Labels for LifeLabels for Life will give tips for organizing your life, home and office.

As a football Mom, I haven’t always been thrilled with my boy playing the sport. Sometimes I’ve worried about him getting hurt. Other times I’ll admit I’ve been frustrated when he just hasn’t spent as much time on his studies as I would like him to. But he does love being a member of the Panther football team. So I attend every game and proudly say “Go Panthers!” with the other Moms and Dads.

But the Panthers have had some trouble with their equipment this year, making it tough for Jimmy to enjoy the sport as much. The coach had even sat the boys down and talked about the team ending the season early without the equipment due to safety, something that really just tore Jimmy up inside. We knew we had to do something. So we turned to boosting the Panthers with a bumper sticker fundraiser.

Our Panthers bumper sticker fundraiser was simple. We created three different Panthers bumper stickers. The bumper stickers were beautiful – all four color and durable vinyl. We knew they would stand up to heavy-duty use and be on the vehicles a long time. The custom bumper stickers were for different levels of fundraising. If you gave up to $25.00 you got the first bumper sticker. If you gave up to $50.00 you got the second bumper sticker. People giving more than $50.00 got the third bumper sticker.

I’ll admit that there was some subtle competition going on here. That people really wanted to be seen with that third and “best” bumper sticker on their car. So even though we had ordered three different kinds of bumper stickers, we easily sold more of our highest priced bumper sticker. But we didn’t really have to ask or arm-twist people for money. They really wanted that sense of pride that comes from helping the team. The fact that our Panthers bumper stickers looked great I’m sure really helped though.

The kids and parents sold bumper stickers for several weeks and it all went very quickly. Some of the cheerleaders were very outgoing and sold lots of bumper stickers. Some parents worked for large companies are were able to sell lots of bumper stickers. But truly everyone gave it their best effort and that’s what made it the most successful. Everyone giving their best to the Panthers.

I think our bumper sticker fundraiser was so successful because people realized they were helping out the Panthers by giving to the team. The bumper stickers didn’t cost us too much in expenses, so it wasn’t like throwing the team a fancy dinner or other type of event. But the bumper stickers looked great and best of all – they would be on the cars and SUVs year-round. So the team would get lots of Spirit from that.

As a proud Panther Mom I can say that we raised $4,500 from our bumper sticker fundraiser. Lots of folks in the community wanted to help out. I smile as I go to the grocery store or to get gas and see all of these “Go Panthers!” bumper stickers. I know I didn’t just help Jimmy but I helped the whole town.

Getting Attention With Company Holiday Cards

It seems like every company sends out a holiday card these days. The holidays are the ideal time to reconnect with old clients and to send good wishes to your current clients. It’s competitive when you sell office supplies – as customers have lots of options. That friendly “Happy Holidays” can serve as a good reminder so they know who to call when they need office supplies, gardening services or other business needs met.

But with so many holiday cards in the mail at the same time, it’s hard to make sure that yours gets as much attention as it deserves. We’ve tried personalized cards with our name on them – and it seems like every other company is doing that too. That’s when we discovered Embossed & Foil Stickers. These Labels come in many colors and you can easily customize these to truly stand out and make an impact.

Adding a Foil or Embossed Label to the back of our Holiday Card worked just like Santa’s sleigh!  From the very moment our customers received our holiday card, they knew it was from us. Best of all, that Foil or Embossed Label showed we were making a special effort for them. Not everyone goes the extra mile for their customer. We all know that when you show someone you are willing to do the little things, they know they can trust you with the bigger things as well. Our office supply business started getting orders, even before we could take our own holiday break.

A holiday card may seem like such a simple thing, but you would be surprised at how important the simple things are. Connecting with your customers is critical, especially when you run a small business like ours. When you sell office supplies, you need to get to know your customers. Celebrating the holidays and wishing them “Happy Holidays” with a festive Foil Label is the ideal choice for our business. Our customers look for our card – and it really stands out from the others.

But I haven’t told you the best part yet. We’ve had plenty of labels so we have used them for other things. Adding them on top of outgoing packages to customers during the holiday season has certainly gotten their attention. We’ve gotten a number of calls asking us about “these new labels.” Several customers called me asking where I got the labels. They shimmer and shine and come in many colors. We ordered ours in red and green and blue and white.

Best of all, we started hearing from our old customers – the ones who hadn’t ordered from us in months or years! Just by sending them a simple Holiday card with a show-stopping label, we got our customers’ attention right back where it belonged: on our business. Between the orders from old and current customers, our order department has been as busy as Santa’s workshop!

So if you are looking for a way to connect with your customers this holiday season, look no further. Pick out your favorite Foil or Embossed Label style and get your holiday cards ready. Then get ready for the phone to ring!

Mark Trumper

If you have a contracting company, I bet you’d like to know one of the easiest ways to advertise it. I’ll give you a hint: they’re walking around in front of you all day.

Give up? Okay, we’ll let you in on the secret….add Hardhat Stickers to your hardhats. This is an excellent way to make every employee on the job at your sites remind people that Grafton’s Lumber or Smithton’s Contracting is hard at work. And if people like what they see – then they know who to call.

A Hardhat Decal is not merely an advertising method, it’s also a top-notch way of protecting your job site. We all know that your typical job site is a busy place with trucks, other vehicles and people coming in and out all day. If everyone on your job site wears one of your hardhats with a Hardhat Decal, it’s an easy way to scout out someone who doesn’t belong or just plain looks funny there. And in today’s day and age you sure do need to protect your business.

A Hardhat Decal can easily tell people about your company without your needing to say a word. Put your phone number and website on the decal. Add your company logo. Include the months or years you’ve been accident-free on the job. Each of these are great ways to promote your company.

Remember that many of your construction workers will carry their Hardhats with them in their off-hours. This is easy advertising for you even when they are not on a job site. Remind them to mind their manners and that they represent the company as they carry your Hardhat. A polite interaction could lead to a new customer or business relationship for you. Why, it’s like each of these Hardhats becomes silent salespeople for you!

So don’t do things the hard way when you can choose an easier method. Look into Hardhat decals to promote and protect your construction business.

Contact Maverick Label if you are interested in purchasing hardhat stickers or any labels for your business. They are pros in the business. Call 1-800-537-8816, Toll Free from USA & Canada  (425) 771-6500 (Elsewhere)

Who doesn’t like a bottle of wine as a gift? A bottle of wine is the perfect gift for so many occasions. From the dinner party to celebrating a special event, your bottle of wine will be enjoyed and the thoughtfulness you share will be remembered with every delicious sip.

But most of us long to give gifts that get noticed, truly stand out a little bit. Especially when you attend a big dinner party and the hostess receives ten gifts all at once – how will yours really stand out from the crowd? When three other people are bringing wine, somehow it just doesn’t seem like you stand a chance.

Custom Printed Wine Labels created from your own artwork can easily be added to any wine bottle. What a perfect way to say “From The Johnsons with Love” or “Happy Holidays” or your own special greeting. Not only can your share your greeting, but an image to go along with it that shares your happiness and goodwill. Try a cozy family photo for the wine bottles you give as hostess gifts. Or to celebrate the new baby in your family, add a picture of that bouncing boy or girl’s photo to the wine label and announce their arrival in the world. There are so many ways you can make your Custom Printed Wine Labels unique.

Wine is a classic gift because it is popular with many people. There are different types of wine to give ideal for special occasions. Try bottles of champagne to celebrate that wedding engagement or start of your new company. Or a 25 year old bottle of scotch to celebrate a law school graduation or retirement party.

The Custom Printed Wine Labels are ideal also for corporate gift giving purposes. Add your company logo to give wine for a company event. Or add a photo of your latest product to give wine to clients and employees to celebrate a new product launch. Custom Printed Wine Labels can be ordered in a low 250 minimum quantity – so it is easy to do a small batch.

There are so many creative ideas for your custom artwork – sometimes it is hard to narrow it down to one. Photographs are quite popular as they depict people the recipient knows and show who we are toasting with our bottle of wine. Company logos are another popular choice for corporate gifts – remember every time your logo is seen it is a gesture of goodwill in your community. Giving a bottle of wine to someone can easily be seen by another dozen people, not just that one recipient of that bottle.

Now it is easy to make your personal or corporate gift stand out – with Custom Printed Wine Labels. As they uncork that bottle and take a sip of that wonderful vintage, they’ll remember your friendship, goodwill and generosity.

Company I.D.s don’t sound like the most interesting topic. But let’s talk about this for a moment. You really should know exactly who is entering (and exiting) your building. Without company I.D.’s it is easy for literally anyone to slip in undetected.

You may think that your security staff is top-notch, that company I.D.’s are unnecessary and a waste of money. We’re not going to dispute your security team’s talents. Having company I.D.’s however can often make their jobs quite a bit easier.

Company I.D.’s can quickly be noticed on people’s cars before entering your company’s headquarters. One glance can tell your security staff is that person is authorized to be in your buildings. A company I.D. as a weatherproof label on their car is an easy protection system to have in place for your business.

A company I.D. should have your company name, an expiration date and some way to identify the employee. First initial and last name can be a quick way to do this. Or you can use a numerical system. Choose something that works well for your security staff. Most important is to have your label well-organized so it is easy to read and quick to scan. Many of your employees will be rushing into work, not thinking about the security staff trying to read their company I.D. weatherproof label. Make things easier on your security staff so when a problem arises, they can focus their full attention of this – instead of minute details.

Don’t think that company I.D.’s can be done “once” and then forgotten about, the trick is constantly monitoring them. Put someone in Human Resources in charge of maintaining records and keep them in close contact with your security staff. This simple precaution can keep a disgruntled former employee (or soon-to-be former employee) from stealing priceless company secrets and taking them to the competition. This monitoring system can also keep a former employee from giving their weatherproof label to someone else to enter your company headquarters.

In today’s day and age security is critical for every type of company. Fortunately putting security measures into place is often easier and more practical than many companies think it will be. Most employees adjust quickly to security measures – and quite often they appreciate the company that keeps its corporate location safe and secure. This also means the employees’ personal safety is protected as well.

With company I.D.’s on cars always use Weatherproof labels. No matter your climate, this will encourage the labels to have great durability and be long-lasting. It also means the Weatherproof label will stand up to that ice storm, hurricane or hot summer days you are facing.

Written by ID My Stuff.

Looking for an edge over the competition? Now that’s an obvious question! Who wouldn’t like some tips to reach a bit farther than your closest competition is right now? We are telling you to go 3D. Go 3D all the way with Dome Labels and Stickers!

Dome Labels and Stickers have got not just the eye-appeal but a unique texture that makes your potential customer want to reach out and touch them. They’re simply irresistible! The Dome Labels and Stickers have a thick, yet crystal-clear polyurethane dome laid over the label or sticker, giving it a unique appearance. These aren’t your Dad’s stickers anymore: they’ve totally gone 3-D in the wildest way. Look to the Domed stickers for that product or service you want to get attention. With these labels, you’ll easily have the advantage.

So if you’ve got a new software program, coffee bean, virus scanner or anything else people will want to buy – this is something you’ll want to pay attention to. It’s this easy: people like things that go “pop” “wham” and especially – “WOW!” when they look at them. The Dome Labels totally say “WOW!” to your customers – even before first names are exchanged.

The Dome Labels and Stickers seem to “float” a bit above their surface for a cool 3-D effect. That’s the polyurethane at work. Remembering that old adage about a potential customer needing to see your company name at least 20x before it sinking in – these labels pack a 1-2 punch, grabbing their attention and making it simply impossible to look away.

Let’s face it: there’s a lot of noise out there. So you’ve got to make some of your own. With stickers people can’t keep their paws off of, you’re making some noise people will pay attention to. Not every marketing gimmick is quite as appealing as these 3-D stickers as we are sure you would agree. When you choose a marketing tactic you want something that has easy popularity and is instantly appealing.

What’s the best thing about the dome labels? They are totally cool and collectible. Your company’s latest product easily can become viral when you give these Dome Labels and Stickers as give-aways to teens, college students or other passionate markets. They’ll stick your 3-D catchy, full-color labels in places where other people will see them, want to touch them and be curious about what you’re offering. Bet you anything they’re gonna want one too!

A hologram is created by capturing the light reflected from an object and reconstructing it so the subject appears to move relative to the position of the viewer of the hologram.  This is what makes a hologram appear 3-dimensional but in fact it is not, it is a 2-dimensional representation just as an ordinary photograph.

In 1947, Hungarian physicist, Gabor Denes (known as Dennis Gabor in English) was playing in his lab with the results of pioneering technological advances dealing with the development of the electron microscope.  Dennis Gabor was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for his discovery but he had to wait until 1971 to receive the recognition he deserved.

The discovery was made in England at the commercial lab of British Thomas-Houston who filed a patent back in 1947, however the holographic light/optical technique did not attain any commercial significance until the development of the laser in 1960.  With the invention of the laser, 3-dimensional objects were then able to be made and the technique was first discovered in 1962 by two sets of teams – one in Soviet Russia led by Yuri Denisyuk and in the US, led by Juris Upatnieks.

Article provided by MaverickLabel.com, offering quality hologram stickers.

The initial holograms required illumination using the polarized light provided by a laser which severely restricted the use of the hologram.  With the development of “Rainbow Transmission” holograms, ordinary white-light sources could be used to create the 3-dimensional replication and this opened the door to using holograms in everyday life.  The holograms you see on credit cards and as security tags on product packaging are of this type.  The rainbow transmission technique uses a surface print on a plastic film which is then backed by an aluminum mirror-coating to provide the backlight source of illumination – this is what creates the 3-dimensional image appear.

A refinement of the rainbow transmission hologram is the “reflection” or “Denisyuk” hologram.  Here a multi-color image is reproduced and a white-light source from the same side of the viewer is only needed – this removes the need for the backlight coating which increases the cost of producing the hologram.

While static 3-dimensional images can be reproduced on a 2-dimensional medium, the science fiction concept of a 3-dimensional image being projected into a space is not yet with us.  The ability to replicate a 3-dimensional image into a space holds a lot of attraction for television and film but while plenty of effort has been going into creating a 3-dimensional viewing experience, the reality is that this holographic development is still science fiction and not science fact.  The 2008 holographic projection of CNN reporter Jessica Yellin during the Presidential elections last year may have given the impression of a hologram projection into space but in fact there was a merging of a video feed from the reporter which was then combined with the video feed created in the studio.  In other words, it was a cheat, but still gave a good indication of the possibility of 3-d holographic movies and television may be able to bring to the movie theater or your living room within the next few years.

Follow Maverick Label on their Label Blog.

If you’ve gone to a winery these days (and who hasn’t) you may have noticed the latest trend….you can bottle your own wine. It’s very cool. These winemaking classes are easy for a beginner to take and often you make about a dozen bottles, so you’ve go plenty to share with future dinner parties (or one big party). Many wineries offer different classes for different types of wine – if you want to make red wine or dessert wine or white wine, etc.

But what’s missing from this personalized class is something you can easily provide yourself – personalized wine labels (wine label designs). Why not name your wine and mention that it is from “The Jones Family, Summer 2009″? This personalized wine label makes your wine ideal for gift giving for so many occasions.

Custom wine labels are easy to create, you’ll just want to know what type of wine you are making and what you are calling it – as most you give a bottle of wine to will want to know what they would be uncorking before they have a glass (so they know what to serve with it).

Warning: both the winemaking at the winery and the personalized wine labels can become very addictive. It’s fun – and your family and friends can get quite used to expecting a delicious bottle of wine from you – they’ll ask when they will see the next one! Don’t worry though….making the wine and the personalized wine labels are rather step-by-step and a fun experience!

Let’s face it: these days everyone wants attention for their company products and services. But if you’d like to have the advantage on your side – check out custom hologram stickers. You can easily add a hologram label to your product that customers won’t be able to look away from.

Not every product on the shelves has an attractive label – and many products just don’t have the up-to-the moment hologram label. Adding a hologram label gives your product a very “now” look that is perfect for the latest products, especially for youth-oriented products.

There’s a lot of competition out there on the shelves when a customer goes shopping. An attractive label makes a customer stop a few extra seconds to check your product out, see what it’s about. A hologram label is not something you see everyday – it’s unique and special because it is very of-the-moment.

Hologram labels can be customized to many sizes. Whether your product is large or small, a custom hologram label can be attractively designed to catch a customer’s eye and call attention to your product.

There’s nothing like a hologram label available today. The rainbow shimmers of the hologram label as it shines under the light. Customers love to roll your product back and forth, watching the label change color – as they learn more about your product and notice your cool label. “Hey, this product must be really cool if the label is this cool,” That’s what they’re thinking!

Most employees just don’t think much about their employee badges. But employee I.D. badges are important: you want to know who is permitted in your building or secure area – and who isn’t.

One of the latest advances you can add to your I.D. badges are hologram labels. Adding a hologram label is an ideal way for a company to create eye-catching I.D. batches. Best of all, these I.D. badges become rather easy for security to confirm or decline. When someone has the proper hologram security seal they are “okay” and when they don’t – you know they don’t belong.

What is great about using hologram labels in your I.D. badges is that these are not something someone can easily create a forgery. You won’t have to worry about fake copies of I.D. badges. Having hologram labels on I.D. badges is a great way to keep up-to-date on which employees are permitted in certain areas and who is not.

Everyone has seen hologram labels and how they shimmer and change color. These labels are eye-catching and your security staff will see them quickly to let staff in without much fuss.

Use hologram labels for parking permits, staff updates, security clearances and many other employee needs. A hologram label easily attracts attention and your staff and security will notice them quickly.