Katie's Cards launches a Facebook Application! 2011.12.15

Hi all,

We have just launched our new Facebook application!

This fantastic new feature allows you to connect to your Facebook account and send ecards to your Facebook friends as well as access birthday reminders from Facebook!

The application is available to both members and non-members. Non-members can send cards from the 'Free e cards' category of the website and members can send cards from any category.

To use the application as a member to send e cards all you have to do is select an ecard from any category to send, and when you get to the 'send' page you will see a Facebook button with 'Click here to post on Facebook'. When you click this button you will be asked to log into your Facebook account, once you have done this you will see a list of your Facebook friends and you can choose who you want to send the card to. You can post the card on the recipients profile page or send them a message to their Facebook inbox.

To use this application as a non-member you can select any e card from the 'Free ecards' section and follow the same instructions as above.

To see your birthday reminders, all you have to do is click on the 'View your Facebook Reminders' button on the Katie's Cards homepage. You will be asked to log into your Facebook account and then you will see a list of your Facebook friends who have birthdays coming up which you can then send a birthday e card to using Facebook or in the traditional way, by sending them an email.

This application has been developed by us to enhance your user experience. We hope that you enjoy using it!

Please comment if you need any help with using the application!

Katie x

p.s. here is our new Nativity Christmas e card that you can send to spread festive greetings!

Share your wisdom! 2011.12.08

Hi all,

Christmas day is getting closer and this is the time of year that we can all do with a little help to get us through the season. You may remember my four Christmas tips that I wrote a few weeks ago, each of them focusing on a particular part of the Christmas season. Incase you didn't see them, I have linked to them below:

Christmas Tips 1: Buying Presents

Christmas Tips 2: Planning your Christmas Lunch

Christmas Tips 3: Decorations

Christmas Tips 4: How to Have  a Greener Christmas

You can find some more general tips that I found on the Nigella website here. Each tip has been submitted by a visitor to the site so there is a great variety there of little gems that can really help you out.

I hope you enjoy them!

Katie x

P.s. Don't forget to get your cards sent! Here is a Christmas e card from our collection that you might like. You can find and send the ecard by clicking here.



Click here to join Katie's Cards and begin sending unlimited ecards throughout your membership for a small subscription fee.

A brand new Christmas e card for you. 2011.12.06

Hi all,

Christmas is on its way!

To help get you in the mood, here is another brand new 'Nativity' Christmas e card that is now available to send to all of your loved ones.

We've already had some very positive comments about it so I really hope you like it too!

Let me know what you think!

Katie x



Click here to become a member of Katie's Cards today and send unlimited ecards within your subscription period for a small subscription fee.

New 'Runaway Turkey' Christmas e card game for you to send - have you tried it yet? 2011.12.02

Hi all,

Our new Christmas e card game is great fun. Its called 'Runaway Turkey' and consists of a turkey running away from a hungry farmer. You have help the turkey escape by jumping over various obstacles that pop up as it runs trough a Christmas landscape.



Why don't you give it a try now and see how good you are? You can try it out by clicking here.

What do you think of it?

It joins our popular 'Turkey Breakout' series. We always get very positive comments about them, but thought it would be good to make an interactive game ecard this time. I think it is a great option to send to children or those who like games and acts as a card and a gift in one!

Katie x

Some useful information to help you organise your Christmas. 2011.11.30

Hi everyone,

The big day is fast approaching and many of you out there will be starting to get organised for it. I have written a set of my tips for you which are below. Please do let me know if you want to add a comment by adding a comment!

Christmas tips 1: buying gifts

Christmas tips 2: planning your Christmas lunch

Christmas tips 3: Decorations

Christmas tips 4: how to have a greener Christmas

I found this really helpful article in the Guardian that you might useful also, which lists Christmas delivery dates 2011

Hope this helps!

Katie x

P.s. here is a lovely Christmas e card from our Christmas collection to get you in the mood.

Christmas tips 3: Decorations. 2011.11.21.

Hi all,

Today I am giving you some of my Christmas decorating tips. Please share them with your friends and let me know if you have any additions to the list by posting a comment!

How to create easy, cheap and inventive Christmas decorations:

• Before you start doing anything make sure you buy lots of festive looking ribbons. You can pick up large reels of ribbon from most sewing shops for a small cost but if you can't find one nearby, then go online! Ribbons are brilliant for decorating many things including presents, ornaments, fireplaces etc. You can also pick up some buttons for decoration.
• Don't by ready-made candle decorations - make them yourself. Buy plain candles and add your own holly, ribbons and mistletoe. This is a much cheaper way to decorate and you will be creating something only you have on display! 
• Collect pine cones, branches and holly from outside.
• Make your own Christmas wreath using the branches you collected, just tie both ends together with string and add your desired decorations like ribbon, tinsel, ornaments, spray paint etc.
• Spray your pine cones silver or gold (or another colour) and either display them in a bowl or large glass vase or attach string to them and hand them off your tree.
• Lay holly and branches on your fireplace.
• Buy a roll of brown paper and wrap your presents with it. Use your beautiful ribbons to make the wrapping pretty along with sprigs of holly and mistletoe and cinnamon sticks!
• Save money and the environment by sending Christmas ecards this year. Send unlimited cards for a small subscription fee and save on average over £15 on traditional greetings cards!

Please share these tips and let me know if you have any to add to the list!

Katie x

Christmas tips 2: Planning your Christmas lunch. 2011.11.18

Hi all,

Here is the 2nd in my list of Christmas tips. Today I am looking at the good old Christmas lunch and things that you can do to try and elliminate the stress that it can cause.

Here are some of my tips which can help it go smoothly. I hope you find them useful and please post a comment if you want to add any of your tips!

• Write down a list of your Christmas lunch guests.
• Try to estimate how much food you will need per person and then estimate the cost of the food.
• Once you know what you will be eating, make sure to order your meat well in advance to avoid di disappointments.
• To reduce the overall cost, give each guest an item to bring along to the lunch, for example each guest could bring one part of the meal or each guest could bring one bottle of wine they like.
• Make sure to pick up all of the non-perishables on the list very soon after writing your shopping list. This means that you only have to shop for the perishables at a later date, but try to avoid doing his on Christmas eve as supermarkets are a nightmare! If possible, order your shopping online - it is a hassle free way of getting the things you need though you do need to remember to do it in time.
• Think about how you want your day to pan out and then plan what time you want your guests to arrive. I like to give the family some time to relax in the morning so if we're having guests, I usually ask them to arrive for 12.
• Choose the time that you want to serve food by and then plan backwards, making a day timetable as you go.
• Delegate, delegate, delegate! Give each of your guests a task to complete.
• If you want to be waited on hand and foot, book a restaurant! (but remember to do it early!).
• Invite your guests to your special lunch using a Christmas ecard.

Katie x

Last post dates for 2011 - 2011.11.09

Hi everyone,

For those of you in the UK, here is Royal Mail's last postage dates for 2011. As you can see, some of the dates have passed or are very near! But don't worry, as e cards can be sent in a matter of minutes, you can still send all of your loved ones a Christmas e card that they will receive on the day you schedule delivery! This is a brilliant reason to choose to send ecards to your loved ones this year.

Another great reason to send your loved ones a Christmas ecard is that they can save you money. It costs 46p for a first class stamp in the UK, so if you have over 30 Christmas cards to send, this is going cost you at least double the cost of a Katie's Cards subscription, on top of the price of your Christmas cards. A subscription to Katie's Cards only cost £7 and for that you can send as many cards as you like for a whole year!

Last recommended posting services

Standard Parcels - Wed 14th December

Second Class and Recorded Signed For™ - Sat 17th December

First Class and Recorded Signed For™ - Tue 20th December

Parcelforce express48 - Wed 21st December

Parcelforce express24 - Thu 22nd December

International Surface Mail

Non-European destinations except Middle East, South Africa, Far East, USA and Canada - Fri 30th September

Middle and Far East (except Hong Kong and Singapore) - Tue 4th October

South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, the USA and Canada - Tue 18th October

Eastern Europe, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Malta and Iceland - Tue 8th November

Western Europe - Tue 22nd November

International Airmail

South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand - Mon 5th December

Eastern Europe, USA and Canada - Fri 9th December

Western Europe - Mon 12th December

British Forces Post Office (BFPO)

Airmail to Operational BFPOs- Fri 2nd December

Airmail to Static BFPOs- Thu 15th December

Katie x

P.s this is a great one to send!

Katie's Cards website development

Hi everuone!

It is freezing here and feeling very wintery indeed! I love this time of year but do wish it was a little warmer for my walks with Plum!

Thanksgiving, and Christmas are getting very close. Have you started doing your planning yet?

Here at Katie's Cards we have been doing a lot to prepare for the festive season. We are about to launch the new developments on our website which have been added to help you with the festive planning!
These developments include some brand new features which have been designed to make your life a bit easier. There is a new 'bulk upload' tool which allows you to add up to 100 contacts to your address book in one swift go as well as the addition of a Facebook application which allows you to connect with your Facebook profile to send your Facebook friends e cards and gives your birthday reminders.

Another great way to stay on top of the planning this year this festive season is to pre-schedule your ecards to be delivered on a date of your choice in the future. This can be done from your personal membership account and it is so easy and quick - exactly what we all need at this time of year! E cards are a great way to send personal greetings to loved ones across the globe as they are quick to organise, cheap to send and environmentally friendly.

Please do let me know if you have any questions or need any help with your account. Remember, we are always happy to help you get the most out of your Katie's Cards membership!

Katie x

P.s. here is an old Christmas e card that you might like.

only 9 weeks until Chrismas...

Hello,

Oh no. I was just planning the Christmas ecards schedule and did a quick count of how many weeks until Christmas.

9.

9 weeks!

How did this happen? It was only just summer!

Now I have to start planning gifts, where and who we will be celebrating with and what we'll be eating. Though there is one thing that I always look forward to - the Katies Cards christmas party! We're not a big team (as you know) so we often do a joint gathering with the other small businesses who share our little terraced building. There's only 3 people extra, but it means that our meagre little celebration of 3 turns into 6 (and this year it will be 7 with Racheal here).

Oh dear oh dear. Well, I guess I will start planning this weekend, though no matter when I start, its always a mad rush in the end!

Have you started your preparations yet?

Katie x

P.s. don't forget to enter the Katies Cards competition before the 11th of November - you could be in with the chance of having your idea made into a Christmas e card as well as a £15 ($20 Amazon voucher!). Please click here for more details!

The chance to make you're own Christmas ecard?

Then post your Christmas e card idea on our Facebook page before the 11th November to enter the Katies Cards competition and you could have it made into an ecard!

Do you love Christmas e cards? Are you a little bit frustrated that you can't find EXACTLY what you want? NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE YOUR OWN E CARD! 

To win the chance of having your Christmas e card idea made into a real Christmas e card by the Katies Cards team, all you have to do is post your idea on the Katies Cards facebook page before the 11th of November!

The winning idea will be announced on the 14th of November, and the winner will have their card made by the Katies Cards team as well as receive a £15 (or $20) Amazon voucher!

Don't miss out!

How to enter:

1. Think of your Christmas card idea
2. Visit the Katies Cards Facebook page (here)
3. Click on the 'like' button at the top of the page 
4. Post your idea on the Katies Cards wall in the box that says 'Write something'

And there you have it - you have entered the Katies Cards competition and all you have to do is wait until the 11th November when we will annouce the winner and the runners up!

Don't delay - send us your ideas now!

Katie x

The winning idea will be developed by Katies Cards and the e card produced may differ from the original idea submitted. The ecard will be entirely the property of Katies Cards. Katies Cards reserves the right to use or develop any of the ideas submitted in the competition at any point in the future.

Katies Cards competition - win a £15 Amazon voucher!

Its competition time!

Your chance to win a £15 Amazon voucher!

It'll be Christmas before we know it and so to help us come up with new e card ideas and give you a special treat we would have a little competition...

How to enter

To enter the competition and be in with a chance of winning a £15 Amazon voucher, all you have to do is follow these simple instructions:

1. Take a look at our range of Christmas e cards and pick your favourite one (some example stills are below)
2. Become a Katies Cards facebook fan by clicking here
3. Post a comment on our page, telling us which Christmas e card is your favourite and why
4. At the end of the month, we will randomly pick a winner who will receive a £15 Amazon voucher and we'll pick 3 others who will receive a free Katies Cards subscription each!

This competition will close on the 30th of September so make sure that you get going quickly to be in with a chance!

Katie x

I heard some roaring in Bushy park...the deers are heading into rutting season

Hi all,

Today whilst taking Plum for her daily walk in Bushy park, I noticed that the deers are beginning to growl and I realised that they are getting ready to go into the rutting season.

The noise they make is very loud and scary! When Nick and I first heard them we thought there were lions in the park!

You can watch them if you are discreet though you do have to be extra careful because they can be aggressive towards people (and dogs) if you get too close. At the moment, the males are beginning to growl and and will begin sparring soon to find out who is the dominant male of the group and who has mating rights. Males also 'size each other up' by parallel walking, roaring at each other and clashing antlers all of which is a brilliant sight!

This is a very inspiring and exciting time of year and a time when I start to think about Christmas e card ideas. The deers reminded me of the Seasonal Stag Christmas e-card we have to send at Christmas time which really gets me in the mood to cosy up!

Katie x

P.s. I have recently joined Facebook and would be delighted to become your friend. I am new to social media but will be using my Facebook profile to help keep you up-to-date with the Katies Cards news as well as posting interesting gift and lifestyle ideas and advice. Click here to visit my Facebook page and request friendship with me.

New Birthday Cake Game ecard for girls!

Great news - we have added the new Birthday Cake Game e card to the ecard collection so you now have versions to send to both males and females!

Please take a look and try the game out by clicking here - its so much fun and a great way to say Happy Birthday to someone special.

We've had so much fun making this game that we are planning to make more so look out for news of new e card games available for Christmas!

Once again it has been an extremely busy week for us at Katies Cards and I am looking forward to having some time to relax with Nick and the kids. I'm hoping the weather is good (please, please!!) so that I can take Plum (our dog) for some nice long country walks and get some inspiration for new e-cards.

I hope you all have lovely weekends planned but remember to schedule in birthday ecards for any birthdays coming up in the next few days - its not too late and you can send as many cards as you like with your subscription, so come on and get your monies worth!

Take care
Katie x