Baby: From Diapers to Dresses

There are few things more adorable than all the little sweaters, booties, outfits and accessories that come with a newborn baby. Well except maybe the baby itself! And I believe that's why images of children's clothing—from the iconic cloth diaper, to ruffle-rich dresses—are a favorite among stationers and customers, when they create or purchase announcements, greeting cards, or other baby-related special occasion invitations. Here are just a few selections to show the type of stationery available and the variety of designs you can find, along the baby clothing motif.

A new set of twins means a lot more diapers. That's why I love this clever greeting card from marizipan inc..

Diapers were also the inspiration for these custom birth announcements I created at Bride Design. They are a unique way to let loved ones know just how much a family's world has "changed" thanks to their new arrival.

This sweet baby boy pocket greeting card by Specialty Cards 4U has been selected as a finalist for a coveted Louie Award, bestowed by The Greeting Card Association each year in May. Rough and tumble overalls definitely say baby boy to me!

This Rock Scissor Paper exclusive design can be had as a fill-in invitation, or custom printed. One might think the cute little dolly is the star of this invite, but I think her sweet, mod dress steals this show. I can't think of a more stylish way to invite friends and family to a future fashionista's first birthday!

~ Erin, Bride Design and Sweet Talk Boutique

Celebrating Mom!

With Mother's Day just over a week away, it's the perfect time to take a peek at just a few of the fabulous cards that honor mom and celebrate her special day.
For your favorite Hot Mama, choose this delightful card from Rock Scissor Paper.
This hand embellished card from Marzipan, Inc. celebrates a very "sweet" mom.

Just Another Day's customizable Mother's day card allows you to send the perfect message for your mom.

Spark Stationery offers a line of letterpress cards featuring their dachshund Henry - don't you just love his tattoo honoring Mom?

- Molly, Artful Sentiments

April {Bridal} Showers!

While there are many options for bridal shower motifs, there's still something very sweet about the traditional rain-themed shower (especially in spring). Looking for a fun and interesting twist on this tried and true theme? I love the adorable "bathroom shower" take found on these imprintable cards by marzipan inc.! Available with or without fill-in text and greeting, these invites would certainly make inviting easy on any hostess! Matching envelope and glitter embellishments included. Make no mistake...guests will surely get the message they'll be showering the lucky couple with helpful gifts and lots of love!

~Erin, Bride Design and Sweet Talk Boutique

A little luck of the Irish

It's that time of year again — St. Patrick's Day! Here is some lucky stationery to celebrate with!

Photo Credit: marzipan inc

The two handmade cards featured above are by marzipan inc and are blank on the inside and come with translucent vellum envelopes. Purchase the "best of luck!" card here and the "happy st. patrick's day!" here.

Photo Credit: Feterie

Send someone a little luck. The card above is by Feterie exclusively for Goods For Goodness' Sake and features a reusable magnet featuring the word "lucky" in a fun design. Purchase here.

Photo Credit: Just Another Day Designs

The wedding invitations above by Just Another Day Designs feature four leaf clovers in the design! They look great in the chartreuse green and the pool blue pictured above but you can customize the colors to coordinate with your wedding. For more information click here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day (which is March 17th in case you forgot)!

dana [shimmer studio]

A "Good" way to shop!

With all the lovely stationery choices out there, it's sometimes difficult to make a decision what to purchase for yourself, or for that special little gift. Goods for Goodness' Sake can help you with that, by ensuring that you not only purchase beautiful products, but you also do a little good for someone else along the way. Goods for Goodness' Sake is a new online boutique that donates 100% of its profits to one of several charities that the shopper selects when they make a purchase. Now that's something we can all feel good about.

Owners Cathe of Feterie (and one of the stationery guides) and Lara of Tiny Tales have partnered with several stationery designers that they have come to know over their years running their own businesses to fill this new online boutique with delightful paper goods. The shop includes products from designers Artful Sentiments, Bride Design, Feterie, Hen & Barley Press, Loop, Marzipan, Paper Stories, PaperLuxe Studio, Rock Scissor Paper, Shimmer Studio, Three Wheels Design + Paper, and Tiny Tales, many of whom have created products exclusively for Goods for Goodness Sake.

Stop by the shop, won't you? It's a great place to buy some lovely stationery and do a little good at the same time.

Molly, Artful Sentiments

invitation alternatives :: fill-ins & imprintables

let's face it. while having custom made invitations and announcements made for special occasions like weddings or the birth of a baby is great, sometimes that sort of thing isn't in the budget for certain events like a cocktail party, family barbeque, or bridal shower. this is where two great alternatives come into play.

the first are fill-in invitations. this is the type of invitation (or announcement) that has the pre-printed "who:, what:, where:, when:, why:" information ready for you to plug in your information, stamp, and send on it's way. super simple solution and typically super affordable.

for those of you who are more confident with typing up the wording for your invitation in word processing software, an imprintable gives you more flexible options in that you can write whatever you want, wherever you want! some companies even offer the option to do the custom printing for you. (for a fee of course) so while it's not a custom design, it is customized to your special event.



1. fondu fill-in invitation. in-vita paper studio :: available soon.
2. new puppy fill-in announcements. marzipan inc. (available at shades of violet) :: $6.00/box of 10 (sale price)
3. sophisticated sun party custom printed invitations. rock scissor paper :: $24/box of 10
4. shower invites. available as fill-in or imprintable marzipan inc. (available at shades of violet):: $7.50/box of 10 (sale price)

birth announcements : beyond pink and blue

when it comes to choosing the right announcement for the arrival of your new bundle of joy, the options can be daunting. you're so excited to share the news with friends and family and want to make sure your announcement stands out. one way to do this is with an announcement that doesn't fit the stereotypical pink and blue theme. surprise them with bold burst of bright hues and it will be an announcement that's hard to forget.

the announcements below are from fin+roe. if you want yours to stand among all the other pastel pinks and baby blues, this is your answer! at fin+roe you choose your favorite design layout and then choose from 20 colors and 10 patterns to create your own customized design!


why not try a bright spring green on a baby girl announcement like the one below?


try a cheery orange for a little boy.


this bright red custom announcement from paper zest is a great color option if you're looking for a full-custom design. you can view a great selection of their previous work on their website.


this lovely orange option with pops of magenta comes from feterie. another nice touch: unlike most flat photo announcements, this one is a folded card.


i love the sophisticated and calming feeling that this chocolate brown announcement from paper stories letterpress exudes. brown is such a great color to tie into any color theme. it's gender neutral and is a softer option than black for a baby announcement.


if you're looking for a non-photo based announcement i thought these cards from InVita paper studio would be such a fun way to announce the arrival of a new baby. the colors are bright and cheerful and i love the text based design.

i hope this has given you a few ideas on how to escape the pastel pink and baby blue rut that so many people fall into. there are so many options out there. the possibilities are endless!

photos courtesy of their respective owners.

-lori [marzipan inc.]

Meet Your Guides: marzipan inc.

hello there! my name is lori and i am the owner/designer/all-around-doer at marzipan inc. at marzipan inc., our main focus is hand-embellished greeting cards, but we also offer all sorts of stationery goodies like magnets, correspondence notes, gift tags, announcements, imprintables, and more! you can find all of our products online at shades of violet. we also just opened a new division of our company called fin+roe where we offer custom photo correspondence of all kinds!

on the stationery guides blog i will be focusing on baby items including announcements and shower invites, as well as general stationery topics. i will also hopefully be a reliable resource for all your postage related questions!

see you around!