Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Spring Cleaning Sale!!!

Our subdivision will be hosting its annual Sub-Wide Garage Sale on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday June 4th, 5th, and 6th. I will be offering most of our inventory left over from when we closed our store.

For all you brides out there and mother's to be, this is a GREAT opportunity to pick up imprintables, overstock Envelopments items such as pocketfolds, envelopes, and metallic cardstocks for pennies on the dollar! The garage sale was a huge success last year, I only wish that I had more time to pull more items out. We had people that came all three days just to see what was "new". I have a few unity candles, a couple of cardboxes that we used to rent out, a toddler sized tux, and lots of other items.

We are located in Huntington Park Subdivision, which is off Powell Road between Ridge and Napier in Plymouth (just off M-14 and the Beck Road exit). Stop by and check it out, and please - spread the word!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Lindsay's Extras

I created Lindsay's invitations earlier this year, and her reception was this past weekend! Lindsay's seating chart has a very subtle blue background, with a very pretty grunge floral graphic blended in. It adds just enough pizazz to the seating chart, but doesn't overpower the simplicity or make it difficult to read the guests' names.



The same graphic was carried over to Lindsay's tented table numbers. The background in the table is a little deeper adding a splash of color to her tables. Again, Lindsay's taste is reflected in the simplicity of the design, with just the table number and their names printed.



A HUGE thanks to Craig David Butler Studios for sending these images over - God knows how much nicer their images are than mine!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Julie's Reception Items

Julie asked me to design her seating chart for her wedding reception. When we first met, she brought with her a sample of her invitations. I was able to match the fonts exactly, and created this monogram for her reception pieces. Although you can't tell from the picture below, her colors are actually navy blue, light blue, and cream! (On my screen, the picture is showing up yellow and burgundy!) The true colors printed out so beautifully, I think this may be favorite seating chart! I love how the graphic is so subtle in the background, it really transforms the look of the seating chart.



Julie also asked me to design her table numbers. She originally just wanted the monogram and table numbers printed in navy blue on the shimmery white paper. On a whim, I sent over an extra proof with the pattern from the seating chart in the background. Since her table linens are all white, I though it would add a nice pop of color to the tables. She LOVED them, especially since there was no difference in price to add the color in the background! (The colors show up much better in the picture below.) Julie showed her proofs to everyone at work, and ten minutes later I had an email from one of her co-workers asking if I could design her seating chart as well.



I also designed a 2-page booklet program for Julie. This is probably one of my most popular program options, and it works especially well for those with larger wedding parties or more detailed ceremonies.




Thank you Julie for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of your special day, and for all the rave reviews I am getting from your co-workers!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Iwonka's Pocketfolds

There are so many elements about Iwonka's invitations that I love! Anybody that really knows me knows that I am partial to the deep red and brown colors :) I also love the graphic that was used in her ensemble, and I love how the curls in the font pick up the swirls in the graphic. I was also very excited about the seals on the outside of the pocketfold. Each of her invitations have been personalized with her guests' name and incorporates the graphic. Althought, proofreading 200+ polish names was not the easiest task for me!



I also love the format for her envelopes! Normally, I would suggest to my clients to use a colored envelope if it is available in your color scheme. But with the vibrant colors this graphic adds to the metallic ecru envelopes, I was really happy with the end result! For those newbies out there looking for ideas and gathering price info, we do not charge extra to print a graphic on your envelopes. Just one more reason to consider Salutations for the design and printing of your invitations, and it really ties the whole ensemble together!



Iwonka's custom maps were one of the most complex maps I've had to design yet. Her church and reception were not very close together (Farmington Hills and Troy), and most of her guests had to travel to attend her wedding. Rather than making the map double-sided, Iwonka elected to have an overview of the major Detroir area highways, with blow-up details for the church and reception location. Also included on her map are her accommodations, and information letting her guests know that there was a complimentary shuttle between the hotel and the reception.







At the last minute, Iwonka decided to add a Seating Chart to her order.



Her extras tied back to the original invitation to carry her theme throughout the reception, including table numbers, 2-page booklet programs, and two styles of favor tags. One is a folded card that she could hand write a person note for each of her guests and attached to the out-of-town baskets at the hotel. The other is just a flat tag that was attached to favors!






Thursday, March 12, 2009

Envelopes - Reduced Price for Quick Sale!

I just checked in my latest shipment, and realized that I ordered the wrong stock! If you are looking for 3.5x5 Envelopes in Azalea (E1), I have 240 of them that I am willing to let go for 27 cents a piece! Shoot me an email and the first person to respond is the lucky winner! I'll even pick up the shipping!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Nikki + Scott's Z Cards

Unfortunately, being as busy as I was last year, I was not able to dedicate as much time to my blog as I would've liked. However, I have several designs from last year that I just love, and even though the weddings have came and gone, I still intend to post a few of my favorites!





When Nikki and Scott first came to me, they really loved the look of the pocketfold invitations but only had the budget for a panel card. While I tried to assure Nikki that panel invitations could be just as stunning as pocketfolds, I could tell she really wished the pocketfolds were in her budget. Then, last spring, I purchased a new die and convinced Nikki and Scott to be my guinea pigs! The result is this beautiful Z Card invitation ensemble, which acts like a pocketfold in the sense that the inserts are all banded together, but is not as expensive as a pocketfold.

The z-card itself is made from shimmery black cardstock, and has a champagne backer between the die cut and the printed invitation layer. I love the look this combination of fonts produced, and it compliments the design. Nikki's set included a response card and envelope, a reception card, and a double-sided custom map. For out of town guests, their invitations also included a rehearsal dinner and brunch insert. All of her inserts were printed on metallic cardstock.



I particularly liked how the same graphic was carried through all the pieces, but has been manipulated on each piece so that it gave each insert a unique look.



Map cards can be tricky at times. I always let my clients know that I'll try to fit everything on a single-sided card to help keep the costs down, but sometimes it doesn't always work out that way. Nikki's map is a good example of this. The three biggest factors that impact the design of each map are the the number of locations, the distance between each location, and the size of the map card. Because we needed Nikki's map to fit inside the wrap that holds all the inserts together, and this is driven by the size of the response card/envelope, her map card needed to be double-sided. This allowed us to show the detail between her hotel, reception, and ceremony locations and provide the guests with a route from any single location to either of the other two locations.



I have to admit, I am very fortunately to have such nice people as clients time and again. Nikki and Scott are no exception. I really enjoyed working with this couple, they were so open to my ideas and trusting of my abilities. Best wishes to the two of you, thank you for letting me be a part of your special day by giving me the opportunity to design your invitations!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Krystal + James Reception Pieces



Occassionally, I get contacted by the mother of groom! Cyndi was looking for a seating chart for her son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law Krystal's reception. Cyndi's sister had passed away last last fall, and as her brother was going through her belongings he stumbled upon some program paper she had purchased. The paper was embossed with beautiful calla lilys, and Cyndi really wanted to carry that theme through the rest of the reception. Since Krystal and James' colors are ivory, champagne, and brown I designed the calla lily into the background of the seating chart. For their table numbers, I reversed the color scheme to play up the champagne color against the ivory colored linens. Their table numbers are double-sided panel cards printed on metallic champagnium cardstock with brown lettering, and also serve as a menu for their guests!