Fab * Blog by InvitationConsultants.com

Lovely Little Inspiration

Valentine's day is less than a month away! Here are some of my favorite lovey dovey goods:

1. "Owl Love You Forever" Hand Towel from Target. I bought one for me, my mom, and my sister-in-law!

2. Sweetheart Dinner Invite designed by Oddballs. It reminds me so much of handmade doily valentine's from elementary school.

3. Candy Heart Cupcakes. Recipe from Bakerella- adorable and yummy.

4. Martha Stewart Mixed Rose Bouquet from 1800Flowers. I absolutely love the julep cup they come in!

5. Hearts Stamper designed by Noteworthy. I think it's the perfect gift for kids.

6. Sweetheart Dots Sticker designed by Picture Perfect. These little seals are great for marking gifts from the heart.

Insider's Interview part 3: Sandra and Lorraine of San Lori

 A few weeks ago, we announced the new product launch on our site of San Lori. It is so inspiring to see such a well put together and imaginative array of papers! It made me wonder about the happenings behind thier work.

Where did the name SanLori come from? When Sandra and I first decided to form a business together, we were making lists of all sorts of names and phrases.  With every name we suggested, there seemed to be something else associated with it, (some not so nice).  Sandra and her husband Jon, (Our company president), came up with combining both our names- Sandra and Lorraine to form the company name SanLori.

SanLori Invitations are very distinct and cohesive, What three things define your design philosophy?  I would say that we started out with a strong dose of whimsey and it has never left us.  Whimsey looks at life with a playful and fanciful eye and I feel that come across in our product .   We also are big on color.  We love it and we use it.  A bright, color rich palette is part of our signature look.  Our final defining quality is incorporating trends into our products, but making them our own.  It's fun to put a different twist on a popular style. What’s your favorite design and why?  We have an invitation that we have had since our very first release that we call Picasso ( A-2P).  It has a birthday cake with a quote credited to the famous artist that states, " It takes a long time to become young."  It's a great quote that I have come to understand more and more each year!  This specific design connected with a lot of people and helped us to launch our line.Is there a lot of inner-office critique that goes on before a design reaches finalization? Are strong opinions welcome? Great question.  The designs definitely make the rounds.  I think everyone in the office likes to make comments, give suggestions, etc.  Sometimes it helps and sometimes it makes everything more confusing.  There have been some designs that we really thought would fly and were only marginal sellers.  There have also been those designs that we were pleasantly surprised with their performance and didn't  initially recognize their potential. Do you use any of your products in your own day to day life? Absolutely!  We have celebrated birthdays,  commemorated anniversaries and announced births all with SanLori stock.  It's been a lot of fun to have such a great resource close at hand. We joke here that a “passion for paper” as something you are born with, When did you become passionate about invitations? Sandra was in the advertising world before we started our business and she began creating unique pieces for friends and family.  She gave a party for a friend that was leaving town and designed these really fun and stylish invitations.  That's when the lightbulb went off in her head that she really enjoyed creating specialty pieces like that.  I was a quick convert.  My love for invitations, announcements and all paper products has increased exponentially.  The business of producing product that will be used for the happiest of occasions is a privilege that we are very thankful for.
Do you have any other passions when you are unplugged from the computer? Both of us love to travel. It's our "soul food."

My thanks to Sandra and Lorraine for their behind the scenes look into San Lori. We are thrilled to be offering thier newest line at Invitation Consultants!

Calling Cards: for Mommy's and more

Calling cards are a growing trend in the stationery industry and I can definitely see why. As soon as I saw these new personalized calling cards from Checkerboard I immediately thought of everything I could use them for. I remembered the time I ran into an acquaintance from college and I had to write my phone number down on a Panera receipt so she could give me a call someday. Sure, now she knows I love Panera's chicken chipotle sandwhiches, but if I had a calling card, she would have gotten a little dose of my Reilly style and maybe actually called (sad, but true!).

A lot of calling card users are moms who often meet other moms at parks, at their kid's schools, or the grocery store. They trade calling cards to set up play dates and make new friends. It seems like such a rejuvenating way to socialize! Other calling card users might include recent graduates who need a memorable way to present their contact information to potential employers, professionals who want to share their contact information when a business card isn't appropriate, or even retirees who no longer carry business cards.

Some information you might want to include on a calling card would be your name, phone number, email address, and mailing address. If you run with a high-tech crowd, you can put your twitter name, facebook address, or even your blackberry messenger pin. Think about how you communicate and share those opportunities to connect with people. Have questions about these stylish cards? Give us a call 888.381.4400.

Calling cards pictured: Tokyo, Paris, and Lima.

We recently launched a new 'Reviews and Ratings' feature, which will allow you - the customer - to rate and review the products that we offer on our site. It will allow future customers to see what other people think about certain items.

If you have ordered from us in the past you should have received an email with information on a contest. 5 lucky reviewers will be randomly selected and will receive a $100 InvitationConsultants.com gift card. Enter your review before 01/25/2009, don't forget to enter your email address. The winners will be emailed and will be published on our blog on February 1st.

If you're a new customer, you will soon have the feedback of other customers to help you make your invitation selection easy!

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Announce your Graduation and Land Your First Job

Britney Spears announces today that she is looking for a Harvard Graduate to maintain her facebook account! How does one go about getting that first glamourous (or not so glamourous) job out of school?

Stylish Graduation announcements could be the original idea that lands you that first job! Send them not only to friends and family but also potential employers (maybe with a resume). Just in time for the 2009 Graduates, new Red Leaf Papers designs are available online. They are printed on thick shimmering paper. Send them out and get noticed (why didn't I think of this before)!

from left to right: Peace out, Strong Green and Silver, True Red and Blue, and Honorable Blue.

Fabulous at Fifty

Nifty at Fifty...Over the Hill..such cliches! Let's move away from the cliches and just say 50 is so fabulous. With baby boomers everywhere you look, being 50 couldn't be cooler. Just look at all of the celebs who turned 50 in 2008:  like Sharon Stone, Madonna, Prince and Ellen DeGeneres. Fifty is a time to be celebrated and what better time than to throw a party and party like a 40 year old!

How to throw a rockin' bangin' 50 year old party for a friend, family member, colleague or yourself:

1. Don't use any reference to Over the Hill, so this means no party plates with the mantra either.

2. No rollbacks and no playbacks. Meaning skip the before and after photo montage and just focus on how fab they look now.

3. Avoid the remember when stories...make new memories at this kickin' party.

4. Choose sassy and bold colors for the invitations and party like fuchsia, lime, clementine and electric blue.

5. Select creative cocktails and spicy, eclectic foods.

6. Reference others who have been there for ideas: such as http://www.ayearto50.blogspot.com/. This blog has a list of baby boomer cool blogs. Research is key for this big birthday bash!

7. Give out fun party favors like gag gifts or gift certificates to Victoria's Secret or Chocolate cigars.

8. Choose a theme that can resonate from the invitations to the party decor to the dress code. Some fun dress codes are: South Beach White, Sultry Red, Black and White, Outrageous Orange or Club Chic. When choosing a party theme consider: Casino Night, Nightclub or Disco. 

Remember 50 is the new 40! Have a blast with this event!

Invitations shown: Her Momentous Fifty, Zebra Linen, Fifty Stripes

Red Leaf Papers: Our Debut Line

Today, I am happy to introduce our debut line of original designs called Red Leaf Papers. Red Leaf Papers was inspired by bold colors and the use of unique type styles. The line was cohesively designed by our team of graphic designers and is a true expression of Invitation Consultants creative style. Our ultimate goal is to design with our customers in mind and we are looking forward to adding more to this unique product line in the future!

Tweet tweet

Inviting all our blog readers to follow our daily tweets on twitter. Our twitter name is fittingly @FabulousInvites. If you don't know what Twitter is, you should check it out. It is quite fascinating. Hard to describe though. You have to experience it to understand it.

Have fun!

Cute Term: Recessionistas!

Jenn over at Hostess with the Mostess is throwing a fabulous event as a part of her Hip Hostess series in Boston on January 15th. I'm a little jealous of those of you living in Bean Town who may be able to make it because the theme is "Stylish Entertaining on a Budget". Very cool. Even cooler is the cute term: Recessionista- someone with high style despite a low economy. Recessionistas can make a lot out of a little and know how to save fabulously. There's a whole blog devoted to these chic savers.

And as promised a little something for recessionistas from us at IC... Affordable Elegance: Wedding Invitations.

Wedding Website brought to you by Offbeat Bride & IC!

A few months ago, Ariel from Offbeat Bride offered us the opportunity to design a web template for her partnership with www.NearlyWeds.com. Kyle and I jumped all over this. As a fan of Ariel's blog, I feel like I've gotten to know her community of unique and fearless brides. We were inspired by their spirit and spunk to create a rainbow butterfly themed wedding website template and a matching invitation. Here's a little bit about how the website works:

1. you sign up with nearlyweds.com and are given a web template to easily customize
2. you share pictures and blog posts about your wedding planning process
3. you order the Offbeat Butterfly invitation to tie your wedding website theme further into your event

NearlyWeds offers online guest list management, unlimited photo uploads, a guestbook, and tons of other cool features. It truly takes wedding style to a new level.

Thanks to Ariel and Porter over at NearlyWeds for the opportunity!