If you are shopping for either Bar or Bat Mitzvah invitations, or Wedding invitations, don’t restrict your search for the right invite to collections that only feature invitations for specific events.

Miriam is a great, fresh design in orange found in Checkerboard’s Bar and Bat Mitzvah collection “Generation to Generation”.  It would also be perfect for a Sweet Sixteen party, Bridal Shower, or a destination wedding.  Wording, ink color and fonts are all fully customizable, changing the look and feel.  Here is how it is displayed in the album:

and here it is in black ink worded for a wedding, using Futura Medium for the main wording and Piranesi for the names :

and here is another example, using a more masculine Bar Mitzvah invitation from the Generation to Generation collection called Seth.  This is a two layer invitation, shown using jet black as the backing paper and white as the printable layer.  First we have the sample as it is shown in the album, for a Bar Mitzvah:

Here it is again, but shown as a wedding invitation, using gold ink and different fonts (Futura Light MS and Gravura, all in lower case) to give it a slightly different look and feel:

And here is a great example of a wedding invitation (Caraway from A Marry Occasion) that could be used as a Bat Mitzvah invitation, simply by changing the wording and fonts.  First we have the sample as shown for a wedding:

and here is the same invitation being used for a Bat Mitzvah:

The first example uses Ecstasy font, and the second uses Papyrus.  Keep an open mind while you are shopping, and look at the papers and designs in collections that may not have been intended for your event, but can be considered nonetheless.  It could open up a lot of new possibilities!

This month we’ve been working on some exciting projects with our customers.  Here are our favorite customer choices so far this month.

Our most popular photo card so far this season (Cherished by Checkerboard):

Here is our favorite party invitation that was ordered recently for a 50th Birthday Party (Bottle O Red by Checkerboard):

And we are working with a fabulous bride who chose this gorgeous pocket folder invitation for her wedding (Sylvan by Checkerboard):

Our customers have great taste!

NEW! Just added to our line of products on InvitationLane.com is the Three Designing Women line of custom stamps and embossers. Personalize anything and everything with a personalized stamp. So many choices! Here are just a few of my personal favorite stamp designs:

Embossers are also available for that added touch of class and elegance:

There are also some very cool inSTAMPable items, which can be personalized with your stamp or embosser. Calling cards, note cards, note pads, wine tags, gift tags, notepapers and announcements. Look at these examples:

And to kick off the introduction of these products, we are offering a $5 off coupon towards the purchase of any single custom stamp or embosser (one coupon per customer, expires August 31, 2008). Just use coupon code “stamp” during checkout for your $5 off. I hope you are as excited about these products as we are!

Click here to start shopping for Three Designing Women products!

Checkerboard recently gave their dealer website a makeover. Their new header includes a font they have recently introduced, called Zaner:

It’s has some of the loops that people love about Swash (Bickham Swash) but also has a nice angle to it. Checkerboard also added a nice block font called Garbo. I liked it so much I used it for my new business cards!

Here is an invitation mock up I created using Garbo as a main font and Zaner for emphasizing the bride and groom - aren’t these fonts fabulous?

Shown: Sonata Invitations (MOA-VPD-Z ) by Checkerboard, from the new A Marry Occasion collection. Retail price is $359.00 for 100.

Do you like these new fonts as much as we do?

The most common questions we field on our customer service line have to do with fonts. There are so many out there these days that it makes narrowing choices down awfully difficult. I know I have this dilemma every holiday season when I am creating my family’s holiday cards. A few popular fonts right now are the following six:

BLOCK FONTS…

Gothic: used by Checkerboard, while Carlson Craft calls it CPG.

Donatello: only available with Checkerboard invitations.

Canterbury: An old favorite with Checkerboard invitations, Canterbury.

SCRIPT FONTS…

Fancy: also known as Fine Hand, alt caps

Bickham: a favorite with brides for several years.

Citadel: another old favorite among those seeking a formal invitation.

If you are having trouble finding a font, we recommend you browse through invitations and until you see one that has the feel you are looking for, and use those fonts. Or ask us! We can always come up with a few suggestions!