Jan
26
January Happy New Year! – Always January 1st (Send your friends simple wishes for a happy New Year or pen a personal champagne toast to all of your loved ones) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Third Monday in January: January 19, 2009 (Take the time to write to people whom you admire or aspire to be like) February Groundhog Day – February 2, 2011 Chinese New Year – February 3, 2011 Lincoln’s Birthday – February 12 Valentine’s Day – Always February 14 (Let them know you love them with all your heart. Write a love note on romantic, Valentine’s Day stationery) President’s Day – Third Monday in February: February 21, 2011 Washington’s Birthday – February 22 March Mardi Gras – March 8, 2011(If you cannot invite them to the party, send happy, festive thoughts!) Ash Wednesday – March 9, 2011 St. Patrick’s Day – Always March 17 (Why not send a limerick or Irish blessing of your own on a pretty piece of St. Patrick’s Day Stationery?) Daylight Saving Time – The second Sunday in March: March 13, 2011 (This year, let your loved ones know you miss them every little minute.) First day of Spring – March 20, 2011 (Use floral-inspired...Read More
Jan
24
Now is just a good a time as any to reflect upon your life and to make plans for positive change in the months (and the year) ahead. Year after year, one of the most popular resolutions made is to reconnect with friends and families. With that in mind, here’s one resource for making 2011 your best yet: Recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers and Quicken show that more than 50% of Americans aspire to appreciate and spend more time with family and friends in the coming year. When it comes to reaching out, showing appreciation and reconnecting, personalized stationery is a great first step towards making more frequent and more meaningful connections with your loved ones. Here’s how: when you are prepared with beautiful stationery, you will be excited about (and therefore more likely to) reach out to the important people in your lives on both the biggest and the smallest of occasions. A 2011 calendar and a current contact list are all you need to get started. Whether you choose to plug important dates into your PDA, or prefer an old- fashioned wall-calendar, use the following list (posted throughout the next couple of weeks) to mark all the year’s important dates...Read More
Jan
17
When you arrive at each home you could prepare in advance seating place cards, a description of the food you will be enjoying and a little history of the home and family. This will lend a personal air, to the host of each course. Although there are a few logistics to work out, it would probably be best if the couple hosting the next course is given a ten or fifteen minute advance departure. This will allow them to arrive home before the rest, light their candles, turn on the music and make sure their food will be ready to go. What fun it will be to greet your friends in each new setting and enjoy a new dish, glass of wine and atmosphere together. You will probably need to have a few conversations before the actual party day, so that you and everyone involved has a clear picture of how things will flow and what is expected of them. If you have a chance you should try to get the recipe that everyone is serving, along with a little bio or family photo. You should also take photos at each home of the host and hostess, guests and the...Read More
Jan
14
The holiday season is filled with quality time spent with friends and family, beautifully decorated homes, twinkling trees and wonderful food. As the season gets busy we often don’t have the time to open up our homes, at height of their beauty, to our friends. So, why not share your beautifully decorated home, and view those of your closest friends, by initiating a Progressive Dinner Party? Half of the work involved in a Progressive Dinner Party is done once you have decorated your home for the holidays. This party simply consists of a dinner that changes homes for each food course. For example you may start out with appetizers at your home, and move on to the next home, admire their decorations, and have a soup course…this continues from home to home until your finish off with dessert or a night cap. Planning and executing a Progressive Dinner Party achieves two goals, one being that everyone can share their beautifully decorated homes, and secondly everyone can enjoy a wonderful dinner with one another. The first step is to decide how many friends you would like to include in your party so that you can determine how many homes and courses...Read More
Jan
7
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
Dec
31
Deciding what type of food you are going to serve can be a lot of fun as well. We would suggest staying away from anything too labor intensive, unless cooking is your forte. Instead opt for different easier finger foods that work well with a wide array of dips, cheeses and sauces. A lot of favorites can be placed attractively on a pretty tray, and look like you’ve worked on them for hours. So keep in mind that a great presentation is bound to make up for any cooking shortages you may have. Whether you are a great chef or a novice, be sure you include some variety in your selection, so that everyone will be able to find a few things to enjoy. Deciding what beverages to offer at your party can be just as important as deciding on your food offerings. You can safely stick with a variety of beer, wine, water and soft drinks. Or stock an open bar…either appoint a couple of friends to bartend throughout the evening or invite everyone to serve themselves. If your budget isn’t large enough, it is perfectly acceptable to ask everyone to “bring their own”. The choice will be easy,...Read More
Dec
29
When planning your party consider what start and ending times will work the best. You don’t want to start too early, when you are having a post midnight end time. It won’t be any fun when the countdown begins if you, and most of your guests, are too tired to celebrate! Another positive to starting your party later is that you will only have to serve up appetizers, snacks and finger foods; everyone will have already had an earlier dinner. You will want to have out some holiday decorations, some nice touches can be icicle lights, candles and cozy seating arrangements. The lights and candles will soften the atmosphere, and intimate seating arrangements will encourage guests to relax and chit chat. You should also plan on adding some pizzazz to the evening with fun additions like horn blowers, party hats, or confetti. While this may seem a little juvenile, as the night winds to an end they will only add to the laughter and enjoyment. No party is complete without the right music playing in the background. You should prepare a play list that can be changed frequently throughout the evening. We would include classic hits, seasonal favorites, dance tunes...Read More
Dec
27
Is this the year you want to welcome the New Year in by hosting a bash of your own? Do you want it to be “the” party that everyone wants to attend? If so, you have some work to do in order to achieve success, but we think you’ll find that it will all be worth your effort in the end! New Years Eve is a celebration well recognized for producing high expectations, resolutions, kisses and thoughts of years gone by…it may seem like months away, but it will be arriving sooner than you may be hoping for, especially if you are going to be a party thrower extraordinaire. The majority of celebrants want their new years eve to be something to look forward to filled with anticipation of the new year to come, and memories of the years gone, in short something unforgettable would fit the bill nicely. So why not take a chance, and instead of falling asleep in front of the television minutes before the “ball” drops, throw your own New Years Eve Bash instead? If you decide to do so, we’ve included some tips to help ensure your success. You need to remember that throwing a...Read More
Dec
24
The rage of party games has increased such that Christmas parties seem to be incomplete without Christmas party games. Start your party off on the right by sending a fun invitation from American Stationery. On your invitation you will want to let your guests know what the theme is for your gift exchange. You can go a traditional route by doing an anonymous swap or picking names out of a bowl. A White Elephant gift exchange is where everyone brings something tacky from their attics or basements. (I once received a velvet Elvis picture that became part of the gift exchange in years to come.) You can even hold a contest for the "weirdest’, "ugliest", and "most creative use of glitter/rubber bands/dry pasta". You can always do the Secret Santa thing where a group of people each draw names of others in the group and must purchase something for that person in secret (set a spending limit either way). With a little planning your gift exchange party will be a memorable event for you and your guests. Tis the Time to be Jolly!
Dec
22
If you have personalized cups on hand, you should certainly consider offering a personalized napkin. These, like the tumblers, come with a variety of options and styles to choose from. If you want to coordinate a color scheme there are colorful party napkins in your choice of Bright Red, Green, Blue or Ivory. These 5” x 5” napkins come customized with your choice of Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Cheers or Seasons Greetings in an eye-catching script done with gold foil. Add your own personal touch by including one line of the personalization of your choice such as, your name, or verse in matching foil. If you prefer a classic white napkin, with a splash of color as your accent, you should consider the elegant Antique Initial Napkins. Theses are a heavy weight white napkin personalized with your single initial in an ornate Antique font and one line of personalization in Aqua, Brown, Black, Blue, Hunter Green, Fuchsia, Light Blue, Lime, Purple, Red or Silver ink. Another heavyweight napkin that features a Script Monogram, Block Monogram or single Script Initial with Block name imprinted on a textured 5” x 5” (folded) beverage napkin or 6” x 8 ½” textured guest towel....Read More