Perfect for Mom, Dad and Grad!

Until May 31st, order 75 stationery pieces
from William Arthur or Vera Wang and receive 25 FREE!
Vera Wang, 25 FREE Stationery Promo Full Banner

William Arthur, 25 FREE Stationery Promo Full Banner

Stop by Express Yourself to place your order today!

You Are Invited

You are invited to take peek inside the workings of Express Yourself. Here is an example of how we go from concept to reality with a custom designed invitation. This particular piece is an invitation we mailed to prospective brides and grooms. It was somewhat easy because, lets face it, stationery is what we do. All day long. Our process was much more simple and less time consuming than the typical wedding suite creative consult session. Regardless, the process essentially works the same and we are happy to take you through from start to finish.

First, we start with our color inspiration and any design specifications that are a must have. Loved this color combo (below), minus the red and perhaps a little more subtle. We also loved the idea of a mounted pouch to hold all our details. There is a lot of information to convey to future brides and grooms. We figured three stacked pull-outs should do the trick.


Motif inspiration comes from so many different sources. We loved the design on the aquamarine paper and we used that to guide us in selecting a motif for this particular piece.

Next, here is a quick design idea mock-up for how we wanted the piece to layout and come together. This is very, very rough draft. And I really need to work on my sketching skills!

OK, then it was time to order the stock, make the measurements and work on the proofs. Digital proofs are part of every custom order and are so important! The proofing process can be tedious, especially if there are a lot of changes, but it is so much better to spend the extra time proofing than it is to re-print an entire order!Here are the digital proofs for this piece.


A few tweaks and changes and we were ready to print and assemble. Sorry, no pictures of assembly. But really, it's not what you wanted to see anyways. Because volia, here is the final product!

More Silhouettes...

There are more silhouettes than we can put in one post, really.
And there are so many options
when it comes to stationery and gifts.
Continuing on our post from Friday,
here are a few more of our favorites...

Children's Stationery

Children's Stamp

Children's Custom Canvas
by Fontaine Maury

Birthday Invite
by Inviting Co.

Graduation Invite
by Inviting Co.

Shower and Party Invitations
by Inviting Co.
Nature Silhouette Save the Date
Kate Spade Tree Silhouette
by Crane & Co.
All of these invitations and customized gifts are available
at your fine stationer or Express Yourself.

And for a little more silhouette inspiration,
check out these links:

And stay tuned for my own DIY project to create custom bird art silhouette for a child's room or nursery. It's fun, easy, and makes the room. Really.

{BE INSPIRED}

Inspiration: Silhouettes

We love the tradition of silhouettes in stationery. They echo a quality of timelessness that we so adore.
And they can be used in so many ways. Here are several to get started...

Baby
Baby Silhouette Baby Shower Invitations

Baby Silhouette Baby Shower Invitations

Party
Sweet Sixteen Silhouette Birthday Party Invitations

Garden Silhouette Menu Cards


Wedding
Sweet Silhouette Save the Date Cards

Bridal Shower
Darling Silhouette Bridal Shower Invitations

Stay tuned for more on silhouettes...

Stella and Dot Trunk Show



We're excited to announce a
stella&dot
Trunk Show
at Express Yourself!

Tuesday, April 13th
from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Stop by to visit and shop
the great jewelry from Stella and Dot!
And while you're here, enjoy 15% OFF storewide!

Looking forward to seeing you!
{Erin & Amy}

Deciphering Monograms

coasters by Fontaine Maury and available online here

For those of you unsure about the ins and outs
- or left, right, center -
of monograms, here is a quick cheat sheet to help you along...

Monogram Fact Sheet

Monogram for One Person:
Margaret Olivia Smith

Traditional Sample:
M S O
First Name Initial/Last Name Initial/Middle Name Initial

Contemporary Sample:
M O S
First Name Initial/Middle Name Initial/Last Name Initial

* * *

Monogram for Couple (also known as a Duogram):
Anna and Robert Jones

Traditional Sample:
R J A
Husband First Name/Last Name/Wife First Name

Contemporary Sample:
A J R
Wife First Name/Last Name/Husband First Name