Design Crafters

The problem with going to someplace like the Forbidden City is that you end up with so many incredible pictures, it’s hard to choose which one to use for your Christmas photo greeting cards. Unless of course you’re like Sam.

Sam is a college student I ran across who came across the opportunity to do some service in China. This was especially a big deal as he never in his life had even been outside his own state. One of the “must visit” places was the Forbidden City. He packed up his 35mm camera, jumped on the plane, visited the Forbidden City and apparently got some fantastic photos. Or so he claims. Unfortunately his luggage with the film, camera and pictures mysteriously disappeared and was never recovered. His intention was to scan these pictures (making them digital) and turn them into photo cards. For once in his life he could share his adventures, instead of everyone telling him about theirs.

You can probably imagine his disappointment when it all disappeared. But that didn’t stop him. He was lucky enough to have a friend who knew just what to do. They actually went online, downloaded a picture of The Forbidden City and super imposed himself into the picture.

It apparently looked real, convincing everyone and allowing him to still share his adventure.

I sure hope that 69-year old Florida gal, Sandy Frosti remembers to do her photo greeting cards this Christmas. Because she has a picture to brag about that none of her friends or family can say they have.

After hearing a strange noise downstairs, too big of a noise for her cat to make, Sandy decided to go down and check it out. There she found roaming her kitchen was an 8 foot long alligator. It’s not unusual for that neighborhood to see alligators, but never before in someone’s kitchen.

The alligator had apparently pushed through the back porch screen door and went inside through an open sliding glass door. It then traveled through her living room, down the hall and into the kitchen. They don’t know what possessed this critter to enter the house, but one theory was that it was after the cat.

Needless to say, the screens have been fixed and Sandy is now keeping the glass door closed.

In the end, all humans and the cat remained alive and in one piece. The alligator however became leather boots. Unfortunately once an alligator is brace enough to enter a home, it will continue doing it and becomes a danger to everyone, especially un-expecting small children and pets.

The original article was found at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24254754/

You may have noticed there are fewer religious messages (or any acknowledgement of the Saviors birth at all) on Christmas greeting cards these days. I’ve even noticed the ones that do acknowledge the true reason for the season, are often hideous or are not quite the verbiage I’m looking for. I have to look really hard to find nice ones. Am I just looking in the wrong places?

Nevertheless, this brings up one of the many beauties of photo Christmas cards. You can add any picture and any phrase you’d like. Religious or not. It also means a lot more to have a personalized card like that. Think about it…When you receive Christmas cards in the mail, which ones do you notice? Which ones mean more? A certain family member of mine saw me writing this blog post and answered “the ones with the money in them”. That’s not quite what I meant, but had to laugh anyhow. Somebody’s getting a lump of coal in their stocking ;0).

The answer for me…When I receive Christmas cards with pictures and/or a personal note, those mean so much more to me than a pre-printed impersonal message.

I can also put the photo greeting cards in a photo album.  Just a thought to remember for this Christmas’ preparations.

This past week I “accidentally” took this years pictures for our photo Christmas cards. I know, you’re probably wondering how I could “accidentally” do something like that. Well let me explain…

It all started when I discovered the Australia Zoo was having a video competition in celebration of Bindi’s upcoming 10th birthday. The best video, picked from a combination of the highest rated and most voted for, wins a trip to the Australia Zoo. Of course the temptation was too great for me. So we packed up the car and took off for some filming.

My son dressed up as Indiana Jones (his idea) and looked so cute (not that I’m biased). As I was editing the film, I discovered that I could get still shots of the film. (Windows Movie Maker was the program I was using). Then as I played around, I realized there were some great pictures I could put in an album. But it wasn’t until I actually sat down to write a blog on photo Christmas cards, that I dawned on me to use some of those pictures for my photo greeting cards.

So there’s an idea for you. Go through your film footage and look for that perfect picture. Hint: The higher the resolution of your digital camera, the better the still picture will turn out.

In the mean time, if you need a good chuckle, take a look at the video.

http://freetrip.australiazoo.com.au/?p=watch&v=23778-1208535826

You never know when that perfect “Kodak moment” will arise for this years Christmas card photos. So with this in mind, here are some tips to increase your odds of getting that “perfect” shot.

#1. Pack a Santa hat wherever you go, but especially when you go on vacation. I know it may sound annoying to drag it along, but it’s really not that bad. Make it a point to leave a Santa hat in the trunk of your car, along with all the other emergency supplies (that many of us neglect to carry ;0). That way you don’t always have to try and remember it. They really don’t take up much room, so whether it’s in a suitcase or a trunk, you’ll be good to go.

# 2. Have a pack of wet-wipes on you at all times. This is another one that you can simply throw in the car, purse or backpack, so it’s there waiting for you when you need it. I personally like the travel sized individual packets for my purse and keep a big tub of the regular containers in my car. I bring this tip up because I have numerous last minute photos that seem perfect, but when I go to print them, I find there’s always something around the kids’ mouths. Even when they haven’t been eating anything. Makes me wonder how they’re managing that. Are they eating dirt? Hmmm. Perhaps I don’t want to know.

That’s all for today. Make it a good one.

Did you know there are actually instructions online on how to make your own Flintstone car? So the next time you really want to get all decked out for that costume party, you can pull up in your very own Flintstone car. Or how cool would that be to take the kids around in at Halloween time?! You could even be the Flintstones sporting your “new car” in your next Christmas cards and pictures. That’ll really knock your friends and families socks off.

The best part is, you can make it all from nature. I’d imagine you may have a hard time if you used stone for the wheels though. You’d have to first find the perfect sized stones, then shape them and drill a hole in them. On top of that, they would be heavy and make it hard to actually move the car. Logs however are much easier and lighter for this purpose. (It helps that trees are naturally round to begin with). At least that’s what a family here in the US did when they got bored one summer.

The family is situated in a rural mountain area of the US and has access to many trees on their property. Without the distraction of television, computers or game consoles, the kids, ranging 6-17 years decided to get creative and built a car made entirely out of wood. It apparently looked like a modern SUV version of the Flintstones car.

So there’s an idea for your family or scouts this summer. You may consider even having it in your local parade for fun.

Not many people can brag about sending out Christmas cards with pictures of themselves and their 103 year old twin.   I don’t know if the Clifford twins actually sent out photo greeting cards, but nevertheless, they certainly are remarkable. Living to 103 is amazing to begin with, but both twins living that long…wow.

Lilly and Marie Clifford were born on Christmas Day in 1904 and were only recently parted when Lily passed away. But believe it or not, they’re not the oldest twins. The Guinness Book of World Records recently recorded 105 year old Canadian-born twins, Ellen Robertson and Sarah Jeanmougin to be the eldest.

Certainly many people wonder what the Clifford twins secret is to such a long and relatively healthy life. They claimed there is no secret, but Marie did once say “We just lived and enjoyed each day.” Perhaps that’s the trick…be happy, enjoy life, have a good outlook on life. Or perhaps it was the fact that they literally lived for one another. Not only through their love, but also for necessity. Between Marie’s poor eyesight and Lilly’s failing hearing, they relied on each other to be the others eyes or ears, to “get a full sense of the world around them”.  Whatever the secret is, their love for one another will go on forever.

The original article about the Clifford twins can be found at:
http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=71716&section=news&freebie

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An interesting article I ran across on CBSNews.com regarding gift cards, sparked the topic of today’s blog. Although the article was bad news (which I’ll go into in a moment), I wanted to share some good news first.

Did you know you can make not only photo Christmas cards, but photo gift cards as well?! Two years ago my son received a Toys R Us gift card with a picture of him and his Auntie on it. She apparently went online, ordered the gift card and uploaded the desired picture she wanted on it. Talk about a great idea! That made the gift card so much more special to him. Of course once he used it up, he kept the card even though there’s no money left on it. - Just a fun thought for you.

Going back to today’s article….
It turns out that Sharper Image gift cards are currently worthless. The company apparently filed bankruptcy and announced they are temporarily suspending the acceptance of gift cards. But don’t throw them out yet, just incase they start accepting them again (which has been known to happen with other companies).

That brings up a good point though. If you have gift cards, it may be in your best interest to use them right away, just in case company goes out of business. Also, if you buy a gift card for someone, make sure it’s a store that doesn’t show signs of going out of business.

You can see the full article at: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/03/business/main3902646.shtml

As our world continues to become
a world of technology and diversity we are daily presented with an abundant
supply of things to choose from. Gone
are the days where you had to decide between three Christmas cards at the local
five and dime store and here are the days where every person can find a holiday
card which suits their personal tastes and needs. At Design Crafters we are proud to
offer over 1,200 cards from which to choose - and here is a highlight of some of the
cards we offer.

A calendar card, as its
title suggests, not only presents a written greeting to the receiver but also a
calendar of the coming year! This type
of card is a great way to leave a lasting reminder of your company - because the
receiver can use it for the whole year! 

People love to take
pictures. Photographs allow us to
document the past and serve as a way to monitor change. Like calendar cards, photo greeting cards
offer a lasting reminder of the sender and can be hung on an office wall or
refrigerator door. 

Family is very important during
the holidays. We know how true this is,
and our collection of family cards is guaranteed to portray all the
reasons why this season is geared towards loving and appreciating your family.

Are you a jokester at heart?  If so, why not let a little of your humor
shine this season. You can do this by
picking one of our very funny cards featured under our humorous
section—these cards are guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone you send them
to. 

For those of you who love the
modern aspects of society check out our contemporary greeting cards. These
cards feature graphics and objects still associated with the Christmas spirit, but
portrayed in a more avant-garde and abstract manner. 

And don’t think we forgot about
all those who call the big city their home, check out our City Scape, New
York, and Washington
DC collections and you will find
a wide variety of beautiful city scenes. 

 Choices, choices, choices,
everything from nautical, ornaments, patriotic, peace, presents, religious,
snow scenes and snowflakes, not to mention wreaths and even tropical, only to name a few. We have a category sure to please your specific needs. So, don’t feel overwhelmed by the variety of
Christmas cards available, but have fun as you search for the perfect card
tailored to represent you and your wishes! Check all of these and other categories available at Design Crafters.