Which celebrities have a birthday on Christmas Day? And if you know somebody with a Christmas Day birthday how should you help them celebrate it?

Celebrities With Christmas Day Birthdays

• Annie Lennox 25/12/1954 Famous for being in Eurythmics with hit song 'Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This'
• Humphrey Bogart 25/12 1899  Famous for the film Casablanca
• Isaac Newton 1642  Scientist who discovered law of gravity
• Model Helena Christensen 1968

Do you know anybody with a Christmas Day birthday?  If so, how can you make them feel special and what should you avoid? 

First of all, for children, it’s important that they receive two separate gifts rather than one large one.  If a big Christmas gift is given (like a bicycle), then a smaller gift should still be given for a Christmas birthday boy or girl. It's important that they have two gifts to unwrap on their special day.

In addition, kids with Christmas Day birthdays might wake up feeling rather flat on Boxing Day so try and ensure that something special is planned for them then.  Maybe have an outing? Invite some of their friends around for a birthday party?  It's a long time to wait until their birthday and Christmas Day comes around again, so think of ways you can give them a little boost. 

As for adults, well if mum has a birthday on Christmas Day try and ensure that she doesn't get landed with all the washing up/cooking/tidying and other preparations planned. If it's your birthday, you deserve a little spoiling and the same goes on Christmas Day. 

If your birthday is on Christmas Day then there are a few good points to remember:

• You probably won't have to go to work
• People are more likely to remember your birthday on a special day
• If you don't want to celebrate your birthday, you can hide it away under cover of Christmas!
• You'll probably have friends and family around to help you celebrate
• You could go away on holiday for your birthday

Remember Silverstamp has a selection of Christmas cards you can personalise especially for friends and relatives so why not create a special Christmas Birthday Card for somebody celebrating on 25th December?

Credits: Main image via Wikipedia

As a child, I always found my Christmas stocking one of the most exciting parts of Christmas Day. Waking up to feel a slight weight on my feet, crackling with promise.

What Should You Put In A Christmas Stocking?

Stockings don’t have to be filled with expensive gifts. In fact, it’s the small, well-thought out items that often give the most pleasure on Christmas morning.

It’s traditional to find a seasonal Satsuma orange and a brazil nut in the toe of the Christmas stocking. But what else?

A chocolate Father Christmas or snowman is a must.  Lindt makes the most delicious chocolate Santas and to have one poking out of the top of a Christmas stocking early on Christmas morning sets a festive tone.

Bubble bath or shower gel always goes down well.  Look for novelty bottles for children … my  teenage sons were delighted with a model of The Stig from BBC Top Gear last year.

Badedas is an inexpensive favourite for both men and women – it’s timeless and has a wonderfully relaxing aroma.

Now, how about novelty stocking fillers?  I’ve just come across this bread-scented iPhone cover – it’s spongy (so cushions a phone from damage), looks and even smells like bread.  £7.99 at time of writing from Find Me A Gift. 

The James Bond film Skyfall was a hit in 2012. Give a teenage boy or more mature man these James Bond playing cards featuring Bond girls and he’ll be both shaken and stirred!

Sending greetings cards can be time-consuming and it’s another thing to remember. Why not open a Silverstamp account for somebody with some credit they can instantly use, then make them a voucher with their username and password so they can get online (and immediately start writing their thank-you cards).

If you’re tired of matching up odd socks (and wondering why they are all single) then why not pop in a pack of these deliberately mis-matched socks from The Sock Exchange.  

I also like these reusable handwarmers.  If you’re standing on a touchline watching the kids play sport (and freezing) they are an absolute godsend. 

Other classics to include in a Christmas stocking are stationery, chocolate coins (can’t really have enough chocolate actually), novelty toothbrushes, colouring pens, small inexpensive toys like yo-yos.

If you'd like to make your own Christmas stocking from fabric, it's a lovely way to spend a winter afternoon before Christmas with the children. Here are some instructions for making a Christmas stocking from Martha Stewart. 

What is the best item you’ve ever had in a Christmas stocking? And if you’re acting as Father Christmas, what are you putting in your family’s stockings this year?

With the daily rush and hustle of life, it's easy to forget a birthday or an important anniversary. 

And then you feel really bad that somebody special to you has slipped your mind.

It doesn't have to be that way though. Use the Silverstamp reminder service when you send a greetings card via us and we'll remind you of important birthdays. 

Never Forget A Birthday Or Anniversary Again

With our free calendar service, we'll remind you of any up and coming events to give you plenty of time to send a greetings card to somebody special. 

It doesn't have to be a birthday. It could be a wedding anniversary, a religious festival like Hanukkah, Diwali or Christmas. An approaching retirement or a wedding. 

You just register with Silverstamp, then put in your important dates and contacts into our easy to use calendar.  We'll do all the reminding after that.  

Decorating your Christmas tree is a lovely way to spend time with your children and family in the run up to the festive season.

What sort of effect do you want to have?  Do you want a Christmas tree that looks designer or do you want something rather more homemade, which features homemade Christmas tree decorations created by your children in school or around the kitchen table on a winter afternoon?

Firstly, you need to make sure that your tree looks its best by keeping it fresh and green. When you bring your tree home put it in water immediately. A freshly-cut tree ‘drinks’ a lot, so check the water level it rests in daily.  Use a Christmas tree stand which will hold a decent amount of water.

How To Decorate Your Christmas Tree

• Check your Christmas tree lights work first before you place them on the tree. Check the fuses and plug and make sure you have some replacement bulbs.
• Then drape the lights around your tree evenly, covering all the branches.  Start with the branches at the bottom of the tree (working up from the plug), weave the lights ‘inside’ the branches and then move to the outer edges.
• Next place any garlands you are using on the tree. Loop them around the branches in a wavy design horizontally. Or if you want to create a different effect, run the garlands down from the top of the tree to the bottom, so that they ‘hang’.
• Now it’s time to put on the Christmas tree ornaments.  If you are putting a star on the top of the tree put this on first, otherwise you’ll knock the ornaments down as you do so.
• Put the smaller ornaments on the top branches of the tree, with baubles and decorations becoming larger as you reach the bottom branches. Don’t put everything on the tips of the branches. It will look more interesting if you add items further inside the tree and give a little more depth.
• Think about using themed ornaments in clusters, rather than spread around the branches. 
• Consider your colours carefully.  Red and green are classic Christmas colours but you can also have an all-silver tree or an all-gold tree. Try not to mix up every colour in a rainbow as this could look unco-ordinated.  Allow about 10 ornaments for each Christmas tree foot size.

Check out our Pinterest board for some Christmas tree decoration ideas.  And if you'd like to share your Christmas tree decorations, post your photograph onto our Facebook page to share. 

Remember you can send personalised Christmas e cards last minute with Silverstamp - wherever your friends and family are in the world. 

Hanukah is a Jewish holiday celebrated in late November-early December, which lasts for eight days and nights. It starts on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev.

What does Hanukah mean?

Hanukah means dedication in Hebrew and is a holiday that remembers the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem when the Jews were victors over the Greeks in 165 BCE. 

The Jewish Temple had been taken by the Syrian-Greek soliders. When the Jews purified it, they discovered there was only one day's oil left in the Temple's menorah although it needed to burn for eight days. The menorah was lit anyway and in fact the oil miraculously lasted the whole eight days. 

Every Hanukah Jews light a special menorah, a 'hanukkiyah' for eight days, lighting a candle every day until eight candles are lit.

A Time To Celebrate With Family

Families often get together to light the menorah candles, especially with their children. If you can't meet up with family and friends during this special Hanukah time, it's lovely to send a card to let loved ones know you are thinking of them. 

You can send a Silverstamp Hanukah e card for just 39p. Alternatively buy our Hanukah cards online to send through the post - we can either deliver them to you or send them with a digital message from you to any address in the UK you wish. 

Our designs are both contemporary and traditional, so you will certainly find something that suits the recipient. You can view our Hanukah designs here or visit our Facebook page to view our Hanukah card gallery. 

Happy Hanukah! 

The arrival of your first baby is a wonderful moment. Life will never be the same again and suddenly there’s a new little person in it!

Life will also get a lot busier….

It’s a good idea to pre-plan how you’ll manage things after the birth as much as possible. Stock the freezer, accept all offers of help, have a nursery ready if possible.

You’ll also want to announce the arrival of your new baby – but you’ll find you have little time to start addressing envelopes and sending cards once you’re at home and trying to get into a routine.

That’s where our new baby cards can help you.  You can order them online, add a photograph of your new arrival and announce the name all at the same time. Personalise as much as you want to with a message inside from the baby’s parents.  Add a digital signature.

Then you can either send your cards out as e cards or we’ll send through the post for you via first class mail to any addresses you wish.

Alternatively, we can send your personalised newborn cards to your home address so that you can sign and mail them yourself.

Whatever you decide, it’s an easy way to make time for yourself. You’ll love our contemporary designs and of course you can take a photograph of your precious newborn to show him or her off to the world.

Like our Facebook page and you can take advantage of our special offer when you use the coupon code SilverFB2    to receive a credit to your Silverstamp account. For example, deposit a minimum of £10 in your account and we’ll match it – so you effectively get two personalised new baby cards for the price of one.

Which will be the card you choose?

Wrapping Christmas presents perfectly is one of those skills which we’d all like to have but usually lack.

Of course, you can have your purchases gift-wrapped in store when you buy a Christmas present but it’s not usually a free option, you have to wait around for it to be done and also – it’s not personal to you.

So Why Not Discover How To Wrap Christmas Gifts Yourself?

This is where You Tube comes into its own.  We’ve gathered a few videos together that show you how to wrap various different shaped Christmas gifts – tubes, rectangles, squares, circles – and make everything look good. This BBC film has some very creative ideas that will give your Christmas gift wrapping a real touch of professionalism! 

And here's a clip on how to tie the perfect bow on a Christmas gift. 

What About Christmas Wrapping Paper?

Don’t limit yourself to buying ready-printed Christmas wrap.  Think a little creatively and you can create something that’s unique and personal to you. 

In this tip from Martha Stewart, kids have drawn images and messages on plain paper - they can personalise the paper with a name or add Christmas imagery. 

Personalising your Christmas cards is also very straightforward when you use Silverstamp - just upload a photograph of yourself, your pet, your family or whoever you want to feature and we'll lead you through all the necessary steps. Visit our Facebook page and 'Like' to receive a bonus on your card account when you use our special Facebook code. 

Top photo via Jupiter Images 

Christmas should be a time for relaxing, enjoying some days off from work, spending time with family, catching up with friends…. But all too often it can feel overwhelming – with presents to buy, invitations to reply to, Christmas cards to send, food to plan, shopping in overcrowded stores.

The Key Is To Organise Christmas Ahead As Much As Possible.

Take a bit of time now to get a few things sorted and it will really pay dividends in terms of a bit of free time when you really need it.

Here is some advice to consider to help you get ahead of the Christmas rush. If you’ve any other tips to add, we’d love you to share them!

 Five Tips For Christmas Organisation

1. Clear out your freezer now. Get eating all the leftover and bits and pieces you have lying about and make some room. You might be surprised at what’s in there! Defrost things in the morning or overnight so that they are completely unfrozen for use the next day.  For tips on defrosting food safely click here. You’ll avoid all the stress of trying to cram in Christmas food and instead will have some empty shelves you can fill up for the festive season.
2. Plan your Christmas menus now.  Avoid that stressful last minute dash around the supermarket (and the horrendous queues) by sitting down one evening this week and writing a list of the meals you need to provide. Take an inventory of what you’ve got in your store cupboards and freezer (post the cleanout)  and work out what you’re going to need. You might like to order an online food shop but hurry as delivery dates fill up quickly on key days.  For ideas on must-have Christmas food read here.
3. Start buying stocking fillers when you’re out and about, instead of in one last rush. Remember charity shops are often a good source for entertaining knick knacks, as are poundstores.  With stockings it’s the thought you put in, rather than the amount of money. As well as fun stuff, put in some useful items for kids like sports socks, pencils, pens. You’ll find some great ideas for stocking fillers to make yourself here.
4. Online is the way forward. Buying online means you avoid the queues, travel and parking costs and free up some time for yourself.  The only thing to remember is that you need to be doing it early – ie now – rather than leaving it to the last minute or you risk something being out of stock (or being out when the postman delivers it). Amazon is always a good starting point
5. You can organise your whole Christmas card list online with Silverstamp. Personalise your cards with photos and messages and we will send them through the UK post for you (ideal if you’re living outside of the UK). Or you can send an ecard (and that really can be done last minute).   You can support charity via Silverstamp who will donate an additional minimum of 10p for every Christmas card).

If you’ve any stress-saving Christmas tips to add we’d love to hear from you. We’ll be publishing the best on our Facebook page and in our Silverstamp newsletter (which you should sign up to, if you haven’t already).

It was the Victorians who began the trend for sending Christmas cards back in 1840 – which is when the first ‘Penny Post’ deliveries by mail arrived.

Easier transportation of the mail by the new railway networks springing up meant that communication was much easier than before and was as much of a revolution for people keeping in touch as e mail and texting is for us today.

Handmade Christmas cards were popular and as printing became more sophisticated and cheaper so Christmas cards began to be mass printed, with different designs and verses.

If you didn’t seal your envelope then you could send your card for a ha’penny, which was half the price of sending an ordinary letter.

Religious scenes celebrating Christmas and the Nativity were always popular and remain so to this day.

However, with online printing and e Christmas cards, opportunities for personalising a family Christmas card are better than ever.

Want a picture of the whole family wearing Santa hats – including the dogs? You got it.  Download the image onto your computer, find a Silverstamp Christmas card to personalise and you’ve got a Christmas card that’s unique to you and the family.

As well as personalising your cards, you can address them online and we’ll post them to any UK address for you, saving you the hassle of queuing up at the local Post Office to buy stamps in bulk.

This is also a great service for expats who live abroad and want to send personalized Christmas cards back to the folks in the UK. Sending them the Silverstamp way is much more cost-effective than buying stamps from your expat home and sending the cards back to England.

If you leave everything to the last minute you can always send an e Christmas card with Silverstamp – so you could even get your cards delivered right up until Christmas. This is a particularly good option if a lot of your friends and family are travelling and expect to be away over Christmas – you can still send them your very best wishes this way.

Take a look at our designs for Christmas cards – as well as personalized Christmas cards we have witty humorous scenes as well as traditional views of the festive season.

You can choose from several different typefaces to write your messages inside – either using Copperplate script or something a little more modern – it’s up to you.

If you want to support a charity, then donate 10p from every Christmas card you buy from us and we’ll match it – resulting in a 20p donation to Find Your Feet, our chosen charity this year.

In addition, use the code SilverPT2 when you checkout and for every £10 you deposit in your Silverstamp account, we will match it with another £10 credit.  Offer ends 31st December 2012. 

Think of it as a little Christmas gift from us! 

There's nothing like receiving a handwritten envelope with beautiful calligraphy - which is the art of handwriting. 

Nowadays, we're more likely to touch the keyboard of our smartphone or tablet than a traditional fountain pen, although there is plenty of help with video tutorials for learning how to write with an ink pen.

Calligraphy is a wonderful hobby to take up, it's relatively inexpensive and calligraphers are often in demand for creating handwritten invitations, place cards and menus. 

Above you can see two different styles of calligraphy - copperplate and italic - both are classic and beautiful to look at and read. The typeface you choose for a document or to write a card certainly sets the tone and the mood of the piece. For example, the copperplate and italic shown above are elegant and timeless, whereas something like the envelope shown here is more informal and contemporary (via NavyBeanOnline)

You can recreate the same sort of mood and style when you customise your invitations and greetings cards with Silverstamp. We offer a variety of different typefaces, including italics and copperplate, for you to use electronically when addressing your envelopes or writing a personal message within the inside of your card

. 

You can customise virtually any sort of greetings card with Silverstamp, whether you're looking for a family Christmas card, a baby shower invitation, birthday cards, get well messages or congratulations on a retirement card. 

Consider the person you're sending the card to and browse through the list of typefaces on offer - whether you want something formal or something more casual.

Of course, if you want to write a card yourself, you can always arrange for your Silverstamp cards to be sent direct to your home address - so you can add handwritten calligraphy yourself at a later stage - but still create a customised card with photographs and images .... 

We think that when you buy a charity greetings card it should really benefit a charity by donating a significant amount, rather than one or two pence a card.

We're Donating A Minimum Of 20p Per Card This Christmas

We're supporting Find Your Feet (FYF), a charity that helps desperately poor people in Asia and Africa. Not just at Christmas, but whenever you buy a Birthday card, Wedding card, Valentine’s Day card, Mother’s Day card, Baby card, etc. you can now donate 10p, 49p or 99p. Every time you as a customer make a donation, Silverstamp will match with a 10p donation. So for Christmas we aim to donate at least 20p to charity for each card and that is up to 10 times more than a High Street-bought card contributes.

Special Images by David Graham

Are you planning a party? Instead of having a sit-down dessert, why not have a dessert buffet or sweetie table so your guests can indulge themselves with whatever they fancy? 

Dessert Tables Make A Delicious Choice For All Sorts of Parties

Whether you're planning a christening for a new baby, a bridal shower, a wedding, an anniversary party or a retirement bash, a dessert buffet will always be a popular option.

Today we have a guest blog by Sabine Darrell who has created dessert buffets for a number of clients including Wedding Ideas magazine, as well as sweetie tables for children's parties. Sabine runs events design company GLily and is also a trained florist, so can pull a whole 'look' together. Over to you Sabine! 

Some Sweet Ways To Style Your Sweetie Table by Sabine Darrell of GLily

Here's a table I created for the Wedding Ideas Magazine Awards in January 2012 in London.  I was given the theme pink, black and silver. Guests 'pick and mixed' cream soda lollipops, liquorice pips, silver dragees, bon-bons, sherbert, jelly beans and macaroons.  It was a very eye catching display, finished with white ostrich feathers, crystals and pink roses. 

I designed the dessert table shown above for a rural countryside wedding.  The top tier of the pink wedding cake took centrestage and a floral heart behind tied up the theme. Around were a selection of mini cupcakes, doughnut pops, marshmallows, meringues, jelly and pretty candies in pinks, apricot, cream and gold. 

If you're planning an afternoon tea event (maybe an anniversary or retirement party) then this tea-party table should give you some ideas. Peaches and cream inspired with cupcakes, brownies, peach jelly, bon-bons, cloudy lemonade all set off with vintage china (which you can hire for an event).

Although this sweetie table would go down a treat at a child's party, it would also work well for a hen party, bridal shower or office event.  I loved creating this traditional sweet shop table with candy striped cloth, rainbow satins, bon-bons, lollipops and chocolate bars.

Thanks for these great ideas and the guest blog Sabine! 

Sabine also runs regular flower arranging courses to inspire you to decorate your own parties and events with floral creations. We hope that these dessert tables have inspired you to think about doing something a little different at a party you are organising. Keep an eye on the GLily Facebook page to find out about dates and special offers. 

And when it comes to your invitations, remember that you can personalise your party invitations from Silverstamp with names and photographs - so they are unique to you! 

Photo credits:  All images via GLily except for top image via Amy Atlas Events. 

It’s a sad fact of life that all of us will experience a bereavement at one time or another.

The Importance Of Sending Condolence Messages

Receiving condolence letters at this sad time can be very comforting when grieving over the loss of a loved one.  So if a friend, colleague or family member has lost somebody dear to them, it’s a real kindness to write expressing your sympathy at their loss.

Letters of this sort do not have to be long and should avoid flowery words. What should you write about? Share your memories of a happy past and days gone by, think nostalgically of events that you participated in together. Remind the bereaved of a funny story involving the departed that makes you smile. 

You may want to express your thoughts with a card and Silverstamp offers an attractive selection of In Sympathy messages, which are perfect for sending condolences at such a time.

The bereaved will appreciate knowing that they are in your thoughts and will draw great comfort from your friendship and caring manner. 

Going for a job interview can be really nervewracking. The market is tough at the moment and to succeed, you have to stand out from the crowd. 

However, with good preparation beforehand, you can do much to make sure that you are a top choice for a position. So here are some hints and interview tips to help you get the job you want. It's often the most obvious things that can make the difference between being offered a role or not, and give you the edge over other candidates.

And if you know somebody going for job interview, you should send them one of our Good Luck cards - either by post or as an e card! We have many Good Luck designs to choose from to send good wishes for a successful job interview.

Before Your Job Interview

• Research the company in detail
• Visit their websites and ask for a copy of the Annual Report
• What are their products and services
• Who are their competitors
• What is their growth potential 

At Your Job Interview You Should

• Turn off your mobile
• Introduce yourself
• Turn up on time or 5-12 minutes early
• Smile
• Show how your experience can benefit the company
• Ask questions (prepare about five beforehand)
• Show that you are willing to learn

At At Interview Don't

• Be late
• Be unprepared
• Just answer 'yes' or 'no'
• Lie
• Say negative things about your current or previous employers
• Show lack of ambition
• Make a big deal of the money, discuss salary later on

What To Say At An Interview

• Talk about your qualifications, career history and skills relevant to the position
• Describe your achivements
• Talk about your strengths
• Why you are leaving your current employer
• Challenges you've met in your working life 
• Where you'd like to be in five years time
• Ask about the next interview stage if you are still interested
• Thank the interviewer when it's over

Remember, you can personalise Silverstamp cards to send Good Luck wishes to a friend or family member, add a digital signature and message and we'll post the card for you. Or if you're pushed for time, why not send an E card. It might give the interviewee that extra bit of confidence they need to go the nextra mile!  

Good Luck card featured one in a series by Silverstamp. 

Diwali starts this year on 13th November and continues for five days. It's a time for family and loved ones to get together and celebrate this special Indian Festival of Lights.

If you can't be with your family, then look at our attractive selection of Diwali cards, which you can send as e cards or through the post. You can personalise your cards with photographs of your children and family or send one of our more abstract designs. If you have family who are abroad, they'll enjoy being updated on how the children are growing up with a personal photo card - which also becomes a memento and a keepsake. 

Recipes for Diwali 

In any gathering or party, food is key and so we've found a few Diwali recipes for you to look over and try. 

Gulab Jambu is a sticky and sweet Diwali recipe for deep fried dough balls. A delicious treat for special occasions. 

If you're after something savoury, then a vegetarian curry feast is both healthy and tempting. The BBC Food website has some excellent and easy to follow recipes traditional for Diwali. 

If you're looking for decorations for Diwali and other inspiration, then visit the Silverstamp Pinterest Diwali board, which we're adding to daily! 

Retirement isn't what it used to be! Better healthcare, an emphasis on eating well and exercising has meant that when you retire you're far from being 'put out to grass'. Instead you finally are having the time to do things you've always meant and wanted to do. 

What is Retirement?

An interesting survey has shown that many people decide to carry on with their education when they retire - taking further exams or a degree in a subject that has always interested them. 

Retirement certainly doesn't mean that you have to sit around reading the paper and doing the gardening. Although if that's what you like ....

There are plenty of special interest blogs about written by people who have retired - and maybe it's a good time to start your own! 

At work, you might be planning a retirement party for somebody. Be sensitive however. The person retiring should be looking on this new phase in their life as a positive rather than a negative and won't want to be reminded of their age or be told they are 'past-it'.  That's why I like this retirement cake by Cakes by Carol - it focuses on new beginnings and the positives. Remember that plenty of people retire in their 50's - because they are financially secure and no longer need to go out to work. 

Retirement Cards

If you're in charge of organising a retirement party for somebody at work,then you'll be looking into retirement cards and maybe a retirement cake for them.  Our cards can be personalised - so you could take an image of the retiree with all their colleagues and create a wonderful memento of the workplace - with everybody signing their name. Or you can just personalise a card with a name - and add some retirement verses inside. 

Remember that you can send Silverstamp cards as e cards - so if you've spotted that an ex-colleague is retiring, then whizz off a Silverstamp retirement e card to them so that they know you are thinking of them. 

You can see a selection of our retirement cards here and we're constantly updating the selection. 

Halloween is creeping up on us .... with trick or treating, spooky costumes, carved pumpkins ...

After trick or treating exertions with the kids, it's a great opportunity to get together with other parents afterwards. (Or if you have older teens, then while they are trick or treating, you can sit at home catching up on each others' news.) If you're looking for inspiration for creating Halloween party invitations, you'll find some scarily good templates online at Silverstamp. 

We've got a great Pinterest Halloween board on which you'll find ideas for Halloween recipes for soups, punches, cookies.... But today we're going to concentrate on Halloween cupcakes - which you could serve with tea and coffee to your friends, or of course to the kids. 

This recipe (and the photograph) is via BBC Food - which is a great site for sourcing new recipe ideas for Halloween. 

Popular baby names change every year and this last year the most popular name for baby boys was Harry, with Amelia the most chosen name for baby girls. (Source BBC News).

(In the image above, the most popular names are in large type, the less popular in small type.)  Back in 2007 Jack was the most popular name for boys, with Grace the top choice for girls. 

How Do Baby Names Become Popular?

Look back fifty years ago and you'll see that babies were often called after the famous film stars of the day - think of Elizabeth (after Elizabeth Taylor), Julie (from Julie Andrews) or after Royalty (is Catherine going to become more popular now after the Duchess of Cambridge?)

Of course, biblical names have always been popular - Matthew, Mark, John, James, Joshua ....  

Sending a personalised card to a new baby is a very special way of saying hello.  At Silverstamp you can individualise the card with the new baby's name (so we've done one for both Harry and Amelia here). Or if you have a photograph of the new baby, you can use that as a new baby card to send out to friends and family. Babies change so fast - you'll want to have a memento of the time they were tiny newborns. 

What about you? Do you know any Harry or Amelia's?  Is your name a popular one or more unusual? 

Good manners dictate that you should always write a thank you letter when somebody has given you a gift, however small. A gift could be a wedding present, something for a new baby, a present to mark retirement - or it could simply mean that a friend has given up their precious time to help you. 

Why Thank You Letters Are So Important

Nowadays we're all rushing about and life seems to be getting faster and faster.  So it's important to acknowledge when colleagues, family and friends do something special for you. 

The best time to write a thank you letter is immediately after you receive the gift. Silverstamp has an attractive selection of thank you cards suitable for every occasion. Personalise the cards with the name of the person who gave you the gift and you're giving them something extra special in return. You're also showing them that you're thinking about them and taking time with your thank you cards. 

Remember that you don't need to write a really long letter.  Just keep it short and most importantly, get your thanks sent off as soon as possible - don't put off writing. 

Debretts - who specialises in etiquette and manners - has some useful tips on writing thank you letters. 

What To Write In A Thank You Letter

• Mention the gift itself and say how useful/beautiful it is
• Refer to the present so that the giver knows that you know they sent it
• Thank the giver for the time they took to choose it
• Say you'll look forward to using it
• Think about what's been going on in the daily life of the giver (have their children just done exams? have they been on holiday?) Ask them what's going on in their life. 
• If it's a gift for a new baby or a wedding present, mention the baby/wedding day and update with some news

Remember, Silverstamp makes it really easy to send thank you cards and you can do the whole thing online. Just visit our thank you cards section and choose a design that fits the recipient. If you're thanking for a wedding present or a gift for a new baby, why not include a photograph of your special little one or your wedding day to make it really personal and unique to you?

Write your message inside electronically and add a digital signature. Then the address of the recipient and you're done. We'll post your thank you letter anywhere you wish in the UK.  When you're having to write a lot of thank you letters at one time (for example after a wedding or the birth of a new baby) you'll find that this is a really efficent way to save time. In addition, if you've moved abroad, you don't have to have the hassle of buying stamps to send your card to the UK. 

You could also send your thanks as an e card if you wish. 

Receiving a gift you love is wonderful. As for what you do with a gift you're not keen on, then we'll leave that up to you. There's a whole other blog to be written on the rights and wrongs of re-gifting! 

If there are any thank you card designs you think we should be addding, please let us know! 

Send a card to a loved one that's been personalised just for them and they'll know you've made an extra special effort for them.

Personalised Cards Are Unique

Whatever the occasion - whether it's a greetings card for a birthday for a relative, a baptism for a new baby, a wedding or a round robin Christmas card with a photo of the family to send back home from abroad - you can personalise your design on a Silverstamp card.

Choose from a contemporary illustration and add a name - or download a personal photograph onto the site. This works particularly well for Christmas cards - and your friends and family back home will enjoy seeing you grinning at them from amongst the other Christmas cards they receive. 

We're currently offering a discount on all our personalised cards which effectively means you get them half price. Prices start at £2.49 for greetings cards and 29p for e cards. (So you'd get two cards for £2.49 with this offer.) 

Deposit £10+ in your Silverstamp account and we'll match it - which means you get a free card for every one you buy. Just use the code SilverPT2 when you check out and you'll get your saving. Offer is subject to availability, one code per customer. A minimum of £10 must be deposited in a Silverstamp account. Offer valid until 31st December 2012. 

Where would we be without chocolate? (Well, possibly slimmer maybe!)

It's a well-known mood lifter - in the Harry Potter books Harry was fed chocolate to get over encounters with the terrifying Dementors. 

White chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate.... chocolate doesn't just have to be sweet either - chilli chocolate can be used for cooking savoury dishes. (And here's a recipe for Mexican Chilli & Chocolate Cake.)

And of course, chocolate is often given as a gift to somebody for their birthday, as an aniversary present, to somebody convalescing after an illness ... And then there's Easter eggs! 

Next week 8-14th October is Chocolate Week 2012

If you're a bit of a chocoholic or enjoy cooking and following chocolate recipes then you're going to be having an indulgent time.

Visit the Chocolate Week Facebook page for news, offers, recipes and to see what's happening during Chocolate Week in your area.  You'll also be tempted by the Chocolate Week website.

Image via Chocolate Week Facebook page

With every year you are married, wedding anniversary meanings change.

Your first wedding anniversary gift is traditionally paper. More exciting than it sounds - because that could be a cheque or money (although in today's fast-growing cashless society this could change!). Or maybe a valuable first edition book.

When Do You Get A Ruby For Your Wedding Anniversary?

If you're a lover of sparkly things and bling, then things don't really start getting exciting until you've 25 years of marriage under your belt, when you can celebrate your silver wedding anniversary.  On your 30th, you could expect some pearls! 

Here's a list of wedding anniversary meanings and the traditional gifts that should accompany each special occasion. 

Forgetting a wedding anniversary is a rather a tired joke but it's no fun if it happens. Our reminder service at Silverstamp will make sure you'll never forget a card again.

We've an attractive selection of wedding anniversary cards for you to choose from - from a simple first wedding anniversary card through to a golden wedding anniversary memento. You could also personalise your cards with the name of your spouse or send an anniversary card to your parents. 

Browse through our beautiful illustrations ... in the meantime, how are you planning to celebrate your wedding anniversary? 

Just came across this on Pinterest.

It’s a fascinating chart showing the times of year when most children are born - the most common birthdates in fact.

As you can see, the months of July and September are most busy with newborn babies whilst January and April tend to be a bit quieter.

Famous birthdays in the September month include Beyonce and Hugh Grant  whilst Catherine Cambridge (Kate Middleton) and Hugh Grant are winter babies with birthdays in January.

Personalised birthday cards are wonderful to receive – and give a particular thrill to children when they recognise a card that’s been made just for them!

Have you noticed a clump of birthdays amongst your family or with your friends? Sometimes when life is busy it can be hard to remember to send a card to somebody.

Use our reminder greetings card service and you’ll never forget an important birthday or anniversary again.  When you register with us and send a personalised card, you can ask to be reminded of the event again. Record a digital signature and we’ll do everything for you – write the card, the message and post it to a UK address, all within the cost of the card. 

That’s particularly handy if you live outside of the UK and want to send birthday cards to relations and friends there.

We’re constantly adding to our portfolio of greetings cards so you’re sure to find something suitable for the person you have in mind.

Main image via Gizmodo.

We've teamed up with top wedding designers The Dessy Group to bring you a generous offer that's going to help you stretch your wedding budget a bit further. 

Until the end of December 2012 you can claim a 100% bonus on wedding stationery cards when you use the code SilverWB2, an exclusive offer to Wedbits readers, the Dessy blog. 

Cards You’ll Love

We sell Save The Date Cards, Wedding Invitations, Engagement Cards, Bridal Shower Cards, Wedding Thank You Cards and Acceptance Cards (as well as cards for birthdays, anniversaries, retirement, get well ….) The designs are contemporary and stylish and you can personalise your cards with your own photographs if you want to.

To take advantage of this offer, you’ll need to register with Silverstamp and deposit a minimum of £10 in your account. The company will then match your deposit so that you have double the money to spend – if you deposit £50, it will be matched with £50!

All cards are made from high quality 350gsm recycled card with stylish textured envelopes.

You’ll receive your cards via the post but if you’re pushed for time, you can even ask Silverstamp to send the cards out for you direct to the recipients with a personal message – you’ll just have to upload a digital signature. They’ll be posted to a UK address for you.

This offer also applies to e cards, in fact all the cards you’ll find on the Silverstamp site.  The company also offers a reminder service to automatically send out birthday and anniversary cards for you – so you need never forget an important date again.

If you visit the Silverstamp Facebook page or Pinterest board you can  share this offer with your friends and family. Have a look at the our Pinterest boards for inspirational photographs.

Terms & Conditions: One code per customer. Offer subject to availability and ends 31 December 2012. Customers will need to register with Silverstamp and deposit a minimum of £10. See website for further details. 

Moving abroad for a new job or opportunity is an exciting time but it can throw up its fair share of stress too. There are the practical considerations of leaving behind your life at home - making arrangements to rent a house, move or rehome pets, sell cars.

You may be putting your belongings into storage or taking them abroad with you, If you have children you'll need to find new schools and in your new environment you'll be wanting to find an area where like-minded people live near you, individuals you can strike up new friendships with, a place you will be safe and happy. 

Modern technology has done a lot to make communication a lot simpler. Gone are the days when you could only keep in touch with home via letters, faxes and expensive telephone calls. With Skype and e mail you can keep in touch for free, whenever you want to.

There are plenty of online resources to help you plan your life as an expat too and some excellent blogs to subscribe to, giving advice on living in particular countries, how to cope with children as an expat, working as an expat ...

I've rounded up five expat blogs I think you'll find useful ...

Expat Explorer

An excellent blog on offering tips to protect your family abroad and how to manage a long distance relationship. 

HSBC Expat Experience

Not strictly a blog but an incredibly useful site offering advice on the cost of living in your new country and banking arrangements. Also useful surveys on which country has been voted best in which to bring up children.

The Expat Hub

Another handy blog to subscribe to. Posts include features like '10 Things Every Expat Needs'. 

Expat Blog

With a particularly useful forum that you can use to ask questions and discover the experiences of those who have lived in a country before you. 

I Was An Expat Wife

The writer's expat days are over (for now) but she still has some useful things to say about being an expat.

Are there any blogs you've come across that you found useful for expats? If so, please visit our Facebook page and let us know about them. 

Free Greetings Cards For Expats

When you're living abroad, it can sometimes be difficult to find a suitable greetings card for a relative or friend back in England. That's where Silverstamp can help you - choose an attractive card online from our selection and we'll post it to a UK adddress for you.

You just need to download a digital signature and personalise the card in whichever way you wish.  And until 31st December 2012, when you deposit £10+ in your Silverstamp account we'll match it, so that you get to send cards free as well. It's an ideal way to send out your Christmas cards, which you can also personalise with a photograph if you wish.

Just use the code SilverFB2 when you checkout and we'll do the rest. Offer subject to availability, one code per customer, applies to all cards on the Silverstamp website, customers will need to register with Silverstamp and deposit a minimum £10 to qualify.

With the Silverstamp range of stylish and contemporary greetings cards you're sure to find some you love, whether you're looking to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, new baby announcements  - almost anything.

Becoming a grandparent for the first time is one of life’s special moments. Your relationship with your grandchildren will be quite different from the one you had with your own children – with its own joys and difficulties.

Here are 10 tips on how to be a good grandparent – and maintain a good relationship with your daughter, son or daughters and sons-in-law.

1. - You’ll probably want to see your new grandchild all the time but resist turning up or telephoning whenever you feel like it. The new parents need to spend time alone with their new baby so ask them what sort of help they want from you. However, on the birth of a second or third grandchild you could find that they are happy to let you take on more and more of the childcare!
2. - New mothers are often chronically short of sleep, so taking the new baby out for a walk in its pram to allow the parent an uninterrupted rest is a real kindness. Make sure you take the baby right away out of earshot – and try and stay out for a couple of hours. Take nappies, milk and whatever you’re going to need with you.
3. - Make sure you communicate how much you want to be involved so that you don’t feel left out or taken for granted.
4. - You might have to bite your tongue, but you really must not criticise either parent. You’re probably bursting to offer advice but it might be seen as interfering.
5. - However if your advice is asked on a particular topic, like feeding for example, feel free to give it but never comment on what the parents are doing.
6. - Don’t just turn up at the house saying ‘I was just in the area’. The couple have their own lives and friends. Always call first to see whether it is convenient for a visit or wait to be invited.
7. - If you are looking after the grandchildren, follow the instructions you’re given about naps, bedtime, feeding, food, watching television.
8. - Even if you think it, don't keep saying that the baby is just like your own son/daughter. Your son/daughter in-law will also want the child to resemble them!
9. - You might not like the clothes your grandchild wears but again, try not to say anything. Being a grandparent is sometimes an exercise in diplomacy!
10. - Make sure you use baby car seats and know how to fit them.

Silverstamp has some beautiful cards to send to new grandparents to celebrate their new role in life. New baby cards can also be personalised with a photograph of the newborn and will become a real memento!

All new baby and grandparents cards available from Silverstamp. 

As celebration cakes, cupcakes couldn't be more perfect! 

They're ideal for toddler parties, christenings, engagement parties, weddings, anniversary parties, retirements. 

Easy and inexpensive to make, cupcakes can be decorated simply with sprinkles and chocolate flakes or you can indulge your creativity with very detailed designs. 

It's National Cupcake Week at the moment, which runs from 17-23 September, so it's a great time to get baking and experimenting. Visit the website and you'll find videos, recipes, hints and tips to inspire you. 

Some of the recipes for cupcake are quite inspirational: Korma, Lime and Ginger - even Mojito. So you need to get baking.  If you're looking for baking equipment, Lakeland do an amazing selection of tins, wrappers, spoons - everything you'll need. 

In the meantime here's a recipe for the chocoholics amongst us! And if you'd like to learn how to make cupcakes like a professional there are plenty of classes around. Le Beau Cake runs classes from just one day to a five day masterclass session. 

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Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients:

• 100g plain flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 140g caster sugar
• 1.5tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 40g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 120ml whole milk
• 1 egg
• ¼tsp of vanilla extract

For the chocolate buttercream frosting:

• 600g icing sugar sifted
• 200g unsalted butter
• 80g cocoa powder
• 80ml whole milk

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) gas 3.
2. Put flour, cocoa, sugar and baking powder, salt and butter in a free-standing mixer with paddle attachment. Mix together until you have a sandy consistency. 
3. Whisk milk, egg and vanilla in a jug. Slowly pour half into the mixture, beat to combine and then turn the mixer up to high speed to get rid of any lumps.
4. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed and pour in the remaining mixture. Continue to mix for a couple of mins. Do not over mix.
5. Spoon mixture into the 12 cases and cook for 20 mins.
6. For the chocolate buttercream: Beat icing sugar, butter and cocoa powder together in a free-standing mixer on a medium speed. Turn down to a low speed and add milk gradually, once mixed turn up to a high speed again and beat for approx 5 mins and mixture is light and fluffy.
7. Use a piping bag and metal nozzle to pipe onto top of cooled cupcakes. 
8. Decorate with blueberries, edible gold stars and glitter. You could also try decorating these cupcakes with regal iced cut outs or lustre spray.

If you'd like to share your tips on cupcakes or post a photograph, visit us on our Facebook page. 

Recipe and image of chocolate cupcakes via Good To Know recipes.

Other image credits (from top). Le Beau Cake,  The Little House of Cupcakes

Becoming an expat is an exciting development.

It's an opportunity to explore a new culture face to face. Experience a different climate, travel, learn a language and of course, grow your career.

But expatriate living also throws up some challenges. You have to find somewhere to live, cope with losing your local support network, learn how to manage your day to day admin.

If you are single, your company may provide you with an apartment to live in. But if you're married with a family then you'll also most certainly want to find your own place in an area that suits you, where you can socialise and make new friends.

Expatriate children may also find it hard to adjust. They'll be moving to a new school and may be missing their old familiar home and friends. 

Keeping In Touch With Friends & Family

The Internet is a fantastic way of keeping communications open with those back home, with e mail and Skype giving us instant contact at any time of day.

Just sometimes though you may want to send birthday, anniversary and greetings cards.  If the post where you're living is unreliable you can use our postal service and send a personalised card via us. Just go onto our site, choose a card you like, add a digital signature and we'll post it for you. Alternatively you could send it as an e card. 

We can also set up a reminder service for you so that you'll never forget an important date again. 

Some Handy Expat Resources

You'll find some of the online expat forums invaluable when it comes to getting advice about an area you're going to live in and what to look out for. The Telegraph has an excellent expatriate online forum you might like to be looking at.

In the meantime have you got any tips about becoming an expat that you'd like to share with us? Leave a comment below or visit our Facebook page with your stories. 

Photo credit: Hong Kong skyline via Wikipedia. 

Billions of people around the globe will be glued on screen to watch the spectacular opening ceremony called ‘Enlightenment’. A young Miranda will take us through the ceremony beginning with the words from Shakespeare’s Tempest, ‘O wonder! How many goodly creatures there are here?’ It is also said that 11 athletes will be ‘flying’ in wheelchairs and amongst them is Britain’s greatest paralympian, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson. And the world of physics comes together with Professor Stephen Hawking who will be present in the ceremony. The Big Bang theory and the Large Hadron Collider, which claimed to discover a god particle, will also be a part of this amazing ceremony. Fans will also see artists like blind soprano Denise Leigh and Beverley Knight performing live with the air-plane display by the disabled pilots.

It was amazing to know that the London 2012 Paralympics is a first sell out event. Never were around 2 million tickets sold in its 52 years of Paralympics history. Some stats that I came across said that the 2012 Summer Paralympics event has already broken record of Athens (850,000 tickets) and Beijing (1.8 million tickets) Paralympics. As Lord Coe, chairman of the Olympics and Paralympics event says, ‘This is going to be an extraordinary moment for us.’

The fact that it is an 11-day event and the unprecedented support of people from all over the world just says that how perceptions are changing for the disabled. Lesser known sports like goalball too are becoming popular now, as Joe Dodson from GB goalball squad says, ‘It's a legacy that we hope will promote goalball to people, in the same way that the Olympics promoted some of the lesser-known sports.’ It is said that ‘inspiration is everywhere’ and a positive change in attitude of the people eventually leads to more provisions and funding for sports, more participation rate and more inspiration then ever before. I would personally like to wish good luck to all the athletes and thank them for inspiring us.     

That apart, cultural fairs, street acts and heritage walks are some of the activities that people generally look out for to enjoy long weekends. There are more fun activities like gardening, sea-side picnics, BBQ parties for spending quality time with friends and family. Adventurous trips can also be undertaken like kayaking, rock climbing, go-karting and yachting with kids. If your kids are pretty young, then one can always have fun with creative art and crafts like card-making, painting, origami and such all in the garden or in the outhouse! 

Many of the research papers say that kids today should be encouraged for outdoor play. A research by Dr Cathy Williams of Bristol University and Jez Guggenheim of Cardiff University states that kids who play outdoors have a little chance of short sightedness. Another study by Savlon states that 42% of children between the age group of 6-15 have never rolled down a hill!

Being fitness freaks, my wife and I instantly made up our mind to go cycling and enjoy nature trails. It’s a great way to play with kids and apart from the obvious physical and mental benefits; outdoor activities let us be one with the nature, helping in group-bonding, conservation and preservation of green spaces. So why miss this opportunity of becoming kids with kids? 

It was a neurosurgeon called Ludwig Guttmann, who encouraged people to use sports as a therapy to enhance their life, especially those who were injured in the Second World War. It was this encouragement that led 400 athletes from 23 countries to participate in the first Paralympics held in Rome in 1960, also known as the 9^th Stoke Mandeville games. Open for everyone and not just war veterans, the 1960 Paralympics included spinal injury as the only disability.

Today, the Paralympics organisation categorises the athletes into 6 disability criteria – amputee, cerebral palsy, wheelchair, visually impaired, or Les Autres category, meaning others. The 6^th category is intellectual disability and such participants are seen only in the exhibition events of the Paralympics Games.  Within the 6 levels, the participants are further segregated into groups, based on the level of impairment.

 From 400 athletes in 1960 to 4000 athletes in 2012 the Paralympics have come a long way. Countries around the globe are amazed at the participating spirit of the athletes and so is it that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced to introduce Para-Canoe and Para-Triathlon in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games. Paralympics is indeed a movement that states, ‘there are no limitations except those that we acknowledge.’ Good luck to all the participants.  

Nicola grew up watching Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson. Years of resistance from men folk and a severe back injury never stopped her from pursuing her dream. She created history by bagging the gold for the first ever woman’s boxing championship in Olympics.

After nearly giving up long jump for health reasons, Greg stood 10^th in the 2008 Olympics. But winning as they say is not important for an Olympian, competing is. Competing against M. Watt of Australia and W. Claye of America in the 2012 London Olympics was not an easy thing. After 48 long years, team GB won a gold for long jump, all thanks to Greg.

Mo changed his physical regime after a depressing failure in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. For 18 months, he practiced in the high Kenyan altitudes. Never had any Briton won a gold for 5,000m race let alone 10,000. But it was Mo’s determination that broke the barrier of Ethiopians, making him one of the proud Olympian of team GB.

A teenager from Wales, Jade Jones grabbed a gold in Taekwondo, an upcoming sport. It was not a cakewalk to beat the two times Chinese champion Hou Yuzhuo. But she did it and this sweet assassin won the game. And Oh! I almost forgot, can't let "lightning Bolt" out, but then, not much to say – he is just the greatest!"

The Spicy Closing Ceremony with the ‘Symphony of British Music’, the pop bands, street musicians captured the celebratory spirit and sportsmanship of the country. The Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 preview said, ' The games are not over as yet they shall continue.' I would like to congratulate and thank team GB for inspiring our coming generation. Well done team GB! 

Eid-ul-Fitr thus has no connection to any historical event or any cycle of seasonal change. In fact it’s an occasion to celebrate and thank Allah for everything that has been bestowed on beings. It is also believed that Eid-ul-Fitr increases Taqwa i.e. realization and self-awareness. So is it that the Muslims offer zakat or monetary help to the poor by offering 2.5% of their annual income as charity.

And it is not just charity, like other religions of the world Islam also teaches us compassion, peace, piety, love, mutual respect and more. These universal values inspire my non-Muslim Asian friends to take part in sadaqah al-fitr or charity given a day before the actual celebration. A donation of fruits, dates, rice, lentils and such is made so that the poor and underprivileged can celebrate with a good family meal.

 A quote that I came across beautifully captures the spirit of Eid, ‘Eid shouldn’t mark the end of Ramadan; it should be a new spiritual beginning’. A new beginning it is and our search for great Eid cards yielded some excellent creations of Eastern aesthetics and designs. Symbolism, colours and text came together in these cards and doubled the spirit and joy of festivities. Take a look at these Silverstamp cards, and wish all your family and friends Eid Mubarak.

The 1908 Olympics was marred by popular politics, fund crunch, scandals and what not! Poorly attended by 2,008 odd athletes and 37 women, the 1908 London Olympics started the formal ‘opening ceremony’. As soon as the ceremony started, the sportsmen realised that the flags of the participating countries (America and Sweden) were not included in the ‘parade of nations’ ceremony. The Finnish flag too was not displayed as it was ruled by the Tsarist Russia. A set of annoying incidents followed with the American, Swedish and Finnish protestations.

And this was just the beginning of all troubles. The disagreements over 400 meters race and the marathon on the final day led to further arguments between the American and the British team. Due to these controversies, it was decided that specific rules of sports should be laid down and judges that were formerly selected from the host country would be henceforth selected from all the participating nations. Winners in Olympics previously received diplomas and it was the 1908 London Olympics that became the first games to give out medals.

Since then the expectations, spirit and the traditions have all remained same, except the audiences. Be it the Olympic oath taking ceremony where fair play and justice is promised or the lighting of the cauldron ceremony, symbolising peace, purity of intentions and friendship amongst nations.

Anyway, back to this year’s Olympics. ‘The Isles of Wonder’ is the theme for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. The idyllic countryside will be created and showcased by Danny Boyle, inspired from Shakespeare’s Tempest along with legendary artists and bands like the Beatles, Handel, David Bowie and such providing musical support. The event promises to be spectacular, but what will make it more special is the underlying message of the Olympic Games — the celebration of friendship, sportsmanship, human spirit and human endeavour. As different nations come together to celebrate the Olympics, let us not forget that love and peace are the need of humanity.

Shirley’s art is a true reflection of how she looks at life and nature. Deep rooted in art since an early age, Shirley soon developed her own individualistic style. This style transforms acrylic paintings into unique perspectives as she expresses her creativity through forms and colours.

Various elements lend character to the landscapes. A vast shoreline serves as a backdrop for the symmetry of a church tower or lighthouse. A boat or sheep acts as the starting point for the viewer’s eye. All these are unified by the use of vibrant shades of blue, black, yellow and green.

What encourages Shirley to paint such beautiful landscapes? Perhaps it’s her hobbies – photography, kayaking and walking along the shores. As she says, ‘I am so fortunate to live in the beautiful County of Cornwall, surrounded by the sea, and with so many beautiful rivers and landscapes to take inspiration from.’

Shirley’s creations have a childlike innocence - they are so vibrant and positive. Estuaries and rivers, hills and moors, boats and beaches, trees and bushes, all narrate their own enchanting tale. Each of the idyllic landscapes livens up the spirit and makes them immediately likeable. Own a piece of this art for yourself or revel in the joy of gifting it to a special person!  

Creation of the Newmarket horse track in 1671, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1787 and the Football Association in 1863 showcased how important sport was for British culture.

But the modern statistics narrate a different story, ‘a third of 11-year-old children in England are categorised as overweight or obese.’ Another one states, ‘a quarter of adults (26% of both men and women) were obese, and 42% of men and 32% of women were overweight.’

We all know that lack of physical activity often leads to obesity and other physical and mental illnesses but I doubt if we are addressing these. Apart from a healthy body, any sport develops time management, direct thinking and co-ordination as well.  As the Olympic creed says, ‘The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.’

As the city gears up to host the 2012 London Olympics I wish that we start living the spirit of Olympics - citius altius fortius (faster, higher, stronger). Let us revive the glory of English sports and let us encourage our athletes by wishing them luck, promising to participate in the next county game :)

It is the end of term for the schools and it makes me quite nostalgic. I wonder how many of us ever realised, while at school, that teachers are not with us for just a particular term or year – they continue to be with us for decades through the values and ideals that we learnt from them.

I particularly remember an instance from high school when one of my teachers taught me something that shaped my approach towards a lot of things in life. I was going through a low phase after an argument with my best friend and my teacher being well aware of it, called to see me. She asked me to boil an egg and keep it in the bag until she gave me the permission to remove it.

Everyday, I would ask if I could remove the egg, but she persistently refused for a long time. After a week, the egg had started to stink and I had to throw it away. It was then that she said, “I had read it somewhere that worries and grudges if kept too long in the mind, lead to rotten thoughts and I wanted you to experience it.”  

I grew up and moved out of school, but those basic tenets and beliefs that my teacher had ingrained in me became stronger with the passing years. It is strange how a few exceptional gardeners can beautify our lives without even expecting any returns.

 And it is quite poignant to think that a little boy or girl who studies under a teacher, goes on to reach great heights in life – a doctor, a corporate honcho, an engineer, a banker – but you would find the teacher continuing to teach in the same class, and sometimes even in the same school, year after year, until retirement.

 Often, it is only much later in life that we ask ourselves – did we thank our teacher enough?

Don’t hesitate in expressing gratitude and trust me, these days, it is only a click away! Check out some amazing Thank You cards from Silverstamp @ http://www.silverstamp.co.uk/lots-more-1/keep-browsing/thank-you.html

Special occasions demand special attention as friends and family come together to celebrate this union and convey their wishes. Right from plans and budgets to caterers and stationeries - every little thing demands perfection. And the most important of them is a wedding invitation that stands out.

When planning a wedding card, creativity is an essential element. A collage of love letters, a few memorable pictures, and setting a colour scheme that reflects your relationship will add a personal touch to your wedding card.

The theme of your wedding is equally important. I mean, you really wouldn’t want your guests to turn up dressed in casuals when you’re actually celebrating a country-style wedding, do you? So base your wedding card on a theme…a picture of a cow certainly wouldn’t go amiss for a country invitation!

Take my friend’s case for example. Her tender love story was fraught with difficulties and it looked like they would never become one. The original verses and pastel hues of this couple’s wedding card spoke volumes about their love.

So you see how carefully chosen words and images can express beautiful love stories. All that you need is a little thought and a little effort. Silverstamp understands your needs, which is why we have introduced the finest illustrators, artists and photographers, who capture the true spirit of celebration - just for you. 

Our market research study on greeting cards gave us a cheerful result. We noticed that 14% of U.K. sends more than 25 greeting cards per year, which means that at least once a month we look out for general cards like get well soon, new-born, good luck and others.

These everyday cards need no occasion to convey emotions, as they are primarily given to inspire and encourage. Only a special card can remind the receiver that he/she is always remembered. We understand this and hence, we have introduced a new collection of humour cards created by great artists and illustrators like Christopher Boffoli, Graeme Bandeira, Anthony Todd, Kate Ewell and Des Brophy. To offer never-before-seen humour cards, we have also tied up with companies like Cremated Egg, Pigment Production and Polly Wells Publishing.

 One may obviously ask what makes humour cards special? It is the pun, sarcasm and wit of these cards that make them impressive and unforgettable, not to mention the feeling of light heartedness they spread.

I remember one of the lines that captured the essence of humour cards, ‘One may forget when one cried but one cannot forget who made them smile when they cried.’ Take a look at our humour cards that create precious memories for you and your loved ones.      

There are times when you learn for yourself, and then there are times when you learn for your kids. Learning for self may not be fun, learning for kids, always is enjoyable. 

I remember how fond I was of skiing as a child! I started at the age of 2 when I got my first pair of skies. I was not into competitive skiing initially; that came in much later. As a skier I was an all-rounder and I enjoyed cross-country skiing as well as down hill skiing. Interestingly, it was a combination of these two that attracted me the most, apart from the independence and thrill that this sport offered. I also started dog sledging at an early age. My dog(s) would pull the sledge, while I was getting towed on skies behind. This fast and furious sport demanded a strong physique and good balance and yes, being a dare-devil helped too. 

Far (father) played an instrumental role when it came to coaching and training. I participated in various competitions knowing that he would always be there to support me. From driving me around to training and feeding the dogs to cheering me when I approached the goal line, Far never let go an opportunity to be with me. We never missed a single event or a competition in a span of 3-4 years.

When my son Morgan started playing football, I made an attempt to teach him as much as possible even though football was never “my sport”. Since I wanted to be his strongest support I drove him to training and matches, just like my dad had done for me.

Life has indeed come a full circle, and I realise that the meaning of the term Father can never be defined and captured in mere words – even if you include coach, guide, trainer, competitor, hero and more in the wordlist.

It is this light-hearted humour that makes these illustrations so special, hence, making the perfect cards for someone who loves to laugh.

Bandeira loves the game of football and this is very evidently seen in several of his caricatures. They have also been featured in some popular sports magazines like Sky Sports. As a junior football coach and a fan of Middlesbrough Football Club, Bandeira rightly claims to be a ‘football obsessive’ man.

Graeme Bandeira is a master when it comes to stating the obvious and he does it in a funny, rather pun-ey way. While many consider Pun to be a 'low form of humour’, for most people it is a highly intelligent art form. It relies on word play, and that is what Graeme is gifted with! Add the liveliness of colours to the quirky illustrations, along with witty captions and you get to see a hilarious and amusing world of Bandeira where we all would love to live.

‘I dip a mapping pen into a bottle of ink and scribe without due care and attention! I have quite a spontaneous style.’ Now that is Graeme Bandeira for you. We are very proud to introduce our new collection of Humour cards, exclusively designed by the man himself!

We celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June. Officially, Father’s Day has no legendary connection whatsoever like that of Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. But it became popular after Sonora Smart Dodd of Unites States, thought of honouring fathers just like mothers.

So here’s a list that I came across and I wish to implement on, ‘how to celebrate Father’s Day’. Father’s Day is all about spending time with family and a day-time activity is a must.

Cleaning the garage ranks number one on the ‘to-do’ list. Snacks, drinks and music are added accompaniments, though I am happy with my beauty, Porsche ;)

If and only if, this does not happen one can think of clearing the garden and pruning the plants. This activity will surely allow us to spend quality time with our fathers.

Some fathers love adventure sports. Then why not consider swimming, canoeing, cycling or trekking? This needs his permission of course!

Time to become a family journalist and interview your own father. His school days, college years, first job, how and when he met mother…everything can be captured in a lovely family video.

The BBQ night can be exciting especially if father cooks his signature dish and I would personally wrap a wonderful day with a speech for my dearest father…

Its graduation time and I look back upon the days when I was getting my University degrees. Yes, I got two of them - the last one from AGSIM in Arizona in 1989.

University opens an altogether different chapter in life. Many think that University life is all about partying, long breaks and sleeping late. Yes, it was all of these, but there was one more thing to it. I discovered that every student had an idol - young, impressionable minds needed someone to admire and follow. Some emulated seniors and professors, while for others it was business tycoons and political leaders. Today, I wonder to what extent my peers became who they so badly wanted to be…

All through the student years, University life was a playing field for me. If competing with others was what my friends believed in, I struggled to compete with my own self. This became all the more challenging as the desire for perfection grew day by day.

I realized that perfection came from passion. Hence, I never took studies as a responsibility; I developed a passion for the subjects, which made them enjoyable and took a lot of pressure off.  I remember we had advanced classes only in the last semester; this meant that we had to work really hard. The course became more and more intense towards the end with so many exam schedules and score sheets to contend with. It was passion that kept me going.

Since then, I have always tried to bring in passion in whatever I do – new assignments, business projects, expansion plans or venture meetings, the key to make the dreams and desires come true is passion.

The University had a tradition of Thursday night clubbing at an unused hangar that had a lot of space outside. The University crowd never missed Thursday parties as this was the only time they got a break from the daily routine. It was a different matter that Friday was a self-study day. The party night before the Graduation was the last and the best that I ever attended at the hangar. We were excited and nostalgic at the same time - we were somewhere between the past, present and the future.

I carried those mixed emotions with me through the years as I continued to move further in my life. I still feel proud when I remember walking up and receiving my diploma as one of the first achievements in my life.   

Christopher through his ‘disparity’ recreates a perfect world where everything is under control unlike our own world where desire, dreams and passion overrule and override each and every law. After looking at the pictures, you initially do ‘feel good’ but the shock and drama that sinks in later, makes him a genius. His images, be it whimsical, romantic or humorous, express different thoughts of their own. As Christopher puts it, ‘these images look simple but can be tedious to set-up’. Christopher’s own efforts are seen in perfect lighting, depth-of-field and multiple set-ups, making each picture unique and lifelike.  

Christopher has named his disparity series ‘Big Appetites’. Along with food and miniature human figurines, the caption that he selects for each image makes them more appealing. He says, ‘Coming up with an interesting image is only half the battle - a caption that will make people smile is also a big part of my work.’ It is the caption that tells us that things are really not good though they appear to be. Captions make his pictures witty and outstanding.

His work has been displayed and published in several art galleries across 85 countries. The Seattle Art Museum Shop has been selling notecards with his images since December 2011 and more often than not, they have been selling out of his fantastic creations! Hence we thought of including his creations in our collection thereby changing the way people look at greeting cards. Christopher’s creations are modern, sophisticated and multicultural, perfect for everyday occasions and as a part of your collection.

Wonder how diverse and different materials create beauty? Collage is such an art form that has this versatility to assimilate the best of different elements - from modern to post-modern, and myth to lost lore.

Derived from a French word ‘coller’, collage means to glue. Collage has been a melting pot of different points of views, where dispersed emotions are glued together. Collage also is an experiment. 

Different expressions are experimented and tied in one and this is what collage as an art form stands for. It has no rules and no regulations, yet it is defined.

Who controls the ebb and the flow of collage? Neither the artist, nor the art, rather it is the material that defines a collage and makes it stand as one. 

This is what amazes me – how each individual image transforms itself to easily blend with the others, thereby completing an expression! Every image- a part of ‘tableau of emotions’, narrates a common story that can be read differently by different people.

I remember Motherwell’s lines, ‘Collage is part of a perpetual voyage of self-discovery and refinement – An intellectual “grand tour” through philosophies and civilizations whose thought and artifacts are distilled in the “tearingness” of original edges.’  

We therefore decided to have these beautiful collage cards in Silverstamp collection as these can be used for any occasion. We offer you the best of collage cards made of recycled paper.

Let your loved ones know how special they are! Gift them a collage card and make sure that you add your personal touch with a message.   

As these were the winter months, restaurants and eateries were generally closed in my town and to run away form the quietness, my friends and I would plan skiing trips. Now obviously, when you see lofty mountains, bathing in snow and mild sunshine, especially when the sun is up after months, an adventure trip is what strikes your mind first.  It used to be a beautiful sight – with the warm rays glistening on the snow clad mountains and transforming the morbid and dark landscape into a life-form. Appreciating the splendour of nature was not the only idea. We used to actually plan an entire day out - right from the pre-lunch games to evening past times! After a few hours of skiing, we would gather for a pre-packed lunch of sandwiches and hot chocolate. At times, we would also sit on a reindeer skin or lie down under a tree, peeling oranges. Those moments are so fresh that even as I write this, I can actually feel them – bliss was ours back then!

So much has changed, but I still believe that Easter celebrates victory of life over death and this is what spring symbolises too. A spectacular transition from dry gloomy winters to sunny yellow fields is indeed a time to celebrate and welcome this change.

Easter is also a time to find and treasure the little surprises of life, just like bunnies and eggs. Easter for me is this and much more! Hence, we have chosen cards that capture the true spirit of Easter for you. Share the love and spread the sunshine, Happy Easter!

Another woman in my life whom I greatly admire is my sister. She too is a strong woman, and raising two sons was definitely not easy. Her constant smile and positive attitude has always inspired me to do well in my own field. Even during the times of adversity she has fulfilled each duty with a dignified smile, becoming an idol for everyone around her. I have always been very close to her and have never seen anything that could stop her from being the wonderful woman she is.

Right now, I am very enthusiastic about my wife who is due to give birth in 5 weeks; I hope it’s a girl as I am personally fond of baby girls. She is equally excited and apprehensive about herself, the baby, the process of childbirth and what not!  Me? Well, I am mostly thinking about getting the baby's room ready (a new bed, dresser and wardrobe arrived today), clothes, diapers, stroller, toys and the list goes on for the things that need to be bought and put in place. I am trying to tell myself that a full night’s sleep will soon be a thing of the past, but it doesn’t seem to matter much considering, the little bundle of joy is soon to arrive!

My wife always said that she could never imagine what it would be like to be a mum. I guess no one really can. The amazing part is the change that I have seen in her from being a free soul to a soon-to-be-mother. From doing what she wanted to do - whenever, wherever – all her thoughts now revolve around the baby – ‘next month we have to do this because of the baby’, ‘we will have to postpone that trip’, ‘we must not forget to do that’ and so on…

It is great to observe and be a part of these magical maternal moments. I am happy because I know my wife will be a good mum. No, not just good but the best and I am sure that even when my child turns our age, she would think about her mother with the same fondness that I remember mine; that’s the beauty of motherhood, I believe. And for all the women out there, it never ceases to amaze me how sincerely they adapt themselves for a man, child, family and the society as a whole. I bow down to thee!

rtistic designs, illustrations, photographic prints and sketches are a different world where emotions are represented with a stroke of brush, and each picture truly speaks a thousand words. Art, like people, is undefined. If art is what appeals to you then the Art & Design section is just meant for you.

Different facets and different emotions rule the heart and so is it with art. Revel in your aesthetic senses - avant-garde, modernist or absurd - to let your creativity flow. Upload your own artwork and create your own personalised card. Receive accolades by sharing it with friends and relatives on Facebook.

We understand that at times you would wish to add that little warmth to the card by adding your sign to it. After choosing a special card, a personal handwritten signature makes a difference. Hence, we’ve come up with a ‘signature’ option that allows you to scan and upload your digital signature.

Sending a family card has always been a tradition and the ‘signature’ feature allows each family member to personally add their signs and convey their wishes. You can scan and upload up to 5 digital signatures, so mommies and grans, babies and dads; everyone gets a chance to include their signature with the wishes.

Communication and expression complete the emotion. A ‘live chat’ many times proves helpful and we love assisting our fans and followers. Get connected to our team executive for a one-to-one conversation on new arrivals, popular cards and more.  After all, Silverstamp symbolizes the power of expression.     

To ensure that you do not forget occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, baby showers and such, Silverstamp has some very friendly and effective reminder tools like an event calendar and import contact feature.

From a personal event like engagement or wedding to a global event like Valentine’s Day or Mothering Sunday, the event calendar remembers everything for you. Congratulating someone on passing a driving test or saying a simple thank you becomes much easier with this feature. So when you register with us you know that you are being assisted by a website that never forgets!

There’s more to it - if you like a card, select or favourite it for the next occasion. If you still think you are confused, you can always turn to your friends. Share the card on Facebook and take their opinions!   

For those of you with too many business and personal contacts on your list, an ‘import contact’ feature easily adds your contacts on the site directory. It is currently active on Yahoo and Gmail accounts with Hotmail to follow shortly. There is also a standard spreadsheet where you can fill the data or import addresses. If you have an unsorted list of contacts, we can format and organize the same. We make sure that you spread your warm wishes on each birthday and each anniversary.

A vast collection of our designer cards are sure to capture your heart. Let’s say you do not recollect the card you had sent to your mother-in-law last year and fear a goof up by resending the same one. Do not worry; our site will alert you about it! There are a lot more interesting things to explore, but we will talk about it later … till then happy greetings and happy sharing!

The month of February - the month of romance and love – seems to have arrived pretty soon and here I am with my pen and diary. I am still clueless as to what my wife is planning for me for Valentine’s or what I should be doing for her.  However, I am constantly travelling this year, spending very little time at home, and therefore it becomes all the more important for me to say the right things and do the right things for my wife on the Valentine’s Day.

Gifts, shopping, outing and dinner - these actually don’t need a special day. But to express the heartfelt feelings, to speak words that seldom surface and to just be there with her, beside her - this is the time to express it all with a flower, letter, card or just holding hands and walking with her.

With all the short texts and multimedia messages of the modern day, a card or a letter is still the most romantic gift any lover could gift. I had set out to send a personalized card to my wife. I never knew that choosing the right font would be so challenging a task till I had 20 different fonts in front of my eyes on silverstamp.co.uk and the task became all the more engrossing. It made me think a lot as to which font would best suit the lines that I had penned. After all, fonts, like people, do have a distinct personality of their own.

First, I chose the Victorian font as I felt women in particular like grand and lavish things. I might have been wrong but I always stand by my feelings rather than objective judgment when it comes to creativity. Flamboyant scrolls, skilled shading and floral curves added so much to the aesthetics of the font. I had almost decided to print my words with Victorian, when I chanced upon a font called Toddler.    

Why Toddler? Well, my wife is 7-months pregnant and I was sure that as a would-be mommy, she would like the cute letters that looked so innocent and adorable. Spaced out and yet complete in itself, Toddler touched my heart but ultimately it was the Mayfair font that conquered it.

Mayfair has its own trim and hairline traits. Used for wine labels, romance novels, chocolate boxes etc; it was something that helped me to finally make up my mind. The cursive strokes were so beautiful and endearing that I left Victorian and Toddler way, way behind and decided to let Mayfair express my feelings on the Valentine card.

Texts, mails, generic cards, wall to wall Facebook messages or a common Tweet, life has changed a long way since the time of Sir Henry Cole, a civil servant who commissioned the first commercial Christmas card. Electronic mediums are used today by people to express, greet and bid farewell. With the times, even cards have changed their definition. From handmade and handwritten cards to eco-friendly paper cards, from e-cards to animated cards, the expressions have changed but emotions, never! I remember Michael Jackson’s line, ‘The meaning of life is contained in every single expression of life. It is present in the infinity of forms and phenomena that exist in all of creation.’

No matter what the gifts were, people were always excited to read those special words written on the cards, a sign of remembrance and deep emotional connect. Around all corners of the world, cards and notes were exchanged to express emotions. No matter what the occasion was - birthday, pregnancy or sympathy - the words on the cards touched people’s hearts.

The trend of Business Greeting Cards followed wherein businessmen created personal greetings with the Company name and logo for business associates. Promotional cards, corporate cards and customized cards followed next. Exchanging business goodwill, thanking a client, appreciating a team became easy and convenient. 

Silverstamp believes in going the green way

Amidst the green bells came the first virtual card by Judith Donath at MIT Media Lab in 1994. The ethical consumerism was not very far and card manufacturers started using eco-friendly greeting cards by using recycled paper. It was tough to cope with the pressure of electronic cards and the go green brigade but Silverstamp has managed to make everyone happy including the environmentalists. Silverstamp uses an exclusive recycled paper in the majority of the cards and paper sourced from responsibly managed forests in the remaining cards. Our paper supplier uses wind power in the paper mill and our printing facilities are carbon neutral, thereby ensuring that we work towards preserving nature.

Asian festivals and beliefs have a close proximity to elements and nature. This is what entices me to delve deeper and discover anecdotes, legends and folklores that have a personal appeal. Chinese New Year, also known as Chinese Spring Festival is one such. A 15- day festival is celebrated to thank gods, ancestors, the heaven and the earth. The Chinese New Year of the Water Dragon begins on January 23, 2012. Fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, i.e. the Dragon symbolizes power, success and prosperity. Being all powerful yet unpredictable is what Dragon is all about. 

The deep rooted traditions that are still followed today are interesting indeed, like scaring the evil spirits by bursting the crackers and gifting red envelopes filled with money to the children and unmarried adults thereby ensuring that everyone prospers. The envelopes are mostly unsigned unlike the West as they have four character expressions with auspicious images of dragon or lotus. In addition, gold and silver paper money is offered to the gods for a prosperous year.

Exchanging greetings and blessing the young ones has always been an integral part of festivals. I miss my Chinese friends today who are at home welcoming the New Year. Gifts sometimes appear to be small when emotions rule the mind and yes now I feel that ‘a card claims a heart’ and it is for them that Silverstamp offers free Chinese New Year e-cards for two weeks so that everyone can wish their dear ones who reside far but are yet close to heart. May the legendary Dragon bring peace, luck and prosperity to all!

Mechanical mailers, common phone calls, mass text messages and derivative cards are received by people in some form or the other on daily basis. In fast and furious world seldom do people effectively communicate with each other. It is then that one needs a tool that can actually speak heart as well mind. A customized greeting card is one such effective communication tool.   

A customized card reflects finer aspects of one’s personality. A self-selected design, a handpicked image and heartfelt words on the card makes the card special. It definitely means that in a seminar, meeting, event or an occasion the presence of a recipient is undoubtedly important on a specific calendar date. Thus, a customized greeting card stands out in people’s eyes.

For a host inviting each and every guest, be it a business associate, friend or relative becomes a significant action. And this action when it gets its personal touch becomes an all-around expression. In addition, a customized greeting card also allows you to brand yourself or your company thereby bettering your position in the business world. 

Inviting a friend for a party or just congratulating your recipient, a customized card is an optimum solution for complete expression. Choosing an exact card by inserting precise text, creating an apt image, and presenting it at the right time is all that it takes to make a difference and to build stronger business and personal relationships! 

The GCA Greeting Card Market Report 2011 (twitter.com/#!/SilverstampUK) came out with interesting and heartening facts. It said that £ 1.39 billion were spent on single cards in 2011. An average person sends 31 cards to their loved ones and Christmas cards turn out to be the largest contributor. These and other facts reaffirm my faith that greeting cards in this social era are still an essential part of the British culture. 

Christmas cards hold a special place in my heart. I remember friends and relatives sending colourful cards to me when I was small. How delightful it was and it still is to receive a personal card from someone who still remembers you! The festive season evokes this expectation and emotions all the more. It encourages people to reach out, to come closer and build strong relationships. And relationships thrive on the expression of emotions.

The festive spirit of Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year strengthen Silverstamp’s resolve to provide better communication tools, be it quotes, images, graphics or designs on greeting cards.  Our words and images speak the highest language of emotions that touches not just one but a million hearts.

Happy Holidays!!