Are you one of those girls who hates opening gifts in front of other people?  After your last baby shower did you feel like you never even had the chance to socialize with your guests?  One of the latest trends in baby showers is what is called a “Display Baby Shower” in which guests bring unwrapped gifts to the shower to display in the background while playing baby shower games, socializing and noshing on treats.  It is meant to “free up” the expecting mommy-to-be so that she can truly mingle with her guests.

Some honorees prefer this type of shower if they want to “go green” and save trees on tons of wrapping paper from fifty or so guests.  Or, it may be that the mommy-to-be has been on bed rest and can’t use her energy for opening a ton of presents.  You may also have a very shy mommy-to-be who doesn’t like to be the center of attention during her shower at all times.  It also takes the pressure off for making sure you thank everyone enough or make the right reaction to a gift.

I did a bit of research on a display shower, as to me the idea seemed a bit impersonal.  But, as the times are changing, so are our milestone events!  After reading columns, blogs and posts about display showers, it sounds like most people are on-board with this new baby shower theme!  Many guests of the shower reported that they really dislike sitting down for two hours watching the mommy-to-be open present after present.  They’d rather socialize with the guest of honor and shower her with love.  Other honorees that had display showers said they loved not having to be the focus of everyone’s attention the entire time.

Be prepared that not everybody will be thrilled with your shower theme – i.e. the more traditional friends and family members that you have.  We all know we come to a baby shower to shower the mommy-to-be with gifts, but asking your guests on your baby shower invitation not to wrap them is still presumptuous, as you are thus assuming everyone is bringing a gift.  Hopefully after they attend your fun-filled baby shower, they will be on board for future display showers!

If you decide to have your own display shower, be sure to hand write baby shower thank you notes to each guest shortly after your baby shower.  As your guests won’t get to see your reaction in-person to their gift, you’ll really want to express your gratitude for the gifts in your note.  As your guests arrive, be sure they have gift tags on their gifts so that the mommy-to-be knows who gave her the gift.  If you notice a guest bringing a gift without a tag, have a few handy to let them fill out and attach to their gift.

Check out some of our display baby shower invitations below and set the scene for your very unique shower!

Related posts:

1. Display Baby Shower Invitations Are you one of those girls who hates opening gifts...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I know what you’re thinking, it’s only February – how can we be thinking about graduation already?  Truth is, graduation season will be here before we know it!  Now’s the time to start searching for the perfect graduation announcements or graduation party invitations to celebrate your son or daughter’s achievements over the past years.  Graduation is such a special time for the graduate, as they come to a fork in the road where one path ends and another begins.  It’s up to the graduate to decide which path they’ll choose in their adult life and we know you want to celebrate this amazing opportunity!

In the coming weeks you’ll notice a plethora of new graduation party essentials to help you celebrate the graduate.  Our vendor, Noteworthy Collections, has introduced a whole slew of new designs for the 2012 graduating class that we know you’ll flip your cap over!  Our most popular graduation announcements and graduation invitations are our photo graduation announcements.  It’s always a great idea to share a photograph of the graduate with friends, family and associates so they can see how much the graduate has grown!  Your child’s school may have taken graduation photos earlier in the school year or you may want to take a few new ones of your own.  Many professional photographers also offer photography packages for graduates, too!  Just make sure that your photographer will give you the rights to the photographs so that we can print them!

Our new photo graduation announcements feature a bit of a more modern look that what you’ve seen in our graduation collection before, which is perfect for the trendy or stylish graduate.  Choose from designs with calligraphic letters, bookplate pinched frames, scrolling floral designs which print over the top of your photo image or announcements that use your photograph as the entire background of the card.  A few of our designs offer double-sided printing so that you can use one side for your photograph and the other for your graduation and graduation party details, (my personal favorite).  Need something a bit more traditional?  We also offer graduation announcements with various color combinations so that you may coordinate your graduation announcement or graduation invitation with your school’s colors.

Check out some of the brand new designs you’ll see in this year’s collection of photo graduation announcements below!

Related posts:

1. New Noteworthy Photo Graduation Announcements I know what you’re thinking, it’s only February – how...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

You only turn 16 once…and if you ask most girls, they STILL remember their sixteenth birthday party and how special it was, even if it’s ten to twenty years later!  It’s when you start becoming more independent, learn to drive, purchase your first car and maybe even receive your first curfew!

As a parent, we know you want to make sure your daughter’s sweet 16 is as special as you remember yours, or…maybe even make it better!  If you’ve ever watched MTV with your kids, you’ve seen the “Sweet 16″ show where kids throw the most lavish of parties for their sweet 16.  Now, whether that’s in your budget or your child’s style is up to you, but we’ve piled together a few sweet 16 party ideas to help you plan her perfect Sweet 16!  Start by thinking about your daughter’s style and interests or her favorite activities at school.  Is she sporty, a diva, a cheerleader or dancer or really into music?  Take her favorite pastime and spin it into a party she’ll never forget.

1.  Bling - decorate with diamonds, gold silver – anything shiny and over the top.  Ask your guests to all dress in white or black and then have the birthday girl dress in full color to stand out!

2.  Decades - ask your guests to dress in their best 80′s attire and tailor your music and decorations to her favorite decade

3.  White Chic - ask your guests to dress in white and create an elegant and chic dance party

4.  Karaoke – for the music enthusiast, host your own karaoke party and have everyone come dressed as their favorite superstar and sing one of their songs

5.  Limo Party - have a limo pick up the birthday girl and her guests and drive all over town for makeovers, hair, nails and maybe a trip to the local theatre or mall

6.  Scavenger Hunt – create two to four teams at your party with scavenger hunt lists given to each group.  Take photos doing each of the things on the list to share when you get back.  The first group to get back to the starting point wins!

7.  Masquerade Ball - ask your guests to come dressed in disguise in their favorite mask for a masquerade.  Turn your party Mardi Gras themed and really dress up the room with beads and traditional Mardi Gras flare.

Ready to start planning your own Sweet 16 party?  Set the scene for your event with a Sweet 16 party invitation from our abundant collection!  No matter which theme she’s chosen for her sweet 16, we have the perfect party invitation to set the bar high for her event.  Choose from VIP pass ticket invitations for an exclusive sweet 16 party, car key themed invitations for the girl about to receive her first car, a digital photo party invitation if you want to share a photo of the birthday girl to be, diamond themed invitations for those who need a little extra bling in their lives or a young, fun and chic invitation for the birthday girl keeping her party low key with a few close girlfriends.

Check out some of our newest and favorite sweet 16 invitations below and start planning her dream Sweet 16!

Related posts:

1. Sweet 16 Party Invitations You only turn 16 once…and if you ask most girls,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

We all know the scene of the typical bridal shower…the bride is showered by gifts, bridesmaids and girlfriends as they gush about wedding details, plans for the wedding and the cute gesture the groom made the night before.  The bride spends most of her shower opening gifts and playing ice breaker games.  You might be thinking…well, what about the groom?  Doesn’t he deserve a shower or party before he heads down the aisle, too?

Many bride and grooms today have taken to the idea of a couple’s shower as opposed to the traditional bridal shower, which was held just for the bride-to-be.  A couple’s shower is typically more like a cocktail party, barbecue or dinner party where friends, family and co-workers are invited, female AND male.  Gifts are still given at the shower, however they are more geared to the soon-to-be-married couple, rather than just the bride.  Some guests may even bring gifts that are just for the groom or just for the bride, or one of each.  These types of showers are really great for the bride and groom who have been living together for a while or the inseparable bride and groom, (yes, we know you’re out there), who just don’t want to be celebrating if it’s not with their other half.

Since you’re going a bit off of the traditional path for your couple’s shower, feel free to add a theme into the mix, to make the shower more fun for everyone attending.  Choose an interest of the bride and groom like an 80′s themed shower if the bride and groom grew up in the 80′s, a beach shower if the bride and groom will be wed by the ocean, a board game shower if you want to step your game up, a sports themed shower for the sport fanatic couple or an around the world shower if the couple travels often, or met overseas.

Feel free to have separate activities at your shower if you feel that the men need some “men” things to do, and vice versa for the women at the shower.  If the groom is into sports, have the game on in the back room or set up basketball in the driveway while the women sip cocktails on your patio.  Make it a fun event for everyone to attend and celebrate.

Set the scene for your bridal shower with a unique couple’s shower invitation.  We offer a variety of couple’s styles that feature the bride and groom together along with your couple’s shower theme.  Choose from wedding scenes with the bride and groom, the bride and groom carrying piles of gifts, love bird themes, bride and groom barbecue invitations or bride and groom fiesta themed invitations.  We also offer his and hers shower invitations which is great if you want to give your guests a few ideas for gifts for the bride and groom.  Most invitations feature a “his” side and a “hers” side with gifts for the kitchen, grill, garden or workshop.  Choose one of our ‘looks like me’ invitations or a shower invitation that coordinates with your wedding colors.

Check out some of our fun couple’s bridal shower invitations below and set the scene at your couple’s shower!

Related posts:

1. Couple’s Shower Invitations We all know the scene of the typical bridal shower…the...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It’s that loving time of year again!  Just this weekend we were helping the kids decorate their own Valentine’s Day mailboxes for their at-school Valentine’s Day Party, in anticipation of all of the valentines they’ll be receiving.  It made me kind of miss the old days in school where you worked so hard on creating your mailbox and writing your valentines to your classmates.  It was always so much fun opening your valentines to see what you received, too!  Wouldn’t it be fun if you did something like that again?

You can with our collection of Valentine’s Day greeting cards!  Start a new tradition with your family and friends by sending out greeting cards for Valentine’s Day this year and really spread the love!  This is especially great if you forgot to send out holiday greeting cards this past year, as it’s just a few months past the holiday season, and a great time of year to keep in touch with family and friends to let them know how much they’re loved.

Some of our most popular Valentine greeting cards are our digital photo Valentine’s Day greeting cards.  Nothing says ‘I love you’ more than a photograph of your love, family or pets on Valentine’s Day.  Our festive and loving collection of greeting cards features fun cliche Valentine’s Day designs of candy conversation hearts, heart patterns, fields of hearts, sweet cupcakes, polka dots, love birds, owls, XO’s, floral patterns and elegant damask patterns in shades of white, pink, hot pink, purple, red and brown.  Upload your photograph(s) to our website when placing your order to choose which photograph coordinates best with your chosen greeting card design.

Need some ideas for a great photograph for your Valentine’s Day photo greeting card?  If you’ve recently been married, you might want to use a photograph from your wedding album to share with family and friends.  If you’ve just had a new baby, share your new found love by using a photograph of your baby or you with your baby.  If you have children, dress them up in their favorite red, white or pink Valentine’s day attire and capture a moment of fun and love with one another.  Or, get the entire gang together for a great family snapshot of everyone in your family – pets too!

Take a look at some of our favorite Valentine’s Day greeting cards below and spread a little love this Valentine’s Day!  Most orders for V-Day greeting cards ship within just 2-3 business days, thus you have just the right amount of time to send them out next week, just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Related posts:

1. Valentine’s Day Greeting Cards It’s that loving time of year again!  Just this weekend...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tea for two?  Two for tea?  The very first time we set up our own tea party with our friends, we begin dreaming of what it will be like to be an adult – to sip tea with our friends in fancy dresses and big party hats.  It’s a fun game that I played many times as a child, and one my nieces play on a daily basis, whether they’re inviting their mom to join them, or the teddy bear of the day.

Tea party invitations are some of our most popular themed party invitations, for both children and adults.  They are great for kids birthday party invitations as well as bridal luncheons, bridal teas or get-togethers with your girlfriends, as an adult.

Our kids tea party invitations feature cartoon tea party scenes that appeal to the girly-girls.  They feature pink and purple tea sets with yummy cupcakes and heart decorated china.  We also offer tea cup invitations with fashionable polka dots and little girls dressed up in their ‘tea party best’ as they host their very own tea party.  When hosting a kids tea party, you can use “pretend tea” by serving up hot chocolate instead of an un-sweetened tea.  Or, use an apple cider or kool-aid mix that looks like tea.  Serve small cupcakes and finger foods to reduce mess, and let the kids dress up for the occasion.  Offer dress up clothes, feather boas, big sunglasses, large hats, high heels and pretend makeup.

Our adult tea party invitations feature a bit of a more mature design featuring antique blue and white china like Grandma used to have, watercolor tea table scenes, ladies wearing large summer hats at a tea party and bridal tea scenes with tailored topiary and bridal themed tablescapes.  We also offer a chic tea party invitation with two sophisticated women chatting, for a more intimate tea gathering.  Check your local spa or high-end hotel to see if they offer a tea service, as many of them do offer a four-course tea.  Ask your guests to dress in their best and bring a large hat, should they prefer, and be prepared to relax and enjoy the company of your female friends.

Check out some of our favorite tea party invitations below and set the scene for your sophisticated party…

Related posts:

1. Tea Party Invitations Tea for two?  Two for tea?  The very first time...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

One of the most exciting and yet stressful times of anyone’s life, when they decide to move!  Whether it’s a big move across the country or state or a small move a few towns over, we’re sure you’ll be excited of your new pad and want to share the good news with your family and friends…and if nothing else, at least update their address books with your most current contact information.

A moving announcement should be sent just shortly after you have moved to your new residence – think within the first few weeks of moving.  If you forget, you can always send it out a few months after you move.  Your friends and family will want to know about your new pad, so no worries if you’re a little busy with your move for a while.  Plan on sending your moving announcements to family members, close friends, old neighbors or associates you may have become close with at work.  Be sure that you want to share all of the contact information listed on your moving announcement with each person you send the announcement to.

Most moving announcements will include your name, along with any family members names, (or pets names, if you want).  You will then want to inform your reader that you’ve moved and list your new address.  Be sure to include an apartment number or suite number if you have one.  Follow up with your email address and phone number, even if they are not changing.  It’s very convenient for your recipient to have all of your contact details in one location, rather than searching for different pages of an address book or different moving announcements for your most recent information.  If you have a blog or family website, you might want to list that to.

When choosing your moving announcement, choose one that coordinates with your family’s individual style.  If you have a big move, you may want to choose a moving announcement with overstuffed moving boxes, a house scene, a bird’s nest or a skeleton key.  Our more casual moving announcements feature cartoon house scenes, patterned furniture scenes, individual United States themes, moving sign scenes and moving truck scenes.  Care to share a photograph of your new pad with your family standing out front, beside your SOLD sign?  We also offer digital photo moving announcements, which are some of our most popular moving announcements to date.  This is also a great way to share a photo of your new pad with family, especially if they live out of state and won’t be able to visit for a while.

Check out some of our most popular moving announcements below and make your move that much more special with a moving announcement to share with your family and friends – old and new!

Related posts:

1. Moving Announcements One of the most exciting and yet stressful times of...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

RSVP – r.s.v.p. – Please reply - repondez s’il vous plait.  However you say it, however you write it, replies are one of the most important parts of an invitation ensemble.  If you don’t know how many guests are attending your event, you’ll have no idea how large, (or small), your party may be.

It sometimes seems lately that guests do no want to bother to RSVP anymore, as if it’s almost an inconvenience to reply.  As the invitee, be aware of this and set your RSVP date on your response card about one week prior to when you need to know how many people are attending.  This will give you time to have any last-minute replies trickle in, as well as time to contact any guests who may have forgotten to reply.  Do not set your reply-by date for the date your caterer needs a head count.

Along with your requested reply-by date, include a line for your guests to write their name upon, so that you know the name of all guests attending.  Give them a few options to select whether or not they are attending.  The most popular choices are “will attend / will not attend” or “accepts with pleasure / declines with regret”.  Some customers may want to put “number attending”, however note that this opens the door for guests to bring as many guests as they desire along with them.  You could invite Mr. and Mrs. Smith and assume two would attend, but they fill in “4″ for their “number attending”.  If you can have a large head count, feel free to use this option.

Remember that your reply card envelopes should be pre-stamped so that all guests need to do is fill out your reply card and place it back into the mail.  This way they do not need to worry about postage.  Always include a name above your address on the front of the reply card envelopes so that your guests know who they are replying to.  Many guests may want to jot down a note of congratulations to you, or a note of regret if they cannot attend.  Remember that it is okay to have more than one name on your reply card, however if you and your fiance are asking for replies, are living together, and are not yet married, you should not be placed on the same line, or joined with an ampersand, as these two things signify marriage in the wedding etiquette world.  You would thus list it as:

Katie Smith
Richard Mallis
145 Main Street
Cary, NC 27513

Mailed replies just not your thing?  If your event is formal, we would suggest a physical reply card.  However, if you are having a more casual event it is certainly acceptable to ask for a phone call or email RSVP.  You may even want to create an RSVP website for your guests to go to.  Whatever way you choose, make it most convenient for you to clearly organize your RSVP’s!

Related posts:

1. Reply Card Etiquette RSVP – r.s.v.p. – Please reply - repondez s’il vous plait....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Top o’ the morning to ya!  St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, on March 17, 2012!  Now is the time to start planning your Irish celebration – whether you’re Irish or not, we don’t discriminate!  St. Patrick’s Day celebrates Saint Patrick, as well as the arrival of Christianity to Ireland in the 17th century.  Saint Patrick was captured as a child by the Irish raiders.  Once released, he sailed a ship to Britain and brought back Christianity to teach to the Irish.  He used the shamrock to explain Christianity using the Trinity.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated today by many overseas and in the US by holding church services, attending large festive St. Patrick’s Day parades, wearing green or Irish themed attire and attending large feasts accompanied by alcoholic beverages.  It’s a great time to gather with family and friends to celebrate your heritage and celebrate our Irish traditions…and a great excuse for a party before the spring and summer season begins!

Set the scene for your St. Patrick’s Day party with a St. Patrick’s Day party invitation.  We offer a variety of styles in every shade of green you can think of which will work perfectly for casual or formal St. Patrick’s Day parties.  With St. Patrick’s Day being on a Saturday this year, you’ll have plenty of time to plan your party and plenty of guests who can attend!

Choose from a variety of Celtic invitation styles including shamrock patterned party invitations, Guinness Irish Stout invitations, beer maiden invitations, leprechaun invitations, pot of gold and rainbow invitations, green beer invitations, vintage Irish pub sign invitations, digital photo ticket invitations as well as green patterned and bordered invitations.   For those hosting an annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration with their friends, we also offer St. Patty’s Day invitations with couples drinking cocktails while dressed for this festive Irish holiday.  However you party Irish, we’ll help you celebrate.

Check out some of our favorite irish themed invitations below and spread a little ‘luck of the Irish’ to your recipients.  Remember to add a fun St. Patrick’s Day sticker, return address label or self-inking celtic stamp to your order to create a matching ensemble, and spread a little Irish all throughout the year!

Related posts:

1. St. Patrick’s Day Party Invitations Top o’ the morning to ya!  St. Patrick’s Day is...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Who says girls can’t play and celebrate sports?!  Celebrate the star female athlete in your family on her birthday this year with a sporty girl themed birthday party!  In 2012, life seems to be all about getting on track, staying healthy and being active…and teaching the value of that to our children.  Our kids love running around outside, riding their bikes, kicking a soccer ball around in the yard or playing ballerina…why not incorporate that into their birthday party this year for all of their friends to enjoy?

Our sporty girl birthday party invitations encompass all of the activities that little girls love.  Choose from girl soccer party invitations, bowling party invitations, ballet party invitations, gymnastics party invitations, roller skating party invitations, horseback riding invitations or girl bounce house party invitations, depending on her favorite after-school activity.  Or, if she likes a little bit of every sport, set up an obstacle course to incorporate a couple of her favorite activities.  We offer adorable cartoon invitations which show active kids playing as well as digital photo party invitations.

When composing your sports party invitations, remember to pick an invitation that clearly represents what you’ll be doing or playing at the party.  Nobody wants to come to a soccer party wearing a dress and then finds out that they’re going to kick a ball around.  Many sports complex’s have waivers or guidelines for parents to fill-out and follow before each child attends.  Be sure to include this information with your invitation.  If each child needs to bring socks, sunblock, a towel or sneakers, be sure to put that vital information on your invitation, as well as have extra necessities on hand at your party.

Play up your party theme by incorporating your sport into your party decorations.  If your theme is a blue, black and white soccer ball, use those colors for your party decorations and party scene.  If you’re having a pink bounce house party, serve your guests cupcakes that have jelly beans on top that look like the balls from inside a bounce house.  Get creative!

Make her sports party one she’ll never forget, and one where the kids will leave exhausted from how much fun they’ll have!

Related posts:

1. Sporty Girl Birthday Party Invitations Who says girls can’t play and celebrate sports?!  Celebrate the...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.