Sugared Ink

Yummy Bacon Cheddar Melt + Hellman's Sweepstakes!

2011-04-29T13:43:00.001-05:00

Okay - so we have discovered this really yummy sandwich in our house! It is super simple to make and my husband died over how good it was, and he's a chef so it's hard to impress him!

Just take a slice of sourdough bread and top it with a slice of cheddar cheese, then 1 strip of cooked bacon (microwave ready ones, if you really want to cut down on prep time), the 4 thin slices of apples, 1 more strip of bacon, and another slice of cheddar cheese. Then top it off with another slice of sourdough. Spread the outside of the sandwich with Hellmann's Mayonnaise and grill it up on a skillet over minute heat for a few minutes on each side. If you need to get your cheese a little more melty, (is that a word?) just pop it in the oven for a minute.

My kids even love this sandwich. Did you know that 33 percent of Americans who eat sandwiches credit their mom with teaching them how to make a great sandwich? Nearly three-quarters of moms with sandwich-loving kids say the serve their families the favorites they ate growing up!

With that, I want to give you an opportunity to win a $5000 grocery giftcard by entering the Hellmann's^® Build Your Perfect Sandwich Sweepstakes!

All you have to do is pop over here to enter: Facebook.com/hellmanns - happy sandwich building!

"Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Hellmann's® prize package in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place."

We'll be there with bells on

2011-04-27T09:24:00.000-05:00

So I am a huge fan of alternative wording on wedding invitations. Here is a great example of a humorously worded rsvp card. via weddingbee

Meal Choice Escort Cards

2011-04-26T15:26:00.000-05:00

photo by A Girl In Love

A very popular question that I get asked a lot is, how do I indicate what meals my guests are to be served? I came across this lovely idea that is super easy to carry out. Once you've got all of your rsvp's returned with your guests marking their beef/chicken/fish/veggie entreé, divide them up by choice and assign a ribbon color to each category. Then simply take a folded escort card and punch a hole in the front. Then glue a strip of ribbon to the inside, covering the hole. This will make a simplistic color coordinated statement to your guests, while making a food choice statement to your wait staff. Fabulous and easy!

I love Tom Hanks

2011-03-25T09:36:00.000-05:00

Hey bloggy peeps. Whew. What a wedding season we have been having. Thus explaining my lack of posts. We are all up to our eyeballs in shimmery cardstock around the studio. I promise to show you all of the wedding goodness soon, but since it's Friday, I thought I would share something fun instead.

Okay, I just love Tom Hanks. I really do. This video just made me love him even more! Tom Hanks does Toddlers & Tiaras!

Cute Color Palette

2011-01-04T07:15:00.000-06:00

Ohmygoodness. Yes, it had to be said as one word. How amazing is this color palette from The Inspired Bride? I gasped when I saw it an had to share it with you all.

Cake Bling

2011-01-03T07:48:00.000-06:00

This so romantic cake topper is $5 off now thru January 8, 2011 when ordered thru us. Just contact us to order or let us know if there is another style you are looking for.

For the "new Love Birds" These timeless,

contemporary snow white birds nestle together,

interlocking their necks in an embrace, or use separately in a centerpiece.

Made of glazed porcelain, these are sure to be a lasting keepsake.

Bokeh Tutorial

2011-01-01T10:46:00.000-06:00

I love the blog Kevin and Amanda. They recently posted a wonderful Bokeh tutorial that is so lovely. If you still have your Christmas tree up and can try it out. It could be lovely using twinkle lights or candlelight at a wedding as well.

Bridal Guilt

2010-12-30T07:51:00.000-06:00

So I saw a fabulous post on Weddingbee that I felt like I must share with you. If you are planning your upcoming nuptials, you may be wrestling with many of the below right now:

1. I feel guilty that my parents are paying for the majority of our wedding and are just so freaking nice about it. Never once have they made me feel guilty about it…and so, I feel guilty about it.
2. I feel guilty that I let myself get stressed about wedding-related minutia. 99% of my concerns are petty, first-world problems.
3. I feel guilty that bridesmaids are supposed to pay for dresses, presents for shower / wedding, bachelorette stuff, etc. I should pay THEM- a lot- for keeping me sane(ish) since my pre-teens.
4. I feel guilty that my fiance is like, seriously, the sweetest man on the planet, and I am just a biotch sometimes.
5. I feel guilty that we decided to have the wedding in (X)-city because it’s more convenient for us.
6. I feel guilty interviewing multiple vendors and having to reject all but one.
7. I feel guilty about getting legally married, period, because it’s not fair that we can and others can’t.
8. I feel guilty that my wedding dress was expensive, yet I’m still considering a reception dress.
9. I feel guilty that I’m only inviting family and close friends.
10. I feel guilty that the parking around our church is not great.
.
You may feel like a total headcase right now, but please know that you are not alone. What are you feeling guilty about right now?

Cute office stuff: Heart Hole Punch

2010-12-29T15:02:00.000-06:00

How cute is the Heart Hole Punch. Perfect for planning ahead for Valentine's Day. Plus, you'll end up with heart shaped confetti when you are done that you can sprinkle around the copier. Snag one to adorn your desk here.

Techno: My Wedding DJ App

2010-12-28T07:48:00.001-06:00

I wish this app had been available when I got married. We had an iTunes wedding. Yes, there are lots of nay-sayers out there, but it CAN be done. I think the biggest objectives are that you don't have someone to make announcements and if things run long or if events need to change you are all messed up. Well, don't let them scare you, you can be a DIY DJ and this app can help perfectly.

The My Wedding DJ App can be downloaded onto your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. There are 2 modes to it: Music Plan and Player. Add, edit, and arrange music for your special day using the template categories or create your own. I have a feeling this app could be used for a lot more than weddings as well.

There are many features built into this app that will help you address timing issues, so that your wedding music doesn't run away from you (starting the Bouquet Toss while you are still in the buffet line). And it can be easily interrupted, repeated, put in requests, waits, etc.

Like I started off saying, I know you can pull this off with a little preplanning. I rented some speakers and and mic and hooked it all up to my laptop. Then, we had 2 musically-inclined friends watch over everything and make the announcements for us.

The My WeddingDJ App is available thru iTunes for $4.99. You can also find out more info here.

Nice Package: Pi'lo's reusable favor containers

2010-12-27T07:32:00.000-06:00

How cure are these eco-friendly gift holders from Pi'lo?

It's that time again!

2010-12-20T09:16:00.000-06:00

(source)

It's December 20, that means that I have taken off my "Christmas Card Season" hat and I'm putting on my "Wedding Season" hat. While we are busy with wedding orders year round, the concentration of them come in between December thru June. So much so, that we have to plan vacations, events & pregnancies around wedding season to be able to focus all of our energy to production. But, all we can say is that

WE LOVE WHAT WE DO!

Cute Shoes!

2010-11-22T08:32:00.000-06:00

Must have these shoes. Talk about a fabulous DIY project!

Shoestring Wedding

2010-11-09T08:59:00.000-06:00

So we attended a wedding this weekend that we would classify as a "no frills" wedding. Two college kids just very much in love and ready to get married. They had a very shoestring budget, and you know what? It was just beautiful.

Truly, all you need is just 2 people and that piece of paper and you are married. Cassie and Tracy spent their money wisely and had a lovely wedding. There were some things that they obviously splurged on that were important to them, but cut the non-important things.

At the ceremony, there were no programs, aisle runner, pew bows, flowers, or rice, bubbles, etc. However, they chose to get married in a beautiful old church that had a lovely vaulted wooden ceiling. There were no hired photographers or videographers. But there were 3 family members stationed at specific areas of the church to catch all of the action.

The reception venue that they chose came with tulle and twinkle lights already strung across the high ceiling. The tables also came with white table clothes. So they added table runners and tall vases filled with splitpeas and tall flowers. No favors, no place cards, no menu cards. However, They had some wonderfully delicious food that left us all stuffed. We also enjoyed the open bar as we danced the night away.

So, to sum up, even though I am in the wedding business and this goes against what I do: Make sure you know what is important to you and your guests and put your money there. The rest is just fluff.

We Were Featured: Silver & Square

2010-09-07T07:05:00.000-05:00

CoyPhoto featured our Silver Plumes wedding invitation set on this great treasury.

Cute Cake

2010-09-02T07:35:00.001-05:00

How cute is this cake ? So lovely. | via Martha

Decorate your Door

2010-09-01T07:30:00.001-05:00

This gorgeous cornflower yarn wreath from Itz Fitz would serve as an inviting welcome to any guests who might come a knocking. What a sweetly wonderful way to end summer.

What We're Working On: Meghan and Michael's Wedding Invitations

2010-08-31T07:10:00.003-05:00

Meghan created her own unique design by taking elements from several different wedding invitation designs that we offer and coming up with this fabulous piece. The colors and the orange palm tree make us think heat wave. We are in love with this invitation in our shop right now.

Cake Bling

2010-08-30T07:43:00.001-05:00

For the bride and groom that are just itching to make their escape to this honeymoon to start their "Happily ever after" this wedding cake topper would be perfect. This week only thru Friday, September 3, 2010, take $5 off the price of this cake topper.

Drive off into the sunset, or in this case your wedding cake, with this fun, novelty cake topper. Little tin cans decorate the car in "Just Married" style. Hand painted procelain.

Presently the Bride and Groom Cake Toppers are available with skin tones and hair colors only as shown.

Size: 3 1/4" Tall

What We're Working On: Ashley and Rick's Wedding Invitations

2010-08-27T08:27:00.000-05:00

Ashley chose our Eat, Drink & Be Married invitation design. These are definitely invitations with attitude! Bright white stock on sparkly rouge backer and envelopes.

Cake Bling

2010-08-23T07:17:00.002-05:00

This is by far one of our most popular cake toppers! It is so comically cute. It could be used for the wedding cake or on a shower or groom's cake. Note that this set is available in Caucasian and Non-Caucasian versions & can be mixed between the bride and groom. It can be your's this week for $5 OFF the regular price just by ordering thru us now thru August 27, 2010.

This takes the saying "Gone Fishing" to a whole new level. Fun and playful, this cake top can be used with equally playful tied bundles of tiered cookies or currently popular cup cakes . Hand painted porcelain.

We Were Featured: Red & Yellow

2010-08-19T11:27:00.000-05:00

Red & Yellow Catch A Fellow (Or A Crafter)

Our Coral Reef invitation was featured in this lovely treasury by Plaidplay.

Cake Bling

2010-08-16T07:11:00.000-05:00

This so romantic cake topper is $5 off now thru August 20, 2010 when ordered thru us. Just contact us to order or let us know if there is another style you are looking for.

A romantic walk on a beach or a casual backyard wedding... this relaxed cake topper is a simple, fresh approach to the traditional wedding couple. Hand painted porcelain Presently the Bride and Groom Cake Toppers are available with skin tones and hair colors only as shown. Size: 5" H

Pretty Pinwheels

2010-08-10T07:38:00.000-05:00

A fabulous wedding decor idea popping up is using pinwheels to line the aisle. We think this idea is just so cute for an outdoor wedding. Our absolute favorite Pinwheel designer is Twirlie Whirlies. She has the most stunning designs!

Cake Bling

2010-08-09T07:04:00.002-05:00

Did you know we sell cake toppers as well? We'll be posting some of our favorites. Just contact us to order. This week's feature cake topper is $5 off when ordered now thru August 14, 2010.

Romantic Bride and Groom Couple Lounging on the Beach Wedding Cake Topper

Complement your romantic beach setting with a beautifully crafted and equally enchanting cake topper. Exquisitely detailed down to the heart drawn in the sand with her delicate finger. Hand painted porcelain. Presently the Bride and Groom Cake Toppers are available with skin tones and hair colors only as shown. Size: 5" X 3 1/2" X 3 1/8"H

Pretty Boutonnieres

2010-08-03T07:01:00.003-05:00

While browsing thru Etsy, I found some great not-so-traditional boutonnieres that I just had to share with you today.

Where to find them:
1) pompandplumage 2) hairbowswonderworld 3) littleyellowbirdie 4) TheBlossomShop
5) frittsrosenow 6) PeacockPixys 7) PixelandHank 8) iDoWeddingWares
9) rule42 10) magartspartycrafts 11) SurroundingsOnline 12) mosey

Alphabet Soup: C is for...

2010-08-02T07:14:00.001-05:00

Okay, it's been awhile since I've done Alphabet Soup, so it's time for the letter C. Submissions to be featured come from the comments that you leave at the bottom of this post.

So remember, if you want to join in the fun, please make a comment below. If you would like to submit an item for our next letter, D, please leave a link in your comment. Have a great week!

FALL CRAFTING CONTEST

2010-07-30T10:32:00.000-05:00

We are so pleased to announce our Fall Crafting Contest. The Supply Kit's are available here.

Deadline for ording the kits are August 31. However, the kits are limited, so they will likely run out before then. So order early! Deadline for photos of your submission is September 20.

Complete Rules:
If you'd like to test your scrapbooking, stamping, paper crafting skills, this is the challenge to do it.

------------------------------------------------

AND FOR THE WINNER:
1.) The winner will have their photo of their submission and link to their etsy shop promoted throughout our site. The winner will also be featured on our facebook fan page and on a post in our blog.
2.) $15.00 CASH deposited to their PayPal account.

All contest entries will have their entry photos displayed in a contest photo album on our facebook page.

-------------------------------------------------
RULES:

For the contest you will purchase this listing (small costs to cover handling fees and supply cost) and receive the following supplies...

- 1 Chocolate Brown Favor Box
- 3 Shimmery Cardstocks in Wicked, Tangelo, & Bronze
- 3 Strips of Halloween Themed printed cardstock
- 1 foot of lace, ribbon or twine
- 3 embellishments
- Batfetti!

(embellishments, printed papers and trim will vary between each kit to provide variety to the entries.)

You will need to use a minimum of ONE of the shimmery cardstocks and the favor box. Everything else is extra and you may chose to use them or use your own supplies. You may make your trinket box to be fall themesd, halloween themed, as a party favor, to hold a spooky gift, or anything else you can dream up.

Provided in your kit will be a copy of the instructions to submit photos of your submission.

I will accept votes via facebook and through the Etsy Community but ultimately I'll make the final decision using factors such as, final photo quality, originality, and overall design appearance.

Custom Fingergprint Cutting

2010-07-26T07:31:00.000-05:00

Lori Danelle uses her paper cutting prowess to create custom designs from your own fingerprints. Holy detail, Batman. {via Design Crush}

Wood Tree Swing

2010-07-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

How perfectly sweet would this be as to incorporate into an outdoor wedding or as a gift for a couple for their new home? Available from ReidcraftShop 's Etsy shop.

Inviting the Queen

2010-07-23T07:00:00.003-05:00

So yesterday, I wrote about how to invite the President to your event and get a signed greeting. But what about inviting the Queen of England? Follow all of the same steps as described in yesterday's post but instead write to this address:

The Secretary to Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II of England
Buckingham Palace
London, England
SW1A 1AA

Invitation Tip: Never send a wedding invitation to the Queen directly (only to a secretary). Non-British citizens will not receive a response.

White House Greetings

2010-07-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

Did you know that The White House will send greeting cards signed by the President of the United States to commemorate special events, accomplishments or milestones free of charge to U.S. citizens? We always tell our brides to send an extra invitation to The White House to get one of these special greeting cards in honor of their wedding day. However, The White House sends out greeting for lots of special occasions. To request a greeting card from the President, just follow these guidelines from the White House Greetings Office:

U.S. CITIZENS ONLY. The White House will send greetings to United States citizens only, for special occasions as outlined below.

ADVANCE NOTICE REQUIRED. Your request should be received at least six (6) weeks in advance of the event date. (Greetings are generally not sent after the event date, except for wedding congratulations and newborn acknowledgments.)
ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS. Anniversary greetings will be sent to couples who are celebrating a 50th, 60th, 70th or later wedding anniversary.
BIRTHDAY GREETINGS. Birthday greetings will be sent only to people turning 80 or older or veterans turning 70 or older.
OTHER GREETINGS. A limited number of special occasions other than birthdays and anniversaries exist for which the Greetings Office will send appropriate recognition to United States citizens. These occasions include important life events such as:

Wedding (send your request after the event)
Baby's birth or adoption of a child
Retirement after at least 30 years on the same job
Eagle Scout Award
Girl Scout Gold Award
Bar/Bat Mitzvah or equivalent religious occasion

REQUIRED INFORMATION. Please include the following in your reqeust:

name and home address of honoree(s)
form of address (Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., Miss, etc.)
exact date of occasion (month, day, year)
age (birthdays) or number of years of marriage
your (the requestor's) name and daytime phone number
any specific mailing instructions if other than to honoree's address
Wedding (Include couple's married names and current or new address)

The way that we tell our brides to address their wedding invitation is such:

The Honorable & Mrs. Barack Obama
The White House, Greetings Office
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

What We're Working On: Jodi & Jasper's Thank You Notes

2010-07-21T07:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we should you Jodi & Jasper's Wedding Invitations. Today, we wanted to share their matching thank you notes.

What We're Working On: Jodi & Jasper's Wedding Invitations

2010-07-20T07:06:00.000-05:00

This is a simplified version of our Coral Reef wedding invitation design, where we took off the pocketfold to make a flat, layered invitation using Classic Ecru, Pout, and the Regalia pattern. We also did matching Thank You notes which we will show off to you tomorrow.

What We're Working On: Diana & Bryan's Wedding Invitations

2010-07-19T08:29:00.000-05:00

Diana chose our lovely Whispering Flowers invitation design. We used Ecru Micah for the Booklet Pocketfold, Indigo for the backer and envelopes, and Classic Ecru for the inserts and invitation. Diana chose our DIY option where we print & cut the pieces to size and she was able to assemble them herself. We offer a discount off the price if you choose to assemble them yourself.

DIY: Balsa Wood Place Cards

2010-07-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

This place cards would be a gorgeous addition to any outdoor or floral & nature themed wedding. Full instructions for you DIY brides via peach mailbox.

What We're Working On: Ragon & Steven's Thank You Notes

2010-07-07T07:00:00.003-05:00

We are currently in production for Ragon & Steven's Wedding Invitations, but we shipped out their Thank you notes early to them so that they can use them for shower presents. TIP: We always recommend that instead of actually saying "thank you" on the front you use your names or monogram or images instead, that way they can be used for other correspondence as well.

What We're Working On: Tom & Tammy's Wedding Invitations

2010-07-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

Tammy came to us requesting our Island Getaway Wedding Suite. She left as is using the same colors as the example but we a made a few minor additions. The suite included the Caspian liner with the palm frond image printed on it, but we added Caspian address labels complete with guest addressing.

The second additional we made was to add a Caspian Cabana printed belly band to hold the pocketfold shut to "complete" the look. It turned out really cute looking.

Trio's Da Da Da

2010-06-18T07:23:00.001-05:00

Don't Lie. You know you used to jam out to this song. Just admit it.

With This Click, I Thee Wed

2010-06-17T08:49:00.001-05:00

How did we every plan weddings without the internet? I know that relied heavily on the internet to find ideas when planning my wedding 4 years ago. Now, brides are just finding ideas, but making major wedding purchases and hiring services via the web. (Which of course, our stationery shop loves!) Check out this great article on Forbes about wedding planning on the web.

New Butterfly Stamp released

2010-06-16T07:15:00.002-05:00

The USPS has finally been releasing some pretty stamps lately. Now, if only they would make another option for postcard stamps than the polar bear ones!

From Envelopements:

The new 64-cent Butterfly stamp was dedicated May 17th, in conjunction with the Greeting Card Association, at the National Stationery Show.

The new stamp is designed to be used on cards that have an irregular shape that require additional postage. The first stamp design in the new series features one of the most recognizable butterflies in North America, the monarch.

“These stamps take the guesswork out of how much postage to put on the square greeting card envelopes that are so popular with consumers.” – Stephen M. Kearney, senior vice president, Customer Relations, U.S. Postal Service

For more information about the new butterfly series, first issue collections click the source link below.
Source:
USPS – New Stamp Series Offers Customer Convenience, First Stamp Design Unveiled at National Stationery Show (PDF)

Popsicles

2010-06-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, you've got to hop over to the Inspired Bride to read this delightful popsicle post.

App Magnets

2010-06-14T07:00:00.002-05:00

How fun are these? | via duet

Forever

2010-06-11T06:55:00.000-05:00

So every time I hear Chris Brown's "Forever" on the radio, I always think of Jim & Pam's wedding episode on NBC's The Office. Just in case you forgot what happened, here is a little reminder.

Yes, they keep referencing a YouTube video throughout the clip. By this point there are hundreds of YouTube videos showing wedding dances similar to this as the trend has caught on. The original one though has become it's own website. I encourage you to watch it as not only did NBC pull a lot of things from the original choreography, but the bride and groom are raising awareness and collect donations to prevent against violence. Check it out by clicking here.

What We're Working On: Nicole & Jonathon's Wedding Invitations

2010-06-10T07:00:00.002-05:00

Nicole came to us already knowing what she wanted. She had previously started working with another designer. When that designer wasn't able to finish her order she came to us. She showed us what she was wanting and we went from there. Her invitations came out very cute.

The envelopes were shimmery Ruby and included a white wrap label complete with her guests' addresses and her parents' return address.

The invitation itself was tucked inside of a 4x9 Cocoa folded card wrapped in a Pearl band with a white topper.

Inside the white invitation was mounted on a layer of shimmery green Serpentine.

Her lovely little Response card was also tucked inside the invitation folder along with it's Serpentine envelope.

Font Swooning

2010-06-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

Okay so, according to my trusty Extensis Suitcase, I have 4305 fonts in my database. That is a lot to our disposal. That is why I tend to studder a little when brides ask me to give them a list of fonts that we have available. There is just no way. I let them know that they can look through our previous work for ideas. If none of them will fit I ask them to look around online and send me a link to pictures of fonts they like, because more than likely we have that font.

Today, I wanted to share a few new script fonts that are so lovely, I'm swooning over them. (NOTE: I do not condone "sharing" or illegally downloading fonts. These artists put a lot of hard work into developing these fonts, so should you desire one of these fonts, please pay the license fee.)

Parfait Script Pro by Maximiliano R. Sproviero, takes influences from the nineteenth-century script Spencerian, and combines them with pointed brush lettering to create a flourishing and whimsical font with over 850 glyphs. Many of the alternate characters have elaborate swirls and curlicues attached, with charming and sometimes dazzling results.

Like Parfait Script above, Tangier, by Richard Lipton, explores the possibilities of the elegant Spencerian form — with totally different results. Tangier is a lively yet disciplined family in four weights. The Black weight, Lipton’s personal favorite, pushes the boundaries for contrast in a script. Captivated by Tangier’s flair and sprightly joie de vivre, Glamour magazine incorporated two weights into their 2008 redesign.

Origins by Laura Worthington, is based on real hand-lettering with a Crow Quill pen on parchment paper, which has given the font natural rough outlines that contribute to its subtly antiquated look and feel. A semi-connected calligraphic font with a confident, regular flow, Origins features gracious ascenders and descenders for an elegant and somewhat formal look.

What We're Working On: Matt & Stephanie's Wedding Invitations

2010-06-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

A few weeks back, we shipped out Matt & Stephanie's wedding invitations. Stephanie started with the Flirty Flourished Design, then made it into her own with the help of her wedding planner, Katie, of Dettagli Weddings.

We did a Platinum Pocketfold with a Yellow Topaz and White Micah topper on it, complete with yellow & white baker's twine.

Inside, the lovely invitation featured a fabulous mix of script and serif fonts.

The invitation itself dazed with a Yellow Topaz crystal.

Each layer in the side pocket were backed with premium patterned stock.

It was a gorgeous final package.

We're Featured: Palindrone Bride

2010-06-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

We were featured last Friday on the blog Palindrone Bride. It was a nice little feature about infusing your wedding with masculine touches when your man is opposed to pink! Our Dalliance Flourished Wedding Invitation was featured. Please check out the post here.

Poster Project

2010-06-04T20:18:00.000-05:00

If you’re an artist/designer and want to help the gulf coast recover, this project is for you. summit your poster, and it could be be featured and sold online with all of the proceeds going to gulf aid acadiana to help gulf coast fishermen affected by the oil spill. find out more about the great oil leak 2010 poster project here.

Inspiration

2010-05-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

via Samuel Lippke

Appholes Video

2010-05-10T07:00:00.005-05:00

I love all of Apple products - way before the iphone. I've been on team Apple since 2000. Oh! Would that make 2010 my Appleversary? Anyways, this video is HILARIOUS. You must take a few minutes out of your day and watch it. Have a great week!

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-april-28-2010/appholes

(Sorry I couldn't embed it, their code was messed up!)

What We're Working On: Amy & Eric's Wedding Invitations

2010-05-05T07:00:00.002-05:00

These invitations we such a joy to work on. Amy did a fabulous job choosing colors and a pattern to match her sophisticated affair. We matched up Black Linen and Wicked Green. They turned out just stunning and I'm sure when her guests receive them, they will really be looking forward to her elegant affair.

We Were Featured: Blue Bridal Bliss

2010-05-04T07:00:00.001-05:00

Etsy seller, javagirls, featured us in their treasury, Blue Bridal Bliss. This is a stunningly beautiful treasury. We were very lucky to have our Simply Stunning Wedding Invitation featured. Please check out this Treasury and give it a little loving by clicking here.

What We're Working On: Jessica & Josh's Wedding Invitations

2010-05-03T07:00:00.001-05:00

We shipped out Jessica & Josh's wedding invitations. These invitations are just plain CUTE! They chose the Beach House wedding invitation suite. We changed the colors to Caspian & Tourmaline. They give you that lovely, breezy, island feel of Jessica & Josh's Hawaiian wedding.

What We're Working On: Jessica & Daniel's Save The Dates

2010-04-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

These lovely little Save The Date postcards shipped last week of to Jessica & Daniel. Postcard Save the dates are a great way send out save the date to your guests with out breaking the budget. You can even use postcard postage from the USPS. If only they would come out with something a little more pretty than those polar bear postcard stamps! We are excited to started working on Jessica & Daniel's matching invitations.

A Neopolitan Spring

2010-04-16T12:18:00.001-05:00

I took a lovely little break from production to eat my lunch and post this beautiful Neopolitan Spring Treasury. Please pop over to the treasury and make a comment if you like.
Thanks!

Carlos Amorales

2010-04-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

This exhibit takes my breath away! What you are looking at is 25,000 cut-paper moths. This installation is the work of Mexican artist, Carlos Amorales, one of the exhibiting artists in Slash: Paper Under the Knife. This work titled Black Cloud was created by sticking 25,000 black paper moths on the walls, ceiling, beams, corridors and even bathrooms of the exhibition space and studio. This installation is simply amazing to me. I am in awe. Above: Black Cloud (Installation view), 2007.

Black Cloud (detail), 2007.

Paper moths down the hallways and in the bathrooms.

via upon a fold

I hope this inspires you to do something creative today!

milk + cookies party

2010-04-14T11:06:00.000-05:00

How cute is this one-year-old's birthday party? Cute + Sophisticated all in one. Could work for any age. Even a brown & ivory wedding. Complete how-tos are available here. | via Duet Letterpress

What's We're Working On: Angela & Brian's Wedding Invitations

2010-04-06T10:55:00.000-05:00

We just received the most lovely note from our bride Angela & her parent and wanted to share with you:

Elaine,

The invitations came and are absolutely beautiful! You really do an amazing job--I now understand what your other customers meant when they wrote in their reviews about not wanting to send them out because they'd rather just stare at them. Thank you so so much. [My parent and I] are 100% satisfied. Thanks again! You have truly helped make our wedding all the more special with the beautiful invitations.
Angela, Ann & Jim

We started when Angela shared her inspiration board with me:

Isn't it so pretty? I LOVE it. So I suggested the Blush Pink Repossee Pattern from Anna Griffin created for Envelopements. We put it together with Tourmaline Pink, & Chanpagnium to create the most beautifully stunning invitation suite complete with Toumaline-lined Champagnium envelopes. We printed each of her 299 guests' addresses on the outer envelopes to give them that special touch. These pictures really don't do the justice at all. They are very sparkly and are just breathtaking.

What We're Working On: Jennifer & Jason's Wedding Invitations

2010-03-24T09:30:00.001-05:00

We just shipped out Jennifer & Jason's Wedding invitations. We were sorry we had to send them away ---- because we love looking at them so much! They were too cute. Jennifer chose our Island Getaway wedding invitation suite and loved the colors so much, she didn't change a thing. After a nail-biting adventure of trying to get her back-ordered envelope liners shipped into the studio, we were able to finish them finished up and sent along their merry way to Jennifer. I am sure her guests will absolutely love them! Samples of this invitation style are also available for purchase in here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T07:00:00.004-05:00

{via Lisa Golightly}

I hope everyone has a fun-filled day!

Just A Reminder

2010-03-13T15:56:00.000-06:00

Don’t forget to spring forward and set your clocks ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. local standard time on Sunday, March 14. Check out this awesome 1970 photo of Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and friends changing the clock on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland park for Daylight Saving Time. (Via Disney Parks Blog).

Amy & Ben's Wedding Invitations

2010-03-12T08:39:00.000-06:00

I'm doing a little backtracking because we have many invitation suites that we have done over the last few weeks that we haven't had time yet to share with you. One such stunning example is this suite we created for Amy & Ben. Amy ended up being very torn between 2 of our designs: the ever-so-popular Tree of Love design and our Flirty Flourished design. To help her decision, we created 2 mockups for her using these designs in her colors. They both turned out great but the Flirty Flourished stood out as the clear winner in my eyes. Amy & Ben agreed and we went forward. They turned out so beautiful.

We were so thankful that Amy chose to have us take part in her special day. We also recently shipped her Thank You notes and are in the proofing stages of her programs. Of course, we'll share both with you. Amy was so sweet in her feedback she left us:

"Elaine was absolutely great to work with! My invitations turned out absolutely beautiful, I didn't want to mail them for staring at them! :) I love them so much, I'm having thank you notes and programs made by Sugared Ink in the same theme/colors."

Alphabet Soup: B is for...

2010-03-11T12:58:00.000-06:00

Round one { A } of our new series was such a success. Thanks everyone for your great comments and fun entries. I was sad I could not pick them all. Of course you may submit more if you like.

If you'd like to get in on the fun - leave a comment below

pointing us to your { C } item.

What we're Working On: Christy and Dennis' Wedding Invitations

2010-03-04T18:16:00.000-06:00

We shipped out Christy & Dennis' wedding invitations today. They are a great example of taking one of our designs and making it your own. She started with our very popular Tree of Love wedding invitation set. We took the pocketfold off, changed the colors & changed the fonts. They turned out really pretty. Because we make each invitation suite to order, brides have the freedom to change anything they want! I love this because each suite we do is totally unique!

What We're Working On: Cole and Bethany Save The Dates

2010-02-23T08:00:00.001-06:00

Cole approached us with an interest in the Bicycle Built for Two invitation suite. We adjusted the colors to Plum, Yellow, & Gray to match their wedding colors and have produced their Save The Dates. This style of Save The Date is really unique because they are a tri-folded z-card. Next up will be working on their matching invitations. I just love it when we do each paper product in the wedding because they actually match and go together as oppossed to a big mish-mash. And they will look great sitting next to each other in the scrapbook!

What We're Working On: Sara & Daniel's Wedding Invitations

2010-02-20T07:00:00.002-06:00

These are the cutest little invitations. This process was started when our lovely bride, Sara, shared her inspiration board.

Isn't it heavenly? I adore the pink & black. From the inspiration board, we suggested a pink scalloped invitation backed by a black cardstock, then tucked into a pink envelope. That is when she shared her artwork with us. The 2 duckies really took us by surprise. They are the cutest things & the idea behind them dates back to when her fiance and her were young. And her wording is just darling (...can we get a witness?)

We really had fun producing these invitations and we were so thankful that Sara picked us!

(these invites make me hopeful for spring...see the snow peeking through the fence rails?)

What We're Working On : Sommer & Todd Wedding Invitations

2010-02-18T15:09:00.002-06:00

These turned out so gorgeous!! Do you think my husband will get jealous if I say that I am in love with these invitations? Our bride, Sommer, chose the most stunning color combination. Shimmery ecru, backed by "wicked" green, mounted atop a sparkling gray pocketfold. I just cannot get over these & the pictures do not do them near the justice that they deserve!

We're featured: The perfect white beyond words

2010-02-15T07:00:00.001-06:00

We were featured over the weekend in a lovely treasury on etsy created by cynmb. It was our Pearl Paisley Vellum Wrapped Wedding Invitation that was featured.

The "Owimpics" start today!

2010-02-12T08:58:00.000-06:00

Hello followers! Long time, no blog! Between snow, ice, loss of power, bring sick, and life in general, it has been very hectic around the studio. I have LOTS of beautiful projects to show you that we've done over the last few weeks, but you'll have to wait a little longer for those because I want to celebrate the "Owimpics" opening ceremony today. The term "Owimpics" came curtousy of my oldest son. When we was younger, he had a hard time pronouncing his "L" sounds and replaced them all with "W" sounds. Thus in our house we watch the "Owimpics". Below are some fantabulous items to get you in the spirit. We'll be watching the opening ceremony tonight! What's your favorite Olympic sport to watch?

Happy Australia Day!

2010-01-25T15:00:00.000-06:00

January 26 marks Australia Day! Well, it's also my older brother's birthday, but who cares about him? :) So, I'm sending a little love from the 50 states down to all of my aussie friends.

What We're Working On: 1/20/10 Courtney & Jon's Wedding Invitations

2010-01-20T10:05:00.001-06:00

We shipped out these lovely invitations last week, but just now have the time to share them with you! Courtney started by picking out the Starfish and Seahorse invitation. She wanted a very laid back invitation, so we changed the fonts to reflect her oceanfront wedding.

We also reduced the size of her pocketfold to a 4x6 since she only needed to include an rsvp card.

She decided on a really cute "yes/no" verbage for her rsvp as well. The choices were:

___ Yes! Save ___ beach chairs for us!

___ No! We hate to fly!

I thought that the wedding stamps available thru the usps looked perfect on her rsvp envelopes.

We finished up by creating custom labels for the outer envelopes that included her guests' addresses. This can really save time in the end instead of hand addressing each envelope. They looked great too, because they aren't your plain old Avery labels from the office store. These are actually the same shimmery White Micah stock used for her invitation that was run through a sticker machine to make a label. They create a really stunning effect.

What We're Working On: 1/19/10 Jacqueline & Omur's Wedding Invitations

2010-01-19T10:13:00.002-06:00

We were thrilled to create these wedding invitations for our lovely bride Jacqueline in Australia. She is our was our very first aussie bride, however, we know have several of them on the books. Jacqueline's invitations shipped this past weekend, but we couldn't help to share them with you.

She chose the Cute Beach House Wedding Invitation design and just made a few slight adjustments to it. First, we changed the dark Rubelite pink color to a sweet light pink color called Tourmaline. We also did away with the pocket & added white wrap labels on the outer envelopes which we addressed with her guests' addresses. This all made for a very cute piece.

Tutorial: Winter Walnut Wreath

2010-01-13T08:27:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share an easy project with you that has beautiful results. I took down my Christmas wreath and knew I wanted to put something in it's place. I'm not the traditional "green garland wreath" kind of gal, so I wanted something different. I made a Winter Walnut Wreath.

First, start with 2 pounds of Walnuts.

Then, you'll also need 2 pounds of mixed nuts.

I used a handmade grapevine wreath so that if I had any open spaces, you wouldn't see wood or styrofoam underneath. It gave it a great natural look. Start with the walnuts. Make your way around the wreath using hot glue to attach the Walnuts facing different ways. Then, go back around filling in all the spaces with the mixed nuts. I ended up using a lot of hot glue for this project, so make sure you have plenty on hand.

I added a few skinny blue & white ribbons on it at the end to make it say "winter". However, you could add other colors for other seasons.

Contest: Win Bridesmaid Dresses from Moonlight!

2010-01-11T13:59:00.000-06:00

As seen on Wedding Bee, there is a super fun new contest sponsored by Moonlight Bridal for brides-to-be & their maids. Moonlight is known for creating some of the most heavenly bridal wear out there!

The Moonlight Who Wore It Best Contest — where you have the opportunity to win up to 5 bridesmaid dresses from Moonlight’s 2009 Me Too or Val Stefani collections — valued up to $800!

To Enter:

1. Visit a store which carries Moonlight bridal wear, and put together a look from any of their bridal or bridesmaid collection. Find the dress that best flatters your figure and don't forget to accessorize!

2. Upload the photo of your completed look to the Gallery here, and link to it on the Wedding Bee thread here.

The winner will be chosen based upon the overall style and fit of the dress by the Sponsors.

You have until February 8, 2010 at 12:00 PM PST to enter ~good luck!

See all the official mumbo jumbo here.

Alphabet Soup: A is for...

2010-01-08T08:00:00.003-06:00

So excited to start this new series!! We're gonna play Alphabet Soup and I want all of you involved! So, let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start... (ahhh, The Sound of Music - my mother's favorite movie.)
If you'd like to get in on the fun - leave a comment below pointing us to your "B" item.

If you'd like to get in on the fun -

leave a comment below pointing us to your "B" item.

White Out

2010-01-07T12:23:00.000-06:00

We FINALLY got some of the Fluffy Stuff overnight! We usually start getting snow in early November. This year we have had hardly any! We got a few flurries the weekend after Christmas, but no accumulation. We had 2 inches overnight and it's still snowing so we got a bit more coming.

First thing Andy does is run out the door and turn on the Christmas lights that we haven't taken down yet!

Then I spy tracks.

Those would belong to James Kitty. He would be our 25 pound Maine Coon. The breed is designed to withstand the cold. Their paws are designed like snow shoes & they are big boys with long tails for agility. It was funny to follow his tracks. They went off our porch, toward the driveway, then they turned around and came back up on the porch. Apparently even though they were made for snow, that doesn't mean they like the snow. I think he tolerates it, but doesn't love it and he ususally stays inside when it's snowy.

Give A Day, Get A Disney Day

2010-01-05T13:26:00.000-06:00

Have you heard yet about the Give A Day, Get A Disney Day promotion yet? Bascially if you volunteer at a participation agency for a day, you will receive a free ticket to a Disney Park. What fun! We are always up for a reason to squeeze in a trip to Disney!

For more fun, watch the video below, then click on it at the end where you will be directed to their site. Then enter in your name and watch was happens! It's so cute! Miss Piggy & Kermit both say your name!

What We're Working On: 1/4/10 Erin & Adam's Wedding Invitations

2010-01-04T09:08:00.002-06:00

We just finished production on Erin & Adam's wedding invitations. Erin was looking for elegant wedding invitations, including the reception card and response card. She wanted them to be classy with ivory, pearl, and champagne. She also requested a touch of light blue in them.

We suggest our Pearl Regalia Invitation, with a slight modification on them to include a backer card in "Wind". Erin even personalized it a bit more by supplying is with custom stamps she ordered from Zazzle. They turned out so beautifully! Each layer in shimmery and they really sparkle. What a way to kick off a great 2010 bridal season!

Cardstock Color Options

2009-12-31T06:58:00.000-06:00

All of our handmade paper products can be customized to your affair's color scheme. Below you will find colors charts of some of our stock. This is not the complete list and if there is a color you are looking for but don't see below, please let us know as we may have it.

Elegantly Sweet Portable Pocket(c) Invitation

2009-12-30T13:07:00.000-06:00

We have added a new member to our Wedding Invitation family. Her name is Elegantly Sweet. She is featured in the Winter 2010 Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine. (Doesn't she match the cover beautifully?)

Let your intentions to your guests be known with this fabulous elongated Save The Date in it's own mini portable pocket(c).

Then, really wow them with the layered invitation & rsvp tucked with love inside their own square pocket. The matching wrap label on the outer envelope really ties the suite together and makes a fabulous first impression.

Of course, Elegantly Sweet is available in any color combination of your choosing. Start the process by visiting our Etsy Shop here.

Jalouise Tank Top Giveaway Winner!

2009-12-28T09:22:00.000-06:00

Well...I hope everyone had just a fantabulous holiday. With many people heading back to work today, they are not in the happiest of moods. So let's start off the day announcing the winner of our Jalouise Tank Top Giveaway! We got the opportunity to interview designer Krishala Burchill in this post. She was kind enough to offer a giveaway to one of our readers of their choice of size and color one of her lovely tanks. Let's see what Random.org has to say...

Post Number 45 came from Kym! She had this awesome comment...

Thank you so much Kym for you comment and congratulations! We'll have more exciting giveaways on the horizon! Thank you to everyone that entered.

OMG! Luke Wilson said my name!

2009-12-22T09:55:00.000-06:00

Well, not exactly. Actually he says the name of the city I live in during the new At&t commercial. It's just so funny & exciting when you don't live in a huge city, but hear it mentioned somewhere. David Letterman once mentioned our city on his show as "the place to go if you want to get away with a crime." Since we have lots of crimes that never get solved. 10 years ago an airplace crashed into a hotel and we were all over the national news then. Various weather disasters also put us into the news alot.

Hmmm, now that you think about it, all of these thinsg are kind of negative huh? Well, we have a really, really, famous baseball player that is from here (and happens to be my cousin). So I guess that's positive.

An Interview with Krishala Burchill plus a GIVEAWAY

2009-12-16T13:52:00.000-06:00

We were pleased to have the opportunity to talk with Krishala Burchill who's designs are now available on Etsy. Check out all the info and then see below for a fab giveaway!

Describe your design style. Jalouise is the world of fashion’s newest addition, showcasing trendy new designs on custom T shirts, quality comfort clothing, and stylish accessories that add a taste of stylish sparkle to any wardrobe! Jalouise strives to stay two steps ahead of the hottest fashions to be hitting runways nationally, and yet pays close attention to both customer needs and satisfaction.

What's your favorite color? Red!

What's book is on your nightstand right now? Sad, but true ''Skinny Bitch''

Where do you get your inspiration? The inspiration of Jalouise bloomed from the unique vision of an at-home mom. Krishala obtained the firm conviction that with both determination and creativity, a successful company could be formed that would cater to people interested in both comfort and style. Krishala took her large vision and applied it towards creating a small company, which affectionately became known at Jalouise. As Jalouise has continued to grow and expand its territories nationally, its products and fashions have become notorious for becoming welcome additions to wardrobes internationally.

How do your items take on their sense of character? Jalouise utilizes a combination of color and universally appealing themes to captivate the attention and adoration of fans everywhere. Jalouise devotes an abundance of time and energy into ensuring that its images, products, and creations are ones that are bold, diverse, and edgy, but that still obtain firm roots in broad-based customer appeal. By striving to merge the world of unique charm with quality products strategically designed for durability, Jalouise has developed a product line that has become notorious for pleasing even the most deliberate of shoppers!

What do you think your biggest challenge as an artisan is? As an artisan and/or designer, my greatest challenge is to ensure that my product line always expresses new and fresh ideas and components. It is my goal to constantly come out with what will be appealing in a fashion-sense next week, or next month. Fashion changes constantly. Styles need be be born, re-born, adopted, and adapted every single day. While constantly staying one step ahead in the fashion-world, as a designer, I feel it is my responsibility to ensure the quality of the items and lines I am developing. My biggest challenge, therefore, is really to stay ten steps ahead of the game in terms of ideas, and to remain firm in my goal to please every customer with products marked by strength, and quality.

What is the most cherished item you have in your shop? The most cherished item I have in my shop? Surely, this would be my fans and customers! My primary objective as a designer and a store-owner is to make sure that my customers and my fans are number one. It is because of their support and admiration that I have been able to initiate my own clothing line. Jalouise develops its products based on the needs and desires of its customers. Therefore, it is my firm conviction that ultimately, the single most important thing to me, as a designer and a company executive, are my supporters – and their continued satisfaction.

Any unique ways you market your shop? (on etsy or otherwise): Jalouise periodically picks random fans and customers and will send them items that we are considering adding to our product line. These products or gifts, are designed to show customers that we appreciate their support, inspire them to provide us with continued feedback, and to encourage them to be a part of our production team. It is our company’s goal to please each customer. Therefore, we pride ourselves in introducing potential products to our already existing customers, seeing what they think, and inviting their ideas and thoughts to enter into the realms of our creative design department.

What is the best thing about owning your own Etsy shop? Etsy provides Jalouise with the unique opportunity to branch out and introduce itself to markets that have currently been unexplored. By opening its doors to Etsy, Jalouise hopes to formulate long-lasting business relationships with partners, develop a strong base of creative customers who enjoy the delightful combination of comfort and style, and to develop a direct line of communication between corporate management, and customer needs.

Jalouise by Krishala Burchill is definately one shop you will want to heart. In fact, you could win a tank top just by doing so! Krishala has generously offered a tank top (your choice of size and color (except black)) for one lucky reader! The rules are so simple. All you need to do is any of the following, them come back here and make a comment telling us you did so. You can do as many of these items as you like and then make a comment for each item letting us know. Each comment is an entry into the contest!

1. Visit Jalouise on Etsy and "heart" her shop and leave us a comment about your favorite item of her's = 1 entry

2. Tell us what celebrity would look awesome in Krishala's designs in a comment to us = 1 entry

3. Call, write or email a friend or loved one and let them know how much they mean to you! Then come back here and tell us about it = 1 entry

4. Subscribe to my little blog (via the handy button on the right) and leave a comment about it = 1 entry

5. You can also enter by twittering about the giveaway = up to 2 entires (one for each tweet!) and coming back here and telling me about it. Please include my twitter account in the update: i'm @sspaperie on twitter!

6. You can also enter by blogging about this giveaway and telling me about it here = 1 entry

7. You can also enter by doing a facebook update about this giveaway with a link, (don't forget to "fan" us via the link on the right!) and tell us here = 1 entry

8. Please just make sure that each entry is its own comment = more chances for you to win!!!

Thank you and good luck!!! Please do not include your email address within the actual comment for privacy.

2009-12-08T09:11:00.000-06:00

A holiday tradition at Disney World's Grand Floridian Resort is there giant gingerbread house. Check out this time lapse video of the 3-day build. I bet it smells yummy in there! Have you ever built a gingerbread house?

Embarrassing myself

2009-11-30T10:35:00.001-06:00

Welcome back from the long Thanksgiving weekend! Did you get filled up? Did you watch the parade and football? Did you shop on black friday? Did you make a fool of yourself in front of extended family? I answered "yes" to all of the above!

So we made the drive from Indiana to Alabama on Wednesday morning and stayed through Friday evening. We spent Thursday with waaaay too many cooks in the kitchen. Hubby & BIL smoked the turkeys and the ladies all did the rest. So this resulted in black turkey, runny green bean cassarole and over-garlic-ed mashed potatoes.

So then Black Friday rolled around. Now, I'm not one to get up at 2 am and elbow people, but I do like a good deal. So at about 7 we drove to the Huntsville Target to see what was left. So we got there, and I was able to pick up a few things on sale to cross that last few people off my list (yeah! I'm done!). (HERE COMES THE FOOL PART!) As we are strolling through the boys' clothing section looking at pj's. I proceed to hit a pole with my cart. This pole has a fire extinguisher strapped to it. I must mention that I am deathly afraid of these things. Growing up, my father had them all over the house. They were big and heavy and he always told me to stay away from them because they could explode. Well, I'm trying to get around this pole with my cart and to top strap breaks and the F.E. is just kind of dangling there. As I reach for it, the other one breaks and there it goes! It crashes on the floor, explodes and starts spewing the white chemical everywhere. There just happen to be 3 Target workers standing there that are on their walkies in a flash "We have an emergency!" Hubby and I are tripping all over each other trying to get away from the still spewing FE. He grabs up the cart and pulls it along behind us (we did just work really hard to find all that stuff!). He asks me if I really wanted those PJ's for our son. "Um, yes" I say meekly. He pulls his shirt over his nose and runs back for them. At this point, the entire back half of the store is filled with white dust clouds. I can't see him. Will he be able to breath? Will security grab him up? Will he get the pj's?

He emerges and we high-tail it to the checkout while the workers are still dristracted. We pay for all of our items. While laughing at ourselves, we hear people all around us talking about it. We can still see the white clouds from the checkout just gettting thicker and thicker. I snap a quick pic with my iphone and we are outta there! I am so glad that I don't live there and I only embarrassed myself in front of my in-laws. Have you every totally made a fool of yourself at a holiday function? Please share and make a comment!

Thank you to our Soldiers!

2009-11-11T10:25:00.001-06:00

Good morning! THANK YOU to all our veterans today. We often take for granted the people that most deserve our gratitude. Make sure you take time today to kiss a soldier! Enjoy these lovely little patriotic finds from Etsy. Please leave a comment and let us know if you are celebrating today!

Little Gobblers

2009-11-05T09:03:00.001-06:00

Call me crazy, but when the holidays come around, one of my favorite things is to dress my 2 boys in matching outfits. Only problem is that they are 7 and 1, that's a big range when you are talking about finding matching outfits. But they are boys so they always get the shaft when it comes to cute clothes anyways. So they usually end up in "coordinating" outfits instead of "matching" outfits. Hey, don't mock me, they make for awesome photos! Today, I've gathered a collection of too cute handmade items for your little gobblers for this Thanksgiving.

Preparing for Holiday Sales - Part 1

2009-11-03T09:11:00.000-06:00

(stockings by rikrak.etsy.com)

Well, it's officially November and I already feel behind preparing for Christmas season. Being a retail stationery shop, Christmas Cards are a huge thing for us and a big chunk of our fiscal income. But preparing for Christmas while the kids are still on summer break just isn't my style. However, I am determined to be prepared this year! (don't I say that every year?) This list of ways to prepare for the holiday season are gathered from the awesome members in the Etsy Forums. Below you will find the first 10 of the growing list. Please make a comment and let me know what you are currently doing to prepare for this busy Holiday Season!

1. Buy plenty of packaging now. It's never fun to get twenty orders but realize halfway through packaging that you only have 2 mailers. Or, put Uline in your favorites. Their shipping time is A-MAZING. RoyalMailers.com is another great one and they were to my house incredibly fast...5% off with code "etsy" and free shipping. And of course, check our Etsy supply shop for cute ribbon and such for your packaging.

2. Keep your supplies plentiful. Some of us do make-to-order, and this is especially important. Even if you don't, it's important to keep the supplies for popular items that you do remake in stock. You never know when you might be featured on the latest popular blog and get deluged by orders.

3. Start fiddling with your work schedule now. You might be putting in longer hours, but figure out how you can get more work time in at times that AREN'T well into what should be snooze time. Start enlisting your family for help.

4. Decide on a holiday shipping schedule. Just when is it that you'll stop shipping? Remember, USPS can be slow in December.

5. Send out a newsletter to your mailing list letting them know of your holiday schedule. You don't want your loyal customers missing those important dates.

6. Sell Gift Certificates. Have you thought about making sure gift certificates are listed and ready for sale? These can be helpful this time of year for those late shoppers. Offer them via email, allowing your and your customer a way to get past slower delivery times. For more about gift certificates, read this.

7. Do some Christmas shopping now. If you haven't thought of it, suggest swaps to a few favorite Etsian. There'a a great list of traders here: http://etsytraders.blogspot.com/

8. Don't forget ordering your cards, labels, etc. I always do a Christmas calendar and design my own cards, but I always have to cram it in while I'm buried in work. Then, I run into the same shipping problems that my customers do. I'm telling myself to avoid that trap this year. (And I hope I do!)

9. Start posting Christmas items if you haven't already. They're selling right now--really!

10. Make some meals ahead and freeze them. You might need them, and it will certainly help take some of the pressure off you.

Stay tuned for the next segment. Don't forget to leave us a comment on what you are doing now to prepare for this holiday season!

Pack your Flip Flops!

2009-11-02T09:42:00.001-06:00

Hot off the press brand new wedding invitation design now available! I'm calling it the Island Getaway. It starts off with a so cute Save The Date that features the wording, "You are cordially invited to...our honeymoon?"

Then comes the gorgeously festive pocketfold invite. featuring palm frond patterned cardstock (it's shimmery!). All of your wedding details are tucked neatly inside the pocket.

Your guests will being rushing to rsvp so that they can start packing their flip flops and sunscreen!

It's cold outside right now, but this invitation sure warms me up! Color & design can change to fit your event's style. This invitation is available for purchase at our Etsy store here.

New Blog!

2009-09-25T13:09:00.000-05:00

Hey ya'll - this is the new web address for the Sugared Ink blog. If you are looking for previous posts, please look here