International Jazz Day — April 30
Presented each year in conjunction with Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, International Jazz Day is intended to emphasize jazz and its role in uniting people worldwide, highlight the power of jazz as a force for freedom and creativity, promote intercultural dialogue through respect and understanding, and unite people from all corners of the globe. Herbie Hancock, award winning jazz pianist and composer, is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Goodwill Ambassador. Born in the US, jazz has traveled the world as a music of tolerance, freedom and human dignity. It is widely acknowledged that New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz. President Barack Obama and First Lady Click to Read more… |
World Hemophilia Day – April 17
People with hemophilia have a lower level of a clotting factor and they can bleed longer than normal, sometimes causing life threatening complications. World Hemophilia Day is intended to draw attention to hemophilia, which impacts approximately 1 in 10,000 people, and other bleeding disorders, such as Von Willebrand disease, rare clotting factor deficiencies, and inherited platelet disorders. There are two types of hemophilia, each caused by a low level of a clotting factor. The more common is Hemophilia A and is caused by to low levels of clotting factor VIII (8). Hemophilia B is rare and is caused by too low levels of clotting factor IX (9). Prolonged bleeding is Click to Read more… |
National Siblings Day April 10
Siblings — you’ve gotta love’em, right? At least, that’s what your mom says. From late-night ghost stories to tattling to your mom when you got home late from a date, chances are you’ve had plenty of reasons over the years to have a love/hate relationship with your siblings. Who else has lived the same history, knows the same family stories, shares the same inside jokes… and can push our buttons every.single.time? Seventy-nine percent of people in the US have siblings. Started in 1997 and observed on April 10 every year, National Siblings Day is a celebration of our brothers and sisters. While it doesn’t describe everyone, many people are impacted Click to Read more… |
Happy April Fools’ Day!
April Fools’ Day, celebrated each year on April 1, is a day of practical jokes. It’s a day that some people look forward to, planning the hoaxes down to the last detail. But some people dread April Fools’ Day. These people are usually the victims of the jokesters! One of the first jokes children learn to pull is placing a rubber band around the lever that controls the kitchen sink sprayer, so that the victim is doused when they turn on the water. As this typically happens first thing in the morning as breakfast is being made, it serves as a forewarning of how the day is going to Click to Read more… |
Celebrating Easter
Easter, a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ after the Crucifixion, is Christianity’s most important holiday. Easter is a moveable holiday, celebrated in the West on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. Orthodox Christians typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches. In either case, Easter Mass is considered the most important service of the year. In the week before Easter, many families dye hard-boiled eggs with food coloring. These eggs are used for decoration or as part of the Easter egg hunt. Stores sell special kits for this purpose, or food coloring can be used. Easter Click to Read more… |
Stephanie Laird – February Challenge Winner
In February, Greeting Card Universe artists were issued a challenge. One of the artists to rise to that challenge was Stephanie Laird, whose card won first place! The name of the challenge was: The Race is On! The card front image and message had to speak to that theme. Please provide us with any social media sites you’re on. All Pet Cards Facebook Equine Photos and Links Facebook Stephanie on Pinterest Which of your favorite card in your storefront are your favorite? (Besides the winning card). What was your inspiration for your winning card? Please walk us through the process of how this card went Click to Read more… |
Jumping for Joy over Leap Year!
Leap years are necessary in order to keep our calendar in line with the Earth’s revolutions. Without leap year, we would lose 6 hours every year. Leap Year happens on those years that are evenly divided by 4, but not if the year can be evenly divided by 100. A person’s whose birthday is on February 29 is called a “leapling”. It’s a special day with opportunities for making it fun and different than other birthdays! Only 1 person in 1,461 is born on leap year, which makes leaplings unique. Most leap year babies celebrate their birthday on non-leap years on February 28, in order to keep “loyal” to a Click to Read more… |
Ron Magnes, Best of 2015 Winner
Greeting Card Universe artists were invited to submit their best 2015 work. Ron Magnes is the winner. Congrats to Ron from all of us at Greeting Card Universe! Please list any of your professional social media sites: Ron Magnes’ Website Ron Magnes on Fine Art America Ron Magnes at Linkedin Which are your 3 favorite cards? Your winning card is very funny. What was your inspiration? Please walk us through the process of how this card went from an idea to a greeting card. “The Ultimate Man Tool” is just a spoof on those type of ads and infomercials that claim, “this is the ultimate Click to Read more… |
The Joy of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day, that day of love and care, is celebrated February 14. According to the Greeting Card Association, Americans send out 145 million Valentine’s Day cards each year. This doesn’t include the classroom Valentines exchanged in schools. Originally celebrated as a liturgical celebration of one of the Christian saints named Valentinus, by the 18th-Century, Valentine’s Day had evolved into a day for expressions of love. The oldest paper Valentine’s Day card is from the 1400s and is in the British Museum. Commercially printed Valentine’s Day cards became available in the 1800s. Second only to Christmas cards in the US, Valentine’s Day cards have grown in popularity ever since. Along with Click to Read more… |
Groundhog Day – February 2
The wish for a shorter winter lives strong in the hearts of many people, some years more than others. Cold, wind, snow, shoveling, wet mittens, winter boots … at one point or another, most of us call “Uncle”. Common sense or not, we pin our hopes on Groundhog Day. No matter where we live, by February 2, most of us are hoping against hope that Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow, thereby shortening our winter by six weeks. Groundhog Day happens at the midway point between winter solstice and spring equinox and may have originally been based on the Christian celebration of Candlemas Day, as a traditional old English Click to Read more… |
