Minted Announces the Winners of the 2011 Sending Good Cheer Holiday Card Challenge

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) September 27, 2011

Minted, the online store powered by a global design community, is pleased to announce the holiday card winners of their 2011 ?Sending Good Cheer Holiday Card Challenge.? Minted?s community of designers and consumers voted just under 500,000 times to identify the best holiday cards for Minted to sell. Minted expects these unique card designs to reach millions of homes all over the world this coming holiday season.

?Our designers continue to innovate, bringing the best of design to Minted,? says CEO and founder Mariam Naficy. ?Coming up with a new holiday photo card is no easy feat, and yet each and every one of the holiday cards launched today is nothing short of brilliant. We know families the world over will be thrilled to send such works of art to loved ones.?

The designs in the 2011 Sending Good Cheer Holiday Card Challenge were sourced from Minted?s global community of indie designers who submitted 2,554 holiday photo cards ? the largest number ever ? to this fourth annual holiday card design competition. New to the design selection process this year was the use of a proprietary algorithm which analyzed customer?s votes to reveal just what the consumer wants to send to loved ones come this holiday season.

The first prize of $ 5,000 was awarded to ?Kraft Ribbon? by Alethea and Ruth. This winning design features a beautiful ribbon with ?Merry Christmas? executed in animated typography and embellished with curlicues and dots reminiscent of cake icing. The ribbon?s kraft background has subtle white flecks and embodies rustic chic. The brilliant designer, Rachel Simonsen, is based in Orange County, CA.

?We are absolutely thrilled for Rachel and are so thankful for her valuable contributions to our community,? says Naficy. ?Placing first among thousands of the world?s absolute best holiday cards is a huge honor.?

?Falalalal la la la la? by Design Lotus took second place and will receive a cash prize of $ 3,000 for her card showcasing a full-bleed family photograph with the words to one of the most beloved carols scripted along the bottom in a delightful chain. Based in Colorado, Design Lotus? Amy Ehmann is one of Minted?s most seasoned community members.

?Year in Review? by J. Bartyn Design took third and takes home $ 2,000. This is an innovative take on the traditional family newsletter, allowing a family to highlight key milestones from throughout their year, how often grandparents visited or how many diapers were changed. Cambria Evans is based in New York City.

?All Ye Faithful? by 2BSquared Designs took fourth and takes home $ 1,000. ?Classic Merry? by b. wise papers, out of Gainesville, Florida, took fifth place and will also take home $ 1,000.

To see all of the awards, please visit the Minted website.

About Minted?s Design Challenges:

Minted's mission is to allow consumers to discover design genius from all over the world, providing an opportunity for designers to build their careers on merit alone. Minted holds monthly design challenges to source designs from a large global community of designers. The Minted community selects the best designs in a highly competitive and meritocratic process, yielding a top selection of the freshest, finest cards in the world.

About Minted:

Minted is a venture-backed design community and online store, crowd-sourcing graphic designs and content from a global design community and selling those as premium printed paper products initially focused on the $ 10 billion stationery, invitations, and cards market.

Minted has radically transformed what consumers now expect in holiday cards, Christmas cards, wedding invitations, save the dates, birth announcements, baby shower invitations, business cards, and other personal stationery. The company's paper and printing is of the highest quality and it leads the market with the freshest designs, newest formats and most coveted details. Minted's fresh, unique designs have been featured on The Today Show, The Early Show, in Real Simple, Town & Country, InStyle Weddings, Food & Wine and other major national magazines.

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Green Gifts Campaign Features Actress Sarah Scott in New Holiday Spot

Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) November 22, 2011

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is promoting its Green Gifts Campaign this holiday season with a series of advertisement spots featuring prominent and notable celebrities such as Kyra Sedgwick and Tony Shalhoub. Their new holiday spot entitled, "Aqualillies Make A Holiday Splash," features actress Sarah Scott.

Sarah Scott's radiant personal style and acute sense of the era has garnered her parts as a 1930's chorus girl in Alan Ball's "True Blood" as well as in the highly anticipated silent film "The Artist," due out November 23, 2011, which received myriad accolades and awards including Best Actor Jean Dujardin at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.

"I get a lot of joy in being environmentally responsible in small ways around my home and neighborhood, but the NRDC helps me stay active on a more global level. Their weekly email updates make it easy for me to stay informed about important issues and take action right from my computer. I think the Green Gifts will make cool presents and give the typical exchange a whole new meaning this season."

No stranger to working with the industry's best and brightest, Sarah has already amassed an impressive repertoire of roles, having worked and performed in numerous high profile television shows, sitcoms, shorts, and films including, "Arrested Development," "CSI:NY," "Medium," "Rizzoli & Isles," and "Nip/Tuck."

In her debut NRDC advertisement spot, Sarah encourages us to veer away from the humdrum holiday gifting norm and instead opt for a cause that benefits the world and elevates the conscience. Selections range from small contributions towards wildlife conservation and clean energy production to the more extravagant, including a Photo Safari with Tom Murphy or a five day, four night visit to the last untouched Gray Whale Nursery. So this holiday season tell grandma to save gas looking for that perfect snowman sweater and log in to http://www.nrdc.org and help save a baby whale. Check out the new Holiday spot here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPkCqXMcxG8.

For more information regarding Sarah Scott, visit http://www.sarahmscott.com.

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Teammates From East Coast's Largest Campground Compete In Christmas Challenge To Benefit Holiday Charity

Myrtle Beach, S.C. (PRWEB) November 23, 2011

Myrtle Beach?s Ocean Lakes Family Campground (http://www.oceanlakes.com), a division of The Jackson Companies, has kicked off its Christmas Challenge. This competition, which runs through Saturday, Nov. 26, has a three-fold focus on recycling, charity and saving money in today?s economy. The Christmas Challenge will enable the campground to raise and donate proceeds to Substitutes for Santa, a local charity that provides a Christmas experience to between 50 and 85 underprivileged children from the Loris and Myrtle Beach communities.

The challenge asks the campground?s teammates to decorate a tree or wreath as best they can without purchasing any decorations and only using items they find in their own offices. The Ocean Lakes Family Campground judges will cast ballots during the week for winners in three categories: Most Festive, Wow! and Most Creative Use of Departmental Supplies. Ocean Lakes? guests and teammates will vote for the ?People?s Choice.? Winners will be announced at The Jackson Companies? Teammates Awards Breakfast and on the Ocean Lakes Facebook page on Dec. 12.

Christmas Challenge entries will be sold through a silent auction during Thanksgiving week while the campground is nearly full with more than 20,000 guests. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Substitutes for Santa.

In light of the country?s tough economic times, Ocean Lakes? Marketing department came up with the Christmas Challenge idea a few years ago as a fun way to save money and help the staff get in the holiday spirit.

?We came up with this challenge in 2008 and the teammates loved it; so in hindsight, we thought we should have auctioned them off for charity,? said Barb Krumm, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Ocean Lakes Family Campground. ?We brought the Christmas Challenge back in 2011, and the teammate response has been overwhelming. They are already plotting next year?s challenge. This time we planned enough in advance to include our guests? votes and an auction for charity.?

In the past, there?s been no limit to the teammate?s creativity. The Ocean Lakes Storage and Transport Department previously made a wreath out of a blown camper tire, decorated with flashing tail lights, mangled camper parts and reflectors. Security staff at the 310-acre campground created a wreath with old uniform shirts, handcuffs, reports, confiscated items and a flashing blue light.

The 2011 challenge continues to showcase the teammates? creativity with departmental supplies including old fluorescent bulbs, orange caution cones, unused toilet plungers, iCare Program dog biscuits and mutt mitts, tools, toilet paper, and garden hose. This year, Security teammates formed the wreath itself out of caution tape. The Accounting Department crafted beautiful angels with halos out of coin wrappers and garland from dollar bill wrappers.

In all, there are 14 departments participating in the 2011 Christmas Challenge. Teammates are hoping to raise $ 1,000 for Substitutes for Santa, giving 10 underprivileged children a Christmas shopping spree with volunteer Santas.

For more information about Ocean Lakes, visit its website, follow the campground on Twitter or ?like? it on Facebook.

About Ocean Lakes Family Campground

Ocean Lakes Family Campground, a division of The Jackson Companies, is the largest campground on the East Coast and one of the largest in the United States. Located in Myrtle Beach, S.C., it has received numerous awards for excellence. In 2010, it received the Earth Day Award from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control for its iCare Program. It is the 2008-2009 National ?RV Park of the Year? and has received that honor from the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) four times. In 2006, Ocean Lakes received the prestigious South Carolina Governor?s Cup for making a significant economic impact on South Carolina. Ocean Lakes covers 310 oceanfront acres with nearly one mile of beachfront. It offers 3,447 sites ? 893 of which are large and pull-through to accommodate larger RVs. It was built by Mary Emily and Nelson Jackson and their five daughters, starting in 1970. It opened with 30 campsites and one bathhouse in 1971. On an average seasonal day, Ocean Lakes has 25,000 - 30,000 guests enjoying the countless amenities that have made it a local favorite and a national vacation destination. It currently holds a 9.5/9/9.5 ranking out of 10/10/10 from the Trailer Life Directory for its overall operation, recreational offerings, services and appearance.

Ocean Lakes Family Campground is a division of The Jackson Companies, a family-owned enterprise that includes Prestwick Golf & Country Club, Ocean Lakes Properties, Crystal Lake Mobile Home Village, Ocean Lakes RV Center, and the master-planned development SayeBrook.

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InvitationBox.com Introduces Their 2011 Corporate Holiday Greeting Card Collection

Cary, North Carolina (PRWEB) October 20, 2011

With the current state of the economy being so stressed, keeping contact and reaching out to customers and associates is an essential practice for any business or entrepreneur. The holiday season allows corporations and businesses the opportunity to thank customers for their continued patronage and support throughout the year, whether the customer is another business, an online shopper or a local customer.

InvitationBox.com assists corporate customers in keeping business relations strong with their collection of corporate holiday greeting cards. Over 700 unique holiday card designs have been introduced on InvitationBox.com for the upcoming 2011 holiday season. Corporate customers will be able to choose from a multitude of holiday card designs, depending on the message they are looking to relay to their recipients. Collections include business appreciation cards which express gratitude for continued patronage, calendar greeting cards which double as a greeting card and a holiday gift, cities and regions greeting cards which express gratitude along with a local touch from the corporation?s unique location or occupational cards which are unique to a corporation?s profession. ?Offering a wide selection of designs and collections to our corporate customers is an essential part of our holiday card selection every year,? says Jonathan La Nasa, President of InvitationBox.com, ?Each business is different, and not every holiday card will work for each corporate customer. Whether the corporate customer?s goal is to thank their customers, network or send a holiday wish, we make it our goal to have a card to relay that message.?

For corporate customers looking to send a holiday wish to their global customers, InvitationBox.com also offers a global and international collection of greeting cards to their corporate customers. These corporate holiday greeting cards relay a message of peace, prosperity and good wishes during the holiday season. ?Our global and international holiday greeting cards are non-holiday specific, and relay an inspiring wish for peace along with graphics featuring our nation?s many languages and country flags,? says Derek Stockman, Vice President of InvitationBox.com. ?This is the perfect message for a corporate customer to send to their clients overseas who may be celebrating alternate holidays and celebrations during the winter months.

InvitationBox.com?s large corporate holiday card collection features a personalized holiday greeting card design for any type of organization, company or corporation. Corporate customers can add logos, digital photographs, envelope liners and return address options to their greeting card order for further personalization. Greeting cards ship in as little as 2-3 business days for customers needing receipt of their order in a short timeframe. InvitationBox.com encourages their corporate customers to increase their business relations over the 2011 holiday season with their abundant corporate holiday greeting card collection.

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Cellular Sales Partners to Help Kansas City Children this Holiday

Kansas City, Kan. (PRWEB) December 01, 2011

Cellular Sales, the nation?s largest Verizon premium wireless retailer, recently announced a partnership with Kansas City-area law enforcement working to give children and families in need a holiday experience they will not soon forget.

?Cellular Sales is thrilled to join the efforts of the Platte City Police Department in the Shop with a Cop program,? said Beau Hammon, regional director of Cellular Sales. ?We have donated an iPad that will be included in a silent auction to help fund this project.?

The Shop with a Cop program provides funds which allow area children in need to go shopping for Christmas gifts - both for themselves and for their family members. Law enforcement officers from the Platte City Police Department accompany the children on their shopping trips, help wrap the gifts and treat the children to lunch afterward.

Cellular Sales was founded in Knoxville, Tenn. 18 years ago and has, for the past four years, been named by Inc. Magazine one of the nation?s fasted growing privately-owned retailers. In 2011, Cellular Sales ranked among the nation?s 75 fastest growing retailers in the Inc. 5000. The company currently operates nearly 500 stores across the U.S.

According to Lieutenant Al DeValkenaere of the Platte City Police, the wireless retailer?s participation will help the organization meet its projected goal of serving 30 children, an increase over last year?s total. At-risk children are identified for inclusion in the program by employees of the Platte County school district as well as social service professionals, and each child is provided $ 200 with which to shop.

?The program makes Christmas possible for these kids,? he said. ?It?s a tough thing for a parent to be unable to provide Christmas for his or her family, but in today?s economy, more people are finding themselves in that exact situation. Fortunately, our Shop with a Cop program will give local children and families a holiday to remember and this wouldn?t be possible without the support of local businesses like Cellular Sales.?

About Cellular Sales

Cellular Sales is the nation?s largest Verizon premium wireless retailer. Founded in Knoxville, Tenn. in 1993 by University of Tennessee graduates, Dane and Meg Scism, the company currently operates almost 500 locations. For more information about Cellular Sales, visit http://www.joincellularsales.com or http://www.cellularsales.com

About Platte City Police Department

The Platte City Police Department was established in 1931 in Platte City, Mo. Located at 900 Fourth Street, the department is made up of the Chief of Police, three sergeants, and 18 other officers and administrative staff members. In its (?) year, the Shop with a Cop Program has provided holiday shopping experiences and gifts for over (NUMBER) children. For more information about the program, contact the Platte City Police Department at (816) 858-5150 or visit http://www.plattecity.org. .

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