Order of the Week

Check out this absolutely adorable design (B0911) from an actual customer in Seattle, using a new design from our 2009 Birth Announcement portfolio.

Congratulations to Ann at Silberman & Brown Stationers in Seattle, on her new grandson, Liam Reilly.

This small horizontal gatefold that features the newborn's name and monogram on the cover.  The top and bottom flaps open to showcase a darling photo along with all of the details on their new bundle of joy!

Retailer Spotlight...

A special thank you to 

Luv it! in Hinsdale, IL

This retailer was ROCKIN' in the month of October! The sent in orders back to back all month long! Their associates are always fun and easy to work with, plus they are open to suggestions from our creative team!  This is always a recipe for success!

Thank you to Jo and her crew!

Introducing a new face at Take Notice...

Wow, I realized this morning that it has been quite awhile since my last post-- needless to say that things have been quite crazy here at Take Notice over the last 2 months.

In early October, we moved into a new location in NE Portland's Beaumont district.  We quickly realized that moving is always so much more work that anticipated, but even through all the headaches we couldn't be happier about it!

Another big change in the office! Meet Lauren! We brought her in as our new customer service lead, to allow me to move into my new position-- Sales and Account Manager.   

Lauren (right) joined the company in September, which gave is just enough time to break her in for the holiday rush! She comes to us with a creative background in photography & video productions.  She is fluent in Spanish an loves to sing & dance! Her ultimate career goal is to take pictures and make films while traveling around the world. 

We are thrilled to have Lauren on our team-- she has already added some spice to the office!


Cheers! - Heather

Love is in the air...

Last night I watched the movie, 27 Dresses.  

Although I had already seen it on more than one occasion, I was reminded again how the thought of a wedding makes my heart flutter.  Maybe it's the proclamation of love between the bride and groom or maybe it's the exquisite attention to every last detail, from the save the date all the way though the last thank you note.  Maybe it's because I've secretly been planning my wedding since I was about seven (let’s not tell my boyfriend about that last one).  Whatever the reason, the point is that I am a sap for anything and everything wedding. 

So today, in the midst of my wedding high, I was perusing through theknot.com and came across come fantastic real-life photos from weddings around the country.  

As a fellow wedding enthusiast, I hope you enjoy these favorites, featuring the crisp hot colors-- orange and yellow.   – Heather

Slideshow photos courtesy of theknot.com-- please visit these links to see photos from these weddings.  Parasol bridal party  - Cupcake Birdcage Display - Cookie Recipe Favor - Lemon Centerpieces - Elegant Yellow & Crystal Centerpiece  - Orange Flower Cake - Summer Cocktail 

Technology is on our side…

Yes, it is true that digital printing has been given a big jolt of new technology and printer manufacturers love it!  They have embraced this new technology and are delivering digital printers to us that have much improved printing quality.  And…the printers are more economical to operate. Yes, this technology has created a new scenario where the high maintenance fees are gone because the machines are easier to operate and to maintain. We sing praise to the new technology!!!  This advancement in technology not only allows Take Notice to deliver a better product, it allows us to deliver a better product at a lower price that makes our consumers happy. 

Could we ask for anything more?  Well, maybe for the deep recession to go away real soon J

 At Take Notice we made this leap to bring in  the latest technology in digital printers. We did this for the reasons I have stated above: 1.   to achieve better photo reproduction and 2.   to lower the price of our cards.

 So listen up - A 5 x 7 flat card with one photo is now priced at $250 for 100 cards -- down from $290.   A 5 x 7 fold over card with one photo is now at $335 for 100 cards -- down from $370.

 You get the point.  I think I've made myself perfectly clear… better quality at a lower price!  Come share the benefits with us.

 All my best,

 Deborah Field

President and Owner

New Holiday 2009 is here!

We are stoked about all the new changes we've made to our holiday greetings portfolio.

Here's a sneak-peak at some of our new stuff...

July Retailer of the Month

The Party People

Would you believe that the young lady in the picture has been doing business at The Party People and Stationery Co. for 29 years? She started  as  a full service party supply store; however when she couldn't compete with the big retailers she concentrated on  stationary and gifts.      

Ruth and her husband Steve say that "selling the Take Notice line is like selling a Honda. Customers are thrilled with the many choices of paper and photo treatments. The customers ar.e always happy with the final product. We thank you for your excellent service. "

Thank you Ruth, Steve and all of our friends at the Party People! We appreciate your loyalty and enthusiasm for our product and look forward to many more years customer satisfaction.

Shout-out to our Featured Retailer...

Petite Parties by Marni

Petite Parties originally opened in 2003 as a gift and party favor business. Thriving mostly by word of mouth referrals, business began to boom as the demand grew for a higher level of involvement with party planning.   Marni identified the marketplace trend of "one stop shopping" and began to offer invitations in addition to her other services.  Fast forward to 2009, custom invitations more make up more than half of her business!

Petite Parties by Marni became a Take Notice dealer in the fall of 2008, and has shown an enthusiastic reception toward our line.  Our designers have already helped produce multiple creations for her clientele and we're delighted to see that her customers are already returning for other events!

"I was thrilled to find you [Take Notice] because of your uniqueness and amazing 

quality. My clients have been thrilled with everything that you create... 

Thank you for your fantastic service! "        --Marni Keez

Thanks for all your hard-work, Marni, we think you are pretty fantastic yourself!

 - Heather

Fab Finds for Expecting Mommies

As a new parent, it can be a little overwhelming deciding what items to arm yourselves with upon your little one's arrival. While I'm not yet a mother myself, I am "Auntie Heather" to 13 nieces and nephews. So to tackle this topic, I pooled my resources.  I posed the question "What were your fab finds before and after you had your little one?" to the best mommies I know…

1. A chic bag. Skip Hop City Chic Diaper Tote - Perfect for the chic mom on the go! (visit retailers website for store locations) 2. A battle of the sexes.  What Gender will your little one be? Find out with the Chinese Gender Chart (courtesy of thebump.com)  3. A good read. Great Expectations: Your All in One Resource for Pregnancy and Childbirth. One of my girlfriend's highly recommends this book to any expecting mother, available at amazon.com 4. A way to tell the world.  A chic, yet classic personalized birth announcement from Take Notice Card Company. (www.takenoticecards.com) 5. A personalized item.  Personalized Burp Cloths and Clothing from Etsy. A cute and creative way to accessorize your new addition. 6. A Natural Approach. Make your own baby food using a food processor, like the Magic Bullet Express (recipe ideas and tips) 7. Reusable diapers. BumGenuis - Reusable Cloth Diaper Set (available at Target).

May Retailer of the Month

Needle in a Haystack - Dallas, Texas

It is always an absolute pleasure working with Needle in a Haystack.  They handle each order with extra attention to detail to ensure that their customers get the best possible invitation or announcement.  Needle in a Haystack has been recognized on multiple occasions as "Order of the Week" and were featured  last month in our blog for a unique wedding menu.

Thank you to Yash, Bhavna, and all of their staff for their continued enthusiasm for the Take Notice line.

Take Notice in the Big Apple!

Just a few pics from our trip to 

New York City 

for the

National Stationery Show!

Creative ways to use Take Notice designs

Design inspiration from real orders:

Who says you can't use a save-the-date design as a birth announcement? Certainly not us! We say YES to creativity and encourage our retailers to think outside the box (or sample). Help your customers understand that just because a design is shown as an anniversary announcement, doesn't mean it can't be used as a birthday invite!

Almost all of our designs can be used for a variety of occasions, so go ahead, give your customers what they really want--more choices!

In April, I received 2 standout orders that demonstrated this idea by using existing designs in creative ways...

Inscriptions, Inc., in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, created a high school graduation announcement using one of our most popular wedding save-the-dates, WD012.
Instead of using childhood photos of the bride and groom, they used a childhood photo, paired with a modern senior picture of the graduate. The text on the cover read "We used to imagine her future...Now we know what it is"
We thought this was a very creative spin on our "imagine the future" design! Happy Graduation Sarah and best wishes on your future endeavors!

Needle in a Haystack, in Dallas, created an elegant menu for a wedding

reception by tweaking a wedding announcement design.
They started with item WD017, then omitted the vellum band, satin tie ribbon and nixed the envelopes! (Removing these details saved them almost 50% retail!) Then they customized their text to display to their menu, added their personalized photograph, and Viola! A beautiful , personalized menu for their special day! Congratulations to Courtney & Evan! And thank you for choosing Take Notice for your special day!

A special thank you to
Hanna Shayer at Inscriptions, Inc. &
Lori and Yash at Needle in a Haystack

Take Notice Staff News

It has been an eventful week at Take Notice, to say the least!

On Monday, we welcomed Amy to the Take Notice team, as our new assembly artist! We decided to take it easy on her this week, but we promise to start the interrogations next week and report back with a "getting to know Amy" post!

John and our design crew have been working hard finalizing the new designs we'll be debuting at the 2009 National Stationery Show this month! This week he was working on perfecting our 2009 Holiday updates. Let me tell you, some VERY exciting new looks are on the way!

As for me, I was able to sneak away for a few days off to attend the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival at Mt. Whistler, in B.C, Canada! The weather was beautiful, perfect for a day at the mountain! Unfortunately, my snowboard and I had a minor disagreement, that resulted with ski patrol escorting me to the emergency room! I had planned on bringing home a souvenir, but a fiberglass cast really wasn't my first choice!
A special thanks to all of my fellow employees for pitching in to help! I'm lucky to be part of such a great team!

Happy May Day!

- Heather
Customer Care & Design Consultant

p.s. don't forget that our 20% promotion has been extended through May 31st!!

Sneak Peek at another New Design...

A delicate birth announcement printed on warm, ivory textured paper with an elegant deckled edge.

It features a classic monogram on the cover and personalized photograph inside. The design is finished with a satin ribbon and matching monogram envelope liner.

Design will be released at the 2009 National Stationery Show.

Save the Date: National Stationery Show

Take Notice presents:

• NEW Papers

• NEW Printing

• NEW Product

National Stationery Show
May 17-20, 2009
New York City

Visit Booth #2937 to see what all the buzz is about!

Here's a sneak peak at one of our latest designs, a freestanding die-cut birth announcement.

Design Ideas: Featuring a Kate's Paperie Birth Announcement

Find Your Inspiration using real orders from real customers... I frequently receive phone calls from stores about custom designs. Armed with a sketch of their ideal design, the question is almost always consistent: Is it possible? And how much will it cost? I've found that we can almost always find an existing item within one of our 4 portfolios that pretty closely matches what their customer is looking for, with only a few minor tweaks. The benefit of this is that the customer will be able to visualize the end product AND they won't have to pay custom design prices! A win-win for everyone! That's the great thing about Take Notice, we'll help you be as creative as you'd like with your customers! Your only limitation is your imagination! A complete breakdown of a "real life" custom order: Last month, Kate's Paperie associate Susan Schweitzer, had a customer with a very specific idea for a her Birth Announcement. Customer requests: A small 2 layered card, with a side-fold A pastel pink ribbon tied on the fold side, with an additional score separating the ribbon from the folded announcement. Plus a matching "thank you" without a photo. The Diagnosis: After asking Susan a few questions about which requests were most important to the customer, we were able to find an existing item number that satisfied almost all of the customer's requests. We established that the customer was just as pleased by doing the ribbon tie at the top of the card, versus the side with an additional score. (Note: the great thing about using an existing item number is it will be more 'budget-friendly' for your customer versus doing a fully-customized card!) The Design: For the Birth Announcement, we started with item BC018 (shown to the right), then we: Selected the paper: Uncoated White Choose the mat layer: Stardream Quartz Customized the photo in Black and White Choose the typestyle (Trajan) and font colors (Pastel Pink). note: You can use a second ink color or typestyle for no additional charge! Customized: We added a pink grosgrain ribbon to the cover note: You can add a "pull-through" ribbon to almost any design for around a dollar per card Selected an envelope liner: in Stardream Quartz, which matched the mat layer! For the coordinating "Thank you" note we started with item BD123, to customize it, we: Simplified the design by removing all existing patterns and text from layout Omitted photograph note: if you find a card you like, but don't need a photo you may be eligible for a "photo credit" call for a quote! Added text: the baby's name in a matching typestyle and ink color. Customized: by adding the same Pink Grosgrain ribbon as announcement. The Result: A unique, customized matching set that her customer was absolutely thrilled with! A special thank you to Susan Schweitzer at Kate's Paperie in Uptown for our March Order of the Month!

Our March Retailer of the Month is...

Printed Affair in Oakland, CA

A special thank you to Printed Affair for their hot streak of exceptional orders with Take Notice!
They have been recognized as "Order of the Week" twice over the last month for sending in unique and creative orders. They are always a joy to work with and we treasure our relationship with them!

"Take Notice provides such a unique niche for that special event. The staff is delightful to work with - very accommodating and so professional. Our customers are THRILLED with the finished product!"
- Leslie, Marcia, Joanie & Sharon (Printed Affair)


Thank you ladies for a great start to 2009!

Introducing the new Take Notice online forum

Welcome to the new Take Notice Blog, a new, up-to-date online publication for our current retailers, prospective new stores as well as retail customers interested in our product.

We will frequently post Take Notice news, tips & advice, design ideas and maybe even a little humor from time to time! We hope to offer new ideas for creativity while providing inspiration for your photographic greeting and invitation needs.

We welcome questions at any time, so please ask away!

-Heather
Customer Card & Design Consultant