Apr
29
Personalized gifts are a great way to show a person how much you really care. A gift that is personalized shows that you put time and thought into picking a gift. Anybody can go to the local department store and buy a shirt or picture frame, but it takes effort and some amount of forethought to buy a customized gift. As personal as it can be, the act of giving a personalized gift can be a little tricky at times. You really have to know the person the gift is for. You have to know their likes and dislikes and even some of their hobbies. You need to know what the person is interested in. You don’t want to buy a gift for someone that they are not going to like. Just because you like it, does not mean that they will. For personalized gifts to be effective, you should use your own likes and dislikes only to help you decide between a few items. It is ultimately about the other person. When buying a gift for your mother who loves to cook, you might think about buying her a personalized cookbook that she can fill with her recipes or...Read More
Apr
26
Thank you notes seem to be becoming a thing of the past. We at American Stationery believe that it is not only proper etiquette, but appropriate to write thank you notes for certain things. Thank you notes can be formal or informal, simple or complex, but should always be heartfelt and genuine. Here are just a few of the occasions where thank you notes would be appropriate: Wedding Gifts Baby or Bridal Shower Gifts Gifts and Visits Received While in the Hospital Sympathy Letters or Flowers Gifts Received Through the Mail You can use formal stationery or the preprinted thank you notes from the grocery store. The situation will help decide how formal you should be. For wedding gifts, a formal thank you note should be used, usually one that matches your wedding invitation or theme. Baby shower or bridal shower thank you notes can be informal, although you can typically get thank you notes that match the shower invitations as well. You can substitute personalized stationery instead of an actual note with “Thank You” printed on it, but we would not recommend getting too informal and using a memo sheet or notebook paper. The card should reflect the occasion...Read More
Apr
24
Issuing your rehearsal dinner invitations can be done in a variety of ways. You can ask the bride and groom to inform their attendents and then spread the word at the actual wedding rehearsal. Just be sure that everyone is included and feels welcome. A more sure fire approach is to send everyone an invitation. There are so many cute, themed and colorful invitations to choose from that you shouldn’t have a problem finding one that fits your plans. Even if you do send an invitation, you should still follow-up personally with everyone at the rehearsal. Be sure you include wedding party spouses and family members, and you should let your guests know what attire is appropriate as well. Things will probably be pretty casual unless you specify otherwise….so plan and inform accordingly. Some final tips for your party include, be sure you have prepared those giving toasts, and if there is a speech involved, be sure it is kept short and sweet. Name tags are a great idea for making sure everyone becomes more familiar with one another, and even family affiliation can be a plus. Just remain relaxed and enjoy the moment, your child is getting married and...Read More
Apr
22
Once you have decided on a venue for your rehearsal dinner, you need to narrow down your menu. Most restaurants will allow you to offer a limited choice menu that is designed with your budget in mind. So if you have a large group attending, you can pre-calculate your expense. If you have an open budget, ordering from the menu is fine as well. You should also consider whether you are going to pick up the tab for alcohol. If not, you could limit everyone to beer and wine, or perhaps just a glass of champagne for toasting. If you do not want to have alcohol included just be sure you make that clear to your guests before they order. A tactful announcement by your server that anyone desiring a cocktail can be accommodated in the bar would probably suffice. This is a problem you won’t encounter if you elect to host your rehearsal dinner at your home, but making sure you have food selected for everyone attending that is appropriate is something to consider. For example, you may not want to offer prime rib if several of your guests are vegetarian. The bride and groom will know their wedding...Read More
Apr
19
Planning a wedding rehearsal dinner, although seemingly effortless on the outside, still requires a lot of careful planning and consideration in order to achieve the efficient affair you are hoping to host. A typical wedding rehearsal dinner is normally hosted by the parents of the groom. It usually is held immediately after the wedding rehearsal for everyone in the wedding party, including whoever is conducting the ceremony, parents and grandparents, and anyone else contributing to the wedding ceremony itself. If this is a destination wedding, or if many guests are required to travel to attend, it is usually customary to invite all out of town guests to celebrate with you. I don’t think that there are any hard and fast rules in today’s day and age that apply to your rehearsal dinner. Just plan for a dinner that will fit your budget, provide a nice atmosphere, and most importantly will complement the bride and groom! After all, this is their party, their day and should be tailored to agree with their tastes. If the parents are no longer married that shouldn’t get in the way of a joint reception dinner, so be sure to communicate with one another and agree...Read More
Apr
17
Mealtime at most houses is nothing short of a challenge. We all have that picture in our heads of a child covered from head to toe in spaghetti sauce or hair matted together with yogurt and cheerios. Yes, each meal presents the potential for a real mess. However, we know offer a little gem in the partyware category – disposable placemats. Disposable placemats are available in many different patterns. Even your favorite photo can be turned into a beautifully functional place setting. Most people like the idea of anything that helps limit a mess. The placemats from American Stationery are offered in an eight count regular, stain and tear resistant, or twenty-five padded disposable mats. If you are blessed with a slightly cleaner eater for a child or find yourself looking for a great table setting for a nice dinner party or family Thanksgiving dinner, then the regular style might be for you. If you want something that is made for a no fuss cleanup for easy entertaining or just casual dining on a Tuesday evening with your family, then the disposable place mats are a great choice!
Apr
15
Memos are meant to be a way to jot down a quick note. They are normally not designed to be mailed, which is why most do not come with envelopes. Memos are sold in a variety of colors, styles and sizes. Some are glued together, others are not. Some are even self stick and make convenient office supplies. From the simple to the elaborate, American Stationery offers many different choices. Self-stick memos are the perfect addition to any desk. These re-positionable memos are padded together by their adhesive backing and are sold in a cube or a pad. Be sure to get the memo holder for an additional charge. It is money well spent as it will go a long way in organizing the desk of any professional or stay at home mom. Designer memos are one of the larger memo pads available. This stationery measures 4 1/2″ x 7″ and give you a little extra space for those longer notes. These memos have several icons to choose from including holiday designs, pets, beach, symbols and hobbies. To top it off these memos are offered in several different ink colors and typestyles. Thinking fashion forward? Then maybe our Fashion Striped Memos are just for you!...Read More
Apr
12
This time of year graduations are all around us. From college, to high school and even from pre-school. Many people have a graduate in their lives and are putting together a graduation party for the special person in their lives. Planning a graduation party isn’t much different than planning any other party. You need to as always think of the invitations, the food, and the decor. The rest is typically easily put together. The invitations: If your school doesn’t provide something for you, American Stationery is sure to have something that will meet your needs. Before ordering, make sure you have all the information written down in front of you that you will need to include. Fear you have become a little wordy? When in doubt, leave it out! Invitations should be straight forward. You want to state what is happening, ask your guest to join, give a date, time and location. Any other information should be kept to a minimum. From young and whimsical to staunch and classy. Just check out the invitations tab on our website. A drop down menu will appear, from there simply select graduation. With pre-set templates, you can delete the generic information and add your own...Read More
Apr
10
The time of year is creeping up on us when we start thinking about graduation. Many of us are graduating or know someone who is about to graduate from something, somewhere. Whether it be High School, College, or Preschool. This recognition of completion is an important and joyous occasion. When you think about purchasing a gift for yourself or for the graduate in your life, think about stationery. Many High School students will soon find themselves in the adult world of meetings. Whether this is with their new counselor at the local university, or a prospective employer. It is important for students to understand the importance of sending a follow up note to the person with whom they met. Your graduate will definitely stand out when they not only, show the initiative at following up, but do so with their own personal stationery. American Stationery offers a broad selection of many different correspondence cards and folded notes. It can be difficult to decide on which one. There are two different things that we suggest people consider when purchasing stationery. So be sure to think about the following before making a selection: Your personality- First and foremost it is important to...Read More
Apr
8
Let’s face it receiving a gift is fun! First of all more often than not receiving a gift usually coincides with something awesome. Holidays are awesome, your birthday, awesome and landing that client, awesome! Then there is the fact that someone thought of you with all that is going on in their own life and decided to take time out of their daily hustle and bustle to purchase something for you. When you think of all that, receiving a present sounds pretty great. But, a personalized gift? Well, there is nothing like it. The thought and care that goes into purchasing a personalized gift goes beyond what most would consider normal consideration. A personalized product says that the gift giver thought long and hard about what to purchase for you, and purchased something they feel you will want to display proudly. Maybe it boasts your name, your monogram or your family name. At American Stationery, personalization is very important to us, and not only for stationery but other gifts as well. The dip and serving board is a unique and welcome gift for your favorite host or hostess. This product allows for generous servings of bread or crackers along with...Read More