The wait is finally over!  A few months ago, we had the opportunity to collaborate with some very talented wedding professionals in the Charlotte area.  We took the Style Me Pretty Inspiration to Reality challenge and set out to make an amazing inspiration board designed by Portugal-based Brancoprata come to life . . . and boy did we ever!

Ceci New York custom-designed the invitation suite for the occasion and it is available exclusively at Salutations!

The Inspiration to Reality project was led by the amazingly talented Drea & Casey Cunningham of Cunningham Photo Artists and Ivy Robinson of Ivy Robinson Weddings & Events.  We were thrilled to also work with the really fun and fabulously gifted group of Heather Batt of Hayden Olivia Bridal, Amy Craparo of The Wow Factor Cakes, and stylist Melissa Lamkin ~ all from Charlotte.

Crane’s Signature Event

Receive free name or monogram and return address dies on engraved or letterpressed stationery orders of at least 100 sets (a $96 value).

Or, receive free return address printing on thermographed stationery orders with quantities of 100 or more sets {a min. $58 value}.

The promotion runs through April 12, 2010.  This is a great opportunity to save on wonderfully personal gifts for graduation, Mother’s Day or perhaps a 1st anniversary {the theme is paper}.

William Arthur Free Return Address Promotion

Order 100 or more personalized notes, correspondence cards or letter sheets from William Arthur and receive free return address print.  {The savings for 100 pieces ranges from $45 to $125, depending on your chosen print method.}

The promotion runs through May 31st.

William Arthur “25 Free” Wedding Promotion

What could be better than a gorgeous letterpressed wedding invitation suite from Smock Paper?  Gorgeous letterpressed FREE Save the Dates from Smock Paper!  {Yes, you read that right.}   One of our very favorite invitation companies is offering not one, but two, amazing promotions throughout 2010!

When you purchase Smock letterpressed invitations, outer envelopes, and reply cards, you will get your letterpressed save-the-date cards free.  {That’s a $480 value for 100 2-color cards!}

Or, if you don’t need save-the-dates, Smock still has a fabulous promotion for you.  You can get FREE return address printing on your outer invitation envelopes with any Smock wedding invitation suite.  {That’s a $240 savings for 100 envelopes!}

Smock is one of those rare companies that constantly amazes us with their drop-dead-gorgeous designs, deep letterpress impressions, luxurious and eco-friendly bamboo paper, amazing attention to detail, genuine commitment to the environment, and just plain friendly people.

Salutations is proud to be the exclusive representative of Smock invitations and stationery in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill and Charlotte areas.  In fact, we are one of a very few retailers in the entire state of North Carolina where you can find these gems.  Give us a call or send an email to schedule your appointment to see this truly incredible line.  We’ll even have some champagne on ice for you ~ our own version of a Sip & See!

{all photos courtesy of Smock Paper}

Where will you be 5 years from today?  This could be one of the most important questions you could ask yourself.  I recently had a very eye-opening experience in which I was asked to estimate my life expectancy, which I “guesstimated” based on my family history to be 80 years.  Since I am nearly 45 years old, this puts my projected year of death at 2044.  When faced with that end date staring me in the face, I felt my heart starting to race and my mind swirling with the reality that this date does not seem all that far away.  This experience solidified for me my “Live Your Life On Purpose” philosophy ~ that you cannot simply allow life to happen to you, but that you must determine what you want out of life and go after it.

I was thrilled to find this book that is so much more than just another “how-to” book ~ it provides a playbook for your life ~ an interactive, kick-in-the-pants tool.  It features thought-provoking quotations and real-life examples to serve as both a spark and a road map for what’s exciting in your life. Take a look at this fantastic video that gives you a sneak peek at the power of this book.  Then, stop in or shop online to pick up a copy for yourself and for anyone on your Christmas list who may benefit from a jump start in their lives.

This month, this season, this year . . . it seems especially important to stop and take stock of all the good things we have in our lives and to try to share something that will give hope to those who may be in need in some way.  I love to be inspired ~ and I’m learning that when you really open your eyes, there is inspiration everywhere.  So this month, I’d like to feature on the Inspirations blog those ideas, events, companies and products for which I am thankful, that have inspired me, and that give hope and inspiration to others.

I’d like to begin the series by highlighting the Hope is in the Cards movement, started by Russ Haan ~ a small business owner who had an idea one day that has caught on like wildfire.  Here is the essence of the movement:

What if every American sent just one letter or card of support to another American. What would happen? What would it do to our collective national spirit if the word HOPE was written on the back of every envelope?

You’d go to your mailbox and it would be filled with something besides bills and collections notices. It would contain HOPE.  And better yet, you might even have a personal card or letter from someone saying THANK YOU or I BELIEVE IN YOU.

Those kinds of messages can do more than just make someone’s day brighter for a moment - they can change people’s lives.

So, if you’d like to help spread a little hope this season, join in Hope Fridays ~ think of the end of the week as a good time to mail something positive.  It would mean that, early in the next week, someone is gong to receive an unexpected card or letter of support.

So today, please take 1 minute, send 1 card, to 1 person. That’s all it takes to help invigorate the spirit of possibility.  If that’s not possible for you, then just write the word HOPE on the back of anything you mail. Fast, free, easy, and it puts HOPE back out there.

When I was young, I used to view stores as “corporate entities” {a term from my lawyer days} - cold, lifeless businesses with stuff inside to buy or to browse.  After spending eight years owning retail boutiques, I now know that businesses - especially local independent businesses - are so much more.  They are very similar to humans ~ living, breathing beings with a heart, a soul, and a personality.

Just like giving birth, the owners of these beings imagine them into reality, plan for their arrival, and nurture them through infancy.  Throughout the lives of these beings, the owners learn how to improve and make them grow into better beings, live through the growing pains of adolescence, and take pride as these beings evolve into mature organizations.  Some owners even give birth to additional beings, taking what they’ve learned in rearing the first and applying it to the life cycle of the second.  Just like with children, the owners of independent stores find themselves thinking about their businesses when they first awake in the morning and as they fall asleep at night, and often as they lay awake in the middle of the night.

Invariably, these businesses have a distinct personality ~ a personality that is shaped by the owners and embodied by the people who staff them.  You can tell the personality of a good store within the first few minutes of entering ~ when it feels like you’ve just entered the home of a good neighbor.  You are greeted with a smile and a warm welcome, often by name if you’ve visited before.

Stationery stores, in particular, tend to develop close relationships with their customers.  When working on birth announcements, we are thrilled at the anticipation of their new arrival and overcome with joy at the birth of their babies.  We get caught up in the excitement of brides and grooms, and do everything we can to help make the dreams of their big day a reality.  We are thrilled at coming up with the perfect wording for a child’s birthday party invitation.  We revel in gleaning the personality of an individual so we can create the perfect stationery to express their style.  We help select and cheerfully wrap their gifts in a stunning presentation to help make the recipient feel even more special.  And, we are saddened ~ often moved to tears ~ in working on sympathy acknowledgments.

In these stressful economic times, these local independent businesses are facing declining sales, rising expenses, increasing competition from online entities {and often from their own vendors}, and the death of their friends.  Every day, the owners of these businesses are required to make tough decisions ~ which items to buy that customers will respond to favorably and purchase, how much of those items to buy so they don’t end up holding old inventory, whether to offer a discount on some items in an effort to increase sales but somehow still meet operating expenses, dreaming up promotions that will drive traffic into the store, and so on.

Just like every parent, the owners of these independent businesses take great pride in the reputation they’ve built and light up when they are told that their “babies” have done a great job.  Similarly, these owners and the staff that care so much are hurt deeply by inconsiderate questions, disrespectful comments, and negative tones uttered about their “babies.”  When we spend hours with a bride educating her about wedding invitations and helping her select just the right invitation set, and she then tells us that she ordered her invitations online or purchased them from a competitor at a discount, we are hurt.  When we are asked with disgust why we don’t carry an extremely specific item in exactly the motif, shade or price point the customer is looking for, we are disappointed that we can’t meet someone’s expectations.  When we are told that, although our products and service are phenomenal, we should offer deep discounts, we are bruised.

Many times, these types of behavior are really the result of a lack of understanding that these small businesses are living, breathing entities with feelings.  During the impending holiday season ~ often a make-or-break time for many small businesses ~ we would all do well to remember that these “entities” are the result of the blood, sweat and tears {literally!} of the owners and their dedicated staff members.  If you are pleased with your experience, let them know they’ve done a good job.  If you are disappointed in something, you may want to let the owner or staff member know of an expectation that was not met {maybe they can get or create something for you}.  Just remember that it’s not always what you say, but how you say it, that means the most.  And, if you appreciate the personality of a local independent business, help them to stay alive by continuing to give them your business.  {For more on the impact that your purchases at independent businesses have on your local community, see the 3/50 Project.}

Check out all of the fun holiday photo cards on SanLori’s new site!  Through November 30th, you can get 25 free round address labels with your order of 75 or more holiday cards.  And, if you order 150 or more holiday cards, you will get 25 free labels AND free shipping.

Once you select the holiday card you would like to order, call us, email us, or come on in the store to let us know your selection.  {Although it looks like you need to customize your selection online, the site requires a retailer login, so let us do the work for you.}  We will just need a digital file of your photo{s}, and what you’d like to say, and we’ll do the rest.  We will send a proof to you by email of the card with your photo and wording and SanLori will print the photo{s} and your custom message right on the card.  What could be easier?!

All the stockings were hung on display with care . . . .  We had a wonderful time at our annual Salutations Holiday Open House last Thursday!  Everyone got into the Season of Giving spirit, as we collected some great donations for the Second Harvest Food Bank and for the Salvation Army Christmas Angel programs, and we gave away some amazing SWAG bags and lots of special holiday discounts.

Our vendors and neighboring merchants were so generous in providing us with fabulous treats for our SWAG bags.  Smock Paper providing gorgeous letterpressed holiday card & gift tag sets; Dauphine Press sent sets of wonderful letterpressed correspondence cards; Crane & Co. donated copies of their hardcover Blue Book of Stationery; Midori Ribbon sent gift boxes of green organdy ribbon; Inviting Company provided some very fun notepads; Wiley Valentine provided sets of letterpress offcuts assembled into notepads; Modern Salon and Spa provided samples and 20% off coupons; JesseBrown’s contributed $10 coupons; Kilwin’s provided “Buy One Get One Free” ice cream coupons; Her Therapy shared 20% off coupons; and I.C. London provided $10 coupons.  We love our vendors and neighboring merchants, who are so supportive of Salutations.

We are all getting into the holiday spirit at Salutations as we busily prepare for our annual Holiday Open House on Thursday, October 29th from 4 pm to 7 pm.  We are so excited this year to introduce a Season of Giving component to the Holiday Open House!

Here’s what we are giving you:

1.  A 20% discount off all holiday-related purchases that evening ~ in-stock and custom-ordered holiday greeting cards, holiday photo cards, holiday invitations, holiday stationery, holiday wrapping paper & accessories, and holiday decor.

2.  A fabulous SWAG bag to the first 25 customers in each store who attend, filled with lots of FREE merchandise, coupons, and gift certificates.

3.  A discount of 20% off your regularly priced purchase when you bring in a donation {see below}.

4.  A sidewalk sale with discounts of 40-75% off discontinued and clearance merchandise.

5.  Of course, festive sips and treats, holiday music, and lots of friendly smiles and laughter!

Here’s what we are hoping you’ll give:

1.  We will be collecting non-perishable food and non-food items for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina in Charlotte and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina in Raleigh.  For a little inspiration, please see the Faces of Hunger.  Click here for a list of most needed items.

2.  We will be collecting new, unwrapped toys and other items for the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree and Fill-a-Stocking programs.  Click here for a list of gift ideas.  As you can imagine, the Salvation Army Christmas Center is seeing record numbers of families register for assistance this year, so let’s take a minute to appreciate how much we have and share with others who are less fortunate.

We would really like to make this our largest and most generous Holiday Open House ever, so please spread the word to your friends who may be interested!  See our Facebook page to share the post about this event.  Come early to get your bag of goodies, bring a friend, and kick off the holiday season in style by ordering your holiday cards and checking a few holiday gifts off that “nice” list!  Or, be a little “naughty” and grab a few deals for yourself!

We were thrilled to learn today that a wedding invitation set we recently did for Letitia Thomas and James January was featured prominently on Wiley Valentine’s blog.  These invitations set the tone perfectly for the couple’s upcoming “Times Gone By: the Twenties through the Forties” wedding at The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill.

This invitation suite is one of the most beautiful we’ve ever worked on.  The invitations were letterpressed in elegant gold and black, using a custom duogram from the Adam Scott collection from Wiley Valentine. One of the things I love the most is the depth of the impression on the luxurious cotton rag cardstock ~ a look and feel that only letterpress can provide!

Take a look at these stunning images courtesy of Wiley Valentine.