The holiday season is meant to be a fun and warmly cherished time of year, but planning and preparing for it is typically anything but.  Getting big family meals planned, dragging out old decorations, and buying new ones to arrange around the house, and then getting yourself in readiness to host any kind of party can easily wipe out anyone’s energy reserves.  To keep things more hassle-free this holiday season, and to revitalize your festive spirit, here are several holiday party planning tips that are sure to deliver. Make Your List – Then Check It Twice: Lists are going to be your best friends in this endeavor, so treat them well and surround yourself with as many of them as you can – but keep them practical and organized.  The very first thing to decide (several weeks in advance) for your party is the date you want it held on.  This is likely going to be equally influenced by the guests you plan on inviting, so this is also the time to make and refine your guest list.  If you’re planning on inviting family from out of town, or if you have friends and neighbors who will also be busy...Read More
If you are planning a 4th of July party, you may think that simply throwing in a little red, white, and blue is enough.  However, if you want to have a creative party, there are plenty of ways to set your party apart. Patriotic Invitations First, start with some patriotic invitations.  Whether you have an early July birthday party, or are celebrating our nation’s birthday, the 4th of July is a great time to have some fun with the party planning. American Stationery provides invitations including flags and patriot hats.  You can also choose to forgo the illustrations and instead go with some solid colored invitations, or include some color font in the printing process.  No matter which option you choose, you are sure to have some fun custom designing your own personal invitations for the big day. Plastic Cups The next decision on your list has to do with finding and designing some fun beverage cups to go with the theme.  American Stationery has a number of clear plastic tumblers, which you can then personalize to fit your needs. You can add on your monogram, your name, or the party date to make the cups really unique.  The best...Read More
It snowed today, that means one thing, time to start thinking about your holiday greetings. A good quality greeting card can help show that you value your friends, family and business colleagues and skimping on your selection can be interpreted in a number of ways. Well the same holds true for your greeting cards, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Your recipients might take it as a sign that business has not been good or that they aren’t worth a little investment. For most this means minding grammar rules. Season’s Greetings Multiple holidays are celebrated in one combined season, so use an apostrophe and “s” to show that you are sending greetings of the season. Also, treat this catch-all greeting like “Happy Holidays” and capitalize both words. Snowman in Snow Storm Holiday Cards (8836B) is a charmingly abstract way to see a snowman, this clever card will make everyone on your card list smile. Partridge in a Pear Tree Holiday Cards (8972) are accented in elegant green and gold and feature a partridge in a pear tree. Inside, the greeting “Wishing you all the splendor of the Season” is pre-printed in Black ink. Damask Photo...Read More
This time of year many families are hustling to get their holiday photo cards ordered. And those of us who seemed to have slacked this year are trying desperately to book their photo shoot for their holiday card.  When it comes time to get your photo taken it’s important to realize that there is a lot more that goes into planning the perfect family photo than just showing up ready to smile.  We have researched to bring you some of the best tips out there on just how to obtain that beautiful family portrait that you will be pride to send out in your holiday cards this season.  First of all it is incredibly important to know what kind of look you want. Plan your shots. Think ahead of what kind of pose(s) you would like. Do you want a very structured straightforward look with everyone standing single file? Or would you like something a bit more organic and candid where your family is relaxed and natural looking? With plenty of time before the big day search online and in magazines for what you like. Make a Pinterest board or a small scrapbook of the photos that you like. Clothing...Read More
It is often difficult to navigate thru the many customs and traditions of greeting card etiquette, especially in today’s changing society. Here are a few guidelines to help you find your way. Signing Greeting Cards Traditionally, when signing a card from you and your spouse, the woman’s name would appear first and then her husband’s. This also applies if the couple is unmarried or the wife retains her maiden name. When signing Christmas cards or other greeting cards from the entire family, the father’s name should appear first, followed by the mother’s and then the children’s. The children’s names should be in order from oldest to youngest. It is also acceptable to use “John and Mary Smith and Family” or “The Smith Family.” However, it is acceptable today to also have the mother’s name first in family signatures such as “Mary, John, Matthew and Susan Smith.” If there are two different last names and the couple has children, then it would be proper to sign the card as “Mary Jones, John Smith and Family.” Addressing the Envelopes Always use proper titles such as Mr., Mrs. and Dr. The man’s name always appears first when addressing an envelope to a married couple. If a married...Read More
You may say, and I’m sure you would be right, that stores are trotting out their Christmas sales and decorations earlier every year. To me, that seems more nagging than festive. Why am I seeing Christmas decorations everywhere before we’ve even reached Halloween? Each of us actually sees the world differently from anyone else; I’m more of a last minute shopper, but it’s ok to have some of your Christmas gifts in mind or even have someone else’s stashed away in a closet. If it’s really that time of year, that means one thing, time to start thinking about your holiday greetings. I know that I have to think about ordering my custom-made, personalized Christmas cards well before Christmas. For friends and family, that might be as simple as shooting off a mass text message or using a “social network”. While adding standard best wishes to a greeting card or electronic message sounds simple enough, a few questions about how to write them properly often come up. A good quality greeting card can help show that you value your friends, family and business colleagues and skimping on your selection can be interpreted in a number of ways. Well the same holds...Read More
The Christmas season is a special occasion of the year, a special time to remember the people who mean a lot to you, like your loved ones, your acquaintances, your co-workers, and your customers. You may be thinking it is too early to worry about the annual Christmas cards just yet but you would be wrong. For Christmas card suppliers, the season begins in August each year. Businesses and individuals make their design selections and have custom imprinted and personalized cards all ordered and ready to be addressed even before the trees start to change colors. Winterberry Wreath Holiday Cards A winterberry wreath decorates a street lamp on these traditional holiday cards. These cards are blank on the inside. Three Frosted Trees Holiday Cards The lush beauty of a snow-covered landscape silhouetted by the moon makes this holiday card a lovely choice for sending your holiday wishes. Just after Halloween you will begin to see boxed cards in stores. These cards normally include preprinted messages and envelopes but today cards that are unique and one-of-a-kind are those most popular. For these you are faced with making those all by yourself, which can be quite time consuming and costly or you, can find...Read More
I often struggle with writing our holiday family newsletter. Each year we get one that is in iambic pentameter and is multi-generational filled with news about grandchildren, extended family, the family pet and so on. Believe me, it is a chore to wade through, but I know it is sent with love from good friends.   I think these letters can be great if you stick to relevant news about your immediate family. They should be upbeat; but if there has been bad news (death, divorce, severe illness or other tragedies), your good friends will want to know this also. I firmly believe that these newsletters should only be sent to people who know your family well – family and close friends. When writing your letter remember that your 7 year old son’s winning pass for his pee wee football team and your 4 year old daughter’s dance recital are special moments to you and your husband, but may not be of great interest to the recipients of your holiday greeting. One of my favorite annual letters is filled with very few words and lots of fun pictures.   Please remember to include a warm greeting and closing to your letter. Tell your friends how special they...Read More
Holiday Card Etiquette   We know it is a little early to be thinking of your holiday card list, but we’re going to go over a few tips to help you get started when the proper time arrives.   Holiday Card List The first thing you need to do is think about who you will be sending cards to.  Our answer would be to send cards to as many people as possible.  We might be a tad biased, but there is some truth to it.  Holiday Cards are usually a way for you to reconnect with people you don’t see or speak to on a regular basis.  In today’s digital society that number could become a pretty large.  The best way to figure out an estimate of how many cards to order is to start with your address book and last years card list.  Start by removing old business associates and loved ones that have passed away.  Then add new friends, family members or colleagues.  This list will give you a good idea of the number of cards you’ll need.  Make sure when you’re placing your order that you order more than you think you’ll need.  It is cheaper to...Read More
Generally there are three different types of holiday cards available for purchase. However, the fact is that there are hundreds of designs to choose from. The number of designs available makes choosing the perfect holiday card a difficult decision. The three basic types of holiday cards are a traditional card, photo mount and photo cards. Traditional cards can be very simple or very elegant and elaborate. They generally have a holiday design on the front and room for a personal message on the inside. Once you decide a traditional card is for you, you then have to decide which design fits your family best. The card designs include garland, holly, stars, snow, etc. The motifs include Santa, Frosty, Rudolph and other holiday characters.  (See Traditional Holiday Cards) Photo mount cards offer a way for you to choose a simple or elegant card while also showcasing your family in your most recent family photo. Photo mount cards usually have a border which may or may not have a design. The border surrounds your photo which is secured to the card by glue surface applied by you after you personalize your card with a hand written message on the inside. (See Photo...Read More
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