Fun Personalized Greeting Cards for Spouses . . . Perfect for Birthdays, Valentine's Day, Anniversaries, and More!

Since Valentine's Day is almost upon us, you may be starting to think about cards, gifts, and romantic gestures.  Even if you and your significant other do not exchange gifts on Valentine's Day, a thoughtful Valentine's Day card might still be in order just to say you're thinking about the love of your life on this day and everyday.  If he or she is not particularly appreciative of sappy or corny cards, then you might consider a customizable card from Treat.com.

I bought my husband a birthday card from Treat.com a few months ago.  He was floored at how much it seemed like this card was written just for him.  Well, that's because it was . . . sort of.  With Treat cards, you can change the wording to suit the recipient's and your own personalities to include nicknames, inside jokes, and anything else you can think of.  For this Hard Bargain birthday card, I was able to change the text on the front and interior of the card, and was even able to add a photo inside.

Treat offers greeting cards for all occasions, even Chinese New Year and Cinco de Mayo!  Because they can be customized for free, you can find the perfect card for pretty much anyone on your card list.  You can even have the card mailed directly to the recipient for the price of a first class U.S. stamp.  When I had this card sent to me (free of charge) so that I could hand deliver it to my husband, the card and envelope came in a discreet cardboard mailer.  I will definitely be buying one-of-a-kind cards from Treat again, especially since the cards cost the same or less than the average greeting card sold in drug stores and mass retailers.

Surviving 3 January Birthdays with the Help of Hallmark #ValueCards & Party Supplies for $.97 and Under! (#shop #cbias)

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This value greeting cards shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser Hallmark.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Our son just turned 10 at the beginning of January!  I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around how our little baby turned into a young man overnight.  It used to be that we took his January birthday in stride, even though it takes place so close to Christmas.  Then, when the twins came along, we added two more January birthdays to the equation.  Even though they will be turning 7 later on this month, my stress level goes up when December approaches.  It's not just the amount of planning it takes to make both Christmas and the 3 birthdays special each year, it's also the amount of money it costs.  Over the years, I have fine tuned what works best for us to make our children's birthdays memorable, but also affordable.  My latest victory is discovering Hallmark value greeting cards, gift wrap, and other party supplies at Walmart for $.97 or less!

Checkout what I purchased on our recent trip to Walmart . . . 

• (A)  Luncheon party napkins for $.97
• (B)  Square party plates for $.97
• (C)  Hallmark birthday cards for $.47 and $.97 each
• (D)  Gift bags for $.97 each
• (E)  "Happy Birthday" Buttermint Creams for $.97
• (F)  Number birthday candles for $.97 each
• (G)  Sequin tissue paper for $.75

The best thing about these greeting cards and party supplies from Walmart are that they are part of the regular inventory in most store locations.  It's much different than shopping at a dollar store where you never know what you will find.  I was thrilled with the selection of Hallmark Value Cards available.  Not only were there birthday cards for children, pre-teens, Moms, Dads, and other members of the family, there were also Valentine's Day cards.  I was able to buy cards for each of our 3 January birthdays plus one for my grandmother's and my mother's birthdays coming up in February and March for just $3.85 total (not including sales tax)!  I would say the average price I normally pay for a greeting card is $3.99 to $4.99.  Compared to paying $3.99 each for 5 birthday cards, I saved $16.10.  What could $16.10 pay for? . . . A birthday cake, another birthday gift, or how about 2 or 3 dinners from the children's menu at your favorite family restaurant?

When I choose a card, I try to find something lighthearted and humorous.  Then I write a personal message inside.  I know my children take to heart what I write and they save all their cards as keepsakes.  Some people skip giving cards to save money, but I never do.  With the price of these Value Greeting Cards by Hallmark, you don't have to.

To add to the value of buying Hallmark Value Cards at Walmart, you can earn a reward for every 5 cards you purchase and report with the Hallmark Card Rewards Program!  It's free to register and it is a separate program from the Crown Rewards Program.

Reporting my purchased cards could not be any easier.  I just used the Hallmark Card Rewards app on my smartphone to scan the UPC bar code on the back of each card and selected the name of the retailer where I made my purchase.

I still cannot believe that I spent $3.85 on cards I needed to buy anyways, but now I get to choose a reward for doing so!  Some of the rewards currently available are $5 gift cards to retailers like Nike, Lands' End, and Starbucks or $10 promo codes to Shari's Berries and Omaha Steaks.  Which one would you choose?

Make sure you check out connectionsfromhallmark.com to sign up for Hallmark Rewards, and to see great content from other bloggers. You can also join in on the #valuecards conversation on Twitter!

Creating With Colors: How to Make Recycled Gift Bags with Post-it Craft Paper

My children's favorite uncle celebrated his birthday this week. It was the perfect opportunity to do something creative with this new Post-it Craft Paper. This paper is so easy to use . . . just cut, peel, and stick. Even younger children would find it user-friendly with no messy glue and with grids on the back to guide their scissors.

I thought that this new self-adhesive craft paper from 3M would be the perfect solution to a common problem. What do you do with gift bags that you've received, but do not want to re-use as-is. You may not like the design or the colors and theme might not fit the occasion. There could be a small crease in the bag or it may have had something taped to it. I use to just throw these bags away, but now I don't have to. This project also works with small handled paper shopping bags. That is what we ended up using to make this balloon-themed gift bag. The only thing you need to do is make sure that the handles, the left and right sides, and the bottom of the bag are in good condition.

Today's Project: Recycled Gift Bag with Balloons

Ask your child to give a previously-used gift bag or shopping bag a makeover with peel and stick craft paper.

Supplies Needed:

1) At least 5 colors of Post-it Craft Paper

2) A previously-used gift bag or shopping bag (with the body no larger than 8-1/2" x 11")

3) At least 1ft each of 3 different colors of narrow ribbon . . . can be satin, grosgrain, or curling ribbon).

4) A pencil

5) Scissors

6) Transparent tape

If you would like to make a coordinating greeting card, you will also need a plain manila folder. (I choose to use a folder because it is sturdier for creating this potential keepsake, but you can use any type of paper.)

Tip #1: When selecting a bag to re-use, make sure the left and right sides of the bag, which will not be covered, is a color that can work with your Post-it Craft Paper.

Step 1: Select a sheet of Post-it craft paper to be the background of one side of the gift bag. With the bag laying flat on the grid side of the paper, position the bag so that it is flush to the bottom left corner of the paper. Then trace the top and right sides of the bag with a pencil.

Step 2: Using scissors, cut along the pencil lines making sure to use the grid to cut your lines straight and smoothly.

Step 3: Peel off the paper backing to reveal the adhesive side of the paper. Then position the craft paper so that it lines up with the gift bag on all four sides, paying close attention to making the bottom line up perfectly. Then press the paper down to adhere the paper to the gift back.

Step 4: Repeat Steps 1 to 3 for the second side of the gift bag.

Step 5: Now cut a contrasting strip of Post-it Craft Paper for each side of the bag. Then stick it in place, while making sure it lines up well across the top.

Tip #2: Since we had paper leftover from the two background colors, we just used those two colors for our contrasting trim. It looks very well-coordinated.

Step 6: On the grid side of the paper, use a pencil to draw simple balloon shapes in various sizes. It would be ideal to make at least 3 different color balloons for each side of the gift bag. We made 3 for each side, but you can certainly opt to make more.

Step 7: Cut out the balloon shapes with scissors.

Step 8: Cut pieces of ribbon in 6" long segments. You will need one for each balloon you intend to show on the gift bag.

Step 9: Use a small piece of tape to secure the ribbons to wear you think the balloon strings might be on both sides of the bag.

Tip #3: If you or your child has trouble envisioning where the balloons will be, you can lay the balloon shapes on the bag while the backing is still on in order to get an idea of placement.

Step 10: Peel off the backing of each balloon and stick each onto the bag, making sure to completely conceal the pieces of tape used to secure the ends of the ribbon onto the bag.

Step 11: Trim the ribbon balloon strings so that the length does not go past the bottom of the gift bag.

This is how our recycled gift bag turned out . . .

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If you would like to make a coordinating card, simple cut your manila folder to the desired size. Then use the same colors of paper you used on the gift bag to cut out shapes to use in a collage on the front of the card. We used hearts, but you can cut out stars, abstract shapes, or something else. We also cut out the simple shapes of a cake, candle, and candle flame for the inside of the card.

Finished Card (Front)

Finished Card (Inside)

For more ideas about what you can do with Post-it Brand Craft Paper, visit the Post-it Project Gallery.

Thank you to 3M for sending us sample packs of Post-it Craft Paper free of charge to use for this project.