Coasters - for more than just the glass!

Coasters can be used as a part of the whole table set up at the reception. Not only can they accent the centerpieces, but can send messages to your guests. Here are some ideas of how to use coasters as one of the "day-of" pieces:

1. Quotes. Our albums showcase poems, lines from songs, etc. Don't forget classics like Dr. Seuss, Pride and Prejudice, or a vow (awww......)
2. Passage. Favorite religious reading or part of a book can be very meaningful
3. Thanks. If there wasn't room in the program, here is a great place to thank everyone for sharing the special day with the couple
4. Signature drink. Example would be the from the Amelie suite. Create a drink for the special occasion which people can then take home to try to recreate. Also during the reception people can read what they are drinking!
   
5. Menu. Save some money and put a simplified menu on the coaster!
   
6. Photo. Here is another way to showcase beautiful engagement pictures or a favorite picture from time together. Letterpress photos are a piece of art!
7. Monogram. Reuse the monogram created for the invites
8. Contest/game. Have a simple "names and date" on the top and on the bottom create a game for your guests to play!
9. Fun facts. Have two different coasters- fun facts about the groom and fun facts about the bride, your guests can get to know you even better!
   

More advice and ideas for coasters:

• Use two different colored papers- as long as the ink color is the same, no price difference!
• Have two different designs for the coasters, use them both on the tables.
  
• To lower costs just use rounded corners, free with all one ply papers!
• Or go all out and use a fun die-cut shape like a circle
  
• Think creatively! Anything can be designed and used as part of your big day!

Pricing:
A one color, one ply paper, circle, 100 quantity - $225
A one color, one ply paper, rounded square, 100 quantity - $160
A one color, two ply paper, circle, 100 quantity - $290
A one color, two ply paper, rounded square, 100 quantity - $225

Pictured: Amelie's signature drink coaster, Valerie and Jim's wedding picture coaster (for an AIGA event), Hollie's song quote coaster, and the always beautiful Natalya pattern coaster

Just email spark@letterpresslove.com for other quotes related to coasters or our other great "day-of" items!

Twitter Giveaway! Receive 10 Henry greeting cards!

Our first Twitter contest was a huge hit and thanks to everyone for participating! Well.....we hit 600 followers which means its time for another giveaway to show our appreciation.

Here's the scoop:

What: Twitter contest to win 10 Henry cards and envelopes.
When: Thursday August 26th
1-4 PM Central Time
Who: All our followers

Check out the Henry cards!

The winner will get to choose their choice of Henry cards and receive the matching envelopes.

Here are the rules:
1. Must post/retweet our CONTEST TWEET during the time allotted (1-4 pm Central time)
2. Must be a @letterpresslove follower
3. Smile....it just makes you a happier person!

Retailer Profile: Jenny's Paper, Ink

 

Jenny's Paper, Ink
Atlanta, GA

Owner: Jenny Adair
Length in business: 3 years

Why did you choose to carry the new Spark albums?: Custom letterpress, upgrades!
Favorite new Spark design: Arianna

Website: www.jennyspaperink.com

Other thoughts about the albums: They are generally more "out there" then my average clients, but I use the custom options to create a simpler pattern.
Average client: very traditional, they like simple patterns, lines, and colors.
Strengths as a retailer/store: Ability to help clients visualize invites, attention to detail in descriptions

Jenny's Paper is a passionate retailer who is super fun and easy to work with. Lately Jenny's specialty has been Mitzvahs and it was fun to create custom pieces for the event! Thanks Jenny! If you are in Atlanta, give her studio a tour!

South Dakota- facts for the shocked.

So many of you are shocked to find out we are located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. So I thought I would bring you some fun facts about the great state in which we Sparklers live.

Here are some fun facts about the great state of South Dakota:

• South Dakota is the home of the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota tribes which make up the Sioux Nation.
• Sculptor Gutzon Borglum began drilling into the 6,200-foot Mount Rushmore in 1927. It took 14 years and cost a mere $1 million. The faces are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
• The U.S.S. South Dakota was the most decorated battleship during WWII.
• Sturgis is the home of the annual Black Hills Classic Motorcycle Rally.
• Tom Brokaw of NBC graduated from Yankton High School and the University of South Dakota.
• The name "Black Hills" (where Mount Rushmore is) comes from the Lakota words Paha Sapa, which mean "hills that are black". Seen at a distance, the hills do appear black.
• Badlands National Park consists of nearly 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed grass prairie in the US.
• Deadwood was the site of a gold rush in 1875 and still has a mining town atmosphere. Much of its fame rests on the famous or infamous characters that passed through.
• One of the largest, most complete and best preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex was excavated near Faith, SD.
• At Palisades State park, beds of red pipestone and Sioux quartzite can be found. The minerals are 1.2 billion years old and the pipestone is considered sacred by American Indians.

Believe it or not: we DO have things like Starbucks, malls, art museums, airports, and we do watch the news. NO there are not tepees and buffalo everywhere, we don't wear bonnets like on Little House of the Prairie, and we do actually like where we live.

:)

Thanks to these pages for the great SD info!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakota
http://50States.com

Thanks for 500 followers! Twitter contest for free calling cards!

We recently discovered we have 500 people interested in what Valerie and the other Sparklers have to tweet about. We would like to thanks those for following us by having a little contest.

As we see the growth of social media continue to expand faster than we can understand it, we are trying to use these great tools to their full potential. Our year-end goal for 2010 (that is sooner then you think) is to increase our fans on facebook, twitter followers, and up the blog readership. I know, it's a lot, but we think it can be done. We know that by finding friends near and far through social media tools we can spread the letterpress love.

Now for the contest!

Friday the 13th someone will be lucky enough to receive 100 free one color letterpress calling cards (same specifics as our August/September deal). RT our Twitter about the contest between 11am and 1pm Central Standard time and you will be entered. Only one entry per person will be accepted! Then we will do that "pick one person from the hat game" and announce the winner that afternoon!

Rules

1. You must RT in the designated timeframe.
2. You must be an @letterpresslove follower.
3. Smile - it just makes you a happier person! :)

No worries if you miss this contest! We plan on having other giveaways until we reach our goal of 1000 followers, as well as other contests on our blog and facebook.

The winner may choose from any of our Spark calling card designs of the non-diecut variety in the following sizes: 3.5"x2" standard, 3.5"x1.5" skinny or 2.5" square on any of our standard 1-ply papers, printed in one color letterpress. We will customize the card design for you. By entering this contest you agree that we can photograph and post about the final card design (with private contact information obscured of course). If you have your heart set on a two color design, higher quantity, fancier paper or a diecut shape, we will let you pay the difference of the upgrade.

Thanks, Oh So Beautiful Paper!

Our friend Nole, the writer of Oh So Beautiful Paper, did a post on us today for her blog. Thanks Nole!

http://ohsobeautifulpaper.com/2010/08/wedding-invitations-spark-letterpress/

Retailer Profile: Envision Wedding Studio

Envision Wedding Studio
Sioux Falls, SD

Owner: Leah Moller
Length in business: 4 years

Why did you choose to carry the new Spark albums?: We love letterpress! And having Spark headquarters right down the street really adds a personal touch for our clients.
Favorite new Spark design: Stella

Social Media
website: www.envisionweddingstudio.com
Facebook: Envision Wedding Studio
Twitter: @envisionwedding

Other thoughts about the new albums: We just started carrying Spark and the designs are incredible! Can't wait to work with the ladies more!
Average client: traditional/classic...this is the Midwest!
Strengths as a retailer/store: design orientated, artiscally driven

Sioux Falls residents know to go to Leah for all their event planning needs. It is nice to have a retailer we can literally drop by on the way to work! Thanks, Leah!

Create Custom Stationery with our New Retailers!

Spark is excited to announce that the following stores have recently joined the Spark team to carry our custom wedding and stationery albums! We are featuring them here first as we await our retail store locator on our website to be updated.

So, when you are ready to create your custom invite with Spark, please visit our retail store locator on our website to find a retailer near you - and don't forget these new retailers below!

Welcome to:

Molly's Paperie, Little Rock, AR. mollyspaperie.com
Sweetpaper, La Jolla, CA. sweet-paper.com
Seaside Papery, Coronado, CA. seasidepapery.com
Wordshop, Denver, CO. wordshopdenver.com
Two Hands Paperie, Boulder, CO. twohandspaperie.com
Fabulously Yours, Trumbull, CT. fabinvitations.com
Paper Doll, Chicago, IL. paperdollchicago.com
The Monogram Shoppe, Fort Wayne, IN. monogramshoppe.com
Westwood Paper Company, Carmel, IN. westwoodpaper.com
Aberdeen Manor, Valparaiso, IN. aberdeenmanor.com
Paperista, Minneapolis, MN. paperista.com
Gus & Ruby Letterpress, Portsmouth, NH. gusandruby.com
Little Black Dress Paperie, Bernardsville, NJ. littleblackdresspaperie.com
Lion in the Sun of Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY. lioninthesunps.com
Petite Fete, Forest Hills, NY. petite-fete.com
Alpine Creative Group, New York, NY. alpinecreativegroup.com
Kate's Paperie, 57th Street Location, New York, NY. katespaperie.com
Kate's Paperie, Third Avenue Location, New York, NY. katespaperie.com
Kate's Paperie, Soho Location, New York, NY. katespaperie.com
Bloomingdale's, New York, NY. judypaulendesigns.com
The Paper Tiger, Woodmere, NY. thepapertigerny.com
You're Invited Gifts & Paper, Nashville, TN. yistationery.com
Needle In A Haystack, Dallas, TX. needleinahaystack.biz
Paper Place, Austin, TX. paperplaceaustin.com
The Write Image, Salt Lake City, UT. twio.com
Robin's Paperie, Cedarburg, WI. robinspaperie.com
The Paper Deli, Middleton, WI. thepaperdelistore.com

...and, additional stores to be announced soon!

Retailer Profile: The Dandelion Patch- Vienna

The Dandelion Patch
Vienna, VA

Owner: Heidi Kallett
Length in business: about 15 years

Why did you choose to carry the new Spark albums?: They looked so fun and were different from our other vendors. We loved the pockets and the envelope liners.
Favorite new Spark design: Natalya

Social Media
Website: www.thedandelionpatch.com
Facebook: The Dandelion Patch (for the two VA locations)
Twitter: @Dandelion_Patch (for the two VA locations)

Other thoughts about the albums: Love the flexibility, great diversity in designs!
Average client: Classic
Strengths as a retailer/store: Our customer service.

The Vienna team is wonderful to work with. They really know how to use our custom albums to help you create your one of a kind suite!

Fun with our Complimentary Calling cards

Joy speaking (so blame her if you don't like the puns)

So last week I told you about the August/September deal here at Spark- order a 4-piece suite and receive complimentary calling cards (a.k.a. at home cards) in the same quantity. Just a reminder that our great die-cuts are not included in this offer, however, I am going to provide some advice on who should use these the standard rectangular calling card, the skinny calling card, and the square calling card.

Urban dictionary is fun people, let's go with it to determine how one should choose their calling card.

Square - "a person regarded as dull, rigidly conventional, and out of touch with current trends"
In my mind, using letterpress already means you are in with the trends, so that can't be right. Dull, huh. I think squares just provide comfort to those who like equal length sides.

Skinny - "the scoop, what's up?" "the low down"
So these are great for those who only want to share their information with a select group of people who they would like in their inner circle. But who knows.

The traditional rectangle - Neither rectangle or business card came up with a urban dictionary definition. Oh well. These are perfect for those who want their card to fit in with all the other cards in the Rolodex. Conforming is a word that keeps popping into my head here.

Ok, ok enough fun. In all reality, at home cards are a great way to share with your loved ones your new address, an updated email, website, social media pages (don't forget twitter and your youtube channel), and perhaps even a new house number (do people still get those?)

Or give all the wrong information and become a hermit or anonymous blogger after your big day.

If you have any real questions about this Spark deal, please email spark@letterpresslove.com or contact your nearest retailer.