Our classic, most popular pink invitation is Charm, pictured above, from Checkerboard’s Modern Wedding collection.  It is an elegant two layer invitation with a black ribbon, printed in thermography.  They retail for $429.00 for 100 invitations, but you can have the same gorgeous invitations for only $300.00 for 100 at Invitation Lane!  Just think of what you could do with an extra $129.00!

If you want a pocket folder invitation, the Paper Duvet brand has a soft pink and fuchsia from which to choose.  Mix and match to your heart’s content!  You can send the pocket folder as your self mailer, or you can insert the pocket folder into a white or ecru mailing envelope.  Distictive Duvet ensembles (no mailing envelope included) are only $252.00 for 100 at Invitation Lane, a 20% savings off retail price.  Majestic Duvet ensembles (mailing envelope included) are $272.00 for 100.  That is a savings of $68.00 off retail!

If you want to add a little pink to your holiday greeting, check out this unique card from Checkerboard, called Greeted Gift Tag.  We also offer this one at a great savings, $305.00 for 100 cards, a savings of $54.00!

Think Pink!

Lara Blair of Lara Blair Images is a local photographer who is working on a book project of dogs in costume.  You have to take a look at these adorable pups on her blog post today.  They made me smile, and I hope they do the same for you!

Click here to see them all.

If you are in the Portland - Vancouver area, please consider Lara Blair Images for your family, personal or pet portraits.  She’s fabulous!

This month we’ve been working on some exciting projects with our customers.  Here are our favorite customer choices so far this month.

Our most popular photo card so far this season (Cherished by Checkerboard):

Here is our favorite party invitation that was ordered recently for a 50th Birthday Party (Bottle O Red by Checkerboard):

And we are working with a fabulous bride who chose this gorgeous pocket folder invitation for her wedding (Sylvan by Checkerboard):

Our customers have great taste!

I have one word for this collection…ADORABLE!  They are on sale at Invitation Lane for 30% off suggested retail (discount is already reflected in the prices shown on the order forms) and they can be customized for announcements, shower or party invitations.  You can select your favorite font to make it personal and unique. Here are my personal favorites.

My favorite boy announcement:
Flight of Fancy

My favorite girl announcement:
Little Letters

My favorite shower invitation (just change the wording to reflect a shower invitation, use something “hatch” related for extra cuteness points):
Peek-a-boo Chick

My favorite choice for a girl’s birthday invitation:
Floppy Eared Bunny

And my favorite boy’s birthday invitation:
In The Jungle

At such great prices, you can’t help but let yourself splurge on these high quality and unique announcements from Checkerboard. Come and check out the entire adorable Rockabye Baby collection!

Planning a fall event?  Do you have a table you need to decorate for a small fall function?  Here are a few inspiring images to help you with those final touches.

A unique and fun way to incorporate the wine you serve into your decor:

from Country Living

Simple but elegant:

from Country Living

This 5″ x 5″ menu has a lovely motif printed on corinthian cream textured paper:

Oak Menu Card by Checkerboard

Write your guest’s name and display on stemware:

Finial Die Cut Place Cards by Checkerboard

New coordinating products that we think are fabulous for fall:

Table Numbers, Place Cards, Favor Tags & Seals from Carlson Craft

So now it’s time to mail your invitations to your friends and family and you aren’t quite sure what the proper assembly order is?  You are not alone!  It’s one of the most common questions I receive.  With so many choices in invitations today, it’s a challenge to sort out the right way to assemble each ensemble.

I’ll cover the most traditional and common invitation combination:  the invitation, double envelopes, reception card and response set.  Checkerboard includes the following diagrams along with each order to assist customers with invitation assembly.

1) When inserting a foldover invitation into an envelope, the fold goes into the envelope first.   The inner envelope is the envelope without gum for sealing.

2) The insertion order is as follows: Invitation, reception card and respond set.  If you choose to use traditional tissues, they go between the top of the invitation and the reception card.   It is not considered improper if you choose to forego tissues, many people simply prefer the traditional aspect of tissues.

3) The respond card should be placed face up on top of the respond envelope which is face down, with its flap overlapping
the respond card.  Your respond envelopes should include proper postage, will help ensure a timely reply.  Accessories (enclosures) are never inserted inside a traditional foldover invitation, they should always be stacked on top.

This rule of thumb does not apply to pocket folder and gate fold invitations.  It is considered proper to insert your enclosures inside these styles.

4) Finally, you will insert the inner envelope into the outer mailing envelope if you have opted for double envelopes.

Take one fully assembled invitation to your post office and have it weighed and measured for proper postage.

Your ensemble may be slightly different or drastically different from the example above.  If you aren’t sure how to assemble your invitations, please feel free to post your questions in comments.

Trying to find that perfect gift for your shower hostess or bridesmaids can be perplexing.   A personalized gift says thank you with an extra drop of sincerity, because it shows you took the time to personalize the choice.   I’d like to use this post to showcase some of my favorites as well as some best sellers.  First, here are some great, youthful and feminine choices from The Chatsworth Collection and Robin Maguire:

For a more sophisticated gift, a beautiful embosser or a custom stamp is a winning choice.  Coordinate one with an inSTAMPable note card, calling card, or note pad for a truly special thank you gift.

Custom Stamp, Custom Embosser and Custom Stamp, inSTAMPable Foldover Note Cards, inSTAMPable note paper and acrylic holder (all from Three Designing Women)

All of these choices make terrific holiday gifts, too!

If you are looking for an interactive save the date card, why not send out a scratch off save the date?  These cards have silver scratch off material covering your date.   Each lucky recipient will have fun scratching off the silver to reveal the date underneath.

All of these cards (and a couple that aren’t shown) are made by Carlson Craft and are available at Invitation Lane.  I’ll let you in on a secret…if you had your heart set on sending save the date magnets, but also like the scratch off idea, we also offer magnet backings that you can affix for an additional charge (assembly required).  Let us know how many you need and we’ll give you a quote!

So, you want to send out a Save the Date Card, but want to do something different that the standard run of the mill card?  A fun and practical way to announce your wedding date is to send out Save the Date Magnets.  They come in so many great designs and they are more likely to be posted on your guest’s refrigerators than if you sent a standard paper card.  They come in a variety of sizes, magnetic strengths and designs.

The magnets pictured above are from Embossed Graphics and are sturdy, medium sized cards, weighing close to one ounce and measuring 4″ x 5″ with rounded corners.  The great thing about these magnets is that they don’t require assembly.  So many of the magnets that originally came out when the trend began were business cards with magnets you would have to affix yourself.   Then magnetic paper was introduced as the new way to print magnets, but the magnetic strength was poor.

The Embossed Graphics line of Save the Date magnets come in a variety of designs.  While the layout, fonts and colors on these magnets are available only as shown, the wording on many can be slightly modified in most cases to incorporate details such as the city and state or your wedding website address.

Save the Date for our next post on Save the Date Scratch Off cards tomorrow!

Clockwise from top left:  Revelation in Red from Carlson Craft, Classic Stick Figures from Elite Weddings II, Calendar Closeup Magnets from Carlson Craft, and Boarding Pass from Blue Moon by Checkerboard

Why Send Save the Date Cards?

Save the Date Cards are sent out to guests of a wedding or another event.  Typically, they are mailed well in advance so guests can mark it on their calendars and make travel arrangements, if necessary.

When Should One Send Save the Date Cards?

The recommended time to send Save the Date cards is four to six months before the event, or eight months to a year before a destination wedding.

Information to Include on Save the Date Cards

• Names: For a wedding, be sure to use first and last names of the bride and groom.

• Date: The date that requires saving!

• Event: Wedding, Anniversary Party, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Annual Recognition Banquet, Holiday Party, etc.

• “Invitation to Follow” or “Formal Invitation to Follow”: This wording is important so your guests realize they will be getting an actual invitation with more details at a later date.

Optional information would include: city and state and a website address for event, and in some cases the venue (for destination weddings you may want to include this for travel planning purposes)

What NOT to Include on Your Save the Date Cards

• Time of event:  Save that for the invitation.

• Registry information: It is commonly considered improper etiquette to include this information.

• Church or Venue information: Save these for the invitation.  The only exception would be a destination wedding, when you may want to include wording such as “at the Melia Cabo Real in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico”) which will allow your guests to research travel and lodging in advance.

Choosing the Right Save the Date Card

While it’s a nice touch to have wedding stationery coordinate from your Save the Date cards all the way through to your Informal Notes, it’s not required.  Many people choose Save the Date  Cards that are whimsical, fun, colorful and unique, even if they plan to send out very formal and traditional invitations.

Some options in Save the Date cards include standard card stock, a photo card, calendar cards, and magnets.  Prices on professionally printed Save the Date Cards range from less than $1.00 each (even less if you are ordering a lot) to $5.00 each and up.  Stay tuned for more ideas on choices and options!