Bi-Weekly Recap – February 6th – 20th
February 20, 2010 | Filed Under catalog invitations, custom invitations, posts with pics, weekly recap | Leave a Comment
We skipped last weeks recap because 1) we were too busy to do the recap and 2) we didn’t really have much product to photograph. Last Saturday we may have even set an all time record for the number of people here at once. At one point, we had 4 groups of people looking…and 2 groups of people waiting for tables to open up. It was c-r-a-z-y busy but despite the chaos, everyone left happy! This past week had several catalog orders arrive PLUS we were able to finish up 4 custom jobs making for a very colorful collage today! Enjoy!
1) Custom Designed Pocketfold Wedding Invitation in Deep Purple, Hot Pink and Ecru Shimmer stocks. Ribbon and Custom Monogram tag on front of pocket
2) Custom Designed Pocketfold Daisy Wedding Invitation in Clover / Grass / Lime Green with Light Green panel and inserts. Unique 4×9 Size with daisy belly band
3) Catalog Wedding Invitation Ensemble – a soft textured paper with grey, white, and soft purple accents. Monogram frame and grape motif used throughout
4) Catalog Wedding Invitation Ensemble – a brown slide with ecru double sided invitation with a chocolate brown satin ribbon pull
5) Catalog Wedding Invitation Ensemble – a triple border white embossed invitation with swirl motif used throughout
6) Catalog Baby Shower Invite – a white invitation with pearl embossed alphabet blocks around the border and cutesy little animals in the corners
7) Catalog Bat Mitzvah Invite – Hot Pink, Lavender and Gold foil tied into the star and the liner
8) Catalog Fall Themed Save the Dates – gorgeous cream cardstock with rich texture, ginger ink and fall leaves
9) Custom Design Flat Panel Wedding Invitation – Grape/Dark Purple, Lavender, and Ecru Shimmer with bling! Three Swarovski® Crystals were incorporated into the swirl design
10) Custom Designed Pocket fold Wedding Invitation in Tiffany Blue, Champagnee and Ecru Micha Shimmer stocks. Custom designed monogram included a single Swarovski® Crystal on the bride’s name.
weekly recap (feb 2010 – week 1)
February 7, 2010 | Filed Under posts with pics, weekly recap | Leave a Comment
Last week the groundhog saw his shadow and 3 days later we got dumped on by 14 inches of snow. And right now ’6 more weeks of winter’ is sounding pretty darn good because from where I am sitting, I see nothing but 4ft high snow banks all around and it seems impossible that they will melt anytime soon!
We had a great week at the studio – met with a ton of new clients, shipped out several orders and finalized a couple of new custom design orders. We also fine tuned and revised our production schedule and we were able to create about 3 new slots for custom invitation orders due out between the end of May and the end of June (for weddings between the end of July and end of August). Such a bittersweet feeling to be booked almost solid this early in the year! Below you’ll find pictures of orders we worked on/received throughout the past week. Enjoy!
1) wedding invitation – hot pink & green pocketfold with custom monogram
2) seal-n-send wedding invitation in silver metallic with a monogram theme
3) custom designed pink, brown and ecru rehearsal dinner invites for a ‘super sweet’ client J
4) custom designed pocket wedding invitation in charcoal/slate, purple/grape and white. this design is a great alternative to the standard pocketfold invitation!
5) custom designed wedding invitation – champagne, ecru and slate grey with ecru satin ribbon
6) custom designed pocket fold wedding invitation in deep purple, silver and white
7) custom designed flat panel wedding rehearsal dinner invites in navy blue, lime green and white with custom monogram at the top
8) a close up of a seal-n-send wedding invitation with postcard response. love the pattern and colors as well as the texture and quality of paper!
9) white shimmer wedding invitation with a monogram positioned above a textured metallic belly band with crystal accents
10) super cute “mr. and mrs.” save the date with an outline of a tux and wedding dress – very modern
11) a unique pocket wedding invitation in black and ecru shimmer – the pocket opens sideways (like a folder) with the invitation attached on the left and the cards tucked in the single angular pocket on the right
12) another seal-n-send wedding invitation. this one is printed in navy ink on a rich ecru stock and a super cute daisy design
13) a very unique accordion fold wedding invitation – the front panels contain the bride and grooms name and open to reveal the invitation wording in the center panel. the invitation is held closed by a ribbon which is strung through a hole on each of the front panels
14) custom designed ‘parking reminder cards’ to be sent to guests one week before the wedding. parking for this wedding is offsite and the couple is providing a complimentary trolley service to the ceremony & reception location. this card reminds guests that they MUST BE ON TIME or else they will miss the only available transportation to the event
Weekly Recaps are back!
January 27, 2010 | Filed Under catalog invitations, custom invitations, posts with pics, weekly recap | Leave a Comment
One of our goals for 2010 was to show some love to our blog. It’s not that we don’t love blogging, it’s just that so many things get in the way (phone calls! walk-in clients! lunch breaks! production of orders! processing shipments! 50+ emails per day! ) So even though blogging is always on the to-do list, it is the one thing that continuously gets snaked to the next day…and the next…and the next. To combat this, we’ve decided to re-commit to ‘Weekly Recaps’, which we’ve heard people love to read. And we are going to try our darndest to stay true to the title. We figure that if nothing else, we’ll get to share several of the things we’ve been up to all in one little post.
The first weekly recap of 2010 is going to cover a few weeks. We weren’t prepared to bring this blog series back, so we had to grab photos of orders that we are currently working on and of things we had sitting around. Some of these might stretch back into the end of December, but you get the point! Enjoy!
1) custom designed 40th anniversary invitation – pink and green 6×6 pocketfold with lime green paisley invite border and lime green cardstock topped with light green text paper
2) custom designed bachleorette party invitation – red and ecru with a corset theme
3) catalog ordered white cocktail napkins incorporating a monogram in purple foil. (monogram matches that of the invitation in #15)
4) catalog ordered scratch-off save the date! (scratch the license plate of the ‘just married car’ to find out the wedding date!) super fun!
5) custom designed purple and ecru flat panel invitation. multiple shades of purple topped with ecru metallic paper. deep purple swirl design carried through on all three pieces of the ensemble.
6) catalog ordered poker themed invitation. this invite was for one of our fave wedding coordinators – heidi from heidzillas. check out the party recap (including a few how-to’s) on her blog!
7) catalog ordered save the date – white and navy blue single layer card.
8) custom designed 6×6 pocketfold wedding invitation in black, hot pink and white shimmer stock.
9) custom designed 6×6 pocketfold wedding invitation in hot pink, silver and white shimmer stock.
10) custom designed bridal shower invitation for a beach themed wedding shower. tiffany blue, black and white shimmer with a tiffany blue shell accent.
11) catalog ordered lime green and black wedding invitation ensemble. this was a mix and match set – lime green invite with black writing, black reception card with white writing, lime green response card with black writing and a black envelope, a black inner envelope and a lime green outer envelope.
12) catalog ordered photo save the date tri-fold. on the outside, a childhood picture of the bride on one side and the groom on the other. open the tri-fold to reveal a current photograph of the two of them! how could you not love it?
13) catalog invitation in red, ivory and black. this invite design can be printed in any two ink colors on ivory or white stock!
14) custom monogram wrap in black, hot pink and white with a 7/8″ white satin ribbon
15) catalog invitation in green, purple and white. this invite design can be printed in any two ink colors on ivory or white stock!
16) catalog ordered save-the-date magnet – man proposing. we love that the proposal scene is carried through as a motif on the back flap of the envelope
17) custom designed deep red, ivory and gold swirl design invitation.
18) catalog ordered white flat panel invitation with embossed border and shimmer design. this is one classy (and affordable) invitation ensemble!!
May’s Custom Invitation Recap
June 30, 2009 | Filed Under custom invitations, weekly recap | Leave a Comment
No, It’s not a mistake. I somehow overlooked updating the blog for most of May and June. Somehow meaning this: wedding season kicked our butts and we had a family vacation (closing the studio for a week) smack dab in the middle. Things are finally getting back on track and we are happy to share some of our favorite summer projects with you below.
Here’s a lovely pocketfold we created for an October wedding. A rich chocolate brown pocket topped with the white and champagne regalia pattern…..and finished with wasabi and ecru papers. A perfect combination for a warm fall evening!
This pocketfold was designed for a bride that lives in the Akron/Canton area but is getting married around Lake Tahoe. Although the wedding is on the small side – it’s going to be packed with fun. With so much to do in the area, (not to mention a stunning invitation) I’d bet that she ends up with more guests than expected!
This invitation was actually designed by the bride (Katie) and printed and assembled by us. Katie lives in the Columbus area and works as a fashion designer for Abercrombie. When it came to the invitation design, she already knew what she wanted….she just needed an avenue to get there. With 4 great minds working together (her awesome mom included!) a gorgeous final product was achieved.
We designed this invitation for a bride who calls herself “The pickiest bride God ever made”. While it did take several visits and mock ups to achieve the final design, I have to say that this is one of the most beautiful invitation ensembles we have ever made. I am a big fan of monochromatic design so I loved the subtle colors and simple paisley design.
These accessories were for Amy and Jeremy’s June 13th wedding held at the Tudor House. Amy helped make her own invitations (we designed and printed them – she assembled them) and we are still waiting for her to send pictures of the final product! The programs, table cards and place cards are shown – but we also made a ton of various signage used throughout the reception which can be seen throughout the Ceremony Recap on Heidzilla’s blog. I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of Heidi in the coming months as she seems to be the most talked about coordinator in years!
These Table Cards, Favor Tags and Thank You cards were all made to coordinate with the first invitation listed in this weekly recap.
These Table Cards (along with matching placecards which are not shown) were made to coordinate with an invitation shown here weekly recap.
Wine Cork Place Cards for Chuck and Brookes wedding in California. These turned out SO awesome! The bride and groom ordered wine corks online and used a bread knife to cut one side flat and then slit the top. A perfect addition to the tone they set when they sent their plantable invitations.
Weekly Recap 3/22 – 4/4/09
April 4, 2009 | Filed Under catalog invitations, custom invitations, weekly recap | 1 Comment
I am officially changing the Weekly Recap blog to a Bi-Weekly Recap blog. I just can’t seem to make enough time to photograph, upload, and blog about it on a weekly basis. Since our three appearances on Fox 8 news, we have been incredibly busy with new walk-in traffic. I can’t believe that next weekend is Easter weekend already and I only noticed because we have multiple appointments each day next week. Brides are coming into town and they want to cross stuff off the wedding to-do list.
Custom Design: Purple and Silver Wedding Invitation
I think this one has been on the blog before but this week we put the finishing touches on the order. The bride is wrapping all pieces in a satin ribbon to ‘tie’ everything together!
Custom Design: Navy and Pink Pocketfold Invitation
Again – I’m pretty sure we put this up last month, but this month we finished it up and I was able to get some better shots showing the design we worked in to the interior cards.
Catalog Invitation: Slate and White Wedding Invitation
One of my absolute favorites – and I am so excited that someone ordered it. I love the details in the cards and the slate and white alternating fonts and papers.
Catalog Invitation: Gerber Daisy Wedding Invite
I love love love the petite nature of this invitation. The Invitation tucks into the daisy wrap and is folded like a z card. When taken out of the pocket, it unfolds to reveal plenty of space for all the wording an invitation requires. Even the RSVP card is adorable!
Catalog Invitation: Sep-n-Send Ecru/Sage/Purple Wedding Invitation
Proving that sep-n-sends don’t have to look cheap, this invitation delivers! It is absolutely gorgeous and the pricing cannot be beat. If you are a bride on a budget…but still want style(and who doesn’t?)…be sure to check out all the sep-n-sends we offer.
Catalog Invitation: Chocolate brown pocketfold with cocoa and latte shimmer inserts – Cherry Blossom Design
This is one of the new layouts available in the Paper Duvet Catalog. We were excited to see this one in print since they don’t show a ‘real life’ sample in the album.
Catalog: Save the Date – Magnet with Backer Card
The best of both worlds – a magnet for the fridge PLUS a formal-ish card to contain additional wedding information.
Catalog Invitation: White flat panel with hot pink polka dot border
I love this simple, classy design! It’s a great way to incorporate polka dots without being too ‘playful’. The dotted border accents the top of the invitation and the bottom of the insert cards and thank yous.
Catalog Invitation: White Metallic Stock with embossed border design
We use alot of these metallic papers in our custom design, so it’s nice to see some of the catalogs incorporating them into the mix.
Catalog Invitation: White Z-fold with Silver Hearts
Z-folds are great! Because of the extra space, you can incorporate your favorite quote, lyrics or even the reception information into the invitation itself….which can cut down on the number of inserts you need to include with the ensemble.
Custom Design: Save the Date Cards
This save the date was for an August wedding in Jamaica and it perfectly matches the invitation ensemble the bride has chosen. I can’t wait to get pictures of her invites and accessories up on the blog!
Briefly Famous!
March 27, 2009 | Filed Under accessories, catalog invitations, custom invitations, plantable stationery, posts featuring other vendors, posts with pics, real brides, studio news and happenings, weekly recap | Leave a Comment
My husbands cell phone has been ringing off the hook tonight….”Hey…I just saw your wife and her business on the news”. I never give him enough credit because apparently he talks about the invitation business to his co-workers and friends quite a bit.
So yeah – this is how it all went down. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and decided I was not only going to skip my morning workout….but wear my sloppy-yet-super-comfy ‘paper persuasions’ sweatshirt to work today. Didn’t do my hair. Didn’t do my makeup. Mentioned to Stacy at least three times “I wish I could just go home and go back to bed”. At noon Fox 8 calls: “We’d like to feature your business on the news tonight, can we send a reporter to interview you around two o’clock”. Well, it was a less than perfect day for it…but we made the best of it.
It was a cute little spot on both the 6:00 and 10:00 news. They basically introduced our business as last years Hot List winner – showed a short video of our custom invitation wall and a partial clip of my *much* longer answer to a basic question about the studio.
So anyways…the Akron/Canton Hot list is back…and we need your votes! Please take a minute to vote for us with as many valid email addresses as you have. We promise – they don’t spam you if you do not request to receive email. I’ve voted in a few of these! If you have an extra minute or two, we’d love if you took the time to rate us and write a brief review about us.
Thanks for your support!
Steph
Click here to vote for us!
Weekly Recap x 2…again! 3/6-3/20/2009
March 21, 2009 | Filed Under catalog invitations, custom invitations, posts with pics, studio news and happenings, weekly recap | Leave a Comment
Once again, I wasn’t able to post a recap for the week of the 6th, so I’m covering the last two weeks. Although studio traffic has slowed a little lately, we have been keeping busy. We are trying to get a head start on April’s production to account for Stacy’s vacation to Florida near the end of April, my vacation to Los Angeles in May and our family vacation to the Outer Banks in June. Since these are common times for custom accessories, we are trying to save some room in production for a few new orders and to account for our time away from the studio.
We also are very excited about a referral program that we have taken part in with Bebe Suite, FML Photo Design, Dine-in-Diva, Thinker Toys, The Budding Tree, The Goddard School and Nola’s Salon. We were asked to be a part of this program which focuses mostly on incentives for expectant mothers or mothers with young children. Our contribution to the program is a 30% discount on catalog birth announcements, shower invitations or mommy cards….or 10% off custom birth announcements or shower invitations. We are thrilled to be pairing up with these fantastic vendors and cannot wait to start recommending them to our clients! Once we receive our incentive packets, I will blog a little more about each business and what they are offering.
Well…I am sure you have done enough reading…on to the pictures….
Custom Wedding Invitation: Pink, Black, Green with Polka dots and stripes
You’ve probably seen invitations similar to this on our blog or website before! It’s a custom design from 2 years ago that brides just love! With each order, we are always sure to change it just enough to be different from the last. For this order, I especially love the coordinating map which included parking information…and polka dots galore!
Custom Wedding Invitation: Navy Blue and Pink Pocketfold with Champagne Paisley Accents
I can’t say enough about this order. I LOVE this Navy Blue and Pink color combination for a wedding…and I love the clients we designed this for! They were great to work with…and I hope they will allow us to feature them for a “Real Brides” post in the future. The coordinating navy blue and pink table cards, place cards, and programs are going to tie everything together…and I just know I’ll want to share it with the world!
Catalog Wedding Invitation: Ecru and Fuchsia Pocketfold with three inserts
This bride went with somewhat of a monochromatic look with the invitations…adding just a touch of Fuchsia to a base and top layer of off-white. The order turned out GREAT and I absolutely love the invitation layout. Representing a bold color while keeping an extremely formal feel can be tricky – but we succeeded on this one!
Custom Wedding Invitation: Lime Green and Gold with Kaleidoscope Pattern
Another fun design for another great bride! Her reception is at the Mocha Maiden in downtown Akron – and these funky, cool, fun accents to the print layout really captured the tone she wanted to set for her big day.
Catalog Wedding Invitation: Pocketfold Ensemble
A great invitation at a great price…especially for a bride who only needs two inserts. I love the design that is incorporated into the border of the cards. This particular bride used black ink but this invite can be printed in any ink color available.
Catalog Wedding Invitation: Silver and White with flourish design
Stacy worked mostly with this bride….so all I remember is her 8.8.09 chant. She was really thrilled with this invitation because of the way the date was positioned within the copy. The layout is contemporary so it was much easier to let traditional etiquette rules go to really play up the date.
Catalog Wedding Invitation: White with Peralized dot border, Brown Satin Ribbon
This was one of my favorite catalog invites lately. Chocolate brown looks so rich with crisp white….and I love the elegance that the pre-tied, stick-on satin bow added. This invitation was not designed to include the ribbon, but the bride wanted to add some (offered by a different catalog company) so we had the order printed with a big gap under the monogram so the ribbon would fit.
Catalog Wedding Invitation: Naturally Ever After!
I love this invitation from our new-ish album “Naturally Ever After” by McPhersons. The paper has such a warm, subtle texture to it. My favorite part though is the envelope. I love that it is opens vertically and that you can include a design with your return address.
Custom Wedding Invitation: Black, Teal, Baby Blue, Aqua Marine Flat Panel
These three samples were all for the same bride and all incorporate various shades from her color scheme. She purchased one of our custom sample packages which includes 3 different invitation samples in the color scheme you submit. Isn’t it amazing how different each one feels?
Custom Wedding Invitation: Pink Silver and White Pocketfold
This order was for a bride we won’t get to meet! She was referred to us by her wedding planner in New York City and we worked with her via phone and email to pinpoint the design she had in mind. Although we do quite a few silver, pink and white invitations we have never done quite this combo…and I loved it!
Weekly Recap times two! 2/22 – 3/6/2009
March 6, 2009 | Filed Under catalog invitations, custom invitations, studio news and happenings, weekly recap | Leave a Comment
I couldn’t squeeze the weekly recap blog in last week…so you get a double dose today. This week has been great! We finally had an opportunity to catch our breath from January’s bridal show…and Stacy even took the day off today! We have a feeling this is the calm before the storm with spring break quickly approaching. Based on appointment activity the week of the 16th, I’m guessing that we will be swamped. If you are thinking of coming in to finalize your order or start browsing for invites, just know that we expect to be busier than normal that week. As always, appointments are suggested but not necessary.
Here are some photos of what we have been working on these last two weeks:
Custom Wedding Invitation: 4×5 Pyrite Pocketfold with Taos and Reef Accents
This pocket was designed for a bride trying to match & blend Alfred Angelo Shrimp, Spice and Raisin dress colors.
Custom Baby Shower Invitation: Sage and Pink with Onesie on hanger
This baby shower invite was for a delightful bride who purchased her DIY invitation materials through us when she was planning her 2008 wedding. We were excited to work with her again to create these custom baby shower invites (in the color of baby’s room) – and of course to see her adorable belly!
Custom Bridal Shower Invitations: Black and White Kitch Pattern
We enjoyed working with the maid of honor and her mother to design invitations for an upcoming wedding shower. The two initially thought of making the invites themselves but decided it to be too much of an undertaking..so they turned to us to customize ’something fun’.
Catalog Wedding Invitations: White tri-fold with Burgundy
Custom Wedding Invitations: Sage and Pink pocketfold
Catalog Invitations – with embossed floral pattern on paper
Catalog Invitations: Calla Lily Seal-n-Send
Catalog Invitations: Colorful Daisy Seal-n-Send
Custom Wedding Invitations: Brown and Copper Plume / Fall Leaves Pocketfold
Custom Wedding Invitation: Navy Blue and Powder Blue with Starfish
Mommy Cards!
Becoming quite the rage…mommy cards are like business cards for busy moms. The cards usually contain the names of the kid(s) and contact information for the parent(s) and make it easy to network with other parents!
Custom Baby Announcement: Photo Announcement in Pink and White with Polka Dot border
We had fun creating this photo baby announcement for a local new mom! She really wanted to work in polka dots….but still keep a formal feel to the announcement….so we used three different photos and cropped them into ‘dots’ then printed the announcement and layered it on fun pink polka dot stock.
Custom Wedding Invitation: 6×6 Pocketfold in Coral and Willow
This invitation was Stacy’s creation and was started back in October for a bride we met at our open house. We put the finishing touches on the order this week and WOW do I just love this color combination!
Weekly Recap 2/15 – 2/21/09
February 21, 2009 | Filed Under catalog invitations, custom invitations, posts with pics, studio news and happenings, weekly recap | Leave a Comment
I’m working by myself today because Stacy is in a wedding. Saturdays have been crazy around here and I have been dreading being by myself. Luckily we had not one single bride request an appointment for today – as opposed to every other Saturday in January and February being COMPLETELY booked. It seems crazy to be thankful for that, but I very much am! I’ll just have to juggle the walk-ins (and hopefully finish this blog) which should be manageable.
We had a super busy week – again! I think we are starting to see where the economy is impacting weddings – guest count. Couples seem to be cutting their guest lists to include only closest family and friends and we aren’t seeing as large of orders. Last years average order was around 130 pieces and this years is more like 100. A difference in 30 invitations translates to around 60 guests…so that is a big difference! Our number of booked weddings continues to increase as we are still meeting a record number of brides and we are thankful.
Here’s a photo review for this week:
February 15, 2009 | Filed Under accessories, catalog invitations, custom invitations, posts with pics, studio news and happenings, weekly recap | Leave a Comment I don’t know about you, but I am really enjoying being able to navigate our parking lot and driveway without dodging mounds of plowed snow! I have always been a winter person, but somthing about these last few weeks leaves me anticipating spring more than ever. It’s been another busy week around the studio and I’m officially dubbing it “the week of the baby”. We had two former wedding clients stop by and visit us throughout the week – each of them now mothers with new babies in tow! We also spent some time designing a baby shower invite for a former bride who is pregnant with her first. Plus we met with Marty from Bebe Suite (a trendy baby store in Fairlawn) who is interested in pairing up with us for a referral program they are starting. It was quite nice to catch up with these brides, play with new babies and take a small break from wedding-related stuff. Speaking of weddings….here’s a few pics of things we worked on last week….
Weekly Recap
