Posts Labeled ‘stationery’

August 18th, 2011

The value of a handwritten note

A dear friend of mine sent me a handwritten note the other day. It was such a treat to peer in the mailbox and see it nestled in with all the junk mail and circulars. How thoughtful it was!

I’ve written before about the value of writing a handwritten note. I think it unfortunate that so few notes are written and mailed these days. Email and text messages have overtaken pen and paper. Formality has been swallowed up by convenience and expediency.

What one of us does not like to receive a handwritten letter or card? And yet so few of us take the time to send letters ourselves. (I am guilty of this, too.)

Having notecards on hand — be they personalized or not — is the first step toward getting motivated to send notes. Stumped on what to say? Real Simple has some great ideas for sentiments for all kinds of occasions — birthday, celebratory, thank you, and condolence. Emily Post is always a helpful resource to turn to for correspondence tips and etiquette.

The notes need not be elaborate or fancy. It truly is the thought that counts. Next time the occasion presents itself, take a moment to drop a note in the mail. The recipient will be so thankful.

June 3rd, 2011

Interview with DC Graphic Designer sugarB

I’ve had the pleasure of  knowing Kari Becker-Beard of sugarB Studio for some time now and we’ve had the opportunity to work on a number of projects together (including my website and blog!). Each time we collaborate, Kari brings such energy, passion, and talent to the project. I wanted to give readers a taste of that and decided to interview Kari. Here’s what she says about wedding stationery, knitting, and where the name “sugarB” came from…

1) SugarB Studio. What a great name! Tell us what it represents and a little bit about the firm.

When I decided to start my own small graphic  design firm, I played around with a lot of different name ideas.  As I think many of my corporate clients know, it’s all in the name so I wanted to get it right!  I knew from the get go that I wanted to incorporate a “B” in some fashion as both my maiden and married names begin with the letter B. Interestingly, a bee is a sign of creativity hence the suggestion of a bee you see in the brand.  Finally, I drew from my southern upbringing of where women are thought to be ‘sugar and spice and everything nice.’  I’m a savvy business owner but who says I can’t be sweet to boot and so sugarB was born!‬

2) You work with an array of clients from brides to corporate clients. For brides, what is it that they should be thinking about when they are considering their stationery suite for their wedding?

Getting married is such an exciting time, I love being even just a small part the joyous occasion!  When thinking about wedding stationery, I think brides should focus on two things in the beginning that will help to set the stage for other elements of the wedding to fall into place.  Firstly, brides should consider the holistic picture of all the printed material they will need from start to finish of the event – everything from the save-the-date cards to escort cards, invitation to thank you notes.  Secondly, brides should consider what mood or tone they want to set with the stationery.  Remember, the stationery will be the first thing that guests will receive, so if you want your wedding to be formal and traditional versus modern and playful, the stationery should reflect this!  Hiring a graphic designer to create a custom suite of materials adds a unique touch to your event.  Designers can often assist a bride through some of these steps to visually translate who the couple is to paper.  From invitations to table numbers, sugarB studio can do it all!

3) What trends are you seeing in stationery design these days particularly in wedding stationery?

I always try and remind my clients, that the most important part of their wedding is that they are getting married to the person they love – it so important to remember that!  With all the hubbub around the ‘big day’, sometimes brides (and grooms of course) lose track of that.  The biggest trend I have been seeing in wedding suites is couples are using the invite as an opportunity to tell a story, their love story. My clients want an invite to be a reflection of them as a couple – how they met, what activities they like doing together or how they spend their time together.  Getting it right for a bride and groom is the greatest reward of the entire process and I can’t think of anything I would rather do!

4) I understand there is a sugarB baby? What does that specialize in?

About 10 years ago, my mother taught me to knit. Ever since then, every autumn I would knit myself a new scarf (you can imagine how many scarves I have!).  When a dear friend had a baby boy, I decided to try knitting him a hat and the simple cap was born.  Soon I was knitting hats for all my expecting friends, and the simple bear and simple bunny were added to the family.  My friends loved the individuality of the caps and the thought that went into each one and began asking me to knit hats for their expectant friends.  In early 2009, I decided to share the hats with the public and launched www.sugarbbaby.com and thus sugarB baby specializes in hand knit hats for newborns to one year olds.  What is great about it is that since I make each one to order, a client can specify size, style and even color – I am open to all requests!  I think a handcrafted gift is so much nicer than a store bought one that is made in who-knows-where and I love creating thoughtful, handmade gifts that can be treasured for a lifetime.

 

 
March 15th, 2011

Mind your p’s and q’s: social stationery

Today I have the privilege of giving a presentation on business etiquette at the DC chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives. As I’ve been preparing for the lecture, I’ve been reminded what etiquette and manners are. As Emily Post put it, “Manners are a sensitive awareness to the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.”

This reinforces for us that etiquette was designed to always put the other person first, to elevate them. In a digital age when we are often so preoccupied with our voice mails, emails, text messages, tweets, Facebook posts, LinkedIn connections…. it’s easy to get wrapped up in our own world and forget those around us.

One important way that we can express to others what they mean to us and elevate them over ourselves is by the simple act of sending a handwritten thank-you note. This one from Paper Lovely Press is perfect. It’s understated, yet the letterpress gives it a finished elegance.

Franklin Gothic Personalized Letterpress Stationery from Paper Lovely Press

When writing a thank-you note, always include the date and a salutation.  State what you are thanking them for and then add something specific about it. “Sally, Thank you so much for our lunch date the other day. I really enjoyed hearing about your trip to Paris — it sounded fabulous!” Thank them again and close with a signature line (informal sign off’s include Best wishes, Warm regards, Best…) and your name.

Thank you!

April 12th, 2010

A Thankful Guest: Chic Thank You Cards to Express Your Gratitude

My recent post on the DC Ladies blog focused on the lost of art of letter writing — in this case, sending handwritten thank you notes to hosts following a dinner party or other gathering at their home. There are so many fabulous thank you notes out there to choose from, like the one below. Read the full post on DC Ladies blog to see more!

Thank you card from Smock

Thank you card from Smock

December 2nd, 2009

Stationery Crush: Linda & Harriett

I am totally crushing on the letterpress invitations and other stationery offered by Linda & Harriett, a Brooklyn-based custom letterpress house. Don’t you just love this wedding invitation?

crescendo invitation suite from Linda & Harriett

crescendo invitation suite from Linda & Harriett

And this one?

handwriting invitation suite from Linda & Harriett

handwriting invitation suite from Linda & Harriett

And this one?

heirloom invitation suite from Linda & Harriett

heirloom invitation suite from Linda & Harriett

You get the idea! The designs are crisp, clever, and thoughtful, right down to the envelope liners. The rest of their work is equally impressive. What about this Save the Date that mimics a Ben & Jerry’s lid? Adorable!

Save the Date from Linda & Harriett

Save the Date from Linda & Harriett

And this paper doll-themed birth announcement is equally charming.

paper doll baby announcement from Linda & Harriett

paper doll baby announcement from Linda & Harriett

Just in time for the holidays, Linda & Harriett is offering some adorable holiday gift tags and other items.

moose tags from Linda & Harriett

moose tags from Linda & Harriett

2010 Calendar from Linda & Harriett

2010 Calendar from Linda & Harriett

There’s nothing better than amazing letterpress — and these ladies have it down pat! What talent!

September 23rd, 2009

DIY Bridal Boot Camp

Many of the brides I work with work very hard leading up to their wedding to get as fit and healthy as they can. Motivated by wanting to fit into their dress or look great in photos, some brides go to great lengths to shed pounds and tone up. Many work with personal trainers or spend thousands on exercise programs, and some try extreme diets as part of their pre-wedding regimen.

I am all for being healthy — exercising, eating right, and taking care of one’s body — but I do get worried about some brides taking it too far.  Extreme measures can be dangerous to one’s body and often times the short-term benefits are quickly lost after the wedding when brides (and grooms!) return to their original habits. I am not a fitness or health expert, but I do firmly believe that creating a healthy lifestyle and establishing good habits with respect to eating and exercising will yield the most significant benefits in the long run.

I’ll admit, exercise and I have a love/hate relationship. I have struggled over the years to be consistent in working out. Add to that the fact that I am head over heels for food and I run a real risk of ending up looking like a big blob! Recently, however, a friend gave me this little exercise and food diary from Green Chair Press as gift; it has rocked my world!

WIth its simple format, this food and fitness journal from Green Chair Press is so easy to maintain!

WIth its simple format, this food and fitness journal from Green Chair Press is so easy to maintain!

I love the colorful flatware theme.

I love the colorful flatware theme.

I take the journal with me everywhere. It is so small that it fits easily into my purse, and it is cute to boot! I track what I eat and what I did for exercise that day. There is even a space for general notes which I use to jot down things like “I felt tired today” or “Am I starting to get a cold?” I thought having to write down everything I eat would be a burden, but not only has it become a habit, it’s also been oddly fun. I enjoy tracking what I’ve done and the progress I’ve made, and the discipline of having to write down everything I eat has prevented me from having that extra dish of ice cream or reaching for that piece of chocolate. It’s been about three months now and I am half-way through the journal. I just ordered three more so that when this one fills up I have no excuse for not continuing with my food and fitness tracking!

The journal has been very helpful in tracking my progress in exercise. It works really well with the data from my Nike+ workouts. I am able to jot down exactly how many calories I burned and for how long I exercised. Similarly, my Wii Fit workouts have been easy to track as well.

Healthy habits are hard to start but once they are in place, they can become second nature. Chart a course tailored to your own personal goals with respect to diet and exercise and then track your progress. You don’t have to go to extreme lengths or spend lots of money.  Get ideas for workouts online from SELF or healthy recipes from Cooking Light. Before you know it, you’ll be doing your very own, customized Bridal Boot Camp!

Here’s to our health!

September 21st, 2009

Demystifying escort and place cards

One of the questions I am often asked to clarify for clients is the difference between escort (or seating) cards and place cards. There is a simple way to remember this:

Escort cards escort guests to their table, while place cards indicate at which place at the table they should sit.

Escort Cards

Escort cards are used at large events when guests need to be assigned to tables. The cards are generally set out in alphabetical order on a table or some other creative setting so that guests can easily find their card. Cards can be written for each couple or for each guest individually.

Escort cards need not be traditional cards, they could be votive candles (like the image from a Rex & Regina wedding below) apples with calligraphied names pinned to them, shells for a beach wedding… you name it!

votive candles as escort cards, photo courtesy of cb photography

votive candles as escort cards, photo courtesy of cb photography

These tented cards are anything but traditional. Used at a Rex & Regina wedding, these gorgeous cards were created by Saima Says and were part of a larger stationery suite used throughout the wedding.

Escort cards, photo courtesy of Baltazar Photography

Escort cards, photo courtesy of Baltazar Photography

These little bundles of lavender, featured on Martha Stewart,  illustrate that the sky is the limit with respect to creative  escort cards:

Lavender bundle place cards

Lavender bundle place cards

Place Cards

Place cards can be a useful tool in helping guests feel comfortable at the table at which they are assigned. A host should carefully consider where to seat each person so that, to the extend possible, each is seated near someone they know but also near someone with whom they can enjoy interesting conversation.

When guests have selected specific entrees in advance, the place cards can also help the servers know what entree each guest should receive. (Escort cards can also do this, but only if guests think to set their escort card in front of their place setting when they sit down.)

Here are a few inspiring place card ideas from Martha Stewart:

this clever place card doubles as a menu stand

this clever place card doubles as a menu stand

a simple topiary makes a stunning place card

a simple topiary makes a stunning place card

a wrapped clementine provides a pop of vibrant color

a wrapped clementine provides a pop of vibrant color