Frequently Asked Questions

Now that file sales are the majority, I thought I would share some commonly asked questions to help with those new to the printing process...

Do you recommend professional printing vs. printing at home?
All files are completely capable of being printed at home. If you have a nice printer that is full of ink, go for it! Personally, I love the quality that only a professional print shop can provide. My printer is used so much that it seems to always be low in one color or another. I also have a fabulous local print shop close by and I'm addicted to the crisp, vivid prints that my little Epson can't achieve quite as well.

If I print professionally, how do I send the files?
All files are sent as a pdf, unless you specifically request a jpg. Simply forward the pdf to the email address of your professional print shop.

What print shop do you recommend?
If you are local to the north Atlanta area, I work very closely with Wilco Printing in Cumming. They are fabulous! Local print shops are all over so check your area too! Kinkos and Staples are also great and easy to find in most cities.

What kind of paper do you use for printing?
I recommend printing invitations on 100lb. card stock, professionally or at home. I also like to print my favor tags, banners, signs and notecards on 100lb. You can use a thinner weight such as 80lb. if you find it to be more economical.

For cupcake toppers, I recommend 80lb. card stock or thinner. It is easier to punch the scallop when the card stock is not as thick.

I print my water bottle wraps and napkin rings on regular copy paper to make them easiest to wrap. Wrap your bottles, chill in the fridge and then set them out right before your party! :) If you use paper, just don't immerse them in a tub of ice!

Should I buy certain labels or sized paper for printing?
All files are sent on a 8.5 x 11 layout. Print on 8.5 x 11 card stock or 8.5 x 11 sticker paper and then individually cut your items. There is not a particular "Avery" label needed.

Where do you buy the materials to make cupcake toppers?
Michaels, Hobby Lobby or your local craft store are the best places to find the 6 inch lollipop sticks and scallop punch needed to assemble. Don't forget your 40% coupon when shopping at those stores! :)

Where is a good place to purchase envelopes?
I find Hobby Lobby, Michaels and craft stores to be the best place to buy 5x7 envelopes. Hobby Lobby even carries 5x7 envelopes in fun colors.
If you have additional questions, please let me know and I will continue to add to the list!

Hmmm....

Something strange is going on with the blog. Is it looking funny to anyone else? Had lots of things to post tonight, but I will investigate first and share more tomorrow!

Turned out that my Disney castle picture was corrupting the whole page! All better! :)

Back to Work!

We had such a special time at Disney World last week! Just as magical as they claim! :) I had not been since college so it was great fun to be back with three little princesses this time! I've had a hard time getting out of vacation mode....maybe if I unpacked my suitcase it would help! The shop is open again and I will get back to blogging this week. Thanks for being patient while I was out, but whew! I was kindly bombarded when I returned! Love it though and thankful for it! Thought you might like to see a few pictures of my loves. Stay tuned for some great giveaways and new collections coming soon!

Shop will be Closed September 17-24th

Disney World.... here we come! :) I wanted to give you a heads up that I will be closing shop next week, September 17-24th for a family vacation.  I will still be checking email occassionally, but not filling orders so please let me know this week if you'll be in need of anything.  Otherwise, I'll be back in touch upon return.  If you have any suggestions for Disney World with 3 year olds and a 4 month old, please let know! This may be quite an adventure! :)

I also want to thank you for your continued business over the last 4 months as I have transitioned to digital sales.  With over 225 sales since May, my shop has taken off wonderfully!  Thank you!

Please let me know if I can be of help this week.  

Anna Claire & Julia's Ice Cream Parlor

We had the sweetest time celebrating the girls' 3rd birthday!  This summer, my hubbie took the girls on their first trip to the ice cream shoppe and it has been a prized date with daddy ever since.  So I decided we would create our own backyard parlor and the girls loved every minute of it!  What a special time of celebrating our sweet girls with dear friends and family!!  

Thanks to a very handy Gramps, the girls had an adorable ice cream stand waiting for them in the backyard the morning of their birthday. 

The applique ice cream shirts were ordered from Gigi Babies and I just loved them! The ruffled edges made them extra girly compared to the regular tee. Christy, the shop owner, was so wonderful to work with and is already making some Disney shirts for our upcoming vacation!  Be sure to visit her adorable shop HERE!  

I just love pennant banners for that classic ice cream parlor setting.  With 50s music playing, soda jerk hats and striped paper straws, we had some retro fun! 

 

Once ice cream was served, we gave each kiddo a soda jerk hat from The Varsity.  For the non-Atlanta friends, The Varsity is the world's largest drive-in diner and has been open since 1928!  It's a classic Atlanta spot for diner burgers, frosted oranges and "What'll ya have?"

One of the girls' birthday presents was the wooden ice cream set from Melissa and Doug.  I bought it at Michaels with a 40% coupon and got it much cheaper than paying shipping prices.  They LOVE it and have been serving up ice cream cones for the last 2 weeks!

Sugar cones and the cutest mini cake cones were found at Walmart.  I ordered the polka dot cups, striped cupcake liners and wooden spoons from Shop Sweet Lulu.  A great online shop for paper straws, balloons, favor bags and so much more!

The ice cream parlor printable collection is available for purchase, but hasn't made it into my esty shop just yet.  If you are having an ice cream party soon, simply email your requests for a listing.

Another sweet customer and new friend offered her ice cream glasses for the party.  I have a bazillion paper straws left over from another shower so I was glad to use them!

Fun red diner baskets that I found on clearance at Joann for a quarter! 

Printable water bottle wraps from the Parlor Party Collection.

My dad has the sweet tooth in our family so I had some Red Vine licorice and cherry sours just for him!  It's possible I had a few too! ;)

IBC root beers, glass cokes and ice cream were on sale several times this summer at Publix and Kroger so it I grabbed them when I could save a few pennies! :)

I used the diner paper dishes for sandwiches and snacks.  The sweet manager at The Varsity gave me a whole stack after our last lunch visit.  Never hurts to sweetly ask!  The individual portions look cute and are great for kids!

This may have been the most enjoyable part of the party.... teaching 3 year olds how to run a relay race.  I laminated the individual parts of an ice cream cone, added velcro to the back of each piece and hung felt squares along the fence.  With a basket at the other end, the kids assembled their ice cream cone by running back and forth to add each piece.  Their sweet giggles to play such a fun "new" game were priceless!!

After a sugar filled morning, I thought it only fitting to send our toddlers  home with toothbrushes! Another friend and customer used the same favor for her daughter's sweet shoppe party and I just loved it!  With peppermints for the parents, everyone went home happy.  The favor sign is also available as a printable with the parlor printable collection.

And one more fun idea that I spotted in my party planning...

As each guest left, I took pictures to create a party album for the girls.  They LOVE looking at pictures of their family and friends.  I have also started pre-school with them this week so it will be a fun way for us to practice letters as well!

Each guest held the blank card that I designed and I then digitally added their name.

All fun must come to an end eventually. The girls had the best time celebrating their special day!  We have pulled the ice cream parlor into the backyard several times since to re-stage our party fun once again.  My sweet Julia always has a hard time saying goodbye.  At least Anna Claire leaves you with a grin! :)  What a FUN day! 

Happy Birthday, Anna Claire!  Happy Birthday, Julia!  I love you dearly and am so proud to be your momma!  You are my favorite 3 year olds in the whole wide world!! I will always love celebrating you! Can't wait to party again next year!  Until then, stop growing up so fast!!  All my love!!

Ice Cream Parlor Cookies

After seeing all the adorable work of Kate at And Everything Sweet, I had to call on her creative services to design some cookies for the girls' ice cream parlor. I picked up these perfect creations and couldn't make it 10 minutes home before I HAD to try one! Noone would miss just one cookie. Ohhh so good! They are as tasty as they are cute! It's a good thing that Kate took some great pictures before she sent them home with me because they disappeared quickly at the party!

Thanks Kate! I could eat 1 or 2... or 3 more about now!!

Anna Claire and Julia's Ice Cream Parlor

Last weekend, we had the sweetest time celebrating our favorite 3 year olds! I have so many fun pictures to show you, but had to share just one for now. Every year, my dad, an incredible wood worker, makes something fun for the girls' party. He has made so many special things for my little ladies, including their cribs and bedroom furniture! So I had to brag on my very talented dad for today and show off the adorable ice cream parlor stand that he whipped up for their sweet day! Thanks Gramps!! As always, your creations are so special and just perfect!