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Important last posting dates Christmas 2021

last posting dates

Here are some important dates for your festive calendar including the last posting dates for Christmas 2021

Advent Friday (Nov 26th)

Advent Friday is the last Friday to post your advent calendars.

It’s also the last day to order any advent calendars from Cards and Gift Wrap to arrive in time for Dec 1st. Remember you can always send them direct to the recipient and if you’d like me to include a message I can do that for no extra cost, just ask.

Rockin Robins Advent Calendar

Festive Friday (Dec 3rd)

Festive Friday is traditionally the day that businesses and many individuals write or post their Christmas cards.

The great thing about writing your cards on this day is :

  • you can tick it off your list
  • share the experience with thousands of others around the country
  • no worries about cards arriving in the post after Christmas, well before last posting dates for the UK
Christmas Wishes Christmas card box set

You can get beautiful Christmas cards here and even Christmas stamps to go with them!

Send a Letter to Santa and get a reply! (Dec 10th)

Here is a message from Santa via Royal Mail:

Dear Children,

Are you looking forward to Christmas this year? I certainly am! Christmas is a very exciting but busy time for me.

  • The elves are busy making toys
  • The reindeer are practising their sleigh runs
  • And I’m busy preparing my list of who’s been good.

I will be getting my sleigh ready for the long journey on Christmas Eve. In between I will try and reply to as many of you as possible.

Please send your letters to:
Santa/Father Christmas
Santa’s Grotto
Reindeerland
XM4 5HQ

If you’d like a reply – post your letter before Friday December 10th 2021

Royal Mail last posting dates (Dec 18th onwards)

Here are the last posting dates for mail within the UK:

Friday 17 DecemberRoyal Mail Bulk Mail Economy
Saturday 18 December2nd Class
2nd Class Signed For
Royal Mail 48®
Tuesday 21 December1st Class
1st Class Signed For
Royal Mail 24®
Royal Mail Tracked 48®**
Wednesday 22 DecemberRoyal Mail Tracked 24®**
Thursday 23 DecemberSpecial Delivery Guaranteed®

For International last posting dates visit Royalmail.com

Cards and Gift Wrap last order date for Christmas and New Year (Dec 22nd)

My last day in the workshop will be 22nd December and then I will be closed after that until the New Year.

Cards and Gift Wrap reopening in 2022 (Jan 6th)

I will be back in the workshop on the 6th January 2022 with news of new cards and full of exciting ideas and plans for the year ahead!

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Flamingo Paperie Review

flamingo paperie review

If you’ve heard of Flamingo Paperie but aren’t sure what it’s all about then you might find this answers some of your questions. Flamingo Paperie is still a relatively new company, which rose out of the ashes of Phoenix Trading. It’s about to enter its busy period with the Christmas range launching late August. Now is possibly the best time to join and reap those rewards. But you might be wondering how it all works. Whether it could work for you and possibly even who or what is Flamingo? Well here’s my Flamingo Paperie review after 6 months being an Independent Flamingo Partner with the new company.

Who or What is Flamingo Paperie?

Perhaps you haven’t even heard of Flamingo Paperie and that wouldn’t be surprising as the company only launched in February 2018. You might have heard of its predecessor Phoenix Trading. Flamingo is a different company with a new focus but it comes built on 22 years of Phoenix Trading with many of the same staff and independent Partners. Flamingo is a British greeting card company specialising in exclusively illustrated greeting cards, gift wrap and stationery. I’m proud to be part of a company with a strong ethical and charitable vision. All Flamingo’s cards are ethically printed in the UK, using FSC card and vegetable based inks and all our Christmas cards are charity cards. The design team are passionate about supporting and promoting the illustrators and artists who create the designs (I’ve met the design team, their passion really shines through them when you talk to them).

Alison Hullyer Flamingo Paperie artist

Who am I and what do I know about Flamingo?

Flamingo don’t sell through shops, at least not in the UK (it’s slightly different in Australia and New Zealand). Their fabulous cards can only be purchased through an Independent Partner, which is what I am. I was a Phoenix Trader from 2012 until they closed and have been a Flamingo Partner since they launched in February. I’m an Executive Partner, which means I support a team of my own and their teams too. At the last check I was the top sponsor, which means I have added more people to my team than any other Partner in the business since February. I have a team from Shetland to the Channel Islands and in France. I love sending cards and I’m a complete stationery addict! This is my personal Flamingo Paperie review from my experience.

How does Flamingo ‘work’?

There are prinicipally three ways to earn money as a Flamingo Partner. You can buy and sell stock to friends, colleagues, relatives, at craft fairs, pop up shops and more. You buy stock at 30% off the retail price but you do pay delivery on all your orders (£6 max). It is possible to sell without buying any stock. You can do this by directing people to your personalised website. Here the company ships all the orders direct to your customer and you get 20% profit. The other way to earn is by building a team of Partners who you support, with the help of your upline Executive Partner. E.g. if you joined my team and someone joined your team then I would support both you and your team member in your businesses. When your team sell you earn a commission from the company depending on how much you sell and they sell etc. If you would like the details of how this works exactly just ask.

Flamingo Paperie review of the good stuff so far?

I live in the Outer Hebrides and pay the same delivery on all my orders as everyone else in the UK. It means we all have the same opportunity.

The quality of the cards and gift wrap is outstanding. Phoenix were reknown for their high quality affordable cards and gift wrap. I think the designs and quality that Flamingo now have are even better. The gift wrap always had a reputation for being quality and ‘unrippable’. Now it’s even thicker with Flamingo than it was with Phoenix. It still has the same invaluable cutting grid lines on the back. This helps to make gift wrapping a pleasure not a chore.

Everyone gets a personalised website as standard. This is simpler because we all get the same but it’s included in the starter pack cost and everyone has the same opportunity to sell online if they want to.

We have a narrower range than we had with Phoenix. This gives the company more focus on what they do and doing it really well.

The ‘team’ feeling is outstanding. The mutual support that most Partners give each other in Flamingo is something I’ve not seen anywhere else. Given that we earn commision on our own teams and not on other people’s you’d understand if it was all a bit cliquey but it’s not. I’ve had support from other teams. I also have quite a few Partners who have asked to receive my team emails and be part of my Facebook team support group. In the long run if we support each other we all grow as the company grows.

30% profit is a really good rate. I find it pretty easy to reach a monthly level of sales where I earn a further 10% on my bonus sales volume.

There are no targets that have to be met or sales levels that have to be achieved. There are rewards for selling and growing a team but it’s up to each Partner to decide what they want to achieve.

What could be better about Flamingo Paperie?

We have a narrower range than we had with Phoenix. Wait a minute, I said that before!? Well while I think it’s a good thing on the whole there are products that I loved that we don’t do now. So I have supplemented my business with colouring in tablecloths from Eggnogg and gift wrapping accessories from British wholesale companies like Deva Designs alongwith designing my own inspirational stationery.

Brand awareness. This is my personal opinion only. I think the company could do more to promote the name and range of Flamingo Paperie. They believe it’s up to us as Partners. I think it’s a joint venture. Without the company using their clout to get us ‘out there’ we are struggling. Too many people have never heard of us.

Social media. I have nearly 1800 followers on Facebook, 3000 on Twitter and 500 on Instagram. As far as I know I’m the Flamingo Partner with the biggest social media following. But I’ve done most of that myself and it’s hard work. Other direct selling companies I know produce a library of images and suggested posts for their Partners to use. We have access to all the stock images. I’d like to see more of the creative eye catching images that work well on social media produced by the company. What is great is how Partners who create their own images and posts are willing to share them with other Partners. The ‘team’ feeling, which I mentioned before, that exists in Flamingo is priceless.

How could Flamingo work for me?

Do you love cards?

Alison Vickery art on etsy
Alison Vickery, Flamingo artist, signed prints on Etsy

If you love cards and/or gift wrapping and/or stationery then by becoming a Flamingo Partner you will have direct access to Flamingo products you will love.

Do you know other people who love cards?

If you know other people who also love cards then you could make some money selling your Flamingo cards to them. There is no doubt that Christmas is the most lucrative time of the year for this especially with our traditional advent calendars. If you haven’t seen our advent calendars before and you love Christmas then you are missing a treat! Selling your Flamingo cards could make you some nice spending money.

Do you fundraise a lot?

Do you support a local charity or are you involved in a local community group? You could direct people to your online website and donate your 20% to whatever cause you are passionate about without having to handle any stock.

Do you want to make money?

If you want to make serious money with Flamingo then you’re going to have to work very hard. You will need to build a team. There is only so much you can sell. Growing a team is like opening new shops to sell to people you can’t get to. This takes time.

Do you have another selling business that needs a little boost?

If you have another business then I seriously suggest that cards and gift wrap will go very nicely hand in hand with almost anything else. If you sell books, chances are they are often bought for gifts. So why not sell the gift wrap and card to go with them. If you sell skincare, jewellery, candles, cosmetics, chances are there are gifts in there too. Your customers will need wrapping paper! Whatever you already sell, or whoever you sell to, everyone knows someone who has a birthday!

Want to know more?

If you think that Flamingo could fit in to your life, your passion, your business then let’s brainstorm together to make it work for you. Ask me for more information or for me to give you a call.

What’s really good about Flamingo is that it’s totally flexible. Every Flamingo Partner runs their own business their way. Join today and start writing your Flamingo Paperie review story.

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Fundraising

fundraising

Want to know how you can do some fundraising with Flamingo Paperie? Well here are a few ideas to help you raise money for your good cause.

Fundraising with Flamingo Paperie

Become an Independent Flamingo Paperie Partner

Some of my team joined Flamingo Paperie purely to support their fundraising. My mum is one example! She joined Phoenix Trading initially, to raise money for her local Macmillan Cancer Support Committee. She’s given them about £2-300 each year for the past few years. You could do this too. You buy everything at 70% of retail price so I suggest that you can allow for brochures and courier charges on your orders and safely donate 20% of all your sales to your chosen charity.

Be a Fundraising Fairy

If you don’t want to join the team but you like the idea of collecting a few orders and raising funds then become a Fundraising Fairy. I will send you as many brochures as you need and samples where possible. You then show those samples and share out the brochures and collect the orders and money. You don’t have to do it alone. Perhaps your whole organising committe could collect 5 orders each? Send me a list of the orders and 80% of the retail price. Keep 20% for your charity and I’ll get the orders delivered direct to you to hand out.

Buy our Christmas cards

ALL our Christmas cards are charity cards, even our advent calendar cards. So buy our cards and you’ll be supporting charities via the Phoenix International Charity. Our cards support both national and local charities. Our Independent Flamingo Partners, like me, nominate the local charities each year.

If you have other ideas how I can help you raise money then please ask. I love supporting charities and it’s one of the reasons I became an Independent Flamingo Paperie Partner.

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Why I send Christmas cards

I have to say that contrary to the popular phrase, ‘No one sends Christmas cards anymore’ I think most of my friends and family do. So, I wanted to add a little post about why I send Christmas cards.

1 People like receiving Christmas cards

When all we get through the letterbox these days is junk mail and bills, we all love it at Christmas time when there’s a heap of cards from the postman. It certainly cheers me up when a few cards fall on the door mat. My children equally love to be able to open lots of mail.

2 It’s an opportunity to catch upadvent-calendar-cards2

I’m not the best at keeping in touch with friends and family. While Facebook and the like are good for these things, it is so much nicer to receive a hand written note.

3 It’s fun choosing the right card

There are so many great cards out there. Of course taking the time to hand make a card is extra special but if time doesn’t allow that there are so many lovely Christmas cards available. My favourite are our advent calendar cards as these are just that little bit different.

4 Cards help decorate the home

Glitter, sparkles and pop out bits. Beautiful flowers, snow scenes and nativity stables. All these help to make the home festive and welcoming at Christmas.

5 Christmas cards make someone feel special

Finally, I think, Christmas cards show someone they are important. The fact you’ve taken time out of your busy life to think of them and write a card speaks volumes in someone’s life.

Take time to send a few cards and help someone know they are special to you.

What was the most memorable Christmas card you received? Let us know in the comments.

ALL our Christmas Cards are charity cards!

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Christmas Note Cards

Snowmen thank you christmas note cards

While everyone seems to hate writing them, we all know it is important to say ‘Thank you’ after Christmas. After all it’s the least you can do when someone has taken the time to choose, wrap and send a present. So here are some Christmas note cards so delightful that they make the job a little more enjoyable.

Bestselling Christmas note cards 2016

Snowmen thank you notecardsOur snowmen Christmas design has been popular every year we’ve had it and not surprisingly these Snowmen Christmas thank you note cards are our bestselling note card and envelope sets this Christmas. In fact they were so popular that they have now sadly sold out!

Christmas Trees notecardsHowever, the next favourite designs, our Christmas Trees are still available. These would make lovely thank you note cards or just nice cards to put a few catch up sentences on to go in with a Christmas card.

Our Rudolph note card packs are still available too and I do think these are very cute though they could be used by any age.

Rudolph notecards

 

 

 

 

If you prefer paper to note cards then you will love these snowmen notepaper and envelope sets. Snowmen notepaper Christmas sets

Christmas TreeAs well as note card and envelope sets we also have charity Christmas cards. All our Christmas cards support various charities via the Phoenix International Charity. This includes my own nominated local charity, Hebrides Alpha Supported Housing here in the Outer Hebrides.

Our luxury, exclusive cards are available for sale via my online shop.

Have you seen our traditional advent calendars?

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Donkeys, Hedgehogs and Christmas Trees

September Phoenix Christmas cards bestsellers

Our top charity bestselling Christmas cards in October, so far are My Christmas Friend, Little Donkey and Snowman and Robin.My Christmas Friend bestselling Christmas cards Little Donkey bestselling Christmas cards snowman and robin

All our Christmas cards support various charities via the Phoenix International Charity. Our cards support three main charities; Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research and Together for Short Lives. Flamingo Paperie Partners nominate all the other charities. If you’d like to see your charity nominated then all you need to do is a fundraising event with me.

Our luxury, exclusive bestselling Christmas cards are for sale here and in my Flamingo Paperie shop.

Have you seen our traditional advent calendars? Our advent calendar cards are also charity cards!

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Personalised Christmas Cards

personalised greeting cards

Personalised greeting cards might save you time but there’s nothing quite like a handwritten card.

Our personalised greeting cards service has finished but you could use our Christmas cards to impact your customers with a stunning festive illustration that stands out from the crowd.

 

dove christmas cards Merry Christmas Baubles little donkey christmas cards Christmas Bauble XC002 corporate Christmas cards

10 Reasons to send an actual Christmas card

If you would like to see some samples first just ask and I’ll be happy to send you some.

Perhaps you have a business that could use every day cards too? E.g. how about sending ‘New Home’ cards to your customers if you’re an estate agent, or ‘Sympathy’ cards when people lose their pets if you’re a vet.

Sending a greeting card to your customers with a handwritten note makes an overwhelming positive statement. Boost your image by making it personal and send our exclusively illustrated cards to your clients today.

Increase Your Business By Sending Business Greeting Cards

 

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Charity Christmas Cards Supporting Local Charity

The Nativity Stable Phoenix Trading Charity Christmas Cards

I am proud to make a donation each year from a proportion of all Christmas cards sold to Western Isles Cancer Care Initiative (WICCI). A minimum of 10% is donated each year. Throughout the year I also support WICCI supplying them with stickers, paper tape and stationery items for their fabulous rainbow care boxes.

I also attend local craft fairs in the run up to Christmas and there is usually a fee or percentage donation from these sale to local charities and organisations.

Past Christmas donations

Every year Flamingo Paperie donated 1p for each of its charity Christmas cards it produced via the Phoenix International Charity. This in turn supported Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer ResearchTogether for Short Lives and lots of local charities that we Flamingo Paperie Partners got to nominate.

In 2016 my nominated charity Hebrides Alpha Project received £150 from the Phoenix International Charity. The Hebrides Alpha Houseing project provides supported accommodation for people recovering from alcohol, drug, mental health or crimal justice related issues.

Over the past few years Laxdale Cubs and Beavers invited me several times to help them raise money for their nominated charities. Because of this, I thought it was time to give them something in return. So I nominated them as my local charity for 2017. I’ve already donated £100 from your Christmas card orders this year.

I was also really privileged in early December 2017 to support a coffee afternoon in memory of a family friend. From Christmas card sales that afternoon I gave £50 towards Cancer Research UK.

snowman and hedgehog honor ayresFlamingo Paperie charity Christmas cards – look good, are good and do good!

Click here to buy your cards now and support some great causes.

The 1p donation by Flamingo Paperie was unusual for card publishers. This is not the same as the usual charity donation on Christmas cards that retailers give. Flamingo Paperie are effectively the wholesaler in this case. It’s unusual for a wholesaler to make a charity donation on cards.

If you’d like to know why sending Christmas cards is a good idea then you might like 10 Reasons to send an actual Christmas card

Are you a business owner? If so then you might be interested in how to Increase Your Business By Sending Business Greeting Cards

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Increase Your Business By Sending Business Greeting Cards

Thank you, greeting card, Phoenix Trading business thank you cards

Found this great article about why sending ‘holiday’ cards is great for business but I think there is far more potential than just Christmas cards. So I’ve added in my own suggestions of what cards businesses could send. Do you have any other ideas – I’d love to hear them. Business thank you cards are the obvious ones but what others could you use?

Business thank you cards

Thank you, greeting card, Phoenix Trading
Use a card to say thank you for your order

Inspire your employees

Follow your dreams Phoenix Trading cards
Encourage and inspire your employees

Let them know you’re thinking about them

Sympathy, thinking of you, Phoenix Trading, greeting card
Send a sympathy card to your customer

Business specific cards

card 'Birdhouse and Blossoms' (code: WS420)
Estate agents? Send each buyer off with their first ‘new home’ card

Congratulate them

birthday candles, phoenix trading, greeting cards
Of course the ‘happy birthday’ card to clients or employees

With compliments

beach huts, phoenix trading, greeting card
Why not use a beautifully illustrated card as a ‘compliment slip’?

There are many different kinds of businesses available to the consumer today. Customers can choose who they want to do business with and with more businesses opening daily, and the explosion of internet businesses, customers are looking for the best places to do business with. Never before has it been more important to try and keep the clients your business currently has.

The number one reason customers will tell you that they want is good service. They want to feel as though the business cares whether or not they choose their service. In order to keep the clients you have and build new clients you need to keep the customers feeling important.

Business greeting cards are an excellent way to let your clients know that you appreciate their business and welcome their return. During the holidays more and more businesses are sending greeting cards. Most customers will welcome the little surprise as long as some general rules are followed.

First of all it is very important to have current information on the customer such as address and name. A business that sends a greeting card with good intentions to the wrong address or with a misspelled name will come off as impersonal and pushy.

Secondly it is imperative that the greeting cards are kept with a neutral tone, so as not to offend. However there are exceptions to the rule, if a business chooses to stand by their religion choice and is willing to risk losing a customer, then a religious card is acceptable.

Finally the most important part of sending a holiday greeting card to a customer is to have the head of the company sign the cards personally. This is the only way to ensure the client feels touched by the company’s awareness and compassion. An unsigned card will be the same as a flyer in the mail.

Holiday greeting cards sent out by businesses are an excellent way to remind the client that you are it for them, even if they don’t require your services at present time, the card will ensure they will return when they need your services next time.

The personal greeting cards are just that, personal. Customers want to feel as though you need and want their business. The customer also wants to feel as though they are important to your business.

Another benefit to holiday greeting cards are they serve as a type of reminder notice, reminding clients of the need to make a return appointment or a servicing due on a vehicle. The client will be more likely to pick up the phone and request your business after they receive a personal greeting. Keeping the camaraderie going between client and business will pay back when they return and have told others that you remembered them during the holidays.

via Increase Your Business By Sending Business Greeting Cards

PS – If you have an idea of what sort of card your business, or a business you know, could send, I’d love to hear it. It’s not just about business thank you cards.

If you like this you might like 10 reasons to send Christmas cards

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10 Reasons to send Christmas cards

10 Reasons to send Christmas cards handwritten Christmas cards

We keep hearing that no one does send Christmas cards anymore. Depending on which survey you read you might think sales of Christmas cards are on the increase or they’re doomed. Well I’m not sure what to believe there but I do believe that sending cards is a great thing to do at any time of the year and Christmas is a good time to do it.

Why send Christmas Cards?

A survey by Traidcraft found that people do still send Christmas cards and there are lots of good reasons why.

Traidcraft drew up the cartoon strip below after their survey in 2015. The 2016 showed that even more people (84% compared to 77%) in that year said they preferred to receive a hand written Christmas card.

10 Reasons to send handwritten Christmas cards

What Traidcraft and Dr John Sentamu had to say about sending cards

“What is even better is that when you buy a charity Christmas card, the benefit is multiplied. You’re not only showing friends and family you care, but you’re also supporting organisations such as Traidcraft to continue their life-changing work. It’s heartening to see that even in this social media age, charity Christmas cards are a win-win way of spreading festive cheer.”

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, a keen social media user, is lending his support to the organisation’s call for people to put pen to paper and send personal, handwritten charity cards to their friends and family this Christmas, rather than relying on social media messaging.

Dr Sentamu said: “Perhaps more than any other time of the year, Christmas is a time when everyone should feel connected, loved and enjoy a sense of belonging.

“While social media and text messaging are great and convenient ways to stay in touch with friends and family, handwritten Christmas cards really are the best way to show someone that you’ve taken the time to think of them at this special time of year.

“Sending a Christmas card is a simple act, but it really shows you care, bringing a feeling of goodwill perfect for the season to all who receive them.”

What more do I need to say?!

Buy yours now! (and they’re all charity cards)

Increase Your Business By Sending Business Greeting Cards

Do you send 250?