Hand addressing envelopes – how to stand out from the junk mail.

Calligraphy sample from Long Village Lettering
How to stand out in the mail

In this incredibly busy week as we gear up for the new bridal season and work on last minute plans for tomorrow’s flight to New York to set up our booth at the National Gift Show in Manhattan I was stopped for a moment, long enough to sit down even to enjoy a piece of mail that the dripping wet postman just delivered.  It was a hand written thank you note from a woman in North Carolina who runs her own Calligraphy business.  She sent us one of our own seed embedded envelopes back in the mail with beautiful hand lettering on the front and a business card and note on the inside.

I think this can stand as a clear testament to the power of the personalized mailing.  I know everyone is busy, I know I am busy, and yet this simple act of handwriting really can stop someone in their tracks for a few moments and draw their attention to the message you are sending.

For all of you brides out their considering printing your guest’s names instead of hand writing them, don’t.  Just take the extra time to let the people (you care enough about to invite to one of the most exciting days of your life) know that you really care.  You really want them there and your own handwriting spells it out for them.  It is that personal touch missing from so many areas of our lives today.  Your extra effort will be noticed and appreciated.  It really does make a difference.

Okay so clearly we don’t all have amazing handwriting like the image above, but still you have family you can enlist to help, you can pick up a book or watch a video demo for pointers and tips on improving your own handwriting.  Start early and it will be manageable, and worth it.

SOUTHERN SPARKLE

Mary Andrews contacted us this week to share photos and details of her wedding via her Real Weddings post on The Etsy Blog.

The gorgeous affair took place in Richmond, Virginia where Mary, a Merchandise lead for Etsy, and Tim, a freelance writer, blogger and food stylist work and live.

All photos by Marvelous Things Photography via The Etsy Blog

mary.wedding

mary wedding.2

 Mary used our seeded paper to create her save-the-date, featured in the invite suite above.  We love working with all our brides, but this was one rather special considering she works for and sourced many of her wedding elements directly from Etsy.  For a list of all Mary’s resources, check out her My Etsy Wedding page.  And to follow Mary and Tim’s love story and their adventures in creating a sustainable life  in Richmond, check out their blog 17 Apart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our 2014 Seattle Wedding Show Invitations Display – Video!

We just returned from the 2014 Seattle Wedding show two day event that was a remarkable success!  The show was very well attended, with aisles full of smiling brides and their retinue of sisters, friends and family in tow.  We displayed several new invitation and paper designs along with our timeless styles that never fail to please.  Here is a five minute video that takes you through our booth from top to bottom.

 

We hope you have an opportunity to visit us in our new store in this new year and view these designs and more in person.  Our shop has hundreds of papers, dozens of invitation styles, wedding invitation assembly tools, guest books, seed paper by the sheet and much, much more.

 

OREEKO

OREEKO (Organic, Green, Eco, Blog) is a trusted resource on the web for “reviews, how-to guides, current news & ideas on how to simplify green living”. We were listed amongst a group of hefty competitors (7 to be exact) as resource for Eco Wedding Invitations in their Green Wedding series.

“The invite allows you to establish a direct line of connection with all your guests. Use it to make a statement that can be both memorable, personal and green!”  We could not agree more!

Our excerpt from the post:

OREEKO

 

“OF THE EARTH

Soft colors and delicate nuances give these wedding invitations a very romantic and natural feel. They use Lotka paper made from the bark of the Daphne bush, a renewable resource from Nepal. All lotka envelopes and paper are 50% recycled and 100% tree free. The paper is also acid free and your purchase will benefit the economic enterprise of rural craftspeople in Nepal. The company also makes a cotton & abaca paper, created without chemical resources and with special attention to water conservation.”

Our only surprise was that our greenest product trait – that our papers generate oxygen when planted – was not mentioned in the flattering description of our goods.

You can read the entire post here and follow the OREEKO blog, which covers everything from weddings to style to food and health, here.  It is a favorite read in our world – many thanks to OREEKO for the nod!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR – 2013 IN REVIEW and ON THE HORIZON FOR 2014

2013 was a monumental year for our business: we moved, our shop and clients received a wide array of press, we have segued back into the tradeshow circuit….oh, and did we mention we are rebuilding our website?  All in all, much has been accomplished and there is much to look forward to in 2014!

Here are a few additional highlights:

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  • We are now offering a finished edge silk ribbon (not just bias cut).

    Double faced silk satin woven edge ribbon

  •  We have added many new papers to our already large line, including these papers from India.

papers from india

There is much to look forward to in 2014 including the events and tradeshows we will be attending!

  • Seattle Wedding Show
    Washington State Convention & Trade Center
    Saturday January 11th, 2014 10:00am to 5:30pm (ticket sales open at 9:30am)
    Sunday January 12th, 2014 10:30am to 5:00pm (ticket sales open at 10:00am)
  • Seattle Gift Show
    Washington State Convention & Trade Center
    Saturday January 18th, 2014
    9:00am to 6:00pm
    Sunday January 19th, 2014
    9:00am-6:00pm
    Monday January 20th, 2014
    9:00am-6:00pm
    Tuesday January 21st, 2014
    9:00am-6:00pm
  • UW Bridal Show
    University of Washington Club
    Sunday, February 23

We hope to connect with clients old and new in the next few months, until then Happy New Year!