Wedding Series: Creating the
Perfect Program for my Perfect Day

 

Guest Blogger Alissa Cantrell is the managing director of communications and events at FedEx Office. She has been with the company for almost eight years and planned her own fairytale wedding in just three months last summer. When she learned of the Out of Office Wedding Series, she was more than happy to share her personal story.

I’ve never been one of those girls who had my wedding planned before I actually met “the one.” But a funny thing happened last May when my husband proposed… We knew what our plan was within about 24 hours! We wanted to keep it simple, get married somewhere with character, and make sure everything was elegant and reflected our tastes. To top it all off, we wanted to get married by the end of the summer so that my fiancé’s brother and his wife (who were expecting their first child in October) could attend. ...read more

Round-Up: Beyond the Easter Egg Hunt

 

With Easter just a little more than a week away, I thought it was time to share some helpful sites (besides our own!) with ideas for celebrating this special holiday. My best friend’s 3-year old, Cade, is to the age where he is starting to understand holidays and as “Uncle Adam” I’ve been thinking up Easter activities. The first thing that comes to mind is the traditional Easter egg hunt. Even though it can be a fun activity – as adults search for devilishly difficult hiding places and kids scurry around trying to find them – I wanted to “hunt” down tips for less common ways to enjoy the day with family and friends. And of course, since it is me, I have been putting some serious thought into Easter dinner. With that in mind, here are a few sites with ideas to help celebrate this April holiday. ...read more

Wedding Series: A Guest Book
Full of Memories, Not Signatures

 

Guest Blogger Stephanie Buttrill is an account supervisor at Ketchum, the public relations agency for FedEx Office. She was married in April 2009, and has had some great ideas for the Out of Office Wedding Series based on her own wedding planning adventures! We loved Stephanie’s guest book idea and asked her to share it with our readers. 

All the weddings I’ve ever been to (which admittedly are few at my ripe old age of 27!) have featured some kind of guest sign-in book on a table by the entrance. I suppose the bride imagines this book full of signatures will serve as a record of sorts, reminding her years from now just who made it to her big day…and how good their penmanship is. I wanted a reminder too, but figured there had to be a better way to do it.

As an avid scrapbooker in my scant free time, I thought: why not combine the scrapbook model with the traditional guest book? In my version of the book, the pages are split evenly between photos and messages from guests, which are tucked inside small envelopes I found in my wedding colors.   

...read more

Got a Good Book? Mark it!

 

I may not be a parent myself, but I love my godchildren like nothing else. And one of my favorite things to do when visiting them is reading together before bedtime. Granted, 2 year old Gracie hasn’t quite gotten into the ritual yet, but Blake and I have been reading books together for years.

With that in mind, I thought I’d share a quick and easy project idea. I’m talking about making personalized bookmarks! This is great as a craft project for kids on a rainy day or you can make them as stuffers for stockings and gift baskets around the holidays. Hint: Easter is just around the corner! ...read more

Interview Tips Round-Up

 

Very few people actually enjoy interviews. I’ve been on both sides -- as the interviewee and the interviewer – and I know it’s difficult. So, I decided to share some helpful interview tips I’ve picked up over the years, and a few places I’ve found online that may help you get ready for your next interview.


First – be confident. Remind yourself that there’s a reason you’re going to this interview, and it’s because you are the right person for the job (whatever that job may be!). Confidence always shines through and can sometimes be a make or break factor when it comes time to make a selection. If you don’t believe in the product you’re selling – yourself – why will the company? Here are a few other helpful hints from some of the experts online: 


    Wedding Series: The Wedding Tree

     

    Now that the major details of my fast-approaching wedding are nailed down, I’ve been looking for ways to make the event unique and special for our families and guests. One way that I’m honoring our parents and families is by putting both sets of our parents’ wedding pictures on the guest book table beside our engagement picture. Another way is by putting a modern spin on the guest book…a wedding tree.

    I have a lovely satin guest book, replete with beads and a bow, but this “guest book” is different. Basically, it’s a sketch of a tree without leaves that I’ll frame for our guests to “sign” using their thumbprints to make the leaves.

    Yes, our guests will sign the fancy traditional book on the day of the wedding, but at the rehearsal dinner - where our immediate family and wedding party will be in attendance - we’ll ask them to complete our tree.  ...read more

    Recycle. Reuse. Repurpose.

     

    Guest Blogger Lisa Antonio is a customer service coordinator at a FedEx Office in southeast Michigan. She has been with the company for over three years and is currently in graduate school.  A fun fact about Lisa is that this spring she will fulfill her life-long aspiration to train as an ice hockey player.

    With two kids in preschool not only is the artwork piling up, but I also have a drawer stuffed with school memos. As the weeks progress, these letters (usually printed on lovely pastel or bright paper) contain information that is no longer relevant. Instead of tossing them, I created a recycling bin for future projects. Now the kids and I can make homemade paper and other simple projects from scraps. 

    Here are just a couple of fun and cool ideas: ...read more

    Helping Mom

     

    Some years ago, my mom ran a home daycare out of her house. She really enjoyed working with kids and opening her home to them. She was not, however, great at marketing her business. She did everything by word of mouth. Though, occasionally she would try out some brochures and postcards to help drive business. Since I worked for FedEx Office (Kinko’s at the time), she was always asking for my help to make them look “nicer.” 

    Don’t get me wrong I can do just about anything in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, but I have never fancied myself all that creative. Technically savvy? Yes, that’s me! But creative??? Umm…not so much. I recall I would spend a great deal of time just trying to decide what font to use. And I’m sure there are many budding entrepreneurs and small businesses that have or have had this same challenge at some point. ...read more

    Get Ready – It’s Spring Cleaning Season!

     

    I consider myself to be the resident organizational expert here on the “Out of Office” blogger team. Just ask anyone who knows me about my love for zip top bags and my label-making machine! As a neat freak, I am always anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring as that harkens to mind spring cleaning. And, if you’re like me, you may have been bitten by the spring cleaning bug already. So, I thought I’d post a great round-up with quick, easy and fun organizing ideas I’ve seen online. Take a look at the sites and projects below, and be sure to add some of yours to the comments section. ...read more

    Wedding Series: Do-it-Yourself Save the Date Cards

     

    Guest Blogger Amanda Emmert is in her senior year at a university in Dallas and plans to pursue a career in marketing. This busy volleyball player is also planning a June wedding and made some terrific save the dates that we wanted to share.  

    Let’s face it…planning a wedding is not always as fun as you imagine it to be. There are so many small details that can turn an excited bride-to-be into a big stressball. There’s coordinating specifics, paying unrealistically large sums of money, and trying to please your mother. 

    On a lighter note, there are some fun highlights amidst the consultations and the bills. I have, luckily, booked all my major vendors and taken care of décor/dresses for my June wedding; throughout this process, one of my favorite things that I’ve done thus far was designing my “Save the Dates.” ...read more