An Interview with Amy and Erin

Have you always wanted to know a little more about us? Well, now is your chance to read an interview with us here at COUTUREColorado. And when you are done, check out their website.  Fantastic resources for weddings, whether you are getting married in Colorado or not. And coming soon is the Life&Style section. We can't wait!

Life is Just...

a bowl full of cherries.

a very big bowl of yummy. delicious. cherries.

soon to be empty.

so then life will just be a stomach full of cherries.

{how sweet it is}

Top Ten Tuesday: New Colors

For our Tuesday Top Ten, we are introducing our new bulk stock colors that are available to purchase online. Perfectly named and matched to the great colors greeting us right outside our door this summer. And eco-friendly too. All at least 30% post consumer waste, with several colors composed of 100% post consumer waste. They are apt to be the perfect blank slate for the next paper masterpiece. Invites. Announcements. Menus. Programs. Stationery. Write on.

Monday Gift Guide: Wedding Gift Giving Tips

It is that time of year where your weekends are suddenly full. And for many of us, that means weddings. And where there is one wedding there are inevitably multiple weddings! Here are some good tips for wedding guests on wedding gift giving:

- You should definitely consider giving a gift if you are invited to the wedding but cannot attend. Your gift is more than a monetary notion, but rather a gesture of excitement at the start of a new life together for the bride and groom. You should feel honored to have been invited to their wedding, as you hold a memorable place in their lives for one reason or another. If the bride and groom are non-relative acquaintances you rarely ever see and you cannot afford a gift, you should at the very least send a handwritten note expressing your best wishes.

- It does not matter if you spend a little or a lot. It is always the thought that counts. Especially if you are invited to multiple events surrounding the wedding, such as showers or engagement parties. It is OK to join up with other people and contribute to a big group gift. A little from a lot of people can go a very long way and make for a very memorable gift.

- Consider the registry as a place to shop from and try to stick to it. Only see a $300 place setting and $15 corkscrew left? Consider the corkscrew, attached to a bottle of wine with a nice note. It’s OK to be a little outside the box.

- If the wedding couple asks for donation in lieu of gifts, be sure to honor their wishes. If they recommend an organization, donate to the designated recipient. If they offer you to select the organization of your choice, then do so and be sure to send a note to the couple to let them know how their gift is continuing to give to others.

- Consider the old rule that you had a year after the wedding to send a gift an outdated piece of advice. Try to send a gift prior to the wedding or immediately following the event. Waiting a year might mean you have to send a wedding and a baby gift all at once!

- Send the gift to the registry address or the bride’s residence. Unless your culture dictates that you bring the gift to the wedding, refrain from bringing any gifts to the event.

Gift Guide: Father's Day, Vol. 2

We know you read last week's father's day gift guide and with only six days to go, we've got another (short) round of ideas for you today. Here is a group of ideas to help kick off summer, celebrate dad and sneak in a little family backyard fun too.

Bocce and Croquet Sets

Plaid Shorts

Sanuk Shoes

Tom's Sunglasses

Fat Tire Beer: A Colorado Favorite

{Enjoy!}

Friday Favorites: Vol. 9

Having seen thousands, upon thousands, of cards over the years, there are always some that remain favorites. Here are a few blank cards that we still keep around for just the right occasion.

{Teeny Tiny People}

{Chit Chat Cards}

{ELUM}

{Mr. Boddington's}

{Local Wisdom}

{Kate Harper}

{Shannon Martin}

{Quotable}

{Artists to Watch}

{Write On!}

This Week In Store: {BASH}

In lieu of an in-store feature today,
we are happy to feature something much bigger and better!

Join us this Saturday, June 11th all day as we celebrate
{BASH}in Basalt!

There will be a downtown block party with cold drinks, music and entertainment and fresh food from 3 to 9 p.m. Stop by during the day to view our Sidewalk Sale goodies! Too many good shops to choose from, great restaurants and cafes and a plethora of wonderful businesses. What is not to love about Basalt this summer!?! Visit town  - we hope to see you around!

And don't forget to mark your calendars

for the upcoming Second Saturdays in Basalt!

July 9th

August 13th

September 10th

{see you soon!}

Real Party: Tea Time for Toddlers

This weeks party feature isn't what you would expect. But then again, two year olds have a mind of their own. Here is a late night tea party for one little girl, with the expectation that when her sister woke up in the morning, they would share a cup together. She set it up and demanded the party be left exactly as is until the morning. Here it is...

We're pretty sure we are going to need to throw an official tea party soon, with little friends running to and fro in dresses and hats and so. Here are some invitation ideas that would work well.

{Inviting Co.}

{Stevie Streck}

{Itty Bitty}

{Paper Prince}

How sweet it is!

Top Ten Tuesday: Dad Day Giveaway

UPDATE: Congrats to Alana! Our winner for this giveaway!

In honor of our Top Ten Tuesday, we are going to give you ten reasons why you should enter our latest giveaway. In honor of Father's Day, Express Yourself is offering up one copy of the new Chronicle cookbook Eat Like A Man with Esquire food editor Ryan D'Agostino.

Our top ten reasons why you should enter...

10. Because you read yesterday's post.
9. Father's Day is almost here and you don't have a gift.
8. Did you see the cover? Even this flexitarian is getting hungry.
7. It includes a free subscription to Esquire.
6. When is a man not hungry?
5. There are seventy-five recipes. We figure it would take the average man approximately one year to complete all of them. That should give the editors plenty of time to produce volume two.
4. Bacon. It's in there somewhere.
3. It truly is a manly cookbook. Unapologetically so.
2. Because it's free, courtesy of us. Totally.
1. Banana Bread French Toast. Need we say more?

We didn't think so.
Simply Post A Comment below letting us know which man in your life this gift would go to!

Entries are accepted until Friday, June 10, 2011 at 10 AM MST, at which time comments will close and contest will end. We will then randomly draw a winner and notify them via comment on the blog -and- via contact information. One entry per person. Good luck!

Gift Guide: Father's Day

With Father's Day fast approaching, here are some of our easy gift selections for any Dad (and not one tie in sight!). And of course, starting with the card:

Easily one of our favorite, and funniest, card lines we carry. This Father's Day card from Hard Cards is suitable for more than one gift giver we know. 

We've got several copies of this cookbook from Esquire on our shelves. It may be the only cookbook a man will ever need, but we're also pretty sure any man would l.o.v.e. anything you make for him from this masterpiece. The best part? It includes a free subscription to Esquire.

And then there is this Moustache Growers Guide in stock too. An illustrated guide to all the types of moustaches a man can groom and grow.

Let's not forget the golfers out there. For the more sophisticated and classic daddy, you can give him a set of golf notes from Crane & Co.

Then there are always the new dads to fete and an annual favorite comes to mind. The Scout (diaper) bag. That's right, a manly diaper bag for dad. Just because he gets out of changing diapers on Father's Day does not mean he can irk his daddy duties the other 364 days. And it's in our favorite color too.

For something to commemorate this new, and growing, family check out this custom family tree on etsy.

The road (bike) warrior might appreciate this recycled bike chain frame. We've got plenty waiting for that photo of dad with his bike - maybe kiddos on the trike.

Treating dad to a movie night at home? Then we suggest you do not forget the popcorn. This popcorn in particular. Really, what man does not love bacon?!? (We can - and will - do an entire post on bacon alone!)

 

He can (visually) wash down his bacon corn with this dedication to nothing but beer cans. This book will certainly look better on the table than that dusty, rusty old college collection lining the windowsill in the basement.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for an exciting Dad Day Giveaway!