Post-it Goes Back to School

With school back in session for most families, now’s the time to get organized for the upcoming year. And Post-it has the perfect items to make sure you stay on top of all your kids’ homework assignments, school flyers, and important notes.

The Post-it Note was invented as a solution without a problem: Dr. Spencer Silver developed a unique, repositionable adhesive, but the 3M scientist didn’t know what to do with his discovery. Then, six years later, a colleague of Dr. Silver, Art Fry, remembered the light adhesive when he was daydreaming about a bookmark that would stay put in his church hymnal. The rest is history.

Today, Post-it Brand boasts more than 4,000 unique products, and has become one of the most well-known and beloved brands in the world.

Truth be told, I love school supplies, organizers, and note books. You would not believe the stash of items I have in my closet! So when we received a complimentary sample of some really cool Post-it products, I couldn’t wait to go through them.

These notepads have a magnetic background so you can stick them on your refrigerator for easy usage. I also like that the paper is lined since I have a hard time writing in a straight line.

This is one of my favorite items in the bunch. These adhesive clear pockets can be mounted to a well or any other flat surface. You can then use these pockets to keep important papers in them like field trip notices, fundraiser monies, and Boxtop for Education coupons.

These stick-on labels are great for putting my kids’ names on some of their bigger school items as well as labeling boxes that I keep their schoolwork and artwork in. I also use them to put our family’s name on food containers that the kids take to school or friends’ homes.

These smaller labeling items come in handy when you want to bookmark a page, put tabs on folders, or label other items with longer titles. The tape dispenser looking item is actually a roll of labeling tape for items with longer names. My favorite item is the Laptop Note Dispenser (2nd item on the top row) which you can attach to your laptop’s cover to make sure you always have a supply of sticky notes wherever you go.

And finally, these Post-it Dispensers are perfect for your home office and also make great teacher gifts! How cute is this apple one?

So the next time you’re out shopping for stationery items, check out some of the new Post-it products. You’ll be surprised at the innovative ideas they’ve come up with to make your life a whole lot more organized!

This post was written for Post-it who provided the complimentary items in exchange for my honest review.

NextDayFlyers.com Review

I have purchased business cards before. From the ubiquitous “free” sites that give you limited options.  However, I’ve never had real business cards.  Until now.

NextDayFlyers.com recently invited me to try out their business cards and you can bet that I will be purchasing my own for my photography business in the near future!

NextDayFlyers is an online printing company that specializes in full color printing of custom business cards, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, and other specialty items.

The “Next Day” part of their name means that when you have your art in and verified by their staff by 6pm PST your order will ship the next day!

My Review

I love all the options available through NextDayFlyers.com.  They make it possible for everyone from the very beginning designer to the very advanced to easily create or customize the perfect business card or other personalized item.  Since I reviewed their business cards I’ll tell you about that process.

You have three options:

1. Choose a premade template and customize it to fit your needs
2. Use their Online Design Center to upload your own graphics files and customize with their basic tools
3. Download a template for Photoshop, Illustrator, or 2 others and create your own totally customizable file within your program. (also available for Mac)

I took the third option and used their downloadable template in Photoshop.  This worked so well for me because I knew exactly how I wanted my card to look and could play with all the different designs until I had it perfect then just follow the easy directions provided to save it in the PDF form they need.

The process was so simple and straightforward and the chat specialist who answered all my questions was very knowledgeable.

What you see here are the front (top) and back of my business card.  They turned out just like this on high quality UV protected 14pt stock.  I totally love them! (and wish I’d know about them just a couple weeks earlier for a blogger meet-up I went to!)  And if you get some cards in the top of the box that slide around and get a little “dinged up”, don’t worry, they’re extras that they sent along because they print them that way to protect your “real” order.  How nice of them to send more than my order so that my kids can play with them or I can use them in places where they’ll get a little banged up anyway!

There are so many other options I just don’t have time to write about (business cards with rounded corners!), but there is one last thing.  NextDayFlyers.com is SO affordable!  And while they specialize in that next day service if you are not in a big hurry the prices are even cheaper.

So go, check them out for yourself, and tell them An Island Life sent ya!

This post was written for NextDayFlyers.com who provided the complimentary products in exchange for my honest review.

InvitationBox.com Pirate Party Essentials Review

My son’s birthday is coming up in June and I’ve been very excited to plan his Pirate Party. He always picks a theme and this is, by far, my favorite so far! I wanted to send out creative invitations that matched our pirate theme and was very impressed with the great selection at InvitationBox.com. Arrggh!

About (from website)

InvitationBox.com offers one of the internet’s widest selections of invitations, announcements, stationery products and gifts to make every occasion special, from brands you know and trust.

Our family-owned business was created from a strong background in e-commerce and a love for designing invitations and party planning.  We are proud of our fine quality and diversity of products, offering over 9,000 products that include a wide variety of designs ranging from classic and traditional to modern and chic elements. We carry some of the most popular vendors in the industry. Our experienced customer service team is dedicated to providing you with supreme customer service, advice and care.

My Thoughts

I received a sample pack of pirate themed invitations for boys and girls, which also included matching personalized stickers. Do you want Treasure Map Invitations or does your child prefer Pirate Ship Invitations? There certainly are many from which to choose.  The card stock was noticeably thicker and and printed to perfection with adorable designs to match the pirate themes.  I love the personalized stickers and so did Josiah. InvitationBox.com also provides other party essentials, including Thank You Cards, Address Labels, and more!

Seriously, their selection is very impressive, with a huge variety of themes, colors and occasions to fit your specific party and tastes. In all of the websites I’ve recently searched for pirate invitations, InvitationBox.com had, by far, the hugest selection. With their quality printing and card stock, there’s a reason why their customers love their services so much. They aim to please and are available to help with any questions you may have by phone, e-mail, or online chat.

Buy It

Right now, you can save 10% on any order over $50 by using the code Mayflower11 up until May 31st. And they also offer free shipping on orders over $100. Check out the clearance section for some great deals, too!

This post was written for InvitationBox.com who provided the complimentary samples in exchange for my honest review.

 

 

Paper Culture Celebrates Earth Day

Having already hooked design lovers on its modern, eco stationery, Paper Culture, in partnership with The Arbor Day Foundation, has set a new target: planting one million trees in our nation’s forests by 2020. The million tree goal expands the company’s popular Cards to Trees program, which was launched on Earth Day 2010 and plants a tree for every order placed. According to Kevin Sander, director of corporate partnerships at the Arbor Day Foundation, “We know that one lush, mature tree can produce enough oxygen in a single season for 10 people and recognize that Paper Culture’s million tree commitment will make a significant, positive impact on the environment.”

To complement its tree planting mission, Paper Culture is also introducing two supporting initiatives that encourage consumers to reconsider both the role of stationery and their personal impact on the environment. Customers can now make a permanent dedication – either in someone’s name or with their own personal message of hope – for each tree their orders plant. And through April 30, the company will also plant a tree for every new Facebook “like” it receives, no purchase necessary. Paper Culture’s message with these programs is that every person and each action does make a difference for the environment.

“At Paper Culture, we set out to create stationery that makes an impact – for its modern design, for its premium quality and for the message of sustainability that it embodies,” said Christopher Wu, co-founder and CEO of Paper Culture. “By planting one million trees and inviting our customers to make personal dedications, we can magnify that impact – through making a significant environmental contribution and engaging people in an important discussion that will have global returns for years to come.”

Cards to Trees is only one component of Paper Culture’s environmental commitment. Customers encounter the company’s eco pledge every time they visit the website or hold one of its cards. Since its inception Paper Culture has ensured that no new trees are ever cut to make its stationery by using only 100 percent post consumer recycled papers that are generated with renewable energy. As a business, Paper Culture conserves and recycles what it can, and offsets its remaining carbon footprint. The company calls this combination of eco products and business practices its “circle of sustainability”, which supports Paper Culture’s core belief that what’s good for the environment is also good for business.

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