inside the d*lsh studio

Love Mail

When deciding what size/dimension you want your wedding invitation or save-the-date to be, you might like to consider what stamps are out there. The size and weight of your invitation set (envelope included) will determine how much the mailing will cost. Also keep in mind that square and vertical envelopes require an additional $0.17 on top of the regular postage. Since D*Lsh will be designing my wedding invitation and save-the-date (among other things), I get to decide what size to design. Thus begins my search for stamp options.

Perusing USPS.com, I found a few that are wedding worthy.

The obvious would be these, called Wedding Hearts, designed especially for those tying the knot. The 41-cent version is designed for mailing the Save-the-Date or to put on your RSVP envelope (1 ounce or less). The 58-cent version is for mailing the invitation set with enclosures (reception card, RSVP card and envelope, 2 ounces or less). These Nancy Stahl-illustrated stamps are definitely a convenient option.

I also like something a little punchier and bolder because I'm using a rich red for the wedding, so I'd like to convey that through the stamps as well. I like the graphic style of this Kisses stamp. However, it's only $0.39, so I'd have to add a few more cents to make up for the recent rate change to $0.41.

This stamp is uniquely not-wedding-related but could still work. Especially since my secondary color is light gray, so that silver coffeepot against the red is pretty dead on. Plus my fiance LOVES coffee. Cute option.

Considering I'm also doing a Chinese wedding, maybe I should go for the obvious Year of the Rat stamp. It's definitely very Chinese and very red and auspicious.

Another beautiful set is these Beautiful Blooms stamps. Gorgeous colors.

Since we're looking at nature stamps, I also found these Pollination stamps and got me thinking of the birds and the bees. Maybe a little too graphic? Funny idea though. I still like how the stamps are printed, one overlapping the next. Pretty cool.

Some other stamps I thought was pretty neat:

Look at the details on this Louis Comfort Tiffany stamp.

 

Additional stamps that are quite nice as well. The Chippendale Chair... maybe good on a bachelorette party invite.

If you'd like a more specific information regarding size and weight requirements for mailing, I find this link from Photo.stamps.com very helpful. Very good tips.

Ilona's Birthday Purrrr-ty

Last Saturday, my niece Ilona had her dream birthday party - a Kitty Party! My 7-year-old niece has a kitty collection that can shame an obsessed cat lady, so when her birthday came around, she couldn't be more excited. The party was actually scheduled the Saturday before, but the unfortunate happened when she got a severe stomach flu the morning of the party. The party just had to be postponed until she was better.

This past Saturday turned out to be such a beautiful (but rather chilly) day at the park. I headed out there early with my fiance Patrick to help my sister and brother-in-law decorate. While my brother-in-law was hanging streamers TP style, Patrick was blowing balloons and Ilona and I were sticking colorful feathers on the tablecloth. My favorite part was the goldfish swimming in small glass bowls, contrasting the goldfish crackers in blue plastic bowls. What a fun idea! The kitty cake and cupcakes that her grandma made were also quite the showstealer. Yummy too! The kids got cat ears to wear, whiskers drawn and their noses painted pink. They all look so adorable!

Happy Birthday, Ilona!

P.S. She was supposed to get a real kitten for her birthday the next day, but they found out that she is allergic to cats and so is my sister. So they ended up getting a hamster instead. Oh well.