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  • About Me
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  • Stay in Touch
  • GOT Season 7

Discovering Your Wedding Invitation Suite Timeline

3/18/2017

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After scouring the web I have discovered that as of the time of this post, there is no real wedding stationery timeline worksheet. I still can't believe no one has put this together yet! There are posts like you should order your invitations this many months ahead, blah, blah, but none that really dive into it all and make it easy to figure out.

First off, let me get this disclaimer out of the way: This timeline is suggested only, is based upon my professional opinion and working with EAlexDesigns. Special requests, printing processes and assembly parameters may result in additional time. It is always best to order your invitation suite as soon as possible to guarantee you have them in plenty of time.

Okay, now that that's done.
​
When determining your wedding invitation timeline it is easiest to start at your wedding day and work your way backwards. You can download my worksheet here
, it's pretty self explanatory, as a backup I'm going to show you one in this post to hopefully answer any questions you may have.
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Find your Wedding Invitation Response Date

Wedding Date 
The first box is simple, so long as you have picked your wedding date! For the sake of this exercise we will say you're getting married on December 16. Congratulations!!


Vendor Date
This part could take a little time to track down. You're going to want to go through the contracts for your vendors. Not necessarily all of them, just the ones who require a headcount from you. Admittedly the stationer is probably the one who is furthest out, this is because we need to know the names of everyone attending and table numbers in order to create your escort/place cards.

Once you've found them all you'll want to take your wedding date and subtract the number of weeks the furthest out vendor needs.
​December 16 - 3 weeks = November 25


Unanswered Responses Date
Many, many years ago not responding to a wedding or event was incredibly frowned upon. These days with so much to do and so many distractions people forget to send back their response cards. How long do you want to have to track down the missing rsvps? Typically one to two weeks. Think about who you’re inviting, are there a lot of guests? Do you know a lot of them are procrastinators? Do you suspect you’ll be tracking down quite a few and need to lean on family members to help you get responses from long lost family? Then you’ll want to go with two or more weeks. For the sake of our example, let’s say you’re having a small wedding and you’re close with everyone, you’ll only need one week. 
​
Take the vendor date and subtract that many weeks to get your response date. 
​November 25 - one week = November 18. 
​
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Find your Wedding Invitation Mailing Date

What day do you have to have them in the mail by? This one can be difficult to determine, there's no real right or wrong. Take into account the location of your wedding, will they need to find lodging? Is there a deadline on the room block? Did you send save the dates? Will people have to make special arrangements such as taking off work or getting a babysitter? Think about your guests and then decide. The standard for a normal, in town wedding is one month.

It has been suggested you mail them toward the end of the week or over the weekend. This gets your invitations to them at the beginning of the week, making it more likely they will have a timely response. Receiving them at the end of the week isn't a big deal, it's just when people are busy giving them less of a chance at mailing it back right away.
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We are going to use the standard one month, subtract that from your response date to get your mailing date.

November 18 - 4 weeks = October 21.
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Find your Wedding Invitation In Hand Date

Your in hand date is the date you want to physically have your invitations in your possession. How much time will you need to get your invitations ready for mailing after they arrive? Remember you will be busy planning your wedding and your normal activities. Make sure to give yourself enough time!

Addressing & Assembly by EAlexDesigns
If you're having me address and assemble all of your invitations then you'll only need to think about how long it will take you to seal them and put on the stamps. My suggestion is one to two weeks.

Addressing only by EAlexDesigns
If you're having me address your invitations I will take care of printing or putting on your address wraps for you. That still leaves you in charge of assembling them and stuffing them in your envelopes. How labor intensive do you expect that to be? Do you have belly bands to put on? Ribbon to wrap around them? Any other embellishments to attach? My suggestion is two to three weeks.


​Do-It-Yourself
For DIYing, I'll send everything you purchase as is. Addressing and assembly will be completely up to you, how long do you think that will take? My suggestion is to give yourself no less than 4 weeks.
​

For this worksheet we are going to say you are having me address them and you're doing the assembly, you think you can finish them up in two weeks. Take your mailing date and subtract two weeks (or however many you came up with) to get your in hand date. 
October 21 - 2 weeks = October 7
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Find your Wedding Invitation Order Date

Ordering from The Collection
If you're ordering from one of my predesigned suites in my Collection then I suggest two weeks of production and one week of shipping. Production time can fluctuate on your availability. Do you answer emails quickly? Make fast decisions? If so that timing should be fine. If you aren't always fast to check your email then you may want to consider adding more time here. Here we will figure three weeks.


Requesting a Custom Suite
If you're having me design a custom suite for you then you'll want to add in more time. Take the Collection date you got above and add a minimum of eight weeks, for a total of eleven weeks.


Addressing by EAlexDesigns
I will print/stamp the addresses on your invitation and response envelopes. Or, I will print and attach your address wraps to your invitation and response envelopes. Either way the production time is two weeks.


Assembly by EAlexDesigns
I will put together your invitation suites according to your choices and stuff them in the invitation envelope. The production time is two weeks.


Safety Net
​Things happen, your package could get damaged in transit. You could be really busy at work and unable to work on sealing your envelopes. The post office could be out of stamps (believe it or not that has happened to me!) I suggest a minimum of two weeks, four weeks is optimal, but add as much time as you can afford to add. Let's go with optimal, four weeks.
​

To find your order date take your in hand date and subtract all of the options you will be utilizing and the safety net from it. Let's assume you are ordering from the Collection and you're doing the assembly but not the addressing.
​October 7 - (3 weeks + 2 weeks + 4 weeks) = August 19

So that's it, you need to order your invitations by my husbands birthday! Again, I feel I should say: This timeline is suggested only, is based upon my professional opinion and working with EAlexDesigns. Special requests, printing processes and assembly parameters may result in additional time. It is always best to order your invitation suite as soon as possible to guarantee you have them in plenty of time.  
​
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If you have any questions about production times for different things feel free to comment and ask them below. For now, download your worksheet and find out what your wedding invitation suite timeline is!

xoxo
​Erin
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The Anatomy of a Wedding Invitation Suite

3/1/2017

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Designing your wedding invitations can get confusing, there's so many little cards and so much information! Together we will walk through each card to help you determine what information goes where and which pieces you'll need.

Basic Suite

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My suites are available in sets of 25 and include your invitations, invitation envelopes, response cards, and response envelopes.  

Invitation

Standard invitations are A7 (5x7") but don't let that hold you back! Invitations can be any size or shape you want, just keep in mind odd size envelopes generally cost more to mail (and yes, that includes squares).

Next think about how formal you want your text to be. Do you want to include parent names? Or use the modern approach, "together with their families"? Or no parents at all? 

Are you inviting people to the celebration of your marriage? Do you want them to honor you with their presence? There are literally a million ways you can word your invitations, have a look around the internet and you'll find all the inspiration you need. Take into account the general feel of your wedding. If it's a backyard wedding you'll want to go a little less formal, if it's a black tie affair you'll likely want to follow all etiquette protocols. In the end it should reflect the tone of your special day.
Make sure you include:
  • Your names
  • Date
  • Time
  • Ceremony Location
You may also want to include:
  • Wedding website (optional)
  • "Reception to follow" (optional)
  • Dress code (optional)

Invitation Envelope

The standard is an A7 (5.25x7.25") envelope of thicker quality paper than you'd use to send a letter. There are two standard flap options, Euro flap and square.  Euro flap envelopes have a long triangular flap where as squares are, you guessed it, square. I always suggest euro because they add a little more class, but it's really personal preference, I know some people only like square. 
​
Invitations and other formal correspondence used to be sent with an inner and outer envelope according to etiquette protocols. However in recent years the outer envelope has been ditched and is now merely an added expense. That said, if you are using wax seals or some other embellishment on the envelope I do suggest them to make sure everything arrives as intended.

Response Card

Standard response cards are 4Bar (4.875x3.5") but like invitations can be as large or as small as you want. They can be quick and painless; yes, no, how many. Or they can be labor intensive with doodles to create, mad libs to fill out, and a million questions
​
So how do you go about determining your response date? Download my Wedding Invitation Suite Timeline to help you determine it and many other stationery dates you'll need.
Make sure you include:
  • Response date 
  • Name line
  • Yes? or No?
  • ​Number attending line
Other things could be:
  • Meal choices
  • Allergy restrictions
  • Song preference
  • Child preference

Accessories

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Details Card

Details cards are where you put the additional information you don't already have included on your invitation or response card. There is no real standard size, but they typically run somewhere larger than the response card but smaller than the invitation, most of mine are 4x6".

​With the popularity of wedding websites details cards aren't always needed anymore, but that doesn't mean you can't have any! Do you have a lot of older relatives who don't use technology? Or friends who procrastinate and you don't want them to miss an important detail? Then you may want to include one or many!

There's no real right or wrong when it comes to details cards. WAIT, stop, that's not true. There is one wrong, one really wrong. Do not include your registry information on your details cards or anywhere in your invitation suite. That information needs to be on your wedding website and circulated by your family and friends, most etiquette rules have been tossed out the window but this is one hard fast rule that isn't going anywhere.

So back to what to include, like I said, it can be pretty much anything, here are some ideas:
  • Accommodations/room blocks
  • Directions
  • Maps
  • Reception location if different from ceremony
  • Wedding website

Envelope Liner

Liners are one of my favorite additions to invitation suites. They can add an extra dose of excitement the moment your guests open your invitations. 

Belly Band

Belly bands add a finished look to pull all of your pieces together. Belly bands come flat and unscored. To use them you’ll wrap them tightly around your suite and secure them in the back.

Address Wraps

Address wraps are a modern way to address your invitations. They include design elements from your suite as well as the addresses of you and your guests. They are printed on sticker paper so they are easy to apply. An advantage to note for address wraps is they can be attached to any color envelope, including dark ones where you'd have to pay exorbitant fees to print in white.

SERVICES

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Printed Addressing

Address wraps are great, but what if you want a more traditional look? That's where printed addressing comes in. But don't think of it as boring! Printed addresses can be just as exciting and interesting as address wraps.

I like to do the response address and the return address with a custom made rubber stamp. This eliminates printer issues and also serves as a nice keepsake for you.

Guest addresses are printed in house and can be as plain or as exciting as you want. Think large last names, script fonts, classic angles, anything at all (as long as it's legible for the post office).

Assembly

You've spent your hard earned money to have the perfect invitations created for you, now make sure they arrive exactly as you've pictured. I can take care of attaching your belly bands, wrapping twine around your suites or any other embellishments that you might think of. Buttons, lace, doilies, stickers, if you can dream it, we can figure out a way to make it happen. 

And that's it, I've covered all of the standard parts of an invitation. I hope you'll find my anatomy of an invitation suite helpful. Are there any pieces I didn't cover that you'd like to see? Feel free to comment below and let me know so I can add them in.

xoxo
​Erin
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Today is the Day! Say hello to my 2017 Wedding Invitation Collection!

2/13/2017

2 Comments

 
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In the words of Meredith Grey...

It's here! I've been working on the logistics of launching my 2017 Collection for a few months now and can't believe the day is finally here! So...
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Thirty second dance party!!
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Photo by Ashton Kelley Photography

Who I am

I'm Erin V. Alexander Keefer, the owner and designer of EAlexDesigns LLC, a stationery boutique in Baltimore City.  I am a classically trained graphic designer, having graduated from Pennsylvania College of Art & Design with a BFA  in Graphic Design in 2006.
I created my first suite after graduation that year and fell in love. I continued designing invitations for friends and family from that point on, all while working as the senior designer for a newspaper. The monotony of the job was horrendous but I still had my outside work to keep me sane. Eventually I left the paper and set out on my own to move EAlexDesigns into the future.

How my Collection came to be

In the past I've mainly worked the custom angle but found people automatically assume custom is too expensive for them. While that can be true part of my job is to make sure I'm staying in the budget you have to work with. If you'd like to talk about your options to do a custom suite I invite you to have a look at my Talk Custom page and reach out to me with any questions you have.
Because brides and grooms consider custom to be too expensive I came up with the idea of launching a collection. I wanted to create designs that were totally me while still appealing to the general public. I wanted them to be affordable. And I wanted them to be flexible, I wanted the brides and grooms to feel like they got to choose, like they were helping me design. And I wanted them to be able to pick as few or as many pieces to add onto their suites as they wanted.
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2017 Wedding Invitation Collection

My 2017 Collection is meant to be affordable and extremely comparable to the other big box online retailers. On top of that, there's the added bonus of me, a stationer determined to help set the tone of the special day and make the very best first impression.
Each wedding invitation suite is modern with a touch of tradition and a whole lot of class. My basic suites include invitations, response cards and euro-flap envelopes (with the exception of my Brushed Ink Suite which utilizes a response post card). Perfectly matched details cards, belly bands and envelope liners are possible additions to each suite. Three addressing options are available so the entire suite is cohesive, and finally, I offer assembly if there's no time or desire to put them together.
If you don't like the envelope colors I suggest you are welcome to choose a different color, the different options can be found here. In many cases design colors can be altered as well. I ask that you first contact me for your requests to make sure it is possible and find out if there will be any additional fees, you can do so by visiting the page of your chosen suite and filling in the contact form at the bottom.

Special thanks

To my husband, for sticking by me while I worked on my suite, for critiquing my designs, helping me with the product shoots, sharpening pencils and being okay with the fact that during the last push I've pretty much ignored him.
To my friend Stroz for giving me advice, helping me with marketing, reading many a thing, checking out my site and teaching me about SEO and for always being there to talk when I got frustrated, sometimes even with a milkshake.
To the rest of my family and friends, who I haven't spoken to in the past week or more while I got ready to launch. I promise I'm back now, the launch is finished!

Now that it's launched

That's it for me today. Now I need to get the house back in order, prepare for Valentine's dinner and catch up on all the shows I've missed recently. 

What should you do?

Check out my Collection and my new site of course! Let me know what you like, what you think I may have missed, and most importantly any mistakes you catch! Then talk, talk, talk it up and share it with your friends and family. Thank you all for the support, now go shop my 2017 Collection!
xoxo
Erin

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A new year, with a look at the past

1/3/2017

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PictureMy Poppop, Charles Nevius.
Welcome to 2017! This is going to be a more personal post than most, but one of my resolutions is to be more transparent, go after what I want and live each day like there's no tomorrow.

In 2016 we lost many a celebrity, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Debbie Reynolds to literally just name a few. On a more personal level my family and I said goodbye to my Poppop who passed away due to complications after open heart surgery. I've also dealt with the death of a marriage, as my parents unexpectantly split after nearly 40 years together. 2016 was hard on all of us, in the years of social media I don't know that I've ever seen so many people commenting on the fact that they are  glad it has come to an end. ​

​It wasn't all bad though right? Personally, I grew my business, learned new things, celebrated the marriage of quite a few friends, became closer with the aunts and uncles on my moms side, fell deeper in love with my husband and managed to finally stop smoking! ​

I am free from smoking, and you can be too

Just to get this out on the table, this is in no way sponsored by, suggested by, etc the lifesaver who helped me to stop.  I wanted to write this post mainly for the people who may have heard of using hypnosis for this purpose and were just as skeptical as I was. Research didn't get me very far and I hope that sharing my experience here can help others.

So who is this lifesaver you ask? Brianna Bedigian! Brianna uses hypnosis to change your way of thinking and help you to stop smoking entirely, along with other things too, of course.

The first thing I learned from Brianna is that you can only be hypnotised if you want to be, so the people who do things and squawk like chickens, etc at shows are doing those things because they want to, not because they have to. So basically, if you're toying with the idea of stopping it may not work so well on you, you have to be 100% commited.

The next thing I learned was that in hypnosis negative words are no good. So as you may have noticed I haven't used the words "quit smoking," I've used "free from smoking." It's for that very reason, quit is a negative but being free is a positive. 

Tried and tried again

PictureBrianna Bedigian
Brianna used to live in the Baltimore area and had helped a few of my other friends stop and through the years I thought about the idea of hypnosis. I'd done the cold turkey, the patch, chantix, cold turkey, vaping and finally read, Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking. His book had a lot of good ideas in it and did help me to stop smoking entirely for a month or so, but then kickball started, the weather got nicer and the smoking picked back up. The need to smoke outweighed the want to not and I fell back into the routine, not nearly as bad, but still, back into lighting up when and where I could.

My husband hated it, my sister despised it and I hated myself for trying to hide the fact that I had picked it up again. I found myself sneaking away while at the bar, hoping my husband wouldn't notice and that's when I realized I was embarrassed of my addiction and knew it was time, I was ready and I was going to stop.

My experience

I looked up Brianna's information and sent her a message before I could change my mind. Her response was fast and we spoke on the phone, I believe as quickly as the next day. She explained to me she was no longer in the Baltimore area, she had moved to North Carolina, but that she did do hypnosis over the phone.

Over the phone?!?! Yeah, that was the point I got really skeptical, but I wasn't about to back off yet. I did some more research, looked at some local people and realized, Brianna was easy to talk to, I personally knew of three people who stopped years ago  and it was definitely something I wanted to do. I set up my first hypnosis appointment and then the fun started.

As a side note, Brianna explained to me that smoking hypnosis takes two or three treatments to fully work. The first two I paid in full at the beginning and then we would determine if a third was necessary afterwards.

She then asked me about something that I hated the taste of, pickles! (The taste of pickle juice literally makes me gag.) And where my triggers were, the car, drinking, and being outside with fellow smokers were my big ones. She also told me to make sure anything having to do with smoking was gone and to have my car detailed before my first appointement.

On March 10, 2016 we had our first over the phone hypnosis. I laid in bed, headphones in my ears, excited and completely at a loss for what to expect. Brianna put me in the hypnotic state and it all began. I never could remember everything that happened during the first session, all I can really remember is an intense calm, her voice was soooo soothing. I remember her telling me cigarettes taste like pickles, that if I got the urge to smoke in my car I was to tap my fingers to the music, to remember how clean my car was and how I liked it that way, and if I wasn't around music I was to put my hands in my pockets. Knowing that my first treatement was about 45 minutes I'm certain there was more, but like I said, I don't really remember.

After that I took my recommended salt bath and I told my husband what I could remember. We both laughed and I wondered if I had just wasted my money, but I was still pretty optimistic. My optimism got stronger on St. Patricks Day, one of my favorite holidays, when I managed to make it through the entire day/night, beer in hand and not smoke. I admit, it was not easy, I had to keep repeating, "I am free from smoking" to myself. I smelled pickle juice (yes you read that right) and I fake smoked some ball point pens to calm my hand to mouth cravings. Making it through was hard, but waking up the next day, knowing I had done it, was all I needed to know the hypnosis was working.

My next hypnosis appointment was on the 19th I believe and I couldn't have been more excited. This one is a little more clear and yet a little more fuzzy. I remember healing with light, there was a lot of that. I had to scan my body, find the bad and get rid of it. I also spent time in a room with doors. One door had my husband inside, he told me how proud he was and how he would help me stay free. Another door led to my kickball field, apparently I was most worried about smoking while standing on the sidelines. Brianna "put me in a bubble" to protect me from wanting to do so. I don't think I needed the third door, but I do remember something about tearing pages out of a book, not sure why.

We did some more light healing and I bonded with something, or myself, or my spirit. I don't quite remember who it was. I know she asked if someone was standing in front of me and I said yes. She asked me to get closer and asked me to see if I could become one with them or something. I remember feeling intense cold, some pressure, an all over weird feeling, almost like a wave in my body. I was shaking a bit and I was definitely crying. I don't know what happened at that point, some sort of inner healing I guess, it was so weird and so intense but also so calming.

After that Brianna pulled me back out and I was free! I took another salt bath and never looked back!

After hypnosis

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No, sorry it wasn't quite that easy. I still had the occassional want to smoke after I'd get a few drinks in me. I found it easiest to write my new mantra, "I am free from smoking," on my forearm. When I'd get antsy I'd look down at it, and had an instant calming effect. At first I had to write it each time I went out, but as the weeks went by I noticed I was writing and looking at it less and less. I'd guess probably two or so months after I stopped writing it all together.  I also added it to my computer monitor for stressful work days.

I managed to make it through the high stress of my parents split and the loss of my Poppop and can only remember one time wanting to smoke and literally just having to shake my head in order to talk myself out of it. 

Life has gotten so much simpler with stopping. And I've even had some interesting side effects. She told me how I like my car clean and now I can't stand it being otherwise. I used to have probably at least 12 empty soda cans, random papers, etc in my car and now don't you dare leave a leaf from your shoe! It makes me chuckle each time I have to grab something out of my car because it will drive me nuts. I've also noticed that while at my kickball games I can't smell smoke. I'm guessing it has something to do with the "bubble" she put me in, but I can be standing next to someone smoking and be unable to smell the smoke. So weird right?!?

I'm about to hit my ten month anniversary of freedom and with new years resolutions I figure there's at least one of you who wants to stop smoking. So why not give it a try? I highly recommend hypnosis, especially with Brianna Bedigain. ​

No matter your resolutions you've made I wish you all the luck in the world accomplishing them! Happy new year!

​xoxo

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Prep for the Holidays with EAlexDesigns

11/14/2015

3 Comments

 
Don't you love this time of year? Leaves falling, the chill in the air. Before we know it Thanksgiving will be over, Black Friday sales will come to an end, Christmas will be nipping at all our our heels, and then you'll realize, "Crap! I haven't sent out our holiday photo cards yet!" ​This year, let's get them done early, get them out of the way and then you can enjoy the holidays and stress about getting the perfect gift instead of sending the perfect card!

Below you will find my holiday photo card designs, each can be tailored to fit you and your family. Cards are 5 x 7" and double-sided, designs are $18.50 each to receive your digital files and print them wherever you like. Interested in having me print them? I can do that too! Printed cards are $35 per 25 (envelopes included) + the one-time digital fee of $18.50.

Interested in learning more? See my designs below, email me at EAlexDesigns@Gmail.com with any questions or click on a template to order directly from my Etsy shop.
Happy Holidays Custom Type Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Happy Holidays Custom Type Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Happy Holidays Custom Type Holiday Photo Card

Candy Striped Banner Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Candy Striped Banner Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Candy Striped Banner Holiday Photo Card

Glitter Chalkboard Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Glitter Chalkboard Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Glitter Chalkboard Holiday Photo Card

Vintage Christmas Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Vintage Christmas Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Vintage Christmas Holiday Photo Card

Initial Cap Striped Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Initial Cap Striped Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Initial Cap Striped Holiday Photo Card

Modern Holidays Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Modern Holidays Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Modern Holidays Holiday Photo Card

Merry & Married Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Merry & Married Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Merry & Married Holiday Photo Card

Happy New Year Golden Glitter Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Happy New Year Golden Glitter Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Happy New Year Golden Glitter Holiday Photo Card

Love, Joy & Laughter Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Love, Joy & Laughter Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Love, Joy & Laughter Holiday Photo Card

Holly & Tag Holiday Photo Card, Option 1, Vintage Stripes by EAlexDesigns
Holly & Tag Holiday Photo Card, Option 1, Vintage Stripes by EAlexDesigns
Holly & Tag Holiday Photo Card, Option 1, Vintage Stripes
Holly & Tag Holiday Photo Card, Option 2, Plaid
Holly & Tag Holiday Photo Card, Option 2, Plaid
Holly & Tag Holiday Photo Card, Option 2, Plaid

Our Most Perfect Gift Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Our Most Perfect Gift Holiday Photo Card by EAlexDesigns
Our Most Perfect Gift Holiday Photo Card

Merry & Married photos by Maximilian Franz LLC
All other photos by Ashton Kelley Photography

xoxo
​Erin
3 Comments

EAlexDesigns Redesign Giveaway!

9/28/2015

7 Comments

 
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Calling all photographers!

It's been a pretty busy couple of days working on my website redesign, but I am happy to say I've come to the end of it! I'm hoping it's a total success but I'm looking to you for a last critique, don't worry, I went to art school I can take it. :) In an effort to drum up some feedback I'm offering a personalized stationery giveaway! And here's how it's going to work.

The rules

For one week, September 29 - October 6, 2015, I'm going to ask for feedback on my redesigned site. Take a tour and then comment below. Tell me what you like, or what you don't like. What you love, or what you hate.
Be sure to include:
  • Your name & photography business name.
  • A link to your business website.
  • Whether you would like personalized stationery or thank you cards.
  • Your email address.
On October 7, 2015 I will announce the winners* on here as well as via email. Over the next several weeks I will spend my time looking at the winners brands to learn more about their style and then create a set of either personalized stationery or thank you cards and send each of them a set. 

The catch?

I mean, there's always one right!? It's simple, it's why I'm reaching out to photographers! While I have the equipment, I'm not a photographer, most of my display work is put together digitally in photoshop. So I ask that you, the winners of my stationery, take a few photos of your specially designed stationery and send them to me. 
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​Recently I designed stationery for Ashton Kelley of Ashton Kelley Photography, she plans to give them to her brides and grooms when they book with her. Today she sent me these extraordinary photos of my work, thereby giving me the inspiration to have this giveaway!

The optimal photo?

I'm not asking for anything super special, you've seen my site, just something that will go along with what I'm already portraying. I'll also be listing the stationery in my Etsy store and my Amazon Handmade store (under development). High resolution, horizontal photos are optimal but whatever you like, I'll like! Full credit will be given to you, as well as a link to your photography site. In the end, we both win!

What are you waiting for?

The winners* will be selected October 7, don't miss out on your chance, take a tour of my site and comment below!

xoxo
​Erin
*Sorry, this giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.

And the winners are...

Thank you to everyone who commented directly on my blog, on my FB posts and other social media outlets. Special thanks to my bestie and SEO God Jon Stroz for all of his suggestions! So, without further ado, the winners! Congratulations to Elisabeth Stone of Stone Werks and Alicia Yarrish of Alicia Yarrish Photography! Now if you'll please excuse me, it's time to dig into their brands and learn more about them! Thanks again to everyone!

xoxo
Erin
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DIY | Christmas Wedding Ornaments

12/11/2014

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With the holiday season coming up, many people are turning to the web for DIY Christmas presents to save a little money. I've been working on quite a few things, some you may have to wait until next year to see. After all, I have to give them as gifts!

One I can share is an annual gift I give to each couple I designed wedding invitations for, as well as each wedding I attend. This DIY literally cannot be any easier! 

1. Gather your supplies

- Clear Christmas ornament (You can get these at Michael's for just a few dollars)
- Wedding invitation
- Straight edge & exacto knife or paper cutter
- Ribbon
-Small round object for curling (a pen or pencil will work just fine)

2. Prepare your invitation

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Use your exacto knife or paper cutter and slice up the invitation. I like to make sure I focus on the important things, so I don't slice through the center of them, such as their names, the date and the location. I don't take the time to be perfect with my slices either, when they are all different widths I feel like it adds to the intrigue. 

3. Curl your slices & fill the ball

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Again, super simple, just curl each piece around your round object, such as a pen or pencil and then drop the slices into the ball. You may want to use your pen or pencil to move slices around, I try and get the names to show and make sure there aren't any awkward empty spaces.
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3. Finishing up

Last, but not least, replace the topper, add a ribbon and a bow and wrap up your gift for giving!
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Now if you all will excuse me, I have some more DIYing to do.

xoxo

Erin
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Client Appreciation | Hogwarts for the Schepers

11/18/2014

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Way back in high school, I knew a pretty fabulous girl, and thanks to Facebook I still know her. When Jennifer got married last year I helped her out with programs and menus and now she's got a little one on the way! I was so excited when she contacted me to design her shower invites! 

I couldn't help but think back to her mention of how much she loved Harry Potter and realized that I needed to design her some HP quotes, STAT! But then I got married and then I got busy and now, a month later, I've mailed them out.  

I am so excited for how they came out that I just had to feature them! And on top of my excitement, I've got more announcements!

First | Twelve Days of #EtsyGifts | Nov 18-29, 2014

My Harry Potter quotes are being featured in my Twelve Days of #EtsyGifts, each day I am recommending a different gift from my shop and offering it at a discounted price. So, for today only, my HP prints are the featured present! Be sure to check out my Etsy site and get yours before the sale ends. They make the perfect gift for any Hogwarts fan, just purchase, I'll send them, you can stick them in a frame and wrap them up. Really can't get much simpler! For a direct link to the quotes click here.

Second | I've got Freebies!

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Jennifer had mentioned in a Facebook post how she was hoping to receive a Hogwarts letter for the little one and I realized I needed to create a letter from the school to accompany the prints. 

Since it's the Twelve Days of #EtsyGifts I'm giving the acceptance letter and envelope files as a little something extra. Just click the links to download, update the information, print and cut. The letter folds to 4 x 6 and is sized for a 6.5 x 4.75 envelope. I got extra creative, because they don't lick envelopes in the wizard world, and used a lighter to melt a red crayon onto the back of the envelope and then pressed a button into it to make it like a wax seal. 
Hogwarts Acceptance Letter
File Size: 126 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

Hogwarts Envelope
File Size: 98 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

I hope you all love what I've created, I think they turned out super cute. And enjoy the free files, they will make the perfect addition to your gift!

xoxo
Erin
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EAlexDesigns Etsy Shop | Holiday Photo Cards

11/14/2014

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Though I've designed holiday photo cards for family the past couple of years, I've never actually sold them. Thanks to Ashton Kelley Photography, that's all changing! 

Check them out below and at my Etsy site at Etsy.com/EAlexDesigns. All of my holiday photo cards are 5x7" and double-sided, after you approve your cards I'll send you high resolution files for you to have printed wherever you choose!

Merry Christmas Custom Type: Two background options available, colors can be changed on first
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Snowstorm: With this chilly weather it's better to be together (wow am I corny or what?!?)
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Love, Joy & Laughter: Nothing's better than a family that has fun together
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Happy Holidays Custom Text: Simple but says it all
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Holly Illustration: Ribbon, tag and background colors can be modified
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Our Most Perfect Gift: Just have a baby? Combine your holiday card and birth announcement
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Initial Cap, Stripes: Such a cute simple card (greeting and colors can be modified)
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Merry Christmas Chalkboard: For those who prefer to showcase only one photo
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Merry & Married: For those who just got married (like me!)
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Golden Dots Happy New Year: I'm in love with gold lately :)
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So that's what I've got so far. I'll add more as they become available in my shop. Remember to get your order in early so you have plenty of time to print and mail them out! And if you're looking for something totally unique send me a message at EAlexDesigns@Gmail.com and we can work together to make this years holiday card the best ever!
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Also, as a little extra announcement that I'll go into more detail on later, I'm going to be participating in the #EtsyGifts holiday marketing campaign. I'll be kicking it off on Tuesday, November 18 and running it through Small Business Saturday on November 26. Each day I will feature a gift idea from my shop at a discounted price for my personal campaign that I will be calling Twelve Days of Etsy Gifts! Make sure to like me on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram so you don't miss out on any of the deals!

xoxo
-Erin

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A Beautiful Partnership | AKP Bridal Brunch

8/27/2014

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As I get super excited for my first Maryland stylized shoot this afternoon, I thought I should share the last one I participated in with you all. 

On July 19,  I hooked up with Ashton Kelley Photography and other vendors for the AKP Bridal Brunch in West Virginia. Since I gave myself an unlimited budget I decided to push my skills and try new things,  I couldn't have been happier with how it all turned out! Check out some photos from the shoot, courtesy of Ashton, a great friend and amazing wedding photographer.
Wedding Invitation Package
Wedding Invitation Package
Wedding Invitation Package
Wedding Invitation Package
So that's it, stylized shoot one, finished!

Shout-out to all of the vendors who helped Ashton make the day perfect!
  • Salvaged to Sassy, Vintage Rentals
  • The Gallery, Flowers & Catering
  • Sara Lane, Cupcakes
  • The Dressmaker's Closet, Wedding Dress
  • Rachael Summers & Katie Lance, MUA
  • Lori Suite, Custom Tank Tops

Now to make sure all of my details are perfect and head out the door for the next event I'm working on with Ashton (yes again) and Jillian Jenkins of Elle Ellinghaus Designs.

xoxo
Erin
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