Hallmark and Twitter Create a Birthday Card Fit for a Queen

When it comes to the Queen’s birthday, no ordinary card will do – which is why the greetings card and gift specialist Hallmark called upon Royal Family-adoring Twitter users to help create a birthday card that’s nothing short of majestic!

We asked Twitter users to share with us their favourite memory of the Queen from her sixty-year reign, using the dedicated hashtag #HappyBirthdayMaam. The most original responses were then printed onto a giant birthday card designed by Hallmark, which was hand-delivered to Buckingham Palace, just in time for the Queen’s 87th birthday on April 21st.

Many fond memories of the Queen were shared by Twitter users, including her admirable poise in spite of the rain during her Diamond Jubilee flotilla, her annual Christmas speech, and of course her many appearances with her beloved Royal Corgis. However, the nation’s favourite memory of Her Royal Majesty by far was her cameo appearance in the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, which saw her being collected from Buckingham Palace by James Bond, before appearing to parachute out of a helicopter into the Olympic Stadium!

Majestic Memories

It was clear from the hundreds of Tweets about the Queen that she has a place in all of our hearts, and it was an honour for Hallmark.co.uk to create this fantastic birthday card for such a special occasion. Even the card design itself is an allusion to Her Royal Majesty, as the chosen Tweets have been arranged to form the iconic silhouette of the Queen that we will all recognise from postage stamps.

Tamsyn Johnston Hughes, PR and Social Media Manager at Hallmark, said: “Bringing the tradition of sending a birthday card together with the modern phenomenon of Tweeting to reveal the nation’s favourite memories of the Queen was a really exciting project.

“Whilst Twitter brings people closer to the things they love, and you can’t get closer to the Queen than the gates of Buckingham Palace, there’s no replacement for a tangible card when it comes to showing how much you care. We’re thrilled with how the card looks and we hope that Her Royal Majesty likes it too!”

 

 

 

 

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April
19

Valentine’s ideas for those with hectic schedules

Our busy lifestyles can really take a toll on how much time we can commit to spending with our loved ones, which is understandable if you work and have a family to look after. But, there is one day where we should make an extra special effort to spend quality time with the special man or woman in our life; Valentine’s Day.

Just because it’s Valentine’s Day, doesn’t mean that things can stand still. We still have to go to work, do the school run and keep up with our other chores, so that’s why MoneySupermarket has put together this guide to make sure you can still appreciate the day of love while keeping up with your busy schedule.

Get up early for a romantic breakfast

With Valentine’s Day being on a weekday this year, you have to look to make extra time to celebrate it. Set the alarm clock for an hour earlier than normal and make your other half a special breakfast in bed.

Cook them up some pancakes with their favourite sauce and some fresh strawberries to sprinkle over the top. Alternatively, prepare their normal breakfast but add a fresh red rose to the tray with a small box of chocolates as an accompaniment.

Meet up for lunch

When you imagine a Valentine’s meal, most people would imagine it to be at night, by candlelight in the middle of a packed restaurant. Why not make the most of your dinner hour by meeting for lunch? If you don’t have much time at night, this could be the perfect compromise; and you may save a bit of cash by not going for the special Valentine’s Day menus that are likely to start at night time.

Walk the dog together

For couples with dogs, take a romantic walk. You’ll more than likely have some time pencilled into your diary for walking the dog anyway, so get your walking boots on and take a more scenic route before sundown. Walking is a great opportunity to get away from the house and can be very romantic if you choose the right route. The dog will love you for it too! And if you don’t have a dog, go for a romantic walk anyway. It’s one of the cheapest choices for a Valentine’s Day treat.

Spend some quality time as a family

Valentine’s Day doesn’t just mean spending quality time as a couple. It’s also a great opportunity to spend some time with the whole family. Make a night of it by playing board games, cooking a special sit down dinner or even going bowling or to the cinema. This way the whole family can benefit from Valentine’s Day, instead of just mum and dad.

Get a takeaway

Instead of paying over the odds for a meal at a restaurant on the most expensive night of the year, or slaving over the cooker to prepare a nice meal, why not treat yourself to a takeaway? Choose your partner’s favourite cuisine and go and pick up their favourite meal. You could light some candles, spruce the place up with flowers and play some romantic music. This is the perfect Valentine’s date as there is no washing up to be done afterwards- just some spare time to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

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February
13

Victoria Primary School see their published Bigsby story go on sale at Hallmark’s Leeds store

After a six month long search for the latest authors of our Story Buddy book series, today we welcomed the excited students from Victoria Primary School as they headed into our store in Leeds city centre to see their winning story go on sale – just in time for Christmas!

‘Bigsby Gets a Pet Mouse’ was the work of the 1A Van Gogh class, made up of students aged just six years old. They entered the story into our national literacy initiative to create a new adventure for our interactive story buddy Bigsby.

The class can be very proud of their achievement as they had to fight off some tough competition from hundreds of other children of similar ages from across the UK and Ireland. The sweet 200 word story tells the tale of an unlikely friendship between a cute mouse and Bigsby the woodland creature. Victoria Primary School’s story clearly struck a chord with the public as they voted overwhelmingly in favour on the story on our Facebook!

One of the excited authors, Luke Rea, told us: “Writing a new story for Bigsby was so much fun and it is really cool to see the book in real-life. I know that we’ve all been given our own special copy to take home, but I hope Father Christmas delivers more to other children who might like it too.”

Do you want your own copy? We’re happy to tell you that the book will officially go on sale online at www.hallmark.co.uk and at the Hallmark store in Leeds on the 1st December 2012 priced at £3. Bigsby himself and additional books in the series including ‘Bigsby’s Borrowed Shoes’ and ‘Bigsby’s Big News’ are also available from Hallmark stores, good independents and at www.hallmark.co.uk.

For more updates and news from us, don’t forget to like us on Facebook at Hallmark UK & Ireland.

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December
3

Start the Countdown to Christmas with Hallmark

Advent calendars don’t all have to be about cheap chocolate and cartoon characters. This year, greetings card company Hallmark have designed an advent calendar that contains much sweeter treats behind each window – festive tips, tempting recipes and lots of fantastic Christmas craft ideas, all waiting to be revealed!

The Hallmark advent calendar will launch on their website on December 1st, and each day until Christmas Eve a window will be opened to reveal that an exciting new piece of Christmassy content. We’ve had an exclusive peek behind the windows and can tell you that there are lots of inspiring seasonal recipes, handmade gift ideas and even Christmas make-up tips to discover, and each one will help you to make this Christmas one to truly remember.

Inspire the Kids Too

Most of the tips and ideas have been created with families in mind too. Behind the Hallmark advent calendar windows are cookie recipes that children can help to make, lots of delightful Christmas decoration ideas that will bring out the kids’ creative sides and even a great gift idea for grandparents that requires the little ones to let loose with a spot of finger painting! You’ll have to visit the Hallmark site every day in December to find out what’s behind each window, and make sure you don’t miss out on any of the festive fun.

There’s even some great nuggets of practical advice for Christmas to be found in the Hallmark advent calendar. If you’re not so hot at wrapping christmas gifts, or you tend to get a little frazzled on Christmas Eve as you prepare for the big day, then look out for some clever tips and even videos that you’re sure to find very helpful!

Of course, when you’ve visited the Hallmark advent calendar each day to open each window, you can take a look at their wonderful selection of Christmas greeting cards, including personalised cards, plus gifts for everyone on your Christmas list.

http://advent-calendar.hallmark.co.uk/

 

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November
27

SKETCH SANTA WINNER REVEALED!

 

It’s finally here, the day that we can announce the fantastically talented young winner of our Sketch Santa contest with ITV1’s Daybreak! Drum roll please….

Congratulations to six year-old Demi Holmes, from Warrington (Cheshire)! Demi was crowned the winner, live on air from her local Hallmark store, after beating 2,600 other Christmas card designs from 6-16 year olds across the UK. Her winning Christmas card design will  now join that of five celebrity creations to hit the shelves in our brand new and exclusive charity card pack, with proceeds going to the six charities for ITV1′s Text Santa charity appeal.

Joining designs from five famous faces and groups, including Gary Barlow, Tulisa, The Saturdays, Matthew Wolfenden and Daybreak presenters Lorraine Kelly and Aled Jones, Demi’s artwork is available to buy NOW from Hallmark stores and www.hallmark.co.uk.  Costing from just £1.99 to buy, a minimum donation of 50p from each pack will go to the ‘Text Santa’ appeal.

Ebony Newton, Sketch Santa judge and Senior Designer at Hallmark, said: “The level of creativity we saw from the majority of entries was beyond our highest expectations. This competition just shows that we have a huge amount of design talent within our children nationwide which all parents should be extremely proud of, although it did make our jobs of judging a winner that much harder!

“I want to personally congratulate Demi on her fabulous design which is more than worthy of joining the celebrity designs in the pack. The winning artwork was chosen because it reflects the magical time that Christmas holds for children plus with the bright colours and great sponge effect it really stands out on the shelves.”

The Text Santa appeal is working on behalf of specially chosen charities offering life-changing services to vulnerable people throughout the UK. For 2012, the six chosen charities set to benefit from funds raised include, Age UK, Anthony Nolan, Carers UK, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Together for Short Lives and Whizz-Kidz.

Full further information, visit www.itv.com/textsanta or www.facebook.com/hallmarkuk to see behind the scenes news.

 

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November
23

LEEDS PUPILS ARE CROWNED WINNERS OF STORY BUDDY COMPETITION!

Forget selection boxes, bikes or games consoles, children from Victoria Primary School in Leeds have an even better present to get excited about this Christmas. The gifted youngsters have been voted as the winners of our national Story Buddies competition, becoming published authors at just six years old with their story, ‘Bigsby Gets A Pet Mouse’. What’s more, their book will be published just in time for Christmas with a percentage of sales donated directly to their school for its entire life cycle!

Our national literacy competition was launched earlier this year following an inspirational letter from ten year-old Amber Wess about her Story Buddy experience. To take part, pupils were asked to create their very own adventure for Hallmark’s interactive Story Buddy, Bigsby, and our judges were overwhelmed with the quality of the entries we received.

To claim their prestigious title, Victoria Primary’s 1A Van Gough class fought off tough competition from 19 other entries that were shortlisted by the judges for our Facebook-based vote. Topping the polls with an overwhelming amount of support, ‘Bigsby Gets a Pet Mouse’ captures the unlikely friendship between Bigsby the woodland creature and a cute mouse. As the winning entry, this sweet tale will now become our brand new Story Buddies book launching just in time for Christmas through www.hallmark.co.uk. Don’t forget to show your support by picking up your very own copy this winter!

For those of you who haven’t met our loveable Bigsby yet, he’s the latest addition to our unique and interactive Story Buddy range. Along with Cooper, Watson and Abigail, Bigsby uses innovative technology to allow him to actually join in as you read aloud to him, bringing his special collection of stories to life. Victoria Primary School’s book, ‘Bigsby Gets A Pet Mouse’ will now join this collection and will be available online from 1st December 2012 through www.hallmark.co.uk priced £3.  Bigsby himself and additional books in the series including ‘Bigsby’s Borrowed Shoes’ and ‘Bigsby’s Big News’ are also available from Hallmark stores, good independents and at www.hallmark.co.uk

Thanks again to everyone involved and for making this competition such a pleasure to be part of!

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November
12

Celebrity Card Competition ‘Sketch Santa’ is Now Closed!

Your chance to enter our joint Sketch Santa competition with Daybreak is now over. Thanks so much, we hope you enjoyed creating your card, and good luck to all those who entered!

The lucky winner will see their cards sold in a pack of six cards alongside designs created by a host of top celebrity names including The Saturdays, Tulisa, Emmerdale’s Matthew Wolfenden and Daybreak presenters Aled Jones and Lorraine Kelly, to be sold in Asda stores nationwide and online at www.hallmark.co.uk

The winner will be announced in November so make sure you keep an eye on our Facebook page, by liking us, to see how things unfold.

You never know… you could have your own card on sale this Christmas!

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October
11

Celebrity Christmas Card Competition Opens TODAY.

We told you we had some very exciting news and today is the day of the grand reveal!

We’re teaming up with Daybreak, for the second year on the run, to give one lucky youngster the chance to design their very own Christmas card to be sold alongside celebrity creations in shops nationwide!

In celebration of ITV’s annual charity appeal ‘Text Santa’ (which raises money for six UK based charities), we are working with Daybreak to launch ‘Sketch Santa’; a competition calling budding young artists to design a card which captures what Christmas really means to them.

The design could be traditional, modern or funny. All we ask is that it includes a picture of the much-loved Santa Claus on the front of your festive themed masterpiece!

The lucky winner will see their cards sold in a pack of six cards alongside designs created by a host of top celebrity names including The Saturday’s, Tulisa, Emmerdale’s Matthew Wolfenden and Daybreak presenters Aled Jones and Lorraine Kelly, to be sold in Asda stores nationwide.

The competition opens today (Monday 1st October) and is open to any entries from children aged six to sixteen years old.

Sleigh bells might be ringing but are you listening in on how to enter? You can visit the Daybreak website and simply download and complete the application form. Then submit your design either by e-mail or by post and your ‘Sketch Santa’ card could be on the shelves this Christmas!

So get your Santa hats on and get designing as entries must be submitted by Tuesday 9th October.

We can’t wait to see all your creative entries!

 

To see all the updates and more reveals, like the Hallmark UK & Ireland Facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/HallmarkUK

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October
1

SCHOOL’S BACK.

It’s that time of year again when you kiss goodbye to your young ones at the school gate and watch them stride off into yet another school year, school bags and lunchboxes in tow.

This can be a particularly tricky time for any mum, especially if your child is starting at a new school or making new classmates. As a parent, your task is to get them prepared not just mentally but logistically too with new school uniforms, equipment and routines to get ready.

Alas! Do not panic, we’ve teamed up with Mummy Blogger and Teacher Cheryl Pasquier to share her advice, handy tips and tricks to make sure the first week back goes as smoothly as possible.

So, Cheryl, how do you feel about the new school year starting soon?

We’ve had a totally fabulous action-packed summer, spending a fortnight in Tunisia then catching up with both sets of grandparents in Hastings and Brittany, but all good things must come to an end and I’m actually quite looking forward to getting back into a routine now. The kids’ bedtimes have become quite haphazard so it’ll be good for them to get back into going to bed earlier again. I’m not looking forward to the early morning school rush again though, or the kids’ homework and all the marking I’ll have as a teacher!

What’s the current feeling in your household?

Pretty mixed feelings actually. Sophie’s about to start secondary school so she’s a bit nervous, it’s all very different and she’ll be taking a lot of new subjects. She is looking forward to catching up with her friends though which is nice.

What are you looking forward to/dreading the most about the new term starting?

I’m looking forward to the routine and structure that the school day offers. As I’m a teacher, our household runs like clockwork during term time but things get more complicated during the holidays when we’re all rushing around doing different activities – it’ll be nice to go back to school to have a rest really !! I love all the family fun we get up to so I’ll be sad about becoming a “part-time mum” again. The first couple of weeks are always slightly manic, with papers coming home to sign, new routines to get used to, last-minute equipment lists coming home and sudden discoveries that last year’s bag/shoes/tracksuit/swimming costume have got too small/worn out and nobody thought to tell me ! I can’t wait to hear about everything they’ve got up to when they come home from school each day though.

How do you go about preparing for it?

For the younger ones just starting at school, reading books and watching DVDs about “teddy’s first day at school” can be reassuring, as is story-telling/role play about what they will get up to at school. Having a last minute checklist for each child in the last week of the holidays is always a definite must-do, getting everything from sports kit and lunch boxes to bus cards and hair bands ready so that everyone knows where their school stuff is and you can avoid most nasty surprises of things that haven’t been replaced ! Stocking up on kid-friendly snacks and school supplies that always need replacing (pens, pencils, glue sticks) so that I have plenty in reserve is also important. If I’m really organised, I might cook up and freeze some extra meals so that I have an instant dinner for the days I come home totally pooped and the kids’ homework takes longer than expected!

What’s your favourite time-saving tip for the school run?

All clothes for the next day, including shoes and underwear, must be laid out on the floor by the bed, along with any extras like PE/swimming kit that need to be taken in. Lunchboxes are prepared and left in the fridge overnight, schoolbags are ready, bus/canteen tickets left on the kitchen table and – in winter – gloves, hat, etc. are stuffed in coat hoods ready for the next day too.

What do you find to be the best remedy for settling those new-term nerves?

Laugh about it. Share some of your “first week at school” horror stories, about getting lost in the maze of corridors, having a classmate wet herself, missing the bus, losing your phone … whatever you think they’re stressing over, tell them it doesn’t matter, everyone’s been there, done that and survived. The internet is also a good family resource for research. Most schools have a website now so you can have a look around and check out some of the teachers/places so that it all seems a bit more familiar on the first day. The website will also big up the positives, which will help convince your child that going to school will be great fun, honest!

To see more of Cheryl’s thoughts you can visit her blog at: http://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

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September
3

UK and Ireland’s Most Treasured Memories Exhibited At The National Media Museum!

Did you get a glimpse of what the nation holds most dear at our unique visual collection of the UK and Ireland’s most treasured memories?

They were exhibitioned for one week only at the National Media Museum in Bradford. Running from 15th-22nd August, and totally free to attend, our ‘Hallmark Treasured Memories Collection’ showcased ten meaningful mementos which were shortlisted from a nationwide contest we held earlier this year.

The projection was  launched by the contest’s winner, Lynn Foggon (form Newcastle-upon-Tyne), whose  vintage doll named Looby Lou was voted by the public as the UK and Ireland’ s Ultimate Treasured Memory. Looby Lou was originally knitted for Lynn’s childhood friend Sarah, who later became family when Lynn and Sarah’s brother started their long-term relationship.

Lynn and Sarah spent many years and shared many memories with the doll until Sarah sadly died of breast cancer at just 32 years old. Following her death, the doll was passed down to Lynn’s daughter, also named Sarah, who has cherished the doll ever since.

Chosen from hundreds of entries unearthed by all you lovely families across the UK and Ireland, this special collection of moving memories includes a vintage brooch passed down through generations, a medal for a lifesaving dog and a photo of lost relatives; providing a unique insight into what we –as a nation holds most dear.

We were delighted that Lynn and others shared their treasured memories with us and it was great that Lynn was able to launch the exhibition. We want to thank anyone that took a look at the special collections, if you didn’t manage to go to the museum, then you can view the winning and all the shortlisted entries on our Facebook page Hallmark UK & Ireland.

If you have been inspired by the exhibition and have your own treasured memory, share it with us @hallmarkUK or visit us on Facebook at Hallmark UK &Ireland.

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August
22
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