Garden parties were born in France and England centuries ago. They began as weekend getaways for upper classes. They took place on lavish estates with softly lit candles and lights as the last sunset’s rays bid a fond farewell. Food was spread out on long buffet tables in parks or gardens. England’s grandest garden parties are thrown in the gardens of Buckingham Palace and on Bastille Day in France along the Champs Ely-sees. Extravagant garden parties were reported on in Harper’s Bazaar and Ladies Home Journal. Hosts sent out very elaborate invitations “a fortnight in advance” for a garden party in a suburban place. Invitations arrived with directions plainly printed with cards offering times to rendezvous with trains, boats and in other special instructions for guests to arrive. Modern garden parties can be a lot more down to earth but you can surely enhance the experience with our personalized stationery at every turn: invitations, napkins, coasters, favors and whatever else you can use to make it an affair to remember.

Garden parties can be held in yards or parks. Why not celebrate a traditional garden party, graduation, birthday or Mother’s Day with a garden party. Use “real silverware,” china, bouquets of fresh spring flowers from your flower beds along with bowls filled with fresh fruit. Order your Classic Monogram, Serenity Personalized, Firenze or Paris Personalized Embossed in the most complementary colors for the season: Citrus, Emerald, Hunter, Orange, Yellow, Lilac or Bermuda Blue. All garden parties don’t have to be as elaborate as they are built up to be. You can tone them down or dress them up as you’d like. Even the smallest affairs will come alive with a few tasty tidbits, nonalcoholic or alcoholic drinks. Menus have included cucumber sandwiches, baked tomatoes with hazelnut crumbs, baby squash, pink lemonade, mint juleps, gin and tonic, strawberry shortcake and much, much more. Just remember to organize something as unique as your custom napkins and stationery.

Birthdays are certainly one of the most special occasions, especially for kids.

Everyone has the best memories of birthday parties as a child because, in the worlds of the famous Chuckie Cheese, it’s a time when a, “Kid can be a kid!”

This is why it’s important to take the time to pick out the best kids birthday invitations possible.

Since the invitations are really intended for the parents to know when to drop their kids off and pick them up, some parents might think simply e-mailing their friends to let them know the details of the event might be the best way to spread the word.

However, this will make less of an impression since everyone is already overwhelmed with countless e-mails every single day. It’s also less personal, and their child won’t have the fun of opening up mail to see a brightly colored invitation that is sure to make them excited about the upcoming party.

Invitations are fun to hang on the refrigerator, looking at them make kids excited about the upcoming event and lots of parents like to save their kids’ friends invites in a scrap book.

When choosing kids birthday invitations, it’s best to opt for bright and fun colors.  You can also choose a fun a design that accompanies the theme of the party. For example, have a clown on the front if you hired a clown for the party.

Or, if it’s a pool party, you could put a beach ball on the front. This will remind the other parents that their child will need to bring a swimming suit and towel along with them to the party.

Your kids can help you pick out the invitations as well. Order a card with their favorite color, or have them create their own design.

Or, if they have a favorite super hero like Spiderman, you could try to include some images of that action hero so they feel like they had a part in the process.

If you involve your children in the procedure of picking out, writing and sending their invitations in the mail, it will help them get in the habit of using hand-written correspondence for future special occasions.

Since we now live in a digital age, it often seems like the art of sending traditional mail is losing its appeal.

If children grow up using personalized invitations for some of their communication, they’re more likely to use letters later on. They’ll remember how much fun it was to design and create their cards and they will have just as much fun doing the same thing when they’re adults.

Whether you are planning for a baby shower or a bridal shower, picking out the perfect shower invitations is an important part of the process. If you spend enough time picking out the right ones, the people who receive them are very likely to be impressed with the attention to detail you showed by choosing your stationery.

They are also more likely to remember the event because they’ll end up saving the invites; in fact, they may even include them in a photo album or scrapbook later on after the event has taken place.

When you start looking for shower invitations, you need to consider whether you want to pick out ones that are striking and modern, or if you might want to opt for ones that are more subdued and traditional. Both are equally pleasing to the recipients.

When you’re determining which might be the best choice for you, think about what kind of shower you’re planning to have. If the shower itself is going to be a more casual affair, for example, you might want to stay away from overly ornate designs and patterns.

It can be fun to design invitations for a shower that have a personal touch. For instance, if you’re picking out invites for a bridal shower, you could personalize the invitations with a few images of items the bride particularly enjoys.

Or, you could simply use a color scheme that involves her favorite colors. When you’re thinking about what colors to pick out, you could also choose colors that are similar that are going to be used in the dresses the bridesmaids will wear at the wedding.

Another thing to consider when you’re choosing invitations is whether or not you’d like to pick an environmentally friendly option. Many stationery is made from recycled paper, and comes with envelopes that are made out of recycled goods as well. Stationery that is eco-friendly doesn’t necessarily have to be drab and boring; in fact, many invitations printed on recycled goods are just as stylish and vibrant as ones that are created on paper that is new.

Finally, when it comes to invites for a shower, it’s important to explore all your options before making a final decision. An excellent way to do this is by shopping online. You can do so from the comfort of your home, and you won’t have to waste time driving all over town from one stationery store to another only to end up disappointed with your options. Many online boutiques offer free shipping, and you can even request to have your delivery shipped overnight.

When you’re planning for a shower, whether it’s a bridal shower or a baby shower, picking out the right shower invitations is a very important task. The style and design of your cards can clue your guests in to what kind of event it’s going to be.

For instance, if you pick a formal looking card with a heavy card stock and a cursive script, they’ll know it’s likely going to be a formal affair.

Likewise, if you choose a fun color with a serif font, they’ll know it will most likely be more informal. You could even include an adornment, such as a ribbon, to make the cards even more special and creative.

One thing that might be helpful in considering shower invitations is to think about what kind of message you want to convey. Showers are usually fun occasions meant to celebrate an exciting event that’s about to happen.

So, it might be best to keep the invitations simple but enticing. Don’t stress out too much about picking the most elegant or fancy design; instead, just pick one that you feel captures the mood that you want your guests to have when they attend the party.

Eco-friendly shower invitations are another great option. You can spread the news of your upcoming event while also doing your part to save the environment. Contrary to popular belief, Eco-friendly invitations don’t have to be drab or boring.

You can still pick from a wide array of interesting styles that can showcase your style and creativity. It’s possible to choose cards that are made from 100% recycled materials both ideal for environmentally conscious people and their formal affairs.

Sending out hand written shower invitations, whether you write them yourself using a calligraphy kit or hire a professional calligrapher, is a great way to let your guests know that the upcoming affair is a really special event.

Hand written invitations are much more personal than simply sending out an invitations via e-mail. They show that you are a very detail-oriented person who cares enough to think about your guests and make a selection of invitation that will let them know that you will be honored if they’re able to attend your shower.

Save The Date Announcements And Save The Date Invites Are Popular, But When Should You Send Them?

With custom save the date stationery, timing is everything

Save the date announcements have made their way into mainstream wedding planning and wedding etiquette. When I got married, lo those many years ago (13 to be exact), save the date invites were hardly used at all and then only for destination weddings or holiday weekend weddings.

White Rose Save the Date Card

These days, it seems that everyone is using wedding save the date personalized stationery to announce their forthcoming nuptials. So what are save the date cards and how are they used? Continue reading ‘Save The Date Announcements & Save The Date Invites From Giftsin24.com’ »

The Customer Service Team at Giftsin24.com works hard to make sure all of our customers get exactly what they want. It’s safe to say that they’re more familiar with our personalized gifts and custom stationery products than just about anyone. So I thought it would be fun to find out what their favorite personalized gifts from Giftsin24.com are and why.  Here’s what they shared.

Customer Service Team Leader Brandon’s favorite personalized stationery:

• Classic Cotton Memo Square – “I actually got one as a gift before I started working here and I used it all the time. Now I make sure I always have one handy.”
• California Classic Frame Monogram Note in Red Pepper – “The quality and color of the paper are outstanding. The red is so vibrant and different from just about anything else we carry.”
• Mother Earth Banner Card – “I really like the paper used to make this embossed card. Some people call it “Desert Storm,” which I think is a cool name. I also like that it’s made from recycled paper.”

Brandon's favorite, the California Classic Frame Monogram Note in 'red pepper'

Jessica brings a feminine side to the team

Her favorite custom stationery products include:

Jessica's favorite, the Motherly Memo Square

Zeke, the newest member of the Giftsin24.com Customer Service Team, prefers:

• Vegas Cards – “I like the variety of colors offered in one set.”
• Caslon Note – “The lettering is simple but also sophisticated. I spent several years in the Marines, and for some reason, it reminds me of the formality and respect associated with military service.”
• Magnet Mates – “It’s so convenient. I like to keep my ‘to do list’ right there on my fridge.”

Zeke's favorite, the Vegas Cards

Although I’m not on the Customer Service Team, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite personalized gifts from Giftsin24.com, too:

• Deco Note – I think this embossed note is just beautiful. I’ve always been drawn to art deco motifs. The combination of the embossing and raised ink lettering give it such elegance.
• Splendor Lettersheets – This is one feisty lettering style! It gives the stationery a kick, especially when you choose a fun color like emerald, or the gold or silver metallic.
• Strasbourg Guest Towels – My mom always kept guest towels in her powder room, and I thought it was such an elegant touch. These embossed guest towels look luxurious but don’t come with a hefty price tag.
• “Hello” Bookplates – I wish I’d known about these earlier! The “Hello Cub” personalized bookplate is my favorite, but I think all of the designs are adorable.

One of my faves, Hello Cub Bookplates

Well, there you have it…a few favorite personalized gifts from the Giftsin24.com team.

 I hope this inspires you to get creative in your gift giving and also to find places in your life that can be brightened by personalized paper products!

Family Reunion Planning With A Personalized Touch

How to plan a family reunion with Giftsin24.com

Somehow, my cousin and I got the brilliant idea to tackle the task of family reunion planning for our family’s first ever gathering. I don’t know what we were thinking, each of us having two young kids and working full-time. Nonetheless, the reunion is fast-approaching, and we’re getting very excited. Our small core of 14 aunts, uncles and cousins has grown over the years to include new spouses and kids, totaling over 40 people since our last gathering. We definitely had reason to plan a reunion!

How to plan a family reunion with that personal touch

Neither she nor I have experience in how to plan a family reunion, so we’ve done quite a bit of research. During our family reunion planning, we’re looking for ways to make our reunion special and memorable. Working here at Giftsin24.com, I didn’t have to look too far for inspiration.

First and most obvious were the custom invitations. Sure, we could’ve used email or even Facebook, but we really wanted to send our family the message that this is a significant event worth celebrating. We chose a fun, cheerful product, the Cherry Blossom Announcement Cards, as our invitation, and we inserted extra details about location and accommodations into the pocket holder with the invitation.

For our next bit of family reunion planning, we chose personalized napkins for the event. Personalized napkins? Yep. We wanted to infuse the event with reminders that we’re not just at some picnic, we’re at our family’s first organized family reunion. To coordinate with the Cherry Blossom personalized invitations, we chose the Beach Chair Foil-Stamped Napkins in white with red foil, customizing the napkins with our family name and the date of the reunion. I can’t wait to see the looks on our parents’ faces when they see this stylish touch!
Continue reading ‘Family Reunion Planning With A Personalized Touch’ »

Hi, I’m Trevor Pauling, VP of Development for Giftsin24.com. My job is to make it easy for you to find what you’re looking for and to help you get the most from your Giftsin24.com experience. My family’s been in the personalized stationery business for decades, and it’s become my passion, too. I’m excited to join our blog team and share some of my experiences and insights with you. I hope to hear back from you, too, so please feel free to share what’s on your mind.

Emily's 2nd Birthday

Emily Enters the Terrific 2′s

My daughter Emily just celebrated her second birthday – I can hardly believe it! Who knew children’s birthdays were such an event? With all of the choices we had to make, it was a bit daunting, but there was one thing for sure that I felt strongly about: we had to have personalized invitations, thank you notes and napkins. Sure, it takes extra time, but it is so well worth it. Emily’s personalized invitations set the tone for the event. Matching personalized napkins helped establish the ambience at the party. And coordinating personalized thank you notes concluded Emily’s celebration with personal expressions of her gratitude.

Emily's personalized invitation

I guess you could say we went with a “sweet treats” theme, choosing lollipop motif invitations, napkins and thank you notes and carrying those colors through in the decorations and, of course, her cupcakes. Continue reading ‘Emily’s 2nd Birthday’ »