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February 4, 2013

Always a happy bridesmaid…

So you’ve picked out a few friends to help you celebrate your special day. They are your best friends, so you’ve made them bridesmaids. What an honor, huh? Well, sometimes. The truth is, that being in a friend’s wedding can be exciting, but it can also be downright expensive and at times, boring. What is a bride to do? Here are a few tips for keeping your bridesmaids happy:

1. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT force your bridesmaids to wear dresses with hideous colors and/or shapes that do not suit them. Yes it is “your day” as you will hear for what seems like the first and last time in your whole life (birthdays notwithstanding). However, that does not give you the right to make others suffer. Seriously consider dark colors, which look good on everyone. They have the added bonus of providing a stark contrast to your dress, which is exactly what you want.

2. On that note, why not let your bridesmaids pick out their own dresses? They don’t even have to match. If you’re not too concerned with uniformity, this option works well. Set a color and/or fabric if you so choose, and trust them to make the right decision. There are even stores that cater to black and white options. You don’t just have to look at traditional bridal shops. There are now more choices to be had at regular department stores.

3. Make sure that you give your bridesmaids a nice gift. After all, they have had to buy a dress and sometimes travel long distances just to be in your wedding. There are a lot of good ideas out there. Some brides will treat their bridesmaids to a manicure or pedicure. I personally prefer a full body massage. It is a nice way to relax just before taking center stage. Check spa coupons for deals.

4. Honor dietary requests. Don’t provide only entrees laden with meat for vegetarians and vegans. Likwise, consider gluten-free options if necessary. Several bakeries provide these. Better yet, some places do not require you to have a licensed cake maker. You can easily save money on a cake by having a fiend or family member make it using ideas from gluten free cookbooks.

5. Consider seating bridesmaids with their friends and spouses, rather than having the requisite bridal party table.

6. Don’t forget to say thank you. You can easily make your own thank you cards for a personal touch with a reasonable price.

Post Comment| in Creativity, Cutting Bills, Greeting Cards, Internet Deals, Wedding|by Sarah Gott-Helton click me

January 17, 2013

Online Holiday Invitations and Cards from Snapfish

The holidays are beginning to sneak up on us, bringing with them tons of family get together and holiday parties. This year, instead of spending money on pricey invitations, why not order holiday invitations online? You can purchase invitations with or without photos for a fraction of the cost. Check out some of your options below from Snapfish, all starting at just 80 cents per card!

Halloween

Time is closing in on this one, but you still have time to order Halloween prints! If you’re throwing a last minute Halloween party, you can find great holiday invitation options here. Or, send out thank you cards or just general Happy Halloween cards filled with pictures of your kids, friends, or family in their costumes. Check out your options here.

Thanksgiving

If you’re throwing a Thanksgiving party or hosting a family Thanksgiving dinner at your house, you’ll need invitations. You can find a variety of online holiday invitations here. If your guests are bringing dishes, you can also list the dish or item each guest is expected to bring inside. This will help ensure you don’t receive 20 pumpkin pies and no stuffing.

Fall Themed Party

If you’re having any type of fall themed party; a birthday, anniversary party, or maybe just a small get together, Snapfish also has a variety of fall holiday invitations and cards. Add personalized photos or nix the photos and use a themed card. Both styles average between 80 cents to $1.00 per card/invitation.

Winter Holiday Invitations

Send out holiday invitations to your winter parties early this year and give your guests plenty of time to prepare. Snapfish has an excellent assortment of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanza invitations and cards to choose from. Or, trade in regular holiday cards or professional photographer printed cards and purchase online instead. These great photocards and personalized Season’s Greetings cards are inexpensive and professional looking.

Snapfish currently has some great deals going on to help you save more on your holiday invitations and cards this year. They’re also offering free shipping on cards and 30% off cards and invitations. Best of all, if you need your prints quickly, you can pick them up at over 1,000 nationwide locations. Be sure to choose your holiday cards soon while these low prices last.

Post Comment| in Creativity, Do It Yourself, Greeting Cards, Internet Deals, Seasonal|by Courtney Johnston click me

September 5, 2012

DIY Wedding Invitations Made Easy and Affordable

DIY Wedding Invitations are a great alternative to spending a lot of money on wedding invitations (and a wedding planner) that you are unsure about. First of all, congratulations! Planning a wedding is an exciting time that should not be a stressful ordeal. If you have the means to design and print your own wedding invitations yourself, then you should take advantage of this opportunity to get exactly what you want.

There are two ways to DIY wedding invitations. The first is to go online, select an already designed invite, personalize the information, and order them yourself. The second is to acquire the materials and physically make your own invitations by hand. It is up to you the road you want to go down. Remember that you need to be cost effective and time efficient. If you are up for the project, I would suggest getting creative and doing them yourself (with the help of some family and bridesmaids of course!). If you are on a time crunch and feel it would be easier to order them, select from pre-designed invitations.

Here I have featured some invitation information using Paper Source Stationary and while keeping these discounts in mind. There is a wide variety of classy, unique, modern, and quirky invitations!

Classy Textured and Embossed

Modern Billboard Type

Hydrangea Inspired Art

Vintage Gatsby Black and White

Photo Save the Dates

If you want to print your invitations at home you can check out Printable DIY Wedding Invitations or get all the materials you need at an affordable price at Paper-Source.com. This website is an endless resource for invitations, personalized stationary, and personalized gifts. Keep Paper Source Stationary in mind when you are planning and preparing for any event.

Post Comment| in Creativity, Do It Yourself, Greeting Cards, Personal Shopper, Wedding|by Brittany McNabb click me

July 27, 2012

Cardstore iPhone App: Cards At You’re Fingertips

This one today is for all the card lovers out there. We know physical greeting cards are starting to fall off a bit because of e-Cards, but Cardstore has found a way to utilize new technology while still providing the physical cards we all know and love. The Cardstore iPhone App is FREE to download and it has made it incredibly easy to send greeting cards to whomever you wish with only a few clicks of your fingers. The app easily allows you to choose from hundreds of cards and have them sent right from your iPhone.

To start, you decide which card you like and add your personal touches to it. You can insert a personalized message, attach pictures, and even sign the card across the screen of your phone with your finger!

Cardstore then handles all the not-so-fun stuff about sending greeting cards. They print your card for you, provide it with a stamp and envelope and then send it off for you in the mail.

All their cards are only $2.99!!

Another great feature of the Cardstore app is that it helps connect with your Facebook account to remind you when your friend’s birthdays are. With this feature, you’ll never send a late birthday card ever again!

Cardstore has cards for birthdays, holidays, and even monumental life events. Nephew graduating? Send him a card from your phone! Did your sister and her new husband buy their first house? Cardstore App. Did your parents retire and finally splurge on that boat they wanted to get? Congratulate them! $2.99 is all it costs to have a personalized card sent from you. To browse all the Cardstore cards click here and to save a few few bucks along the way grab a coupon as well!

Check out the Cardstore app here and download it today!

Post Comment| in Greeting Cards|by Admin click me

May 31, 2012

Handwritten Letters: Out. E-Cards: In.

The prices of greeting cards are rising and while our nations pockets are shrinking, Americans are looking for anyway to cut back on expenses. Everything from cutting down on going out to eat all the way down to buying generic cat food, people from all over are scouring ways to save more.

Remember the good ole days when people actually sent a letter instead of a text message? How about the times when our friends actually sent Birthday cards instead of the anticipated Happy Birthday Facebook wall posts? Times are a changin’ and so is the way we communicate. The greeting cards industry is still alive and kicking because their targeted market is gleefully spending. But everybody past the baby boomers have probably never set foot inside of a Hallmark for a significant amount of time. So is this new generation even communicating? Yes, of course, via social media and the Internet. It makes sense, why set back $4.99 when you can e-mail your old high school buddy an Ecard instead? It’s free, takes about fifteen seconds and has a greater selection than you can find in stores. So who really wants to take about an hour of your precious time, drive (spend gas), go inside your local market and pick out a card, drive back home, write a personal inside joke, stamp it, and then mail it? I know I don’t. That’s why sending E-cards is becoming more and more popular. Sure it’s not as personal as a handwritten letter, but I think everyone might get over that with knowing how much money you just saved.

Try out some of the hottest sites where you can receive and send E-cards for free. Here are a few of my favorites…

Jenny Adkins

Post Comment| in Communication, Greeting Cards, Internet Advantages, Social Media|by Jenny Adkins click me