Catalog Invitation Pick of the Week

(Each week I pick one of my favorites and share it with you!)

This week's pick: Black & White Floral Patterned Pocket with Tiffany Blue Accents

Exquisite! This invitation combines so many trendy touches - striking raised floral pattern printed on white shimmer pocketfold, bright tiffany blue ribbon and paper accents, vertical pocket, and multiple layers on all pieces. Every now and then, I'll pull this catalog out and flip to this invitation because I think it can't possibly be as beautiful as I remember it being the last time I looked. And every time, I fall in love all over again!

This invitation is offered through Encore Studios, a premier invitation company with a fabulous selection of high-quality invitation ensembles. The level of quality is realized immediately just looking through the catalogs, and even more so when touching the invitations sampled. The paper stock is thick, colors are vibrant, and the printing is the best in the industry. Colors shown for each ensemble can be interchanged, choosing from their entire paper and ink color inventories (upcharges apply for certain paper and ink choices). For the bride who values quality and style, you wont find a better selection than through Encore Studios.

Price Points:
75 Ensembles: $16.11
100 Ensembles: $14.14
150 Ensembles: $13.69
200 Ensembles: $13.49
Approximate price per ensemble including proofing, shipping, and tax)
Ensembles include pocketfold invitation, response card with printed envelope, reception card, and return address printed on mailing envelope.

Etiquette Question of the Week 3/30/09

Q: How much time do I have after the wedding to send Thank You cards? My fiance says 1 year, my mom says 1 month...

A: You will find etiquette sources that say 1 year is acceptable however 3 months is the most agreed upon time-line. Be sure to steer clear of pre-printed thank you notes. A personalized handwritten note should be sent to acknowledge all gifts and acts of kindness (such as hosting out of town guests).

Submit your very own etiquette question on our website - you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours - plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter!

Briefly Famous!

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!

Catalog Invitation Pick of the Week

(Each week I pick one of my favorites and share it with you!)

This week's pick: Black and Champagne Flat Panel






I love this combination of soft, shimmery champagne papers with rich black accents. The design is simple and classy, but the dots and encircled initial bring a contemporary feel to it.

Create your own look by choosing from:
28 Ink Colors
42 Lettering Styles
11 Envelope Liner Colors

Price Points:
75 Ensembles: $4.76
100 Ensembles: $3.91
150 Ensembles: $3.56
200 Ensembles: $3.42
(Approximate price per ensemble including proofing, shipping, and tax)
Ensembles include invitation panel, response card with printed envelope, reception card, and return address printed on back flap of mailing envelope.

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!

Etiquette Question of the Week 3/23/2009

Q: When should I make the RSVP deadline on my response card? I need to make sure I have enough time to do the seating chart so I was thinking of 6 weeks before the wedding. Is that too early?

A: We suggest giving a deadline of between 3-4 weeks before the event. Most caterers need the food count 1-2 weeks before so our suggested deadline leaves plenty of time for following up with the procrastinators and for finalizing the seating arrangements. There is no rule that says you can't set the deadline at 6 weeks...though statistics show that you will have less cancellations or no-shows the closer the RSVP deadline is to the event.

Ask the experts! Submit your very own question on our website - you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours - plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter.

Weekly Recap x 2...again! 3/6-3/20/2009

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!

Catalog Invitation Pick of the Week

(Each week I pick one of my favorites and share it with you!)

This week I'm straying off course a little bit by sharing with you not just one catalog invitation, but an entire catalog we've recently received! Lots of people ask us about incorporating a photograph into their wedding invitation. We have always been able to do this on the custom design side of the business, but up until now, the catalogs have not offered a very good selection of photo invitations. So I am pleased to introduce the newest member of our invitation catalog collection - Elegant Reflections by Stylart.

This catalog offers more than 50 styles of Photo Invitations! Plus, choose from a large selection of Photo Save the Dates, Photo Magnets, Photo Envelope Seals, Photo Envelope Liners, and Photo Thank You Cards! Here's a sampling of options:

Invitations:






Save the Dates with matching Envelope Seals:

Envelope Liners:





Pricing for invitations from this catalog range from approximately $2.00 to $4.50 per ensemble (for 100 ensembles).

Our Plantable Invitation Project

At the urging of Brooke we decided to put our seed impregnated papers to the test. For those of you who have't heard, seed impregnated papers are made with wildflower seeds so that when you are through with the notecard, invitation, favor box etc., you simply plant the paper in shallow soil and wildflowers will grow. With so many brides 'going green' plantable invitations are a great alternative or addition to other recycled papers. We also offer plantable favor boxes, notecards, gift bags and inkjet printable paper. Coordinating guestbooks made out of 100% recycled material and pressed to match the plantable papers (minus the seeds) are also available.

Two weeks ago Stacy and I planted some pieces of each of the items we carry. We tore the Paper, notecard and bag into smaller pieces before planting. The favor box instructed us to plant the entire thing.

We planted everything in this lovely window box that we bought at Lowes. We really wanted a plant stand to go in front of the big window, but their selection of garden stuff was just being unloaded and sorted so we couldn't access the goods.

Our first sprouts came after about 5 days and they came from the Notecard. A few days later we got a similar sprout from the printable paper and a HUGE different sprout from the gift bag. We still haven't seen anything from the favor box yet - but I suspect we will soon! ( I have been poking around in the dirt and the paper is just about broken down so the seeds are freeing up. ) At the two week mark we have a total of 22 sprouts in all!

So there you have it....invitations that grow when planted! They really work! We'll blog in a couple more weeks with updates on the growths.

Etiquette Question of the Week

Q: If my cousin is in college but still lives at home, do I need to send him a separate invitation to my wedding or can I just include his name with my Aunt's name?


A: Adult children should receive their own invitation whether or not they still live at home.


Ask the experts! Submit your very own question on our website - you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours - plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter.

Catalog Invitation Pick of the Week

(Each week I pick one of my favorites and share it with you!)

This week's pick: Beach Themed Ensemble




If you are getting married this July or August, now is the time to be picking out your invitations. If you're getting married in June...stop procrastinating! You need to send your invitations out in April - which is less than a month away! Lots of people getting married in June are having their ceremony on the beach, or are incorporating that great summer feel into the theme, so I decided to highlight one of my favorite beach-themed ensembles this week. Plus, the gloomy Ohio weather has really got me wishing it was summer...

This casual invitation is made of 3 panels shaped like a starfish, a seashell and a sanddollar, then strung on 1/8" satin ribbon. It's perfect for shorter invitation verses and when the reception is immediately following. It would also be great for the couple planning a reception in their hometown following their return from their destination wedding! The traditional 3.5x5 response cards with envelopes are included in the ensemble.

Catalog: By Request - Fall, Winter, and Destination Invitations by NuArt
Price Points:
75 Ensembles: $3.15
100 Ensembles: $2.57
150 Ensembles: $2.25
200 Ensembles: $2.10
(Approximate price points per ensemble INCLUDING proofing, tax and shipping)
Ensembles include 3 panels for invitation and reception wording, response card with printed envelope, and return address printed on back flap of mailing envelope.


Paper Persuasions is proud to support Domestic Violence Project, Inc of Stark County. Help us help them! Donate 5 different items from their list of needs and receive an additional 5% off your catalog invitation order!

Etiquette Question of the Week 3/9/09

Q: My mom and dad are divorced. My mom is remarried and she wants both hers and my step-dads name on the invitation. I don't necessarily want his name on there, but since she (i.e. they) are paying for more than half of everything, I don't want to upset her. At the same time, my real dad is giving us money too and I know he will be upset if my step-dads name is on the invitation. How should I word this? Thanks for your help! - Carrie

A: Hi Carrie. I wish I could offer a solution that will keep all parties happy, but if your mom is dead-set on including your step-dads name, she probably expects the invitation to read something like this:

Mr. and Mrs. Brides mom and Step-dad
and
Mr. Brides Dad
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of
Bride
to
Groom

Notice we did not use the phrase "at the marriage of their daughter". No matter how close you are to your step-dad, you are the daughter of two people: your mom and your dad. It's okay to list every ones names...you should just steer clear of using "daughter" to describe yourself.


Now, if your mom is willing to reconsider the wording in order to spare your real dad's feelings, then the appropriate way to word the invitation would be:

Mrs. Brides moms name and
Mr. Brides dads name
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Bride
and
Groom

Your mom could even consider meeting in the middle and wording the invitation something like this:

The Smith family and the Jones family
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of
Bride
and
Groom
(Smith family being your step-dads last name & Jones being your dad's last name)
This would include your step dad (assuming your mom took his name) and your dad without specifically naming each man. It helps soften the blow...a little!

Hope that helps!

Stephanie

Ask the experts! Submit your very own question on our website - you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours - plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter.

Weekly Recap times two! 2/22 - 3/6/2009

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: 4x5 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

A gorgeous invitation with a subtle floral design! This came from the Tru (by Carlson Craft) Flowers album.

Catalog Invitations: Calla Lily Seal-n-Send

An 'all-in-one' invitation from the Affordably Inviting Catalog by McPhersons.

Catalog Invitations: Colorful Daisy Seal-n-Send

Another 'all-in-one' selection from the Affordably Inviting catalog. The pink and green daisies are super cute for a summer wedding!



Custom Wedding Invitations: Brown and Copper Plume / Fall Leaves Pocketfold

We designed these two invitations for a bride who is having a lovely fall wedding. The only problem she's having is deciding when invitation she likes better!

Custom Wedding Invitation: Navy Blue and Powder Blue with Starfish

We designed this invitation for a bride who is having a huge local wedding with a beach theme. We incorporated the starfish into the invitation copy and added a layer of Ababca printed cardstock to tie in the theme.

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: 6x6 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!

Catalog Invitation Pick of the Week

(Each week I pick one of my favorites and share it with you!)

This week's pick: Mix n' Match 5x7 Pocketfold Invitation

I know we've been talking a lot about pocketfolds lately, but when something's hot it's HOT! The choices keep getting updated and the deals keep getting better, so we have to keep sharing it with you.


This pocketfold ensemble has just been updated with lots of new colors, including shimmer stocks. You get to mix n' match every piece of the ensemble - so I'm gonna go step-by-step through the process and at the end of this blog, you'll see the finished product!

STEP 1: Choose your pocket color from 4 choices. For the finished sample I used Brown.


STEP 2: Choose your color layer for invitation panel and front tab panel from 15 choices. For the finished sample I used Olive.


STEP 3: Choose your printed layer color from White or Ecru. For the finished sample I used White.

STEP 4: Choose your layout/design for the invitation panel and inserts from 8 choices. For the finished sample I used Layout 4.


STEP 5: Choose your ink color(s) from 15 choices. For the finished sample I used Chocolate and Kiwi.


STEP 6: Choose your font(s) from 22 choices. For the finished sample I used PAR and CZR.

Here's the finished product:




Isn't that a great looking pocketfold invitation? We have a kit in the studio of all the colors available, so come in and see us!

Catalog: Pockets by Carlson Craft
Price Points:
75 Ensembles: $6.36
100 Ensembles: $5.19
150 Ensembles: $4.75
200 Ensembles: $4.59
(Approximate price per ensemble INCLUDING proofing, shipping, and tax)
Ensembles include invitation, response card with printed envelope, reception card, tag on front with guest names printed, color ink, and return address printed on mailing envelope.

Paper Persuasions is proud to support Domestic Violence Project, Inc of Stark County. Help us help them! Donate 5 different items from their list of needs and receive an additional 5% off your catalog invitation order!