New Product Giveaway by Pear Tree!

It's been a while since we've had a giveaway around here so it's definitely time! Pear Tree Greetings has a new product line available called 'notelettes'. They are miniature versions of a large note card and are perfect to stick into lunch boxes or backpacks, your honey's briefcase or under someones pillow. It's just one more way to show your loved ones how much you care and they make for a fun little surprise. Pear Tree Greetings is giving one lucky reader a set of 24 notelettes of their choice including shipping!

A couple weeks ago I received an assorted set of cards after I had already purchased the same $1 promo set called the 'mom pack' in honor of Mother's Day. (They are still available by the way, but just until June.30th, act quickly!) When I realized I had two duplicate sets, (Pear Tree sent me a second set as part of a promotion) I immediately thought of giving one set away and the first person that came to mind was one of my regular blog readers, Lynda, who is so sweet and always leaves a comment on my giveaways just to say hello since she cannot actually enter as she lives in the Netherlands which is outside of the U.S. giveaway area. I decided to surprise her recently by mailing her one of the note card sets. She e-mailed me to tell me she was thrilled and then surprised me by writing this post where she shows some of  the cards included in the pack. Oh how I love surprising people! :)

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**
1. To enter, let me know you're a public follower and tell me how you'd use these little notelettes if you won OR tell me which of the 14 designs  you'd choose!
2. For extra entries you can share this giveaway via your blog, facebook, twitter or grab my button from my sidebar and display it on your blog. {enter up to 3 times}

*Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry and don't forget to leave your e-mail if you don't have a blog, so I can contact you if you win!

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: July.4th @ 11pm EST

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE: 24 Notelettes of your choice + free shipping!
RULES: The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on 07/05/11.

OPEN TO: I apologize to my international friends but it's U.S. addresses ONLY for this giveaway.

June's Pear Tree special discount is 15% off of personalized stationery in their online shop, no minimum purchase required. Use the code CONNECT15 until June.30th.

Thanks to the always awesome Pear Tree Greetings for providing this wonderful prize!!

Good Luck Everyone!

A Thank You Giveaway!

It's time for another giveaway! It comes in the form of a thank you (as in greeting cards) a set of 16 to be exact. I wanted to give a shout out to YOU, my readers and give a warm THANK YOU for continuing to visit my blog and actively leave comments/ask questions. I appreciate your kindness, love and support. Pear Tree Greetings is graciously offering up yet another fun prize to one of my loyal readers, and it's something I know that you can ALL use. Pear tree recently sent me a surprise sample pack of 6 different styles of thank you cards to use during the holiday season. Mine are personalized with the words "thank you" but you can order them to include your name instead. Here are some of them so you can take a peek.

{I love them all but this one is my favorite of the bunch}



As you know, thank you cards are a must in my house. I use them when I'm invited to a party, event, weekend away or to send a thoughtful someone a note to thank them for a gift or their kindness. I keep a variety of cards available and Pear Tree has such a great selection for every occasion. Right now I'm loving their Christmas thank you cards, which will be perfect for all the holiday parties you're invited to this year or a great way to pop a note in the mail after receiving a lovely gift. They also have everything from baby shower thank you cards and Thanksgiving invitations to moving announcements and more. Their designs are gorgeous, modern and the quality is top notch!

Here are the details below to enter for your chance to win your very own set of ANY of thank you cards from their collection.

**THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED**


GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

1. To enter, let me know that you're a public follower. Leave a comment letting me know the most memorable thank you card you've received OR if you can't quite remember that far back, you can visit Pear Tree Greetings then come back to let me know which 'category' of thank you card you'd choose if you won.

*Be sure to leave your e-mail address if you do not have a blog, leave a comment fore each entry point you fulfill.

2. For a second entry: Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway or mention it via your facebook page. (link to this post url and provide your Twitter/FB name in comment)

3. For a third entry: Blog about this giveaway OR add my blog button to your sidebar (code found in sidebar).
GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Saturday, October.30th 11pm EST.

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE: One set of 16 Thank You cards including shipping.

RULES: The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on 11/01
OPEN TO: U.S. addresses ONLY for this giveaway. ~sorry. :(

If you're interested in browsing or shopping the Pear Tree website now, Classy & Fabulous readers can click HERE for the list of current promotions and discounts. Thank you to Pear Tree for being so awesome!

Good Luck!



*images via Pear Tree website.

Summer Stationery Giveaway

I've got a fun, little giveaway to start off your week! With social media, texting and e-mail taking over these days, it's no wonder that the written word has become a lost art. I miss the days of handwritten letters, postcards from a friend's exotic destination and even just little cards that say 'I was thinking of  you'. 

To help bring back the written word, Pear Tree Greetings has graciously offered up a set of personalized note cards (set of 12 or 16-depending on the design) to one of my lucky readers. :) They have so many fresh, modern and lovely designs to choose from! You can see the address labels and note card design that I use, which were gifts from my friends at PearTree a few months ago.

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

1. To enter, all you need to do is let me know that you're a follower and leave a comment letting me know the most memorable card/note you've received OR if you can't quite remember that far back, you can visit Pear Tree Greetings  then come back to let me know which design you'd choose if you won.

*Be sure to leave your e-mail address if you do not have a blog, leave a comment fore each entry point you fulfill.

2. For a second entry: Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway (link to this post url and provide your twitter ID in comment)

3. For a third entry: Blog about this give away or include a link in your sidebar.

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Saturday, July.31st 11pm EST.

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE: One set of personalized note cards (12-16 QTY) including shipping.

RULES: The winners will be selected using random.org and announced on 08/02

OPEN TO: U.S. addresses ONLY for this giveaway.

Thank you again to the ever-generous Pear Tree Greetings for making this giveaway possible!

Also, if you need to order some address labels or send some party invitations, Pear Tree is offering my readers free shipping on ANY order over $29. Use code: PEARJUL10

Good Luck and I can't wait to read your comments!

Stylish & Affordable Stationery

Last month, one of my sponsors Pear Tree Greetings was kind enough to provide a $50 gift certificate for our giveaway to one lucky reader to spend any way she pleased. When I revealed the winner, I promised to share with you in an upcoming post what they were sweet enough to send me too.

If you've never heard of them or purchased their stationery before, it is beautiful. They have a vast array of simple and fresh designs, many available in a variety of color palettes and their quality is top notch. Note cards are given heavy weight cardstock for durability and even the envelopes are far nicer than the standard, run of the mill envelope. They too are thicker and provide a polished look when corresponding with family and friends. Pear Tree provides everything from save the date cards to personalized photo address labels, mommy cards, children's birthday invitations, baby shower invitations to holiday photo cards. They are now my go-to place for stylish, yet affordable stationery and labels. With over 50 years in the industry, they definitely know what they're doing!

I was fortunate enough to receive 2 different sets of their gorgeous address labels. The first set is for me to mail to personal friends, so it has a more feminine flair. I love damask patterns and was very tempted to pick this style. However, with the same color scheme in mind I wanted to do something a little different and when they arrived in the mail, I couldn't have been more pleased. Here is the 'Delicate Lace in Blue' pattern.

{To protect my privacy, I am using address label images from their website}

My second set will be used by both Paul and I, so I wanted it to remain neutral but provide some color and an 'eco' sort of feel, given that we both cherish our precious earth. The pattern below is called Elegant Floral. These labels are what I received first and formed my initial impression of Pear Tree as being a detail oriented company. The square labels are unlike anything I've seen before (they have round and regular size available also) and are 2.25 inches wide/hight, I couldn't wait to use them!

You can imagine my surprise when after I had ordered these labels, one of my contacts within Pear Tree decided to surprise me by sending me a batch of 25 cards with envelopes that she specifically selected with my personality and blog style in mind! Although they are different in color, these 'Elegant Red' (which are actually terracota brown and pink on cream cardstock) flat notecards match the labels I had already ordered which we both thought was too funny. If I later wanted to order matching address labels, they have these lovely 'Elegant Red Labels' too. I love the simplicity of this design and the informality of my first name only.

No matter what I'm looking for, I always find the Pear Tree site easy to navigate, personalization of items are simple and I receive all merchandise quickly and in excellent condition. In my opinion, they are a fabulous company to work with. As they describe in their own words how they came about, this is also why I appreciate them "At a time when all the other options out there were either too expensive, too cookie cutter, too cutesy or waaaay too much work, Pear Tree Greetings blossomed."  If you haven't used them yet, I hope you'll visit them for any upcoming stationery need.

*Disclaimer-I am not being paid to write this review nor am I receiving any product in exchange for it. I did not receive my address labels or note cards in exchange for a write up. I did however, let them know that I wanted to provide a review, upon receiving my stationery, as I think they are one of the most generous companies with a fabulous product to boot, which is a rarity.This is my personal opinion and experience with Pear Tree Greetings.

Now, here's the really exciting part. Some of you lovely ladies will win something fabulous from Pear Tree this month too!  I'll be doing something a little different this time around. Here's a hint, there will be more than one winner. ;) I hope you'll pop back over this week because I'll have all the giveaway details on how you can enter to win your very own Pear Tree Greetings goodies!


I hope you are doing something lovely this weekend!

Stylish Stationery GIVEAWAY from Pear Tree!

In honor of Mother's Day this weekend and my love for personalized stationery, Pear Tree Greetings has generously offered to give 1 lucky Classy & Fabulous reader a $50 gift certificate to purchase whatever they like in their online stationery store!!

Pear Tree Greetings is a fun, fresh and affordable personalized stationery company that offers birth announcements, kid birthday invitations, note cards,  address labels, save the date cards and much more!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*

HOW TO ENTER: Become a public follower of this blog and answer this question for your first entry:

What's the best piece of advice your mom gave you growing up?

{Be sure to provide a way to be contacted via your blog or leave your e-mail address}

EXTRA ENTRIES: {Leave a separate comment for each of the following and an appropriate link where necessary}

1. (1) entry for adding me to your blogroll. (leave a comment if you already have)
2. (1) entry for adding my blog button to your blog (code found in my sidebar, leave comment if you already have)
3. (1) entry for tweeting about this giveaway (link to this post & provide your twitter ID in comment)
4. (3) entries for blogging about this giveaway with a link back to this post.

There you have it, 7 ways to win this awesome prize!

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Saturday, May.22nd at 10pm EST.
NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
RULES: The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on 05/24.
OPEN TO: U.S. addresses ONLY for this giveaway.

If you missed my related Reader Request on Stationery Savvy or my post titled Cards are Classy, you can view them now by clicking on the links.

I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend & Good Luck!

Thank YOU!

Ah, using the words 'please' and 'thank you', sort of a Kindergarten 101, no? I'm simply amazed at the lack of manners that many people in our society display. Everything from the person who is oblivious to someone holding the door for them, not saying please while shopping in a store and asking for help to completely forgetting to thank a friend or family member for something sweet that they have gone out of their way to do.

Classy women remember to thank others, in fact they make it a priority. Especially when it comes to family, friends, colleagues, business partners and neighbors it is always a great idea to either send a personal hand written note after an event, verbally acknowledge the particular person in question as soon as you can or go out of your way to return a favor for someone who has done something unexpected, helpful or special.

I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you-my readers. Thank you for your comments which always brighten my day and make me smile and sometimes laugh out loud. I really love reading what is on your mind, hearing your opinion and knowing that you care enough to leave me a little note. I enjoy your reader requests too. For all of you who have e-mailed me with requests or questions, thank you. It is my pleasure to answer them with the intention of helping you as well as many other women that come across the very post that you inspired.

Thank you too for just being you and popping over to read my posts, for following my little blog and sharing some love by grabbing my blog button, visiting me on twitter or linking to me. I appreciate you spreading the word and allowing others find me too in this big blog world! :)

Last week when I wrote about Yard Sale Savvy, my blogger friend from Simply Luxurious was super sweet and linked to me in her weekly Sunday 'cups of tea' post. I wanted to take this opportunity to publicly thank her for including my post. Hop on over and check her out, she's got a fun blog worth visiting. I look forward to sharing one of her fashion posts this week that I think you'll all enjoy.

And for all of you who have been following me and are wondering what I actually found at the big yard sale, it's coming-I PROMISE. I'm going to share it with you very soon but first I'm busy getting ready for my own yard sale this weekend!

So, today's post is dedicated to you, my classy friends from the blog-o-sphere. Thank you for just being YOU!

Love you guys!

  xo


* Thank You image above compliments of this site.

Reader Request: Stationery Savvy

Image Sources: Betsy White; J Press Design;  Oblation;  Betsy White (clockwise)

Today’s request comes from a reader that would like to remain somewhat anonymous, given the uniqueness of her name. She has a couple of tricky dilemmas to tackle when it comes to stationery, monograms and which names to use as she has kept her maiden name and her husband is often referred to by his nickname versus his given name.

Here is what she e-mailed me:

I have a question about Stationary. I want to order some custom stationary, but am not sure what to put on it. If I order note cards, do I put my name on the front, or my monogram? If it has my name on it, can I use them for Thank You cards for things for myself AND my husband, or only myself?


Also, my husband and I have different last names so how do I create a monogram to use on things? This has bugged me since our wedding as I have always wanted personalized stationary, but none of the stationary companies I have contacted seems to have an answer.


My initials are MMB and my Husbands are DEC. To make it more complicated, my husband is known to almost everyone as a Nickname as he and his father share the same name. This nickname (Woody) does not share any of his official initials. We even had to put the nickname on our wedding invitations so people would know that I was marrying the SON not the Father.


HELP!!!  If you have ANY idea where I can find info on this, it would be great.


Thanks so much!!


M. Bourne


First of all, thank you for your question Ms. Bourne. I love custom stationery and it’s a fun way to send out correspondence, thank you cards and to keep in touch with friends while adding your own unique and personal touch.


To answer your first question about note cards, you can really use whatever you would like on the cards, but bear in mind that it will ultimately depend on who will be using these cards. If they'll be used exclusively by you, then you can use your first name only, your first and last (maiden) name or a monogram which is unique to your three initials which would include your maiden name. Tradition dictates that it is always appropriate for a woman to use or incorporate her maiden name, even after becoming married. So, one alternative that many women choose (as do those without a middle name) is to use their maiden name as their middle name. HERE is a whole site page dedicated to the very topic of using names within a monogram.


If you intend to share the note cards with your husband, you should probably use the initial of your married surname. For a joint monogram which would include both of your names, list your first initial, your married last name initial in the middle (which is larger than the other letters on either side) followed by his first (most commonly used) initial. This is very common now and many family and friends of a newly married couple often purchase stationery or other custom items like bed sheets with the couple’s combined names for a truly united monogram.


Any of these selections would allow you to use your note cards as thank you cards for a wedding, baby shower or for an occasion such as a housewarming party.


In terms of the monogram that you’d like to create for other uses, tradition calls for the use of a given name vs. a nickname. However, in these modern times, you could use his nickname since that is the name that he is really most known by. It’s really a matter of personal preference. For formal invitations or events, I would encourage him to be listed with "Jr." behind his first name or use the roman numerals “II”, so that he can be differentiated from his father. My husband has a similar situation as he shares his father’s name also. As such, he often uses the above additions to his name and frequently uses his middle initial as part of his name professionally, since Paul Davis II would just come across a bit 18th century.


Since you have already made the decision to keep your maiden name, you can continue to create personal cards or monogrammed items for yourself that involve all 3 of your original initials. For anything that you purchase together such as something monogrammed for your home, because you are now married and share the home it would be most appropriate to use his surname initial “C”.

I hope I was able to answer all of your questions and that you feel a bit more confident about proceeding with the purchase of your new custom stationery. Be sure to visit Pear Tree Greetings' website via my sidebar button, under 'sponsors' as they offer some gorgeous designs! Custom return address labels will really complete the overall polished look.


Your e-mail is also very timely because there will be a fun giveaway involving stationery in the coming weeks. Check back for your chance to win some gorgeous goodies!


Warmly,