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THE HEI LO CARDS BLOG
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10/18/2019 2 Comments

THE MOST UNSPEAKABLE HORROR: not having cool cards when you need them

It's a dark and blustery autumn evening. You settle in, cozy with your cup.
But suddenly, you stiffen, prickly with the realization that you. are. not. alone.
​A dark, haunting presence fills the room around you. It can only be...the ghastly ghoulish ghosts of guilt...and regret:
The ghost of regret
The ghost of guilt
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," they say, in unison, "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOUUUUU."
No, you say softly to yourself, nooooooo.  
But you know why they're here, haunting you: it's your wonderful friend Laverne's birthday in just 4 days. A card needs to be in the mail today. And you, well, you have...
none.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Lightning cracks suddenly outside, and you swear you see, illuminated in the flash, the terror that awaits you: 
The greeting card aisle of a drugstore
A single tear descends your cheek.
You are destined to roam the greeting aisle of whatever drugstore is open late, drenched, alone, and terribly, terribly afraid, the horrid lighting illuminating your shame. Only to leave with a card that simply isn't as cool as Laverne deserves.
How did this fate become me? you ask yourself. 

I know the answer. You forgot that Hei Lo Cards has your back. 
Hei Lo Cards Greeting Cards in a bag
Want to send those ghoulish ghosts a-packin'? Why not buy a stack of cards to protect you?
​We have several choices. 

Our 
RESERVE NOTES packs allow you to choose any old cards you want (any new ones, too!):
Handmade Set of Cards from Hei Lo Cards
Handmade Card Set from Hei Lo Cards
And if picking out cards really does scare you, don't worry; we can do it for you also. We are not scared of cards at all. 
Our CARD FOR ALL REASONS ​pack will have you covered:
Set of Greeting Cards from Hei Lo Cards
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Finally, if online shopping fills you with terror, remember you local ghouls can always stock up on my cards in person at WOLFBAIT & B-GIRLS and SQUASHT BOUTIQUE. 

Honestly, life is scary enough without unnecessary horrors like not having cards. 
So, what are you waiting for? Go stock up on a little stack, and cackle to yourself in the glow of the moon.  
SHOP CARDS
Hei Lo Cards ghosts
Happy Halloween, you fools. 
2 Comments

2/25/2019 0 Comments

DEAR PIGEONS: you actually coo.

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I've spent the majority of my adulthood disliking pigeons. Here are a few of the reasons why:
  • Their take-offs and landings seem careless and sporadic, causing me to flail and sometimes shriek when I am on the street alone.
  • I've seen them bully smaller birds for pizza crust or other snacks.
  • Once I even saw some vigorously scarfing a chicken wing: this just seemed wrong.
I recently noted, however,  that my current Chicago neighborhood doesn't have many pigeons, or at least that I don't see as many these days. That's when I realized something that surprised me: I kind of miss them. Despite their reckless flying, intimidation of cuter, more helpless birds, and borderline cannibalism, there is something about their presence that is constant, and comforting.
It's hard to imagine a city without pigeons walking about bobbling their heads or nestling in windowsills above, watching. ​​
Pigeon Post
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
I also know that pigeons have a somewhat interesting history of delivering messages for people, which is definitely something that I can appreciate as a card-maker.

It seemed only natural, then, that I should create a series of pigeon-themed greetings. Without further ado, I proudly introduce the "Coo Card" Series, an expanding line of greetings that pays homage to my newfound appreciation for these dirty birds. I've started small, and can't wait for it to grow. Hopefully, you think they coo, too. 
Pigeon birthday card
A pigeon in a driving hat sipping champagne? Yes, please.
Pigeon thank you card
French pigeons: some of the most polite of their lot.
Pigeon in France thank you card
Pigeon and champagne birthday card
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Rolling onto the scene like...
Pigeon New Baby Card
a sweet, swaddled babe.
Thanks for reading. Until again, be coo. 
Shop all of our new cards here: 
​
SHOP NEW CARDS
0 Comments

2/1/2019 0 Comments

Who do you love (or just like a lot)? Valentine's Day is for all.

Happy February, guys. If winter has you feeling less than jovial, let's lighten things up by thinking back to a simpler time: Valentine's Day when you were a kid.
A Michael Jordan valentines day card from the 1980s.
A Rainbow Brite valentine's day card from the 1980s.
I recall spending the days leading up to Valentine's Day constructing our very own Valentine receptacles to hang on our desk and collect the goods. I wore red to school and there was candy. I remember eating conversation hearts even though they made me cough. 
Valentine's Day Conversation Hearts
At some point in the day, everyone would scurry around the room, delivering their tiny envelopes to everyone else. Then later, I would carefully go through them to see which cards people had chosen, and if anyone had written something provocative (usually, no). 
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Even though we were forced to do it, it was cool that everyone gave Valentines to everyone else. 
Adulthood has a way of complicating things that would otherwise be simple and fun. Over time, many grown ups stop acknowledging Valentine's Day. Many people hate it. "Why do I need a designated day to tell someone I love them?" they ask.
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To which I would reply, "Why not?" 
There's no assumption that this is the only day that you are doing so. But there is probably someone that you like or love a lot that would simply love to hear it. 
​Some things are just as simple as that. 
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Handmade Being Board Valentine Card
Valentine Day Cards 5-Pack from Hei Lo Cards
Handmade Horse Valentine's Day Card from Hei Lo Cards
We don't have "38 packs with teacher card included," but we do have some pretty fun Valentines. We'd love to send some your way. 
Thanks for reading, Foxy. 
SHOP HEI LO VALENTINES
0 Comments

1/23/2019 2 Comments

THE power of the Post

Yep, that's right. For my first-ever HEI LO CARDS Blog post, I'm posting about the post. 

But to be linguistically clear, I'm verbing about the noun. And I don't mean the various posts that flood our tiny screens all day; I'm writing about the post that arrives each day in our mailbox, and is, well, pretty humdrum. 
A pile of junk mail and bills.
IMPORTANT NOTICE. YOU"RE PRE-APPROVED. IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED.
BLAH. BLAH. BLAH.
Let's face it: the very act of getting the daily mail is, for most of us on most days, pretty blah.
Hei Lo Cards Production Manager Bev Martin and the daily mail.
With the recent passing of the holiday season--a season that bombards us with ALL THINGS HOLIDAYS, you might have overlooked the fact that for about a month, your daily post was also transformed. Sure, there was the usual barrage of junk and bills, but peppered among them were colored envelopes wearing festive stamps: holiday cards. 
A pile of daily junk mail featuring some holiday cards.
Some featured pictures, some cozy scenes or bedazzled graphics. But all shared one common trait: they had arrived simply to wish you well. And they made checking the post fun again. 
The sun setting early on a freezing Chicago day.
Now let's fast-forward through the flurry of December and the renewed hope of early January, to the present: we rise in the dark, suck down our warm drink of choice, layer up, then sniffle and trudge our way through the day. It's just plain winter. And if the end is in sight, it often feels too dark outside to see it. 
A snowy winter day in Chicago.
But then imagine this: you arrive home, wearily remove a mitten and reach for the mail. And there, shining from the stacks of blah, is a beam of color. 
A piece of fun mail-a monster-faced greeting card-mixed in with the boring daily mail.
A Johnny Cash stamp on a piece of fun mail.
It dons a cool stamp and your handwritten name. It's not your birthday, or any other holiday. Maybe it's Tuesday. Maybe it's 7 degrees out. Maybe it's 5:30 and pitch dark out. But whatever the case may be, it's also now a better day. 
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With so many ways for us to connect, it can be easy to forget that opening a piece of post is one of the best. The very act can feel like the sender of the card is, for that moment, there with you, watching you take in the card they've chosen for you, their handwritten message. ​
​And maybe that moment only lasts a moment. But maybe, especially after a dark day filled with long moments, that is enough.
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Handmade
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I love greeting cards that are perfect for nothing else but to brighten the otherwise blah day of a seasonally depressed pal. I also like to always have cards on reserve. You should too. Visit our SHOP CARDS page, and scroll on down to MULTI-PACKS to pick out your favorites. 
​
Thanks for reading. Now get out from under your blanket and send someone a card. 
2 Comments

    Author

    HEIDI LOMBARDO,
    owner and senior scissor holder at Hei Lo Cards. 

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