Inspired.

It’s Holiday Card Time

It’s that time of the year again when you’ve got to decide whether or not to order holiday cards. Personally I get sad every year receiving fewer and fewer cards in the mail. There’s nothing quite like coming home to a full mailbox of holiday greetings and warm messages from friends letting me know how their year went. E-cards just don’t hold the same weight, literally and figuratively. Living in a time where e-mails are replaced by short tweets or Facebook messages, it’s often easy to forget how nice it can be do get a real card in the mail.

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Holiday Giveaway Week

Since the holidays are a time of giving, we thought we’d get in the spirit by rounding up some of our favorite companies to give away their wares to YOU! It’s our little way of saying thanks for being so supportive as we build our little business. These aren’t just any companies, these are companies, all of whom we have personally met with, worked with AND feel that their products and companies share many of the same values as Paper Culture. There are bigger companies like giggle who you’ve likely seen us talk about before, and companies that we hope to introduce you to for the first time. Most are some combination of eco friendly, modern design and family oriented – all themes that are at the core of our ethos.
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New School Year, New Year* and New School

Yikes! I really don’t know where the summer has gone. Besides, an unplanned “staycation” in Modena, Italy (the land of balsamic vinegar and tortelloni) and our annual trip to Toronto and NYC to visit friends and family, we seem to have spent most of the summer at the Santa Monica YMCA. Yes. The Y. My daughter was enrolled in camp and swim class. I felt like I lived there — dropping her off, picking her up and going back for swim class — every day. But camp and swim class are over. We have had a few lazy, unscheduled days before my daughter starts a new preschool. Last Spring, I made the agonizing decision to take my daughter out of her super-small and loving preschool to put her in a neighborhood school that is TWO blocks away and offers a better opportunity to be part of a community.

With the new school year and a new school comes the need to buy back-to-school items. Being a big Hello Kitty fan myself, I couldn’t help but get her a new Hello Kitty lunch box. I also had to pick up a sleeping bag for nap time. How could I deny her a Disney princess bag?

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Independence Day Weekend Roundup

I hope everyone had a lovely Fourth of July weekend! It was absolutely gorgeous in sunny Santa Monica. We ate non-stop barbecue and lazily lounged with family and friends. It was especially exciting to experience a few new milestones with Lulu too including her first fireworks (she was scared), Santa Monica’s Main Street Parade (pictured below), and her first popsicle (what a mess)!

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Facebook Fans Share How They Repurpose Holiday Cards

Holiday cards are great to send and receive but what do you do with them after the holidays are over? From creating one-of-kind Christmas ornaments and garlands to works of original art, thank you Facebook fans for sharing such creative ideas on how to turn your holiday cards into special keepsakes. You can view the entire list of ideas on our Paper Culture Facebook fan page. [read more]

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

If one word could express my awe at the comments of gratitude shared on our Facebook Page, it would be “wow.” Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to the hundreds of you who shared what you are thankful for this Thanksgiving. From the health of yourselves and your families to having loved ones home who are otherwise deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, your comments are moving, meaningful and often times, downright inspiring.
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And the Winner of the Holiday Photo Contest is….

…”Peace out Homie!”

Thank you to all who submitted photo entries for the EcoMom/Paper Culture “Homely for the Holidays” photo contest and to the wonderful kids who gave us such great poses! It would have been impossible for us to select a winner as each photo has its unique elements of silliness – just as each child does. So thank you to all who also participated in the voting process.

And the drumroll please……
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Exclusive Holiday Cards Benefitting Healthy Child Healthy World

Exclusive holiday card designs benefitting Healthy Child Healthy World

As parents, it is overwhelming just keeping up with the day-to-day. It’s a feat in our household when I’ve remembered to get permission slips signed, put library books and a healthy lunch in my childrens’ backpacks and then make it to the school bus…on time.  So when it comes to keeping up on all the latest news on toxins in our homes, safety recalls, much less trying to discern all those misleading labels, I’d throw my hands in the air if it weren’t for organizations like Healthy Child Healthy World.

This is why I’m thrilled that were supporting Healthy Child Healthy World as part of our Cards That Care program, where we are donating 100 percent of the sales proceeds of these exclusive holiday cards, inspired by the organization’s Five Easy Steps. The card Icons From a Healthy Childhood, portrays icons representing eating healthy (apple), cleaning up indoor air (butterfly), using non-toxic products and recycling (recycle) and holiday peace (snowflake). Similarly, the card 5 Steps to a Healthier Home, reminds us that creating a healthy environment is not impossible if we 1) avoid pesticides, 2) use non-toxic products, 3) clean up indoor air, 4) eat healthy and 5) be wise with plastics. Thus, the name Five Easy Steps…

Not only do I love the designs of these cards, but they are meant to be a keepsake, reminding the recipient of simple ways to keep our homes healthy. Now that’s a gift – err, um card, I’ll keep!

Homely for the Holidays Photo Contest

You'z a talkin' zu meeee?

Cute pictures of kids and babies are a dime a dozen. In this holiday photo contest, we are looking for your worst photos! One you would never consider featuring in your holiday photo cards.

We know our kids are all just as cute as can be, but we all have those unflattering, unattractive, just plain terrible photos that make us crack up. Instead of burying them in the back of a box, EcoMom and Paper Culture encourage you to face those photos and bring the funny to the forefront–and win amazing prizes in the process!

Enter our Homely for the Holidays photo contest and you can win a $300 Paper Culture credit, $300 to start your holiday shopping at EcoMom, personalized photo advisory sessions with both a designer and professional photographer, and more.

Plus, the second and third place photos will receive a $50 credit at Paper Culture and a $50 credit at EcoMom–just in time to get your holiday cards going and start your shopping ahead of the game!

How it works:

• You submit the most unflattering, awkward, cringe-inducing, or funny photo you can find that features kids. Submissions will be accepted from November 3 through midnight on November 9.
• We will open up voting through November 16. Paper Culture and EcoMom will ask their communities to vote, and you can ask your friends and family to vote.
• We will announce the Grand Prize winning photo, plus the 2nd and 3rd place winners on November 17.

The prizes:

• The Grand Prize winner will receive: a $300 credit at Paper Culture to use for gorgeous, environmentally responsible photo holiday cards, a $300 credit at EcoMom, a personalized photography tutorial with renowned photographer Annie Robillard, a personal holiday card consultation with a Paper Culture designer, and a sweet Kikkerland photo mobile from EcoMom. You will also have your final card and photo featured on the EcoMom and Paper Culture websites! You can win ALL that just for sending in a BAD photo!
• The second and third place winners will each receive a $50 credit at Paper Culture and a $50 credit at EcoMom.

Click here to submit now and encourage your friends and family to vote!

Photos should feature KIDS. They can be old or new (the 1970s fashions were not kind to many of us.) You must be the rightful owner of the photo and you must be a resident of the U.S.A. Limit one photo entry per person. Let us know if you have questions in the comments!

Paper Culture Unveils Its Fresh New Look

If you are a regular Paper Culture customer, then you may have noticed that we just got a face lift! Thanks to the amazing creative team here, we have updated our site with a fresh new look, while making it easier to navigate.

While you’re checking out the site, be sure to peruse Paper Culture’s extensive new 2010 collection of  modern holiday cards that embodies the spirit of the season and the unique nature of each person. Our cards are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and with every order you place, we plant a tree in your honor.

Also, don’t forget to take advantage of our free mail & message service.  Let us do all the hassle work of addressing and mailing your cards –all for just the price of the stamp!

Like all things new, there may be a few bugs or kinks to work out. So, if you see anything strange, please leave us a comment and we will be sure to fix it. Or, just let us know what you think.