No Cookie Cutters, Please!

What do cookie cutters and lapel pins have in common?

Absolutely nothing!

Gone are the days of cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all products.

These days, you can build your own burger, design your own shoes, formulate your own perfume, and even name your own price for airline tickets.  The same is true with lapel pins.

Search our extensive database of promotional products, and you’ll find more than 12,100 lapel pins!  Still can’t find what you’re looking for?  Give us a call and we’ll help you custom design whatever you’re looking for!  In fact, read these testimonials from customer who went for custom designs instead of cookie cutter lapel pins:

 ”It is tradition in our organization that each year the highest elected official creates a commemorative collectible to mark his or her year of service. One year, our National Commander wanted something unusual—a military identification tag. We’d never done anything like that before, so we asked Renée at A Creative Touch, Incorporated to help us source and create the piece. Renée was extremely responsive; she assisted us with the initial design work and then carefully negotiated about six weeks’ of detailed back and forth communication as we finalized the image, the placement, the wording, and each detail of this highly customized piece. The final product was gorgeous; Renée’s attention to detail and strong follow-up were key to another successful collaboration and another happy National Commander!”–D. Tannenbaum

“Our Maryland-based volunteer service organization wanted a collectible lapel pin. We hadn’t had one for years and with just a few weeks before our group’s national convention, we didn’t know how we were going to get one designed, approved, ordered, produced and delivered on time. I had learned that the normal production time for such a project is 6-8 weeks, but we needed them in just 10 days! After a few discouraging phone calls to other vendors (You want it when????), we thought we’d just have to wait another year….

Then, somebody told me about A Creative Touch, Incorporated. I called Renée and explained that we wanted a collectible pin to represent our state, but we hadn’t gotten any further than a few ideas to include in the design. Perhaps a crab and our state flag?

Renée responded immediately and within just a few hours, she sent us a design proof, pricing, and all of the information we needed to make a decision. Our group approved the pin just two weeks before our annual meeting. When I placed the order, Renée asked: “Do you want it in time for the national convention?” I hadn’t dared hope that would be a possibility!

A Creative Touch arranged to ship the pins straight to the hotel where the convention would take place. As promised, the order was waiting there when I arrived. Our new lapel pin was a huge success, and the beginning of a wonderful working relationship with Renée and A Creative Touch, Incorporated. Thank you for your wonderful service!”–L. Gregory

NASCAR Lapel Pins

If you live in the South, you’ve always known NASCAR.  But over the past ten years, NASCAR  has become a household brand across the country. Nowadays, almost anybody can identify NASCAR as those guys racing at 200+MPH around an oval track. 

It’s a pretty extreme sport, and the drivers are usually great sportsmen and celebrities in their own right. As with any popular sport, memorabilia and collectibles are important to the fans. NASCAR is no exception.  NASCAR fans aren’t shy about showing their lovel of racing.  You can find shirts, hats, posters, and of course, lapel pins that feature favorite drivers for this beloved sport.

NASCAR collectible lapel pins (like the one shown here) are gaining in popularity and are a great idea for any lapel pin collector. You can focus on collecting a pin for each driver, and even past drivers, which could make for some more valuable collectibles.

In fact, lapel pins have been the linchpin of the NASCAR Foundation’s fundraising activities.  Each year, the foundation creates a new pin, making the pins a great collectible item.  The foundation offers official NASCAR Day pins (NASCAR Day is May 15th)  in exchange for a $5 donation.  The pins are sold at events and online as well as at select retail locations.

The NASCAR Foundation, is a non-profit organization that seeks to raise funds and increase volunteerism to support nonprofit charities and charitable causes throughout the nation.  Their emphasis is placed on initiatives that affect the ability of children to live, learn and play. 

Celebrities likw Will Ferrell, Kelly Clarkson, and Kevin Costner have all contributed their star power as spokespeople for the NASCAR Foundation.  The NASCAR Foundation began in 2004, and has already raised more than $6.5 million for the Children’s Miracle Network and other children’s charities. 

Looks like it’s not just NASCAR race cars that have lots of power; so do lapel pins!

How to Make a Lapel Pin

Ever wonder how custom lapel pins are made?  You’ll be surprised at all of the work (much of it done by hand!) that goes into making these miniature pieces of wearable art….

The Magic of Pin Trading

Collectible lapel pins have been popular Disney souvenirs for decades, but it wasn’t until October 1999, to mark their Millennium Celebration, that The Walt Disney Company introduced the now wildly popular phenomenon of Disney pin trading.

Not surprisingly, when Disney does something they go all out. They have thought of everything for this theme-park-inspired sport, including an official pin trading etiquette guide!

To join in the Disney pin-trading fun, you have to start with something to trade. If you don’t already have a Disney collectible pin, you can get started with a handy starter set, a lanyard and four collectible pins. Pin traders wear the lanyards around their necks, using them to display their pins. Others secure their collectible lapel pens to hats, vests or sashes. Pins not intended for trading can be attached with secure screw-on locking backs which prevent them from becoming accidentally dislodged while riding the attractions or walking through the park. Pins for trading are best left with the original backs, which are easily removed.

To execute a trade, you simply approach another pin-displaying guest or a Disney Cast Member and make your request. Guests at the park can decline a trade, but Cast Members cannot refuse. In fact, they are required to make at least two trades per day!

Trading pins are available at kiosks in the park, at Disney stores, in the resorts, and online. Thousands of pins have been produced since the trading program began, featuring everything Disney—from characters to movies to theme park attractions. They range in price, style and availability, including special limited-edition pins. Each one bears a stamp on the back that details important collector information such as the limited edition number and copyright.

There is an entire culture around pin-trading and lots of terminology specific to Disney pin trading. For example, there is a limited edition “surprise” pin known as Wet Paint. Only one thousand of these pins, depicting the wet paint sign used at Walt Disney World were produced. They were introduced as a “surprise” at certain kiosks and store and they are highly coveted. In fact, it is referred to as the Holy Grail and it typically sells for more than $200 on sites like eBay.

Another pin highly coveted by traders is the “Continuing the Pin Trading Tradition” pin. This pin cannot be purchased. It is awarded to guests by Cast Member Leaders at Disney resorts when they witness positive Disney Pin Trading etiquette or when they see a guest promoting the spirit of Disney Pin Trading. Disney has indeed worked its magic, creating an entire kingdom of faithful subjects who are devoted to the thrill of pin-trading. You can learn even more about the Magic Kingdom of Disney pin trading by clicking here.

A Brief History of Lapel Pins

The earliest lapel pins were made as adornment, rather than statements and are difficult to distinguish from pins or brooches. Lapel pins, however, are typically smaller in size than decorative pins and brooches, usually measuring no higher than one inch.

During the American Civil War, lapel pins were introduced to the armed forces. They were worn by a soldier to distinguish which unit he was fighting in, and to encourage a sense of loyalty and camaraderie within the unit.

But by World War I, the significance of the lapel pin had changed. Instead of being given to all soldiers as a way to differentiate units, lapel pins were awarded to select individuals to distinguish them for exemplary service in the field. Using lapel pins as an award for service is still a common practice in all branches of the armed forces today.

Inspired by their military use, politicians and patriotic citizens started wearing pins to show support for their country. Wearing patriotic lapel pins is a global tradition that extends from the United States to China to Russia.

Later, other groups began using lapel pins. Civic organizations, religious groups, fraternities and sororities, for example, often wear membership pins to their meetings and events. Lapel pins are also used by schools, sports teams, charities, and businesses to promote loyalty and rapport. Colored ribbon lapel pins are also a popular way to raise awareness for causes like breast cancer, child abuse and domestic violence.

For more on the history of lapel pins, read this article from ehow.com .

Pinning It Forward

I love lapel pins because they are great conversation starters. Like unobtrusive, little miniature walking billboards, they share messages about who you are: your professional affiliations, military service, favorite sports teams, events you’ve attended, or causes that you believe in. Wear a lapel pin and you open yourself up to meeting people who are interested in your causes. Ask someone else about their pin and you’re bound to finish that conversation more enriched, more enlightened.

It’s a subtle way of ‘paying it forward’. The ‘pay it forward’ concept really hit the mainstream when the movie, Pay it Forward  (based on the book of the same name) came out in 2000. In the film, a social studies teacher challenges his students to think up a practical way to make the world a better place and put it into action. His 11-year-old student comes up with the notion of Pay it Forward. The idea is to do a needed favor for three different people without being asked, and then ask them to do the same for others. It was a new twist on performing random acts of kindness.

I was thrilled when I discovered this New York Times article , Letting His Lapel Spread the Word About His Cause, where Mark Roithmayer introduces the idea of ‘pinning it forward’.  The article, (which is definitely worth reading) profiles Roithmayer, in his role as president of the national nonprofit advocacy organization Autism Speaks. Mark travels frequently for Autism Speaks and always wears a puzzle-shaped lapel pin on his suit. The article sites several different instances when Mark’s lapel pin has started incredible conversations about autism and opened the door for introductions to people directly connected to or deeply interested in this cause.

Mark (pictured above right) says:
“I always take off my pin and give it to someone who shares his or her story. I think of it as ‘pinning forward.’ In fact, I have learned to take a small bag of pins with me whenever I travel because passengers and airline workers — even the security guys — regularly ask me for them.  And I gladly give them away.  It kind of reminds me of when pilots used to give young passengers wing pins to commemorate their flight, and maybe build a little brand loyalty in the process.”

So what are you waiting for? Isn’t it time that you started your own ‘pin it forward’ campaign?

20 Reasons for Lapel Pins

I love lapel pins because they an unobtrusive and tasteful way to make a statement about your beliefs, affiliations, and values.

These hard-working little metal billboards are one of the most low-cost, yet effective ways to deliver a message. They’re also excellent conversation starters, instant builders of camaraderie, and strong visual messages.

Looking for a reason to wear a lapel pin? I’ve got plenty for you.

You can wear a lapel pin to:

20. Dress Up or Decorate Your Lapel
19. Brag About Receiving Special Employee Recognition or a Prestigious Award
18. Identify Your Membership in a Fraternity or a Sorority
17. Demonstrate Your Affiliation with a Professional Organization
16. Support a Charity or a Cause
15. Cheer for a Sports Team
14. Show Your Holiday Spirit
13. Commemorate an Anniversary
12. Celebrate Your First Parachute Jump, Kayaking Adventure, or Yoga Retreat
11. Show That You’ve Joined a Club
10. Break the Ice at a Networking Event
9. Promote Your Business
8. Create Awareness About Breast Cancer, AIDS, Autism, etc.
7. Prove That You’ve Been to a Museum, the Hard Rock Café, Disneyworld, etc.
6. Encourage Pin Collectors and Traders to Trade with You
5. Promote a Sale, a Special Promotion, or an Upcoming Event
4. Identify Yourself as a Conference or Trade Show Attendee
3. Show Your Loyalty to a Branch of the Military or a Civic Organization
2 Advertise Your Interests, Hobbies, and Beliefs
1. Show Your Patriotism

So what are you waiting for? Give me a call and we’ll help you design your own personal lapel pin billboard today!