Cards

I wanted to tell you about a really cool site my sister-in-law told me about to send my cards. It has made my life so much easier! It’s called Send Out Cards. I asked her to write a description of the services it provides since she can explain it so much better than I could ever hope to.

Has this ever happened to you? It’s 8:00pm, you’re sitting at home with your kids and you realize you forgot to buy a birthday card for your best friend out of state. Do you load up the kids and spend a hectic hour at WalMart looking for the perfect card while your kids are wreaking havoc up and down the aisles? I veto that option right away. It’s actually not even an option for my peaceful state of mind. In the past, I would have just sent an e-mail saying I was sorry I missed sending her a card but that I still love her!

But, thanks to a great service called SendOutCards I never encounter that situation anymore! SendOutCards is a web based “keeping in touch” system. With over 15,000 ready made designs you are sure to find the perfect card. For example, the search bar makes it easy to find all cards with a flower on the front. The system is very intuitive, you simply choose your card, write a personal message, type in the recipient’s address and that’s it. With one click of a button, the system prints, addresses, stamps and mails your card through the US Postal service. And, if you love taking pictures, you can create your own card chock-full of those personal photos.

Now, you might be wondering how much this convenient service costs. I mean, the contact manager reminds you of birthdays & anniversaries, lets you create campaigns to specific groups of people, lets you create your own layouts much like Photoshop Elements, it must cost a lot! Well, I’m happy to report that a standard 2 panel card costs as little as 62 cents plus a stamp for wholesale customers, and 98 cents plus a stamp for retail customers. And, with SendOutCards you no longer need to search for stamps, or find the cards you purchased a few weeks ago!

For me, SendOutCards has really helped create a positive change in my life. I’ve always considered myself to be a thoughtful person. But, now, looking back, I realize I was just a person with good intentions that rarely followed through on my promptings to reach out to someone else. Now, I send a heartfelt card to someone every day. If I’m talking to someone on the phone and they are having a bad day, I get off the phone, login to SendOutCards and send that person a beautiful card to cheer her up.

My first story using SendOutCards was heartwarming to say the least. I decided I needed to send an old boss that I worked for over 15 years ago a card to thank him for always making me feel that I was valuable. I also included some gourmet brownies. (yes, there is a gift catalog with many wonderful selections to choose from!) About 5 days later, I received a phone call from this man. He is a busy financial planner and well respected in his community. He began the conversation by saying he had received my nice card and gift and that he was overwhelmed by it. I asked him when he received it and he said “Well, I actually received it yesterday but I had to wait a day to get my composure before calling you. I can’t remember ever receiving a card like this.” It was an emotional moment for me as I realized that we really aren’t appreciating each other like we should. We wait until someone is sick or dies before expressing our heartfelt emotions. I’m reminded of a thought I heard last summer. “Most of us wear an invisible sign on our shirts that says ‘appreciate me.’”

Now that I’ve been using SendOutCards for one year, my story book has grown. Some are funny, some are tearful, but all of my recipients have expressed a heartfelt thanks for my kind words. And, now I can say that I am a thoughtful person who acts on her promptings.

By Amy Talbot

It really is a great way to send cards. I have become so terrible at sending cards for birthdays and thank yous because it’s such a hassle to find the right card and mail it in time. I usually end up sending something late if I do it at all. I love that I can just get on the computer, select a card, write in my message, and they do the rest.

I also love that I can send my digital cards. Before I would have to print them out on my home printer. I could never get the colors to come out right and it ate up a lot of ink, so I rarely did it. Here’s a couple of cards I have sent below.

This one was for my brother’s birthday. That little beagle goes everywhere with him.

I told you I had a picture of my dad and me like the one of him and Aiden! I found it in my scrapbook and scanned it. I just sent this card today, so sorry if I ruined the surprised, Dad! Oh well, I’m sure you will be sitting on pins and needles waiting to see the inside! ;)

They also have a lot of great templates on the site that are easy to use and look fantastic!

If you'd like to try it out, you can send a card or two free on me (available to the first 10 people how get over there). Just go HERE and click on #2: Send a Free Card. The system will walk you through it. If you want to send a card with pictures, click on "Create PicturePLUS Card." Should you have any problems, let me know, and I'll help you out! Now go send a card and make someone's day (then come back and tell me how much you loved it)!