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.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Salutations is Putting on the Pink!  All month long, we will be offering pink ribbon cards for sale for $5.  In Chapel Hill, we are tickled pink to be a part of the Tickled Pink 2009 Community Partners Program, benefiting the Patient & Family Resource Center at the new NC Cancer Hospital.  In Charlotte, all money from the sale of pink ribbon cards will go to Ann’s Fund in support of The Carolinas Breast Cancer Fund, which allows indigent women to receive mammograms.  The cards can be written on with the name of a loved one who is fighting or who has fought the battle against breast cancer, and will be displayed in our stores.

What’s more, every person who buys a pink ribbon will be able to spin the wheel to win 1 of 6 fabulous savings from 20 to 75% off their purchase that day.  But wait . . . there’s more!  For every pink ribbon card purchased, an entry will be made for a chance to win a Filofax Pink Ribbon planner {valued at $50} .

Our window displays are decked out in pink ribbons and we’re hoping to border the windows completely with purchased pink ribbon cards.  In the meantime, think pink . . . .

{Images via Style Me Pretty}