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October 27, 2011

Fall Event Accessories for All Occasions

Filed under: Seasonal & Special Events Ideas — Tags: — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Fall is the favorite season for many people for a variety of reasons. The weather in many parts of the country is simply beautiful with temperatures in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s; leaves change from green to vibrant shades of yellow, red and orange; and there is a crispness to the air that just makes you want to be outside as much as possible. Fall is also the time of year when the most joyous holidays are fast approaching, football season is in full swing, the kids are back to school and the stress of summer vacations has passed.

September, October, and November are perfect months for many social activties such as backyard barbecues, tailgating get togethers, weddings, Halloween parties, back-to-school activities and holiday preparation. If you are planning a Fall social event, you should choose fall stationery or fall invitations to announce your get together and set the mood for the autumn festivities coming soon.

If you are hosting a Halloween or Thanksgiving party, you can choose from PaperDirect’s extensive line of Fall-themed invitations, place cards, greeting cards, border papers, menu cards, post cards and envelopes. With images of autumn leaves, pumpkins, gourds and other symbols of this wonderful season, your guests will know that the time to celebrate the wonders of Fall is upon them. Fall stationery can be used for your family newsletter or to thank someone for a special gift or gesture. With a great deal of communication being done electronically these days, the recipient of a handwritten letter or thank you note on Fall paper will appreciate the extra effort you put into saying thank you.

Shop PaperDirect’s extensive selection of event accessories such as stationery, invitations, thank you notes, place cards, banners and everything else you will need to host an event this fall.

October 17, 2011

Fall Newsletters

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Keep your employees and your customers informed with Fall Newsletters.  Fall Newsletters are perfect for sales updates, recognizing employee anniversaries, safety issues, new product information and other important company happenings.

Ornamental Fall NewslettersSunflower Garden NewslettersSwirls of Autumn NewslettersPalermo Newsletters

October 14, 2011

Homecoming Tips for Military Marriages

Filed under: Wedding Wording & Etiquette — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

All American Casual InvitationsMilitary weddings can be both exciting and difficult. There is nothing more exciting than pledging your love to your soul mate and vowing to love and honor that person for the rest of your life. But after your military wedding, one or both of you may be deployed, and separating a newly married couple can sometimes complicate marital issues.

First and foremost, the time apart causes the spouses to miss each other, and with that, comes sadness, but that sadness can quickly turn to joy when you find out that your loved one is coming home. If you had a  military wedding, your spouse left, and now is coming home again, there are some homecoming tips for military marriages that may help make the transition of an emotional reunion go much more smoothly. These suggestions apply most to military marriages in which one spouse has been gone for several months or even years.

  • Take things slowly upon reuniting. Do not rush getting to know each other again.
  • Understand and accept that things may be different. Your spouse’s personality may be different because he/she has witnessed combat or other wartime experiences that many people will never see in their lifetime.
  • Ask your spouse if he/she wants to talk about those experiences. If not, don’t take it personally and lash out at your spouse. Simply give him or her time and eventually the stories may begin to unfold.
  • Get to know each other again by going on dates and spending a great deal of alone time together. If you have children, ask family members or friends to babysit so you and your spouse can get reacquainted.  But don’t isolate your children from their mom or dad. Include your children in family activities as they will be frightened and curious about this parent that they may not know very well. Gradually involve the entire family inFreedom Casual Invitations activities that will put everyone at ease and give the kids the sense that things are “normal.”
  • Plan a welcome home celebration when you feel your spouse is ready.

Military weddings bring with them many issue that civilian weddings do not. If you are planning a military wedding, please visit PaperDirect online for all your Welcome home party needs. If you need help with planning your military wording, you can read about military wedding invitation wording here.

October 13, 2011

Halloween Fun Facts for Your Cool Halloween Party

Filed under: Seasonal & Special Events Ideas — Tags: — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Smiling Jack InvitationsIf you want to try a cool Halloween party idea at your Halloween party this year, include Halloween trivia and fun facts in the festivities. You can organize the kids (or adults) into teams or have them take a Halloween fun fact quiz and award prizes to the winners. Here are some questions you can include in the verbal quiz game or hand-written quiz. Or, you can present a list of questions and have a competition to see who can get all the answers to the questions the fastest. This would be a great activity to have in a library where the children have access to several different sources to find the answers. You could call your local library well in advance to see if you can reserve a small space for an hour or so.

  • What is the origin of Halloween?Good Ghost Invitations
  • How did the tradition of trick-or-treating begin?
  • How did the tradition of dressing up in a costume begin?
  • What other colors do pumpkins come in besides orange?

Here are Halloween trivia and fun facts you can share at your Halloween party this year:

  • Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts.
  • Pumpkins can be orange, white, blue and green.
  • Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.Black Magic Invitations
  • Tootsie rolls were the first wrapped candy in America.
  • Ancient Celts began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human by spirits and ghosts on Halloween night.
  • Halloween candy sales average over $2 billion in the U.S. each year.
  • Snickers is the number one chocolate candy treat for children on Halloween.
  • Halloween is second only to Christmas as commercially successful holidays.

Looking for cool Halloween party ideas and need Halloween invitations? Check out other PaperDirect blog posts and shop our online store for all your party needs.

October 12, 2011

Great Ideas for Classroom Recognition

Filed under: Student Recognition Ideas — Tags: — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Motivate your student to do their very best in all they do, use certificates to congratulate for special accomplishments, reward good behavior or citizenship with gift certificates, and motivate with motivational gifts.

Confetti Stars Casual CertificateReading Award Casual CertificatesStar Glow Fill-In-The-Blank Gift CertificatesHand Prints Lettertop Certificates

October 7, 2011

Examples of Wedding Card Thank You Note Wording

Elegant Lilies Specialty NoteCardsWhen you just have just a few short sentences to express your gratitude for a generous gift, you want to make sure the wording of your wedding thank you note is spot on. Don’t get hung up on the length of your wedding thank you note. You can say what you have to say in just a few sentences, and the more specific and to the point you are, the better.

We recently published a blog about thank card etiquette and when to send thank you notes. The blog also included information about what components should be in thank you cards and suggestions for wording. Here, we will focus on examples of wedding thank you card wording only.

If you are sending a wedding thank you card to a close relative or dear friend, you can include more personal details than you would to someone you barely know. Here is one example:

“Dear Grandma Susan and Grandpa Tim,

Thank you so very much for the beautiful hand-crafted cedar chest! It looks amazing in the master bedroom and matches the rest of the furniture very well. As usual, you put so much thought into your gift and picked out something we will both treasure forever. It was nice seeing you and we can’t wait to see you again at Mom’s birthday party this September. Thank you again for your generous gift.

Love,

Julie and Jason”

Here is an example of wedding card thank you note wording to someone you don’t know so well:

“Dear Dr. and Mrs. Anderson,

Thank you for the lovely lace tablecloth you gave us for our wedding. It was so nice to finally meet you after having heard so much about you all these years from my parents. Now I can see why they consider you their best friends. Again, thank you so much for your generosity.

Sincerely,

Jason and Julie Thompson”

Here is wedding card thank you wording when the gift is cash (you want include what you plan to do with the money):

“Dear Aunt June and Uncle Bill,

Thank you so much for the generous check you gave Jason and me for our wedding. We are going to use it to re-do the guest room into a nursery for the baby. As soon as the baby’s room is finished, we’ll have you over for dinner so you can see what we’ve done.

Love,

Julie and Jason”

Here is an example of how to word a wedding thank you note if you don’t really like the gift:

“Dear Sherry and David,

Thank you so much for the velvet painting. You are always so generous, and it was so nice to share our special day with you.

See you soon,

Jamie and Jason”

PaperDirect is your online shopping source for everything you need for your Do-It-Yourself Wedding.

October 6, 2011

Fall Party Themes

Filed under: Seasonal & Special Events Ideas — Tags: — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Oktober Festivities Border PapersFall is the perfect time of year to have a party because the leaves are turning colors, the air is cool and crisp, and the holiday season is just around the corner. When you are considering outdoor fall party themes, you want to keep your guests’ preferences in mind and select an appropriate fall party theme based on your guests’ ages and interests. Here are some fall party themes to get your wheels turning:Fantasy Football Casual Invitations

  • Football themed party: Men and women and children of all ages look forward to football season all summer, and hosting a football themed fall party is a great way to “kick off” college and professional football seasons. Just about every family has at least one football fan, and many families have several members who are devoted to one particular team. To get your fall football party underway, choose (or make) an invitation with a football theme. If you live in San Francisco, and you know all your guests are 49ers fans, you can buy an invitation in the shape of a football with the team logo and include all party information such as time, location, what to bring, what the theme is, whether children are invited, etc.
  • Fall Harvest theme: Select an Fall invitation with any one of the symbols of Fall Poppies Casual Invitationsautumn such as colorful leaves, pumpkins, acorns, gourds, and apples. You can plan craft projects at the party or have a pie judging or pie-eating contest. You can ask your guests to bring their favorite fall-inspired food, dessert or drink to your fall party theme. You can bob for apples, roast pumpkin seeds and serve cider and cider doughnuts.
  • Oktoberfest themed party: Plan a traditional German Oktoberfest party for early or late October.  You’ll need plenty of beer, and traditional German foods such as sausages, bratwurst, and knackwurst. Side dishes such as German potato salad and red cabbage with apples, bacon and sauerkraut will surely please even those with no German in their blood. Display the traditional blue and white diamond pattern on cups, plates and napkins.  If you want to make it really authentic, hire an Oompah band to play Oktoberfest music and allow your guests to wear costumes if they like to really get into Oktoberfest. This is one fall party theme your guests will love!

For more party ideas including spring and Summer themed parties, please read the PaperDirect blog.

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