Our World in Photographs

There’s this great saying, perhaps you’ve heard of it:

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”

In my experience, I have found this statement to be true.  A photo can, indeed, tell quite a bit of story (even the whole story in some cases).  However, in this fast-paced online world of ours I’ve found that this little quote has taken on a new meaning:  a picture is worth a thousand conversations we can’t always have.  There are so many little moments of laughter, joy, or inspiration that I wish we could share with you — little things like the silly doodles or drawings made while taking breaks, the small trinkets on our desks that keep us company, or even a refreshing ice cream sandwich that the boss surprises us with on hot summer afternoons.  Sure, there’s always Facebook and Twitter.  But they don’t have cool filters for your photos like…Instagram!

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Instagram allows you to add that beautiful vintage look to brand new photos and share them with lots of people.  As with all things social networking, I am greatly amused.  You know what comes next…Now, Event Blossom has its very own Instagram profile where we can share more glimpses behind the scenes and we can see some of the lovely things you’ve taken a snapshot of.  Follow us @eventblossom, and we’ll follow you!

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Better yet, #eventblossom on images of your events or favors and show us what awesome and creative things you’ve done with your favorite EB products!

Now get out there and take some pictures!
-Kim

Happy Birthday, Blog

Hello, Blossomers!  Today, we are celebrating a very momentous occasion.  One year ago, this little blog of ours was created and the first post was published.  I can still remember how excited I was to announce to everyone (I mean, everyone) that the blog was officially launched and that there were published posts ready to be read.  Forty-four posts later and we’re ready to take our little blog to the next level.  Expect some exciting changes in the near future.  In the meantime, we’re going to celebrate!

Remember our friend, Kate from Sugar Therapy who made some delicious cupcakes for our Mod Party Kits??  Well, she and I worked together to surprise the office with some delicious cupcakes styled up with the help of our Cupcake Party Mod Party Kit.

cupcake 1

I would like to thank a moment to thank everyone who has contributed: our wonderful retailers who have participated in our “Quick Q+A’s,” Kate from Sugar Therapy, and of course the entire Event Blossom Family for all their support from getting their pictures taken to helping me brainstorm some good topics.  I would especially like to give a huge thank you to everyone who has stopped by our little corner of the internet and read our posts.

It’s been an exciting year, but we’re only getting started.  Here’s to more happy blogging!

-Kim

The Great Valentine’s Day Debate

I'm definitely getting into the Valentine's Day spirit!
I’m definitely getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit!

I won’t deny it — I’m a hopeless romantic.  With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’m enjoying all the lovey-dovey displays in stores and all of the sweet cards that have made their appearance in the gifts and stationery departments.  I’m an absolute sucker for romantic comedies, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, and roses.  Yes, roses.  Some may call them cliché, but I will never tire of those fragrant blooms.  Speaking of things that seem overdone or maybe even faux pas, it seems to me that many people are split straight down the middle when it comes to this holiday of hearts.  Having a date night with your other half is a classic way to celebrate, but how about proposing to your significant other or getting married on Valentine’s Day?  Even I question the idea of getting engaged on a day that seems so “typical” for romantic gestures or having to share the spotlight with cupid on my wedding day.  To settle this debate, I took it to the Event Blossom Staff over some pizza.

“Valentine’s Day Weddings or Proposals — Classic or Cliché?

For the most part, everyone was in agreement: a proposal on Valentine’s Day would be sweet, but a wedding on Valentine’s Day would be a big no-no.  As an interesting twist, the suggestion was made that it would be a pleasant surprise if someone proposed the day before or after Valentine’s Day rather than on the actual day.  I love the idea of doing Valentine’s Day related things on days that aren’t Valentine’s Day.  Besides, who needs a holiday to celebrate love anyway??

Throw a love and hearts themed shindig, and I’m there!  If you need some inspiration, take a look at our Hearts & Love Pinboard on Pinterest.  You can even find the how-to on my little heart chains.

Feeling the love??
Feeling the love??

XO,

Kim

 

Quick Q+A with Beau-coup!

Our Quick Q+A posts are back, and I can’t wait to share more of our great resellers.  These people make the Event Blossom world go round and they’re so much fun to work with!  Our very first Quick Q+A of 2013 comes from Beau-coup.beaucoup logo

We’ve had the wonderful opportunity of working with the fine folks over at Beau-coup.com for a few years now, and it was nice to get to know them even better.  Before our break for the holidays, Winnie took some time to share some great answers with us:

Describe a typical day for the staff at Beau-coup.  Any fun office stories you can share?
One of the best things about working at Beau-coup is that there is no such thing as a “typical” day. We’re always moving forward and trying to improve all aspects of the business. Depending on the project, you can find yourself working with a different set of people solving different types of problems on a weekly, if not daily basis.
One thing that brings us together is something we call the “7th Inning Stretch”. Everyday around three o’clock in the afternoon we start playing music in the office. Our head of engineering set up a computer on our local network, and through a web-based application, anyone in the office can put a song in the queue and the music will blast throughout all of the departments. We get exposed to all kinds of music, from pop, electronic and dubstep, to Christmas carols, Broadway hits, and the occasional disco oldie – all to cheers, giggles, and maybe a few moans and groans.

Beau-coup has had so many big milestones, which one of those would you consider to be the most exciting?  What made it especially memorable?
Beau-coup started out as a home business, operating out of the founders’ living room in its first year. We stored inventory in the garage, and dropped packages off at the UPS store every afternoon. Moving into our first real office space in downtown Mountain View was a big deal, and a memorable milestone because it both signaled that we had a real business opportunity (we’re legit!), and with the space, set us up for further growth. Since then we’ve moved into bigger and bigger offices, and had many more milestones, from being named one of America’s fastest growing companies by Inc. Magazine three years in a row, to one of our most important milestones, to date: Re-launching the site as an online destination for folks planning not just weddings, but any of life’s special occasions.

The New Year is just around the corner.  What have been your favorite themes/trends from this past year?  
Some of our favorite trends from 2012 are rustic weddings, ombre, animals, and lace. Not necessarily in that order. We loved looking at all of the gorgeous photos on Pinterest of rustic barn weddings, ranch weddings, and backyard weddings with strung lights, chalkboard signs, and handmade bunting. So Etsy! In color trends, ombre came back in a big way in 2012. We loved it on gowns, cakes, and even hair! Lace was also big this year, and whether you’re taking your queue from Kate Middleton, or Bella Swan, if it’s long and lacey, you can’t go wrong. And lastly, animals are always popular for baby showers and kids birthday parties, but this year, we especially loved the wild animals of the savannah; elephants, lions, and giraffes drawn in modern lines and muted tones were everywhere, but we weren’t complaining.

What are some lessons you’ve learned from being a part of the wedding and event industry?
Being a part of the wedding and event industry means we are always surrounded by creative and passionate people. We all do what we do because we love it, and we’re good at it. One of most important lessons we’ve learned is that building and maintaining long, healthy relationships with other industry leaders is invaluable. One day you’re helping someone, and the next day someone’s helping you. We belong to a tight-knit community and whether you’re a retailer, wholesaler, designer, photographer or publisher, you can learn from one another and share ideas to make them better.

You’ve been an Event Blossom retailer for quite some time now — since 2007.  How has having Event Blossom’s product line added to your website offerings?
We were first drawn to Event Blossom products because of their designs. The style was clean, and modern, and completely in line with Beau-coup’s aesthetic. Over the years, Event Blossom has grown its line of products and introduced many hits on our site, but always maintained a strong focus on design. Event Blossom also provides beautiful images for their products, and on our website, the image is what sells the product. It’s one of the reasons we love adding Even Blossom products to our offerings; they not only sell themselves, they make our website look good!

If you haven't yet, check out Beau-coup's website and see how great they make our products look -- inspiration with every click!
If you haven’t yet, check out Beau-coup’s website and see how great they make our products look — inspiration with every click!

A Full Warehouse is a Happy Warehouse!

It’s always an exciting day when back ordered products come back in stock.  Everyone eagerly awaits the sound of the big rig containing all of our goodies turning the corner.  When it finally arrives, orders on hold get prepped and ready to go while the warehouse gets to work (our shipping department has got the unloading and re-organizing strategy down).  Stock status updates get sent, announcements are made, and there is a sweet sigh of relief that our stock has been replenished.  The best part? Seeing empty shelves and spaces get filled with fresh boxes of items ready to be ordered:

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Just in case you missed the memo, Candy Boxes (EB2126), Chair Place Card Boxes (EB1024), and Mini Cube Boxes in Aqua (EB1025BL) are all back in stock.

Come back on Thursday for our very first “Quick Q+A” of 2013 — it’s going to be a good one!

-Kim

Hip Hip Hooray, It’s Your Kid’s Birthday!

Growing up, birthdays were always a big deal.  There were piñatas, overly decorated cakes, and lots of family.  We also had the occasional bounce house.  The point being, kids in my family were spoiled when it came to birthday parties — they still are.  And why shouldn’t they be?  Kids look at the world with such awe and wonder, even the tiniest details seem to bring them joy and fill them with fascination.  That’s what makes planning their birthday parties so much fun.  As an adult, I love seeing their reaction to all the little things that they come across.

I think my favorite part of planning my own birthday parties with my mom was picking out the theme and all the decorations to go with it.  Which is part of the reason why I was so excited for the launch of our MOD Pattern Kid’s Birthday Party Favors.  Event Blossom now has an entire section just for kids, so grab that special tyke in your life and get planning together!

Start off by browsing our variety of Kid Birthday designs and choosing from one of the many popular themes such as pirates or princesses.

Then, coordinate pieces from our selection of party favors and accessories.  Start with our Milk Bottles to serve your kiddo’s favorite drink, like hot cocoa or lemonade:

Don’t forget dessert!  Cupcakes are easy to bake and even easier to eat.  Decorate them with personalized Cupcake Wrappers and Toppers:

As a parting gift and lasting memento, fill some of our Sweet Shoppe Candy Boxes or Candy Tubes with your child’s favorite candies, treats, and small toys.

Whatever combination you choose to accessorize your kid’s birthday party, remember that it’s not about styling a perfect event; it’s about making memories.  Years from now, when you’re planning their Sweet Sixteen or graduation party, they’ll probably still remember how they got to help you pick out all the fun stuff for their Wild West Shindig or Circus Extravaganza.

Happy Party Planning!
-Kim

Well Hello, 2013!

It’s my first post of 2013, and I couldn’t be happier to be back!

Since the Event Blossom Team has returned from their holiday break, we’ve all been busy as bees pumping out orders for all of our lovely retailers.  I’ve been keeping a close eye on our processing department, trying to stay on top of developing trends and popular products.

Here are some things I’ve taken note of so far:

  • Our MOD Pattern collection of favors are a big hit!  The most popular MOD Patterns so far are: Trellis, Tiny Dots, and Chevron.
  • There have been numerous orders for Milk Bottles paired with orders for our Striped Paper Straws.  It looks like plenty of wedding, baby shower, and birthday party guests will be sipping their drinks in style!
  • 2013 looks like it’s going to be the year of the Candy Tube.  We’ve been getting a steady stream of orders for these versatile favors since we’ve been back.

Overall, I think we’ve got a good year for celebrations ahead of us.

Come back and visit on Thursday for a new post!

-Kim

The Winner is…

Christina from Customer Service!

Christina, the Cupcake Decorating Master!
Christina, the Cupcake Decorating Master!

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who stopped by our Facebook Page and voted for their favorite cupcake.  We had so much fun decorating them.  On behalf of the entire Event Blossom Team, I’d like to wish you a happy and safe holiday.  We may be taking a short break, but we’re already making some big plans for when we get back.  We’re looking forward to another year filled with more fun, friends, and party favors!

I’ll see you in 2013,

Kim

We’re Milking this Opportunity…

Our newest products launched only three weeks ago, but we’ve already gotten plenty of orders for them!  I know that our processing department gets excited with every order for our new MOD Pattern Designs and MOD Kid’s Birthday Designs.  This blogger has a sneaky suspicion that these new favors are going to be BIG in 2013.  Especially our already popular Personalized Milk Bottles which were featured in the December issue of Gifts & Decorative Accessories Magazine.

Gifts and Decorative Accessories Magazine
click on the image to visit their website

Gifts and Decorative Accessories Magazine

I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Gifts & Decorative Accessories Magazine for including us in this issue.  Retailers take note: you won’t want to miss any opportunity to sell these!  If you haven’t already added them to your site, now is the perfect time.

MOD Pattern Theme Personalized Milk Bottles
Check out all available designs for these favors!

If you find that you need any technical advice for adding any of our products, please feel free to give us a call us at (888) 793-2867 or email us at customerservice@eventblossom.com.

We’re looking forward to getting your orders!

-Kim