Stationery etiquette

In all correspondence, a woman's name precedes a man's, just like on a wedding invitation. It's a matter of politeness and also proper etiquette.

"Thank-you notes" written after the wedding, for example, may be signed, Susan and David Smith, or may also be signed by the bride, only.

we're so SQUARE

the usps has acknowledged that its ok to be square

in this press release, the United States Postal Service announces all the details {for those of us who love to be square in our correspondence} of the new stamps for special sized invitations & stationery...of the square kind

“These stamps take the guesswork out of how much postage to put on the square greeting card envelopes that are so popular with consumers.” – Stephen M. Kearney, senior vice president, Customer Relations, U.S. Postal Service

How exciting! and oh so very fashionable!

PINK TOMATO | r e b o r n

when christy & i first opened pink tomato, there was one common thread in our vision of what pink tomato should be. or rather what it shouldn't be.

as we toiled over what to merchandise our shop with, knowing what we wanted to be when we grew up, we did know how we needed to start with the basics to create the foot traffic we needed to put us on the map. but with every 12x12 piece of paper we put on the shelves, we kept telling ourselves: "...we are NOT a scrapbook store...we are NOT a scrapbook store..."

with clear vision and an ecclectic mix of unique papers, accessories, stationery, and gift items, we forged ahead carving our niche.

with christy's background in marketing & painting and my experience in both sides of retail & design & graphics, within a few fast months, we morphed our shop into a full design studio, wrapping our heads around the wedding industry. more specifically...custom designed and handcrafted wedding & event invitations and stationery.

it all began with with the gal that hated her internet purchased wedding invitations and needed our help to "fix them up". and then there was the local gal who wanted help making her own invitations...

it was our AH-HA moment. it was the moment that said, "...hey guys, you can actually pay your rent doing this for people!..."

the past 20+ years of my own experiences flashed before my eyes and fell down in front of me in this nicely wrapped package with a big pink bow: working with major retailers and resources around the world; designing packaging & logos for our own in-house brands; knowing illustrator & photoshop; knowing about vendors from my previous business experiences; my experience working on a design team for a major paper company and lastly creating invitations for friends & family over the years . the perfect recipe to build a successful business. it was all right there in front of us. right at our fingertips. literally.

after convincing christy this was our destiny, (lol, and sometimes she can be a tough cookie to crack) we decided in september of 08, to put ourselves OUT THERE. we signed up for and attended all the bridal shows we could find in our area. we signed on with

their products & designs and high quality standards were perfect for what we wanted to do.

we have been R E B O R N.

and we love what we have become. it was always there. we just needed to peel back the layers to find it. we've added product diversity, we've added wedding albums from several major companies, we merged with AROMA LAB, our in-studio DIY fragrance counter; and come May 22, we will be having our first ever open house with a grand prize give-away of 75 custom designed invitations.

many MANY brides later, pink tomato still has 12x12 scrapbook paper on the shelves, but our attitude screams - WE ARE MUCH MORE THAN THAT!

just press your noses to the windows and look inside. we'll wash them later...

it's aliiiive!

woah! its been nearly a year since i last posted and so i decided to make an effort to fire up the ol' blog again.

lots of stuff happening at the shop, lots of ideas, and what better place to work them all out than here...

hoping to post some recent photos and updates...

hearts & trees

New Years day isnt even through and I am already thinking about Valentines day and Next Christmas. I get it honestly through 20 years in the retail/import business. I have always lived my life in seasons---a year ahead of time.

I also have most of my holiday shopping done for next year thanks to the after christmas 75% off clearance sales...heehee. I hate that. It feels cheap, dirty & underhanded. But i feel good that all the "extra curricular" gifts are done, packed in a tote, and in storage.

This is a Valentine tree I made today.

I plan to change the tree decorations with each season, updating with new photos, colors & designs. Next christmas this will be THE gift for the grandma's in our family. Each holiday they will also get a new set of photo decorations to hang on their trees. Oh look...another christmas gift done - forever. I rock.

Supplies

Cascada/Salmon Cardstock

Elan Metallics/Bronze

Basic Grey Patterned Paper in 2x2 squares

Maya Road Wings Keychain chipboard

Melissa Frances Pink Glitter Heart Chipboard

Pearl Pigment ink

Pink Stickles

Darice Metal Heart Charms

Glitter Pens in Bronze/Copper

White Raffia

Rubber Coated Metal Tree from Ikea

Cricut with Doodle Charms & Accent Essentials Cartridges

stencil brush

Tim Holtz Tea Dye distress ink

Instructions

Gather six 1x1" closeup photos

1) Cut six 3.5" Doodle Charms Scalloped Hearts from the Elan Metallics Bronze cardstock

2) Cut six 4" Accent Essentials Bracketed Solid Frame (in Shift Mode)

3) ink edges of all pieces with tea dye distress ink

4) use pearl ink on the chipboard wings and add a coat of pink stickles with a paint brush

5) adhere hearts to the background frames

6) layer & collage patterned paper, photos, wings, hearts & charms

7) Punch hole in top and feed two ends of the raffia from the back of the frame thru to the front and tie a bow, leaving the loop to the back of the frame for hanging.

8) hang on tree branches

9) add extra decoration with ribbon, ribbon slides, rhinestones to the tree as desired

getting ready for holidays...

Recent Projects!

Holiday Goody Bag!
Designer: Jodi Kennedy, Worldwin Papers Design Team
Featured on
http://www.pinktomatos.blogspot.com/
http://www.scrapbook.com/galleries/143663.html

Supplies:
Worldwin Papers/Antique White/Treasures
Worldwin Papers/Ivory/Elan Metallics
Making Memories Glitter Alpha Stickers
Cricut Bag from Plantain Cartridge, cut on Cricut Expressions
Cricut Snowflakes from Accent Essentials Cartridge
Rope Ribbon
Crafters Companion
Kokoyu Dot n Roller

Instructions:
1) Place Antique White Treasures 12x12 cardstock on the Cricut Mat and cut bag shape set on "fit to page"
2) Place Ivory Elan Metallics on Cricut Mat and cut snowflakes & Scallop Border in sizes around 1"
3) Score bag folds using Crafter's Companion and assemble bag using Kokoyu Dot N Roller
4) Apply Snowflakes & Scallop Border to front of bag
5) Apply Making Memories Glitter stickers to spell "joy" or other holiday word
6) Tie the rope ribbon to handle
7) Fill with goodies!

Oh Christmas Tree
Designer: Jodi Kennedy, Worldwin Papers Design Team
Featured on
http://www.pinktomatos.blogspot.com/
http://www.scrapbook.com/galleries/143663.html


Who says a Christmas Tree needs to be a triangle! I was messing around with my favorite stamp in the whole world. The Growing In Unity Tree by Unity Stamp Company. I wondered how cute it would look with some garland and ornaments. Well, it looks fab!

Supplies:
Worldwin Papers/Cascada/Sky Blue
Worldwin Papers/Caribbean Colors/Passion Fruit
Elan Metallics/Warm Dust
Dye Ink Pad in Aqua
Unity Stamp Co/Growing in Unity Tree
Crafters Companion
Stickles in Platinum & Hot Pink or Burgundy
random word stamps such as wonder, believe, dream, inspire

Instructions:
1) Using the Crafters Companion score & fold 2 A2 sized cards from the Cascada & Caribbean Colors cardstocks
2) Stamp the Unity Tree on the front and embellish the limbs with Platinum Stickles and "dot" ornaments in burgundy or hot pink
3) Tear the Elan Metallics to create "snow drifts" and ink the torn edge with the Aqua ink pad.
4) Adhere the snowdrifts to the bottom of the card
5) stamp with word stamps


Loaves of Love * Holiday Bread Bag Toppers
Designer: Jodi Kennedy, Worldwin Papers Design Team
Featured on
http://www.pinktomatos.blogspot.com/
http://www.scrapbook.com/galleries/143663.html

Supplies
(Makes 9 Bag Toppers)
White/Treasures Cardstock x 3
Melissa Frances Glitter Chipboard Christmas Shapes x 9
Melissa Frances Christmas Rub-Ons x 9
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad in Tea Dye
Stencil Brush
Sheer Organza Ribbon in Green
Red Marker
Crafters Companion Score Board
Cricut Expressions Christmas Cheer Cartridge with Scalloped Card
Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive

Instructions:
1) Use Cricut to cut Scallop Shaped Cards approximately 5.25” when folded
2) Use Crafters Companion to Score Fold line and fold all cards
3) Use Stencil Brush to apply Tea Dye ink to edges of all cards & Glitter Chipboard Pieces
4) Tie Ribbon around front Flap of Topper card, positioning the knot toward the right side. Trim Ends
5) Use Red Marker to accent the Glitter Chipboard pieces as desired – such as in areas that represent berries.
6) Apply Chipboard to top of ribbon toward the left side of the card using Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive
7) Apply Rub-ons
8) Attach toppers to bags using a standard stapler.