oops! Missed Yesterday's Christmas Card

So today you get two!

The first is somewhat academic in light of my son's spectacular performance in the school spelling bee yesterday. I know, math and spelling are a little different, but you get it.



The second card - just for my Clara. Who after getting her two front teeth pulled today, definitely makes the nice list. No doubt. And the girl did not even shed a tear! No, she is not asking for her two front teeth for Christmas - the new ones are already there.

17 Holiday Cards - December 7th

News Flash! In case you didn't catch this morning's edition of Morning Joe!

17 Holiday Cards - December 6th

We had our first snowfall of the 2011 - 2012 winter season this morning - just a dusting, but beautiful none-the-less. I am slowly starting to get in the holiday spirit!

17 Holiday Cards - December 5th

Today's card should make most parents nod their heads in agreement and dismay. It rings especially true for us this year. We bit the bullet and bought a beautiful, "permanent", pre-lit tree this year. It is very pretty and we have no pine needles, water spills and our tree will not fall over. How beautiful. The box this tree came in was huge - it has served as a row boat, TV watching home for my twin girls - no joke - they filled it with pillows and blankets and laid in it to watch movies, and they are constantly hiding in it! What fun.

So, in light of that - here is today's card - enjoy!

17 Holiday Cards - December 2nd

If you caught last nights local FOX news broadcast you will have seen Bennett Schneider, as we were host to an award winning gingerbread house. We even had Santa in the shop for a while. While in the shop he made a comment about how I made the nice list - which my kids thought was so great. Now I need to make a really good Christmas list - so today's card ... is only fitting.

17 Holiday Cards - December 1st

Check in with us daily to see our countdown of great Holiday cards. Some we have in the shop - others, we don't have in the shop, but love just as much!

Starting off with something sweet!

Pack a Lunch

Hey brides and grooms, your wedding day doesn't start fifteen minutes before the ceremony for your attendants. No, it probably starts early in the morning and ends late in the evening.

So we recommend you do something very special. Pack them a lunch. And not just a brown paper bag. We think these boxes from smock paper, available at Bennett Schneider, make the perfect "boxed" lunch. Fill it with a great sandwich, some locally made chips, some dried fruit and nuts and a delightful custom sugar cookie. This is a great way to pack up your gifts to them also.




I chose to display the navy and white shades here, because I am knee deep in navy blue silk ribbon right now for an August wedding. There are many colors to choose from and lots of great patterns.



Stop in and we can take care of everything from ordering sandwiches and cookies to delivering them on the wedding day.

Matchbook Magazine

We love sugar paper here at Bennett Schneider. Their product is one of the best we have seen and the style is the perfect blend of traditional, modern and, well, just perfect.

Matchbook Magazine recently featured an article about owners, Chelsea and Jamie, the co-founders. You can check out the magazine article here.



Then you should stop in to the shop and let us help you design your own sugar paper custom calling cards, stationery and invitations. You will not be dissappointed.


Photo credit Matchbook Magazine

Lobster on the Brain

We have been working with a bride whose May wedding will be a tropical one and we are working on some fun custom lobster bibs for one of the dinner events. We don't sell many lobster invites around here, but here are a few I really like - and yes, if you can get the lobster here, we can do the invitations.

All of My Love...

We have some of the cutest Valentine's Day cards in the shop right now. My favorites are the boxed sets from Rifle Paper Co. The set includes eight cards (two of each design) - think valentine's for everyone - mom, dad, grandma, gramps, husband and kids - all in one box. And they are so very stylish!



How about these ... from Mr. Boddington. I am going to give my Dave the eye chart card or maybe the cute "pairs" card or maybe ... I will just have to decide later. They are all very cute.





For the kids to give to their friends? You can't go wrong with these Meri-Meri boxed valentine's.




So, stop in now to get yours - you don't want to be late.

Perfect for new moms, dads and...

people like me who are terrified of books with no lines and empty pages. I can do this. Just jot down one line a day - funny things your kids say, random thoughts or even that great glass of wine you had ... but nonetheless ... a great (and easy) way to document the small things.

Perfect for chef, hostess, friend and foodie ...

Rifle Paper Company Heirloom Recipe Box



These heirloom recipe card boxes are made by local craftsmen from locally salvaged hardwood (trees that were destined for landfills). All of the boxes are unique and hand-crafted during a 3-month-long process (a month for the mill to source the salvaged wood, a month to build in the workman's studio, and a month for the hand-rubbed finish to dry). The lids are then screen printed with two different design options.

Lists and Calendars

Yes, we have the 2010 - 2011 momAgenda in stock. If you are new to these calendars they begin August 1st and go through December 31st of the following year! A great long term planning tool!

And how about this for lists - letterpress and in a really cute wicker holder. Looks great on your desk and is functional - can't beat that.

Party with Pica Press

We just received our new Pica Press party album last week. The designs are fresh and modern. I am going to be using one of their designs for a dinner party I am having in the fall. In addition to the invitations, they also have some great personalized recipe cards, calling cards, etc. Stop in and take a look, and because it is new, we are offering 15% off all orders placed from their new album from today until August 31st! What a great way to plan ahead for that fall event!

Summer Vacation

I have been taking some additional days off this summer to spend more time with my kids (mostly my twin daughters since they are heading off to all-day kindergarten this fall). So when I do show up at work on Friday, after three days off - it is like Christmas! Very exciting. So this is just a post of some of the fun new things that arrived in the shop this week.

And...don't forget our sidewalk sale begins next Thursday, July 15th. We have some great stuff that will be at least 50% off, if not more. This is not stuff we don't like, most of it is great stationery, invitations and gifts that have been discontinued and we only have one item left - since it is hard to retail and display just one one item, we are selling them to you at a very generous discount. So, stop by on Thursday to catch the best of it!

I think I am taking one of those sugar paper recycled To Do List pads home to make a list of all the fun things we still plan on doing this summer:

1. Take in an outdoor movie at Briarcliff Village - Our choice - Free Willy
2. See the Paul Mesner Puppets present "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
3. Shawnee Mission Parks Theater in the Park - Cinderella
4. Get out to the Gardner, Kansas pool - they have a great lazy river and slides and not nearly as pricey as World's of Fun
5. Camp at Shawnee Mission Park

and much more, but that is a start!

Jewel Ball Party

We did a lot of great invitations this season for parties surrounding Kansas City's Jewel Ball. This one was probably my favorite. I love the idea of a F. Scott Fitzgerald themed lawn party. The attire for the party was white and I can't wait to see some photos of this event. Invitations are by Karen Adams Designs - don't you just love the colors!?

Summer's Favorite Food

I am obsessed with ice cream lately! I am especially loving the concept of custom, hand-mixed ice cream and gelato made-to-order. The good kind, fresh milk, all natural ingredients, local fruit, etc. In fact, don't be surprised if Bennett Schneider soon launches an ice cream business. I think paper and ice cream are a delightful combination.

So I have been online checking out all the great designs surrounding the ice cream business! Keep your eyes open! You never know when your favorite paper shop will soon be the place to go to order custom, hand-mixed ice creams and gelatos!

Hello Summer!

I know that today is the first day of summer - but here in Kansas City my kids have been out of school for a month, the temperature is well into the 90s and the humidity - yuck! And, oddly enough, as retail goes, we spent two hours today with a manufacturer rep ordering Christmas and fall seasonal items. In addition to that, I actually caught myself in a conversation with a customer about how we are beginning to transition to our fall invitations and when exactly we would be putting those out! I still want to sell invitations for pool parties, summer bar-b-ques, ice cream parties and I really want to spend a lot of time outdoors, sipping margaritas with friends and family. I know that it is a cliche - but time sure flies.

So, I raise my margarita glass - welcome summer! So glad you are here. And if you want to celebrate summer - please come in and we will help you find just the right invitation whether it be for five people or 50!

Photo Style Me Pretty

Happy Father's Day

Don't forget Dad! We have some great gifts in the shop right now - clocks, a place to put his glasses, something to make those drawers smell a little bit better and some really great cards!

Congratulations

Another wedding we worked on this spring! This is one of elum's newest designs (in fact, we were the first to order). The wedding planner and bride were going for a very modern black/shades of gray reception - very hip and swanky! I think this invite fit perfectly. Congratulations to the newlyweds - hope we get to see some photos soon.

The wedding and party was held at an event space located north of downtown called Black on Burlington. The place looks awesome and I am sure Ellyn Bold did a fantastic job with the space.

Don't forget ... an invitation truly sets the tone for your event. Elum is still offering the address printing for free when you order invitations and response card sets - until the end of June!