sometimes be lonely. Remember to thank people who are kind to you.

So those are 5 simple ways to be more courteous. As you practice these and other measures, you will also be building a more gentle and polite community around you.

Short cuts are a necessity in our modern age, no doubt about it. Life moves fast, and you don’t want to miss the important parts because you’re lost in the minutia of a bunch of busy work. So, how important is it to use quality stationery when writing a thank you note? Consider these scenarios:

1. Your aunt has given you a beautiful gift: she thought of a gift idea that matches your taste and desires, purchased it, wrapped it beautifully and presented it to you on your birthday. That was a lot of effort!
2. Your neighbor spent 12 hours of her time watching and feeding your kids for you on no notice when you had a family emergency.
3. Your mother’s friend flew into town for your mother’s funeral, and had a beautiful display of flowers delivered to the service.

In these cases, will a pack of thank you notes from the big box store in your town serve? Um…we think not.

If you want to correctly thank the people important to you — those who show you much consideration and generosity of heart — you’ll want to use superior stationery that befits the occasion: personalized stationery with your name or monogram, precision-crafted to exacting standards.

So how can you know what “good quality” stationery is? How will you know it when you see it? A lot of it has to do with the printing.

Gifts In 24 creates beautiful stationery on high quality papers and designed by professionals. You have your choice of a variety of stationery using 3 main printing methods: embossing, thermography and foil-pressing.

Embossing

Embossing, sometimes called “blind embossing,” is a classic choice. In this process, paper is squeezed between two molds, or dies, to create a raised impression on the top surface of the paper. As in the Henley Traditional Monogram Note, shown above, no ink is used, and so the name or monogram is delineated by the simple change in texture of the paper. Excellent embossing is highly valued and a sign of quality. How can you tell high-quality embossing from poor-quality embossing?

• Look at the front of the paper. The edges of the letters or design should be crisp. This crisp quality is harder to achieve with thicker paper (but, of course, we’ve got that figured out.)
• Now, look at the back of the paper. You should see a deep texture change behind the letters or design. The paper should have been squeezed up and into the embossed pattern or lettering. If there’s just a shallow impression, then the embossing is inferior.

Thermography

Sometimes called thermographic printing or raised-ink printing, thermography uses heat to fuse powder and ink. Thermography creates a shiny, raised personalization. The back of the paper remains smooth, because all of the printing process happens on the top of the paper. Our most popular raised-ink colors are black and navy.

Foil Pressing

Some of our stationery features foil-pressed details, such as a design. Here, as in the Infinity Note shown above, we apply heat to foil during the printing process. There is a subtle texture on the top of the paper, but the main effect is a vibrant, shiny design that beautifully contrasts with the flat, matte paper. If you would like a foil effect for lettering and monograms, choose our silver or gold raised ink.

Thanking your friends and family well is not one of those things to skimp on. If you order a supply of beautiful stationery right now, you’ll always have it on hand. Discover your new thank you notes today.