Last Minute Gifts - Easy Peasy!

Let's face it. Everyone needs them...last minute gift ideas. At this point, you are shopped out. Totally tapped for ideas. Personally, if I have to brave the masses one more time, I'm going to lose my proverbial marbles.

So I decided to stay at home & finish up my Christmas shopping in my kitchen. Ta-daaaaaa!!!


That is a tin of Hot Chocolate complete with mini-marshmallows. See the recipe here. It makes WAY more than 12 servings, fyi. Just mix the ingredients together, put a few servings in a container & BOOM. Done.

In the past I have used Ziploc bags and put them in nice paper or cardboard boxes that I found at the Dollar Store, Target or any place that carries wrapping supplies. This year I happened to find these cute tins at a local cooking supply store, as well as the cellophane bags. The tags I made quickly on the computer. You could also put instructions inside the tin.The mini marshmallows are in fold-over sandwich bags. However, in a pinch, you can use a nice paper bag with tissue paper in it. Whatever you can do to make it's presentation nice & present-like.

Also, I made truffles. They looked a lot like this:

(from The Chocolate Life)

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, has two great recipes, here and here. I made her Chocolate Truffles, minus the Grand Marnier, & rolled them in confectioner's sugar or coco powder, per the recipe suggestions, or pecan pieces per a commenter's suggestion. It took me a little over an hour! Now I have bags all tied with ribbon & ready to go.

I made similar truffles last year & delivered them to folks in a chinese take out container, but you could also put them in a Glad or Rubbermaid container from your local grocery store & dress it up with a nice ribbon.

More great food ideas on the web on Better Homes & Gardens.com. They put out a great supplement called Food Gifts that includes all kinds of ideas such as this Snack Mix.

Also a great non-food idea, and something we do often in our family, is give pictures. Target had lots of great frames on super sale today! It's a nice gift, a reminder of a family get together from earlier in the year.

The most important thing, as we all know & hear each year, is: It is the thought that counts. So, don't stress! Happy Holidays!

Hello, Goodbye - opening & closing your notes

Happy Monday!

My mom sent me an interesting link a few weeks ago & I thought I should share the topic of it here. She was looking for a new way to close her email correspondence. So, I got thinking about it & decided to do as I do & looked up some alternatives to the "hi, (name)" and "All the best" that are my standard phrases.

Here are some suggestions:

Openings: (slim pickin's here...) Dear (name - let's use Sally), Dear Mr. (or Mrs.) Christopher Jones, Dearest Sally, Darling Sally, My Dear, or My Dear Sally, Hi! or Hey! or Hi, Sally! or Hey, Sally! or Sally, (just the name is ok too)

Closings: (peeeeeelenty to choose from)
More on the formal/business side: Kind regards, Best regards, Best wishes, Many thanks, Respectfully yours, Sincerely.

More on the friend side: Love, Affectionately, Hugs, Kind thoughts, Wishing you the best, Write soon, Be well, Cheers. The last 2 are also good for email.

Emily Post had some interesting comments on the subject. Very proper comments of course, but also a bit 19th century in some cases. Not sure when the last time I worried about the sealing wax on my letter. I do like that she endorses "complimentary closes" such as "Kindest Regards" and "With Kindest Remembrances" instead of more abrupt closings that she finds impersonal, such as just "Sincerely." Agreed, Ms Post!

See anything here that speaks to you? That you might use in the future? What closings/openings are you using now? I'm going to try out "Affectionately" and/or "Hugs," I think. Christmas card writing is on my to-do list for this week!

Until next time! Cheers!

The Very First Christmas Card

As I was deciding what holiday cards to send this year, I started thinking...how did this tradition even start?? So, I did what I do...I googled it! Thought I would share my findings...

Traditionally, Christmas greetings weren't cards, they were letters. Most sources I read seemed to imply that mostly children sent them. But adults must have been in on it too, because cards as we know them today were started in 1843 by Henry Cole, the first director of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. He was 65 at the time...not a kid.

Having many people to write at the holidays & not enough time to do (hello, can we identify or what?) Cole commissioned John Horsley, a fashionable artist of the time, to paint a card for him. The card was a rectangle & showed 3 scenes. The central picture is of a family toasting an absent friend (said to be the recipient of the card). On the left & right of that are scenes of someone feeding the poor & another representing clothing the naked, whom I would also assume must have been poor. The greeting reads: "A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you." with To: & From: at the top to be filled in. Talk about easy to send!

The next year it caught on in England & the spread to Europe, but it didn't really take hold stateside for another 30 years, thanks to Louis Prang. Now, it's estimated that Americans send 4 billion Christmas cards a year.

Fun fact: Warren Nord & Tut Anderson hold the Guinness Record for the longest exchange of the same Christmas card. 57 years they sent the same card back & forth. That is a loooong time.

So, blog friends, how many people are on your card list this year? Anyone decide not to send cards?? Either way! It warms my hear to see cards start arriving in the mail. I am actually participating in my first ever Christmas card swap with Brooklyn Bride. Super excited!

Later, y'all!

The Anatomy of a Thank You Note

(New Thank You notes up on my Etsy shop. Red for the holidays!)

'Tis the season, my friends, for parties, gifts & holiday cheer. Guess what follows? Well, yes, the occasional "cheer" hangover, but also, the time to send thank yous to your hosts & gift givers.

These days the best excuse you have to put pen to paper might be a thank you note. Keeping up with friends has become almost entirely electronic, but that just doesn't cut it when it's time to express your gratitude. So, pull out a pen, grab a card & write (yes, actually write!) your thank yous.

But wait...you are pausing...do you feel awkward writing a thank you note? Fear not! Lots of people do, strangely enough. The more you do it, the better you will get at it, the easier it will feel. Plus, there is a simple formula you can follow to guide you. I put this together based on posts from The Morning News & eHow.com

1. Greeting the recipient:

Dear Chris,

If "dear" is too familiar, no worries. Just say Hi!

2. Express your gratitude:

Thank you so much for _____!

Fill in the blank with the gift or reason you are writing - a vase, watching my kids, having us over, etc. Mention the gift specifically unless it's money. That is a no-no. In that case you could recognize some one's "generosity."

3. Mention something about the gift -
how you like it, where it will go, how it will be used.

The vase matches our living room perfectly.

The point is to let the person know how you like & appreciate the gift beyond just saying the words "thank you." It brings sincerity to your thanks.

4. Add a personal thought:
Really enjoyed getting together for dinner last week. Let's do it again when we get back from vacation.

Nothing major about things going on in your life in this section. Leslie Harpold of the Morning News.Org says it best in her article: Let the giver know how they fit into the fabric of your life.

5. Re-thank them:

Again, I love the vase! Thank you!

6. Sign off:

All the best, Kerry

Many options here: Love, Best, Cheers...whatever you like. Keep it simple.

And BOOM! You have written a quick & meaningful thank you note. It could only be easier if it was a Mad Lib. Write a few drafts on scrap if you like to get warmed up & organize your thoughts. Then move to your note or social stationery & bang it out.

A common question: Does your thank you note need to say thank you on the front? No! You are saying it on the inside in your note. But, it should be appropriate & reflect the meaning you are sending. (Maybe don't send Grandma a thank you note with skulls on it, even if they are super cute.) Don't know why writing notes is important in the first place? You can start with my earlier blog post here.

Sending you all Holiday cheer! Happy Note Writing!

Holiday Sale - Etsy & the NewNew

(buy handmade for Christmas!)

Hi Blog Lovers! Big news this weekend! Our NYC Etsy group, the NewNew, is having a big sale to kick off the holiday season. Lots of shops with all kinds of handmade items are giving $$ off, free shipping & more. The sale runs through Monday so DO NOT DELAY!!

Check out who is participating in this NewNew Blog Post, complete with links to all the participating shops. I am offering FREE SHIPPING when you buy 2 or more sets of cards. Perfect to get something for yourself & a gift for a friend.

You can also search: NewNewTeam or NewNewSale to find participants.

Happy Shopping!!

Custom Ooooommmmm....

(Cafe Press & Gaiam custom yoga mats...so much fun...)

Happy Monday! Found this last week & have got to share. I have been having so much fun with it. Make your own custom yoga mat with Gaiam & Cafe Press. So for I have only decided on 1, but have been playing with them for hours. I could have 10. Voila...my mat of Zen...


Choose from their images or upload your own. Holiday shopping is coming soon! Put this one on your list for the yogi in your life! Hint, hint, Mr. B...

Merry, Happy, Joy & Love

Hi again, blog readers! Remember the other day when I said I had more to share? Well, here I am, coming through on that promise.

Last Spring I participated in the Minted.com 2010 Holiday Challenge, which I posted about on this blog. Here. And here. And here. They didn't win any awards this time around, sadly. I mean, there were only 1300 plus designs! Gees... :) Anywho, my designs did get some great votes & positive feedback.

So!! Here they are, now available for release on my Etsy shop.

Peace, Hope, Joy in Green - listed on my Etsy shop

Peace, Hope, Joy also comes in Red, above & Blue, below

Peace, Hope, Joy is 5 x 7 & features one large photo. The message is customizable (see other colors for examples). Angel Noel (below) is 4 x 9.25, fits in a long rectangular no. 10 envelope & features 5 of your photos. Great for a family montage!

Isn't the angel cute? I drew her!

You can also get these as a PDF or jpeg that you can print at home or take to the printer of your choice. Check out those listings here for Peace, Hope, Joy or here for Angel Noel, on my Etsy shop.

I have 2 holiday promotions coming up! Stay tuned!!!

New stuff!

Hello, Blogspot! Oh, how the time has passed since I last posted...{sigh}. But all has not been for naught! I have been working on new things (and apparently reading too much Jane Austen at night) that I would love to share with you thus...I mean here. :)

First, I have been doing lots of experimenting lately with new designs. During a recent fulfillment of an order (thanks angruth1!) I made the package below. As soon as I can figure out the additional pricing, I'll start selling this on my Etsy shop - Stars of Thank You with stamped envelope liners.

(Look for these here)

It's amazing what you can do with a stamp pad & some painters tape! In addition, I have long been experimenting with colored envelopes & am finally finding ways to use them in my existing designs to bring an extra punch of color & panache. Add the envelope liner & VIOLA! We have a fun new stationery set just in time for the holiday season. I think I'll do another one in red...

Speaking of the holiday season...more news on that coming up. More new products and a fun promotion...stay tuned!

Condolence Notes...

(see these notes at Amazon.com)

Hi Blog Peeps!!

I had planned my next post on handwritten notes, not only with the intention of posting some time ago (sorry, but it was far too nice to sit inside & blog!) and to be about writing Thank You notes. They are often overlooked or not sent at all & they are the most sincere form of note writing that you could do...until my mother-in-law asked me to send a condolence note to a family friend.

I have to admit something here...this is not a form of note writing that I am familiar with. Perhaps it's my age? The only people I know who have passed are close family members like my grandparents. So here we are, dear readers, as I take you along on my journey to figure out what to say to this family friend at such a time. Ironically, I was having a conversation about just this thing 2 weeks ago with an older friend who has children just going to college. They are of the age that email, texting & Facebook updates have replaced all written correspondence & she recently had to goad them into writing a condolence letter.

Their big complaint & reluctance to do it: They had no idea what to say.

Me neither, so I did 2 things: 1. I bought a condolence card at my local card shop & 2. looked up examples on the internet. I am happy to report that About.com not only gives examples & advice for condolence letters, but also for condolence NOTES. See! Again, proof that handwritten notes need not be a book!

The point in this type of note writing is to show your support & sympathy for the friends and/or family of the deceased. There is no pressure to do anything except extend that sentiment in a short & meaningful note. After all, the definition of console is to comfort at a time of grief or sorrow.

Here are the steps they recommend:

1. Acknowledge the loss and refer to the deceased by name.
2. Express your sympathy.
3. Note any special qualities of the deceased that come to mind.
4. End the letter with a thoughtful word, a hope, a wish, or expression of sympathy e.g. "You are in my thoughts" or “Wishing you God’s peace.” Closing such as "Sincerely," "love," or "fondly," aren’t quite as personal.

So, after a little deliberation, I added the following note after the greeting card message:

Dear (name left out for privacy),
We were so sorry to hear about the death of your mother. Your family is in our thoughts & prayers.
Wishing you peace,
(our signatures)

I found getting a card with a pre-written sentiment was helpful, although not necessarily encouraged by some of the sites I read. It sort of broke the ice for me. But, as About.com points out, the most important thing is that your message comes from the heart.

Hope everyone has had a great end of summer & is picking out pumpkins for Fall. A woman on my street has one that, if it wasn't sitting on her stoop, I'm sure would have won a blue ribbon at a county fair somewhere. It's huge. Happier subjects next time!

Get your supplies together!

(Find this stamp box here. Not necessary, but so fun!)

At Target the other day I noticed all the school supplies are already out, so I thought perhaps the next installment in our series on hand written notes would be about that...supplies!

What do you need to write a note? Well, it is obvious, right? A paper & a pen! The next question is what do you select first? No matter what you prefer to start with, you eventually need them both. You have to start some where though. I pick my paper first, largely because I select it by occasion. Besides, the pen in my hand is almost always the same, especially for note writing. I am in love with Pilot pens, of all kinds, but especially my Pilot G-2 Gel Pen. For our purposes, though, whatever feels good in your hand & has plenty of ink in it will suffice.

Several resources, including The Art of the Handwritten Note, which I quoted in my previous post, suggest having a "starter set" of stationery handy. Choose some simple notes...maybe just some all purpose cream or white folded cards...and keep them together with envelopes, stamps & your pen or pens. Put them in a nice basket, in a place that they are easy to access. Mine sit in a mail holder next to my desk. The idea is to make note writing a fun & easy thing to do.

Where do you get said simple notes? Almost anywhere. I have seen sets at Staples & at Target. If you are in my 'hood (Brooklyn!) I suggest Papel NY. Great card selection as well as stationery. Etsy, of course, has lots of cards & papers for sale (hello, plug for the K. Batty shop!), or you could check out several other online options. Here are some of my faves:

Paper Source, for plain paper, all things crafty & fun demos on their products
Papyrus, for funky cards
The Paper Cottage, for everything preppy
Paper & Cup, for fun & well designed everything

And then there is always the classic...Crane's. (sigh)

I hope this post breaks down note writing a bit for you. As I said previously, it isn't a huge task to write someone a note. You just need a few simple things & a few words.

Happy writing :)

*** If you order monogrammed notes from the K. Batty shop between now & next Wednesday, enter SUPPLIES in the messages to seller. I'll complete your starter stationery set with stamps & a pen! Plus, from now until the 25th you can get 10% off your order & free shipping during the Christmas in July sale! Whoo hooo!!***

Christmas in July

(this set is on sale!)

Everyone! Quick!! Grab your sleigh (...errr your mouse) and head over to Etsy for the 3rd Annual Christmas in July sale. Tons of sellers (including moi) are giving discounts on their products & free shipping.

Yes...I said FREE SHIPPING!

To find sellers who are participating, search the terms "Christmas in July" or CIJ. Their shops & items should be tagged with those words so that you can find them. Happy shopping!!

Why handwritten notes?

(like these correspondence cards? They are K. Batty! Look for them soon on Esty!)

People's desire (hopefully!) to send & write handwritten notes is a major part of my business, so I thought a little blog series on the subject may be in order.

First up: Why send one in the first place?

Emails are quick. So are texts & phone calls. So, why wait on snail mail to deliver a sentiment? All have their place. But, in my opinion, none of them show the sincerity of a handwritten note. I turned to The Art of the Handwritten Note by Margaret Shepherd for a little guidance. Shepard says that sending a handwritten note tells the recipient that "You are worth the effort it took" to write, stamp & send this note.

I like that. She also points out that it's rarity heights the appeal. That makes me like sending them even more. To show someone that I am thinking about them by doing something that is (sadly) rare these days increases the importance of the gesture.

Now, you don't need to write anyone a book or your life story in a note. Figure out your message & send what's needed to deliver it. Maybe it's a card just to say hi! Saying something is better than saying nothing. So, if it comes to texting or emailing your message, then fine.

But, the point is put down your device, pick up a pen and make someone's day with a surprise in their mailbox.

Up next: haven't decided yet! Basic formats for notes? Perhaps materials, like pens & paper? Let's get excited about handwritten notes, people!

Voting is open!!

Hi all! It's June 11th. Do you know what that means??

Well, yes, it probably means that it's someone's birthday (send them a card from K. Batty!) but it also means that voting is OPEN for the 2010 Holiday Challenge on Minted.com. So, GO GO GO vote for the K. Batty cards! Pretty please :)

This is really important because for this challenge there will be TWO ROUNDS of judging due to the number of entries (more than 1300!!!). So, my little chick-a-dees, you have until June 14th to help me get to round 2.

You can use the Voting Badge on the right hand side of this blog, or click here to access my designer page & see all the designs I've submitted. Feel free to make comments! Or give me a shout on the K. Batty Facebook page & let me know you've stopped by.

Thanks for all the support!

One more on Minted.com...

Hi guys! Mark June 10th on your calendars. That is the day that voting begins for the 2010 Minted.com Holiday Challenge. That's THIS Thursday. So far I've submitted 3 designs (the latest above) & might have just one more up my sleeve :)

Stay tuned! And thanks very much for all your support!

Another day, another Minted design...

Hi all! Still working on the Minted Holiday Challenge. Note the new button in the side bar. Would love to hear comments if you have them. I'll post a big reminder when the voting begins and you guys can help me kick some butt :)

Happy Wednesday!

Christmas in May

Time for the 2010 Minted.com Holiday Challenge!! My first design is up on their site for submission. What do you think? Would you send this to your friends & family?

You can tell me and the other contributors what you think of their work. Just head over to Minted.com & comment (or do it here!). The submission deadline isn't for a few weeks, but posting the designs early is a great opportunity for designers to receive feedback, not just from each other, but from potential customers. We can then tweak the designs before the judging begins. It is much appreciated if anyone has a moment to cruise over there.

A fun bonus feature Minted.com is providing designers is the handy badge in the right column of the blog. Click there & it takes you straight to my design :) Finally!! So easy! Love those Minted peeps!

A note about yesteryday...I'm learning a lot doing these challenges. Some of you may have noticed a post I put up yesterday, promoting this challenge, but took down. Sadly, I had to majorly edit my design. It was brought to my attention how close it was to another design, submitted before mine & by an experienced contributor. It's not against the rules to have similar designs, but I felt the professional thing to do was revise my submission. It's not like I don't have more ideas :) So, I took it as an opportunity and hear we are talking about a new design!

A guestbook you can sit on...

I had the divine pleasure of attending my cousin Kate's wedding, this past weekend, at a girls camp in upstate New York. It was a beautiful weekend, full of family reunions, an open bar & Irish line dancing. I'm not kidding. Super fun! It looked something like this. But I digress. What really applies to this blog is...

Gone are the days when guests showed up at a wedding & wrote their name in a book to show they'd attended a wedding ceremony. I give you a new surface...Kate's guest book consisted of 2 Adirondack Chairs & a couple of pens.



That's right folks! Guests of the wedding were asked to write messages to the couple on a set of Adirondack chairs with paint pens. And they did...all over the chairs. As you may imagine, the arms of the chairs were taken first. Luckily, this is a creative crowd.







The next day, the groom (Welcome to the family, Matt!) covered them in a Krylon Clear Coat to seal them. They dry in about 10 minutes, but Matt suggested waiting an hour to move them. As you can see, guests really had fun with their messages & it will be something Kate & Matt can enjoy for years to come.

Congratulations Katie & Matt! It was a wonderful weekend!

If anyone has other fun ideas for a "guestbook" leave them in the comments section or email me & I'll share the best ones!

Hello, Dottie!

Hi all! Just up on my Etsy shop, this new take on correspondence cards. Everyone say "hello" to the Dottie Monogrammed Correspondence Card Set.

Instead of the traditional 4x6-ish card, I've added a few extra inches to the dimensions. The result is a fun, long flat card with plenty of room for jotting off a note, personalized with the initial of your choice in the color of your choice.

Great for gifts!! A set of 10 will only set you back $15.00.

What do you think? Click here to see the full listing on Esty!

Calling all K. Batty Fans!

Hi all!! K. Batty has a live fan page on Facebook. Come visit to see work in progress & other fun stuff, including an easy way to view my Etsy listings. See my fan page here.

I hope you'll join my Facebook fun!

TGIF!

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! This picture came in an email from a friend, subject: Men's ingenuity. It tickled my funny bone!!

Steaks anyone??

Cool Etsy Find

Love these. I am putting them on my "things to get my husband" list.

Via Hip Hostess.

Is Late really better than Never? Valentine's Day in April...

Hi gang!!

Like I said the other week, life has not been all doom & gloom for me and I have been able to dabble in some crafty stationery fun!

Enter my Valentine's Day cards. It was one large experiment. Had my first ever experience ordering polymer letterpress plates from Boxcar Press. Had my first ever ink ordering experience. I went on the hunt for paper & got LOTS of samples. Then, I put my limited use of letterpressing to use by going to The Arm, here in Brooklyn & got busy. Here is the result:

(I sent them with either light pink or hot pink envelopes because the ink is a pinky-red)

(You can tell that's a heart, right?)

(my girlfriends loved this one! Insert squeal of delight!)

What do you think? Mostly, I sent them out to friends, but when I get the chance to do these things, I try to send a few out as promotional pieces. Like to my wedding planner...Ivy, are you listening? ;)

More projects on the way. I'm not going to say I'm finally back to blogging because I think that would be a jinx. Life tends to have other plans for me...so I'll just say, see you soon!

Happy Monday!

And I'm back...

(find this pad here, or if you live in NYC, stop by here.)

If this note was sitting on my desk right now it would say:

"While you were out, dealing with a family crisis, Life called & said it was going to move a little faster whether you like it or not. Nah, nah nah nahnah!!"

Hello! Miss me? I missed you :) Life took an unexpected turn this winter, but everyone is ok & life is on it's way to a new kind of normal. Not everything was helter skelter while I was away from the blog...well, not ABSOLUTELY everything. I did manage to do some work in the last month plus & will post the fruits of my labor this week.

Happy Monday! Ta ta for now!

K. Batty Thank Yous at Papel NY

(these cuties are out in the big bad world of retail stationery!)

I am so excited to announce that some of my Thank You notes (pictured above) are now being sold at Papél New York, a local stationery store in my Brooklyn 'hood. Cue the excitement! HOLY COW!!!

Papél opened just before Christmas & has been doing very well since. Reagan, the owner, has FABULOUS taste...and I'm not saying that just because she liked my work. Great cards of all varieties, especially if you are looking for a not-so-run-of-the-mill birthday card. Many of them made me laugh out loud. Stop in & check them out. Papél is located at 225 Court Street, near the corner of Warren, in Cobble Hill. Also, check out this post from Racked about the store opening & pictures, as the store's website is still under construction.

More exciting things in the pipeline for K. Batty so stay tuned!!

PS If you are not in the area & love the cards, you can also buy them on my Etsy store.

For the love of books

Hello all! You know what I love? There are MANY answers to that, but today the answer is bookplates! I've been playing around making them for a while & thought...wait! Maybe others would like these. Perhaps I should ask!

Thoughts? Do you use them? Hate them? How about if they were free? I use them when I have them & have recently been making them. Here is my first set, for you guys to have use & love. Printing instructions are in the file. I'm just learning how to make downloads available here, so the link will take you to my website. Get it here.

Enjoy!!!

Papercut Masterpieces

Happy Monday, all! How cool are these paper art pieces? The artist, Helen Musselwhite, has a HUGE range of pieces. See the post where I found them at Oh So Beautiful Paper here. And check out Helen's website here.

(Blue Lion - Gallery 2)

(Beauties Cottage in New Work)

I would love to have one of these in my office. Or they would make a great housewarming gift, or for a kids room...the list goes on!

Vintage Ad Art!

I love these!!! In college I had huge vintage travel posters like this one hanging in my living room. There are so many old ads like this...so many styles & sizes, so many products...you could have them anywhere. My husband had one that we have hanging with other pieces of vintage art in our spare bedroom...aka my office. These are some of my faves:

(Found this one here...from 1910!)

(This one from here...1920!)

(This one here)

Check out the Vintage Ad Browser for more. Some are for sale!! Others not :( Links to "buy" take you here, to Global Gallery. Go to Collections to see Vintage Advertisements. But I have had success finding them all over the place.

Anyone know a good site for vintage maps? Mr. B & I are looking for one of Brooklyn.

'Tis the season???

Is it engagement season?? I heard some where that it is & I have to say it might be true. The holidays are a very popular time to "pop the question." I myself got engaged last year at Thanksgiving!

With that in mind, I thought this post, from Courtney over at Little White Book, was so smart, I had to share it here. All through school (and plenty now too) I have heard advertising folks talk about the ways that being in the industry helped them in something totally unrelated by introducing them to the creative brief. Courtney describes what this document is: articulating the client/brand goals in a way that is compelling to the creative team (who will ultimately create the creative product) and in a way that is compelling to the audience (the people who will ultimately consume the work/the people who you want to communicate with).

Couldn't have said it better myself. The point of reposting her ideas here is just to show a way of getting your thoughts together in planning your wedding...Could you use them on any other party? Maybe! I took a visual approach when planning our wedding. Check out Snippet & Ink...a blog I still read!...for more of what I'm talking about.

Good luck! Have fun!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(Image from Veer)

Wishing you & yours all the best in 2010! Cheers!!!