hoops&yoyo Fan Store Now Open!

www.hoopsandyoyofanstore.com

Your favorite bunny and cat now have their very own fan store with gifts for a limited time only! Get your exclusive hoops&yoyo tote bags, beach towels, and a limited edition travel poster. This is the only place and the only time you can get these gifts, so don't miss it! I love these guys!

Fresher than Fresh needs a "kickstart"

We've featured Lindsay L. and her Fresher than Fresh Snow Cones on cre-a-tiv-i-ty in the past so my moral compass is telling me it's ok to pass along her newest link. Please help keep this unique gem going in Kansas City and watch a cute little video too!

The LOVE Stamp

If the new Love stamp issued by the United States Postal Service looks familiar, it's because it should. It's based off of Hallmark's best selling card in history.

On Thursday, April 22, the official unveiling and first-day cancellation event for the 2010 Love stamp took place at the National World War I Museum near Hallmark's Kansas City headquarters. Dave Hall, president - Hallmark North America and Gene Maienschein, son of the original pansy card artist Dorothy Maienschein, offered comments during the event.

Read more about it and watch a video of the unveiling here.

Kansas City in the New York Post

photo from: nelson-atkins.org

Sure KC is known for its BBQ, but in an article by the New York Post, it seems our museums might be even better. We have two outstanding museums of contemporary art (Nelson-Atkins and Nerman) as well as a thriving art scene in the Crossroads. The writer also touches on a number of historic and Kansas City landmarks.

Read the entire article here: 50 States: Missouri - Art Attack! In Kansas City, the museums might be better than the BBQ.

For all you've ever wanted to know about Kansas City, check out visitkc.com or thinkkc.com.

Hallmark Creative Summer Internship Program

You can now apply for our 2010 Summer Creative Internship Program! Deadline to apply is March 1, 2010. Get going! We can't wait to see what sort of talent we'll have this summer!
(The image above mentions attached PDFs. Don't worry. All the info is available on our careers website.)

FOUR FOODIES

I've added a new link in the Hallmarkers Who Blog list on the right. Four Foodies is a blog that will make your mouth water. Two Hallmarkers, a former Hallmarker, and a non-Hallmarker make up the Four Foodies. I'm placing a video of theirs in this post because I think it showcases the Kansas City farmers' market quite nicely. If you love food (who doesn't?!) check out the Four Foodies. They even include their recipes! Yum!

Why I love my job #2,987,501

Why do I love my job? Because I am surrounded by extremely talented people every single day who create amazing artwork that is then given away.

A group of Hallmark illustrators (called the Blink Studio) painted cardboard tubes for a holiday display in the building. When the display comes down, they are going to raffle away opportunities to pick out a tube to keep as your very own. You know my name will be in that hat for the drawing! Pick me! Pick me!

Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.

— Albert Einstein

Have you been to our careers website lately?

Our careers website has been revamped (by our in-house Marketing Design Studio) and is a great place to explore what it's like to work at Hallmark. There are videos, answers to the most asked questions, fun stuff about our Hallmark culture, info on Kansas City, etc. Search jobs, find out about internships, or just wander through it and be entertained.

www.hallmark.com/careers <----check it out!

something something something... voiceovers for Disney...something something... Bret Iwan....

Previous blog post to return at a later date... I'm such a tease.

HOOPS & YOYO DAY AT THE K

Last Sunday was hoops&yoyo day at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals played (and lost) but everyone had fun. How can you not enjoy yourself when this cat and bunny are on the loose!?

You can read more about the fun on the official hoops&yoyo blog. Check it out!

Breakaway Brands from 2009: Hallmark!

The Hallmark brand is something we talk about a lot around here. I know in recruiting, the Hallmark brand is my friend. People aren't always excited to receive and unsolicited phone call or speak to a random person at a conference, but once you drop the Hallmark name people tend to perk up. It's nice. Really nice, actually.

Hallmark has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Breakaway Brands of 2009. Click here to read the article. Here's what AOL Daily Finance and Landor Associates had to say about Hallmark:

The greeting card company earned a spot on our list by going non-traditional, rolling out a customizable digital e-card studio, a line of earth-friendly greeting cards, and a card series called “Journeys” (a line of encouragement cards focused on fighting cancer, coming out, and battling depression). On the screen, the Hallmark Channel reached out to a younger audience by casting more youthful actors and updating music and advertising to appeal to the under-30 set. The company also dramatically expanded its retail presence in grocery stores, drugstores, and even into Walmart.

Twilight + Hallmark (*insert my 13 year-old girly shriek here*)

People Magazine gave Hallmark's Twilight Greeting Cards front page space this morning online. YAY! I don't know if I'm more excited about Hallmark, Twilight, or People. It's the ultimate trifecta for me. We even have Twilight ecards at hallmark.com! Seriously, could this day get any better?

Check out the article on People.com. I'm off to reread the Twilight series...

ELLE Decor goes to Kansas City!

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the InterContinental

Check out the great article in ELLE Decor this month featuring Kansas City!

Also quoted is Hallmark's very own David Jimenez. I especially enjoyed the last page of the article where they showcase the "Essential Kansas City." If you haven't been here to visit yet, what's stopping you?

(Thanks to Mimi & Meg for bringing this article to my attention!)

31 Veggie Burgers in 31 Days!

Ok. I have to tell you guys about a blog that a fellow Hallmarker is keeping this month. Sergio Moreno is a writer here for Hallmark's Sinceramente line and he LOVES veggie burgers.

Sergio is also turning 31 this month.

March coincidentally has 31 days in it.

Hmmmm.... 31 Veggie Burgers in 31 Days! <---click to see the blog.

Even if you don't love veggie burgers like Sergio does, the blog is worth a look. He is keeping a video diary of all the fun places he's going to eat, so you'll get to see some fine Kansas City establishments.

Oh, and Sergio also a black eye... which I'm hoping he shares the origin of by the end of his veggie burger journey. Bon appétit!

Hallmark Internships make Top 10 List

Our internship program was recognized by Vault.com as one of the top 10 "most unusual" internship programs.

Hmmm... "most unusual" is a compliment, right?

YES! Keep in mind the diversity of internships we offer.... from engineering to design.

The criteria used to select which companies made the Vault.com's Top 10 Internships list was:

Pay and perks
Because so many internships are unpaid, compensation definitely makes a difference. That doesn’t just mean cash, though: positions that offer interns housing, transportation and access to exclusive events are a huge plus as well.

On the job
The more engaging hands-on work and mentorship opportunities a program offers, the better. So when picking the Top 10 candidates, we choose positions that will enable interns to take their experience out into the postgraduate world by giving them a taste of full-time experience as well as networking opportunities.

Looking forward
Internships are meant to prepare students and recent grads for the future, whether by allowing them to try out different industries or narrow their focus to one. Job placement—the offer rate to interns for full-time jobs—was a factor. Also important: what we call “resume radiance,” a line on the resume that will impress future employers. A big name on your resume can propel you forward in any industry.

So to make the "Most Unusual" list the Vault.com looked at what internships offered unique experiences to their participants that couldn't be found anywhere else, while still maintaining the quality of pay, perks, on-the-job experience and job placement, etc. that they expect from all of their top 10 internships.

YAY! We're unusual -- and not in that creepy neighbor sort of way!

Click HERE for the full list of all those honored.

And I guess sometimes our interns could be considered "unusual..."

Summer 2009 Internships

Join us in Kansas City this summer! Hallmark Creative Summer Internships are now posted at www.hallmarkcreativecareers.com

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AMERICA!

Editor's Note: I was going to post this a couple weeks ago but was afraid ABC (the big one in New York) would make me yank it. I think we're close enough to the time of release now that I'm safe. If this post is gone in the next day or two, please send a search party for me. Also... Good Morning America is in KC on Wednesday, so I'm thinking that might be the day of the big reveal. Stay tuned... -Bess

Thanks to the creative talents of our Trend Expert, Scott Butterfield, and a collaborative Hallmark team, Kansas City will be wishing America happy holidays this December.

ABC’s Good Morning America will transform its ground-level studio windows at Times Square into three holiday display windows, each featuring a different city. Throughout the season, the two-sided displays will be visible from inside the GMA studios and by foot traffic on Broadway and 44th street. Nine cities were invited to compete for a window, and through the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association, Kansas City’s invitation ended up in Scott’s hands.

With his background in visual merchandising and store design, Scott was a great choice to lead a collaborative team to work on the entry. Illustrators, designers, and lettering artists all helped to develop the concept. Partners in retail and our model shop helped with the initial renderings. The Union Hill Photo Studio contributed through the efforts of photographers and photo retouchers bringing the photos to life. In Scott’s words, “they’ve all brought unique and valuable perspectives and talent to this project.”

Needless to say, their resulting design and presentation blew the judges away, making Kansas City GMA’s first choice! The winning concept will be unveiled on Good Morning America during the week of December 3-5. It features ornament vignettes, inspired by the magical light innovation of our own Keepsakes ornaments.

I'd share a sketch of what the window is going to look like, but I've been informed that you'll have to wait until GMA unveils it. So be sure to tune in to Good Morning America the week of December 3-5!

Read more here.

DIFFA: GLAM HOLIDAYS

I wanted to post a few pictures I took on Saturday night at the DIFFA Glam Holidays event. I had such a good time mingling with local design professionals, eating wonderful hors d’oeuvres, and biding on one-of-a-kind holiday décor created by some of Kansas City’s most celebrated designers and artists.





Check out more information about DIFFA in Kansas City here.

NEW BLOG ADDED

I've added a new blog on the right under "Hallmarkers Who Blog." Heather H. purchased a letterpress a couple weeks ago and is already creating amazing pieces. She's also blogged a bit about how much she loves her job at Hallmark... who doesn't love reading about that!?

Check out Heather H.'s blog:
twine and twig

Enjoy!