Happy Valentine's Day from The Notes Nest! This holiday isn’t just for couples, so take this day to tell a friend how much you value their friendship…
We love this friendship quote, so true!
"Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." -- Muhammad Ali
We love GIFT TAG STICKERS! If you feel like your social calendar revolves around kid’s birthday parties, let us make gift giving a little easier on you! Costing as low as .44c per sticker, these fun custom gift tag stickers come in many designs and can be printed with either your child’s name or whole family. Choose from a rounded rectangle shape (8 to a sheet) or oval (9 to a sheet), both come in a quality gloss finish!
Never worry about running to the store to buy yet another card that will be tossed aside – our gift tag stickers are your quick and easy solution! Once our new website is live, you will have over 24 designs to choose from… In the meantime, shoot us a message and we can help you place your order!
If you are looking for a resolution that will positively impact both yourself and others, why don’t you Up Your Gratitude? This article, based on the book “A Simple Act of Gratitude” written by John Kralik, was published in Parade Magazine yesterday (Sunday, January 1, 2012). We may be a little biased, but a handwritten thank you note can really make such an amazing difference in someone’s day. Who deserves a thank you in your life? … Happy New Year!
Up Your Gratitude by John Kralik
“Knowing that you had to work on Thanksgiving of all days, I thought I’d express my gratitude that you have taken the time and made the effort to learn my name and greet me each day in a way that makes me feel like a person instead of a number. It’s a small thing, but on any given day, it can make all the difference. Thank you!”
About three years ago, I gave a card with these words to a Starbucks barista named Kimber. When I went in the next day, she told me, nearly breaking down, that my note made her realize what she did really counts. It was my 260th thank-you of 2008, the year I vowed to send one to a different person every day. I succeeded—though it took more than 365 days.
I embarked on the endeavor at a time when I felt anything but thankful. On New Year’s Day 2008, I went for a hike, feeling at an all-time low. I was overweight. I owned a law practice, but it was losing money. Entangled in a divorce, I lived in a depressing apartment. The woman I’d been dating had recently ended our relationship.
On my hike, I heard a voice. It said I shouldn’t focus on what I wanted or had lost but should be grateful for what I had. The idea of a year of thank-yous popped into my head.
This project transformed my life. I saw how much I had been blessed by so many people in different ways, and acknowledging their blessings seemed to make them multiply. After I thanked colleagues for directing cases to me, they referred more. When I expressed gratitude to clients for paying promptly, they began doing so even more quickly.
Something more subtle occurred, too. With my thank-you notes, I was trying to tell people how much their kindness meant to me. As they responded, that same message was reflected back.
In 2010, I put out a book about my year of thank-yous, “A Simple Act of Gratitude” (now in paperback). A few days after its release, I got my first thank-you from a reader. The next week, I received a few more, and then my publisher sent a whole box. My readers showed me how the effects of gratitude continued to ripple out. A nursing home patient who was paralyzed on her right side said she was grateful to be born left-handed and had written notes to the staff. One woman went in person to deliver her message to a former teacher, who read it and wept—she’d been working for 23 years and no one had ever thanked her.
My circumstances have improved immeasurably since that hike. I’m now in great shape—I ran a marathon to benefit leukemia research in part to thank an employee, and then completed two more. I found a small but lovely house, and I was appointed to my dream job, Superior Court judge. Having written my 860th note, I can say I keep learning that gratitude is a path to the peace we all seek.
Recently, a friend whose support led me to write my book passed away. On my desk is a thank-you from him, and I pray that the heartfelt note I’d sent to him did not go unread. At sad times like these, I return to the practice that turned my life around. I sit and think about the people to whom I owe so much. Then I take out my pen and write.
WRITE YOUR OWN: FOUR SIMPLE STEPS
GRAB A PEN AND PAPER.
Refrain from sending an email. Handwritten notes feel special, almost like the person is there with you. I use plain off-white cards that have my name printed on the front and my name and address on the envelope.
BE SPECIFIC.
Perhaps start by thanking the people who just gave you holiday presents. Open with “Dear So-and-So,” identify the gift (“the red and white tie”), and say one sincere thing about why you like it (“It’s a perfect match for my blue suit”).
DIG INTO THE PAST.
After thanking your close friends and family, write to people who helped you at critical moments. I reached out to the doctor whose operation cured my pain, and to another doctor who told me I needed to stop drinking.
KEEP IT SHORT.
Your message doesn’t need to be long and eloquent—my cards are small, with room for only three or four sentences. By sticking to a few lines, you keep the focus on your thank-you and on the other person’s kindness.
As 2011 comes to a close, we want to thank all of our customers, associates and vendors for an amazing year! The Notes Nest has grown with each happy moment you’ve shared with us this year… new arrivals, birthday celebrations, engagements, weddings and more.
After a very busy holiday season, we want to again thank the photographers that have so generously provided images for us to use in our design samples.
AML Photography, Overland Park, Kansas
Sandi Santos Photography, Tampa, Florida
Sarah Aranda Photography, DeKalb, Illinois
Susan Gentile Photography, Tampa, Florida
The Notes Nest looks forward to sharing in your happy moments in 2012!
As much as we love putting together your holiday cards each year, we cringe when we see big box stores putting up holiday decorations before Halloween is even over. Let’s not forget about Thanksgiving… before you start making those wish lists, take a minute to be THANKFUL about what you already have!
This giveaway is centered around just that… let us know what YOU are thankful for this year, and you will be entered in a contest to win your very own custom designed holiday cards (yes, an original design completely from scratch, see our last post to learn more). The Notes Nest will provide the winner with a complimentary custom design, 50 flat holiday cards and 2 sheets of gift tag stickers. This package is valued at $115!
How do you enter? If you haven’t already, LIKE The Notes Nest on Facebook! Then, post on our wall at least one thing that you are thankful for this year. It is that easy! We will take entries through Noon on the day after Thanksgiving (11.25.2011) and randomly select our winner that afternoon! The winner can use their card for any holiday they choose up through “Happy New Year” (please redeem no later than 01.06.2012).
The Notes Nest looks forward to hearing all that you are thankful for this year… GOOD LUCK and go post yours now!
{ click here to see our holiday design gallery }
{ fine print } one entry per person, must ‘like’ the notes nest facebook page to be eligible. prize is not redeemable for cash. winner may purchase additional cards, upgrade card stock or to folded/two-sided cards at their expense. cannot be combined with any other discounts.
{ photo credit for holiday card shown above: sarah aranda photography }
As a hostess, pulling a party or invitation theme from the registry is an easy way to guarantee your honored guest will love it!
