Real Brides: Ashley and James take on DIY Invitations
May 29, 2009 | Filed Under custom invitations, do it yourself, posts with pics, real brides | Leave a Comment
We first met James and Ashley on a CRAZY BUSY Saturday. They are one of those couples who are just…well…infectious. They are both so nice, smiley and awesome that you can’t help but be in a great mood after talking to them! They knew they wanted to make their own invitations – already having purchased a DIY kit – but just weren’t satisfied with the results. James’ mom encouraged them to take the 1 hour+ drive down to our studio after hearing about us on Fox 8 News.
Not wanting the hassle of printing the invitations, they knew they wanted us to provide the printing but handle the rest of the project on their own. Their initial visit lasted about 1.5 hours and we were able to work with them to finalize their design, wording, typestyle and layout. They weren’t sure of their final counts – so a quick email and phone call later in the week was all we needed to get the proper amount of product ordered. About two weeks later, their product was here, printed and ready for pickup. The rest is history…..and the couple has shared photographs and a few tips from their DIY journey……
James was the designated cutter….
And tape gluing for the cardstocks….(this is our tape gun – they are available for rental with any DIY purchase)
We ask all of our DIY clients to complete a brief survey to share with other prospective DIY’ers. Here are the results of theirs:
Did you initially plan on making your own invitations? Yes
Approximately how ling did your project take to complete: 20 hours
Was was the difficulty level of your project compared to what you expected?: About what I expected
Please describe your project in as much detail as you’d like. Feel free to include funny stories, hassles and mishaps, your over all experience, etc. : Advice would be to have a paper cutter! Split the project up over days, I (James) did all the cutting while watching the basketball playoffs and Ashley did the gluing of the invitations while watching movies in the background. With the cutting, be sure to “Math Out” how many sheets of cardstock you will need for each card before cutting and place them in separate piles. When gluing, the gun saves so much time and is easy to use. Make sure to have old newspaper down for the spray adhesive as it travels everywhere no matter how careful you are. Save all left over pieces – you never know when they might come in handy again. Be sure to get your invitations weighed. Our finished invite mailed at $.61 even though it was a standard sized envelope. Again, spread the project over a week as taking your time will give you amazing results! We had a great time making our invitations and now have even more special memories as we did them together.
Do you feel Paper Persuasions was a valuable partner in helping you throughout your project?: Yes. Stephanie was very helpful and spent so much time explaining and helping us pick out and individualize our invitations.
James and Ashley – thanks for taking that long drive down to the studio! You both were a pleasure to work with. Your project turned out amazing and we are happy to have provided the paper products and printing services for your DIY Invitations. Best of luck as you continue to plan the wedding…and Ashley – we hope have a blast at your Bridal Shower this weekend!!
We Won!
May 27, 2009 | Filed Under studio news and happenings | 1 Comment
Thanks to all of you who took the time to vote in the Akron/Canton Hotlist competition. We were a little late in sending out the email (like 24 hours before the competition ended) so to be able to take home the title with such a small percentage of our clients being able to vote – it really means the world to us! Many of your comments actually brought tears to our eyes (click the banner below to read them yourself!) We appreciate you more than you will ever know! Thanks again for your support.
Stephanie and Stacy
Catalog Invitation Pick of the Week
May 20, 2009 | Filed Under catalog invitations, posts with pics | Leave a Comment
(Each week I pick one of my favorites and share it with you!)
This week’s pick: Silver and White Shimmer Flat Panel
Catalog: Bride and Groom by McPhersons
Price Points
75 Ensembles: $4.43
100 Ensembles: $3.51
150 Ensembles: $3.11
200 Ensembles: $2.92
Approximate price per ensemble including proofing, shipping, and tax. Ensembles include invitation, response card with printed envelope, reception card, and return address printed on mailing envelope.
Catalog Invitation Pick of the Week
May 14, 2009 | Filed Under catalog invitations, posts with pics | Leave a Comment
(Each week I pick one of my favorites and share it with you!)
This week’s pick: 4×9 Seal and Send on White Shimmer Stock
We received an updated version of the Something Different Catalog by Carlson Craft, and were delighted to find something different for a seal n’ send option! This seal n’ send has a finished size of 4×9, so it’s presentation is a little more substantial that the typical seal n’ send finished size of 4×5. It is made of a trendy black and white pattern printed on white shimmer card stock and accented with your choice of ink colors for the copy content. Just fold it up, seal it, and mail it – no envelopes used! Your guests tear off the perforated response postcard and send that back to you, saving you postage and saving the environment some paper waste!
Catalog: Something Different by Carlson Craft
Price Points:
75 Ensembles: $3.45
100 Ensembles: $2.91
150 Ensembles: $2.77
200 Ensembles: $2.70
(Approximate price point per ensemble including proofing, tax and shipping. Ensembles include entire ensemble with return address and response postcard address printed)
Bi-Weekly Recap 4/19-5/8/09
May 7, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Okay – so its more like a tri-weekly recap. I suppose that I will always push these things one week past the due date until I am doing a Yearly Recap!
Well, I made it through Stacy’s first ever vacation from this place…and now it’s her turn to make it through mine. I leave for LA on Tuesday and will be gone through the 19th. So….from May 12th – 19th, we will be open regular hours but with walk-ins only. (We schedule appointments so that our brides can have one-on-one attention and when only one of us is on staff, we have to be able to handle everything that comes our way – phones, walk-ins, etc.) I guess now also seems like a good time to remind you that we will be closed June 13th – June 22nd for family vacation. Now I know it must seem like we travel ALOT – but I swear – this is the first time we have taken time off in YEARS. It just so happened that each of us had an out-of-state obligation during peak wedding season PLUS we are taking our FIRST family vacation in 14 years! Since we are sisters and all, it wasn’t fair for one of us to miss out on that – so we will be closing for the week.
Here are a few things we have been working on over the past three weeks:
Catalog Wedding Invitation: Love Birds
This ensemble is one of my catalog favorites. The cool thing about working with it this time, is that the bride was able to work in the rich purple she was using. Although it is not shown in the photo above, we were able to add a purple layer behind the teal layer using custom cut Envelopments products.
Catalog Wedding Invitation: Red Roses
These were for a Red, Black and White wedding. I love the detail brought to the ensemble by the red deckled edges on the invite, response and reception card and all the envelopes!
Catalog Wedding Invitation: Shimmer Pocketfold
Custom Baby Shower Invitation
Catalog Wedding Invitation: Black Pocketfold
Catalog Wedding Invitation: Black and White Recycled Invite
Custom Photo Thank You Cards
Custom Wedding Invitation: Gold and Navy Pocketfold
Catalog Invitation: 50th Wedding Anniversary
Custom Wedding Invitation: Lime Green and Persimmon
Custom Wedding Invitations: Black, Ecru and Red Flourish
These were made for someone extremely dear to our hearts….and maybe I am biased, but I LOVE them. I especially love the artwork on the design and how it is split between the inserts.
May 6, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
(Each week I pick one of my favorites and share it with you!)
This week’s pick: 100% Recycled Flat Panel Black & Teal
This invitation is part of the “Go Green” selection so it is made from 100% recycled papers and includes a single mailing envelope. The simple design is dressed up with a little bit of teal color in the flourish and the bride & groom’s names. A lot of style at a very affordable price! Colors and design are available only as shown, but fonts can be changed.
Catalog: Wedding Collection by Carlson Craft
Price Points:
75 Ensembles: $4.12
100 Ensembles: $3.41
150 Ensembles: $3.12
200 Ensembles: $2.98
Approximate price per ensemble includes proofing, shipping, and tax. Ensemble includes invitation, response card with printed envelope, reception card, and mailing envelope with return address printed.
Paper Persuasions is proud to support Domestic Violence Project, Inc. Help us help them! Donate 5 different items from their list of needs and receive an additional 5% off your catalog order!
Real Brides: Nicole and Rich – Valentines Day 2009
May 2, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Nicole made all of her own centerpieces and florals – and when she brought in a sample to see how her table cards looked next to them, I was blown away. She is so talented! I would give anything to have seen the reception hall. Below are a few shots of the bride and groom courtesy of Tom Forrest Photography.
A letter from Nicole to us:
To my Friends at Paper Persuasions,
I wanted to say “thank you” for everything you did to help me have the perfect day! Our wedding was awesome and all the details & frills of each beautiful piece of Paper and Cardstock Art were Unbelievable!! You both were so careful and helped me truly create the exact look I wanted for my invitations, place cards, seating charts, favor tags, table tent cards and even my Thank You cards! You never rushed me – you always took the time to listen carefully, and you always followed through with FLAWLESS EXECUTION of EVERYTHING! You both are wonderful people and I will make sure to stay in touch and utilize your services for any special invitation or paper product where PERFECTION is needed!
With Sincere Thanks,
Nicole
