Paper Passionista

Gatsby Mania has struck, and Paper Passionista is suggesting some perfect invitations

A party scene from The Great Gatsby movie, starring Carey Mulligan and Leonardo DiCaprio

With Baz Luhrmann's much anticipated film, The Great Gatsby, making its nation-wide theater opening this coming Friday, chances are running high that the summer will be filled with 1920's era themed cocktail parties.  If you're planning such an affair Paper Passionista has the perfect invitation and matching stationery suite items to set the tone for your soiree.

Bella Figura's Deco invitation has the right feel to invite your guests in style. The images shown here are featuring a wedding invitation, but Paper Passionista can turn it into just the piece for any kind of party you're planning.

Bella Figura "Deco" invitation

Perhaps you'd like your 1920's era party to be a nice blend of then and now? If so then Arabella Papers' Modern Deco invitation could be just what you're looking for.

Arabella Papers "Modern Deco" collection

Two more Great Gatsby era party invitation options come from the Soiree collection by Checkerboard. Both combining gold and black, you can go with the simple but elegant Pomp design or turn up the volume with Flair, incorporating feathery swirls with a metallic gold "belly band", putting your party details hidden inside.

"Pomp" design from Checkerboard's Soiree collection

Another option from Checkerboard's Soiree collection, this is "Flair"

Once you've got your invitations selected you may want to check out the 1920's era collection of men's suits at Brooks Brothers.  They worked with costume designer, Catherine Martin, and designer Miuccia Prada to come up with 40 different outfits for the film.  Brooks Brothers decided to follow it with a line in their stores. Several snappy striped suits are available, and you can add a straw boater hat to really nail the look.

The Gatsby Collection, available now at Brooks Brothers

Ladies will have fun dressing for Gatsby themed parties as well. First it's the hair - a short fun bob, and pin curls were all the rage in the 1920's - topped off with a feathered or jeweled headband, or a jeweled barette.  Then your face - smoky eyes, and bright lips should do the trick.  Add a fringed dress, a t-strap Mary Jane pump,  and your favorite long pearls and you're good to go.

Pieces from the Prada-Martin collection. (Photo : Facebook/Vogue) 

Oh yes.... don't forget the Moet & Chandon bubbly for your guests.  Cheers!

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby

 As a postscript to this article, my own father, Wendell Phillips Sprague, Jr., was a 1920's vintage gent, and today would have been his 92nd birthday.  Here's to you, Dad.  Happy birthday!!

Marriage Equality is finally law in Washington State and our clients, Annie and Nicole are getting their licenses this morning. Congratulations to you both!!!

Waiting in line

December 6, 2012 is historic in the Great State of Washington, and as I write this Paper Passionista's lovely clients, Annie McCullough and her partner of seven years, Nicole Cherry, are waiting in line for their marriage license in downtown Seattle.  I worked with these two wonderful ladies for invitations for their commitment ceremony, celebrated June 16, 2012, and now, exactly six months later, they're able to make their commitment to each other legal.  A huge congratulations to you both!  And congratulations to the hundreds of other couples celebrating in Seattle and other locations around the State this morning too.  It's a great day for marriage equality! I told Annie and Nicole I'm not going to bed this morning until I hear they have their license in hand.  The clock is ticking.....let the waiting period begin.

The paperwork

The smooch!

The smiles!!

And at approximately 1:15 a.m., It's a license!!!

Annie and Nicole will be officially and legally wed in a ceremony on Sunday, December 16, officiated by the awesome Reverend Mary Calhoun. May you enjoy a long and happy married life, and thank you for allowing me to virtually share this special morning with you.  Cheers!!

 

Only three days left to visit the Seattle Festival of Trees at the Fairmont Hotel

Fairmont Seattle's Grand Tree takes center stage in the lobby

Paper Passionista had an invitation consultation at the Fairmont Hotel in Seattle yesterday, and an extra special treat was getting to see the beautiful themed trees on display in their lobby as part of the Seattle Festival of Trees, benefitting Seattle Children's Hospital.  This is the 35th annual Festival of Trees, and how we have missed out on seeing these trees in the past is a mystery to me.  But one guarantee is we'll never miss it again! 21 trees elaborately decorated in various themes are on display at the hotel through November 28.  To learn more about the trees and find out how you can buy any still remaining in inventory, or how you can request an invitation to next year's Seattle Festival of Trees Gala dinner visit the site now!! 

A huge congratulations to the Dr. Forrest L. Flashman Guild, who produce the Seattle Festival of Trees, and its members who personally design and decorate all of the trees.  Following are a couple photos we snapped while at the exhibit today. (These were done on our mobile phone, so for really good photos of the various trees be sure to visit the Seattle Festival of Trees website.) When you visit the Seattle Festival of Trees exhibit or website be sure to check out my favorite tree - "Best in Show" - it's a dog lover's delight, but for some reason our photo of it didn't turn out.  Each tree has a name, a sponsor, and a placard telling the story of the featured Children's Hospital patient assigned to that tree.

Christmas Concerto

Beyond the Stars

 

 

Our friends at Emily Post offer tips for a Happy Thanksgiving and the other holidays this season

An invitation from the William Arthur holiday line 2012

With the start of the holiday season beginning this week, Paper Passionista thought it was good timing to share with you this  article from the latest newsletter of our friends with the Emily Post Institute who have some tips to help make your Thanksgiving and all holiday events successful as we "gather together to ask the Lord's blessing" or "Fa la la la la through Christmas" or "light the Menorah" or whatever holiday traditions you may be celebrating.  Enjoy!

Tips for a Happy Thanksgiving

From the Editors of the Emily Post Institute

We can’t offer you a “Turkey Hotline” but here are some tips for guests and
hosts to help make your Thanksgiving both happy and memorable.

As a Guest:

• RSVP. Let
  your host know right away if you can come or not. If you received a “family”
  invitation, let him know how many of you can come. Don’t show up with uninvited
  guests. There is usually room for one more at Thanksgiving, but this is
  something you must discuss with your host ahead of time.

• Offer to contribute to the meal – but don’t dictate the menu. Your best bet
  is to make your offer open-ended and follow your host’s direction. If you or
  your ‘party’’ have special dietary needs, it is very gracious to offer to bring
  a dish that meets those needs. “Grace is a vegetarian – I’d love to bring a
  delicious tofu dish if that’s OK with you.”

• Dress appropriately. At the very least, clean and pressed.
  As a true sign of consideration, dress one notch up. Your hosts are probably
  going all out, and your attire can either say, “I appreciate the effort you are
  making for all of us,” or “I thought you were ordering take out.”

• Arrive on time. Yes, it is a day of feasting, but that turkey
  is going to be done at some point and your hosts are trying to plan around that
  magic moment. If you arrive late, don’t expect anyone to wait for you.

• Offer to help with the clean-up. Family or non-family, this
  is one day where it is a great idea to pitch in.

• Avoid controversial or painful family subjects. This is a
  day to be together in a spirit of generosity and thankfulness for all you do
  have. Let it be so.

• Leave on time. If you are a houseguest, stick to the agreed
  begin and end times of your visit.

• Say thank you. A phone call or, better yet, a hand-written
  note of thanks to your hosts shows your appreciation for all their hard
  work.

As a Host:

• Extend the invitation at least a month in advance, longer for those who
  might be traveling. If out-of-town guests are staying with you, set a beginning
  and an end for the visit. Three days is usually the optimum.

• Be as accommodating as possible to ‘extras.’ “John and I would love to come,
  but our friend Tanya will be spending Thanksgiving alone – is it possible to
  include her?” If you have the room, of course they should bring Tanya! (Be
  creative – fit in as many as possible. This is the celebration that exemplifies
  the generous spirit!)

• Have a flexible menu plan. Because Thanksgiving is a bit of a pot luck
  affair, be prepared to be “coordination central.” Accept all offers for special
  diet accommodations – see ‘Grace the vegetarian’ above.

• Review the guest list with everyone in your household. Cluing your immediate
  family in on who will be sharing Thanksgiving with you can help set the tone for
  the day. If little Joey greets Great-aunt Miriam with a big smile and a “Hi,
  Aunt Miriam,” just imagine how welcome she will feel!

• Assign tasks. Greeters, hors d’ouevres passers, ‘bar tenders’, ‘circulators
  and introducers,’ servers – even though most guests may be family members, give
  them the red carpet treatment.

• Take a tip from the airlines: serve and seat young children and the elderly
  first.

• FHB – an acronym to be whispered to immediate family ONLY! FHB means “Family
  Hold Back.” If there is a critical shortage of a critical food item, discretely
  whisper to family members, ‘FHB the dark meat.” It’s the secret signal that
  guests get first dibs on the dark meat.

• Turn off the TV during Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving has been around
  long before football or television. VCR’s, TVo – use the technology! Focus your
  attention where it belongs – on the lovingly prepared food, your family and your
  friends. When the dishes are done, EVERYONE can enjoy the games (or the chat in
  the other room!)

• Say thank you. Don’t forget to thank everyone who participated in the
  planning, cooking and cleaning up.

Ever thought about having your wedding at a liquor store? BevMo has opened and they showed us how to do it!

Looking back at the BevMo store from beneath the wedding arch  (All photos in this post courtesy of Photo Elan)

Last Friday morning, BevMo, the "new kid on the block" in Tukwila liquor super stores, opened its doors for the first time in a most unexpected way.  They hosted a wedding in their parking lot!  The evening before this grander than most Grand Opening, Paper Passionista attended a small pre-opening gathering of wedding industry folks who were treated to samples of angel food cake martinis (dangerously delicious), "Francis Ford Coppola Presents" wines, some catered snacks, cupcakes by Creme de la Creme, and delightful gift bags filled with fun beverage ware and some samples of beverages to take home. While there we learned there would be a wedding performed at the store the next morning as their Grand Opening kick-off event. I was intrigued and accepted the invitation to come back in the morning to see this unlikely affair unfold.

I showed up at the BevMo location on Southcenter Parkway at 8 am Friday, and watched as the staff quickly took measures to dry off the guests' chairs dampened by an unexpected rain shower - but rain showers the day of a wedding are good luck, right? With that inconvenience taken care of all was in readiness and the ceremony began promptly at 8:30 am. The bride and groom, Roni Brock and Dean Kittelson, along with their attendants, were decked out in gowns by Kirstie Kelly and tuxes by Men's Wearhouse.  Bride and bridesmaids had hair and makeup masterfully applied by Tiara Whitney of Tiara's on Location. Even the couple's eight year old dog, Sparky, was in attendance and adorned with a bright red bow tie and perfectly applied sparkly red nail polish on all four paws.  Sparky's "grandma", Kathy Brock told me she performed the pedicure duties for Sparky. The couple's constant companion, Sparky rides on their Harleys, or up front on their boat, so it only made sense that she would be present for her parents' nuptials!

Sparky shows off her brightly painted red nails!

"Why would a couple choose to get married at BevMo?" might be a question on the minds of many. So I sought an answer to what inquiring minds want to know. In a pre-ceremony chat with groom Dean Kittelson I learned that the couple had already legally married February 29, 2012 in a private ceremony outside Melbourne, Australia at Bon Beach, Victoria.  He joked that they thought a Leap Day wedding would be great - then they'd only have to celebrate and be on the hook for anniversary gifts once every four years. Dean's close friend had invited them to marry in Australia and had served as their only witness.  But Dean and Roni's families were not amused, and expressed disappointment at not being able to attend their wedding.  When BevMo began their search for the perfect couple to marry at their Grand Opening Dean and Roni heard about it and saw this as the opportunity to re-enact their wedding vows and make peace with their families.  It was a win-win for all parties.

Roni and Dean exchanged vows before family and friends with a BevMo representative officiating 

At the beginning of the ceremony the "officiant" explained BevMo's motivation for hosting a wedding for their Grand Opening - to convey the message that BevMo's mission is to help people put on wonderful celebrations, so hosting a wedding for their kick-off just makes sense to them.  They even have a wedding registry.  When a couple registers their wedding with BevMo at Bevmo.com/weddings they assign a beverage expert to help you plan their reception. Plus the couple gets invited to special events and wine tastings at the store. 

BevMo features more than 1,800 wines, 1,400 beers and 1,400 spirits. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.  You may not get to attend a wedding during your visit to BevMo, but you're sure to be impressed by the aisles and aisles of every imaginable wine and spirit available.  In fact, we never imagined there could be so many! 

 Guests enjoyed the wedding cake from Creme de la Creme    

 

After the ceremony the couple departed in Dean's 1947 Ford. "Just Married at BevMo" sign graced the back of the car.

Cheers to you, Roni and Dean Kittelson! And thankyou, BevMo, for inviting Paper Passionista to be present for your unique Grand Opening extravaganza.  By the time the wedding was over anxious customers were lined up around the corner and down the mall to share a toast with Roni and Dean, receive a gift bag from BevMo, and check out the latest beverage super store . The Kittelsons even got to cut the ribbon for the store's opening.  Brilliant!

 

William Arthur introduces a new line of Event Essentials at Paper Passionista

Paper Passionista is excited to introduce a new collection from William Arthur called Event Essentials. The Event Essentials album allows customers to coordinate and personalize Favor Boxes, Napkins, Stickers and Tags, Witness Posters and Wall Art with many of William Arthur’s broad selection of monograms,typestyles and motifs. All of these essential party accessories coordinate with invitation designs found within William Arthur Wedding albums Volume I, Volume II and Truly. Just mention this post and receive 10% off your Willam Arthur Event Essentials from Paper Passionista through April 30, 2012.

Two of the offerings are new to the wedding industry as things easily customizable and available without having to hire a custom designer.  Vinyl wall art easily attaches to the wall of your wedding venue without damaging the surface to which its attached, so a fun concept for decor.  And the wedding "witness" posters (one shown above) are a fun alternative to the guest book, and are available as just a poster, or mounted to foam core for added stability and durability.  The favor boxes (shown below) are available in several different shapes and many color options.  Ask your Paper Passionista stationery expert to bring along the William Arthur Event Essentials album when  you schedule your personalized consultation.

Because we're deeply immersed in wedding season right now the photos we've featured are of wedding related decor, but you can also use William Arthur Event Essentials decor items for other celebrations, including baby showers, graduation parties, prom, Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, Engagement and Anniversary parties. Let your imagination carry you away!

William Arthur invitations & stationery on special with Paper Passionista

Our friends at William Arthur have sent out information on their winter promotion, so Paper Passionista wanted to be sure and share it with you.  This promo is good for any of their invitation and stationery albums, so if you're thinking about Save the Dates, invitations for your special event / wedding, or getting some new business cards or personalized stationery, now is a great time to get an extra 25 for FREE! Give us a call and we'll be happy to run out and show you their albums in person (once the snow has cleared). ;-)

Paper Passionista celebrates 20 years in the Weddings & Events industry as of today!

On January 2, 1992 Paper Passionista's owner, Gayle O'Donnell, officially entered the professional world of wedding and event planning, and the years since then have been a fun and interesting metamorphosis.  From full service wedding and event planner, to retail wedding store owner, to her current position as Master Wedding Vendor and creator of Paper Passionista, she's had 20 years of being a member of the Invitations and Stationery world, both in the local Seattle market as well as on a National level.  We look forward to many more years in the industry and say thank you to all clients and friends, past and present, for allowing us to live our dream!  Looking forward to making this 21st year our best ever!  

In celebration of Paper Passionista's 20th birthday, mention this post and receive a $20 Starbucks™  "birthday bucks" giftcard with purchase of Invitations or Save the Dates during the month of January, 2012.  (Your giftcard will be delivered with your completed order. Not valid on orders placed before January, 2012 but not yet delivered.)

A HUGE holiday shout out to Creme de la Creme bakery in Renton, WA. Their holiday cakes are impressive!

Paper Passionista just stopped by Creme de la Creme's retail bakery in Renton and picked up some beautiful decorated cakes for this weekend's Christmas celebrations, and they are exquisite!  Now I know you won't be able to take advantage of their Christmas offerings for this year, but please keep them in mind for the future holiday celebrations, as well as other occasions throughout the year.  Long known for their delicious wedding cakes I just figured it was worth mentioning that these master bakers are great at other things too.  All year long their bakery case has delicious cakes, cheesecakes, pastries and cupcakes ready for you to stop by and take with you, or you can call and place orders in advance at (425) 282-0329.  Creme de la Creme's retail bakery is located at 440 Olympia Avenue NE in the Renton Highlands.  Tell Bart & Mike (the owners) that Paper Passionista sent you.

Tip vs. Gift: The Emily Post Holiday Breakdown

Paper Passionista's friends at the Emily Post Institute have another great article worth sharing. As you wrap up your last minute gifting (tipping) and take care of those you appreciate all year long, keep these things in mind.  Go forth and giftify!

The holiday season is a budget stretching season for many. Between your gift list, holiday tips, parties, dinners out and  traveling, it's easy for expenses to quickly add up. One question we've often been asked is: What's the difference between a tip and a gift?  

It can easily get confusing and it's important to make a distinction about whether you're giving someone a gift or a tip. Why? Professionals shouldn't be tipped--and doing so could be perceived as inappropriate. For example, a cash tip to your child's teacher or a government employee such as a postal worker is (in most cases) a prohibited practice. Gifts of small monetary value, however, are fine.   

Tipping is an end-of-year cash gratuity to a service provider such as your doorman, hairdresser, newspaper delivery person, baby sitter  or dog groomer, to thank them for their consistent and outstanding service.  

Why does this get so confusing? One reason may be that you can give a gift instead of or in addition to a tip, a helpful tactic if you're strapped for cash. For more on this topic, check out our tipping chart, complete with monetary recommendations here. 

 Gifting: A thoughtful present to recognize and show appreciation for family, friends, co-workers and other people in our lives.  

We've received many questions about whether to tip or give a gift to teachers and health care professionals. These professionals fall into the gift category. Here's why: 

• Teachers. It's wonderful for a child to want to give a gift to his or her teacher. It's also lovely for a parent to recognize a teacher's hard work. Books, gift certificates to office supply stores or other thoughtful items are welcome. Teachers are salaried professionals - a cash tip is not appropriate as it could be seen as "currying favor." Use this opportunity to teach  your child the basics of gift-giving etiquette, such as how to select a gift that someone would like and how to present it to the person.    
• Nurses and other health care professionals. Cash gifts may be prohibited. Check with each institution's policy before giving a gift to a medical professional. At some non-profit institutions, a donation may be made in honor of a nurse or other employee. Health care professionals have told us they do welcome gifts such as platters of food or cookies that can be shared with staff. Gift cards, if allowed, are a great option too. Good choices include gifts cards for the hospital coffee shop or area restaurants. If you select a gift for an individual, choose one that is meaningful to you and always accompany it with a hand-written note of thanks.  

Remember: Gifts and tips at the holidays, are optional (unless part of a written contract) and depend on your budget and relationship to the provider. Holiday tips don't replace consistent kindness and expressed gratitude throughout the year.