Please note: we will be out of the studio from 4/26-5/3. Orders placed in that time period will be filled after 5/4.
It's been another great year for creative ideas! Last year, we introduced some gift wrap that I had designed as part of our gift wrap service. That paper went over so well that earlier this year we decided to do some gift wrap using our hydrangea design. And that was...
We are so excited to have rolled out our new collection of Tea Towels this fall. It's something I have been wanting to do for many years, but we just didn't have the best vendor for printing. We are happy to report that we finally have found one that we...
When is comes to sending items, through the mail or another type of carrier, most people do not give the issue much thought. The only time people consider it is when they receive something delivered that has been damaged by mishandling or poor packaging. I think about going to a...
These times have a been a whirlwind of emotion for everyone. I know I should just be speaking for myself, but after talking with family and friends, our wedding couples, and many other clients, I don't feel like I am out on a limb with this statement. Bob and I...
We have come to the end of this blog series. This post is going up much later than I had planned. Here are the final of our list of helpful things I have learned over the past 20 years.... 17. Protect your work-A few years ago, Bob and I were at a...
On to our next 4 things I have learned in 20 years! 13. Allow for a learning curve-and charge appropriately for level of experience-When I was first starting out, I had a lot to learn. I knew the basics but needed to build my portfolio. Even though my calligraphy skills...
I remember being in 7th grade and the school had a wood shop. They may have thought that by this age we would understand and respect tools. Not so in my case. A mishap with a sharp chisel and off to the hospital for a lot of stitches. I went on...
We are reaching the halfway point for our 20 things in 20 years series! I hope you are enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it. :) 9. Hard work + Reasonable goals = Success! I've always been a hard worker and know how to hustle! When I first...
People who have visited our workshop are very quick to comment “Wow, it is so organized.” I will admit I have a sense of pride when I hear those words. Sometimes when working in a large shop with many people around, it is harder to keep things in order. I...
Moving on the 4 more things I have learned being in business for 20 years. A couple of these are super "relevant" as you will read! 5. Schedule vacation time and days off-Oh yeah! This is so important! We had such a wonderful bunch of jobs to keep us super busy last year. ...
It is so exciting to be celebrating 20 years of El’s Cards in 2019. What an amazing journey it has been. There have been so many lessons along the way. A few of them happened fast but most of them were learned over time. This blog series will happen in 5 parts. ...
When El's Cards launched our first website in 1999, all of our invitations were painted by hand and all designs offered were custom. Now, we have almost 100 invitation styles available for purchase on our website. This allows so many more couples the opportunity to enjoy our semi-custom invitations at...
Recently I was going through some old photos and came across a photo from one of our craft shows in the first year we were doing them! Whoa! Thought you might enjoy photos of our show setup progression and improvements! I just about died laughing when I saw this first...
I love stamps. Going to the post office to see what is new in the display case makes me happy! Yes....I know....I'm a dork! But, when you mail out as many things as we do, having a beautiful stamp really adds something special to the envelope. Today was an especially...
I love being my own boss. Being a business owner presents many challenges that the artist in me often resists....it would be so much more fun to just paint and do calligraphy all day. But alas, there are those business-y things that also need to be done for El's Cards...
It has been seven years since we started participating in art and craft shows with our stationery products! Recently, one of my former brides had mentioned that she and her husband were thinking about selling a new product at shows. It got me thinking about some helpful hints for someone...
