When I was a kid , my grandmother worked for a greeting card company . Her problem was to go into the stores and verify the carte du jour were displayed right , up - to - particular date , and well - stockpile . I start out to accompany her on some of these trip . We ’d spend what seemed like hours meander through entrepot aisles lined with every kind of paper wonder conceivable .

If I learned anything from these excursion with my grandmother , it was that not all cards are create adequate . And truly special view , require a truly special plug-in .

A couple of weeks ago I get looking around for thank you menu . Well , one give thanks you tease in fussy — something for my mother . She ’d lately gone above and beyond the call of motherly duty by delay up until the wee hour of the morning for about a week to help us get ready for our wedding . But nothing I go through in the depot really seemed to do justice to the overwhelming gratitude we felt .

Then , in the course of researching a story for the January 2006 publication of Macworld — which should be arriving the mailboxes of ratifier later this week — I came across the card selection atPhotoWorks . This online pic - sharing service offers some really inspired pic cards . certainly , they have the standard , including those tenacious 4 - by-8 - in bill that appear in everyone ’s mail box around the holidays . But they also have moreunique designs . Some fold up like a blossom or offer cutouts to reveal an inner photo . Others feature an accordion fold with elbow room for three dissimilar pic . My favourite , though , is call theReveal — it ’s a bi - fold that opens up to reveal three different message and a photo .

avowedly , the cards are n’t inexpensive . A single one can cost as much at $ 4 , depending on the design you prefer ( there are volume discounts ) . And if you take a solid batting order , you ’ll have to use additional postage when you get off it off . But the “ wow ” factor is huge .

For our thank you remark , I set up my tripod and take a picture of my husband and myself take hold large slice of cardboard at the same spot we take our wedding photos . I then used Photoshop to add the word “ give thanks You ” to the signs in our hands . I uploaded the file to PhotoWorks ’ Web internet site , wrote a personalized note that stretch over each of the three text panels , and then had the website mail the card to me so we could sign it before sending it off .

Sure , it was more work than walking into a store and picking a bill of fare off the shelf . But a twosome of daylight after send it , I received a teary call from my female parent who could n’t stop utter about the card . In fact , I get word she ’s take to carrying it around with her to show to others . I ca n’t recollect of the last clip one of my cards got that kind of answer .

My grandmother would be majestic .