Traditional Announcements

While people are increasingly using the Internet to share the news about their babies, sending notification through the mail often feels more personal and classy. A hand-written note is always a great way to go, but if you don’t have the time, see if you can order your baby announcements with a message already printed on them. Adding your signature or a brief personal message by hand with add that intimate feel.

Send an Email

Announcing the arrival of your baby via email can be a great way to save money and help the environment. However, the downside is that emails can feel informal, impersonal and rushed. But this doesn’t rule out sending an email as a baby announcement.

Consider signing up for an email marketing account where you can choose from a variety of baby design templates for your emails that sets the tone for your announcement. Sending a professionally designed email will not only make you look hip and tech-savvy, but you will be able to customize it however you see fit. Add pictures, fun facts like the baby’s weight and length, and more. With an email marketing account, you can send out multiple emails to anyone on your contact list with updates on the latest about your baby.

Create a Baby Website

There are so many great reasons to use a website to announce your baby. You may wonder why you should go through all the effort to make a one-time announcement, but a baby website is a great way to keep friends and family in the loop.  From the first sonogram to baby’s first birthday and beyond, everyone will get to participate in the fun. Baby websites are especially useful when you have a lot of family and friends who live far away or who you don’t get to see often. By posting pictures and writing about milestones in your pregnancy and in your child’s first year, everyone can feel included in your joys. As your family grows, you may even choose to turn your baby website into a family website.

You can even link an email account to your website, allowing you to send out updates and announcements to friends and family. Direct them to your website to see new photos and read new stories.

No matter how you choose to announce your little one, remember to have fun and get creative. You’ll be sure to show your happiness and get all of friends and family excited with you.

1. Designate Tasks

While you should be designating tasks throughout your wedding preparations, it’s especially important to do for your wedding day. Do you have someone to carry your wrap or purse while you take pictures? Who has your water bottle? Will there be someone to escort Grandma to her chair? Before the rehearsal, make a list of everything that will need to happen on your special day. At the rehearsal, ask for volunteers among the bridal party to take on different tasks.

2. Create a Schedule

You definitely want to avoid having to rush on your wedding day. You also want to make sure everyone from the best man to the flower girl is in the right place at the right time. Creating a schedule will help alleviate confusion, prepare people for their roles and help keep things running smoothly and on time throughout the day. Test out your schedule during your rehearsal to make sure there really is enough time for everything you want to cover. Make adjustments as necessary and email the most recent version to your bridal party that evening. Remember to leave a little wiggle room as incidents will inevitably come up that you didn’t anticipate.

3. Eat, Drink & Be Merry (and make sure your family does, too!)

We’ve all heard the horror stories about the bride or groom’s mother or father who has to be rushed to the hospital because of dehydration just minutes before the ceremony. Don’t let that happen on your wedding day. Drinking enough water is essential, especially if your wedding is in the summer. Keep a cooler stocked with a few bottles of water for the bridal party nearby at all times. You should also make sure to have a complete breakfast even if you’ve got a bad case of stomach butterflies. Breakfast might be the only meal you have until dinner. Eating a healthy meal such as oatmeal, fruit or eggs will give you energy for the day as well as keep your head clear and your mind focused. If possible have a light snack like a protein bar or an apple in the afternoon to stay energized.

4. Take Pictures First

Maximize the amount of time you spend with guests during the reception by taking most of your photos before the ceremony. If you can’t take your photos before the ceremony, make arrangements ahead of time with your bridal party, family and friends who will be in your formal pictures. Tell people where they need to be and when to reduce confusion and the amount of time you spend looking for those people. This means you won’t have to spend your entire cocktail hour in front of the camera and will leave more time for mingling with your guests.

Your wedding day is one of the most important events of your life, so don’t let all of the details cause you anxiety. Make the most of your day, have fun and remember that the wedding isn’t about the party, the guests or the flowers – it’s about creating a special bond between you and the person you love. Use these four tips to help keep the stress at bay so that you can have a wonderful time.

Banners

Make your storefront stand out from the rest with banners. Perfect for grand openings, sales and special events, you can customize your banners to fit the occasion. Hanging up a banner can signal to people that something special is going on in your business. If you are hosting an event or sale, don’t forget to include important details such as the date, time and name of your event.

Window Decals

Do you have people visiting or passing by your business on a regular basis? Then a window decal is a great way to add a little more advertising power to your marketing efforts. Some of the many uses for window decals include listing your business hours, displaying a menu and promoting a sale. Window decals can also be used on car windows and offer an affordable alternative to car door magnets.

Lawn Signs

Catch the attention of passersby with lawn signs. Need some ideas on how to use them? Try putting a special offer or sale on your sign to draw in more business. If your business is located off a main road, consider putting a sign on a street corner with an arrow pointing to your store. Lawn signs are also great for anyone who wants to showcase work they’ve done on a specific property, such as landscapers, construction companies and real estate agencies.

Posters

Hang up posters that feature special offers or events on bulletin boards around town to make an impact on the local community. When designing your poster, consider making it into a calendar which you can give away as a promotional item. This will have customers and prospects thinking of you year-round.

Car Door Magnets

Looking for a quick, easy and inexpensive way to get the word out about your business? It doesn’t get simpler than advertising with car door magnets. This type of signage does double-duty. First, it allows you to brand your vehicles with your logo, company name and tagline without having to get a costly paint job. Second, by spending only a little, you can advertise to a lot of people simply by driving around town, leaving your car in the driveway, or parking in a lot.

Putting up signs to increase your business may seem too easy to be true, but with the right signage, you’ll be sure to keep new customers walking in your door.

Keychains can be large or small and the size you choose could depend on who makes up your customer base. If you predominantly target women, a larger keychain could be more effective as it will help them find their keys in a large purse. Smaller keychains would be more appropriate for male customers as they tend to carry their keys in their pockets.

Keychains also make good promotional products for businesses on a budget. Because they can be used for a long period of time, you won’t have to continually hand them out to the same customers. You should also consider buying them in bulk for a low price.

Before you begin organizing, it’s important to identify why you’re allowing the disorder around you to affect your life.

Answer these simple questions to begin simplifying your life:

• What can I live without?
• What sentimental items am I holding onto that may be cluttering my life?
• Who will benefit from a radical organizational change in my life? Family? Friends? Co-workers?

Now that you’ve identified some potential trends and areas for improvement, it’s time to start implementing change. Follow these simple tricks to be better organized today.

Start with your desk or home office. This is where junk mail, note cards and random letters love to accumulate. Start by fishing through snail mail and weeding out items that you have no use for. Throw these bad boys in the garbage and you’ll probably clear up about 50% percent of your desk space in one go. But you’re not finished. Once your desk is clear, take a trip to your local home goods store and pick up some handy organizational items. If you have a specific place to put pens, letterhead, envelopes, return address labels and other stationery items, you’re less likely to throw them into a drawer.

Put it on the calendar. If you’re always scrambling to remember birthdays, keep appointments or make it to meetings, then you’re only human. With Blackberry’s, iPhones and other technology at everyone’s fingertips, it’s easy to keep on top of schedules; but you don’t have to drop hundreds of dollars to get on track. Just buy a calendar or appointment book to stay mindful. If you buy your calendar online, you should be able to add custom text to certain dates and upload photos for that personal touch. You may even be able to choose the starting month!

Organize your computer. Clutter busting doesn’t stop with your desk. Extend your new organizational structure to your laptop or PC. Start by clearing your desktop of random files, pictures and documents. Create folders with subcategories for these items and you’ll save yourself a headache time and again.

Take a deep breath, you’re now on your way to an organized life. Follow these easy tips and tricks and you’ll be able to focus on the more important things.

Resources

1. WebMD
2. Dartmouth University

Do it right. Start with the invitations! Instead of picking up a generic set, splurge on a few custom upgrades with linen finish, matching envelopes and be sure that both sides are in full color. You’ll impress guests and set the tone for party – garish balloons and goofy clowns will be nowhere in sight!

Think twice about a theme party. Resist the urge to throw a cheesy party. If you elect for a theme, make sure elegance and class are the names of the game. Instead of printing silly pictures and images on décor like banners and table cloths, try to take a more subtle approach. Opt for soft colors, muted palettes and an overarching theme – not a heavy-handed one.

Delight their sensibilities. Instead of chips and dips and cake and coke, why not wow the birthday man or woman with hors d’oeuvres and canapés? And don’t bother visiting the local store for generic cake, lay out a sampling of posh desserts instead – everyone will ooh and ahh with pleasure! Still searching for the perfect party favor? Fill an eco-friendly tote bag with samplings of adult beverages, a customized T-shirt or beautiful note cards.

You’re now ready to throw a wonderful bash – get to it!

1. 1. Pick a Theme. Is the birthday boy or girl a huge Star Wars fan? Maybe they’re addicted to Sex & The City or they’re dedicated football fan. Then half your work is done for you! Go out of your way to plan a party theme that caters to their whims. The perfect theme requires absolute consistency, so get creative in your effort to tie everything back to it. Start by creating custom invitations that reference the theme in design and color choice. And don’t forget that the little things can have a big impact. You want to make sure that décor like napkins, tablecloths, streamers and banners, are working double-duty to communicate the overall message!

1. 2. Keep the Guests Happy, Too. The guest of honor isn’t the only one you should care about pleasing. Making sure your guests are content is a key task of the perfect party planner. Keep the buffet of snacks plentiful and the bar stocked, because a satisfied guest is a happy guest. And why not create a little tote bag packed with party favors to match the theme? Your guests will love you if you fill it with useful items like candy, pens, fun knickknacks or a keychain emblazoned with the birthday boy or girls picture.

1. 3. Your Work is Never Done. Even after the big day has passed, there’s still one more thing you can do to ensure that your party planning skills will never be forgotten. No party is complete without a cameraman on hand to document the big day. Once you’ve compiled all of the fun photos, it’s time to share! After you post these gems on Facebook, Myspace and other social networking sites, you should create photo cards to send out to attendees. And if you want to hold the title of the Greatest Party Planner Ever, take the time to create a photo flip book or notebook  for the guest of honor and close friends and family. That way, you’ll create a keepsake that they’ll cherish forever.

See, that wasn’t so hard. Now you’re ready to party the night away knowing that you planned a wonderful bash. Give yourself a pat on the back, you’ll never throw a boring birthday party again!

Keep your family in mind when planning your small business.  Talk openly about the changes that will take place.  Also, do your best to coordinate schedules, as to avoid conflicts.  Ask your family to share in this new experience.  Ask for help and have everyone perform a few simple tasks.  This way, everyone will feel like part of a team, and family time won’t be so difficult to squeeze in.  However, it is important that there is a quiet workspace available, somewhere that you can concentrate and be productive.

After you have taken note on what sites might be of use to you, do another search for company coupons.  For some reason, many people don’t think to do this.  You would be surprised at how many online retailers (i.e. Vistaprint Deals) have special deals or limited time offers.  Also, follow the company on Twitter.  Twitter is a great way for retailers to get in touch with consumers quickly and easily.  Great deals are often posted on Twitter.  Now determine which site will ultimately give you the best deal.

After you have gone through the online shopping process, take a look at the company’s privacy and security policy.  Find out how the site processes your information.  Also, don’t forget about the shipping and handling fees.  Often times, the default option is not the least expensive.  If you don’t need your products immediately, choose the least expensive shipping option.  This will save you money, and chances are, your purchase will arrive earlier than you estimated anyway.

The answer is simple: business checks! You may have overlooked these bookkeeping tools because they’re generally used to keep your finances in order. But you should keep this simple fact in mind: every one of your company materials sends a message about your business. Customizable business checks work double-duty to balance your budget and build your brand identity.  Imagine the impression you’ll make when you pass custom checks on to vendors, customers or employees! Keep reading to discover three reasons why business checks are just what you need to complete your business identity.

1) You’ll Send the Right Message. It’s no secret that customers patronize businesses they can trust. And building loyalty amongst your customer base requires that you communicate with consistency. Traditional businesses should remain true to their identity and select a conservative design. You can even add a monogram and tagline to reinforce that classic look and your business message. Non-traditional businesses on the other side of the spectrum can have more fun with the designs they choose. Add interesting accent images to mirror the whimsical tone of your business.

2) There Are So Many Options. Whatever your business size, there’s a business check option for you. Standard business wallet checks are ideal for the traditional small business – you’ll get that professional look with little hassle. Custom three-to-a-page checks are perfect for larger businesses – you can compute difficult calculations and a single-stub journal helps keep track of payments. If your accounting needs are more demanding, print checks from your computer! Computer checks work with several popular accounting programs, so your finances will be completely organized.

3) It’s Never Been Easier. Ordering business checks may have been a hassle in the past – but today you can order them online! No more time-consuming forms or waiting for your checks to arrive in the mail. Vistaprint allows you to create and customize your business wallet checks in minutes. You can even have them at your door in as little as three days. And all of this is protected by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, which keeps your information safe and protected.

Now that you discovered the missing link – it’s time to get started customizing your own business checks. Whatever your need, there’s sure to be a check to suit your business.