Punchbowl Blog

This post was written by Ariel Faulkner, Content Manager

In the fall of 2011, Punchbowl launched a new Digital Greeting Cards service to provide busy families with a more convenient way to send thoughtful well-wishes to friends and loved ones. We focused on creating beautiful digital cards that have the look and feel of traditional paper cards and detailed accents like envelope liners, custom postage, and rubber stamps. Over the past few months we’ve tracked the top digital card designs and have seen a number of trends emerge, especially in the birthday category.

Take a look at the most popular birthday card designs of January 2012 to see if you can spot the theme:

All five of our top digital birthday card designs have two important things in common: one focal element (a flower, a cake, a gift, etc.) and a bright, warm color palette. But will these remain the favorites?

Greeting card design trends are often inspired by sources beyond the world of stationery. (The cupcake, for example, emerged as a major food trend in 2008.) Here are a few of the 2012 fashion and interior design trends that we expect will influence birthday card design in the coming year:

• Bold Prints: Designers have declared that Spring 2012 will be the season of loud and proud. Incredibly vibrant prints and patterns (floral, peacock, and geometric) will dominate. Look for striking wallpaper, exotic textiles, and birthday greetings that jump off the screen.

• Vintage Appeal: It’s time to relive the era of The Great Gatsby! Some of the biggest movies of the year (Midnight in Paris, Hugo, and The Artist) are set in the 1920s, and everyone is getting swept up in the fantasy. Look for flapper dresses and Art Deco accents on the runway, pressed glass on the dining room table, and vintage-inspired illustrations on your birthday cards.

• The Unexpected: Contrasting textures, unusual proportions, and an eclectic blend of styles will also define the look of 2012. Expect to see pairings like iron and crystal, accessories made with burlap and velvet, or a shock of color on a neutral background.

Do you have a favorite 2012 card design from Punchbowl? Schedule a free birthday eCard for a loved one who has a birthday coming up!

This post was written by Ariel Faulkner, Content Manager

This month, families all across the country will make resolutions, clean out the closets, and get a fresh start on life. January is our opportunity to step back and prepare for the year ahead, and that includes getting ready for all the special occasions we’ll celebrate along the way.

Here are a few tips and ideas to help you get organized for a year full of special moments and priceless memories:

• Wrap Up December: It’s time to bid the holiday season a final farewell! If you haven’t done so already, send free thank you notes to everyone who gave you gifts over the past few weeks. Friends and relatives will be missing you, so this is also a good time to organize all your photos from the holidays and share them online. Finish making any returns and gather all your gift cards in one place so you don’t lose them.

• Mark Your Milestones: Keeping track of birthdays and anniversaries for all the important people in your life can be a challenge, especially during busy times of the year. Use our free email Reminders service to build your list and we’ll make sure you never miss another special occasion!

• Plan Your Next Celebration: Spending time with your loved ones is one of the best ways to start off the new year, so don’t let too much time go by before your next get-together. Plan an event for the Chinese New Year (January 23), Valentine’s Day or Anti-Valentine’s Day (February 14), Mardi Gras (February 21), Leap Day (February 29), or St. Patrick’s Day (March 17). There are also plenty of reasons to host a watch-party in the weeks ahead: The Miss America Pageant (January 14), Super Bowl (February 5), Grammy Awards (February 12), and the Oscars (February 26).

• Give Your Party Space a Makeover: Nothing says Happy New Year like a before and after photo! Repaint, redesign, or rearrange the room in your house where everyone hangs out at a party. Here are a few tips about how to feng shui your party space. Having a whole new look will inspire your creativity when it’s time to decorate for your next event.

• Try a New Recipe: You’ve sampled dozens of new dishes over the past few weeks. Email your friends and request your favorite recipe from their party, or track down something you’ve never tried like these winter stew recipes. This is a great time to test drive something new. You never know; it could become the centerpiece of a party menu!

How will you celebrate in 2012? Tell us about your plans on our Facebook page!

This post was written by Stephanie Fader, Sr. Marketing Manager

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about our beautiful digital greeting cards for the holidays. Our digital holiday cards offer the ability to send a thoughtful holiday greeting online that has the look and feel of a traditional paper card. And what could be more fitting for the holiday season than the flat holiday photo cards that have become increasingly popular over the last few years? Now you can send those cards online with the look and feel of the traditional holiday cards that we all know and love!

Check out a few of the new digital holiday cards, which can be customized with one or multiple photos!

While the cards above are Plus designs and require a membership, there is a huge selection of free eCards for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s and general Season’s Greetings. For those who want to send a beautiful holiday photo card this season, here’s a special offer for 30% off a membership good through the end of this week! Just enter the code PBCARD3 at checkout by Friday, December 16, 2011. See membership options now.

The response to our digital holiday cards has been fantastic so I wanted to share some feedback we’ve received through social media:

“I adore, no, love your site. Thank you for making ecards so much fun!!” - Deborah L. via Facebook

“Very attractive, classy cards.” - Jo S. via Facebook

“Punchbowl makes it easy and fun to stay in touch with your digital cards!” - Chelsea W. via Facebook

“Very cool digital cards.” - @LibbyKane via Twitter

“I recommend @punchbowl for digital greeting cards. Classy, great stationery and free.” - @leahlizross via Twitter

“Punchbowl is a fabulous online card tool, highly recommended!” - @as_dalton via Twitter

Have you sent holiday cards yet? There’s still plenty of time to send free digital holiday cards this year to everyone on your list!

This post was written by Stephanie Fader, Sr. Marketing Manager

Earlier this fall, we introduced our new Digital Greeting Cards service - a suitable alternative to traditional paper greeting cards complete with folded designs, matching envelopes, realistic postmarks, and the complete mail-opening experience. We’ve received wonderful feedback about Digital Greeting Cards so far and we’re just getting started.

Free holiday eCards, for example, are a wonderful way to send warm thoughts to family and friends during the busy winter season. Families can write a personal message, modify text colors and fonts, and upload their own photo to create a truly personalized digital greeting. Winter holiday categories include Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year, and Season’s Greetings.

As for more immediate card-sending occasions, there are also digital greeting card categories for Veteran’s Day eCards (Friday, Nov. 11) and Thanksgiving eCards (Thursday, Nov. 24). Simply choose a design, edit your message, and send your well-wishes to as many people as you like - free!

Need to send cards for another occasion? Check out our selection of digital greeting cards for birthdays, announcements, occasions, everyday, and care and concern. Browse all of our free eCard categories now and let us know what you think on our Facebook page!

This post was written by Stephanie Fader, Sr. Marketing Manager

Remembering the specific birthdays of all of your dear friends and family members can be tough, especially during the busy fall and holiday seasons. For those of us who are more forgetful, however, there are still ways to stay on top of important dates and celebrate them with a heartfelt gesture.

For Punchbowl customer Betsy D., this has been a familiar predicament and she recently shared her experience with us. Betsy has been a long-time customer of Punchbowl and says that our Reminders service has saved her on many an occasion when she forgot until the last minute to send a card. Most recently this happened on her best friend’s birthday. When Betsy received the email reminder from us she did what she always does — she visited the site to send a free eCard to her friend. However, what Betsy found surprised her.

When Betsy arrived at the site to send a card, she was prompted to “create a digital card.” She had not yet seen our new Digital Greeting Cards service, a way to send thoughtful well-wishes online that have the look and feel of traditional greeting cards. Betsy, who has followed our site improvements over the years, was intrigued and started to explore the options from the card designs and categories to the envelope liners and custom postage. She was so thrilled with Digital Greeting Cards that she was compelled to write to tell us!

Betsy says, “To be able to customize the card so much, make it really like an actual card you’d send in the mail with the envelope and everything…it’s terrific! I absolutely love it!”

Thanks for your feedback, Betsy. We’re so happy we could help you celebrate!

Do you need a way to keep track of all the birthdays, holidays and anniversaries in your life? Try our free Reminders service to build your list and we’ll make sure you never miss another special occasion. Also, if you haven’t tried out our new Digital Greeting Cards service, browse free eCards now!