I know a lady that has come to me for acupuncture and she is one of those people. In fact, for the longest time she didn’t tell anyone about her problem because she didn’t want to worry them. This lady is like the archetypal Grandma that everyone loves.

Last year her husband passed away and the 1 year anniversary was coming up and so I felt it would be nice to send a card to let her know that I was thinking of her.

Thinking Of You Greeting Card

I created this card by using an image from Flickr. A while back I stumbled across h.koppdelaney’s photostream and whenever I need to send a special card to someone I quite often go there to find an image that sums up the feeling that I want to convey (always check with the owner of the image to see if it’s ok first and give attribution were possible).

This picture gave me the feeling of solitude and peace at the same time and I felt that this would pretty much sum up how this lady would be feelings at this time. There was also something special about the young lady in the picture because when we lose someone special I’m sure it prompts us to reflect back on our lives.

I downloaded this image  and added the caption “Thinking Of You”

On the inside of the card I wrote a very simple message;

Dear ——-,

It was so nice to see you the other week and great to know that you are going well.

As the anniversary of Franks passing comes around it’s nice to know that you’ll be surrounded by friends and family that think the world of you.

Lots of love,

Steve

P.S. Lets catch up for a cuppa in the new year

Card Response:

I received a voice message from the daughter of this lady who was in town spending time with her mum for the week. She wanted to make an appointment to see me for acupuncture. When I called back the lady I had sent the card to answered the phone. The first thing she said was thank you for the lovely card, she was looking at it as I called. She said I was a beautiful man and if she was 50 years younger she would snap me up. She was really touched that I was thinking of her at this time.

I treat a lot of her family and they are all really good people. To send a card like this is a great thing to do on a personal level and on a business level showing that you care goes a very very long way. It’s probably hard to calculate exactly what it amounts to but there is no doubt that these kinds of gestures have an incredibly positive effect (when they are genuine heartfelt messages rather than something that is sent with the spirit of wanting to ‘get something’).

Click Here To Send A Heartfelt card to someone special today…

I live about 3.5 hours away by car and so only get to see them every few months.

The first card was for my nephew Seth, I used a trifold card so that I could add more pictures into this card. The picture on the front is a picture that was taken about 2 years ago and is one that he probably hasn’t seen before. It was taken in the shearing shed and Seth has always like herding sheep and even when he goes to the park he is always pretending that kids lining up for the slide are sheep in a race, I guess it’s pretty normal for a farm boy.

This picture is one of Seth locking his brother out of the shed after hunting him out into the sheep pen. The thought bubble I added was;

You’ve Got To Keep Those Noah Sheep Out

On the inside of the card, which is the first thing he would see as it’s a trifold card, is the picture of himself on his favorite toy/4 wheeler bike. The caption on the right side reads;

G’day Big Farmer Joe

How’s It Going?

Ever since Seth was a little boy he would talk in a very deep voice like a man whenever he was talking about farming related things, he really loves being a farmer and so I thought he would get a real kick out of that picture and caption.

This year I didn’t manage to send either of my nephews a birthday present and so in this message I wanted to let them know that although birthday presents are nice, you can send anybody a present at anytime to let them know that you love them. I actually have a theory that missing birthdays and buying presents at random times through the year is better because it’s unexpected.

Greeting Card #2

This one was for my other nephew Noah. He is a real character and always playing tricks and having a good laugh.

There is a tool for measuring land called a ‘Hector Meter’ and one day I started calling Noahie Hector Meter Pumpkin Eater and so it’s been a long standing joke between us for ages. Every time I call him Hector he has a bit of a giggle and then he says, “I’m not Hector Meter, you are!

It’s always good fun banter…

I created this card with a picture of a goat that I took at an animal park that we visited and put the though bubble;

Hey, Have You Seen Hector Meter Pumkin Eater

On the inside flap (fist thing he sees when he opens the card) was a picture I had taken of Noah 2 years ago, he’s grown quite a bit since then and so in the caption I wrote;

Looks A Little Short But I Reckon…

It’s Hector Meter Pumpkin Eater!!

When he sees this he will really have a good laugh.

On the bottom of the card I added a photo of Noah and I on the 4 wheel bike and added a message that I was looking forward to hanging out with him at Christmas time.

Thoughts behind these greeting cards…

In both cards I expressed to my nephews that I think they are cool, that I’m looking forward to hanging out with them, and that I love them. I also added some personal messages that are unique to their character so that they feel special.

Kids love getting surprises and so a box full of brownies and a card that has unique pictures and a nice messages about giving to people that we love at any time is a valuable one that I wanted to share with them.

Apart from this they are both just learning to read and although reading from books is exciting, reading from a card with a message for them will be a real thrill.

I had tonnes of fun sending these cards and gifts.

She was a very shy lady, probably in her late 50’s or early 60’s. I started chatting with her and was interested to find out that she was a photographer who was passionate about taking photos of Wild Brumbys (horses found in the wild in Australia).

It was really fascinating to talk with her and once I got her going about her passion,  she really lit up.

As we continued chatting more and more people became interested in the conversation…this shy lady had lived an extra-ordinary life.

She rode on horseback with a pack mule from Italy to Norway, it took her 7 months and in the end she had to ride through snow and ice. This trip was documented by some television stations in Europe.

She also went on another solo ride from Melbourne, Australia up to Cook Town. She once again took a donkey with her as pack horse and it took her a year and a half.

I also discovered that she lived in New York and worked for some famous publishing magazines.  I’m sure if I could sit down with her for a few more hours , I’d probably learn a lot more about what she has done in her life up to this point.

She likes to track the Brumbys from there air so she can later hike in and take photos and so she is currently learning to fly an airplane so she can do this for herself. She told me that she also wanted to get a pink plane and fly around Australia to raise money for breast cancer (remember this is a lady that is probably in her 60’s).

Gitta was one of the most interesting and inspirational people that I’ve met in a long while and so I wanted to send her a greeting card to say thank you and how nice it was to meet her.

Thank You For Your Inspiration Greeting Card

Gitta is a real free spirit,  someone who is not afraid to be on her own. I would say she loves nature,  solitude,  and probably more than anything else… she loves horses.

I wanted to create a greeting card that summed up her spirit and so I went to one of my favorite places to look for great images, Flickr.

While I was looking I came across Harwig Koppdelaney Fickr Photostream, this guy has some incredible images and poems to go with them…what a find.

I contacted Hartwig and asked if I could have his permission to use his image and he was kind enough to say yes.
You can see his image, Night Horse and Sword here. There is also a very nice poem that he wrote to go with this picture.

Thank You Card Wording

Dear Gitta,

It was a real pleasure meeting you at Vera’s Party the other day.

It’s always inspirational talking with people who follow their passion and dreams…it was a breath of fresh air chatting with you!

Look forward to meeting you again and chatting some more. Hopefully I will get a chance to go into the mountains and see how you work, I’d love that.

Best Wishes,

Steve

I love talking with people that are passionate about a topic. I find that if I ask the right questions, most people have a passion and this brings a whole new energy level to any converstaion.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

What I really love about making my own greeting cards is I can choose an image that expresses my feeling towards that person. I reckon I would have had to go to 10 card stores before I could even come close to finding a card that sums up Gitta, her love for nature and horses. Thanks to the Internet (and Hartwig) I was able to find a suitable image within 10 minutes and have my card written and posted in under 20 minutes.

Well worth it in my opinion!

A little while back I was going through a tough time and I felt that I wanted to talk with Margo about the situation. Over the course of a few weeks we went back and forth and she really helped me get clarity on the situation without being judgmental. To me she is like a wise old granny that you can turn to for wisdom.

I wanted to send Margo a special card and so I went to Flickr and browsed around for a picture in the Creative Commons section. Although the rules are that you can use these images without attribution I always like to get the permission from the person who took the photo beforehand. I feel it just good manners.

I found this stunning  lotus flower image and contacted the owner Beverly, she was happy for me to create a card with it. Beverly has lots of other outstanding images on her Flickr Photostream if you are interested.

There are lot’s of shutterbugs that put their work on Flickr and if you ask them nicely, chances are they’ll be happy to share their work with you.

Thanks Beverly… Awesome!

I had a new patient visit my clinic a few weeks ago. I really liked this person straight away, she was; positive, thoughtful, and just a pleasure to treat.

Last week she brought me in 6 ducks eggs as a gift and so I wanted to say thanks.

Thank You Card Example – Thanks For The Duck Eggs & Being You!

To create this greeting card I used an image from Morgue File. I used my own handwriting font in this card. It’s amazing how easy it is to create a greeting card and tell someone that you appreciate them. It’s a good feeling for me and I’m sure the recipient will also feel good too.

Thank You Card Wording:

Hi Vanessa,

Today I had scrambled duck eggs for breakfast and they were delicious…thank you.

Also, I just wanted to say that I appreciate your positive and caring attitude in general, it’s a real pleasure treating you.

Sincerely,

Steve

Business Thank You Card Tip

There are people that are givers by nature and these are the people who appreciate reciprocation the most. You may have heard of Pareto’s Law or sometimes called the 80/20 Principle. In my experience I would say that 80% of my referrals come from 20% of my patients…these are the givers.

I simple card like this just to acknowledge these people goes a long, long way. All you have to do is take 5 minutes out of your day to show them that you appreciate them. Apart from the fact that it’s just good business, first and foremost, it’s just the right thing to do.

Recently Peter and Margaret decided to leave town and relocate to a new area on the coast. I wanted to send them a greeting card to wish them all the best for their new adventure.

Farewell and Best Wishes Greeting Card

I wanted to make a card that had a butterfly on the front so I went to one of my favorite places to get royalty free images, morguefile.com. There were literally hundreds of butterfly photos to choose from.

I simply added this photo to a greeting card template that I have in Photoshop, added the caption, and then uploaded it to my online greeting card service.

Card Inside Top

This was a variation of a saying that I had seen before and I just rearranged it to the way I liked it;

The Wonder Of The Butterfly

The ability to sacrifice what is in order to fulfill the potential of what could be

I thought this was a pretty apt verse considering Peter and Margaret are leaving a well established clinic to start again in an area that they were attracted to.

Card Inside Bottom – Farewell & Good Luck Message

Dear Margaret and Peter,

I wanted to wish you the very best on this new phase of your life that you are about to embark upon, it truly is an exciting time. I hope that you both enjoy every minute of it!

I have no doubt that as always, the universe will provide everything that you need, down to the very last detail.

Best wishes,

Steve

I used my own handwriting font, signature, and put a photo of me to the right.

This was a really nice farewell card to create and I’m sure they’ll be thrilled when it arrives in the mailbox in a few days time.

This occasion she listened to me very closely and helped me gain valuable perspective which allowed me to see the situation much more clearly without putting her opinions or judgment into the situation.

Custom Created Greeting Card With a Zen Symbol & a Zen Expression On The Inside Flap

Through this time we also talked about some very personal things that really deepened our relationship and I really appreciated that.

I decided to make a card with the image of Zen on the front because of the enlightened approach she dealt with the situation. I sent her a 3 panel greeting card with an image I got from iStock. On the inside flap of the card I put the Zen Probverb:

If you understand things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.

I really like that saying and I think it pretty much summed up the situation for me. It was great sending my sister this heart felt message of appreciation and the next time we spoke she mentioned how meaningful it was to receive that card.

I always find as well as saying thank you, a nice greeting card with a heart felt message goes a long way.

I contacted Sandra and although she has a consulting business called Tech Coaches For Coaches and charges for her time,  she kindly offered to meet up with me via telephone if the call was kept under 20 minutes.

At the time Sandra was busy moving house so she had quite a bit on the plate but she’s still took the time to arrange for us to meet and we had a really good chat and I found her advice really really helpful.

When we were chatting somehow the topic of eucalyptus trees come up, I think it was because Sandra had traveled to Australia and she told me how much she likes the smell of eucalyptus. It just so happens that my mum is a cleaning freak and uses eucalyptus oil for all sorts of things with her cleaning. I told Sandra that I would find out exactly how mum uses it and let her know.

I really appreciated Sandra’s time and I wanted to send her a nice thank you card with the eucalyptus oil cleaning tips on the inside. I also sent her a a package of coffee, a coffee mug, and some sweets to go with it.

I love creating my own cards so I found a picture at iStock.  In the end I created a 3 panel card so that I would have enough room to put all the cleaning tips on the inside.

Just in case you’re wondering how to use the eucalyptus oils for your own cleaning, here are the tips that I sent to Sandra.

Eucalyptus Oil Tip #1 – Washing Clothes

Put eucalyptus oil in a small squeeze bottle and then squeeze about a teaspoon of the eucalyptus oil on top of the washing powder. This helps the clothes become cleaner and also keeps your washing machine clean at the same time.

My mum also uses it as a stain remover and rubs it directly onto the stained clothing before putting it into the wash.

Eucalyptus Oil Tip #2 – Cleaning Windows and Mirrors

Get a spray bottle and fill it two thirds with water, add half a cup of methylated spirits, and add a tablespoon of eucalyptus oil.  Mum says that this cleans windows better than anything else that she’s ever used.

Eucalyptus Oil Tip #3 – Warding Off Rodents

It seems that mice and rats really can’t stand the smell of eucalyptus oil and so wiping out cupboards with water and eucalyptus oil and then putting a cotton balls dipped in eucalyptus oil in the corner of the cupboards  keeps mice away.

If you have any tips on using eucalyptus oil then we’d love to hear them.

Yesterday I spoke with a gentleman for about 1 hour. We exchanged information about our businesses and also had quite a lengthy discussion about horses and also acupuncture…these were things that we both had in common.

Although at this time our businesses weren’t a good match for each other there is potential for a business relationship at some point in the future. I like to send a thank you card every time I speak with some one to thank them for their time. I create this greeting card I used a photo that my wife had taken last year. Joel was very passionate about horse and so this card was very appropriate. It is very easy to create a custom greeting card such as this using my greeting card system. You can register for an online demonstration by Clicking Here…

Thank You Card Text:

Dear Joel,

I wanted to thank you for your time the other day, it was a very enjoyable hour spent.

Horses have been a great passion of mine for many years now. My Step Father has been breeding and training Quarter Horses for most of his life. The horse stable on the front of this card is one that we built from scratch many years ago. It was actually scrap iron and metal that was discarded after a fire.

It it good that you are very passionate about your company and you have a system that is working for you. At some point in the future I will be happy to take a serious look at it, however for now I have got my hands as full as they can be. Between building websites, applying social media tactics, writing articles, following up with interested leads, advertising offline, conducting weekly online business presentations, weekly training calls and supporting my growing team, I run a full-time acupuncture clinic and am newly wed (gorgeous wife above). As you may have guessed…not many hours left in any given day!

I absolutely love what I do and working with Ann Sieg is very exciting for me right now…she is only just getting started and has some great strategies for building a business coming soon.

I am quite confident that I will be taking everything I learn and earn by working with Ann Sieg and applying it to another business in the future…at that time I will be happy to take a closer look at your company and if it is indeed a good fit for me.

Again, thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Steve Anderson.

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It Is Worth Taking The Time…

As you can see that this is quite a lenghty thank you card. I find that is very worthwhile to write a personal thank you card mentioning some of the points that you talked about in your conversation. It shows that you were listening and indeed taking an interest in what is being said. It is very important in personal or business relationships.

Click here to find out how you too can create awesome custom made greeting cards…

Here is a card that I sent to a really good friend of mine, we box together 3 times a week usually. As it has been winter here in Australia and so things have been a bit slack but now the warm weather is coming, I am sure we will be back in the swing of things (no pun intended).

I made this card using my greeting card system. I took the photo about a year ago and thought I would save it for a rainy day.

Here is the message that I wrote:

Hey there Richo,
I thought I would send you a cool card for something different.

It has been a bit of a slow winter in regard to training but I am looking forward to turning up the heat now that the warm weather is coming. Up with the bags and on with the focus pads…time to work off our winter coats!

It has been great training with you over the last couple of years…lets hope we continue to bash each other up in good spirit for many more to come.

Rossie, thanks for inviting me to dinner the other night while Tal was away…it reminded of the old days when you used to look after me when I was a single guy .

See you in the ring Richo!

Lots of love,

Stevie and Tal

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Find Out How You Can Also Make Awesome Greeting Cards Like This By Clicking Here….

Thank You Card Sample #1:

This is a thank you cad that I sent to a couple that joined my “Your Thank You Card Team” recently. I had been working with them for a number of months before they made the decision to work together with me. They are a wonderful couple and have hearts of gold. If you read their story, you will soon know what I mean.

This is a custom greeting card that I made using a photo that I took from the kitchen of the house my wife and I stayed in for our honeymoon. It is on the South East Coast of Australia in a little town called Mollymook. My Greeting Card System has a large selection of borders that you can easily add around any picture that you take…the possibilities for creating cool custom greeting cards are literally limited by your imagination. This card was well under a dollar to make and will be hand delivered within 3 days!  You can register for The Your Thank You Card weekly online Demonstration by clicking here…

Here is the text inside of this card:

Dear Ben and Jeannette,

I just wanted to say congratulations and welcome you to my Thank You Card Team!

It is an absolute thrill to have 2 great people such as you my team! One of the greatest things I love about this work is that we get to work with inspiring, gifted and optimistic people and I certainly place you both in that league.

I would like to say a heartfelt “Thank You” for choosing to do business with me.

We first spoke on July 24th and I remember our conversation well; Jeannette…your sharp mind and Ben…your deep, resonate and calming voice…it made quite an impression on me.

Since that time you have both worked steadily at understanding the business model Ann has put together and have now come to the well informed choice to do business together with us.

I look forward to a long and fruitful business relationship and friendship with you both.

Life is a journey and it really is a privileged to share some of the scenery that life offers with you both.

To Your Joy and Success,
Smile, you are helping someone!

Steve and Natalia Anderson

The Your Thank You Card Team – Australia

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Thank You Card Sample #2

Here is another thank you card that I sent to a couple that joined my team today. It was actually the husband that I first spoke to but when his wife saw our custom greeting card system…that was it, she saw the potential instantly.

This is a picture that my wife and I took in a garden a couple of years ago and as it is now turning to Autumn in the U.S I thought it would be a nice touch. I didn’t include our image on the inside of this card as I felt that having it on the front was good enough.

Here is the text on the inside of the greeting card:

Dear Stephanie and Sterling,

I just wanted to welcome you both to our “Your Thank You Card” Team!

Our Greeting Card System is a wonderful system for building relationship whether it be for personal or business reasons.

Stephanie, I am sure that this is going be really great in your business and I predict your sales figures are going to soar…I can’t wait to hear your success stories.

As I mentioned when we spoke, you also have access to Ann’s Team site with all of the training needed if you are wishing to build this business more actively.

I am always available to answer any questions you have and to help you along the way, all you need to do is give me a call or drop me an email.

I have also added the Success From Home Magazine which will give you a lot of great info. on our company.

Wishing you both the very best of success on all fronts!

Steve & Natalia Anderson

The Your Thank You Card Team – Australia

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Well all in all it has been a wonderful day for sending thank you and greeting cards. Everyday I love my work more and more! The Your Thank You Card Team is growing day by day and so now there is even more people “Spreading An Attitude of Gratitude” .