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.

Our new momAgendas and myAgendas have arrived!  These fantastic planners run from August 2009 through December 2010.  Think of how organized you will be when all of your activities and the activities of your kids are written down in one easily referenced location.  For those of you who are not parents, the myAgenda features all of this organization that you can customize in up to 4 categories each week.   This year,  the myAgenda is also offered in a larger desktop size.  {The myAgenda makes a fabulous gift for graduates going off to college or off to their first “real job.”}

My family and I live by my momAgenda, which resides on the kitchen counter and serves as the master schedule for all of our appointments and activities, covering six family members, one dog, and three carpools.  Yes, my husband and I have the nearly necessary Blackberrys/iPhones to keep track of things, but the momAgenda is our family’s one central “Keeper of The Schedule” that everyone can access at any time.  My favorite this year is the Spring Green Croc Desktop.  What’s your favorite?

{If you want to give the momAgenda or myAgenda system a test run before committing, you can now buy the ‘08-’09 versions, which run through December 2009, at 75% off!}

Great news for brides!  William Arthur has extended its Buy 75/Get 25 wedding promotion through June 30th. Order 75 or more pieces of wedding stationery {invitation, response card, informal note, etc.} and receive an additional 25 free.

The promotion applies to wedding invitations featured in the William Arthur, Vera Wang, and Rita Renning lines.  Call or email us now to book your appointment and take advantage of big savings!

Crane & Co. has extended their popular Buy 75/Get 25 Free promotion through June 30th.  Purchase 75 or more pieces of Crane’s personalized (engraved, letterpressed, thermographed, flat printed or embossed) products to receive an extra 25 free. This promotion applies to Crane and Kate Spade wedding invitations, birth announcements, and personalized stationery.

Father’s Day is June 21st ~ you still have time to surprise Dad if you hurry!

My jaw dropped open when I came across this blog post featuring 100 Extraordinary Examples of Paper Art.  The word “extraordinary” simply does not do justice to this collection . . . “outrageously and ridiculously talented” might begin to come close to describing these artists.  They make the paper-clad dress forms in our shops look like shabbily-dressed waifs!

Are there any paperophiles out there who find  themselves humbled by these masterpieces?

Shop ’til you drop all day at our Spring shopping event!  The merchants, restaurants, spas and salons of Ballantyne Village are offering fabulous one-day only discounts and promotions during our annual Soirée All Day event.  If you are in the Charlotte area on Saturday, join us at Ballantyne Village to lunch, shop, pamper yourself, dine, watch a movie, and listen to live outdoor music (starting at 6:30 p.m.).  Click here to read more about the Ballantyne Village event and for a ticket to enter the Grand Prize drawing.

Even if you are not in the Charlotte area, you can still enjoy Salutations’ Soirée All Day discounts.  For one day only, shop in Charlotte, Chapel Hill or online and receive 20% off all in-stock, regularly priced merchandise and 40-75% off clearance items.  {When shopping online, use coupon code SOIREE.  In Chapel Hill, mention this Soirée All Day promotion.}

Don’t miss this chance for last-minute Mother’s Day gifts, graduation gifts, or gifts for yourself!

Host a Salutations Web Soiree^TM and earn merchandise credit and discounts for your guests!  Think of the gifting occasions coming up ~ Mother’s Day, teachers’ gifts, graduation, Father’s Day, birthdays ~ the possibilities for savings are endless.

Here is how it works:  You send us an email to let us know that you’d like to host a Web Soiree and the date that you’d like the party to begin.  We will email to you a customized invitation and a soiree code that you can email to your guests.  {We don’t require you to submit your friends’ email addresses to us.  If they want to share their email with us, they can register for our Inspirations newsletter.}

Web Soirees last for 10 days, during which your guests can shop on Salutations’ website and receive 15% off of their purchases using the special soiree code.  At the end of the 10-day period, you will receive a merchandise credit worth 15% of the total of purchases made by your guests using their soiree code.

You can even include a theme for your Web Soiree (e.g., Pajama Party, Girls Night Online, etc.).

Get started compiling your list and send us an email today to let us know the date you’d like to reserve for your Web Soiree!  Know someone who might be interested?  Share this with them!

One year after the last increase, the United States Postal Service is increasing postage rates again ~ effective May 11, 2009. The rate for the first ounce is increasing from $0.42 to $0.44; the one-to-two ounce rate is going from $0.59 to $0.61; and the postcard rate is going from $0.27 to $0.28. The Forever (Liberty Bell) stamps will remain effective, so you may want to stock up prior to May 11th.

Brides especially will need to take note. Wedding invitations typically take the two-ounce stamp {although you should always have your local post office weigh a complete invitation set to be sure}. Reply cards will also need to be stamped with the new postage. The good news? The USPS is about to release a new set of wedding stamps, based on the photography of Washington, DC photographer Renee Comet (pictured above). These photo-based stamps are so much better than the current horror of a wedding set. {Seriously, is there anyone out there who actually liked these stamps?}

Of course, if you want to one-up the USPS, you can customize your own wedding stamps at Zazzle.com. Choose from their stock images or upload your own photo or graphic design. The other good news? For 100 wedding invitations and reply cards, we’re only talking an increase of $4. In the grand scheme of things, this one is not worth stressing over.