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Proper Hand Washing Techniques and Posters

These days, with the coronavirus lurking in every corner of our lives, washing our hands (and using the proper hand washing techniques) is more important than ever. But sometimes, you need a reminder of what you ought to do.

That’s where hand washing posters come in handy. Here’s a review of why and how to wash your hands correctly and why hand washing posters come in handy.

Why It’s Important to Wash Your Hands

Remember being a kid, when your parents always told you to go wash up before dinner? As an adult, we no longer have our parents telling us to wash up before dinner, but we’re still told to wash our hands, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Why do we clean our hands?

For one thing, there are several benefits to washing our hands–and the importance of washing our hands cannot be overstated in light of the pandemic.

Why Do We Wash Our Hands?

First, the basic question. Why do we wash our hands? And why is it so important to wash our hands correctly?

In the words of a chemistry professor at the University of New South Wales, soap is a modern marvel, almost like a demolition team breaking down a building and taking all the bricks away. Soap is a common phrase for amphiphiles or molecules with a dual nature–one side is attracted to water and repelled by fats and proteins, the other is attracted to fats and proteins and repelled by water.

This dual nature is what allows soap to break apart oil and water. Oil floats in water because fats don’t mix with water. When you add soap, the fat-loving side is attracted to the grease, but then it tears up the grease by attracting water with the molecule’s water-loving side. This disintegrates the fat molecules.

Now, let’s say you have a virus you want to disintegrate. Fortunately for us, a virus (like the coronavirus, for example) is a self-assembled nanoparticle in which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer.

When soap encounters a virus, the fat-loving side of the molecule buries itself in the fat and protein shell. Luckily, the chemical bonds holding the virus shell together aren’t very strong, so this intrusion is enough to break the virus shell. This renders the virus soluble in water and it disintegrates into inactive shards which can then be washed down the drain.

In other words, soap literally breaks viruses apart, making it the perfect candidate to protect your health. And while hand sanitizers can achieve the same effect, they’re harsher on the skin and you need a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol (not all hand sanitizers meet this standard).

Effective Hand Washing Steps

However, there is a correct procedure to follow when washing your hands–and it is critical that you follow instructions on the proper way to wash hands. Soap is pretty tough stuff, but if you don’t wash your hands the correct way, it won’t have enough time or opportunity to do its job.

Here’s the correct order of hand washing recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The Correct Way to Wash Your Hands

The CDC has five simple steps for correct hand washing:

  1. Wet
  2. Lather
  3. Scrub
  4. Rinse
  5. Dry

First, wet your hands with clean running water. It doesn’t matter if it’s warm or cold. Then turn off the tap and apply soap.

Second, lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Make sure to lather your palms, your fingers, the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your fingernails.

Third, scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Soap needs some time to break apart the molecules it encounters, and this will ensure everywhere you scrub is properly demolished (molecularly speaking).

Fourth, rinse your hands under clean running water.

Finally, dry your hands using a clean towel.

If you need a more thorough guide, our twelve steps break it down further:

  1. Wet your hands
  2. Apply enough soap to cover all hand surfaces
  3. Rub hands together palm to palm
  4. Put your right palm over your left dorsum (back of the hand) with interlaced fingers to scrub between your fingers, then switch sides
  5. Scrub your hands together palm-to-palm with fingers interlaced
  6. Rub the backs of your fingers to the opposing palms
  7. Rub each thumb clasped in the opposite hand
  8. Rub the tips of your fingers into the opposite palm in a circular motion
  9. Rinse your hands with water
  10. Dry your hands thoroughly with a clean towel
  11. Use the towel to turn off the faucet
  12. Et voila: your hands are now safe and clean!

Whatever you use, just make sure to wash your hands!

How Long Should You Wash Your Hands?

As previously noted, you should wash your hands for at least 20 to 30 seconds. This will ensure the soap molecules have enough time to break apart any germs on your hands.

You can count it out or set a timer if needed. A tried-and-true way to make sure you hit the right number is by singing the “Happy Birthday” song at normal speed two times. Parodies on the traditional birthday singalong (i.e. the “You live in a zoo” version) also work, as does the Batman smells version of “Jingle Bells” (after all, you can only sing the same song so many times before you start losing your marbles).

If you’re tired of singing for a birthday that never comes or a holiday that definitely isn’t here yet, try these song choruses instead (popular options include “Raspberry Beret” by Prince or “Jolene” by Dolly Parton).

When Should You Wash Your Hands?

Washing your hands often is always a good idea, but there are certain critical moments when you should always wash your hands:

  • Before, during, and after preparing food
  • Before eating (remember your parents telling you to wash up?)
  • Before and after treating a cut or wound
  • Before and after caring for someone who is sick
  • After using the toilet
  • After changing a baby’s diaper
  • After cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
  • After blowing your nose
  • After coughing
  • After sneezing
  • After touching an animal, animal food, or animal waste
  • After handling pet food and pet treats
  • After touching garbage

In addition, it’s also a good idea during these pandemic times to wash your hands anytime you come back into your household after going outside or handling anything that was handled by someone outside your household. This also applies anytime you go from one location to another–be a good neighbor and keep it clean.

And the rules of courteous and sanitary hand washing often apply at work.

Hand Washing Posters

The question is, how do you remember every time you need to wash your hands, or the proper procedure to wash your hands?

This is where a hand hygiene poster and hand washing signs come in handy. When you need a simple reminder, all you need to do is turn to a wash your hands poster on the wall or set next to the sink.

We offer two posters reminding you of the proper hand washing procedure: one 8 1/2 x 11 poster and a larger 11 x 17 poster to get the point across. If you’re looking for a workplace reminder, check out our hand washing reminder sign.

Looking for Outstanding Hand Washing Posters?

We know that during these difficult times, we need all the support we can get. And that applies down to the smallest details–including hand washing. That’s why we’re here to help keep your people safe.

Click here to check out our available safety signs, and don’t forget to wash your hands!

Back To School Paper and Cardstock Supplies

Despite our soul-deep love of summer and rock songs promising school is out forever, fall is soon to be upon us, and you know what that means: it’s time to put away the beach gear, sharpen your pencils, and head back to school.

The return of school also means the return of back to school shopping, the time when you hunt through supply lists and online stores to prepare your child for another year of learning (or, if you’re a teacher, to give your students the tools for success). Here’s a quick guide to back to school paper and cardstock supplies that parents and teachers alike will love.

Before You Begin Back to School Shopping

Before you commence back to school shopping, it pays to think about what school materials you actually need.

The best place to start is to think about the classes you’re looking at this year, whether you’re a teacher, a student, or (in the case of homeschool families) both.

Teacher supplies remain relatively constant throughout the year, since you focus on the same subject. An English teacher, for example, will need more writing tools and paper than a science teacher. Art teachers, on the other hand, will need a huge variety of paper for crafts. History teachers will need supplies relevant to their history topics, like maps to illustrate where historical events occurred.

Students, on the other hand, will be a bit more variable. They’ll need fresh notebooks, pencils, pens, and paper supplies based on the types of classes in question. They might need notecards for memorization in history, graph paper for math, and letter paper for English. With that in mind, take your child’s class list with you when shopping.

Homeschool supplies are unique in that they have to provide classroom supplies and student supplies–in other words, teaching implements and learning implements. To approach this problem effectively, look at the classes you plan on teaching your child this year and think about it from two sides: what they need to learn and what you need to teach. Fortunately, you only need to worry about one teacher and one student.

Plan Ahead

Once you have your schedule in hand, it’s much easier to plan ahead and shop for a large chunk of the year.

It doesn’t make much sense to buy supplies to last the entire year unless you’re a teacher en route to the teacher supply store. Frankly, this kind of bulk buying is pricey and inefficient when you’re one family and your student’s classes will change partway through the year.

Instead, take a look at the supplies you know your child will rely on the whole year and what supplies will only be necessary for part of the year. That way, you can get a limited quantity of the supplies you need for the fall and buy extras of supplies you need for the entire year.

Must-Have Stationery

With that in mind, what stationery does your student need? Making this list in advance will ensure you don’t miss anything (or buy supplies you won’t use).

Common stationery items for students include:

  • Lined paper
  • Blank paper
  • Notebooks
  • Folders and binders
  • Pencils
  • Pens
  • Erasers
  • Highlighters
  • Post-It notes
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Tape dispenser

From there, you can add on essentials that are unique to each class. Here’s a look at some basics that you should invest in and a few extras that your student really can’t live without.

Hole-Punched Half-Letter Paper

Hole-punched half-letter paper is the godsend of your school supply list. This is the paper your student will use on a daily basis to take notes, do their homework, and write tidy assignments for teachers. Once they start using it, they’ll wonder how they ever lived without it.

It’s also surprisingly difficult to find, especially pre-punched paper. Which is why we’re here to save your student the trouble of hole-punching all their paper manually.

Our paper has a clean white surface in a durable 24 lb bond with 98 brightness. It perfectly fits standard 6 x 9″ three-ring loose-leaf binders and clipboards, but it’s also much more durable than standard notebook paper. The perfect choice for students who put their paper through its paces while flipping through their binder to take notes.

Scrapbooking and School Art Supplies

If you have a creative kid, you’ve probably already settled into the annual routine of art class. In other words, you’re well-accustomed to the deluge of art supplies that appear in your house in preparation for the fall.

This year, why not invest in supplies that your kids will love to transform into something beautiful?

Even if your kid isn’t an artist but loves crafts, who says that school has to be boring? After all, kids spend most of the early stages of their lives in school, learning and creating and growing. Why not make it a fun experience by livening up their school supplies with crafts they enjoy?

A great way to marry learning and creativity is scrapbooking, transforming your kid’s regular old supplies into a memory they’ll treasure (and a fantastic study tool, to boot). Our 8 1/2 x 11 pastel cardstock and 11 x 17 pastel cardstock offer the perfect canvas for your child’s creativity, available in colors such as:

  • Peach
  • Green
  • Goldenrod
  • Gray
  • Orchid
  • Cream
  • Ivory
  • Blue
  • Canary
  • Lilac
  • White
  • Tan
  • Pink

Whether your child likes a subdued color to soothe them during the stress of the school day, something to brighten their afternoon when they’re a bit bored in class, or just a lot of colors to transform into their own piece of art, there’s cardstock out there for any child to appreciate.

Index Cards

Index cards, much like lined paper and pencils, are a staple of the school year as the perfect vehicle for flashcards, a.k.a. the ideal study tool for students. But index cards are hardly one-size-fits-all.

We offer four types of index cards:

  1. 100 lb cover white index cards
  2. Index cards with vertical lines
  3. Index cards with blue lines
  4. 80 lb cover white index cards

These cards are durable, the perfect choice for scribbling something down and making sure it holds up to a lot of handling. But you also have options for the type of note you want to take–you can reach for a classic notecard with horizontal blue lines, or you can reach for a notecard with vertical lines for a different approach.

Educational Products

Since you’re going back to school, now is the time to stock up on the educational products that will serve students well throughout the whole year.

If you’re a history teacher, for example, why not reach for 11 x 17 learning tool featuring all of the United States presidents? It’s easy to reference for students who are making their way through American history.

History teachers (and parents with kids who love geography) will also love our USA map and our world map, complete with the flags of every state in the union and every country in the world respectively.

Math teachers (or parents prepping their child for math class) will love this multiplication chart, a clean, easy to use table for toddlers, preschoolers, homeschool kids, daycare kids, and kindergarten students to start learning their multiplication.

Stocking Up for School?

When it’s time to head back to school, giving your student the right supplies is about more than making sure they have a pencil and notepaper–it’s about setting your student up for a year of academic success.

If you’re looking for some of the best back to school paper and cardstock supplies on the market, make sure to check out our online store. We can’t wait to help your child thrive in school this year!

Red Cardstock Paper Guide

Nothing stops a room in its tracks like the color red. It’s a color that commands attention and demands to be noticed. It’s the color of love, power, romance, and strong feeling.

So when you want to send a message with a bit of oomph, it helps to find the right red for the job. Here’s a look at how to choose the right red cardstock for any occasion.

Color Psychology of Red

Red is known as a color that evokes strong emotions–both positive and negative.

On one hand, it’s the color of blood. We flush red when angry and are said to “see red”. Research has shown it to be perceived psychologically as a color of threat and dominance–a person or team wearing red has heightened perceptions of their own dominance, whereas someone looking at another person wearing red is more likely to perceive that person as a threat, particularly if they are in competition with each other.

On the other hand, it’s also the color of roses and fire, a color of beauty and warmth and comfort. It’s the color of heat and passion–think of red lipstick or a red dress.

It helps that red is a warm color on the color wheel, evoking a sense of energy, excitement, and power.

Choosing the Right Shade of Red

The point is: different shades of red have different connotations. So when you’re choosing between shades of red, it’s critical to choose the right one.

Do you want to evoke passion? Power? Or perhaps a sense of playfulness? And most importantly, how do you choose the right shade of red to achieve the right effect?

Here are a few things to thinking about in order to choose the right shade of red.

Think About Your Project and the Occasion

Start by thinking about the project you’re trying to create. What message are you trying to send? Or, put another way, what’s the occasion for bringing red into your life?

Are you celebrating a major holiday? Certain shades of red tend to be associated with certain holidays, as in the case of holly red and Christmas.

Shades of red also have specific connotations that may or may not align with what you want to say. Pinkish reds tend to be softer and more romantic, while bright reds are bold and eye-catching and deep reds like wine red or burgundy evoke drama. Jewel-tone reds like ruby and garnet evoke luxury, while rust red and other brownish reds tend to feel more natural and…well, rustic.

Turn to the Color Wheel

Not sure where to begin or how to pair your reds? When in doubt, turn to the color wheel, a beloved tool of designers and artists.

The color wheel allows you to mix and match colors with varying degrees of contrast. There are four common types of color schemes you can derive from it:

  1. Monochromatic (tone-on-tone combinations using shades and tints of a single hue)
  2. Analogous (colors found side-by-side on the color wheel)
  3. Contrast (hues evenly spaced from each other on the color wheel)
  4. Complementary (two hues opposite each other on the color wheel, as in the case of red and green)

If you already know other colors you plan to work with, you can work backward to find a red that will work well with those shades.

Red for Every Holiday

In much the same way there’s a red for every occasion, red is associated with quite a few holidays. Choosing your shade of red may depend on the holiday in question and what you plan to do with it.

Here’s a closer look at some of the major holidays associated with the color red and a few ideas for how to use the color in a festive way.

Valentine’s Day

The holiday of hearts and romantic gifts demands nothing less than the color of love and romance.

We all remember making homemade Valentine cards in school, but they still remain one of the most thoughtful ways to show your sweetheart how you feel about them. For a sweeter red, try our Rocket Red cardstock, which tends more toward salmon-red on the pinkish end of the spectrum.

If you’re looking for craft ideas for kids to spread the love, why not do paper crafts with red hearts? After all, red isn’t just the color of romantic love.

Patriotic Holidays

For any of the patriotic holidays (Independence Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day) red is a necessity. After all, these are the holidays of the red, white, and blue, and any craft project for those holidays would be incomplete without red.

For a classic 4th of July craft, have kids make flags using red, white, and blue cardstock. Or, you can pair red, white, or blue with a bit of glitter and glue and voila: a flag and a firework, our favorite way to mark the holiday in the United States (and the highlight of the holiday for many kids).

Christmas

It’s hard to imagine a world where Christmas wasn’t synonymous with red and green, but we actually owe those associations to two things: holly and Coca-Cola.

With its vibrant red berries and deep green leaves, holly has been part of winter solstice celebrations since Roman times. Even so, red and green weren’t always the showstoppers of Christmas. Victorian Christmas cards often featured Santa Claus in red, green, or blue robes. Saint Nick also looked quite different then–he was often shown as thin and elf-like.

All that changed in 1931. That was when Coca-Cola hired an artist, Haddon Sundblom, who created the Santa Claus we recognize today: fat, jolly, and wearing red robes (not coincidentally in a shade of red that matched the red in the Coca-Cola logo). Sundblom’s ads were so popular that the company kept working with him for decades, solidifying our image of Santa–and red as a Christmas color.

If you’re looking to send Christmas greetings and spread the good cheer (or find festive activities for kids to stay busy) there’s no better way to do it than Xmas cards. Crafts of the holiday season often feature Christmas trees, holly berries, and presents (wrapped in red, of course). So break out the red paper and some scissors and reach for a bright red, like our Re-Entry Red.

Chinese New Year

Red envelopes play a huge role in Chinese culture, but especially Chinese New Year, when money is put in red envelopes and handed out to children by their parents, grandparents, relatives, and even neighbors.

That’s because red is believed to be a lucky color in China. One New Year’s legend holds that a ferocious beast called Nian, a half-bull with a lion head, terrorized villagers every New Year until they realized that the beast feared three things: fire, noise, and the color red.

If you’re creating a Chinese New Years card, make sure that red is the focal point. Traditional cards are adorned with gold Chinese characters for happiness and wealth, but nontraditional cards can also feature cartoon characters.

Looking for Beautiful Red Cardstock?

Looking to send a bold message? If so, beautiful red cardstock is the perfect way to do it. We offer a variety of red cardstock products that can suit any occasion, whether it’s a holiday or just a note to a friend that loves red. Click here to check out our assortment of red cardstock today.

RE-ENTRY RED ROCKET RED

Green Cardstock Paper Guide

Green is one of the most abundant colors in the natural world. It’s a color of peace and renewal, of growth and tranquility, of abundance and compassion.

This also makes it the perfect color to use in cardstock for your next big occasion, whether you’re preparing for the holidays or just sending a nice note to a loved one. Here’s a closer look at the color psychology of green and how it can fit into your next project, no matter what the occasion may be.

Choosing The Right Shade Of Green

Green is one of the most common colors we see every day, simply because it’s the dominant color in nature. This is why the color is primarily associated with nature and growth.

For this reason, it has also been historically seen as a color of fertility. In fact, it was once the preferred color of 15th-century wedding gowns for that very reason.

It’s a cool color, a mix between blue and yellow, which means it carries some of the psychological attributes of both colors. It has the calming attributes of the color blue along with the energy of yellow. In design, this makes green a balancing, stable color.

As a rule, bright greens are most energizing and vibrant, having the highest yellow content, middle-of-the-road greens are most evocative of nature, and dark greens tend to be the most stable, representing affluence.

We offer cardstock in five varieties of green:

  1. Terra green
  2. Terrestrial green
  3. Vulcan green
  4. Gamma green
  5. Martian green

Here’s a look at the color psychology of each to better understand how they might incorporate in your next project.

Terra Green

Terra green is an understated, light olive green with more yellow than red, so it’s more of a bright green with olive tones than brown with green tones.

This green is a versatile color, like other greens in the olive palette. When paired with neutrals like beige, it can look quite sophisticated. But this particular olive green is also a lighter hue, allowing you to add a bit of fun to your project’s palette and imbuing a bit of vibrancy.
Terrestrial Green

Terrestrial green is a rich, inviting teal green color that practically begs to be included in your next project.

Teal is one of the most revitalizing, rejuvenating shades of green. That’s because it’s somewhere between green and blue, with more blue in it than most other varieties of green. To Tibetan monks, teal symbolizes the infinity of the sea and the sky. You’ll see that richness and depth in our terrestrial green.
Vulcan Green

Vulcan green is a variety of light and bright lime green, with the vividness, vitality, and zest of a real lime.

Because lime green is named for the fruit, it’s a color closely associated with nature and freshness, particularly the bright citrus zing of a lime. It’s a lively color to include in your project, a way to show your bold, adventurous side.

In addition, because lime green sits almost exactly between green and yellow on the color wheel, it works well with both warm and cool colors. If you want a color to promote freshness and creativity, this is the perfect hue to work into your project.
Gamma Green

Gamma green is a soft forest green, the deepest and richest green of our green cardstock offerings.

Just reading the name has a way of evoking a stroll through towering trees and verdant bushes, all blossoming with life and vibrancy. Still, as a darker green, this particular shade is also a soothing color, in part because of its association with trees.

This is the most sophisticated green of all the greens in our stock. It’s an elegant color made to evoke richness and depth, a certain kind of wealth that can only be found in rolling hills and deep forests.
Martian Green

Martian green is one of the brightest of our cardstock offerings, a happy medium between neon green, lime green, and pastel green. It carries the brightness of a neon green curbed by the softness of pastels. It has a higher yellow content than many pastel greens but has a lower color saturation than neon.

The brightness of the green brings the vibrant associations that lighter, yellower greens often entail, but the softness of the color keeps it balanced. It’s a way to add excitement to your designs when added to brighter colors, or a way to bring soothing lightness when paired with a neutral color.

 

Special Occasions for Green Cardstock

Earth Day

If you’re designing Earth Day activities and Earth day projects for kids, green is the perfect color for the job. After all, it’s the most common color in nature–what better way to evoke Mother Earth than with green?

For this reason, Earth Day crafts will succeed in psychologically evoking nature if you use greens that call to mind the colors you would find in the natural world. Why not use gamma green cardstock paired with an earthy brown? Our gamma green greeting cards are just what the doctor ordered.

If you’d like your Earth Day cards to evoke the sea, reach for our terrestrial green greeting cards, which call to mind seafoam green (especially when paired with ocean accents!)

St. Patrick’s Day

Is there any better way to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, a holiday literally dedicated to the color green, than crafts and activities for kids that focus on the color green?

Technically, your Saint Patrick’s Day cards could be any green under the sun. The traditional color is shamrock green, which is closest to our gamma green. But if you want to add a bit of fun, why not reach for a lighter Martian green to brighten someone’s day?

If you want just a touch of sophisticated green to counteract all the bright greens everyone else is using, reach for a pastel green envelope (to keep your St. Patty’s Day points, of course) with a lovely, understated greeting card decorated with a tasteful shamrock.

Christmas

Tis the season–for Christmas greetings and crafts, that is. When the Xmas season comes knocking, it’s the season of giving, and there’s no better way to get kids in the holiday spirit than activities for kids centered around giving to someone else. Cards are the perfect way to spread holiday cheer and remind kids the true spirit of the holiday.

Since Christmas trees are a fundamental feature of the season, our gamma green would be wonderfully festive when paired with red and gold. We also offer tasteful holiday cards for when you want to send out holiday well wishes in a festive green but don’t have the time to dedicate to making cards by hand (after all, it’s a busy season!)

In the Market for Beautiful Green Cardstock?

Green is one of the most inviting colors to include in any project. The key is finding the right shade. That’s why we offer a forest of green cardstock options for you to choose from, all beautifully made and ready to take your project to the next level. Whether you’re crafting a card to send holiday well-wishes or sending a kind word to a loved one, there’s a perfect shade available for you.

 TERRA GREEN   TERRESTRIAL GREEN  VULCAN GREEN  GAMMA GREEN MARTIAN GREEN

 

Your Guide To Memo Pads and Memo Sheets

Ever needed to leave a quick note to yourself? Not quite a letter, but not quite a one-word demand, either. A sticky note won’t do the trick, but printer paper is too big for the task.

Time to break out your memo pad and memo sheets.

Memo pads and memo sheets are a great way to capture personal notes, give yourself important reminders, and ensure that critical information doesn’t slip your mind. Better still? They look good while doing it.

Here’s everything you need to know about memo pads and memo sheets before you invest in your own.

What Is A Memo Pad & What Are They Used For?

The first order of business is knowing what you’re ordering. What is a memo notepad, anyway?

Memorandum pads, or simply memo pads, are a type of note pad or notebook. They look like a cross between a sticky note and a legal pad. Blank memo pads can look like almost anything. Small memo pads can be the size of a regular sticky note or as large as a notebook.

With that in mind, let’s clarify a few essential differences.

Memo Pad vs Legal Pad vs Notebook vs Sticky Note

You’ve definitely encountered the world-famous legal pad–a slim, dapper, top-bound stack of yellow paper with a 1.25-inch margin. It calls to mind courtrooms and meetings with lawyers (in fact, it’s starred pretty much every movie with a courtroom scene).

A notebook, on the other hand, is spiral-bound with 96 sheets of paper and protected by a cover. It’s bulkier than a legal pad, made for long-term note-taking rather than speed-writing. More importantly, this is the go-to tool for preserving notes, since the paper stays protected.

Then there are sticky notes, better known by the familiar brand name Post-It notes. These little guys have been keeping our lives on track since the 80s. The idea is simple: a sheet of paper with adhesive at the back that can be removed and easily repositioned without leaving a mark behind. By now, these little 3×3 pads are so universal that you would know one on sight and never think twice about purchasing a stack of them.

So, what is a memo pad? It’s the best of all those worlds.

Think of a memo pad as the happy medium between all three. They have the quick-flipping ease of a legal pad and are designed to be easily torn for carrying, like a sticky note. Some memo pads, like notebooks, have covers with a spiral binding at the top. However, all memo pads are designed so that the sheets can be easily torn off when you need to take your reminder on the go or throw it away and start fresh.

What are Memo Pads Used For?

Memo pads can be used for a huge array of purposes, depending on the user’s preference and the size of the pad.

Smaller pads without covers can be used like sticky notes. They’re good for quick, small reminders and notes to yourself, especially if you need to take the note on the go. Or even a note that you need to keep in one place, like your WiFi password.

Mid-size pads can be used for more ambitious endeavors, like grocery lists, passive-aggressive notes to a housemate to buy toilet paper, a breakdown of the day’s tasks, a bookmark, or a tiny paper airplane.

Large pads can be used like a legal pad. You can use them to take notes in class (or doodle in the margins when you should be taking notes), scribble down revisions during a work meeting (or snarky commentary about revisions), or lengthier notes to yourself.

What Are Memo Sheets?

Memo pad paper, or memo sheets, use the same idea behind memo pads. The difference is that these sheets are separate, like a ream of printer paper.

This means you can use printable memo sheets for almost anything. You can use them like sticky notes, pin them to a mood board, or print out your own agenda on them. The key with loose memo sheets is to keep memo holders on hand. A memo pad keeps sheets from scattering thanks to the top binding. Without it, you’ll need a memo pad holder to keep the sheets together.

Personalizing Your Memo Pads

The fun of memo pads is that you can make them suit your every fancy. If you have an occasion, you can create custom memo pads to mark it.

If your business has a major marketing opportunity coming up, you can hand out custom notepads to help your visitors remember you. You can use memo pad stationery to mark a huge event, like a family reunion. Got a friend who leaves notes everywhere? Give them a personalized memo pad so they’ll always be able to leave a personal flourish behind.

Even if you don’t have an occasion, personalized memo pads are a fun way to leave your mark on every note. They might have a print you love or a design that’s specific to your business.

Better still? Printed notepads are pretty easy to design.

When Buying Memo Pads

Of course, designing memo pads and knowing what to look for in a memo pad are two different things. Here’s what you need to keep in mind to find the perfect memo pad for any occasion, customized or not.

Consider What You’ll Use It For

First and foremost, think about what you plan to use the notepad for.

Writing a small note, like a phone number or a note to take out the trash, are better-suited to small pads. You may even want sheets with adhesive, sort of like a sticky note.

On the other hand, if you want to use your memo pad for something more extensive, like a list or note-taking, you’ll want a larger pad.

This will also change the design of the pad itself.

The classic memo pad design is top-bound without a cover, allowing easy access to the sheets so that you can write a note and tear a sheet off with equal ease. However, if you want to be able to reference old notes in the same pad, you might be better served by a legal pad or a notebook.

It’s also important to take a look at the sheet quantity in a given pad, especially relative to what you want to use it for. Some pads are small and have hundreds of sheets, since they tend to be used rapidly for one-and-done notes. If you want to take notes for class or work, a larger pad with 40 or 50 sheets will serve you well.

Looking for Beautiful Memo Pads?

Memo pads are a must-have for any school, work, or home setting. They make it quick and easy to take notes while still being professional, ensuring that you preserve the information you need at the moment you need it.

If you’re in the market for a memo pad, make sure to check out our selection in our shop. A single pad contains 50 sheets, with white sheets available in all sizes, ranging from 11×17 pads to small 3×5 pads. and colored pads available in 4×6 sizing. When you’ve got something to say, make sure you have the right medium to say it.

White Memo Pads Colored Memo Pads White Memo Sheets Colored Memo Sheets

Business Envelopes Guide

Stationery envelopes are elegant, but they’re just not the right choice for a business that needs to send a mailing to more than a hundred people, or a business that wants to send out billing statements.

In those cases, you’re going to need something more functional but equally sleek and professional: business envelopes.

Even so, business envelopes aren’t a single type of envelope, but an umbrella term for a huge array of envelope options. Here’s everything you need to know to ensure you order the right envelopes for your purposes.

What is a Business Envelope?

Before we talk about the ins and outs of a great business envelope, it helps to understand what a business envelope actually is.

A business envelope is a lightweight, simple envelope designed to handle your business’s everyday mailings to customers, vendors, partners, and everyone else you frequently mail. That could mean anything from sending a billing statement to a partner to sending a catalog to a customer.

Business envelopes these days get less usage than they did in the era before computers and email, in that they’re no longer used for everyday correspondence. These days, email has taken over the role of rote correspondence and business envelopes are reserved for two occasions: official business, such as sending a billing statement, and mailings that help establish your brand.

What Makes a Great Corporate Envelope?

Before you order a batch of corporate envelopes for your business, you need to know what makes a great corporate envelope for your specific business, in this specific case.

Remember that these days, envelopes are typically used for official correspondence (usually in cases where the recipient has opted to receive paper mail, such as paper billing statements) and branding opportunities (such as sending a promotion in the mail). The envelopes used for those two broad categories can be quite different.

Official correspondence like a billing statement uses formal, understated business envelopes. Customers don’t care about branding when you’re sending them a bill.

On the other hand, marketing opportunities like sending a catalog or an event invitation are a great opportunity to turn the envelope itself into a branding tool. After all, it’s the first thing a customer will see, so it’s your first chance to convince them to open the envelope.

Business Envelope Sizing

Once you know what you plan to use the envelope for, choosing the right size is considerably easier. Standard business envelope sizes include:

Most envelopes that travel by snail mail are number 10 envelopes, especially transactional mail such as monthly statements, bills, direct mail, and even policy renewals from insurance companies.

6 x 9, 9 x 12, and 10 x 13 envelopes may be booklet or catalog envelopes (booklet envelopes have the flap on the long side, while catalog envelopes have the flap on the short side).

A good rule of thumb when choosing your envelope size is to find an envelope about 1/4 inches wider along each edge of the document. If you have a mailing that could fit multiple ways (i.e. the choice between a booklet and a catalog envelope) think about the item you’re mailing. A subscriber magazine, for example, might be easier to remove from a catalog envelope.

Standard vs. Custom Business Envelopes

Once you have sizing in mind, you can start to think about whether you want standard envelopes or custom printed envelopes.

Why Get Standard Envelopes?

Standard envelopes are plain envelopes–a blank canvas, if you will. Because the whole envelope is blank, what goes on the envelope is up to you. If you want an address printed on the envelope or if you use a sticker to apply the labels, these envelopes are pretty forgiving.

Note that standard envelopes can include typical plain envelopes or plain envelopes with a window.

Standard envelopes are a good choice for transactional mail, especially in cases where you’re ordering one large batch of envelopes to be sent out by multiple departments in your business. That way, individual departments can apply the relevant return address rather than everyone having to sort through each other’s mail.

Why Get Personalized Business Envelopes?

On the other hand, personalized, custom printed envelopes are a great way to save time, ensure consistency, and, of course, deliver a bit of ready-made branding.

If your business sends out correspondence and other mailings under a single mailing address, ordering personalized, pre-printed envelopes with the return label already printed can save your employees a lot of time later. That way, employees only have to add the address of the recipient and, of course, the stamp.

Personalized business envelopes are also a great opportunity for branding. Let’s say that you’ve got a simple business logo that you use on all your branded items. In this case, you can order that logo pre-printed on your envelope batch. This will ensure every envelope looks clean and professional.

Express Yourself with Colored Business Envelopes

Of course, who says that mailings have to be boring? In fact, if you’re using envelopes as an extension of your branding, envelopes are a perfect opportunity to express yourself with color.

Business envelopes usually aren’t as bright as other envelopes, so the standard colors are white and plain brown. However, our parchment envelopes offer an array of beautiful yet understated color options, including:

  • Smoke gray
  • Pewter
  • New white
  • Natural cream
  • Natural (think lightly aged parchment paper)
  • Ice pink
  • Aged (a darker version of Natural, halfway between parchment paper and butcher paper)

If you’re ordering colored business envelopes that are also pre-printed with your return address and business logo, make sure that the envelope color doesn’t clash with the logo before placing your order. Also, think about the colors of the branded items that will go inside the envelope–when you’re providing a complete marketing experience, the details matter.

Some envelopes also include a security tint option, which is especially important for business envelopes when you’re sending bills or other confidential information via snail mail. It’s not always necessary, but when it is, it’s one of the little ways you can show your customers you care about their privacy.

To Seal or Not to Seal?

One way or another, you’re going to seal your business envelope. But you do have a few options where sealing is concerned.

Traditional envelopes have a sealing strip along the lip, which is where you would lick the envelope or (in most cases for a business) use sponge tongues, a glue stick, or an envelope moistener. These are perfectly fine for sporadic, one-off mailings where sealing the envelope doesn’t require much extra effort.

Self-sealing envelopes are a more practical option for bulk mailings. In those cases, where you’re sending out a hundred or more envelopes at a time, it’s unrealistic to seal envelopes one at a time with a glue stick. You could ask your intern to do it, but there are more useful ways to spend the intern’s time.

Looking for the Perfect Business Envelope?

Your business has worked hard to build its professional image. Your envelopes are just one more small (but important) reflection of that image. Isn’t it time to order the right ones?

If you’re in the market for business envelopes, you’ve come to the right place. Our business envelopes are elegant and professional, with a wide array of options to suit almost any mailing. Check out our business envelope options today!

 #10 Envelopes  #6 3/4 Envelopes A-Envelopes

A2 Size   |   A6 Size   |   A7 Size

 Catalog Envelopes

6″ x 9″   |   9″ x 12″   |   10″ x 13″

Catalog Printing Guide – What You Need to Know

These days, business are relying on digital media more than ever before. Yet print still retains power, and there’s nothing that beats the feeling of holding a physical catalog in your hand.

Whatever your occasion for printing a catalog, there’s an art and a science that goes into printing catalogs, and you have to know how to navigate it before placing your order. Here’s what you need to know to create the catalog you’ve been dreaming of.

Before You Get Started with Catalog Printing Services

Before you place an order for wholesale catalog printing, small catalog printing, or anything in between, you need to ask yourself one question: what are you looking for in a catalog booklet?

Are you trying to sell business services? Are you showing your products to customers? Perhaps you’re a magazine displaying articles. Or maybe you’re ordering a novelty catalog for an event.

Whatever your reason for creating a catalog, the catalog you get as a result is quite different than the perfect catalog for someone else. As such, it pays to know what you’re trying to achieve and how you want to achieve it.

It’s also useful to think about how much content you want to have in your catalog and how big of a catalog you want to have, i.e. the size of the catalog and the bulk of the catalog, which are two slightly different considerations. The volume of content will determine how long your catalog is, vis-a-vis how tightly packed you want your content to be.

By the size of the catalog, we mean the size of the catalog in your hands, i.e. how big the page measurements are. This changes how much space you have on a given page. It’s related to the bulk of the catalog (how many pages you have in total), as bigger pages allow you to fit more content on a single page.

Choosing Your Page Size and Page Count

We asked you to think about these things first because it will help you choose your page size and your page count, which are two of the most basic considerations for your catalog.

We offer four standard page sizes:

  1. 5.5″ x 8.5″ portrait
  2. 8.5″ x 5.5″ landscape
  3. 8.5″ x 11″ portrait
  4. 8.5″ x 11″ landscape

The larger size will get you a catalog the size of a standard sheet of printer paper, which is the size of many standard magazines. On the other hand, the smaller size offers you a more compact catalog, which can significantly reduce your printing costs.

Keep in mind that your printing costs will also be affected by the number of pages in your catalog. We offer the following standard page counts:

  • 8pp (cover 4, inside 4)
  • 12pp (cover 4, inside 8)
  • 16pp (cover 4, inside 12)
  • 20pp (cover 4, inside 16)
  • 24pp (cover 4, inside 20)
  • 28pp (cover 4, inside 24)

You’ll notice that the pages increase in multiples of four. That’s because of the unique layout of catalog spreads and how catalogs are bound. This means that if you want to add extra pages to your catalog, you can’t simply add an extra page–you have to add another four pages.

Types of Catalog Paper

Once you know how many pages you want and how big you want them to be, you can start to think about the fun part: what you want your pages to look like.

The best place to start is the basic details, like the type of catalog paper, as this will influence every other aspect of the appearance of your catalog. We offer three types of catalog paper:

  1. Gloss
  2. Matte
  3. Uncoated

For your cover, you also have the same options, but you can choose between paper and cardstock. You’ll also note that the paper options have a weight listed next to them, from 70 lbs to 100 lbs. That refers to paper weight, or the thickness of the paper, and our guide can help you make sense of it.

Gloss, Matte, or Uncoated?

The easiest way to understand the difference between the three types of paper is shine.

If the paper is shiny, it’s gloss paper. Standard printer paper is matte, meaning it has no shine. This is not to be confused with uncoated paper, which is matte but lacks the protective coating of matte or gloss paper, which means it feels more like loose ordinary paper in the hand but doesn’t age quite as gracefully.

Gloss paper provides the highest color contrast and shine of the three, which makes it a good choice for full-color images that need an extra pop.

That said, matte paper offers a subtler, subdued finish. It doesn’t have a glare the way gloss paper does, and it still enhances the color without distracting the eye.

Uncoated paper is ideal for sheets that will have a lot of text, since there is no glare on the surface (less glare than matte paper).

Paper or Cardstock?

We mentioned earlier that you can choose between paper and cardstock for your cover, which is an important consideration, if a subtle one.

Paper is better for the inside of your catalog since the pages will be lighter and easier to turn. But the cover is a different story. You want the cover to hold up to some abuse and still look good doing it.

If you want a sturdier cover, cardstock is the way to go. On the other hand, this can also make the catalog itself more like a book, which may make the pages harder to turn and may be the wrong choice for a small, short run catalog that only has a few pages and is frequently replaced.

All About That Catalog Binding

Of course, you also need to hold the pages together. That’s where the binding comes in.

There are two main types of bindings for catalogs:

  • Saddle stitch binding
  • Wire-O binding

Saddle stitch binding is a simple binding process that puts wire staples through the middle of the catalog. It gets its name from the saddle-like apparatus pages are draped over during the binding process.

Wire-O binding is a type of binding using pre-formed pairs of wire loops to run along a C-shaped unit. The wire loops are inserted through holes punched through the catalog’s cover and pages.

Saddle Stitch binding is a sturdier type of binding, but it makes the catalog far less flexible and is more practical for a large number of pages. Saddle stitching only allows for small page counts between 5 and 80 pages, so larger catalogs should not plan on using saddle stitching.

Binding Placement

You’ll also need to consider where you want the binding placed. We offer two options: along the left-hand side and top-side binding.

Left-side binding will produce a catalog bound similarly to those you would see in any bookstore. Top-side binding, on the other hand, produces a catalog you would flip through like a legal pad and is less ideal for pages printed on both sides.

Ready to Get Started with Custom Catalog Printing?

Printing a catalog is an exciting time–you get to see a digital product become something tangible in your hands. We’re here to ensure the final product is exactly what you envisioned, with high-quality catalog printing using only the best paper products and printing techniques.

Ready to get started printing your catalog? Check out our catalog printing page today.

Curious Metallics and Metallic Cardstock Guide

Have you got a project that needs a bit of flair? A little something that takes it over the top into something truly spectacular?

Maybe it’s a work brochure. Maybe it’s a wedding invitation. Maybe it’s a thoughtful card to someone who will appreciate it.

Whatever the reason, why not add a bit of sparkle with our Curious Metallic Cardstock? It’s a beautiful, functional addition to almost any project, and it takes any project from ordinary to unforgettable. Here’s a look at our available metallic cardstock offerings and why they’re the perfect choice for you.

Curious Metallic Paper and Types of Metallic Cardstock Paper

Why would you want to keep your project basic when you could make it glamorous, stylish, and beautiful? Sure, you could use regular cardstock, but why would you want to, when there are so many beautiful metallic cardstock options out there?

Metallic paper is bold by nature, so it’s the perfect choice to really shake things up and draw the eye for a big statement. Don’t be afraid to make a big splash!

On the other hand, metallic paper can also be used to make a subtler statement, depending on your project. It’s a great choice as accent paper for this reason. Even if you do go all-in for metallics, it’s a good idea to cut the metallics with something basic to give the eye a bit of rest.

Regardless of how you choose to use your metallics, the nice thing about metallic cardstock is that you have several metallic options to choose from. We offer three metallics:

  1. Gold
  2. Silver
  3. Pearl/shimmer

If you’re itching to use metallic cardstock in your big project but aren’t quite sure how to use them (or which style you want) here’s a closer look at what you get from each of our three options. Keep in mind, every metal sends a different message–what do you want yours to be?

Worth Their Weight in Gold

Gold has a worldwide reputation as the metal of luxury and riches. If you look back at any point in history, you’ll see tales of heroes, royalty, and movers and shakers who used gold to convey their status.

Gold has many reputations depending on your culture, but the general connotation around the world is one of luxury, confidence, charm, and treasure. This is in part because it’s often used in high-end jewelry, and gold or metals like it are often used in trophies. When we compete, we want to win the gold, the sign that we’re the best. In English, phrases using gold often have positive connotations: golden child, gold standard, solid gold, gold star. Gold is the traditional 50th wedding anniversary gift.

So why not bring all that positive energy and luxury into your project with gold cardstock?

We offer metallic gold cardstock in four sizes:

  1. 5 x 7
  2. 8.5 x 11
  3. 11 x 17
  4. 12 x 18

Our beautiful gold foil cardstock is elegant and beautiful, with a striking dual-sided metallic finish with a luminescent sheen. It adds just a bit of sparkle to any project and a certain aura of glamor and style. Plus, with our four available standard sizes, there’s gold leaf cardstock for almost any project under the sun.

What to Use It For

What kinds of projects would be ideal for gold cardstock?

If you’re looking to host a glamorous wedding, gold foil cardstock is the perfect choice to deliver an event worthy of Hollywood. Gold is closely associated with luxury and high style, so using gold cardstock for your invitations is a great way to set the bar for the big day to come.

Of course, gold cardstock is also a great choice for people who want to add a bit of pomp and flair to any circumstance. Even if you’re just wrapping a gift, our cardstock will make the recipient think they’re being given something worthy of royalty.

More Than a Silver Lining

Of course, as the saying goes, not all that glitters is gold.

Similar to gold, silver also has close associations with wealth and luxury around the world. This is because silver, like gold, is often worn in jewelry. But it’s also a cooler color than gold, and in many cultures, it’s associated with the moon. Since many men wear silver watches instead of gold, silver is often considered more masculine and subdued.

In color psychology, silver is seen as the balance between black and white, a respectable, balanced, dignified color. This is in part because silver works well with most other colors.

When you turn to silver cardstock paper, you get a subdued yet refined and glamorous touch.

We offer silver metallic cardstock in four sizes:

  1. 5 x 7
  2. 8.5 x 11
  3. 11 x 17
  4. 12 x 18

Our silver foil cardstock offers just enough shimmer to make any project look like a work of art. It’s beautiful and versatile, with subtle sparkling flecks that make it look like you really are giving someone the gift of silver.

What to Use It For

Silver is a great cardstock color for almost any occasion simply because it complements so many different colors. Put together with navy or deep green accents, you can craft a truly unique and beautiful wedding invitation, the perfect choice for a sophisticated wedding.

If you’re having a nighttime party and creating invitations, silver is also a great choice thanks to its associations with the night sky. Add in some black and flourishes of blue and you’ve got a night sky on paper.

Who Needs Ropes and Ropes of Pearls?

Coco Chanel was against wearing pearls–or rather, wearing just one rope of them. For her, there was no reason why women shouldn’t be able to wear ropes and ropes of pearls on a regular basis.

Pearls were used in jewelry at least as far back as Ancient Greece and were one of the most (if not the most) valuable gem in many cultures, thanks to their rarity and the difficulty of trying to acquire them. Pearls became more mainstream in the early 1900s, once people in Asia learned how to create cultured pearls. Even so, pearls remain a simple symbol of elegance–think of Audrey Hepburn in her pearls.

So if you want a beautiful, understated shimmery cardstock, why not reach for pearl shimmer cardstock?

Our pearlized cardstock, called Ice Gold, comes in four sizes:

  1. 5 x 7
  2. 8.5 x 11
  3. 11 x 17
  4. 12 x 18

Gorgeous and brilliant, our pearl cardstock is like having a pearl sheet of paper–an understated but beautiful backdrop to almost any project.

What to Use It For

Pearlized cardstock is a fantastic option for those who want to add a touch of beauty to their projects. It’s more understated than silver or gold, making it an excellent choice when you want to add shimmer without overwhelming the whole project.

This makes it a fantastic accent for invitations, brochures, certificates, menus, even business cards that want to make a statement.

Looking for Metallic Cardstock?

If you’re looking for beautiful, well-crafted metallic cardstock to elevate your next project, we’re here to help. Our collection of Curious Metallic Cardstock is the perfect option to turn your projects into something truly striking. And best of all? They’re made with only the best materials to ensure your finished product stays beautiful for years to come.

GOLD METALLIC

5 x 7  |  8.5 x 11  |  11 x 17  |  12 x 18

 ICE GOLD METALLIC

5 x 7  |  8.5 x 11  |  11 x 17  |  12 x 18

 LUSTRE METALLIC

5 x 7  |  8.5 x 11  |  11 x 17  |  12 x 18

What To Write In A Congratulations Card

Sometimes, you just need to celebrate someone’s accomplishments. They’ve achieved something big–a move, a degree, a dream job, even a marriage or a baby. Times like these are perfect for saying congratulations.

And that means it’s time to break out the congratulations cards and send your best wishes. But if you’re staring at your boxed graduation cards (or wedding cards, or baby cards, or new house cards) without a clue what to write in them, no worries! Here’s a quick guide on how to say congratulations, no matter what the occasion may be.

Occasions to Send a Congratulations Card

Before we talk about what to say, though, it’s helpful to know when to say it.

Sure, you could send a congratulations card anytime. Sometimes life is hard and someone needs congratulations for putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes you want to just congratulate someone for being their awesome selves.

That said, there are a few occasions that should always get a congratulations card for the sake of politeness. These include:

  • Weddings
  • Graduation (high school or college)
  • New baby
  • Baby shower
  • New home
  • New job

These are all momentous life occasions, markers of moments when your life is starting a new and exciting chapter. If someone you love is embarking on a new adventure, one of the best ways to celebrate with them is to congratulate them on the success of starting their next chapter.

However, there are different types of congratulations that are appropriate for every occasion. Let’s break them down.

Wedding Congratulations

A wedding is a time that gets (and deserves) a lot of hurrahs. They’re also the occasion on this list that has the most etiquette rules.

For example, did you know that once upon a time, it was considered rude to actually say or write “congratulations” to a newly married woman? If you did, you were congratulating her on actually landing a man.

Happily, all but the most traditional people these days view that train of thought as ridiculous and outdated, so you’re perfectly fine to include “congratulations” in your wedding greetings.

That said, wedding cards congratulations come in a wide array of forms. “Best wishes” is still considered the most formal and polite phrase in a wedding card, but after that, it depends on the couple and your relationship to them. Are they casual?

Do they have a killer sense of humor and love a good laugh? Are they religious? Are they a sibling or relative? Are they a colleague? A friend? What about a son or daughter? What about an elopement?

Formal wedding cards still avoid the word “congratulations” and you should stick with a more formal message for a colleague unless you happen to be very close friends. That said, if you’re not comfortable being formal, don’t–just be yourself and keep it short. “I’m so happy for you!” goes a long way, as does, “Wishing you lots of love and happiness,” and “So happy to celebrate with you!”

Graduation Congratulations

Whether they’re earning a high school diploma, a Ph.D., or even just an awesome professional certification, a graduation card is a great way to celebrate your favorite smarty pants for their successes.

If you’re not sure where to start, “Congratulations on your graduation!” always sets you off on the right foot. From there, it depends on your relationship to the graduate.

Parents and relatives can include expressions of nostalgia and pride at seeing the graduate grow up into the amazing person standing in front of them celebrating their achievements. If the graduate is excited but a bit nervous about what comes next, give them a few words of wisdom–if you’re a friend, have some fun with it, and reminisce on your favorite times spent studying together or helping your loved one survive high school/college/advanced degree programs.

If you’re short on your own words to say congrats on graduation, why not borrow a few words? Like this quote from Neil Gaiman, “Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for you being here. Make good art.”

Just…don’t do a quote from The Graduate, unless you happen to have a fantastic in-joke about it.

Congratulations On A New Baby

There are few occasions in life quite as joyous as the arrival of a new baby. You blink and suddenly, your loved one made this tiny person who looks at the world with absolute wonder. Sending congrats for a new baby is just one of the many ways you can help your loved one celebrate this amazing new time in their life.

If you need a simple place to start, a heartfelt “Congratulations on your baby,” or “Congratulations on your new baby girl/baby boy,” is always appreciated. Follow it up with all the warm well wishes you have in your heart for your loved one and their new little family member. Lean into the occasion with, “Sending you a cradle full of well wishes.” Or maybe made a funny nod to the times that await with, “Wishing you and your new baby health, happiness, and plenty of sleep!” or “Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy/girl! Bring on the diapers and sleepless nights!”

If your loved one has mentioned their dreams for their new baby, mention them in the card. Maybe, “One day they’re snoozing in your arms, the next day they’re getting into Harvard–wishing you years of joyful parenthood and happy memories ahead.”

Of course, if the baby hasn’t come yet, there are still plenty of congratulations to go around! Like the baby shower, for example. In fact, sending a card is part of good baby shower etiquette.

The good news is that baby shower congratulations cards can be quite similar to newborn baby cards, except for the fact that the baby hasn’t come yet. Focus on congratulating your loved one on preparing for an exciting new chapter in their life.

Congratulations On A New Home

If your loved one’s new chapter involves moving to a new house, saying, “Congratulations on your new home!” via a new home card is a great, simple way to celebrate that’s more heartfelt than a quick text. And if they’ve moved far away, you can still send good thoughts even though you can’t visit.

When writing a new home card, there are three rules of the road:

  1. Make it personal
  2. Be optimistic
  3. Share a wish

The second one is especially important, even if the circumstances surrounding the move weren’t happy ones. An optimistic, thoughtful (and carefully thought out) congratulations card is a good way to gently remind your loved one that they’ve made it to a new chapter and that you know they can make it a great one.

Don’t be afraid to get a little sentimental in your congratulations–there’s a new house to make into a home, and a card helps send the right message. A message like, “The best thing about a new home is the people who you share it with. We can’t wait to come visit, and we hope that your whole family is settling in nicely!” is a great way to convey that idea, as is, “A house is made of bricks and beams, but a home is made of hopes and dreams. Wishing nothing but the best for you in your new home.”

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of humor, especially after the stress of the move. Something like, “Congratulations! I may have not been around to help you pack and move, but I’m more than happy to come drink wine with you while you settle in,” is a great way to get a laugh. Or maybe, “I know where you live. (And I can’t wait to visit!)” is more your speed?

If you plan to visit soon, try, “I’m so excited for you in your new home! I’ll let you know when I’m coming to visit so that you can make sure to stock the right snacks.”

Congratulations On A New Job

A new job is like a fresh reset, and it happens more often than most other occasions on this list. A card saying congrats on the new job is a simple but sweet way to help someone usher in the new chapter.

Always start or end with the essential message, “Congratulations on your new job!” After that, it depends on your relationship with the person.

If they were a coworker, you can add a note saying how much you enjoyed working with them and that their new workplace is gaining a fantastic addition. If you happen to be good friends with your former colleague, you can send them off with a bit of humor, like, “Congratulations! Looks like you’ll be goofing off at a much more impressive job from now on!” or “Congrats on landing the job of your dreams! Wishing you all the best of luck finding coworkers as weird as us!”

The Cards You Need to Celebrate Any Occasion

No matter what you’re saying congratulations for, there’s a perfect card for every occasion. If you’re in the market for the perfect card to celebrate a loved one’s success, make sure to check out our congratulations cards.

Homemade Cards for Every Occasion

It’s easy to start feeling detached and dull because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Milestones and holidays come and go without the traditional channels of celebration that make us all feel connected. Nevertheless, life has to go on, and special occasions must be celebrated in style. Most holidays won’t be complete without expressing your thoughts on a card to that special person.

You may not be in a position to shop for cards for the ceremony at hand. This is where the idea of having your DIY cards comes in. This is the time to be creative, and better still, engage your kids and family in this exciting DIY project.

Have you ever tried your hand at homemade cards? If not, here are some tips on how to go about it. Whether it’s graduation, Halloween, or anniversary cards, you’ll be proud of your achievements.

Benefits of Homemade Cards

One of the advantages of designing your own greeting cards at home is associated with the cost. Store-bought versions come at a high price because of all the expenses that go into them. Besides, the stores are in business and want to make a profit.

Making cards at home can be an enjoyable hobby for you and the whole family. It gives you full control over the look and message. The cards allow you enough room to pass the message to the reader, exactly the way you’d like it to appear.

Handmade cards are also a way to express how much you care to the receiver of the card. Adding a personal touch to the message and outlook lets the reader know you have them in mind. It’s an excellent way to show how much you know the recipient as you tailor the message to the occasion.

Tips for Making Unique DIY Cards

Having in mind some tips and tricks while making greeting cards will save you from several mistakes.

Determine the Background Color to Use

Choosing the appropriate color for your card is an excellent place to start. It helps you to pick out the materials to use with more ease. One way to select the color is to go by the recipient’s favorite color.

Once you have the primary card color, mix and match it with others that strike a balance or complement each other. For some occasions, picking out the colors might be a relatively simple affair. Red or white will do for Valentine’s cards, while Christmas cards could do well with red, green, white, silver, and gold shades.

The images you use on the card can also determine the color scheme to incorporate. Draw one or two color ideas from the image and add similar embellishments, and you’ll be good to go.

Handmade Birthday Cards Ideas

There are several birthday card ideas you can try to achieve desirable results. The tips here are drawn from objects you already have around the house. It’s all a matter of creativity and how you want the card to look at the end.

Keep in mind that the final design also depends on the recipient of the card. For example, whimsical, colorful, or superhero-inspired cards are ideal for kids. Simple cards with a personalized message will appeal to most adults.

I). Leafy Card

A leafy birthday card is gender-neutral and incorporates rather cool colors. The hues here revolve around green, yellows, and shades of brown. Think of a tree and draw inspiration from it. Let your creativity allow you to incorporate other colors and materials (dried leaves and some decoupage? leaf silhouettes?) as you see fit.

II) Ice Cream Cone Card

The ice cream design idea for a birthday card is perfect for children. It makes the card a delectable treat, especially when you try differently colored paper to achieve the design. Complete the look by adding a cherry on top.

III). Glitter Birthday Card

The best thing with glitter on a happy birthday card is that both children and adults love a little shine. A DIY birthday card with a chunk of glitter will do well when combined with rainbow colors. The brighter the shades of colors, the more attractive the card will be.

Think About Your Source of Paper

Now that you don’t want to go out to the store, where will the paper to make the greeting cards come from? Don’t overthink your answer. Consider buying some card paper from affordable online marketplaces like Fine Cardstock.

Your choices are unlimited, ranging from small cards to large ones. You’ll also choose from an assortment of colors to match the occasion. The best part is that card stocks come already designed for the occasion.

All you need to do is add a few final touches to personalize the card and meet your needs. The final result will be just like you bought a ready-made greeting card from the store.

Alternatives

Alternatively, do some recycling. Consider reusing those beautiful gift bags and wrappings lying idle somewhere in your house. They’re inexpensive, yet will give you some beautiful final products depending on your creativity.

Gift bags are usually made from heavy paper, which makes them ideal for card making. Unfold the bags and cut the paper into the shapes and design you want. Use your leftover paper scraps to make different shapes to embellish the cards.

The wrapping papers are a bit light and thin and will require cardboard as a backer. Use spray adhesive to attach the wrapper paper to the card stock. Lay it down before flattening it out with your finger or bone folder.

Gift bags and wrappers are more demanding to work with than card stocks. However, they’ll still make beautiful Easter, mother’s day, or father’s day cards.

Round the Corners

You’re used to cards with sharp, square corners, but there’s no harm in experimenting a little. For a more professional look of your thank you cards and other greeting cards, use some corner punches.

By attending to the details, you’ll improve the look of your cards a great deal. With a puncher, you’ll not only achieve this look quickly but also end up with a clean, crisp, and reliable cut that makes the cards easy to hold.

Create Some Generic Cards

You don’t know how long it’ll be until you will feel comfortable going out again to buy cards from the store. As you start your DIY card project, consider making some in simple designs, and use them later for various occasions. When the need arises, all you need to do is pull out a card and write the appropriate sentiment, and you’re ready.

A card box will come in handy where you can store the generic cards. If possible, have a storage box with folders for each month. When the time comes, mail them in good time without feeling rushed to make a card again.

Take Away

Making cards at home is fun and also a good way to save money. Your family can help you choose the designs and colors depending on who the recipient is, and the occasion. Homemade cards give you room for personalization and lets you connect with the reader intimately.

Use the above tips and tricks to pull off beautiful greeting cards that spell love and thoughtfulness. You even could make a little money out of the project by selling to friends and neighbors.