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We’re not sure if Oscar, our 227lb Great Dane ~ and Inkhaus Senior Marketing Strategist ~ knows it’s Christmas. He certainly brings cheer to our home & business, so we came up with this holiday greeting card to honor the big guy. And we did it in style!

After working some Adobe magic on the original photo, we sent in the print order with a request to apply a silk-laminate treatment to the card stock. The end result is superior both aesthetically as well as functionally.

This process produces a unique, textured silky feel to the paper ~ although the look & feel is ultra riche, the actual cost for this is only slightly higher than the standard card stock. This treatment also gives the paper water & tear resistance.

Want to check it out? Contact Us with your mailing information and we will gladly send you our Oscar Holiday Card for free.

*image & Artwork courtesy of Jay Mason Art

If I have to hear one more Mannheim Steamroller Christmas song, I’m going to pass out. Seriously.

That’s why I’ve chosen to feature this little gem on our site ~ Duke Ellington’s “Three Suites”: an album containing the Jazz legend’s own treatment of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Grieg’s Peer Gynt & an original, Suite Thursday, based on Steinbeck’s “Sweet Thursday” novella.

Take a listen to Sugar-Rum Cherry, originally known as Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies (does anyone remember the Ren & Stimpy episode with the “Bloody Head Fairy” that was set to this tune? A Classic!). Watch out for Harry Carney’s sultry Tenor Sax solo on this groove that sways like Uncle Leo after too much eggnog. Duke deftly uses his masterful rhythm section of Sam Woodyard & Aaron Bell, on Drums & Bass, respectively, to make In The Hall of the Mountain King swing hotter than a two-dollar pistol, and twice as loud! Do yourself a favor ~ pick up a copy of Three Suites….

Duke Ellington – Sugar-Rum Cherry

Duke Ellington – In The Hall Of The Mountain King

The Holiday Season can be a difficult time for a lot of folks. A seemingly endless shopping list to conquer, a shrinking budget with which to do said shopping ~ and let’s face it: our businesses don’t run themselves while we’re visiting relatives.

For a lot of us, this is proving to be an especially challenging winter. All one needs to do is turn on any Major Media News Network to hear a chorus of Bah-Humbugs from pundits & politicos alike. It’s about this time that I really start thinking about what is most important to me ~ Family.

As in many households, my Grandfather was an important, central figure ~ truly the patriarch of our family. I spent a great deal of time with him as a young man; his ideals, philosophies & work ethic played a major role in my development, and I hope to pass those lessons on someday soon.

Recently, I visited my Grandfather in the hospital ~ he’s been battling an illness for some time now, and this last stint was a real struggle for him. It is always difficult to see a loved one suffer ~ we continue to want to see them the way we did as children: Strong, Resilient, maybe even Indestructible.

I wanted to do something for him this Christmas that would remind him of the strength and success that characterized his life. His father, Robert Keller Hasty played Professional Baseball from 1919-1924 for manager Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics and was able to share the field with such legends as Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth.

On my last visit to see him, I was given a scrapbook kept of my Great-Grandfather’s illustrious career. Baseball is sacred in our family as it is in many American homes, and many of the values my Grandfather learned & passed on to me were taught through the game itself. Did you share a similar experience in your family? What games and activities were sacred to you and yours? Leave a comment and let us know!

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