May 4th, 2009 by Solange

There is not a sweeter occasion than Mother’s day to send a card. The date varies depending where you are in the world . In France, it is traditionally on the Last Sunday in May, on the fourth Sunday in the Christian festival of lent in the UK, but mothering Sunday is celebrated the second Sunday in the US this year on May 10th 2009.

It does not really matter if the dates are different, if the fashion in which the day is celebrated varies from country to country, the feeling behind this special day is universal. The idea across the globe is to honour mums for their love and supportand in doing so making them feel very special.

Mother’s day has its traditions:
Mother’s Day Card,
a small gift,
It is a pampering day when mothers should not be allowed in the kitchen.

Mother’s day cards: what is the trend, this year?

Mother’s Day e-cards: No doubt that this year, e-cards will be be on the increase as many more children are on-line (at home, at school) and in case of “grown kids” at work.
E-cards features mean that they are perfect for the job at hand: not only are they animated but the new cards play music, with some you can record your own message, adding your own voice give the card another dimension it give it that “me to you” which is the essence of such a day. another advantage is that they are received in a click and are often free. Interestingly the increase in sending e-cards has had an unsuspecting effect:  it boosted the sales of paper cards

Mothers Day’s greeting cards designs: Part of my job is to observe the trends in this sector. In the  last past couple of years,  we have seen a resurgence of  vintage designs, retro nostalgic designs which evoke an era long gone with their sepia and faded soft colors were all the rage. But the emerging trend this year which will be all over the shops by the time mothers day arrives is a range of Greeting cards featuring high-style looks, inventive designs, unusual paper stocks. Eye-catching embellishments are gaining favor with consumers who are seeking “something special” in their card-giving. This led to the creation of more hand-crafted cards, cards that are intricately designed or innovatively engineered, incorporating ribbons, feathers, glitter, beads, etc.
Despite their higher cost, the designer-fashion flare and artistic uniqueness of these cards  will certainly be in favor with many card purchasers.

The fantastic thing about mother’s day is what ever you do for your mother on that day, your card, you idea will always be best in the eyes of the recipient. We all remember pictures made out of cooking lentils and rows of pasta necklaces don’t we just?

March 12th, 2009 by Solange

Bright sunny yellows, fresh greens, sweet Camaeiu of blues, milky cream background,  Easter greeting cards colors celebrate the joys of spring and revival.

Easter postcards were first sent to friends and relatives at the end of the 19^th century. Back then, most of the pictures represented decorated eggs. Poor Easter bunnies, symbol new life which can be traced to the 16^th century had almost disappeared from the pictures. The pairing of the 2 : Bunny & egg was a marketing ploy hatch in the 1900’s to boost sales.

I don’t remember ever receiving many Easter cards, they are certainly on the declin which make vintage cards rather collectable as they are not easy to come across. The most impressive Easter cards were stamped in silver and gold.

Nowadays When sending a Easter card you can choose a religious theme and/ or incorporate the history of Easter:

• The most sacred festival in the Christian calendar, Easter commemorates the Resurrection of Christ.
• In pagan times a festival was held in honour of Eostre, goddess of dawn, hence its name Easter.
• Easter is a moveable feast which takes place on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the 21^st of March.
• Passover, the historic Exodus of Jewish people was for a while celebrated during the same period,  as  it was during Passover that Jesus was crucified.

If you decide on a more modern and secular twist, you could rely on new symbols such as basket full of goodies and chocolate, cards with lively flowers such as the white lily symbol of purity.

The white Bermuda lily is the accepted symbol for Easter and is the most popular flower for Easter decorations today.

There is a large choice of e-cards for Easter, free e-cards are easy to send. Religious or  secular, it is about time we bring the tradition back to its former glory don’t you think? So make a list of people to send your “Best Easter Wishes” to on:

2009 April 12

2010 April 4

2011 April 24

February 6th, 2009 by Solange

Valentine’s day is upon us and many will argue the relevance of a Valentine’s day “when really love should be celebrated everyday and that it has become far too commercialized”. This year the height of cynicism is represented by a growing trend of anti-Valentine’s with all the paraphernalia associated: anti-Valentine’s cards, T-shirts, and even gifts! Don’t let those nay-says get you down. Whether you have a secret crush, dating, or happily married – here are some valentine greeting card & gift tips that will sure to make an impression.

The Victorians were really into Valentines day greeting cards - sending elaborate cards which sometimes took months to create. There is a current revival of the vintage Valentine cards which I would not be surprise to see more of in years to come. Nowadays we are not far behind our ancestors with ½ of the US population observing the tradition. Mind you 85% are women. So what are men thinking of?

You don’t have to overspend on traditional red roses, sometimes a simple free e-card with a poem and words coming from your hearty will be equally appreciated. Concentrate on the message and the person you are sending the card to. Make sure it is not too tacky and if you are sending a “office Valentine” keep it humorous.

Now when it comes to the matter of that unique Valentine gift, you could play safe with a box of hand-made or high quality chocolate or a heart shaped jewellery. It is of the up-most importance for your gift to be personalized before it gets wrapped.

Now if you have a bigger budget, you cannot go wrong with the traditional flowers and a note. For a greener gift, cut-flowers could be replaced by growing flowers. Think laterally, a plant lasts. A friend of mine received a cryptic Valentine card which became crystal clear when presented with beautifully wrapped tomato plants, or pommes d’amour as they were called in French, from the former belief in tomato’s aphrodisiacal powers.

Dining out can turn into a bit of a nightmare on Valentine’s Day, when it is almost impossible to secure a booking in your favourite restaurant when everybody in the neighbourhood seem intent to keep you and your loved-one company. Plus there is something a bit depressing at the sight of rows of tables for 2, waited upon by busy servers who would rather be romancing than serving you.

I know what I would prefer instead, my idea of romantic valentine gift is a home-cooked meal put together with a little love and a card…or two.

December 26th, 2008 by admin

Merry Christmas from all of us at kwikecards.com. We hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and spending time with their loved ones. 2008 has been an interesting year and the New Year’s just around the corner. During this break you should start thinking about your new year’s resolutions, look to the future and set new goals for next year.

December 4th, 2008 by Solange

The first Christmas card was sent 150 years ago, an old tradition still going strong, and I could bet you that folks in the 19th century were asking themselves the very same questions as we are today:

“What is the fashion for this year’s card?”. “What should my message be?”

One question you can be sure they were not troubled with, is : “is it acceptable to send an e-card for Christmas?”

So what are the trends for 2008? In a world of uncertainty, traditions, and emotions are exacerbated and this year’s buzz words are Memories, Tradition & Religion, and Magic & Change.

Memories: a perfect fit for e-cards. Memories are best embodied by personal pictures. There will be a lot of that in December: Corporate or private many cards will proudly be picture-cards.

Tradition & Religion: Away with the blues and the silver. Deep reds and gold are back, we might also see the emergence of vibrant orange and leaf green. Traditional pictures and traditional religious pictures of the birth of Jesus such as those seen way back when the first Christmas cards were sent are resurging - the modern touch might be provided by vibrant jewel tones and metallics.

Magic & Change: We have just withnessed the pledge and starting turn in America with this year’s historical election. What we need now is to see the prestige and a change in the hearts & minds of fellow Americans - what better time to work all that magic than Christmas.

The Remaining question: Paper card or e-card? A printed card is part of the home decoration but if  the receiver is so intent on showing off the number of cards received, there is not doubt that your e-card will be printed.

There is a general consensus nowadays which is, friends and family deserve a paper card, with hand-made paper cards for the very special people, showing them that not only you care, which is done regardless of the medium, but that you have devoted a precious commodity : time & thought to their card.

For Business partners and work greetings, e-cards are now seen as more appropriate. However, if you don’t want your card to disappear in the spam box, you need to make sure that you appear as the clear sender. E-cards are quick and easy to send, this is a great advantage but it might be interpreted differently by the recipient, so don’t leave your Christmas greetings till the last minute or you will appear as disorganised or even worse lazy. Where e-cards will save you money, clients might interpret this as not being important enough for a stamp, so make sure that your card carry warmth in its message.

November 12th, 2008 by Solange

With so much to do prior the end of the year, why not using Thanksgiving to send cards to relatives and business partners alike. This way you don’t have to agonize over should I / shouldn’t I send a card to great-auntie Moany when it comes to Christmas. Every one appreciates a Thanksgiving message. It is really unifying, it also has the obvious advantage as to alienate the specific religious ties which can lead to slightly difficult situations when dealing with people who are not celebrating Christmas.

With e-cards you can add music. Cards with sounds are very popular; e-cards are also printable, so you can choose to print and send. Thanksgiving cards have a long shelve live, they will probably stay on display until “the next lot” arrives and that might not be before Christmas. Fewer people send cards at Thanksgiving than at Christmas, so it will make yours stand out which is perfect for business relations.

It is only natural that many people get stuck and lack inspiration for their greeting-cards. This is when technology come to the rescue and e-cards in particular. You want your card to stand out, but at the same time to be traditional. Fall colors are perfect to make a lovely cards. Wonderful oranges, brown and dark green which can be complemented very nicely by blues and dark reds, just what you need for Thanksgiving.

This year, the trend for this second semester is said to be “vintage”.  Again, I can’t think of something more perfect for Thanksgiving as vintage greeting cards. Vintage greeting cards consists of old sepia, like in these old 19th century portraits. However, sepia is not the only colour, muted purples, greens, blues and faded pinks are also back “on the cards”. But retro does not mean dull and it can be real fun to use a bit of vintage chic, especially when you decide which embellishments to add. Personalizing cards is always a good idea, if you know people who like travelling, and there are few that don’t, or if your business partners are always zooming from A to B. Find fades maps and ancient post cards which can be used as backgrounds. For the embellishments buttons and keys are just so cool and right in the current trend.

Thanksgiving is around the corner so we need to get started with our cards.

October 7th, 2008 by Solange

This fall, I have decided to celebrate Halloween with all the ghoulish trimmings. Away with doom and gloom, I want spooky, I want to thrill my guest with Halloween party invitations. I want to treat them with candy-cards.

Not only am I going to carve that pumpkin, put the decorations up not forgetting the costume, I am definitely going to pay much attention to my Halloween greeting cards. According to the NRF (the Voice of Retail Worldwide) 64% of the US population compared to 59 last year is going to join me in spirit, so to speak. A bit of magic relief after months of spooky economic news.

Think about greeting cards as the prelude to any celebration. They have to convey the right impression for your party. A lot of people enjoy the spookiness of Halloween greeting cards, black cats and ghouls often make the staple for cards sold in stores.

But why not use the internet and KwikeCards, most other sites also allow you to send your cards via e-mail, you can be more creative, add special effects: sounds and animation. Animated cards have become very popular for Halloween.

This year, the trend is with photo-cards, just add your own pictures and merged it to the background and there you are, looking like a lovely witch or an handsome Dracula. Cards don’t have to cost the earth, use free e-cards: all what you have to do is to think about the message. This year, I might quote Mark Twain: “Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows anybody”.

For the design, there is a half way house or should I say a half-way spooky castle. I am using this method with my candy-cards. The cards are made downloading backgrounds. For the front subjects, I will cut and paste my main designs with 3D pads. This year I opted for 2 types of card, one with castle, one with pumpkin. Using small round plastic box filled with candies kept in place over the moon or the pumpkin, my simple cards are turned into treat-cards. These cards are rather effective and will be remembered for a long time.