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31 Aug |
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4:25 pm Posted by Kristy |
If you are a card carrying procrastinator, or just in denial about the end of the summer and the start of school, maybe your back-to-school to-do list looked a little bit like mine:
Clean out drawers of last winter’s clothes while laying out school outfits…the night before. ugh, CLOTHES!- Throw out end-of-year school news, updates and birthday party invitations when pinning the new year’s school calendar to bulletin board. ugh, PAPERS!
- Bag last season’s sports cleats while digging around for school sneakers in back of closet. ugh, SHOES!
- Look over your library receipts so kids can complete their summer reading lists for first day. ugh, BOOKS!
- Oh For the Love of Pete…First day of school dinner? (Fortunately, mine love tortellini). ugh, GROCERIES!
What can we do to help ourselves feel a little bit more in control and on top of things this year? For tackling the 5 trouble spots above, here are some solutions I’m going to try:
- CLOTHES! Keep an empty bin in the closet to move outgrown and out-of-season clothes from last season. Bag up the ones that are too small once you’ve collected enough to drop at Goodwill, consignment, or a friend who likes hand-me-downs.
- PAPERS! Toss old papers weekly, and put long-term information and contact lists in folders or on a separate bulletin board. Don’t let a board get overloaded or it won’t be useful.
- SHOES! Separate kids shoes by child and activity into different baskets. Keep only the everyday shoes in common area (mudroom or entryway closet) and put less frequently worn shoes back in closets.
- BOOKS! Give each child a bedside reading journal so they can record their books on their own. Put the responsibility for having a complete summer reading list back on them.
- GROCERIES! Create or purchase a calendar to post on the refrigerator with a weekly meal planner, and use it to write in dinner ideas.
One final idea for self-proclaimed procrastinators: keep your child’s class list with names, phone numbers and addresses somewhere safe that you can find it later when it comes time to send birthday party invitations. It’s especially helpful to know how to quickly locate this list if your child’s has a fall birthday. You might not be very familiar yet with new classmates and their parents. When you’re ready to find the perfect birthday party invitations, shop the collection of fun, fresh invitation designs at www.looklovesend.com. You’ll find lots of ideas for fall, winter and spring birthday party planning fun throughout this blog, too!
In the meantime, what are some of your tricks for being organized this year? Please share with us, especially if you are good at it!
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29 Aug |
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9:38 pm Posted by Kristy |
Smooth, cream colored, heavy and thick. Flawless, elegant calligraphy in a rich, dark ink. Topped off with a lovely wedding stamp. You’ve probably heard it said that wedding invitations give guests the very first glimpse of a couple’s special day. This first impression comes dressed in a distinctive envelope pulled out of the mailbox.
It’s not too early to find out everything there is to know about your wedding invitation envelopes. They are indeed the first ‘first impression’ of your wedding day.
Wedding Invitation Envelope Etiquette
There is no rule that says wedding envelopes must be lined, but this detail gives wedding invitations a luxurious distinction from other invitations. Liners may come in a coordinating color, pattern or simply add a smooth texture into the inside of the envelope, depending on the design of your wedding invitation.
When it comes time to address your envelopes, you’re likely to run into common questions about handling less conventional arrangements or unfamiliar name and title issues. If you are hiring a professional calligrapher to address your wedding invitations, you should set up your guest list exactly how guests’ names should appear, following these etiquette guidelines:
- Spell out middle names, common abbreviations for streets (avenue, lane, etc.), and the names of states.
- Married couples’ names belong on the same line. Traditionally the man’s first name follows Mr. and Mrs.
- Unmarried couples’ names go on separate lines, with the name of the person you know best first, or the woman’s name first if you know each equally.
- Stay away from adding “and guest” to your single guests’ dates. Instead, find out the name of the person your guest will be bringing.
- Send a separate invitation to grown children who live with their parents. For minor children, use the parents’ names on the addressed envelope, and list the children by name on the inner envelope, oldest to youngest.
- Same-sex couples’ names who are married go on the same line. If unmarried, list the name of the person you know best first, or if you know both equally, list them in alphabetical order.
- Spell out special titles such as military, medical, judicial, etc. and list the spouse with the title first.
No matter what style of invitation you prefer, every wedding invitation design you’ll find at www.looklovesend.com comes with coordinating envelopes in the same, premium quality, heavy stock paper. Enter our monthly wedding invitation sweepstakes for the chance to win $500 towards your favorite wedding invitation design.
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28 Aug |
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9:32 pm Posted by Kristy |
Not excited about a matchy matchy outfit or set of board books? Need something interesting for the mom with a fully decorated nursery? From the list makers at babble.com comes the latest update on cool baby gifts, “20 Coolest New Baby Products.” If you’re expecting a baby shower invitation, we’ve considered which items from this list would actually make the best baby gifts.
Respond to Baby Shower Invitation with a Gift of Beauty and Utility
# 2 Aden + Anais Crib Sheets
Maybe you are already familiar with their breathable muslin swaddle blankets and sleep sacks. While a bit on the pricier side for bedding, these sheets are more than your standard crib sheets and therefore a terrific gift that mom and baby will be happy to have.
# 4 Puj Flyte
Pronounced “Pudge Flight,” this is a portable, fold-able, space-saving tub that resists mildew, dries quickly, and more importantly, makes sink bathing so much cleaner, easier and more comfortable for baby. A simple yet innovative product.
Bloom Fresco Chrome High Chair at giggle.com
#7 Bloom Fresco Chrome High Chair
At more than $500, this totally hip bar-stool-style swivel high chair is a splurge. Probably more realistic as a group gift for just the right parents whose home decor would welcome this retro style.
#10 Petunia Pickle Diaper Bag
The quality and fabric on this brand of bags is just unequaled. Always the most gorgeous, best designed and ultra-durable, you won’t find a better diaper bag with this much style.
#16 SwaddleLite blankets from Swaddle Designs
Another option for lightweight, stretchy cotton blankets in mod patterns and colors.
Beautiful Baby Thank You Note Cards
One final idea for a beautiful and useful baby shower gift is a set of personalized baby thank you notes. Shop the collections of baby thank you notes at www.looklovesend.com to find fresh, original colors and patterns. Coordinate thank you notes with the baby shower invitations, and give an expecting mom and dad a practical gift they’ll need as soon as the shower is over.
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27 Aug |
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9:28 pm Posted by Kristy |
How will you spend your child’s first day of school this year?
You did all the requisite back-to-school shopping. You rehearsed them all week for a new school bedtime and wake-up schedule. You worked through heated discussions over outfits laid out the night before, helped organize school supplies, packed backpacks and lunches. You fussed over their summer reading lists and wrote that get-to-know-my-child letter to the teacher.
Now that their hair is nicely combed and shoes are shined (okay, maybe just the laces are tied), the least you can do for yourself and proof of what you’ve accomplished is….TAKE A PICTURE!
Photography probably isn’t what came to mind, but you will be doing yourself a favor. Snap a few great pictures now on this first day, and you just might have yourself the perfect personalized holiday card photo. Try out some clever tricks, with props and poses such as:
- Have kids each hold a sign with their name, grade and teacher written on it
- Go for a candid as they get on the bus
- Start (or continue) an annual photo tradition by taking the picture in the same exact location as last year
- Try for “before” and “after” shots as they get on the bus in the morning and off in the afternoon.
These first day of school photos will be treasures for you, and certainly make ideal pictures for your personalized holiday cards. Whether good enough as stand alone photos or used with other photos in a collage-style holiday card, you can decide once you get them developed.
It may feel a bit premature to be thinking about how you’ll make holiday cards this year. But wouldn’t it be nice to know you’ve already got a great photo. And, when you’re ready, you’ll find a huge selection of original, exciting personalized holiday cards at www.looklovesend.com. Easy to use online personalization tools let you see exactly how your photos will look on any card design. Change the look of a regular photo to black and white, sepia tone, or zoom in or out. Now you can head out to the mall, go for that jog, or curl up with a good book. Or, as the case may be, just get back to work.
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25 Aug |
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10:16 pm Posted by Nicola |
Tempted to forgo a formal seating plan for your wedding? Want to simplify your planning and eliminate the need for wedding place cards or a seating chart? Our single word of advice on the subject: don’t. Take the time to create a seating plan to reduce your guests’ anxiety over having to find a seat while ensuring that they will be seated with someone they know wherever possible.
We’ve already shared some tips about the art of the place card, but rewind several months to the time that the wedding invitations responses start rolling in and it’s time to start planning who sits where. I can honestly say the seating chart was the most stressful part of my own wedding planning. That was before weddingwire.com.
The free seating chart tool at weddingwire is just fantastic. Upload your guest list and design your reception floor plan by specifying room dimensions and adding tables from a menu of options in all shapes and sizes. Then drag and drop guests onto your floor plan until you find their perfect table. When complete, it is easy to save your seating chart, print out the plan or a seating report, or to email the report to your wedding planner (or other family members for their review and approval!)
And as you build your perfect seating plan, be sure to consider the following:
- Don’t create a separate “singles” table that may prove awkward for your guests.
- Do create a separate kids’ table if you have several children at your wedding. If you only have a flowergirl and ringbearer, seat them with their parents.
- In the case of divorced parents, have each parent host his or her own table with close family members or friends.
- Sit friends together but also try to add a few ‘new’ people to the table. A mix of familiar faces with a few new ones is always best.
- Ask your parents to arrange seating for any of their friends who may be invited.
Now that we’ve hopefully convinced you not to skip the formal seating plan, consider LookLoveSend for a fantastic selection of wedding place cards. Coordinate place cards with your wedding invitations or select a different design to complement your reception décor or table settings. For a change to win $500 off your wedding stationery order with us, enter our free monthly sweepstakes.
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24 Aug |
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10:50 pm Posted by Kristy |
Don’t feel intimidated by the concept of ‘etiquette’ when it comes to wording your wedding invitations. Etiquette is just a fancy word for the tried-and-true set of social guidelines to follow for a special occasion. And guidelines aren’t the same as rules. So when it comes to wording your wedding invitations, there can be exceptions, variations, and creative inventions that you decide are more appropriate for your style and the style of your wedding day. Etiquette is more of an art than a science!
Example of both bride and groom's parents hosting. ('Soft and Elegant' by Sandra Roth)
Wording Your Wedding Invitations
Personalizing your wedding invitations with your own wording isn’t difficult once you have a handle on some basic etiquette. Here are a few of key guidelines to get you started:
Who’s Hosting?
- Parents of the Bride – Use formal titles in the third person (Mr. and Mrs. John Smith), and list the bride first (no last name if the same as both parents)
- Parents of the Bride and Groom – Add “son of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Johnson” below bride and groom’s names
- Bride and Groom Themselves – Use the names of bride and groom only
- Bride and Groom Contributing – Use “together with their families” followed by the name of bride, “daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, and groom, “son of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Johnson.”
- Divorced Parents – If not remarried, separate with (/) and list mother’s name first. If remarried, begin with mother’s name and new spouse, followed by father’s name and new spouse on second line.
Tip: For a more casual style or less traditional wedding, you can drop social title and use first and last names only (no Mr. or Mrs.)
Example of a secular ceremony in 'Simplicity' by Linda Facci
How Do You Say It, Exactly?
- Religious – Use “request the honor of your presence” for a ceremony taking place in a house of worship.
- Secular – Use “request the pleasure of your company” for a ceremony taking place elsewhere
- Date – Always spell out numbers and lead with the day followed by month (“the ninth of December, two thousand and twelve“)
- Time – Spell out hours and time of day. Use the phrase “half past” for half-hours, and morning, afternoon or evening in place of a.m. or p.m. (“Half after five o’clock in the evening“)
Tip: Capitalize the first letter of the first word on every line that stands alone.
You can find illustrations of these examples and more by looking at sample wedding invitation designs when you shop online at www.looklovesend.com. You will always get to view your own custom wedding invitation wording online first before you approve your order to make sure it’s exactly how you want it. Enter our monthly Wedding Invitation Sweepstakes for the chance to win $500 towards your favorite wedding stationery!
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23 Aug |
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9:43 pm Posted by Kristy |
The variety and choice of online wedding invitations available today is incredible, especially as you begin the hunt browsing wedding invitation websites. So many color, style, format and detail choices. Could it be that in today’s world, wedding invitation design trumps etiquette?
Don’t be fooled. Most people recognize good form and proper wording when they read it. If they don’t, then they’ll know when it’s missing. So no matter how formal or casual your wedding style, don’t skip key invitation etiquette–a set of time-honored formalities that serves to demonstrate respect for this very formal social event.
The upside is that by simply following some basic rules about what gets printed on your wedding invitations, ordering your online wedding invitations becomes that much easier!
What Details to Include in Your Wedding Invitations
Attire
Print this on the invitation only if the style of your invitation is too open to interpretation, or, if you desire a highly specific dress code that falls on either extreme of the dress code spectrum. Take care to capitalize the first word only, Black tie or Beach casual.
Transportation
If you have pre-arranged transportation for guests between hotel(s) and wedding venue, this information should be printed on the reception card or a separate enclosure if you need more space for details. Simply write, “Transportation will be provided from the ceremony to the reception.”
Your Wedding Registry
Information about your wedding registry belongs only on the wedding shower invitations! Do not mention it anywhere in your formal wedding invitation, or on any other components, such as wedding save the date cards. You may indirectly address the topic of gifts by using an At-home card, an enclosure that provides the couple’s home address and also reveals how the bride is changing her name.
Children
There is no good, tactful way of explaining children are not invited. If children are invited, you can list them by name on the inner envelope, oldest to youngest, but the invitation itself should be addressed to their parents in proper form (Mr. and Mrs.).
Now back to the fun part. Browse the beautiful online wedding invitations at www.looklovesend.com. You’ll find a huge selection in styles and colors, and plenty of samples to follow for wording your wedding invitation just the right way. Enter our monthly Invitation Sweepstakes too, for the chance to win $500 towards your choice of wedding stationery.
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21 Aug |
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9:43 pm Posted by Nicola |
Let’s face it…baby showers are a happy but fairly predictable event. Receive a baby shower invitation and rush to its advertised registry to get a good gift selection. Dress up, enjoy some good conversation, good eats, and maybe a baby-themed game or two. Then sit and watch as the mom-to-be opens a huge pile of beautifully wrapped and ribboned gifts. But after the final gift is unwrapped and catalogued, most guests will be fairly quick to leave, leaving the guest of honor, hostess and select guests with a massive pile of opened gifts to be taken home.
Courtesy of realsimple.com, use the following guidelines to quickly and efficiently pack up those opened shower gifts and get them to the new baby’s home.
Grouping gifts: arranging baby gifts into logical groups will make unpacking them much easier for the new parents. Pack the following items into separate bags or boxes: baby clothes and toys for the nursery, feeding items for the kitchen, and bedding for the linen closet.
Shipping gifts: if the mom-to-be lives in another state, consider shipping the bulky but less heavy gifts from your house to hers. Have a stack of shipping boxes and labels ready to go.
Carrying gifts: when a gift bag is stuffed full of opened gifts it can be difficult to carry the bag by its handles. Make it easier to carry by making a sturdy handle out of packing tape. Cut a 16” piece of tape and fold it in half lengthwise so it is half as wide and doesn’t have a sticky side. Thread this sturdy strip through both bag handles and attach the ends with another piece of tape, creating a strong carrying loop handle.
As she approaches the final weeks of her pregnancy, a mom-to-be may be excited but tire easily. Follow these tips and she’ll appreciate the help packing her gifts for easier transport and unpacking at home. To simplify other aspects of the baby shower, shop the stylish collection of baby shower invitations at LookLoveSend.com for high quality designs and a fast and easy ordering process.
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20 Aug |
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10:14 pm Posted by Kristy |
News of a cancelled baby shower can be unsettling, but doesn’t have to mean tragedy. While terribly sad endings do occur, many more cancelled baby showers actually result in happy endings. As someone who personally experienced pregnancy and birth challenges, and witnessed two sisters experience similar situations, the possibility is common enough. Anyone sending out baby shower invitations on behalf of a family or friend should be prepared for any of these:
- Mom gets put on bed rest and doesn’t want the party
- Baby arrives early and mom spends all her time in the NICU
- Repeat early labor scares are so upsetting and unsettling it’s just not the right thing
Baby Shower Invitations Have Already Been Mailed
Frightened and anxious, my sisters and I each made different decisions regarding our baby showers. We were each blessed with healthy happy babies in the end, shower or not! Even with some of the advantages of sisterhood–open and (brutally) honest communication–not all went smoothly. After many, MANY phone calls, we figured out some key things worth sharing with anyone faced with the possibility of cancelling a baby shower after baby shower invitations have been sent:
The “Need to Know” Rules:
- Ask the expecting mom what she wants to do. Let her sleep on it, and confirm it with her again at least a day later.
- Get her input on how you will contact her guest list (email, phone, follow-up note?)
- Review with her exactly what information you should share with guests. Everyone has a different degree of sensitivity and privacy during an at-risk pregnancy.
Guests:
- Make sure guests understand whether there is a cancellation or postponement
- Clarify where gifts should be sent in lieu of the shower
- Suggest how guests can reach out to the expecting mom during the remainder of her pregnancy
One way to make up a cancelled shower is to host a “sip-and-see”. This is a party designed for people to drop in and see the new mom and baby. Invite the same guests who received baby shower invitations; they’ll enjoy all the same fun–food, favors, friends–without the gifts, which would have been sent or given already. Find stylish, original baby shower invitations online for your expecting friends at www.looklovesend.com. You’ll be thrilled with our quality and fast turnaround!
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19 Aug |
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9:53 pm Posted by Nicola |
Purchase a brand new little black dress online from NewlyMaid’s growing selection of stylish dresses (some of our favorites shown below). Prices are far more competitive than a retail store with most dresses in the $60-$70 range and all including a prepaid mailer for sending back an old bridesmaid dress in return. Extra bonus: between now and September 15th enjoy free shipping on all dresses!
 Karla |
 Kate |
 Natalie |
Package a pre-worn bridesmaid dress in the prepaid mailer for return to NewlyMaid. Dresses from all manufacturers in the bridal industry are accepted, including mother of the bride, prom and other special occasion dresses. Bridal gowns, flower girl and quinceanera dresses are not accepted. The dress does not need to be dry-cleaned before mailing, but must be in good working order (zippers, clasps OK) with no rips or major stains.
NewlyMaid will donate returned dresses to charity and is working on new technologies to ‘upcycle’ dresses into eco-friendly fabrics.
What better opportunity to get rid of blue taffeta ruffles for a discounted little black dress that you will actually wear? NewlyMaid is a win-win for any bridesmaid faced with a less-than-ideal dress. And LookLoveSend is a win-win for stylish bridal shower invitations, wedding thank you cards, and all other wedding stationery types. Shop our diverse collection of easily customizable designs with superior quality and service guaranteed.
