School’s out! Graduating means congratulatory ecards

No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks…Remember reciting that, whenever school let out for summer vacation?

Graduation means more than just three months off of the daily musical chairs of school. It means that 12 years of schooling – plus four more, if University is what’s being gratuated from – have come to an end. It represents a long commitment to education, bettering of the self and maturing into our adult selves. Often, it means making huge strides into the career of our choice, exploring options that seemed impossible without the intensive study (and a certificate) behind us.

Once we’ve graduated, we can probably be called grown-ups. Which is simultaneously frightening and exhilarating, right?

This is an occassion to celebrate, starting with an ecard to say ‘You rock!‘ Okay, so maybe I would send a casual, light-hearted ecard like that, but what if you want to get a little more personal without sacrificing the convenience (or message) that an ecard provides? Check out some of these options:

Add-A-Photo ecards

For new grads who deserve recognition and look good recieving it, this add-a-photo ecard tells the recipient that you’re happy for their accomplishments.

Talking ecards

I love talking ecards for many reasons – the voices are usually hilarious and you can make them say anything you want.

Feel like telling your nephew, the butthead, that you didn’t thing he’d make it through algebra, but now that he did, you’re wondering how much he bribed the teacher? You can send him a graduating monkey ecard that says it for you in a wacky voice.

What if your timid, pet-adoring granddaughter just finished her last exam in veterinarian school? This pretty kitty can say it all, whatever ‘all’ means to you.

Personalized text ecards

You don’t want to send a generic one-size-fits-all ecard to someone special, do you? Personalized text ecards provide you the option of inventiveness, without requiring a lot of the creativity that some of us are lacking.

With this simple grad-cap design, you add in the year and school, and Presto! You’re basically done.

Being really proud of someone can get lost in translation when you’re sending an ecard. Most of the time, this is because you’re using a cookie-cutter ecard that anyone could have sent, and it’s missing the certain je ne sais quoi to add sentimentality. This girly ecard leaves no questioning of your strong emotions.

A little more casual, but still with a strong message of pride, comes this blue-toned ecard and this mouse with a message. More glib and cute, this headline announcer tells the grad that their recent finish is big news.

So, you want to say congrats without getting mushy, and you also want to let the recent graduate know that they can keep going up in the world? Send them this ’sky is the limit’ ecard to say, “Good job, keep it up!”

No matter the person, or time frame, school or program, graduating is big news to celebrate and congratulate – and you can start right now. (Even by sending a preschool graduate this Dora congrats!)

Use summer-themed ecards as invitations

The sun’s been out for a few weeks around these parts. I’m considering packing away our winter coats, kids are running down sidewalks with bare legs and just a few blocks from me, at the beach where people congregate on the weekends, is an unmistakable aroma of sunblock.

Summer is coming.

Living in a small apartment in the city, I’m missing out on the one thing I truly covet – backyard parties. I don’t even have a balcony, so no small fetes for moi! But you, you’ve got to let me live vicariously through your life. I see you there, with your spacious lawn, grill at the side of the deck and superb potato salad recipe. Snap to, will you? Ring in the approaching summer with a beginning of season barbecue.

You’re going to need…

Food

There’s no fare that people across North America look forward to more than a stocked barbecue buffet. To provide a really tantalizing table, you’ve got to pick wisely from each of the three barbecue food groups – meat, salads and finger foods.

Popular meats include sausages, hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks, and chicken and beef kabobs. Easy to prepare, just find a great marinade using one of the thousands of recipe websites out there, store the meat in your fridge until it’s time to get grilling, and then wow them.

There are three mandatory (in my eyes) salads for a barbecue: potato, garden and macaroni. Google or use another search engine to track down great recipes for those, and then watch everyone dig in.

Finger foods are a no-brainer. Cut up fruits and veggies, chips, sandwiches, crackers, cheese, deli meats, and things to dip into such as salsa, bean dip, yogurt, garlicky chip dip and hummus.

Drinks

What’s the second (and for some, first) thing people look forward to? The frosty and frothy drinks you’ll have stashed in a cooler and whipped up in a blender. Beers and margaritas are the most widely-loved barbecue drinks around. If you choose to go with a theme, you even add in a third drink choice that fits it, such as serving mojitos at south-of-the-border-themed party. Of course, frothy drinks will call for more fabulous glasses, salt for rimming glasses and maybe some paper umbrellas.

Don’t forget to have an ample supply of water, juices and soda, for those that don’t imbibe and or want to stay well-hydrated on a hot (almost) summer day.

Seating

Yes, everyone can stand around having conversations while holding their plates of food. Fact is, even when you provide seating for every single attendee, they’ll still walk and eat – barbecues are social events, after all. But, really, you should try to make sure that everyone has a place to lay their steak and beer down.

The great thing about a barbecue on a sunny early evening is that it can be completely casual. No one minds the denim shorts and flip flops your neighbour is wearing, they feel comfortable with a gigantic garbage bag in their midst and they can cut up their food while balancing their plates on their laps. Just make sure you beg, borrow, rent or steal (don’t really steal) chairs for them to sit on, okay?

Accessories, etc.

You’ll need napkins, bags for garbage to go in, an area to put empty beverage containers, a good source of shade, music, plates, cutlery, the all-important margarita glasses and umbrellas, and if you live in an area prone to pesky flying insects, a citronella candle. A superior host may provide sunblock, wipes, a collection of sun-shading hats and take-away containers. Don’t forget to keep your camera nearby so that you can preserve the first barbecue of the summer.

So you can share the photo with me, and we can both pretend I was there, too, okay?

Last, but not least and definitely most important is the people.

How are you going to get them in your backyard, enjoying your succulent smokies and creamy potato salad? You’re going to send them one of the following ecards, customized to include the address, time, and what they can bring (because you can have too many bags of chips and six-packs of Bud Light).

Announce summer love with this ecard, if you feel like it’s arrived on your doorstep. If you’re throwing a ladies-only backyard party, this shoe-loving summer ecard might just fit the bill – just remember to let your girl friends know if heels will sink into your lawn! If you barbecued all summer long last year, and the one before and so on, sending this add-a-photo ecard is a great idea to refresh the last barbecue’s memories for your guests. Be a little wacky with this customizable talking hamster – whatever you tell him to say, he does, in a voice you can choose. (He’s also obviously equipped to deal with any potential fire-safety issues you might come across, Grill Master.)

Witty Ecards for gray days

Every day, someone chances upon some negative altercation with fate. A case of the Mondays can fast turn into one of the crappiest days you’ve encountered as the rain is pouring, keys get locked inside in the car and a long call from a telemarketer means that your forgotten dinner catches on fire.

Having a positive attitude and learning to go with the flow can have a remarkable effect on your well-being and perception of further gray days. So can learning to laugh, when life trips you up. This is why I’m a fan of sending out funny, often sarcastic ecards to my friends who are down in the dumps.

When your girlfriend gets a bad haircut, she might want to invest in a new hat collection, or decide to never leave her house again. Sending her an ecard with her photo, telling her that she looks like a million bucks might make her smile. And if she has a great sense of humor? You might want to choose the worst photo of her, possible – so that when she looks in the mirror, it’s nothing like the heinous chop she’s gotten.

Everyone has a friend who doesn’t want to celebrate their birthday because the sheer amount of years, and the feeling of getting old depresses them. Obviously, they’ll need a birthday ecard featuring a cake with an unusual amount of candles on it.

When a loved one loses their job because the economy is causing companies all over North America to cut back, you can send them this talking ecard – inserting your own speech for the hair-brained cat to say, in whichever voice you choose for it. Might I suggest something along the lines of: “You may have been let go, but this means that we can watch Oprah together. And you won’t have to wake up early for work with a hangover. You might even lose weight, if you can’t afford to eat.” Shh! it’s not insensitive – it’s grandiose and silly.

Your best friend has just jumped back into the dating game, and her first venture out was with a total dud. To rub a little salt in the wound, while making her giggle, send her this talking ecard with a report of what her future with the less-than-awesome date. Highlights could include children who chew with their mouth open, future invincibility to body odor and a wedding reception at McDonalds!

Unless your friend’s date seemed perfectly normal and fine, and a second one was going to take place – until he left 13 voicemails on her home phone, texted her nine times after saying goodnight to her and then proceeded to forward chain emails to her work. That’s when you might need to read up on stalker laws, after you send her this singing ecard.

Want to really make someone laugh? Show them how dorky you can be, by sending them this ecard when you know they’ll see it right away. Then call them. They’ll be thinking of you, and it’ll be like you have a psychic connection!

For one of those everything is going wrong! days, send this ecard – it covers all the bases.

Making Anniversaries Special with eCards

For couples, whether married or not, it is always a must not to forget two things: birthdays and anniversaries. Both occasions are very special for couples, most especially their anniversaries. This is the perfect occasion for them to reminisce the good times they’ve had and also strengthen the bond of their relationship. They can go out and have dinner together and just make the day very special for both of them.

 

Another way for a couple to make their anniversary special is to give each other memorable anniversary greeting cards. If you weren’t able to choose one from the gift shop or you just couldn’t choose one with the right message for your partner, you can opt to send an anniversary eCard instead.

 

There’s a wide variety of anniversary eCards to choose from, ranging from the funny to kind to the most heartwarming and tear-jerking ones. Just browse through the collection of anniversary eCards on the American Greetings website and you’ll surely find one that will suit your partner on your anniversary.

 

One cute and funny anniversary eCard is the Ode to Your Love eCard, which shows a couple of monkeys reciting an ode to love. They deliver it in such a funny way and even laugh simultaneously at the end of their poem. The eCard ends with a message saying “It’s easy to see we’re still mad at each other. Happy anniversary!”

 

Another cute anniversary eCard is Worm & Fuzzies, an animated eCard showing a school of worms singing “Happy Anniversary” while a vulture swipes the worms one by one. When only the conductor and one more worm remain, the vulture’s head appears to be choosing which worm to swipe next, but the conductor’s tail swoops up and swats the vulture away. The two remaining worms then form a heart while the eCard ends with the message “Sending you some worm and fuzzies on our special day. Happy anniversary!”

 

You can also opt to send a talking eCard and have the eCard’s character say out loud exactly what you want to say. You can choose between the Puppy Love or Smitten Kitten talking eCards and have the puppy or the kitten read out your message in a voice and accent of your choice. Your message can be up to 1,000 characters long, so you can have the talking eCard say out loud a whole load of what you want to say to your partner on your anniversary!

 

You can also be extra romantic with your anniversary eCard by sending an add-a-photo eCard such as Dinner for Two and have both your pictures highlighted in the eCard you would be sending to your loved one!

 

There are also musical anniversary eCards such as the You Fill Up My Senses eCard, which croons the romantic song of the same title while flashing photos of scented candles and flowers in full bloom and the short but sweet message “Happy anniversary, with all my love.”

 

Almost all of the eCards have provision for unlimited message from the sender, so you can pour your heart out and not be restrained by any limit to what you can say. Spill out all the love you have to express to your partner in your message and, for sure, the anniversary eCard you would be sending will be in his or her inbox for a long time and will be viewed and replayed for countless times.

eCards for Expectant Parents and Grandparents

As I was surfing for some free eCards today, I found myself browsing through the special occasion eCards from American Greetings, particularly the Parents-to-be eCards. I felt that my discovery was very timely as I just came to know about my sister-in-law’s two-month pregnancy.  When I heard the news, and since this is going to be their first child, I started making a mental note of what should be done to introduce them to the wonderful — and sometimes topsy-turvy — world of parenthood and child rearing. 

 

It is always a delight to have a baby in the house.  I remember when my kids were newborns and I could never get enough of them.  It always fills me with great pride and joy whenever I remember the first time I held them in my arms.  It conjures touching memories that I know I will get to share with them when the time comes…

 

Anyway, as I was looking through the Parents-to-be eCards, the first eCard I encountered was the free eCard called Baby Talk. This is quite an amusing “say-what-you-write” eCard where the sender would type any message (maximum of 1000 characters) and select a character voice (male, female and the desired accent). The baby in the eCard would then read the entire message out loud.

 

The next eCard I saw was the Your Miracle To Be eCard, which I decided to send to my brother and sister-in-law. The eCard comes with the message “Get ready… for the warmth, the touch, the smiles, the love of a new baby! Congratulations on your miracle-to-be…” and presents images of a pregnant woman’s tummy along with pictures of a baby’s hands and feet.

 

I also found an interactive eCard that I could send to my mom. It’s the Grandparenting Quiz eCard that comes with the introduction “Welcome to the world of grandparenting.  It’s probably been a while since you burped your last baby, so now is a good time to see what you remember from those joyful days of caring for a newborn.  Just answer the following questions to determine what kind of grandmother you’re going to be.  But hurry…you’ll be getting that call to baby-sit any day now!”

 

The eCard quiz then lists the following multiple choice questions for the grandparent-to-be:

 

1. When a newborn cries, the best thing to do is:

a. Cradle baby in your arms

b. Check baby’s diaper

c. Give baby a bottle

d. Turn up the volume on Oprah

 

2. The ideal way to test a bottle is to:

a. Dab the contents on your wrist

b. Grasp it in the palm of your hand

c. Use a kitchen thermometer

d. Remove the cork and take a swig

 

3. You can always stimulate a baby by:

a. Attaching a mobile to baby’s crib

b. Talking to baby with puppets

c. Playing classical music for baby

d. Wearing that awful polka dot dress of yours

 

4. To properly dispose of a diaper, place it in:

a. The laundry basket

b. A trash can

c. The diaper service receptacle

d. The bag that goes home with baby

 

5. In order to keep large, dangerous objects away from baby, you must:

a. Do a thorough inspection of your home

b. Keep decorative items on top shelves

c. Lock cabinets that baby can reach

d. Duct tape your boobs

 

6. When it’s time for baby to leave, you:

a. Collect baby’s toys and put them in a bag

b. Bundle up baby in a blanket

c. Give baby one last kiss

d. Call a cab

 

I’m sure my mother would enjoy answering this eCard. It’s a fun way of getting her excited over a new grandchild that she would surely love doting on once again. I’m also curious about how well she would score in this quiz. It’s something we can talk about when we have dinner with my brother and sister-in-law soon.

Say Exactly What You Want With Talking eCards

Do you ever find yourself spending hours looking through hundreds of eCards on the Internet to find that perfect one expressing exactly what you’re trying to say? If this sounds like you, then boy do I have great news, Talking eCards! Talking eCards are so funny and practical. Say “Happy Birthday” “I love you”, “Have a Great Day”, “I’m sorry” or send a simple reminder; whatever you do, these talking eCards will say it best since they are personalized BY YOU to speak exactly what you tell them to.

Here’s what you do:

1. Pick your favorite character or theme from the vast array of talking eCards.

2. Type a personalized message.

3. Pick one of the seven male or female voices.

4. Preview the talking eCard.

5. Send to one or many lucky family members and friends.

These talking eCards will not only have the recipient rolling on the ground in tears with laughter; you will also have a blast personalizing and previewing these talking eCards to your liking. Be careful though, they get mighty addicting! See the top 5 list of talking eCards and then try one out for yourself…you won’t be disappointed!

Send a simple hello to your sweetheart, offer an apology, or say whatever strikes your fancy. This adorable puppy talking ecard will surely bring a smile anyones face!

Your friends will be laughing for hours at this hilarious talking hamster!

Who doesn’t love adorable babies in angel wings? This talking ecard can be personalized to say anything you’d like. I think it’s perfect for an “I’m sorry” occasion but don’t stop there, see what you can come up with.

Are you a bit frazzled lately? Looking for some release? Say it with this frazzled cat talking eCard. Better yet you choose what you want it to say and crack up all your friends!

No it’s not the Wizard of Oz, it’s a scarecrow talking eCard; and just in time for the fall festivities. Personalize this talking ecard then send it to all your friends for a great laugh!

The Best Cartoon Animated Ecards!

Cartoons have come along way since yesteryear.  The newest generation of pigtailed cartoon advocates simply may not get what we loved about our classic characters. They get cartoons that are much more fresh and cool, even with hints of adult humor we can appreciate. I do, after all, love Spongebob as much as the next guy. Whether you’re into the cartoon classics or nickelodeon newbies, you can find them in animated ecards!

 

 

 

 

Where it all started…Tweety! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where it went… the latest Disney favorites!

  

 

 

With these free animated ecards, you can say hello with how far Disney has come in the cartoon world!  “Ratatouille” (2007) and “Meet the Robinsons” (2007) are two of the greatest Disney animated movies to-date!

 

 

 

Strawberry Shortcake: Now and Then…

Whether you love the classic Strawberry Shortcake, or the younger and fresher Strawberry Shortcake and friends, you can send them both to brighten someone’s day!

 

 

 

 

                                                 

    

Nickelodeon!

And finally, the list animated ecards would not be complete without Nickelodeon ecards- and of course, Spongebob Squarepants.  Spongebob funny ecards are definitely always good for a laugh!

  

This one is by far my favorite-  you can tickle Spongebob and make him laugh with different goofy faces! 

Whether you love cartoons of ole’ or the cartoons of today, send them now and make someone’s day!

 

Say it (or Sing it!) With Valentine’s Day eCards

Ever notice that when you want to truly express your feelings, you’re suddenly at a complete loss for words? Especially when you want to say “I love you?” Well fear not, this year you’re covered. Keep all the romance in Valentine’s Day by sending singing and talking eCards from AmericanGreetings.com. Let the card blurt out everything for you in a funny, romantic and/or sentimental way!

Traditional singing Valentines consist of a cheesy singer in a furry heart costume showing up at your cubicle at the busiest time of day. A singing Valentine’s Day eCard, however, is a much more presentable declaration of love. Say “You Make Me Happy,” plain and simple. Let the choir sing Happy Valentine’s Day with the Cupid Choir eCard.

And nothing is more romantic than singing chins performing the ABC’s of Valentine’s Day. (Perhaps this one is not for the greatest love of your life… )

If someone needs a laugh more than an “I love you,” send a funny singing eCard; the side-splitting VD Is For Everyone is a real crowd-pleaser.

If the song’s just not in your heart, try another inventive idea from AmericanGreetings.com, the talking Valentine’s Day eCard. You can customize it to say whatever you want! All you do is type in a message. Then you can either choose a voice to read it (you can freak out your beau by sending him a card with a male voice), or upload your own voice to make it a very personal message. A word of caution: if the recipient will be opening the eCard at work, make sure that the card doesn’t say anything too embarrassing or intimate! Some funny talking eCards:

When Pigs Fly

Sock Monkey Love

You Little Stinker

Still not sure that you’ve found what you’re looking for? Your voice alone isn’t enough to impress your darling? Then you can send an Add Your Voice talking eCard that has an animated background, smooth tunes, a picture of you, and your soft (?) voice whispering sweet little nothings. Nothing beats that!

Top 10 Funny Christmas eCards: The 10 best funny Christmas cards online

How do you rate funny? What’s funny to me may not even trigger the slightest snicker in you and vice versa. So are you really going to listen, when I pull out the 10 best ecards from the funny section? Well, maybe you’ll find something that’ll bring out a smile, or perhaps you’ll see that my taste in funny is just as bad as Grandma’s, so either way you might find a card to make somebody smile.

My favorite Christmas eCard this year is the “Pop-up Poem.” Its rather childish potty humor combined with the posh voice over does the trick for me. And I love animated eCards.

Pop-Up Poem - Christmas Ecard

It was really difficult to choose between number 1 and this one, “Elf Toss Game,” which is interactive and lots of fun! So go and help those elves blow off some steam!

Elf Toss - Christmas Ecard

Number 3 on my funny list is the Theathon’th Greetingth!” card. While I think that other singing animals (cats and dogs) are quite cute, the slightly creepy and very persistent ducks are much funnier in my book.

I think that A Christmas Story has a special place in all Ohioans hearts. The “Mehwee Chwithmuth!” card is set far, far away from Ohio, but you’ll see what I mean.

Perhaps I have a bit of a mean streak (don’t we all?), and that could be why “Santa’s Elusive Gifts” is high on my list of funny eCards. Check it out for yourself!

Another one of the more-naughty-than-nice cards is the one called “Surprise.” Let’s just say that someone has had enough of all that snow.

Ah, we’re halfway there! So at number 6 I have a card that pretty much describes Christmas frustrations to me: Computer breakdowns and sighs as I just have to give into everybody’s wishes. Best of all, though, you can personalize “You’re on the Lucky List.”

Aha, the singing chins! It’s amazing how amusing it is to watch people dress up their faces and sing up-side-down. This is the “Chin Carol Singers“-version of “Carol of the Bells.”

Being Santa’s little helper may be the dream of many children, but according to the “Elf Street Rag” it’s a lot of hard work. I guess I just love singing animations.

And my number 10 funniest Christmas eCard is like number 1: Silly, childish, and somewhat potty related… “Santa’s Point of View” is completely free and also available as a create & print card.

So that was my idea of funny eCards — hope you at least had a bit of fun perusing my selection.

If you have a couple of stamps but no cards in your drawers and want an easy Christmas craft, try the create & print Christmas cards. They come in the same categories as the eCards and they can all be personalized.

Someone do something nice for you? Send them a Thank You ecard

Someone do you a favor? Send you a nice card or gift for your birthday? Then it’s only right that you show your appreciation with a thank you card from americangreetings.com!

These thank you ecards come in a wide range of themes including religious thank you cards, talking thank you cards, and more! I recently send a bunch of these thank you cards to family and friends after they sent me some nice cards and gifts when I graduated from college. My mom loved the thank you card I sent her, it almost made her cry..lol.

Here are some of my favorite thank you ecards:

“A Note of Thanks”

“May Your Kindness Return to You”

“Thanks, Thanks, Thanks”