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Whatcya cookin?  It’s time for ‘stump the copywriter’ today!  I received an invitation order this morning for a paella party, and for the first time in a long time, I had to Google the details of this unheard-of party!  I figured if I was unaware, others might be too, so I thought I would share my findings with my readers today, and who knows – maybe we’ll all have a little something different on the dinner table or party table tonight!

Paella, (pictured here on the left) is a Spanish or Valencian rice dish that comes from the mid-19th century in Valencia, which is on the east coast of Spain.  It is considered to be Spain’s national dish, however it is largely recognized in Spain for one of Valencia’s symbols.

The word paella is derived from the Catalan word for pan, and there are three popular types of paella, - Valencian paella, seafood paella or mixed paella.  Valencian paella is made from white rice, green vegetables, beans and a variety of available meats including duck, chicken and snails.  Hints of saffron and olive oil are key ingredients in the dish.  Seafood paella involves the same main ingredients above with substituting shrimp, clams or other seafood favorites for meat, and removal of the green vegetables.  Mixed paella involves a combination of any of the above food – typically involving a combination of vegetables, beans, meat and seafood.

Paella is typically cooked over an open fire by the men at the party, which is fueled with orange branches, pine branches and pine cones.  The smoke is what gives paella it’s great flavor, and at a traditional dinner, guests can be served or eat directly out of the pan!  One of the great parts of this Spanish dish is that it feels a multitude of people, and has such a great variety of foods that all of your guests are sure to be pleased.  Paellas are great for large family gatherings, engagement parties, corporate outings, family reunions and celebrations of Spanish heritage.

If you are hosting your own paella party, set the scene with a paella party invitation to spice things up!  If you are hosting a seafood paella party, have a variety of seafood invitations that will help you invite and entice your guests.  Choose from large cooking pots, crawfish invitations, formal place setting invitations and nautical bordered invitations.  We also offer dinner party invitations if you are having a traditional Valencian paella feast or Spanish themed invitations to set the scene for your cultural infused event.

Check out some of our favorite paella party invitations below and share your own paella recipe with us by commenting on my blog – we’d love to share your findings with our other readers!

Sometimes ‘just a bite’ is all you need!  You may have noticed them sold at the counter of Starbucks when ordering your daily morning coffee, or seen them posted on facebook from friend’s parties, or maybe even seen a cake pop kit when shopping at BJ’s…it’s CAKE POPS!

Cake pops are all the craze at parties and events nowadays…and you may just be saying to yourself, what in the world is a cake pop?  The answer – world’s best desert on a stick – what could be better?  Cake pops are actually small balls of cake and frosting held inside a candy or chocolate coating and then decorated with icing, sprinkles or fun edible toppings.  You can do classic cake pops like the ones here on the left, or create your own shaped cake pops which feature animals, sports balls, wedding themes, baby shower themes and more.  In other words, if you can dream it, you can cake pop it!

Cake pops work great at a kids birthday party, wedding, bridal shower, baby shower or a corporate event.  They are virtually mess-free and fairly affordable – especially if you want to make them yourself!  They make a great party centerpiece or table decoration for an event, too!  Coordinate your cake pops with your party theme, colors or wedding colors to make an unforgettable treat for your guests.  And if they don’t have time to eat it at the party, they can take them to go!  Cake pops also work great as party or wedding favors.

So how exactly do you make a cake pop?  The folks over at Wilton have a great, (and easy) recipe for all you bakers out there wanting to try your own version of cake pops.  Follow the below Wilton cake pop recipe and then get creative!

Ingredients

1 box cake mix
1 box instant pudding and pie filling mix
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup veg. oil
1/2 cup ready -to-use white icing
1 bag of candy melt chips

Bake:

-Preheat your oven to 350.
-Mix your cake mix, pudding, eggs, water and oil at medium speed for 2 minutes and pour into one 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan
-Bake 35-40 minutes and cool
-Divide cake in half and freeze one portion
-Crumble your cake so that no chunks remain and add in your icing.  Mix with your fingers until you can form into small cake balls.
-Chill in your fridge for two hours and then dip your cake balls with pop sticks into your melted candy chocolate
-Decorate!

Now that you’ve got that under your belt, ready to set the scene for your upcoming event?  Choose a fun cake party invitation or a cupcake invitation to give your guests a preview of the treats to come at your party.  Our cake invitations feature a variety of styles depending on your party theme.  Choose from tall tiered cakes which work great for adult birthday party invitations or bridal shower invitations or a fun frosted and sprinkled cupcake invitation which works great for kids birthday party invitations and first birthday party invitations.  They’re sweet, yummy and bound to make your guest’s mouth water when they open up your invitation.

Take a look at some of our sweet treat invitations below and set the scene for your cook cake, cupcake, or cake pop themed party!

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” – Washington Irving

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13th, and if you haven’t made it out to Hallmark yet to pick out the perfect Mother’s Day card for that special woman in your life, be it your mom, grandmother, sister, child or wife, now is the time!  How will you be celebrating your mother this Sunday?  Or, how will others be celebrating you?  Maybe it’s flowers, chocolate or sleeping-in in the morning hours.  It might be a special dinner or a gift of an art project from a child.  However you plan on celebrating, whether it is your mom, someone else’s or yourself, we’d like to wish all mothers out there a very special, relaxing and wonderful Mother’s Day weekend!

Speaking of flowers and chocolate, we know many of you will be surrounded by love, kind gestures and gifts this Sunday as your children, husband and family members celebrate what a wonderful mother you are.  Be sure to keep tradition alive by sending out a proper handwritten thank you note to all who send a gift your way.  Be sure to let them know how their gift made you feel special on Mother’s Day, and how much it means to you to have them as a part of your own life.

Our women’s stationery is available in a variety of styles to coordinate with your mom-style, be it classic, simple and understated with white, ivory or pastel card stock or flashy, trendy and totally chic with vibrant colors, patterns and contemporary graphics.  Whether you are a mom who is always on the go, or a mother of children who have long left the nest, we have the perfect women’s stationery to express your personality to the world.

Our most popular thank you note designs feature monogrammed initials, which represent timeless tradition, elegance and class, just like you.  We also have personalized thank you notes which feature your name or a fun coined “Mom-phrase”.  You can even choose one of our trendy thank you notes which feature fashion-forward graphics or silhouettes of mom’s out shopping or on-the-go, shoes, animal print patterns, floral designs, stylish borders or beach themes.  Let your personal stationery say something about you with a design that shouts your name as your recipient opens the envelope.

Check out some of our favorite Mother’s Day stationery below, and remember, we’re celebrating all of the moms out there that make our lives special, each and every day, just by being in it!

Love the state you’re in?  That question can be taken a few different ways, I guess!  By this time, I’m sure you’re familiar with our self-inking Noteworthy Snap Stamps which are a great addition to any home or corporate office.   Whether you’re stamping your party envelopes or bills, you can now make your mark all over everything you do.

The best thing about our stamps is that the faces are interchangeable, which means instead of buying a new stamp base every time you want a new face, all you have to do is buy a new face and swap them out!  Our magnetic technology will help you put on the face with a magnetic snap that makes sure the new face is secure and straight every time, without any mess.

One of the coolest new design lines we have for our Snap Stamps is the United States self-inking stamp faces that showcase your pride for your home state.   Featuring all of the United States, your state is featured in a thick silhouette of the state’s shape and your address and name encircle the stamp making it yours.  These are perfect as gift items for the couple moving to a new state to use on moving announcements or new mail correspondence.  We also have state capitol self-inking stamps which feature your state silhouette with a heart over where your state capitol is located.  These stamps are also great for the moving couple, or the metropolitan city couple who truly encompass the meaning of city life.  They also work great for political campaigning!

Remember that you can jazz your stamp up with colored ink pads that coordinate with your state’s state colors.  Stamp ink pads last for up to 14,000 impressions, thus your ink pad will last for a ton of impressions!  We also sell ink bottles if you prefer to keep your ink pad and simply re-ink for reuse.  We also offer colored round labels, if you want to make your mark with fun and vibrant stickers, too.  All stamp accessories are available at an affordable $11 – $12, plus shipping.

Take a look at some of our favorite United States and state capitol self-inking stamps and take pride in the state you are from…and share that with everyone to which you correspond!

Make sparks fly this 4th of July!  Our Independence Day, or Fourth of July as we commonly call it, marks a very important day for us being the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, where we gained our independence from Great Britain.  All over the United States will be parties, festivals and public events featuring parades, barbeques, picnics, fireworks, boat rides, concerts, baseball games and all of the things that make us the Americans we are!

The 4th of July is a time when many of us spend the day with family and friends, and enjoy a day off of work!  We all put on our reds, whites and blues and come together celebrating how great it is to be living in the land of the free.  If you have an annual 4th of July party or you’re simply thinking about hosting a 4th of July celebration this year, we’ve got you covered with a variety of patriotic party invitations that will spark a ton of interest for your holiday party.

Our 4th of July party invitations feature traditional red, white and blue themed patterns with stars, stripes, plaid and polka dot patterns, which work great for corporate events, simple 4th of July parties or formal patriotic events.  We also have great 4th of July family party invitations which are great for family reunions, backyard parties, beach parties or family barbecues.  Shop our die-cut invitations or our traditional patriotic invitations which feature American flags, cookouts, grills, swimming pools, fireworks, hamburgers, hotdogs, army trucks, boats, lakes, picnic table borders and more.  We even have brand new patriotic ticket stub invitations which are great for baseball themed events as they look just like a ticket to the ball park.

Check out some of our favorite 4th of July party invitations below and light the fireworks early this year as you prepare for your upcoming Independence Day event.  July 4th is a very popular day for everyone, so be sure that your invitation is the first one they receive, so that your guests can reserve the date for your special event!

Nothing is as precious as the moment when your family of two becomes three, three becomes four, and so on.  The birth of your precious newborn is such an exciting event for not only the baby’s parents, but also for your immediately family, relatives, friends and co-workers.  We know you’ll want to share the news of your new addition, and as always, Invitationbox.com is here to help you spread the word!

We have exciting news today of a brand new vendor on our website, CafePress Designs!  This vendor has been creating birth announcements, stationery items and gift items since 1999 and has a knack for creating one-of-a-kind personalized items to commemorate life’s most special milestone events.  Their designs feature crisp, clean designs with a contemporary flare, however still keeping the classic nature of a traditional birth announcement.  We are truly amazed by the beautiful new and modern designs that this vendor has brought to our baby collection.

CafePress Designs birth announcements are the first to premier on our website, which features photo birth announcements and traditional birth announcements for baby boys, baby girls and even multiple births!  The photo birth announcements feature from one to five photographs showcasing unique photos of your newborn.  Whether they’re photos from his/her first few days in the hospital or professional photos, we know you’ll be as excited to share them as your recipients will be to see them!  CafePress Designs has a way of portraying your photograph(s) in a unique and contemporary manner be it by making your photograph the entire background of the card or by using multiple photographs inside blocks.  They also offer birth announcements with flourish frames and designs that run into your photograph creating a truly modern piece.

If a photo birth announcement just isn’t your style, or you’re just too excited to send out announcements while you are waiting for your photos to be taken, CafePress Designs also offers traditional birth announcements to help you announce your baby’s birthing details.   These birth announcements feature all of the things we love about baby, be it with a new egg in the nest, toys, baby rattles, baby animals, a mommy elephant with her baby or cutie yellow ducks.  We also offer circus themed birth announcements with baby animals and mommy with baby jungle and safari birth announcements with whimsical cartoon giraffes.

Whatever your baby’s style, we’ll help you mark this amazing milestone in your life, and help you share the news with everyone you care about, with these one-of-a-kind modern birth announcements!

I spoke with a wonderful customer today for a while about the use of bride-elect on a bridal shower invitation.  If you’re a young one in this modern world, the term bride-elect may be extremely foreign to you.

Back in the old days, when someone referred to the groom’s bride-to-be, he referred to her as his bride-elect.  Seems a bit on the opposite side of feminism, if you ask me, but you know I never go against tradition!  But the main reason for this was that back in older times, the groom’s family may not have met the bride until the days of their wedding planning, thus someone receiving a bridal shower invitation or engagement party invitation may not know who the shower or party was for.  This is where the term bride-elect came into play.

So thus became the question, are you supposed to put the groom’s name on a bridal shower invitation, and if you do that, will people assume your all-girls bridal shower is now a co-ed couples shower event?  It all depends upon the way you word your invitation, and as always, we’re here to guide you!

The proper way to use the term bride-elect would be to invite your guests to the shower first, followed by the groom’s name after the bride’s name, as shown in the example below…

Please join us for a
Bridal Shower
honoring
Jessica Chesterfield
bride-elect of
James Mason

If the term bride-elect seems a bit stuffy for you, but you feel the need to put the groom’s name on the invitation, you can opt to use “fiancee of” instead, (remember to use two e’s on fiancee, as you are referring to the bride).  In modern times, it is pretty uncommon to see a groom’s name on an all-girls bridal shower invitation.  In short, you shouldn’t need it, unless the majority of your friends and family have not met your fiance.  These days, a bride standing on her own two feet is never a bad thing!  And if you ever want to celebrate both the bride and the groom, try hosting a couples shower instead!  It’s a great way to introduce the entire family and group of friends to one another!

Schooooool’s out for the summer! Or well, it soon will be!  I remember as a child, I always looked forward to the last day of school.  In elementary school our parents always took us on a surprise trip when the bell rang for the summer.  In middle school we all had a pool party with the neighborhood kids, and in high school we all went to the theme park with the FFA.  What will your kids do this year to celebrate a fun sun-filled  three months of freedom ahead?

Help your child start their own summer tradition with a last day of school party for all of their friends to enjoy!  The most popular last day of school parties are definitely pool parties.  There’s nothing like running and jumping into the cold pool after a long hot day at school.  Your child’s pool party can have a variety of activities from water sports to a full-on water balloon fight.  Have plenty of drinks and snacks on hand, and you can always ask the parents to join you to have a kids party and an adult party – there’s nothing wrong with extra supervision, and it gives you time to meet the parents of your child’s friends so that you can set up play dates for the summer, and maybe even make some new social connections.

Another great idea for your last day of school party is laser tag or a sports party where you get the gang all together for a co-ed game of flag football, baseball or kickball.  Get the kids active and running around, and you’re sure to have an unforgetable party for all of your child’s friends.  Be sure to take plenty of pictures as you celebrate before the next grade of school.

Set the scene for your summer party with a last day of school party invitation to kick-off your party with a splash!  Our wide variety of summer kick-off invitations features beach ball invitations, pool invitations with summer kids, teen pool party invitations, laser tag invitations, sports invitations, luau party invitations, beach party invitations, popsicle invitations, water park invitations, flip flop invitations, sand castle invitations and more.  All of your child’s favorite summer activities are certainly wrapped up in our amazing summer kick-off invitations!

Start your child’s summer off right with one of these hot summer party invitations and you’ll be sure to make a splash with all of your child’s friends!

It’s the word that makes us cringe around the office when we hear someone suggest it…the dreaded e-vite. Of course we understand the coolness factor of the e-vite, it’s convenient, quick and cost-effective. However, it also can be so impersonal. When did things switch from the hand-made, crafty and creative days over to the quick, need-it-now society that we all (self-admittedly) adore?

A printed party invitation is the perfect way to create a memento for your event, before the party, at the party and after. From the moment your guest opens their party envelope, your printed invitations say a little bit about you, the host, being that you took the time to find the perfect invitation to coordinate with your event. Your invitation will set the scene for your event by reflecting your party theme and being elegantly printed with your party details. Guests will post your invitation on their fridge to save the date and get excited before the party date arrives.

At your party your invitation will come to life with your party theme, and afterwards you can save your party invitation for scrapbooking or framing to commemorate the event. Whether it’s your child’s birthday party invitation, graduation invitation or a wedding invitation, we know that just glancing at your invitation will bring back memories. Something tells me that a printout from your e-vite or facebook party page can’t do that.

Let your next party invitation stand out and grab the attention of your guests…years from now you’ll remember how much fun you had picking out your special invitation, the rave reviews you received from your guests, and how much fun it is to relive your party every time you glance at that party invitation page in your scrapbook.

It’s what everyone fears.  You spend $200 on the perfect party invitations, another $75 on having a calligrapher hand-write your envelopes, and then you put the invitations in the envelopes and mail them and then realize later that you haven’t yet had one RSVP.  The next day you receive all your invitations returned to you with hideous markings all over them from the post office for insufficient postage.  Now not only did you waste money on stamps, you now have to re-stamp them, add extra postage and purchase new envelopes, putting you another week behind.  Believe us, we’ve been there, and it happens to the best of us!

Make sure your next party mailing isn’t a postage catastrophe by checking the required postage requirements prior to mailing out your invitations.  At InvitationBox.com we do our best to alert our customers when an item automatically will require postage, be it due to size, weight or bulk.  There are so many factors that go into  postage that you may not think of.  It’s not just the size of the item.  It can be the size, for example, a square envelope, which adds 20 cents to your normal postage fee.  It can be the weight, which adds another 20 cents, or the size, which can start at 80 cents an envelope, plus 20 cents an ounce for weight.  Remember that things like rhinestones, bows or pockets also increase your postage costs due to the “bulk” of the envelope when mailing.  Many of these types of invitations may need to be “hand cancelled” at the post office, which means someone, (or you), hand stamp the envelope for mailing, rather than having the invitation envelope run through a machine, as with a normal bill or mailing envelope.

So how do you avoid a postage disaster?  I always say, if you are concerned or have the slightest feeling that your envelope may be too heavy or too large, go to the post office and have the postman check for you before you mail them – especially if you are sending multiple cards in one envelope, like an invitation with a registry card or a directions card.  Remember that even the slightest thing, like the humidity, can affect the weight of your paper, especially if you have a textured or particularly porous stationery.  When in doubt, add on an extra stamp or two, it may just save you from a return postage mishap.  And remember, you can always contact our experts before mailing one of your invitations and we’ll be happy to suggest postage for you!