October Anniversary Trade-In Event

This October, Bennett Schneider, will be celebrating 80 years. We have a really great event planned for October 16 and 17, 2009. In addition, we are offering you the opportunity to recycle your old stationery. If you have some old stationery you just don't love anymore - you can bring it in to the shop and we will recycle it for you and give you 20% off the purchase of new stationery. This includes Crane, William Arthur, kate spade, Vera Wang and sugar paper. Now is a great time to stock up on new notes and cards - as there are always lots of thank yous to write around the holidays!

2010 Calendar

Okay - I admit, I love fall - and all the changes it brings. Love that I have not had the air conditioning or heating on for two weeks at home. Love that I can start making chili for dinner. Love high school football on Friday nights. Love Louisburg Ciderfest. Love the Plaza Art Fair. Love that our shop is now filled with lots of fun things for fall holidays - one of my favorites - these 2010 calendars from sugar paper. They are going fast so stop in and grab one today - they make a great holiday gift. I think I can check two people off my Christmas list with these.

Also in stock - 2010 Linnea, Snow and Graham, Linda and Harriett and momAgenda calendars

Photos courtesy of sugar paper

Linda & Harriett 2010

Linda & Harriett posted photos of their 2010 calendar this week, so I thought it would be a good time also - we have these great calendars in stock and the best part ... the back of each month is printed so that you can cut the design off and send them as postcards. Assuming you can part with these calendars. I have had 2009 hanging in my kitchen and love it! Makes my day - as they are so happy! Visit www.lindaandharriett.blogspot.com to view more photos.

Sweater Love

It is no secret that we have always had a certain amount of love for MJK Knits personalized hand-knit sweaters - but now - even more. Look at these adorable hand-knit stocking caps, stockings and holiday sweaters. We have some great samples on their way to the shop. The hats are $44 and the stockings are $52 - they take about three weeks from when you order to when they arrive and we are also happy to package, wrap and ship them for you. Call us! Don't forget - if you order between September 1st and September 30th you will also get 10% off!

Refreshingly Honest

Yesterday I received the new Saks Fifth Avenue catalog in the mail. What a breath of fresh air to open the front cover and find a two-page spread listing the seven things they believe in - right there. What I really loved about this was how honest it felt - no apologies. In fact, Number 1 said "We're a fashion company. There will be no apologies for loving fashion. Now more than ever." And this is exactly how we feel.

We are a paper company. We love high-quality stationery and invitations and we will not apologize for that either. We look for designers who love what they do and who are very good at what they do. We don't sell products that aren't special and just like Saks "we would feel guilty selling them to you." Finally, reason Number 6 for Saks states "Boring is Bad. Our customers have a right to smile when getting dressed in the morning." And so it is our belief - that writing notes, sending invitations and hosting a cocktail party should make you smile.

Honestly!

Ben's Garden - New to KC and Bennett Schneider

We are so excited to have this great new line of decoupage plates, coasters and paperweights in the shop. We received them about two weeks ago and have been selling through them quickly. These make great housewarming gifts, birthday gifts or just somewhere special to drop your keys or glasses! We are getting ready to place another order so stop in soon and let us know if there is something you want.

Don't forget - though Christmas is still months away - it is never to early to start thinking ahead!

Kdog Photos of My Kids

Hey all - if you read this and need a super great set of photographers - see these guys - Rachel, Phillip and Doug! I asked for some fun, summer, overexposed photos and I get exactly what I wanted - what to buy first? Anyway, see some more of the photos here

My kids are already asking me when they can have Phillip out to the lake with them again! Like it is a playdate - hey Phillip - I am up for it anytime you are!

Custom Ice Cream Sandwich Bar

Want something different at your wedding than the traditional candy bar - how about a custom ice cream sandwich station! Several flavors of cookies and even more ice cream flavors - how about a double chocolate chip cookie with peanut butter and chocolate ice cream! Yum! And the perfect way to wrap up a summer wedding.

Contact us for more information and pricing!

Bridesmaid Flowers

Wouldn't these look adorable on your bridesmaids? I think putting them on the waist of a dress would be amazing. Image ban.do

KC Weddings Article

I love press, especially free press - but only when it is correct. I was quoted in the most recent edition of KC Weddings magazine in an article about wedding invitations being environmentally friendly. The quote I gave was correct. I do believe that just because an invitation is environmentally friendly doesn't mean it can't also be stylish. However, the article goes on mention a few other things about inks, etc. and I just want to clear the air.

Bennett Schneider does not do any in-house letterpress printing. We work with some great designers who use 100% cotton paper or bamboo paper and those vendors should be given all the credit for their designs and efforts. The invitations pictured in the article that we sent in were from Smock Letterpress and Mr. Boddington's Studio. The article also mentioned that we only sell paper that is environmentally friendly - and though we try very hard to do this - there are a few lines we carry that may use wood pulp for paper but do so in a way that minimizes the impact on the environment as best they can. We make it a point to do our part by recycling and informing our customers the best we can.

I hope this clears things up - I just felt the article was misleading and wanted to be certain there was not information floating around that was not completely true.

Our sincere apologies.

Invitation shown by twig & fig

You stopped me in my tracks...

Yesterdays New York Times had a great article about personal stationery and it really spoke to me! Here is the link The Lettered Set.

My mom and I were very saddened when we learned Mrs. John L. Strong was going to go out of business. But, we have also seen an increase in our personalized stationery. If you have not been in lately to see some of the amazing new options in personalized stationery you will be so surprised. Any color or typestyle you can imagine is available and the sizes and paper colors are endless.

So please - check out the article, I think you will find it very interesting.

Photos from The Printery

Something Borrowed

So we have a great idea - make your wedding invitations your something borrowed. Ordering Smock Letterpress wedding invitations is a great thing. All of their invitations, notes, cards, etc. are made of bamboo paper - the rate bamboo grows makes is a great source for paper. So...basically you are just borrowing from earth to send your invites - and oh, did we mention that environmentally friendly doesn't have to mean boring or plain!

Stop in and let us help you!

WOW!

This is really all I can say about this amazing new line of custom invitations and stationery that is on its way to Kansas City. I can't say the name for fear that I am not supposed to announce this quite yet. The New York Times writes this about this amazing L.A. based company:

"In our email-ridden world, a little bit of thick, creamy card stock goes a long way. Who doesn’t appreciate a proper handwritten thank-you note on luscious letterpress-printed paper, or a crisply engraved custom invitation or announcement? [Name removed] and [Name removed] opened their first [Name removed] store in 2003, and have since added a second location in Brentwood. Over the past few years, the pair’s sweetly nostalgic but seriously high-quality stationery has garnered a following of polite young Hollywood types, including Katie Holmes, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner."

Ever since I have been in stationery business I have wanted this line. We will get more details tomorrow and hopefully be able to tell you all who it is and provide you with some more photos of some of their amazing work. In the meantime, I am going to be dreaming of some amazing new personal stationery and my daughter's wedding invitations (I know they are only four, but you haven't seen these invitations!)

It's the little things

We find that it is usually the little details that can really make your event special! Simple cocktail napkins - if you find yourself asking, "why didn't I think of that?" make your way down to see us and let us help you with some fun napkins! They are not expensive and can be really fun. You don't even need a special event - have some fun napkins made for yourself this summer and everytime you have friends over pull them out! Can easily make a casual evening with friends into a summer event.

Fun Ideas:

1) Pick a few different quotes you love and put the quotes on the cocktail napkins.
2) Put fortunes on napkins - then mix them up and stack them at the bar - what a fun surprise and great way to generate conversation between guests.

Photos courtesy of Snippet & Ink