Cardstore "Send a Little You" Contest Winner Shares an Unbelievable Mother's Day Surprise

CLEVELAND, May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mother's Day was truly unforgettable for one lucky mom and her daughter this year. That's because Amanda Houtz of Cape Fair, MO was selected as the winner of the Cardstore "Send a Little You" Mother's Day contest and awarded the grand prize of surprising her mom by leaping from a life-size card right on her front lawn. After the elation of her victory subsided, Houtz realized that she had one little problem: her mom would be out-of-town at a family wedding Mother's Day weekend…in Las Vegas. Proving that you really can send a little you anywhere with Cardstore, from the American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) family of brands, the team flew her out to Sin City and swapped the front lawn for the Vegas strip!

Amanda's winning entry included a detailed description of the crying, the screaming, and the jumping her mom would do if she were surprised by her on Mother's Day.  That depiction turned out to be amazingly accurate when Amanda's mom opened the door of her hotel room to find her daughter, who lives thousands of miles away, peeking out from behind a giant Cardstore card!  After enjoying the Mother's Day surprise of a lifetime, Amanda and her mom attended the family wedding and headed back to mom's home town to enjoy a few extra days together.

The "Send a Little You" Mother's Day contest asked consumers to submit a video or photographic entry along with a 250-word essay detailing how a mom in their life would react to a surprise visit. Hundreds of entries were received and Houtz was selected by popular vote after five finalists were determined.

With more than 9,500 designs available, Cardstore offers consumers unmatched variety as well as the opportunity to personalize their selections through an assortment of interactive options. Users can add personal photos, include unique, heartfelt messages and even upload a signature for the perfect final touch. In addition to these great options, Cardstore will also stamp and send the cards via US postal service.

Consumers can find their favorite brands like American Greetings, Papyrus, Kathy Davis, and Taylor Swift and designers like Caleb Gray, and Amy Smyth to name a few.  On Cardstore.com, you can search by category or by brand to find your favorite designs in birthday, thank you, holiday, kids and babies, photo cards, and special occasions like wedding, parties, and moving announcements. Also available is a wide array of customized personal stationery.

For more information on American Greetings, please visit www.corporate.americangreetings.com. You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amgreetings and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanGreetings.

About American Greetings Corporation

For more than 100 years, American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) has been a creator and manufacturer of innovative social expression products that assist consumers in enhancing their relationships to create happiness, laughter and love.  The Company's major greeting card lines are American Greetings, Carlton Cards, Gibson, Recycled Paper Greetings and Papyrus, and other paper product offerings include DesignWare party goods and American Greetings and Plus Mark gift-wrap and boxed cards.  American Greetings also has one of the largest collections of greetings on the Web, including greeting cards available at Cardstore.com and electronic greeting cards available at AmericanGreetings.com.  In addition to its product lines, American Greetings also creates and licenses popular character brands through the American Greetings Properties group.  Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings generates annual revenue of approximately $1.6 billion, and its products can be found in retail outlets worldwide.  For more information on the Company, visit http://corporate.americangreetings.com.

SOURCE American Greetings Corporation