Got An Unexpected Gift In The Mail Today!

Last night was a doozie!

My daughter rarely gets sick, so when she developed and ear infection a couple days ago, it threw us both for a loop. Ear infections are bothersome and certainly painful (I had one myself a few months ago), so I understood what she was going through.

Poor baby...I took this pic around 3am...mom and little G were both not looking for feeling very good. :(

She was literally up all night, crying from the exhaustion and the pain.

It was rough.

This morning, trying to get it together was rough.

So when I got a package in the mail, it was a welcome distraction and my mood perked up a little.

I had ordered some skin care products the other day, so that was what I was expecting to see when I opened the box.

But instead.....

I found a "thank you" card and BROWNIES!!!! WOW!!!

I did a favor for a friend earlier in the week, so to thank me, she sent me a gift. I was nearly in tears it made me feel so good inside (thank you Jane!).

On a day like today, I really needed to know someone cared.

The card and brownies were from Send Out Cards, an online greeting card and gifting service. Instead of running down to the Hallmark store or to Walmart for a card, a gift, then to the post office to post it and mail it out, this company has made it easy and affordable to just send cards and gifts from the comfort of your own home. They put it all together and mail it for you. "Click and order" again replacing "brick and mortar."

I have been sort of a "prodigal son" when it comes to Send Out Cards. Because they are a network marketing company, I signed on as a distributor and was building my own business with them. But I had been attracted to newer, flashier businesses that promised quick sales and big money, and I stepped away from Send Out Cards.

However, I found the other company to be pushy, and about things that are surface and superficial to me (not saying they are superficial in general, just superficial to me). So my interest in them faded quickly. But I never forgot Send Out Cards and longed to be a part of it again. The funny thing is, I had been seriously considering coming back to my first love and promoting that "culture of giving" like I used to do.

You see, I naturally enjoy encouraging people. And as proved to me today, nothing lifts the spirits more than receiving an unexpected card in the mail. And I quickly realized why I joined up with Send Out Cards in the first place. I love the message about giving not to get, but just giving for the sake of giving. And I LOVE the people in this company. ALL are givers at heart and the most positive happy people in the world to be around!

I just wanted to quickly share how that card made me feel today...to know that someone appreciates you and cares about you is just priceless. And it makes me just want to pay it forward....to make someone else's day. 

If you're interested in starting this journey of giving with me, email me at angiehowardmusicatgmaildotcom or visit my Send Out Cards web page to learn more and let's chat! :)

(LOVE THIS COMPANY!!!!)

Caution for the Future and an Important Question, "Are You an Ant or a Grasshopper?"

Have you ever felt a sense of "urgency" before? Like if you didn't get on the thing that was tugging at you, that you'd totally miss the boat or miss an opportunity or be in trouble if you didn't act quickly? Well, that's how I'm feeling lately about our family's finances. We are not in any kind of trouble whatsoever (so don't worry family members who read my blog), but for some reason, I feel that if we were to have one or two crises, or some sort of unexpected expense, that our whole financial situation would be in jeopardy. I think a lot of families feel that way or are right on the cusp of that. That if the car broke down or someone had an unexpected stay in the hospital or the furnace went out, that a seriously high repair bill or medical bill would put them in a hole that would take months to crawl out of. Why? Because studies show that fewer than 4 out of 10 families DO NOT have a savings (us included). It's hard to admit that, because I know what the Bible says about God blessing your storehouse (your savings...and He can't bless it if you don't have one!). Not that we couldn't save, we absolutely could. But we just don't for no other reason than laziness, I guess. And it's time to change that.

I have a lot of personal reasons for feeling this urgency, none of which I will go into here. But I just realize that time does not stop. We are not getting any younger and there will be a time when we are older and tired or sick or unable to work and will have nothing to fall back on.


It reminds me of Aesop's sobering tale of the ant and the grasshopper. While the grasshopper spent the warm months singing and making merry, the ant worked to store up food for the winter. When the cold months came, the ant was snug in its nest with plenty to eat and the grasshopper found himself starving and dying. When he asked the ant for assistance, the ant rebuked him for his idleness and turned him away.

I know we spent a good many years (our 20's) making a lot of merry and not doing a better job planning and saving. I think a lot of young couples do that. But now, in my mid-thirties, I realize that NOW is the time to act and to get our storehouse filled, for when times get hard and for some reason, I feel like that ARE going to get hard...for all of us.

The Smurf storehouse.
If little blue mythological cartoons have enough sense
store things up for the future, then why shouldn't I? (heehee)

So, I've been reading about and analyzing money saving strategies and I have come to a conclusion. You can't just clip coupons and turn the thermostat down and try to get the best cell phone plan available. There has to be a COMPLETE mind shift in the way we think about how we live our lives, what we deserve, what we accept and what we desire for our lives. Do we need to purchase those items? Are there better alternative heat sources that I haven't looked into? Do I really even need a cell phone that can access the internet?

I've had the attitude, "Well, it's just money...may as well enjoy it while we have it." But that is foolish and destructive and doesn't at all honor God's will for us to be good stewards of our resources. Shame on me for being so foolish. God forgive me! Instead, my attitude should be that of gratitude and thankfulness, not wasting one gift that God has given me. But so often I do. I waste so much, and that has to stop.

Material things are not important. Are they fun? YES! Is shopping fun? Absolutely! But what will having that fun right now in the moment cost you down the road? Is being disabled at 55, on a fixed income, with an electric bill that DOUBLED this month, having to choose between paying that and buying groceries because you can't afford both, fun? NO...IT'S NOT. But that's the reality for a lot of people I know right now. And the thing that keeps gnawing at me is that it does not have to be this way for those of us who are coming up. God blesses us and takes care of us and gives us MORE than we need. It is up to us to use those gifts wisely and to use a little foresight. To save and put some away for the inevitable "rainy day." And to not be one of those people in perpetual bondage to debt, collectors, worry and fear. God wants us to be free from that. And He will make a way. I just know too many people who have batten down the hatches, put their heads down, gotten to work and have emerged stronger, financially solid, and FREE! With God's help, a mind shift and a little bit of self deprivation (which is freeing as well actually), it is TOTALLY DOABLE!

I want that for us. Are we in a lot of debt? No. We got rid of credit cards and high interest loans a long time ago. But do we have some debts that should have been handled better and taken more seriously (i.e. student loans, medical bills)? Yes. And it's time to tighten our belts and get to work on being free from them. Not only am I feeling a tug or urgency, I'm feeling a conviction to do something about it. And from what I've learned in the past about how God deals with us, that conviction will only make me more miserable and more unsettled until I begin to do something about it. God does not guilt us or condemn us, but He allows us to see the ugliness of our own sin and when He is in us, that sin is unbearable. Until it's out, we can have no peace. Am I right here? Have any of you ever felt this way too? I would imagine so.

So I will keep reading and learning and soaking up all the information I can to begin to make better financial choices for our family.

The first step to it all is KNOWING where we are. Ignoring your bills and obligations doesn't help anything. I learned a cool thought
from a friend in my life group. That all dark things brought into the light have to die. So those bills shoved in a drawer need to come on out and see the light of day! They need to be looked at, dealt with and eradicated, smallest to largest. That's my first goal. Get it out there and LOOK at it for crying out loud.

My second step is going to be, to look at what we don't need around the house. And cable is looking like a pretty good victim about now. We soooo don't need cable. We pick up local channels just fine with digital rabbit ears, including PBS, which has great cartoons for the little one during the day. So why are we spending $100+ on it every month needlessly? I'm not sure why...but getting my hubby to agree to this one will be tough. Maybe now that the Super Bowl is over and he got to watch it in HD, he can agree to let go. We'll see. :)

All I know is that I feel like hard times, they're a comin', and I want to be prepared!

What is Your Plan B?

I've just been thinking about something..."JOB STABILITY." USA Today reports that nearly 300,000 couples, who both used to have jobs, now both find themselves unemployed.
I wonder if they had a "Plan B" in place.

I've had so many close personal friends and family members who have lost jobs over the past couple of years and it's been just devastating to their families. Their job was the only source of income for them and when it was gone, they had nothing to fall back on. So with this in mind, I'm wondering, why more people don't take personal responsibility for their financial situation, instead of solely depending on job stability? Because if we know anything, we know there's no such thing as "job stability." Have you ever read the paperwork before you signed your name on the dotted line before taking that job? Every one I've ever read says, "...this position may be terminated at any time or for any reason, without explanation." YEAH, IT REALLY DOES SAY THAT...DID YOU FORGET OR SOMETHING? With that in mind, knowing your job could be gone at any time. And having seen proof of that all around us, why aren't more of us doing something about the "just in case" that happens to me, what do we have in place to keep us afloat?

I've been reading a lot lately about people who are very proactive in how they save their money...

Resourceful in how they bring in different streams of income...

and most importantly, how they've learned that sticking to a plan over time, whatever it may be and not expecting "instant gratification" pays off in the end.

Let's take my friend Heather over at Want What You Have for example. She and her family went from close to $500,000 in debt (I believe that's correct), to completely DEBT FREE! Heather is an EXPERT at managing her families' finances and has learned that a frugal lifestyle and being happy with what you have brings peace, financial stability and more joy to her families' lives. But one thing Heather does, that I find fascinating, is she has made THOUSANDS of dollars selling items on ebay, and this is how she (among many other things) contributes to bringing in income to the household and paying off debt. Her husband works for himself and according to Heather, makes a modest income, but they were still able to pay off all of their debts (including their home) and live a very comfortable life with savings in the bank to boot! There's no reason why any one of us couldn't have the same if we were just better stewards of what we have.

I also think about the MANY people I know who have gotten a clue and started their own business that they work on a very part time basis from home, in addition to their full time job. This is a great choice for busy families, busy stay-at-home moms and those who want to earn extra income to pay for vacations, for their child's after school activities, for family "fun money," for the "date night" fund, to help pay off debt, student loans, or to help with household expenses. I have an aunt who sells cosmetics in addition to working full time in a school cafeteria. She works on her cosmetics business very part time, and solely to help pay their car and homeowners insurance. She does all this from home. What other part time job has THAT perk?


Take for example some good friends of mine (and my business partners) who were very successful in corporate America, but gave it all up to start their own insurance agency. They soon built it up to the same 6 figure income they were enjoying at the corporate job. Then, they purchased SendOutCards (my business) to use as a tool to send cards of appreciation more easily to their insurance customers, because they hated hand writing cards every week! They soon began to see the income potential available through SendOutCards and decided to start building it full time. In about 2 years time, they built SendOutCards to a 6 figure yearly income for themselves. Now they only work their insurance business on a referral basis and ONLY do SendOutCards. It took some time and some hard work, but they built and incredible, always growing team of thousands in just a few years. That residual income will always be there whether they go to work or not! Now that's a PLAN B!

I also have a long time friend from high school who has been with AVON for close to 15 years. She has steadily built up a client base over the years and sells around $20,000 a year! Again, she does this from home on a very part time basis as she works her full time job as a hair dresser. She said that she averages around $400-500 a month in commission, which equals to close to $6,000 a year!

What could you do with an extra $6K a year? Pay off a credit card? Take some classes to finish up your degree? Take an AWESOME vacation without thinking twice about how much it will cost? Remodel a bathroom or the kitchen? There's a lot I can think of that I could do! And she was telling me that the two or three top sellers in her district do $40,000-$50,000 in sales a month and are receiving close to half of those sales in commission...EACH MONTH!!! Did they do that in a year, or even 2 or 3? Probably not. It takes TIME and CONSISTENT EFFORT to make good money and be successful in the direct sales or network marketing industry.

Another good friend of mine, Missy, a wife, mother of 4, stay-at-home mom and Pampered Chef consultant can attest to that! Last year (2009...I'm anxious to hear the stats for 2010!), her income from her Pampered Chef business was over $32,000!!! That's how much I made a year as a teacher for crying out loud!!! But she did it, on a part time basis, working from home, around HER and HER family's schedule, doing a few parties and catalog shows a week! Did this happen overnight? No way! Her income grew steadily every year, for 8 years. Again, it took building a customer base, staying in contact with those people and TIME and CONSISTENT EFFORT! And do you know what? If her husband lost his job tomorrow, they would have her incredible business to fall back on...THEIR PLAN B!



So why don't more people do this? I think a lot of people try it out, but they don't stick to it. They don't see instant results, instant sales, the BIG BUCKS right away and then think it doesn't work or that it's flawed in some way. This business model is not flawed, it's the people who have given up who have given it a bad name. But honestly, I don't know of ANYONE who has stuck to a business like this, whether it be AVON, or Mary Kay or Pampered Chef or SendOutCards who have not been successful if they just stuck to it.

My first introduction to this was a lady I worked for when I was about 20 years old. She ran a hair salon, tanning bed (I worked in her tanning bed business) and a well stocked Mary Kay counter all from her home (additions to the house to accommodate all the businesses...not from her actual living space! LOL). But she told me that when she did her income taxes, that she made more money from her Mary Kay business than from the hair salon and tanning beds combined! I was amazed! But she had been selling it for many years and had built it up...she had even earned the coveted pink car!

So what am I trying to say here? I'm trying to provide you with real life examples of people who have taken charge of their situations and are actually making money. I've told you about all types of incomes that range from those making 10's of thousands a month, to those who are making a few thousand, to those who just want a few hundred dollars extra a month. It doesn't matter what your goals are, building your own business, in addition to your full time job is just a good idea. Because if you lost that job tomorrow (which is very possible in this economy), what income would you have coming in to help with your living expenses? Not trying to worry anyone, just asking.....

What is your PLAN B?

If you want more info on my no-brainer, genius idea business, click here to learn more and try out my product for free.

Quick Shout Out 'Bout Christmas Cards

Here are some quick facts about Christmas cards and how sending them with me will be
easier, faster, cheaper, and more efficient!

Do you buy a box of Christmas or holiday cards for like $2 bucks at the Family Dollar and sort of dread the time and effort it's going to take to write in them, dig out your family and friends' addresses, address them the envelopes, put a stamp on each one and then haul them off to the post office? I used to do that. My cards were sort of boring and actually getting them ready and getting them out was seriously no fun!

But now that I have a little one of my own and want to share something a little more special around the holidays, I've found that this new card sending system not only makes my life a WHOLE lot easier, it's really fun. I can get creative with my cards in a way I never have before and I'm so excited to send them out this year!!!

So here are a couple of questions...

In lieu of cards, do you send out those typed pages on Christmasy paper with a couple of family pictures printed on them that tell about your family's year? How long did that take? Maybe not as long as hand writing in Christmas cards, but it still took a lot of effort I'm sure...but did it have that sort of "specialness" factor that made your family and friends decide to file it away because it was such a nice keepsake? Probably not.

Do you send those Walgreens or Walmart photo postcard things? With the envelopes, they are $12.99 per set of 20 (from walgreens.com), which is about $.65 per card. Not bad I guess, but they're postcards essentially. And for a postcard, that's not a great value.

walgreens.com also does a nicer 5x7 folded card with pics, but they're $1.99 a piece! Crazy!

Folks....THERE IS A BETTER WAY THAN ALL OF THESE PUT TOGETHER!!!

My beautiful 5x7 folded card, with an envelope,
that can be highly customized is only .$62!!!
(add as many pictures as you want for a one time charge of $.31)
Can you believe that???
And I haven't even gotten to the best part
that makes this such a great value!!!

*You never have to leave your house to send these cards. In fact, you can send them right from your laptop while sitting on your own couch!
*You have over 3,000 holiday cards to choose from...or you can customize your own!
*You can add as many pictures as you want for just $.31!
*You buy your $.44 stamps right on the site...you don't have to go to the post office!

Here's the really sweet part!
We print them...
We stuff them...
We stamp them...

We mail them for you...

AND YOU'RE DONE!!!
Your cards took just a couple of minutes, so you can quit stressing and
move on to cookie baking and decorating and shopping and family fun!

And that's just Christmas cards ya'll. Imagine having that kind of value and convenience for ALL your card sending needs...birthday invitations, birthday and anniversary cards, Thank You's, sympathy cards, get well soon cards, congratulation cards (I'm starting to sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump..."shrimp salad, shrimp scampi, shrimp kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp on toast...." LOL).

If you're interested in this system, email me (angiethecardlady@gmail.com) and I'd be glad to share more with you You can also try sending out a card by clicking this link and my automated system will set up a gift account for you to try our service for free.

Thank You and HAPPY CARD SENDING!!!

Contest Winner!

There were 4 comments/entries for my 50 follower giveaway, so I wrote all the names down, folded them up, put them in a bag and drew one at random. And the winner is......

KY Kathy!!!!

Kathy does not have a blog to link up to, but she is a faithful follower and friend. So, congratulations to you! And I will get your Starbucks gift card out to you tomorrow!!!

But in this contest, everyone is a winner, because everyone gets some "happy mail" from me! A thank you card for entering, and a chance to send out some love and appreciation to someone you care about with a beautiful greeting card...for free! You know how much greeting cards cost now a days, so seriously, take advantage of this!

Thanks everyone for entering! I'll be seeing you soon around blog world!!!!

50 FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY!!!

Yay! I have 50 followers!

Thank you all for keeping up with me and my life. So many of you have come to be real, treasured friends that I feel like I've known for years. And that means more to me than you could know!

At what other time in history would we have ever been able to make the real time connections we're able to make via the internet? This really is a special time and I'm so thankful for this online community of wonderful women (and men) with whom I can share my life!

So in the spirit of sharing, I'd like to offer a few little goodies as a token of my appreciation!

To everyone who posts a comment, I want to send you a REAL thank you card (it's kinda my thang). When was the last time you got some happy mail?And when I send it to you, there will be info inside on how you can then send a free card to someone you care about. So we can all just share, share, share and spread the love around!!!

Of you who post a comment, I will draw the name of one person to win a Starbucks gift card so that you can have a little treat on me! I'll announce the winner a week from today!

Many continued blessings to you and lots of growth to our blogs!!!

CHEERS!!!

A "Full Circle" Moment...from Hallmark to SendOutCards!

I was commenting on a blog friend's post over at "I'm Heading Towards My Destiny," about Scentsy's wickless candle bars and how she's in love with them. That sort of triggered a memory for me about how at my very first job, at a Hallmark store, we used to burn those Yankee Candle tarts all day long and the whole store always smelled like honeydew melon. We sold a ton of those! They were so yummy!

But that memory got me thinking...

"Wait a minute...I OWN a card store!"

It's funny how the universe works sometimes. But yeah, that first job when I was a senior in high school has led me to the place where I am now. Now, I actually own my very own greeting card business! Now, it's not what you might think. I don't own a Hallmark Store...goodness no! Did you know that it costs like $500,000 in capital to open up a Hallmark store? My store cost less than $500! But that aside, I remember really loving that job. I hated bending over for hours putting cards back in place after people had messed them all up and put them back in the wrong spots. I have still found myself "straightening cards" over the years when I'm standing there and see that they're out of place! But there were so many things that did love that turned me into a "card person." I loved reading through all the cards and thinking, "Oh this would be perfect for so and so..." Or when a customer would come to check out and smile as they thought about how much the person they cared about was going to love that they thought enough of them to send them that card.

It really is a joy to send and give cards to people. It's one of those things that never goes out of style and always delivers on positivity and joy!

But I don't find myself down those card aisles much anymore. I have found a much better, more cost effective, time efficient way to send my cards. Like I said, I have my own store! And instead of driving to the nearest Hallmark or drug store, I can just log onto my "virtual card store" and pick out one of 15,000 cards, or make my own personalized card. And it doesn't cost $2.99 or $5.49 like retail cards...they cost anywhere from $.63 to $.93...yeah, that's it! Cool huh?! (and the best part is, I get paid to do this! When was the last time Hallmark gave you even a nickel for sending one of their cards? Just sayin.)

And I'm not talking about an e-card either. The way it works is, I log on to my site that I own, I pick out a card, personalize it, click the "SEND" button and the company prints, stuffs, stamps and mails it for me and I never even had to leave my house! I just think this is totally cool and am amazed at how I've come "full circle!" From working in a card store, to owning one and sharing this system with others!

So, let me share with you!

Hardly anyone has ever even heard of SendOutCards (my card company) because it is a relatively new company. So the way I share with people about this amazing service, is to let them log on and send a free card, on me, to try it out. If they like it, they can share with anyone who asks, "Hey have you ever heard of that SendOutCards thing?" And they can say, "Yes, I've tried it out and it's so cool! I have a friend that does that, you should check it out." Or you may love it so much that you purchase the system for yourself and become a customer or a business owner. That's up to you. But my goal is to just get as many people to try it as possible. I want SendOutCards to become a household name, I believe in it that much!

Isn't this just a gorgeous card? I made it as a keepsake of my daughter's 2nd birthday.
And it only cost $1.24!

So please, trust that there are absolutely no strings in sending your free card. No one's going to bother you or call you or hound you over it. Blech! That is sooo not my style! I really do just want you to send a card. To put positivity out into the world, and to experience how fun and easy this system is. So go on...don't be shy, SEND A CARD ALREADY! LOL

Go to my virtual card store and visit my site to send your free card. You'll be glad you did (and the person you send it to will as well!)

Thanks for helping to change the world, one card at a time!

Famous BUSY Mom Talks About Having Your Own Home Based Business

This is a video of Kathy Ireland (the link is HERE), famous model and entrepreneur talking with the CEO of SendOutCards, Kody Bateman about being a busy mom and business woman and about how SendOutCards was a real solution for her. She also touches on what it means to her to act on promptings and reach out to tell the ones we love how much we care about them, which is what the foundation of SendOutCards is all about.




She is going to be the keynote speaker at the SendOutCards national conference in Salt Lake City at the end of the month. I've got my ticket to attend (but, um, not my ticket to ride...a plane that is. Still waiting on God to come through for that! LOL) and I can't wait to hear her!

I admire and appreciate women like her who work hard to achieve their dreams despite the obstacles. I hope you check out this video!

And if you have any questions about how you can make SendOutCards your business, just email me at angiehthecardlady@gmail.com

Is Networking Negative?

Since starting my business several months ago I have discovered several things about myself. It certainly has been a been a journey, that's for sure! But the journey's not even close to being over. I'm just a baby still and really just learning to walk. There's still so much to learn!

But one thing I definitely have learned is that I AM A NETWORKER! I absolutely LOVE it! When I come back from networking events, or get off of the phone with someone, or meet up with a person for coffee to talk about my business or theirs, I feel completely invigorated! I feel like a duck in water. It's just so much fun for me!


I started reflecting on why this is and started looking back at just who I am. And "who I am" is a people person. I always have been. I remember purposing in my heart to be the friendliest person I knew the summer before I went into high school. Sure I was young, but I knew that I had been an unhappy, unpopular middle schooler. One reason was because I had spent the past 9 years of my life with the same 25 people and was just tired of them I think! (haha) But stepping into a new environment with all new people and teachers was just thrilling to me! I decided that I was going to smile at people, that I was going to speak to others before they spoke to me and that I was going to be a positive, happy person that people wanted to be around (all suggestions I gotten from an article in YM magazine at the time! LOL...I still remember that! Wow!). And I did just that from day one and it worked. I was known as a happy, friendly, sweet person who wasn't out for popularity but just cared about people. But others in younger grades saw me as popular. I know that because my husband, who is was one grade younger than me thought I was pretty popular. When he and I started going out he told me that he had a friend say, "You're going out with THE Angie Blackburn?" He certainly felt pretty good about himself after that! I never thought of myself as uber popular, I just remember having a lot of good relationships with people. And I've carried that way of thinking into adulthood.

A young networker in the making!
(gotta love the hair!)

I'm one of those people who can walk into a room, sit next to a complete stranger and strike up a conversation and leave having made a new friend. I am very social that way. I'm more comfortable mingling than I am sitting in the corner. I would rather be hobnobbing with those I don't know than hang out in a little clique of those that I know well. I'm not sure where that kind of confidence comes from? But I think if we look at at being social more from the other person's perspective, more of us might try it. I mean, I'm not particularly confident, but I believe that people are just worth getting to know. We won't "click" with every single person we come in contact with and have a connection, but if and when we do, it could lead to a new friendship or a new contact. But isn't it at least worth the effort?

I don't focus so much on how uncomfortable I am, but how nice it's going to be when I break the ice with some genuine interest in that person. I may start off by commenting on something they're wearing or their jewelry. If they have kids running around, I may start chatting about that and mention that I too have a child. Finding something in common with another human being is really quite easy (duh). Is everyone friendly? No way! Of course not. But like I said, I talk to them because they are worth knowing, not because or contingent upon whether or not they are nice to me.

I was also thinking about how as bloggers we do this very thing. We read a blog, latch onto something about that person that we can relate to, comment on what they talked about and they in turn (usually) do the same. And what happens? We develop a relationship. But that relationship would never have been fostered if you didn't FIRST put yourself out there to comment. It's like extending your hand for a hand shake. You extend your hand, they take it and you mutually agree on something. But you had to put it out there, right?




So it's no wonder I love blogging...it's NETWORKING! Not in a shallow way. I sometimes think that word has some negativity attached to it. Maybe you imagine a polished looking salesman with his big Rolex on "workin' a room" talking about himself and what he has to offer! Yeah...that's just gross! But networking is just simply about building relationships and it's about giving, not getting. There's a big difference in "workin' a room" to see what you can get from the group, whether it be new business, contacts, business cards, names, phone numbers, etc. than being a networker. A good networker speaks to one or two people in the room, mostly listens and only talks about him/herself when asked. And even then, very little. They are more about getting to know that person and making a real connection that will last. And that's what I'm all about. Making connections and building relationships. So me and network marketing go together like chocolate and peanut butter! (mmm, that sounds good right about now) I want to do this the rest of my life!

YUM!

Why I'm in Love With Sending Cards!

Do you send cards? I have always been card person for sure. It started in high school with giving and sending cards to boyfriends and my best girlfriends. I remember my friend Tonya and I would frequent the local Hallmark store and buy these certain cards that we liked that were super mushy! I bought TONS of those during my high school and college years!

Have you ever gotten a card in the mail that was not for a birthday or holiday, but that someone sent just for YOU because they were thinking about you? How did it make you feel? I especially love to send cards that are unexpected. It kind of makes me feel like I'm on a mission to purposefully make someone's day. It's so fun for me to give, but it always blows people away when they get a card in the mail out of the clear blue sky.

So if you feel good when you get a card in the mail, and I feel good, and I would venture to say that it makes most people feel good, then why don't we do it more often? I mean sending cards is easy, right? Wrong!!! It's not easy at all!

We all have good intentions, right? I mean, it usually goes like this...you're sitting around one day a person who we care about or haven't seen in a while pops into our mind. We think, "I should get in touch with them, send them a card or something." And then what? The thought leaves your mind about as quickly as it came in, right? But let's just say that the thought lingers for a bit and you decide to go to the store to get them a card. Tell me this, how many times have you actually MADE A SPECIAL TRIP to go get someone an unexpected card? I can count maybe on a couple of fingers the times I've done it. So you didn't make a special trip, but you do find yourself at the mall at a card store or at Walmart in front of their card displays and you luckily remember your friend and think. "Oh yes, I think I'd like to buy them a card. That would really make their day!" So what happens next? You search the endless sea of cards (that have all been handled and touched by hundreds of hands! yuck) for a little display sign that says, "Thinking of You." And then all you find is mushy, lovey stuff when you're just looking for a nice sentiment..."hey thinking about you."


So, you keep on searching, reading card after card after card, looking for the perfect one. You finally find one that will do, but it's not really EXACTLY what you wanted to say, so you pick it up and decide to buy it. You look down at your watch and realize you've been standing there for 40 minutes trying to pick out a card! Has this ever happened to you? LOL

So then you go to check out and when the card rings up, you see the price...$3.95! For a card? Sheesh! That sweet sentiment you wanted to express to your friend is feeling more like a hassle now! LOL But you continue on your little card sending quest and press on. You get home, put the card on the counter with the rest of your things and forget about it...for several days (I've found cards in draws that I meant to send years and years later! Sad, I know.). Then you realize, "Oh wow! I've got to get this mailed out!" So you sit down to hand write a nice little note, because the card didn't really say all you wanted it to in the first place. You sign it, stuff the card in the envelope, address the front (when you finally find their address in that address book you put somewhere?) and realize..."Sheesh! I don't have a stamp!" By now, you're ready to just forget the whole idea and just toss the card altogheter (I have done this soooo many times ya'll.)!

So see...sending cards IS NOT EASY! And I know ya'll have been there too!There are a lot of steps involved from that first prompting to do something nice for someone, with all the best intentions to act and follow through, to actually making it happen. And most of the time, that opportunity to bless someone with that prompting from your heart is lost.

But friends! I HAVE FOUND THE ANSWER (insert heavenly angels singing...."HALLELUJAH!)! It's called SendOutCards.


It is an online greeting card company that takes out all those hassels that come with sending a card and does away with them completely! It's truly amazing!

Let me go through with you what it looks like to send a card using this system (and I promise it won't take 500 words like the other scenario!). You have a prompting in your mind to send some love out to your friend who just sort of popped in there. You log into your SendOutCards system (because you own it). You click on "Card Catalog." You click on "Expressions." You click "Thinking of You." You browse through the cards displayed on the screen to find a pretty picture on the front. Although most of the cards are already written out, you choose a blank one because you know exactly what you want to write. Write? You can write in these cards? Yes! You can say exactly what you want in your card!!! So you choose a nice cursive font, a pretty blue font color, the font size and you write your message...

Dear Mary,

I'm not sure why, but you were on my mind today. I just wanted you to know that although we don't get to see each other as much as I'd like, I still think of you and pray for you often. You are such a beautiful person, inside and out and I'm glad to call you my friend. Let's do a better job keeping in touch. I miss you!
Sincerely,
Sue

Wow, how do you think Mary's going to feel when she gets THIS card?! And you were even able to sign your own name because you created a font with several of your own signatures (how cool is that?). You also realized that you have a picture saved of you and Mary in a file from that time you took that road trip, so you decide to pop that picture into the card as well (yes, you can even add pictures to your card!).

You click on "continue" when you're satisfied with your card and are then sent to a screen to fill in Mary's address. But because you already entered in all the names from that elusive address book of yours into your SendOutCards Contact Manager, you just bring up her name and then click it and it's all addressed and ready for you. The next thing you do is click "continue" and it will send you to a screen that tells you how much your card cost. You created a two panel greeting card and added a picture, so your card cost you .93 cents plus the cost of a stamp (Yeah, I know! Unbelievable price, huh?). You then click on, "Send" and your card is then printed, stuffed, addressed and stamped for you. And your beautiful, custom, personalized, heartfelt greeting card is on it's way through the mail to Mary.

So how was that process compared to the other one? It doesn't compare. From the time you had that first prompting to reach out in kindness to your friend, till the time you clicked "send," you literally only spent about 2 minutes of your time. Isn't that incredible? You literally only had to make a few mouse clicks to do what it may have taken weeks to do before. And the card says exactly what YOU wanted it to say, has your signature, has a picture of you and your friend, you never had to leave the house to send it, and it's going to BLOW HER AWAY!

And that's why I decided to SHARE this system with EVERYONE I KNOW (including my cherished blog friends) because I want EVERYONE to know how easy it is to send this kind of love, joy and positivity out to the world! I chose SendOutCards as my new home-based business because it's genius, it works, the cards are beautiful and because it's so easy to share. Look folks, I aint a salesman! LOL I don't like to SELL stuff! I'm very uncomfortable with it to be honest.

Now, you didn't "give to get" when you sent this card to Mary. You, from your heart, just wanted to reach out in love to her. But what do you think is going to happen? Mary is going to call you GUSHING about that card! She's gonna want to know how in the world you did that?! And then, because you own the system and have also made this a home-based business, you tell Mary that you'd love to give her a free Gift Account and walk her through sending a card to someone she cares about. And you then show her that this is a business opportunity as well and that she can send cards and teach others to send cards. It's that simple and it's NATURAL. People giving and sharing and continuing the circle. That's why I love this! And the response I've gotten from sending my OWN cards has been overwhelming! It feels good to know that you've made someone else feel good!

I want YOU to be a sender of cards too! If you've been interested in investing in a home-based business, but don't have time for parties, shows, inventory, dealing with money, orders, etc., then this business is PERFECT for you.

Please email me and we'll set up a time for YOU to send out a free card to try the system out. No pressure, no salesy stuff, just information for you. You're going to love it!

My email:

angiehowardmusic@gmail.com

My SendOutCards website

www.sendoutcards.com/ahoward