Birth Announcements from the Paper Concierge

Attention: Mommies and Daddies that have recently been blessed with your very own little bundle of joy... help spread the word and adorable sight of your beautiful baby boy or girl with a personalized birth announcement! There are many to choose from, check out the links below for more info. Here are some of my faves too ; )

Baby Girl
Baby Girl with Pictures

Baby Boy
Baby Boy with Pictures

Multiple Births, Twins, Triplets

Double Your Donovan!

Latest Paper Concierge sale! Double your Donovan and get 50 personalized note cards for the price of 25! Make sure to follow the instructions when checking out and note DD0810 in the special instructions box and it will double your order! Stock up on your note cards now while you can get them twice as nice!

Click here to see the available cards on sale.

Wedding Thank You Cards!

Your wedding has come and gone, and it was lovely! Everyone had a blast and you are on cloud nine… Now for the inevitable thank you note task. Of course you are thankful that everyone was able to share in your special day and really thankful for their generosity so do yourself a favor and end it on a good note, a thank you note that is! This is the last point of contact your guests will have from your blessed wedding therefore sincerity and promptness must not be taken lightly. There are many "time lines" out in the world for how long you actually have before you are officially behind and dare I say… On the cusp of being rude!?! I follow my etiquette rules from the one and only, Emily Post… And according to her you have THREE months to get your cards out. I know, I know, I have heard the year rule or even six month rule too… But it just isn't so!

Here are some helpful tips and proper etiquette rules to consider when writing your thank you notes:

• Your thank you note must never be preprinted or typed, it's a personal thank you to that specific guest and therefore needs to be a personal handwritten note. The same rule applies to the envelope, it should be hand written, showing your guests they were special enough for you to take this extra step.

• Simply writing “Thank you for your gift” is considered ill mannered. Each gift must be noted and discussed, even if more than one gift was given. "Thank you for the beautiful crystal vase, it will look lovely when we cut fresh flowers from the garden we plan to start!" This lets the guest know the gift is appreciated and how you look forward to using the gift. If you receive a gift of money, never mention the amount or the words “money,” “cash,” or “check.” “Thank you for your generous gift. It is going towards our savings for a house” is a nice way to acknowledge the monetary gift, and it also lets the guest know the gift will be put to good use.

• Another thing to remember is to thank them for coming to the wedding and sharing in your special day. This will let them know you aren't just thankful for the gifts, but thankful for them being there!

• It’s a good rule of thumb not to start the card with the words, “I,” “me,” “my,” “we,” or “our.” keep as many of these words out of a thank you note as possible.

• Make special note to those that had official responsibilities at your wedding (Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Readers, etc.) and let them know how thankful you are that they were there to support you in your special day and for all that they did to help it come to fruition.

• For those that want to include a wedding picture in your card, listen to me when I say, do not let that delay the process! I know, you want a cute picture of your wedding day, as did I… If it puts you past your three month deadline I am sorry but you need to move on. Try to ask your photographer if they could at least send you a small handful of formal shots of the two of you to expedite the process.

• Lastly, and most importantly, always always send a thank you card to each and every single person that gave you any sort of gift along the way of your wedding. Before, during, after… They all get one! Even if you are past the three month deadline, or even the fictitious year deadline… Please still send them.

It may seem like a lot to remember and a humongous task to achieve but if you break it down to manageable steps it's really not that bad. I personally had a goal to write 10 notes a day, and I was done in a week and a half! And when you are done make sure to celebrate your accomplishment with your hubby and toast to a new chapter that has been started in your life!


Here are some of my favorite thank you cards:

Back of card above

Wedding Programs

Wedding programs: They are one of the few details that guests will have to take with them to remember your special day. Not only will your guests feel included in the ceremony they will also know who is who in the bridal party and which Groomsmen it was that "really let loose" at the reception! The most important piece to the program is that is a wonderful keepsake and record of the most important day of your life. 

What to include in a wedding program:

• The Cover Page
  Typically includes the date and/or the names of the couple. It may also include the location and time of the ceremony, and sometimes a design element.
  
• The Physical Ceremony
  If you haven't already included your names, wedding date, location, and time on the front cover, consider listing that information on the inside just before the order of events. Then list what will happen during the ceremony, including processional music, greeting, readings, prayers, exchange of vows, ring ceremony, any form of unification ceremony (i.e., unity candle, sand ceremony, hand ceremony, rose ceremony, etc.) , pronouncement of marriage, recessional music, and any other ceremony music. Your list may not include all of these elements, and it may include some traditions not listed here. Be sure to list the events in the order they will occur.
  
• The Bridal Party
  This is a simple list of the names and roles of your bridal party. Some couples also like to include how they are related to the Bride or Groom. For example:
  Officiant: Pastor Jeffrey Evans
  Parents of the bride: Deborah Moyer and Jeffrey Wiker
  Parents of the groom: Ina Beebe and Andrew Beebe
   Grandparents: Betty Myers, Joan G. Wiker, Katherine Beebe
  Maid of Honor: Tiffany Merrick (relation example: Tiffany Merrick, Friend of the Bride)
  Best Man: Bryon Kremer
  Bridesmaids: Heather Petko, Laura Leidy, Rheanna Benson, Trinda Bernardo, Katelyn Whitcomb
  Groomsmen: Jason Musselman, Todd Hennessy, Craig Himmelwright, James Hope, Douglas Ziegler
  Readers: Dennette Myers, Kara Markley

Additional elements you may want to include in a wedding program:

• Dedication
• Thank yous
• Memorials (for example: On this day of happiness, we would like to remember those who are no longer with us, especially Jason Reall, Step-Father of the Bride, and William Wiker, Godfather of the Bride.)
• Quotes or poems about love or marriage
• Directions to the reception 
• Your new mailing address as Husband and Wife (if you have recently purchased a house to start your married life together)

Depending on how long your program is will somewhat determine what style of program you should select. There are styles of all kinds and sizes. Here are some of my favorites!

This is one of the several styles of a fan program... on a hot August day, this was perfect paired with a bottle of water for each guest to enjoy during the beautiful ceremony!

A Z-Fold Tea Length Program

I call this the "The Wristlet", it's for the couple that has a lot to say! Also looks adorable if you hang it on the corner of each chair lined up for your ceremony. 

The classic Bi-Fold Tea Length, with an insert page, bound by gorgeous satin ribbon (or ribbon of your choice)

A simplified version of the program above, the classic Bi-Fold Tea Length, with no insert page, just scored and folded down the center... simple and elegant!!! 

Paper Concierge - Two For One Deal

Looking to restock on all of your personal stationery? Now is the time to do so... JW Impressions and Paper Concierge is having a Two for One Deal on 25 or more stickers, calling cards, flat stationery or note cards from Whitney English and Hicks Paper Goods lines. Make sure to write "25 cards, 25 free" in the special instructions section on your order. This is for personalized orders only. For orders that have 50 quantity ordered they will be billed for 50 and shipped 100, etc. Sale ends June 16th.
Click below to see what's available!

Whitney English - http://jwistationery.paperconcierge.com/search/brand/1006///Whitney_English

Hicks Paper Goods - http://jwistationery.paperconcierge.com/search/brand/1010///Hicks_Paper_Goods

The Paper Concierge

Drum roll please.... I have waited several months to be able to unveil this super fun, cute, fabulous stationery supplier where easy meets amazing! JW Impressions joined forces with this company and became an idependent consultant in February 2010.

Together we offer many of the exclusive lines you will see in your local boutiques offering everything from personalized note cards to wedding invitations. Some of the lines offered are; Whitney English, Hicks Paper Goods, Lilly Pulitzer, Twist Paper, French Blue Designs, Dabney and many more! You can order online from my consultant site or contact me directly and I will assist you through the order.

On a side note, for those of you who are friends and family, be on the look out for an invite to my Open House I am planning for summer 2010. You will get to see all of these fabulous lines in person along with the rest of my work, not to mention have some seriously fun girl time with drinks and appetizers! (Can you even imagine how excited I am about it!!!)

Ok, enough already... I give you Paper Concierge!! Click on the link and browse through all of the adorable collections. Don't forget to check out my faves noted on my home page.

JW Impressions with Carlson Craft Stationery

I wanted to share with you another side to JW Impressions. Besides creating custom, one of a kind looks for my clients, JW Impressions also has access to many stationery lines that have their own amazing looks and designs too! The one stationery company I wanted to highlight in this post is Carlson Craft. This stationery line has so much to offer in regards to social stationery and gifts, from wedding ensembles to graduation announcements. Carlson Craft really does it all! They have price conscience as well as high end options, so either way you are bound to find something that fits within your budget.

The most exciting part of this is you can now browse on JW Impressions's very own dealer website that showcases EVERY product Carlson Craft has to offer! Unity candles, you got it! Baby shower invites... coming right up! Matches... go ahead, just type it into the seach bar. Take a peak and see if anything suits your fancy for your next event. I would be happy to assist you with the specifics on a particular item, provide you with samples, and of course order for you as well.

They key of ordering any Carlson Craft item through JW Impressions is... well JW Impressions! Because stationery is what JW Impressions is all about you can put your trust in me and know that whatever it is that we may be ordering together through this line, JW Impressions will make sure to dot all of the "I"s and cross all of the "T"s for you.

So go ahead, check out the latest from JW Impressions's "Exclusive Lines" (make sure to scroll down on this page by using the arrow). Thank you!