Feature Friday: MKL Designs

We love when we get to feature brand new businesses and even though MKL Designs is new, we are head over heels for owner Melissa Larson's gorgeous work. Melissa is the mother of two gorgeous girls and calls herself an "amateur" photographer although the photos on her blog could easily pass for professional. MKL Designs debuted this fall and we are loving their fresh, simple, and beautifully bold designs.

Check out these gorgeous save-the-date's (which could just as easily serve as wedding invitations themselves.)

After the wedding you may be in need of these...

And then these...

And then these!

Why not get a jump on your Christmas cards this year? MKL Designs has tons of holiday card options to choose from and welcomes custom orders.

Go check out MKL Design's shop and Melissa's blog and be sure to submit your holiday order soon!

Feature Friday: Sakura Graphic Design

Welcome back to Feature Friday! One of the biggest ways to make your event memorable is by "thinking outside the box". Whether it is decor, favors, games or stationary, using unique and unexpected elements help your party stand out. Why not consider working with a graphic designer to create unique one-of-a-kind invitations or stationary for your event? We'd like to introduce you to Sacramento-based Sakura Graphic Design!

Buongiorno! My name is Kate Digrigorio (dig.rig.oreo) and I am the owner of and
designer for Sakura Graphic Design. It had always been my desire to take my
creative ideas and turn them into a self-sustaining business. After many late nights and countless Diet Cokes, Sakura Graphic Design is now an independent, full service design firm intent on providing creative designs along with quality results.

This being the third year in business, I am delighted to branch out into new and exciting endeavors. First on my list is LETTERPRESS! I fell in love with the look and texture of letterpress and I am on a mission to make it a new line of cards under Sakura Graphic Design. (All handmade of course.) So stay tuned in the coming months at www.sakuragraphicdesign.com for more information and progress reports.
And Happy Creating!

We are a little bit infatuated with the these crisp, clean-looking Passover invitations.

Modern baby shower perhaps?

We love the lavender/grey and red color combination on these holiday gift tags! Envision your family name at the bottom-- cute, cute, cute!

We're not shy, the "Tini Time" invites are our favorite. Don't those raspberry pink invitations immediately invoke the flavor of berry martinis? Where can we RSVP?

Head over to Sakura Graphic Design's website and see what other goodies Kate has to offer. Shoot her an email with some project ideas you have and let her help make your party truly memorable and fun!

Feature Friday: Paperless Online Providers (Addendum)

Here is one more online invitation service to add to your repertoire that we forgot to include in the Paperless Invitation Providers Feature Friday post: Sendomatic.com

There is a small charge to send more than 50 invitations and if you want them to be delivered sans advertisement you'll have to shell out a few dollars for that too. They have some fun designs though and the website is quite user-friendly. Check them out!

Feature Friday: Rosebud Cards

I know, I know, we are back to stationary-- but after you've been introduced to Rosebud Cards you will understand why! First, here is a little bit from Rosemary with Rosebud Cards...

"For as long as we can remember, our family has shared the tradition of painting cookies during the holidays. This special time together is the inspiriation behind Rosebud and our creations. We initially photographed our hand-painted cookies and created cards to share with our family and friends on special occasions. With words of delight and encouragement, our creations evolved into a collection of paper goods. We'd like to introduce Rosebud and the whimsical, painterly touch of our card collections.Our Cookie Collection recalls the fond memories of a simpler time: family, holidays, and childhood excitement. Baked and hand-painted by two sisters and an aunt, the creation of our whimsical treats is a true family endeavor, inspired by the sweet aroma and joys that can be shared over a cup of tea or tall glass of milk.

The Chinese Brush Painting Collection captures the essence and energy of the subject and appears like magic on rice paper or silk. The subjects have been hand-painted, scanned, and printed on Crane's Museo fine-art cards and look as if they've been painted right on the card.These are some of our favorite things - and we hope that they will be yours too! Our intent is to present cards done in the spirit of fine art. To that end, our cards are individually printed, not mass produced. We have chosen to print our work on Crane's Museo fine-art cards. Uncommonly beautiful, it has the touch and feel that can only come from 100% cotton. The paper is manufactured to the Library of Congress's archival standard. Our gift cards are printed on Strathmore Bright White Wove.

We are thrilled with the opportunity to share our original creations with you as we think that these cards make a sweet treat for all.These collections celebrate any occasion: birthdays, weddings, new arrivals, celebrations and holidays - plus, who doesn't love cookies!In the spirit of a handmade gift, our card collections are created with love."

Pear Tree Events recently got our hands on the Red Heart Cookie Cards and the Red Crab Card. We can tell you from experience that even though these cards are cute in the pictures, they are GORGEOUS in person. We are so infatuated with the Red Crab Card we are hoping to use the invitations for a crab-feed/fish-fry 18th birthday taking place in Bodega Bay next month. The quality of the photographs is so beautiful it looks as if you could eat the cookies right off the page.

Go check out the Rosebud Cards website for more deliciousness!

Feature Friday: sarah + abraham

We are on a bit of stationary kick lately at Pear Tree. There are just so many great vendors out there! We mentioned them briefly in last week's Feature Friday, but one of our absolute FAVORITES is Sarah & Abraham. Sarah & Abraham is an online boutique specializing in children's stationery, birth announcements, and invitations for baby showers and birthday parties.
One of the main reasons we love Sarah & Abraham is they are a small business that got started on just an idea and has worked hard to grow. PLUS... Sara Tams, owner of Sarah & Abraham, shares her experiences running a small business on their blog!
The Sarah & Abraham blog chronicles Sara's adventures in starting and running a small business, answers questions, features other Etsy sellers, announces special promotions, and hosts occasional giveaways. We have been stalkers, um, I mean followers of her blog for quite a while now. Not only are Sarah & Abraham's designs cuter than cute, but they do custom orders! Check out these adorable invitations she created for a "Horton Hears a Who" birthday party. Take a look at their website and read through the Sarah & Abraham blog for all kinds of inspiration.

P.S. There are tons of items in their Etsy shop that make awesome birthday gifts. One of our event coordinators actually just ordered these for a friend's birthday... and may need to order some for herself too!

Feature Friday: Paperless Invitation Providers

Today's Feature Friday is a bit unique in that we are not actually featuring a small business, rather we have chosen to highlight an often overlooked means of inviting guests to your event: with an online invitation. Using online invitations can save you a significant amount of your event budget while still setting the tone for your party. Then there is the obvious benefit (which we LOVE at Pear Tree) of being environmentally friendly!
Most people are familiar with Evite, which offers a collaborative website to users that has a design unique to their event. Evite's services are also free, which is helpful in questionable economic times. Guests can write notes and RSVP directly on the site. Evite designs tend to be on the cheesy side (although they have made improvements, check out these designs by another Pear Tree fav, Sarah and Abraham) so there are a couple of other option we wanted to share.
Pingg is similar to Evite however they have a wider selection of "designer" invitations and provide the option to have announcements sent directly to your Facebook or Twitter accounts. Pingg has quite a variety of beautiful wedding invitations that are worthy of even the biggest budget wedding. Most Pingg invitations are free but you can purchase "Premium Plus+" invitations for $10.

Lastly (but couldn't be farther from least) is Paperless Post (pictured up top.) While this service isn't free, it is so cheap you can't help but spend entire lunch-hours designing the perfect invitation-- we know from experience! "Stamps" on Paperless Post are $5 for 60 (we said they were cheap) and you get credits for inviting friends. Sign up today, but don't forget to eat your lunch.

DIY: Program Fans

Appropriate for a HOT July wedding, we decided to print these wedding ceremony programs on fans that guests may use throughout the wedding and reception. At Pear Tree Events we are always looking for elements that have dual purposes. These make a thoughtful favor for guests and guide them through your event.

For this project you will need:

- white card stock (modify the colors to suit your wedding inspiration)
- black card stock
- craft sticks
- silver spray paint
- glue gun
- double-sided tape
- ribbon

1. Print your programs using the highest print quality on your printer and cut them into 6" squares. The front and back of the program need to be printed on two pieces of paper (no two-sided printing.) Round the corners (or use decorative scissors to embellish.) Cut the black card stock into 7" squares and round the corners. Using double-sided tape, affix each program centered onto a black card stock square.
2. Spray paint the craft sticks and allow to dry. Dab a small drop of hot glue on the end of the craft stick and attach it to the back of the program, leaving half of the stick hanging off the end. Dab with another drop of hot glue and attach the other side of the program. You should now have front and back sides with the stick securely in the middle.3. Tear four small pieces of double-sided tape and adhere the four corners of the program front to the back to keep the papers together while the fan is in use.
4. Finally, tie a 1" wide ribbon (or several thin ribbons in coordinating colors) onto the craft stick at the base of the program. Please tie a bow larger than the one pictured above... and cut the ribbon on the long side so the ends will be flowing. We made this sample a bit hastily, as we were working on another DIY project for the same bride all at once. Check back to see one of the favors we made!

Feature Friday: Calligraphy Girl

At Pear Tree we know that what makes an event truly unique and memorable are the details. The smallest things make the biggest impact. Today we are super excited to introduce you to Lara Kiniris, also known as The Calligraphy Girl. Lara is a fantastic example of someone who used her skills to find a niche in the market and found success-- we love these stories! From Lara:

I am a stay at home mother of two wonderful children, Peter 3 and 1/2 and Katie 1 and 1/2. I have been doing calligraphy for about 20 years, but just for fun. I would do it for friends and family for weddings, parties, etc. But then I was thinking of ways to make money while I continued to stay at home with my children. I really love doing it, it's so relaxing and a fun way to be creative and think. Once I thought of a good name for my business, I tried to think of some of ways to get my name out there.

First I called the wedding planner who did my wedding 5 years ago. She gave me ideas and sent some brides my way. Then I started calling other wedding planners, stopped by some stationary stores, called tons of wedding vendors to see who I could network with. I was pleasantly surprised to know that there weren't a lot of people who do what I do and hardly any that had approached the people I was approaching. I got a lot of positive feedback from the people I spoke to and tons of encouragement. I have been keeping busy these past few months, thankfully, and it has been so enjoyable meeting new people , making new friends and seeing the look on a client's face when they see the finished the product. Most of my business comes from brides, but I work with other people too. Many times I will start with addressing for
save-the-dates, and then move on to the wedding invitations, then onto the place cards, table numbers and menus if needed. I do certificates for awards, poetry, just about anything. I do calligraphy as well as any creative type of writing. I even do the writing on invitations for children's parties in child-like writing. I love what I do and am so thankful that my business continues to grow...

Lara, we want to see your business grow too. Below is a sample of The Calligraphy Girl's work. Traditionally calligraphy has been reserved for weddings, but why wouldn't you want to add that special touch to baby shower invitations, graduation announcements, or even your child's birthday invitations?
Head over to The Calligraphy Girl's website and admire all the gorgeous styles she offers. Then start thinking about the next event you want to host so you can hire her to address your invitations!