They're Printed & Ready To Go!!

Hooray! All of the finalists' cards are hot off the presses, ready for purchase on our site hallmark.com/you (until the end of February).

This is great for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which is that a percentage of all sales go directly to help fight AIDS in Africa through the Global Fund.

And, speaking from personal experience, it's always fun and exciting to see your work printed on a real live greeting card. (And seeing your first card in print is a pretty big deal, I'd say.)

So, there you have it. All ten are for sale. And you can buy the whole set, too.

P.S. Are you getting your funny pet photos ready for our next card competition?

So Much is Happening...

...that we're not even sure what to share right now. We are spread across the country, celebrating the holidays with loved ones; yet at the same time we are gearing up for the voting finale AND the next competition announcement.

I know, poor us.

Just wanted to let you all know that we haven't forgotten about you or the blog. And that we can tell you that the voting has taken on a life of its own. So many people are getting involved and routing for their favorite. Really fun to watch.

Oh and guess what else is happening? We're very nearly ready to get those wonderful (RED) finalists' cards for sale online as real, live printed ink-on-paper cards. Yes, it's true.

Okay, pardners. Stay tuned. Hope you're all enjoying yourselves and are nowhere near any laptops. :)

Calling All Finalists.

Well, now we have a little bit of a glimpse into what it must be like to be Ed McMahon.

On Thursday night, on speaker phone - the night before the "top ten" were announced to the world - we called all of the finalists to let them know the good, good news on their good, good work.


What happy responses we got. Here are a few:

"That is really awesome. You guys have made my day."

"That's so crazy!"

"I'm like in shock that's so awesome."

"That is just the neatest thing that has happened to me so far."

"It's been driving me nuts. I've just been dying to know!"

Of course, you are all winners to us - and to (RED) - because you cared enough to get involved and particpate the way you did.

Now, go vote for your favorite finalist card and remember, this isn't the end of our greeting card competitions, but the beginning....

Lookie Here.

This is the big moment. The big to-do. The big deal. Here are the TEN finalists, in all their glory. (They really did an amazing job, don't you think?) In a few weeks (12/28), each of these cards will be for sale online. For now, the action is all around voting for the grand prize winner -- to be revealed on 1/11. Go to our website (see link over there) to be heard.

Which one do YOU like best?

eek

Today we literally risked our lives taking fabulous PR shots of what will soon become the ten finalist cards. Perched atop a (fairly sturdy, abnormally tall) table, one brave "volunteer" snapped away at every angle. Luckily, I'm here to report, said volunteer is unharmed.

And the picture is pretty nice to boot. Wait and see. :)

P.S. Only 4 DAYS UNTIL THE BIG REVEAL!!

Working Hard

We may have mentioned that this is our first time doing this sort of thing. (Yes, I'm sure we did.) Well, it is and that makes every day an adventure. The latest adventure is figuring out what we want our "vote for the grand prize winner" and "learn more about the finalists" web pages to look like and what they should say, etc. etc. It may all look (fairly) pretty when we finish, but it's a heckuvalot of work. (You're worth it, though.)

Anyway, here is one of our merry band of Hallmarkers, designing the "learn more" page at this very moment.

How's THAT for a behind-the-scenes peek?

Calling the Semifinalists

It was so much fun to deliver the news to our semifinalists by phone! People were so happy and excited. And we were so proud of them for doing such good work. Why am I rambling? Here a few quotes from the semifinalists themselves:

"I just love the way you've handled all of this, it's been so much fun"

"This is pretty rockin'."

"I have goosebumps."

"I think i'm numb."

Rockin', indeed. :)

Next Up: Semifinalists Chosen

Here's a picture from our call with (RED) to pick the semifinalists. After making sure our (RED) pal had received the packet of submissions we overnighted, we sequestered ourselves - along with another local (RED) rep. here in KC! - back into our (locked & secret & tiny) room, called up (RED) in Cali. and dove in.

It was a long (but fun) process and we have to say that we all continue to be impressed with the range and quality of the submissions. We debated, discussed, celebrated and smiled a lot; laughed, sighed, reflected, you get the idea.... What a great competition, filled with great people, for a great cause.

Warm fuzzies all around.

(Since then, we have been busy calling/emailing the semifinalists to go through that second round of legal stuff we need to do before we can name the TEN FINALISTS!) (on Dec. 14)

Oodles and oodles of submissions...

Just wanted to let you all know that we did, in fact, get oodles of submissions for this here contest. It's been really fun to see all the different ways you interpreted the (CONNECTING)RED theme and to get a glimpse of your individual styles.

We hope that even if you don't win this time around, that you'll enjoy the voting-for-the-Grand-Prize-Winner portion of all this (to be unveiled on 12/14) and then will try your hand at our *next* competition.... :)

P.S. All turkey leftovers are now safely gone.