April 2011

Do YOU Know When Mother’s Day Is?

Submitted by Kellie on April 28, 2011

Topic: Holiday Hints

Tags: Stationery Photos Personalized Mother’s Day Holiday Hints Gifts Customized Books

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Quick – without looking at a calendar do you know when Mother’s Day is? If you’re like more than half of Americans polled in a recent survey from FedEx and FedEx Office, the answer is NO! That’s likely because Mother’s Day is incredibly early this year – falling on the earliest possible date for the holiday, May 8. So will you be ready?

The majority of Americans polled in our April survey said they planned to give a personalized Mother’s Day gift this year, customizing their present in some way to mirror her tastes and styles. We here at Out of Office are glad to hear it, because we’re all about getting creative in thoughtful or unexpected ways.

For those readers out there who haven’t gotten started on their Mother’s Day shopping list, it’s not too late to take the personalized route. A few ideas from the Out of Office crew:

Baby on its Way to Friends or Family?
Let the World Know!

Submitted by Kim on April 27, 2011

Topic: Excellent Events

Tags: Signs Shower Party Parents Gifts Excellent Events Baby Birth

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Having a lot of little cousins in my family, I get to see the joy when a new baby enters the world. I also have a few friends expecting this year, so I wanted to test out a fun baby gift. Because we know the name of the soon-to-arrive baby, I decided to use FedEx Office Design & Print Center to make an “It’s a Boy!” baby name sign to share the news of her arrival. You can also do this right after the baby’s birth if the new parents want to keep the name a secret.

Parents can put this sign in front of their house for a month or so after the birth, and then save it as a keepsake.

Creating the sign online is simple – just search for the keyword baby to get dozens of design templates and free shipping. ...read more

A “Sweet” Baby Shower Game

Submitted by Guest Blogger on April 25, 2011

Topic: Excellent Events

Tags: Signs Shower Party Games Excellent Events Baby

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Guest blogger Katie Nasche is a communications advisor for FedEx Office. Katie is a busy mom of two girls, and in her spare time, she enjoys baking and scrapbooking. Today, Katie shares with us a fun idea for a baby shower game.

I recently co-hosted a baby shower for a friend, and we played a fun and funny game I wanted to share. It was a spin on the children’s memory game where players take turns choosing two cards looking for a match.

We used a large piece of poster board as our game board instead of making baby-themed cards that players turn over. We then numbered a stack of sticky notes from 1-34 (you can do more or less for as many matches as you want). We put the sticky notes in neat rows along the game board, and behind each one we wrote a pregnancy or baby-related word like “Baby Girl” or “Epidural.” Remember – each word has to appear twice on the game board, so you’ll need half as many words as you have sticky notes.

After the Wedding Bells: Newlyweds Car Sign

Submitted by Kim on April 21, 2011

Topic: Excellent Events

Tags: Excellent Events Wedding Party Decorate Signs Customized Decals Engagement

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Have you recently seen a car decorated to celebrate newlyweds tying the knot? Based on tradition, the groomsmen wrap the bridal getaway car for the happy couple. Soap, cans, bells and streamers usually make up the arsenal of handy tools designed to draw attention to the newly married couple.

My friends are getting married this August in Dallas and I want their wedding to be special right down to their reception departure. I like to plan ahead, so I created a Newlyweds Car Sign for the back of their car. I’ll give it to the groomsmen before the wedding so they can place it on the car.

To make your own Newlyweds Car Sign:

DIY Wedding Invitations: Custom Designs That Won’t Break the Bank

Submitted by Leah on April 14, 2011

Topic: Excellent Events

Tags: Design & Print Center Excellent Events FedEx Office® Print Online Finishing Services Invitation Personalized Wedding

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When I was planning my wedding a few years ago, I quickly realized how many different things there were to do and how quickly the seemingly basic projects could add up to be budget breakers. I also found that there were lots of things I could do myself, especially with a little planning and creativity.

One thing that’s particularly easy to do yourself are wedding invitations. It can be challenging to find invitations that fit within your budget and are exactly what you want, but making them yourself allows you to control the costs and turn your vision into a reality.

Before May Flowers Come April Showers…

Submitted by Kellie on April 11, 2011

Topic: Excellent Events

Tags: Wedding Template Spring Shower Party Games FedEx Office® Print Online Event Bride Bridal

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…bridal showers that is! With wedding season right around the corner, the invitations are starting to pile in for spring and summer weddings, as well as the accompanying bridal showers and other pre-wedding celebrations.

Bridal games can be great ice-breakers for the guests to get to know each other (especially as you get to know your fiancé’s extended family) and I developed some tips for easy-to-make customized games to add a special touch to the event.

Here are a few ideas to jump-start your creativity:

Personalized Photo Party Banners

Submitted by Leah on April 7, 2011

Topic: Excellent Events

Tags: Birthday Discounts & Deals Excellent Events Gifts Kids Office Party Personalized Photo Signs Watercooler Wisdom

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One of my good friends just turned 30 and in the days leading up to his birthday we were working hard to find a creative and fun idea for his party. We finally came up with something that was a big hit: a personalized photo banner!

First, we went through lots of old photos to find just the right one. Then we had it blown up and printed on a 3’ x 5’ banner with a “happy birthday” message. The banner even came with grommets, which made it easy to hang at the party.

We set out permanent markers so guests could sign the banner and include short notes. The banner was a huge hit! Besides adding to the décor, it also made a great keepsake.

A personalized photo banner doesn’t just have to be for birthday parties. You can also use them for:

Anniversary Gifts

Submitted by Kellie on April 4, 2011

Topic: Excellent Events

Tags: cards Design & Print Center Gifts Anniversary Paper Wedding

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Here at Out of Office, we’re kicking off the month of April with a month-long series of celebrations – anniversaries, retirement parties, baby showers, weddings and more. Spring has sprung and we feel like partying! I’m first up in the queue and today I’m sharing anniversary gift ideas.

It’s hard for me to believe that it’s almost been a full year, but I will be celebrating my first anniversary this April (you can read one of my wedding-related posts from last year here). I know the traditional gift for the first anniversary is paper – and because I’m a pretty traditional person it seemed natural that I’d find a special paper gift for my husband.

I decided to make stationery using our new monogram. I still love hearing my new married name (true story: it took a while to even recognize people were talking to me when they used it), so I thought this would be a perfect gift for both of us to use.