**UPDATE** As of June 2023 Flamingo Paperie has now closed. We are very sad at the loss of this fabulous company with its range of fabulous artists but we still have a good level of Flamingo Papaerie stock available on this website and will always try and find what you are looking for if you want to locate an old favourite. We are very lucky to be stocking products from many of the same artists via other suppliers.
Other than the quality and affordability, which Flamingo cards and gift wrap has in abundance, what makes them any different to other greeting cards on the market? In short – what’s special about Flamingo Paperie?
Recyclable
All Flamingo gift wrap and gift tags are recyclable, 100%! That’s quite something in a day where there is still a myth spread on social media that only brown paper can be recycled. The gift tags all have jute string ties and jute is totally biodegradable and therefore compostable.
If you’re still not convinced whether you can have pretty wrapping paper without harming the environment then read my guide Is gift wrapping paper recyclable
What about the cards? Good question! All the greeting cards without effects added are 100% recyclable. Until now the glitter on some of the cards wasn’t environmentally friendly but Flamingo have just launched the first cards with eco-friendly vegetable based glitter.
‘Happy Anniversary’
now with eco-friendly, vegetable based glitter!
It’s unclear whether foiled cards are recyclable or not. Many recycling plants won’t accept them but there is some research done by interested parties to suggest that this might be unnecessary.
Charity
ALL Flamingo Christmas cards, including the advent calendar cards are charity cards. If you want to know more about that then I wrote about it in a bit more depth here.
Flamingo Partners, like myself, got to choose which charities would benefit in 2018 and we chose Macmillan Cancer Support, Together for Short Lives and the Alzheimers Society for UK donations.
Artists
Have you ever seen or bought a greeting card after liking the image on the front only to wonder who created it? You turn over the card and all you see is ‘Made in China’. Not so with Flamingo!
Flamingo are proud to promote each and every one of the artists who design for them. And if you read their profiles the artists are pretty pleased to supply Flamingo with their designs.
Flamingo Paperie are a design led company and are always looking for new artists. If you have something to offer, it could be your name on the back of the next new Flamingo greeting card.
You could be part of a very special Flamingo too!
Are you:
Running your own business and need to compliment your products with cards and gift wrap?
Needing a little extra income?
Looking for something flexible that you can shape to fit your lifestyle?
Someone who loves cards, gift wrap, stationery, Christmas and all things glittery!?
If you’d just like to get your hands on these charitable, ethical and desing led cards and gift wrap then you can buy them from my Flamingo shop. Shop now and find our what’s special about Flamingo Paperie.
If you’ve heard of Flamingo Paperie but aren’t sure what it’s all about then you might find this answers some of your questions. Flamingo Paperie is still a relatively new company, which rose out of the ashes of Phoenix Trading. It’s about to enter its busy period with the Christmas range launching late August. Now is possibly the best time to join and reap those rewards. But you might be wondering how it all works. Whether it could work for you and possibly even who or what is Flamingo? Well here’s my Flamingo Paperie review after 6 months being an Independent Flamingo Partner with the new company.
Who or What is Flamingo Paperie?
Perhaps you haven’t even heard of Flamingo Paperie and that wouldn’t be surprising as the company only launched in February 2018. You might have heard of its predecessor Phoenix Trading. Flamingo is a different company with a new focus but it comes built on 22 years of Phoenix Trading with many of the same staff and independent Partners. Flamingo is a British greeting card company specialising in exclusively illustrated greeting cards, gift wrap and stationery. I’m proud to be part of a company with a strong ethical and charitable vision. All Flamingo’s cards are ethically printed in the UK, using FSC card and vegetable based inks and all our Christmas cards are charity cards. The design team are passionate about supporting and promoting the illustrators and artists who create the designs (I’ve met the design team, their passion really shines through them when you talk to them).
Who am I and what do I know about Flamingo?
Flamingo don’t sell through shops, at least not in the UK (it’s slightly different in Australia and New Zealand). Their fabulous cards can only be purchased through an Independent Partner, which is what I am. I was a Phoenix Trader from 2012 until they closed and have been a Flamingo Partner since they launched in February. I’m an Executive Partner, which means I support a team of my own and their teams too. At the last check I was the top sponsor, which means I have added more people to my team than any other Partner in the business since February. I have a team from Shetland to the Channel Islands and in France. I love sending cards and I’m a complete stationery addict! This is my personal Flamingo Paperie review from my experience.
How does Flamingo ‘work’?
There are prinicipally three ways to earn money as a Flamingo Partner. You can buy and sell stock to friends, colleagues, relatives, at craft fairs, pop up shops and more. You buy stock at 30% off the retail price but you do pay delivery on all your orders (£6 max). It is possible to sell without buying any stock. You can do this by directing people to your personalised website. Here the company ships all the orders direct to your customer and you get 20% profit. The other way to earn is by building a team of Partners who you support, with the help of your upline Executive Partner. E.g. if you joined my team and someone joined your team then I would support both you and your team member in your businesses. When your team sell you earn a commission from the company depending on how much you sell and they sell etc. If you would like the details of how this works exactly just ask.
Flamingo Paperie review of the good stuff so far?
I live in the Outer Hebrides and pay the same delivery on all my orders as everyone else in the UK. It means we all have the same opportunity.
The quality of the cards and gift wrap is outstanding. Phoenix were reknown for their high quality affordable cards and gift wrap. I think the designs and quality that Flamingo now have are even better. The gift wrap always had a reputation for being quality and ‘unrippable’. Now it’s even thicker with Flamingo than it was with Phoenix. It still has the same invaluable cutting grid lines on the back. This helps to make gift wrapping a pleasure not a chore.
Everyone gets a personalised website as standard. This is simpler because we all get the same but it’s included in the starter pack cost and everyone has the same opportunity to sell online if they want to.
We have a narrower range than we had with Phoenix. This gives the company more focus on what they do and doing it really well.
The ‘team’ feeling is outstanding. The mutual support that most Partners give each other in Flamingo is something I’ve not seen anywhere else. Given that we earn commision on our own teams and not on other people’s you’d understand if it was all a bit cliquey but it’s not. I’ve had support from other teams. I also have quite a few Partners who have asked to receive my team emails and be part of my Facebook team support group. In the long run if we support each other we all grow as the company grows.
30% profit is a really good rate. I find it pretty easy to reach a monthly level of sales where I earn a further 10% on my bonus sales volume.
There are no targets that have to be met or sales levels that have to be achieved. There are rewards for selling and growing a team but it’s up to each Partner to decide what they want to achieve.
What could be better about Flamingo Paperie?
We have a narrower range than we had with Phoenix. Wait a minute, I said that before!? Well while I think it’s a good thing on the whole there are products that I loved that we don’t do now. So I have supplemented my business with colouring in tablecloths from Eggnogg and gift wrapping accessories from British wholesale companies like Deva Designs alongwith designing my own inspirational stationery.
Brand awareness. This is my personal opinion only. I think the company could do more to promote the name and range of Flamingo Paperie. They believe it’s up to us as Partners. I think it’s a joint venture. Without the company using their clout to get us ‘out there’ we are struggling. Too many people have never heard of us.
Social media. I have nearly 1800 followers on Facebook, 3000 on Twitter and 500 on Instagram. As far as I know I’m the Flamingo Partner with the biggest social media following. But I’ve done most of that myself and it’s hard work. Other direct selling companies I know produce a library of images and suggested posts for their Partners to use. We have access to all the stock images. I’d like to see more of the creative eye catching images that work well on social media produced by the company. What is great is how Partners who create their own images and posts are willing to share them with other Partners. The ‘team’ feeling, which I mentioned before, that exists in Flamingo is priceless.
How could Flamingo work for me?
Do you love cards?
Alison Vickery, Flamingo artist, signed prints on Etsy
If you love cards and/or gift wrapping and/or stationery then by becoming a Flamingo Partner you will have direct access to Flamingo products you will love.
Do you know other people who love cards?
If you know other people who also love cards then you could make some money selling your Flamingo cards to them. There is no doubt that Christmas is the most lucrative time of the year for this especially with our traditional advent calendars. If you haven’t seen our advent calendars before and you love Christmas then you are missing a treat! Selling your Flamingo cards could make you some nice spending money.
Do you fundraise a lot?
Do you support a local charity or are you involved in a local community group? You could direct people to your online website and donate your 20% to whatever cause you are passionate about without having to handle any stock.
Do you want to make money?
If you want to make serious money with Flamingo then you’re going to have to work very hard. You will need to build a team. There is only so much you can sell. Growing a team is like opening new shops to sell to people you can’t get to. This takes time.
Do you have another selling business that needs a little boost?
If you have another business then I seriously suggest that cards and gift wrap will go very nicely hand in hand with almost anything else. If you sell books, chances are they are often bought for gifts. So why not sell the gift wrap and card to go with them. If you sell skincare, jewellery, candles, cosmetics, chances are there are gifts in there too. Your customers will need wrapping paper! Whatever you already sell, or whoever you sell to, everyone knows someone who has a birthday!
Want to know more?
If you think that Flamingo could fit in to your life, your passion, your business then let’s brainstorm together to make it work for you. Ask me for more information or for me to give you a call.
What’s really good about Flamingo is that it’s totally flexible. Every Flamingo Partner runs their own business their way. Join today and start writing your Flamingo Paperie review story.
This year I am excited to announce that Phoenix are providing special packs of 7 cards for you to send during Thinking of You week (26th Sept to 2nd Oct).
Normally a pack of 7 cards would cost you £12.25 but these are being made available at a special price of £8.40.
Last year I made my own packs and donated £2 from each pack to my local charity Hebrides Alpha Project. It was obviously such a good idea that Phoenix have decided to roll this out nationally!
Thinking of You week is all about lifting people’s spirits, letting someone know you care. #sendingcards can have such a positive impact on mental health that these packs will support Mind and Hebrides Alpha supported housing project (1 and 2 pounds from each pack respectively)
Last year you helped me to raise £100, can we do it again?
If you can’t order online then you can email me at janet@cardsandgiftwrap.co.uk for a pack (£1.30 postage) thank you x
I am proud to make a donation each year from a proportion of all Christmas cards sold to Western Isles Cancer Care Initiative (WICCI). A minimum of 10% is donated each year. Throughout the year I also support WICCI supplying them with stickers, paper tape and stationery items for their fabulous rainbow care boxes.
I also attend local craft fairs in the run up to Christmas and there is usually a fee or percentage donation from these sale to local charities and organisations.
Past Christmas donations
Every year Flamingo Paperie donated 1p for each of its charity Christmas cards it produced via the Phoenix International Charity. This in turn supported Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research, Together for Short Lives and lots of local charities that we Flamingo Paperie Partners got to nominate.
In 2016 my nominated charity Hebrides Alpha Project received £150 from the Phoenix International Charity. The Hebrides Alpha Houseing project provides supported accommodation for people recovering from alcohol, drug, mental health or crimal justice related issues.
Over the past few years Laxdale Cubs and Beavers invited me several times to help them raise money for their nominated charities. Because of this, I thought it was time to give them something in return. So I nominated them as my local charity for 2017. I’ve already donated £100 from your Christmas card orders this year.
I was also really privileged in early December 2017 to support a coffee afternoon in memory of a family friend. From Christmas card sales that afternoon I gave £50 towards Cancer Research UK.
Flamingo Paperie charity Christmas cards – look good, are good and do good!
Click here to buy your cards now and support some great causes.
The 1p donation by Flamingo Paperie was unusual for card publishers. This is not the same as the usual charity donation on Christmas cards that retailers give. Flamingo Paperie are effectively the wholesaler in this case. It’s unusual for a wholesaler to make a charity donation on cards.
Of course I’m talking about the giant, stiff, corporate cards that seem to come wearing a suit and tie – yep that’s them. Well – fear not there is an alternative because…
Your company can now send exclusive, charity Christmas cards, all printed in the UK, all from ethical sources. You can choose the card, whether you want it glittery, embossed.
Send corporate Christmas cards this year that look good, do good and are good.
Look good because our artists are some of the top illustrators in the UK.
Do good because all our Christmas cards are charity cards.
Are good because they are made in the UK
3 great messages for your UK business to promote through their Christmas cards.
Ask me for a sample pack or take a look at this year’s brochure to get started and order before October 10th for a 10% discount. Place your order directly through my shop or contact me and I can help find the right card for your business. A handwritten card is a powerful tool for your business.
Make an impact this year with Christmas cards that look good, do good and are good.
You may not know this but most wholesalers don’t give a percentage of their profits from the Christmas cards they make to charities. Flamingo Paperie are different. For every Christmas card sold the Phoenix International Charity donates 1p to charity. They have so far donated over £1.8m to good causes. Our Christmas cards are charity cards.
Every single one of Flamingo Paperie’s Christmas cards are charity cards.
Just to clarify – this is the donation from the wholesaler, not the donation from the retailer. When you look at the back of Christmas card packs you’ll usually see the donation made by the retailer. In the case of the cards I sell, I am the retailer!
So do I make a donation to charity?
Yes! Nearly every event I attend is a charity event. Whether it’s the stall fee or a raffle prize there is nearly always a charitable donation made (this is for any event, not just Christmas ones). I also do loads of fundraising events for local charities. For example a gift wrapping evening for a local church women’s group. At an event like this I donate a minimum of 10% of all sales (not just Christmas cards) to their charity of choice.
Businesses who wish to buy cards for sending corporately this Christmas can choose which charity they would like their 10% to go to. I can do this through justgiving.com so I can link your company to the donation.
Individuals who wish to hold an individual event, like a coffee and cards, can choose to donate 10% of the total sales to a charity of their choice.
Hopefully this helps to explain a little how Flamingo Paperie Christmas cards don’t just look good, but do good!
If you are from the Western Isles you will be interested to know that the wholesale charity donation from all UK sales of Phoenix’s Christmas cards in 2016 benefitted local charity Hebrides Project Alpha. I successfully nominated them as one of the chosen charities for Christmas 2016. They received £150 from the Phoenix International Charity.
I nominated local Beavers and Cubs from Laxdale to receive a donation from Flamingo Paperie’s 2017 Christmas Cards.
Help to create a wave of love, caring and happiness during this special week by harnessing the power of sending and receiving greeting cards.
It’s been scientifically proven that receiving a handwritten card makes people feel much more special than receiving instant texts, emails or Facebook messages. And it feels really good to send them too!
This is all great for everyone’s health and wellbeing.
Cognitive neuroscientist, Dr Lynda Shaw, firmly believes that receiving cards helps to stave off feelings of loneliness and isolation, increases self-esteem and even wards off the early stages of depression.
So let’s all get happy by connecting in this most meaningful way!
What do I do?
Send 7 cards during this week and encourage your friends, colleagues and their families to do the same. Feel free to give them in person or pop one through a neighbour’s letterbox too!
Write a message just to say hello,to tell someone you love them, to make them laugh, be supportive in a time of trouble, wish them better, kiss and make up, or just to say…thinking of you!
Why buy this pack?
By buying this pack you are also supporting others who need to know someone is thinking of them.
£2 from every pack bought will go directly to Hebrides Alpha Project.
At Hebrides Alpha Project, we provide a service for persons aged 18+, seeking to recover from alcohol, drug, mental health or criminal justice related problems and to assist them to become confident, responsible and valued members of the local community. We offer an abstinence based Supported Accommodation service.
Thank you!
For more information about Hebrides Alpha Project contact:
“Before I came I hadn’t heard of Rachel House. I think everyone has this image that you’re going to walk through the door into sadness and death and people crying in corners. It wasn’t until I walked through the front door that I thought “wow”. It’s smiles as soon as you enter.
Rachel House takes the stress away. I don’t have to be running around, cooking meals and sorting Mark out. It lets Morgan, Eden and Sky just be kids. When we’re here, I’m more relaxed and I know that my kids are very happy and safe. It’s just a home from home.”
Help families like the Jackson’s by buying our special butterfly basket products, or indeed anything from my shop as I’m donating 10% of all sales to CHAS
You may not know this but most wholesalers don’t give a percentage of their profits from the Christmas cards they make to charities. Flamingo Paperie are different. For every Christmas card sold the Phoenix International Charity donates 1p to charity. They have so far donated over £1.8m to good causes. Our Christmas cards are charity cards.
