In theory, staying in touch with friends and family separated by long distances is easier than ever today. In addition to exchanging emails or using an instant messenger program (remember those?), you can connect on Facebook, Twitter, or half a dozen other social networking sites. If that’s not enough, most people are just a quick text message or cell phone call away.

Let’s be honest though. If you have a Facebook page, you likely have friends on there you knew from college, or high school, or some other place and time in your past, that aren’t a big part of your life anymore. Sure, you can see their status updates, look at their photos, and see what they had for lunch or comment on that funny picture they re-posted from someone else. But how often do you actually talk to these people? Are they really part of your life anymore?

For all the high-tech ways we have of staying in touch with each other, we don’t often take advantage of the opportunity to remain close with these people, even if we still like to consider them important to us. We often find that when someone is that far away, we just don’t have much to talk about with them. It doesn’t help that most of the electronic means of communication at our fingertips are so impersonal. If anything, sending a text or posting on someone’s Facebook wall often accentuates the physical distance separating us from these people.

If you find yourself with an urge to reconnect with someone like this, you might try a text message or a Facebook post, and maybe it will work. But to truly connect on a personal level with someone whom you can’t speak with face to face, there really is no better way than sending a real letter the old-fashioned way. Why not pull out your pad of personalized papers and write a letter to an old friend, one who might live far away now?

By writing with pen and paper, your message will become closer and more personal. Not only will your custom stationery bring a personal feel to the letter that would otherwise be lacking, but the slower pace of writing a letter can cause you to choose your words differently, and really get to the heart of what you’d like to say. It’s a great way to stay close with someone who has moved far away, or reestablish contact with someone who might have drifted apart from you over time.

Alternatively, you could choose to send your message in the form of a personalized card. This is ideal for a birthday, anniversary, or other notable occasion, but can also be fun even if there is no particular upcoming event. Who doesn’t like to receive a personalized card in the mail?

Whether you choose to send a letter or a card, you can find the tools you need right here. GiftsIn24.com has customized stationery and cards to suit a wide variety of tastes, and without a doubt you can find the right medium with which to get in touch with someone you haven’t spoken to in awhile.

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Smock just released a bunch of beautiful new paper goodies, most of which I’m hoping to see in person very soon at the National Stationery Show (booth #2241), and I’m all aswoon over their new nesting gift box and reversible gift wrap designs. Talk about great color and pattern.

Head on over to Smock to see these and all of the new goodies – lovely letterpress cards, notebooks, workbooks, and scratch pads included – that are new in the shop.

images from Smock

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A peek at what you’ll find in the Letter C Design booth (#1282)

This Week’s NSS-Centric Picks

♥ These gradient letterpress cards by Flywheel Press (booth #1967) are calling my name.

♥ As are these friendship bracelet cards by Printerette (booth #2056).

♥ Can’t wait to see Dingbat Press’ (booth #2063) new wedding album!

♥ Night Owl Paper Goods (booth #1951) is making way for all of their new paper goodies by having a big ol’ sale.

♥ A scavenger hut, stationery style, by Legion Paper (booth #2974) and oodles of great stationers. – spotted at Crow & Canary

♥ Win a year of stationery from Chronicle Books (booth #2362) . Sweet!

images from Letter C Design

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I’m so jazzed that The Social Type are making their debut at the National Stationery Show this year. I am so looking forward to stopping by their booth (#1869) and having a look at all of their fresh, modern greeting cards (plus, lots of foil stamping = yay!). Rumor has it that they’ll also be introducing a collection of gift wrap, and you know I’m trying my darndest not to squee out loud just thinking about it. We’ll see how long I can resist!

images from The Social Type

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I can tell from these previews that the Haute Papier booth (#2046) is going to be an attention grabber. Two new lines will be on display, including a collaborative collection with Dabney Lee Stationery that features neon letterpress printed coasters and note cards with simple sentiments and eye-catching patterns:

And a shiny collection of gold and silver foil stamped pattern notebooks that are sure to dazzle any metallic-obsessed paper lover:

images from Haute Papier

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Friday is coming up. And hopefully most of us will find that exciting. Some people like to spend the weekend relaxing, catching up on some reading and family. Mine very rarely look anything like that. I tend to be even busier on weekends that I am on a day at the work place. I’ve got meetings. I’ve got projects that need to be finished. I’ve got to do errands. But this weekend is different…

This weekend is guy time.

It’s a much needed mini vacation where I can just hang out with some of my closest guy friends. We already set it in stone and I must admit I am excited. That kind of excitement a little child gets when they find out their whole family is going to Six Flags on a perfect summer day. We are going to be grilling up some steaks, laughing, enjoying life, and playing video games. Games are one of our favorite times together. It seems to be one thing that can unite us anytime, anywhere. We love the adrenaline and team work involved. Yelling at each other in the same room like it’s a war zone. Personally I like to crank up my home theater to sound like I’m actually there in real life! Floors- shaking, teeth- rattling, thirst- growing, stomach- growling!

With all this fun, us guys can’t help but work up a soldier sized appetite. So on this unique occasion, I went beyond the call of duty and got a set of personalized napkins to use in tandem with all our snackage. I can’t wait for them to see.  I chose to get a foil stamped personalized napkin with a logo that I designed up myself so that we could use on more than one occasion. I loved the black napkin with silver foil because I knew it would match the electronic equipment in my theater room. So call me a nerd! What I do know is that the option for custom stationery really shows how Giftsin24 is an unstoppable force, prepared for anything you throw at it.

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