Guess what!  We have been nominated for the best gift and stationery store in Charlotte in the Best of Citysearch Shopping polls!  We have been so fortunate to have received wonderful reviews on Citysearch by you, our fabulous customers.  This type of virtual “word of mouth” is really the best way for us to get the word out about Salutations and our services.  The voting ends on September 9th and we’d really appreciate your vote.

Best of Citysearch is a nationwide competition that lets businesses compete for local votes — and win the ultimate honor of being named best in the city! Various campaigns run throughout the year, including Best Restaurants, Best Nightlife, Best Spa & Beauty, Best Shopping, Best Hotels, Best Local Services and others.  For more information on what polls are open, visit www.citysearch.com/bestof/about.

Are you feeling the urge to organize?  Every year, around back-to-school time, I am overcome with a compelling need to organize my life.  The end of summer for me means the beginning of middle school, high school, soccer carpools, soccer matches, swim team carpools, swim meets, and {oh yeah} work-related events.  To keep from having heart palpitations over the need to be three people, I begin to organize my home office and work space and to write everything in my momAgenda family planner, my Filofax personal planner, and my wall calendar.

We know that you like to have your own style of calendar and/or planner that works for you, but are often too busy to get out and get your new one before it’s gone.  To help you get organized this Fall, and to ensure that you get your favorite style, we are thrilled to announce our new Calendar & Planner Program at Salutations.

All we need is your name, email address, phone number, and favorite style of planner and/or calendar.  We will enter this information into our records and contact you each year with a gentle reminder in plenty of time for you to pre-order your favorite style for the following year!   And, if you register for our program and pre-order your new calendar, planner, refill and/or accessories by September 12th, you can enjoy either 15% off or, for momAgendas and myAgendas, free personalization!

For calendars, select from the beautiful Italian archival images of the Cavallini wall calendars or desktop calendars, the gorgeous graphic design of Snow & Graham wall calendars, desktop calendars or mini calendars.  For planners and organizers, as well as refills and accessories, select from the hugely popular momAgenda and myAgenda planners, the classic Filofax planners, and the stylish Kate Spade planners.  Any way you go, you will be uber-organized and ready to tackle the challenges of a new school year and a new calendar year with grace and style!  Email us today {helpatsalutationsdotcom} to register for the program and get started!

{If ordering online, just note the requested information in the order notes and we’ll apply the 15% discount or free personalization to your order.}

Can you believe that, for all intents and purposes, the summer is over?!  The older I get, the more I sound like a cliché {”Where does the time go?”}.  However, the turning of a calendar page does have its perks.  For instance, it’s now time to take advantage of the annual holiday promotions offered by our vendors on custom holiday items ~ greeting cards, photo cards, and invitations.  Your favorites like Crane {including Martha Stewart and kate spade for Crane}, William Arthur, Whitney English, and many others are offering 10-20% off their custom orders.  But don’t wait too long ~ most of these promotions expire at the end of September.  {Be careful ~ if you’re like me, it will be October before you know it!}

We’re simply blushing.  We just learned we were voted by the readers of Metro Magazine, a Raleigh, NC-based magazine, as one of the best stationery stores in the Triangle {Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill} in their annual Metro Bravo reader poll.  Thank you for the Honorable Mention, Metro Magazine readers!

Don’t forget ~ our Christmas in July sale event starts tomorrow!  The forecast for North Carolina is calling for rain, but there will be a blizzard of savings going on at Salutations!

The sale starts Thursday, July 16th and goes through Saturday, July 18th.  See all the details here!  Spread the word . . . bring a friend . . . the more the merrier!

Have you seen the new issue of Martha Stewart Weddings™ yet?  Salutations is listed as a featured retailer in two ads in the Summer 2009 issue!  The first is by Dauphine Press, showing off their popular Peony design letterpressed in shades of purple {this season’s hot color}.  The second is by Envelopments, featuring a custom layered invitation that will make you want to hop on a plane bound for Fiji!  Let us know what you think!

Oh, the weather outside IS frightful, but our Christmas in July sale is going to be delightful!  We are celebrating our store anniversaries {7 years in Chapel Hill and 3 years in Charlotte!} with a blizzard of holiday savings from Thursday, July 16th through Saturday, July 18th.

All holiday items in stock from last year will be offered at unbelievable savings.  Take advantage of this great opportunity to stock up on holiday greeting cards, photo cards, invitations, and decor and have that checked off your list before the kids are even back in school!

On Thursday, all holiday items in stock will be priced at 40% off the regular price; on Friday, the savings will jump to 50% off the regular price; and, on Saturday, the savings will skyrocket to 60% off the regular price.  But don’t wait too long ~ Santa’s elves may scamper off with the best items early!

You can also order your custom holiday cards and invitations at 20% off during our Christmas in July sale.  And, since we’re really feeling the holiday spirit, our Christmas in July gift to you is a savings of 20% off all non-holiday merchandise in stock throughout the sale when you mention the Christmas in July sale.  You can even take the 20% off already-reduced sale items.  For online orders, we will calculate the savings and let you know your new total before processing your order or charging your credit card.  {Just mention the Christmas in July sale in the order notes.}

The more the merrier . . . please pass this along to your friends!

I just saw this fabulous article from The New York Times about fine stationery and the importance of having your own signature stationery wardrobe.  Here’s a snippet from the article:

“It’s a little flash of character and extra care,” said Celerie Kemble, a Manhattan designer who created a line of limited-edition stationery for Dempsey & Carroll last fall. “Using a card says, ‘You stopped me in my tracks and this comes from my heart.’ ” When you pair that idea with the choice of paper, font and ink — what Ms. Kemble called “a reinforcement of a decorative identity or a kind of personality stamp” — you have a memorable object, a keepsake.

You can read the full article here.  The friendly associates at Salutations stand eager to help when you are ready to create your personal stationery wardrobe.  Just give us a call, stop by, or visit us online!

Photo courtesy of Béatrice de Géa for The New York Times

We are thrilled to introduce our brides to the luxurious White Label Collection from Ceci New York.  High fashion and exquisite craftsmanship are now available at a ready-to-order price.  Ceci New York is a design studio with an eye for detail and exceptional quality, expertly integrating trendsetting style, luxury, and innovation within every piece.

As the only North Carolina stationer to carry this collection, we invite you to call or email us today for a preview that includes: Save-The-Dates, Invitations, Thank you Notes, Menus, Programs and so much more!  Take a sneak peek at some of the designs on our Ceci New York Photo Gallery.

Each invitation suite is fully customizable by changing elements such as ink colors, typestyles and layout. The options are endless, with the line organized into four collections: Ornate, Destination, Botanical, and Classic.  Items are available in both letterpress and offset printing.

Lisa Hoffman, the founder and creative director of Ceci New York, is a world-renowned graphic designer whose work is synonymous with style and luxury among celebrities and design-savvy couples. The highly respected, custom stationer has received many awards for her trendsetting work and was most recently named one of the Top 25 Trendsetters by Modern Bride Magazine and Expert Stationer by New York Magazine.

For any of you brides or soon-to-be brides . . .  Your wedding invitation is (usually) something you create once in a lifetime and you want to get it right. But, where to start? Once you know the rules of etiquette and the major details of your day, the wording comes fairly easily. This article will help you to write a wedding invitation from start to finish in a way that properly meets etiquette guidelines.