Take Notice: Winning Designs!

Take Notice Card Company celebrates a winning wedding invitation!

Portland, OR,  May 21, 2010- Take Notice Card Company is celebrating! Chosen in a dream wedding giveaway, the Photo Keepsake invitation by Take Notice won the hearts of online voters over other entries as the invitation to announce the happy couple's upcoming nuptials.  The Everyday/VOWS contest, co-sponsored by VOWS, Colorado's wedding collective, and KWGN-TV's "Everyday," included more than $75,000 worth of wedding goods. The contemporary, photographic invitation was

nominated by Lani Kessler of Write Occasions, a retailer of the Take Notice line in Denver, Colorado. Thank you Lani for representing our line.

The award winning card features state of the art digital printing, the Take Notice photographic specialty retouching and a unique tent fold format, providing the perfect keepsake display for friends and family. The winning couple, Archie Martinez and Lauren Doyle are as cute as can be, and make the perfect statement of joy and love with their photograph.

No strangers to the importance of marking life's celebrations with a photograph, the founders of Take Notice, Deborah and John Field, have been creating award winning photographic cards for over twenty years. When Deborah and John's son, Myles, was born, John created a birth announcement that featured a photo of the newborn as a “Wanted” poster. Encouraged by its enthusiastic reception, John and Deborah were spurred on to continue the creation of a popular line of custom birth announcements. A couple of years later, another family celebration inspired a new direction in their product line. John’s mother was turning 75, and he wanted to create a special card to honor the joyful  occasion. John knew that only a photograph could convey the unique character of his mother's life, and selected a favorite picture from her youth.  Tinting it to produce a colorized effect thrilled his mother, and a new line of fine arts cards was born.

Many happy customers have contributed to the success of Take Notice Cards. Along with the honor of announcing our customers' happiest occasions, we have the distinction of being the choice of many celebrities as they commemorate the important dates in their own lives:

• Diane Keaton -actress

• Ray Romano -actor

• Christian Slayter -actor

• Zach Braff -actor

• John Leguizamo -actor

• Howie Mandel -actor/comedian/emcee

• Carol Channing (Hello Dolly) -stage actress

• Pamela Anderson -actress

• Tim Meadows -actor, former SNL comedian

• Rik Ocasek -musician

• Alonzo Mourning -7 time NBA Allstar

Take Notice embodies one sentiment, simple and profound: Life is good—spread a little joy! Photos, like nothing else, help us hold, share, and revisit life’s best moments. In each family, there are memories that transcend greeting card conventions: the incomparably sweet face of a newborn; an affectionate group together at the holidays; the joy and optimism of a couple in love—at the beginning of a marriage, or a shared life of fifty years. The collection of over 200 customizable card designs is found in over 300 stores throughout the US.  Retailers and more information may be found at www.takenoticecards.com. Take Notice Card Company celebrates life’s beautiful events. More than a card... it’s a memory.

Make social media a window, not a wall.

As a small business it can be very intimidating to dive into the culture of Social Media.  What is it? How can it benefit my business? What if I don't even have a website? The idea of even dipping a toe into the social media scene can be extremely overwhelming.  

There is no need to fear. All you need is a desire to learn, the willingness to try and a basic understanding the idea behind social media.

So, what is social media? Daniel Nations, (Webtrends), does a fantastic job at putting this into simplistic terms.  He writes “Think of regular media as a one-way street where you can read a newspaper or listen to a report on television, but you have very limited ability to give your thoughts on the matter. Social media, on the other hand, is a two-way street that gives you the ability to communicate too.” 

We must recognize that the market is shifting. The way in which customers find products and research companies has greatly changed. As small businesses, we must keep up with the pace so that we aren't left in the dust of our larger competitors.  I encourage you to check out Social Media Revolution, a video that illustrates how social media has impacted the marketplace.  

The key is to engage in conversation with your customers and allow them to be interact with your brand—allowing the 2 way street to happen.  When consumers begin to build a relationship with you it becomes easier for them the recall your name when they have a need for your service or product in the future. 

Let’s apply this idea to our industry. Most people commonly think of stationery products for certain events in life—the holidays, weddings, a new baby… this usually means that a significant amount of time passes between their purchases.  Utilizing social media as a stationery retailer allows you to stay connected with these customers all year long. Bottom line? Better customer retention and an increase in purchase frequency.

If you have a desire to learn more about how to use social media, where to begin, or how to more effectively use an existing platform, I encourage you to check out Mashable: The Social Media Guide.  This site is truly the mecca for all things related to social media.  Check out this links to all things Facebook and Twitter .         

Follow us on Twitter  

A great way to bring in the New Year...

It was incredibly stormy in Oregon on New Year's Eve. I had a front row seat watching Mother Nature's work as waves crashed against the sand, while sheets of the rain beat down on my window. It was an incredible sight from Oceanside, Oregon-- a small town along the Pacific Coast.  On New Year's Day, the sun came out just long enough to take my two dogs for a run on the beach-- which they LOVED!

Engagement Photo Tips from the Wedding Channel

Over the holidays three of my close friends became engaged.  As a loyal friend, it is my duty to peruse EVERY wedding website and magazine to ensure that my brides have all the latest and greatest information available to them! (Shh! We don't need to tell them that it's also part of my job!) 

This morning I stumbled upon a FANTASTIC article on  that offers great advice to couples interested in engagement photos.  Given that I have a background in photography, plus I'm surrounded by photographs all day for life's biggest occasions, I often get asked for the secret to creating the perfect photograph.

My number one answer? Be yourself.

Check our these great tips from the Wedding Channel!

  4 Fun Engagement Photo Shoot Trends

- Heather

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