Invitation Consultants Blog - Wedding and Party Inspiration

Happy Halloween!!

We LOVE Halloween. No, seriously. Love it. Sometimes we celebrate Halloween a month early - and we love to dress up and eat.

Every year, we parade around our office park in our Halloween costumes - and this year was no different. We waited for the rain to subside and then proudly strutted around for all to see. There are also performances, games and tons of delicious goodies! 

Celebrity duos were big this year. We were graced by the presence of Bert & Ernie, Ron Burgundy & Brick Tamland and Kim & Khloe Kardashian. It was very brave of Kim K. to attend our Halloween festivities, despite her personal issues. Justin Beiber, Cleopatra, The Cloud, Liz Lemon, Kanani (American Girl Doll), a cereal killer, lunch lady, cave girl and Chelsea Handler's sidekick Chuy also showed up. It was another memorable IC Halloween!

 

What are your Halloween traditions?

BlogWorld Winners!

We are so excited to have chosen our five winners of the BlogWorld Expo Giveaway! Each of the following winners will receive $100 to use toward their ticket, travel or accommodations to attend BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2011 in Los Angeles next week. Congrats to all who won and thank you to everyone who entered!

Winners:

• Are Morch
• Jason Houck
• Natalie Wardel
• Tamara Walker
• Lisa Loeffler

Also, everyone who entered is receiving a fabulous blogger bag tag!

IKAT Roundup

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Ikat has become one of the hottest patterns this season. Ikat is a versatile and unique pattern that can be used on just about anything! I’ve seen it featured on clothing + accessories such as purses, shoes, dresses, and scarves and home piece like pillows, sheets, lamp shades and serving bowls. Invitation Consultants has created a few new Ikat invitations and gift stickers sure to stand out this season!

Check out some of our favorite Ikat finds!

1. Tapestry Gift Stickers
2. Bag courtesy of Pinterest
3. Pillow courtesy of Pinterest
4. Pink Ikat Invitation
5. Patterned Chair  courtesy of Pinterest
6. Shoes
7. New Invitations….coming soon!

 Do you have any Ikat pieces?

Class Reunion Do's and Dont's!

I have been to my 10 year high school reunion and my 20 year is around the corner. So I have this advice from experience and hoping I can use this advice for the next one:

1 - Don’t starve yourself for weeks before the event to fit into an outfit you really have no business wearing.
Most of the class gained the freshman 15 plus mommy weight, so not being your 18 year old weight is totally expected and realistic.

2 – Don’t pretend to be the inventor of something you did not invent or be a top executive of a new startup and you do not even know what they sell i.e. Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
   
3 – Do take this opportunity to talk to as many people as possible. The Prom Queen may have been off limits to you 10 years ago but today she is no longer a queen. The truth of the matter is, very few people remember each other (especially if your class size was above 250). 10 years is a long time and 20 even longer. So she won’t remember you are the one that threw up in the high school cafeteria on her new Reeboks.

4 – Don’t feel like you have to bring your spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend to make a statement. Most times they will be bored out of their mind. They could care less who the class clown was and the “remember when’s” will get stale. You don’t have to prove that you have a significant other by them being present.

5 – Do be yourself. Most people could spot a phoney a mile away. You don’t want to be the one that is the “phoney” at the reunion. Be genuine and honest, even if they aren’t. That means don’t brag about superfluous things, and if you have to brag do it in a subtle way. Certainly do not undermine your successes, just finagle them in to the conversation.

6 – Do steer clear of drama. So don’t bring up long lost memories that should be labeled “forgotten.”

Have you been to your class reunion? We love hearing from our customers who have purchased class reunion invitations and we would love to hear your story too!

New Product Spotlight: Personalized Stationery

We try to add new product to the website everyday, but we didn't want these fabulous new personalized stationery designs to sneak by you!

From bold graphics (like animal prints and chevron stripes) to a focus on your name or first initial, we have you covered with our stationery collection.

If you're looking to make your thank you notes that much more personal, try one of our photo thank you cards.

In search of the perfect holiday gift? These colorful stationery designs and photo cards are truly just the ticket.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Planning a colorful, modern or unique event?  Let us help you find the perfect wedding invitation! You'll also find invitations for any party or occasion!

The Office Clips

Not all of our office decor is constant - the hallway to the kitchen is our every changing wall of inspirations, explanations, games, pictures or anything else you can hang from a clip!  We started the tradition about a year ago and "the clips" as they're known around here, have been left to each employee's imagination at one point or another.  The first time around it was a free for all! We were assigned a week to post whatever we wanted.  We shared information about ourselves, posted trivia, fashion finds and movie suggestions.  The most recent round, we were assigned a general topic and were allowed to do with it what we wanted!  I had color palettes so I put Pinterest to work and posted as many color schemes as I could fit on the that string.  Zahara showed us some movie blunders like when Pirates of the Caribbean were wearing Adidas headbands or a plane flew over Brad Pitt's head in ancient Greece. Kyle brought us some of the men that influenced his design career and examples of their work as inspiration.  We also had some animal typography, vacation destinations, new calendar designs and fall fashions to name a few! 

REAL IC CUSTOMERS: HALLOWEEN COUPLES SHOWER

We may have mentioned a time or two (or perhaps a thousand) that our office has a slight obsession with Halloween. We take it quite seriously around here and host a fabulous Halloween party to boot. We love when others get into the Halloween spirit like this real IC customer! Not only are they having a bridal shower, but it's a couples shower where you're encouraged to partner up to dress as your favorite duo!

We love a good theme, so why not have multiple ideas (Halloween, Couples & Costume Party) that everyone can get into? Our customer chose the Frankenstein Couple invitation to tell their guests, but we have a wide array of Halloween invitations and Couples Shower invitations that also fit fabulously.

So tell us - who would you dress up as? Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz? Fred and Wilma Flintstone? Olive Oil and Popeye? These are just a few examples to get you started. Happy Halloweening! Let's celebrate!

Planning a colorful, modern or unique event?  Let us help you find the perfect wedding invitation! You'll also find invitations for any party or occasion!

 

It's Friday, We're in Love: A Weekly Roundup of Everything Lovely

sweet chocolatey packaging via the dieline


we enjoy marissa moss' round up for what to wear for a fam portrait - especially this fun pattern mix!

how CUTE is this little fox costume. just.too.adorable!

::other lovely links::
glittery cake!
a diy tassel garland
a kate spade dress that has kaity written all over it
a practically magical home office
sometimes, you just want to fly away

have a BEAUTIFUL weekend everyone!

5 Fall Picks

Fall is upon us and I couldn’t be happier. Fall is my FAVORITE time of year and it’s filled with fun + festive activities.

Here are my top 5 picks for fall:

1. Visit a Pumpkin Patch: During this time of year you can find a these almost anywhere. Definitely check out your local pumpkin patch with family or friends to find pumpkins to decorate!

2. Fall Dinner Parties: Check out our tips on how to throw a fabulous fall dinner party and gather your loved ones for a fun, cozy night in. Personally, I LOVE cooking for people because my house always smells delicious!  Before you create your tablescape, make sure to select the perfect fall invitation!

3. Fall Fashion: Get on board with some of this year’s most wearable fall trends that include blazers, rich colors such as copper, mustard and jade, polka dots, comfy chunky sweaters and bright colored pants. What fashion piece are you most excited for? 

4. Apple Picking: This is something I haven’t done since I was little and have on my list to do this year! I want to spend the afternoon picking apples and proceed to go home to bake all sorts of apple baked goodies.  

5. Fall hikes (or scenic drives): Take some time to relax, get out of the house and take a walk. Enjoy the beautiful fall foliage while it lasts!

If you were to create a ‘fall bucket list’ what activities would you include?

Design Feature: The 2011 Gift Guide

OK - we don't like to brag... but sometimes our designs are TOO.CUTE not to showcase! How adorable is the cover to this holiday gift guide our web designer, Kyle, created?!

Our holiday gift guide is tucked lovingly in every order and features our favorites:
Custom Stampsters
Luggage Tags
Personalized Stationery
Gift Stickers
Gift Enclosure Cards

It's our 2011 shopping guide for personalized and perfected gifts and we looove it!

Tell us: have you started your Christmas shopping? What's #1 on your list?