"Moving on up...."

For those of you who follow us and haven't figured it out yet, we have moved our blog. We think it looks way better and we hope you agree! I feel terrible that I forgot to post this before now. Our friend Kate just said she went to our blog (this one) and couldn't believe we hadn't updated in almost a month...and it hit me then that we never announced the move.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR NEW LAYOUT AND WEB ADDRESS

Just a reminder...

Paper Persuasions will be closed Saturday July 4th.

We have had several phone calls today asking if we will be open tomorrow (Friday) - and in case you too are wondering, the answer is YES! We will be open 10-4 which is our standard Friday schedule.

We hope you have a happy and safe holiday with family and friends.

May's Custom Invitation Recap

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.

Studio Closed June 13th - 22nd

Paper Persuasions is a locally owned, family owned business. As such, we will be closed June 13th thru 22nd for family vacation. We will have access to email and voicemail and will be responding to messages when possible.

We apologize for any inconvenience and hope that you too will be able to spend time with your loved ones in the upcoming summer months!

Outer Banks....here we come!!!

Steph & Stacy

Real Brides: Ashley and James take on DIY Invitations

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......

Product arrives - time to dig in!

To conserve paper, we printed multiple pieces on a single 8.5 x 11 sheets. We were able to get 20 tags per sheet, 4 invites per sheet, 5 rsvps per sheet and 6 reception cards per sheet.


James was the designated cutter....

Everything is *perfectly* cut and ready for assembly

Ashley did the spray gluing for the thinner pieces...

And tape gluing for the cardstocks....(this is our tape gun - they are available for rental with any DIY purchase)

Ashley and her mom Laurie working on assembly

James' mom Becky did ALL the addressing of the outer envelopes by hand...and even used the back of the pocketfold as an inner envelope by writing the guests names directly on the pocket.

The finished product - hot pink, orange and white pocketfolds.

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!

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

(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

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

This week's pick: 4x9 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 4x9, so it's presentation is a little more substantial that the typical seal n' send finished size of 4x5. 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

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

Here is a color scheme we have shown before, but in a totally different layout. The Paper Duvet Catalog allows you to mix and match from several different layouts - and several different paper colors to create your own one-of-a-kind pocketfold ensemble.

Catalog Wedding Invitation: Seal and Send

I love the combination of this Ecru Seal and Send with Navy Blue Lettering - it's quite simple and elegant and at a great price!


Custom Baby Shower Invitation

This baby shower invite was custom made for a former bride who is expecting her first child (a girl!) in three short months! This design features Envelopments original artwork.

Catalog Wedding Invitation: Black Pocketfold

This is another mix and match style of pocket and this color combo was perfect for the brides Hawaiian wedding / Ohio reception. This came from the Carlson Craft Pockets album...and we just got our newest edition with 12 new layouts!

Catalog Wedding Invitation: Black and White Recycled Invite

This invitation comes from the Naturally Ever After Album and features 30% recycled papers. The rich texture of the paper with the simple black and white photograph combine to form a unique, simple, elegant ensemble.

Custom Photo Thank You Cards

These thank you cards are for April's Featured Bride.

Custom Wedding Invitation: Gold and Navy Pocketfold

This custom pocketfold was made for a bride using the Claddagh theme throughout. Although it is not pictured here, the front of the invitation includes a tab with the symbol on it and will be the first thing the guests see when opening the envelopes.

Catalog Invitation: 50th Wedding Anniversary

We don't get to see too many clients who are celebrating their 50th anniversary...but to meet one who is more in love today than 50 years ago is an amazing feeling! We can't wait to work on matching photo bookmarks which will be given to all guests.

Custom Wedding Invitation: Lime Green and Persimmon

We loved how these turned out! The floral pattern on the invite and small bird detail on the insert tied everything together to create the natural feel this bride and groom was looking for.

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.

Custom Thank You Note: Polka Dots - Black, Pink and Lime

These are from our custom thank you card line - and were made to match an invitation featured a couple of weeks ago. We are also doing some favor tags and table numbers with the same theme and those should be featured on the blog in the next few weeks.

(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

Although Nicole and Rich have been 'a couple' for years...they decided to tie the knot on Valentine's Day 2009 with a Brunch Reception to follow at Chenoweth Country Club. Until Nicole, I had never met a bride whose attention to detail was parallel to my own....so her and I worked together fabulously. Since she was a DIY bride in many areas (floral and other decor) we were honored that she and Rich selected us for their Stationery needs. The color scheme of the invitation was hard to nail down at first...but once we found the right combo - we carried it through everything paper!

Here are shots of the Invitations, Table Cards, Place Cards and Seating Chart (not pictured - photo thank you cards and favor tags for the little bag of chocolates they gave to their guests).

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

Catalog Invitation Pick of the Week

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

This week's pick: Vellum Overlay Invitation w/ Monogram in Jacket Slide

This ensemble is just darling! The bright white outer jacket is embossed with a flirty floral design. The invitation, featuring a monogram, slides out of the jacket by pulling on the ribbon. Change the feel by choosing from a selection of ribbon colors and 27 ink colors! Make it more classic with black , or more autumn-inspired with brown!

Catalog: Wedding Invitations by Stylart
Price Points:
75 Ensembles: $4.24
100 Ensembles: $3.42
150 Ensembles: $3.06
200 Ensembles: $2.70
(Approximate price per ensemble including proofing, shipping, and tax) Ensembles include invitation, slide, ribbon, 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 needed items and receive an additional 5% discount off your invitation order!