DIY scratch-off valentines!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ah, I had so much fun making these little modified scratch-off Valentines with our little guy this past weekend, and wanted to share! As you know, Valentine's Day is quite the occasion when you're in Kindergarten. We made a special trip to Target to choose out goodies for the bags (which I had on hand for a rainy day), and designed the cards together on my computer. Here's my confession, to all you mommas: I had him hand-write his message on a single sheet of paper, and then snapped a shot with my iPhone so we could print it on the cards. Honestly, we've lived and learned. Little hands get tired. Next year may be different, but in this case I was able to take his handwriting, drop it in the file, and print out 25 copies of his little note. This freed us up to sticker them, stuff each of the bags, and tape them shut with some cute washi tape.

All of our paper goods in the Inklings shop are professionally printed, but it was fun to whip these up and get the instant gratification of printing them in the studio. Of course, we ran out of ink and I had to remind myself that 6-year-olds are more concerned with the candy than the banding. 

Wishing you all a sweet Valentine's Day this week with the ones you love!

Valentine's Day for the uninspired

 

 

Looking for something different this Valentine's Day?
Spice things up with Scratch-off Love Notes!

 

If you're familiar with our Lunchbox Notes, these work the same way. Simply write your own message in the box, and cover it with a sticker. This cute little bag includes 20 fun-sized notes (2" x 3.5") for you to enjoy together.

Here are five fun ideas to try this Valentine's Day:

LOVE COUPONS  |  Write "IOU's" or coupons on each one, filled with "gifts" or acts of service that can be redeemed in the coming year.

HIDDEN SURPRISES  |  Write a secret note and hide it in a work bag, coat pocket, the car, a laptop, or somewhere else where it will be discovered.

SPICE IT UP  |  While you're out to dinner together, split the deck of blank cards in half. Each of you will have TEN cards. On each card, write a fun or spicy thing you'd like to try (and yes, writing "Extra Hot Thai Peanut Curry" is completely acceptable), and cover your writing with a sticker. Shuffle the cards, and place them back in the bag. Pull cards from the bag when you'd like to spice things up!

DATES FOR A YEAR  |  Take turns writing down 20 different date ideas that you'd like to do in the year to come. Every few weeks, pull a card out of the bag and scratch it together to see what your next date will be!

POP THE QUESTION  |  Surprise your loved one with a proposal. Maybe you've been married for twenty-two years. So surprise her with a different type of proposal... a weekend getaway someplace you've never been. A honeymoon you never had. A thumbs up to start trying for that baby. Whatever you'd like to propose, a scratch-off is such a fun way to do it!

What are your ideas on how these could be used? I'd love to hear them!

xo

 

10 ways to enjoy scratch-off cards at a bridal or baby shower!

Every now and then, someone contacts us and says "These are SO cute! How do they work?" The answer is that there are countless ways to enjoy our scratch-off cards. We thought we'd share some of our favorites here on the blog!

1. Door Prizes

Hand a card to each guest as they arrive as a fun way to give away a door prize as an icebreaker! Be sure that the number of winning cards you hand out matches the number of prizes that you purchase. Winning cards come packaged separately for you to shuffle in, and we can include any number of winning cards with your order so you have exactly what you need!=

2. Virtual Shower Game / Pre-Shower Game

Include a scratch-off card with each invitation for guests to scratch ahead of time to give them a taste of the fun they'll have at the shower. Those with the winning card can bring it to the shower to redeem their prize! Or if you will be hosting a virtual shower (online), this is a great game to play with guests who may be scattered all over the country! Mail cards out to each guest and instruct winners to snap a shot of their winning card on their camera phone and text the picture to you in order to claim a virtual gift card or prize!

3. Diaper or Wine Raffle

In the invitation, invite guests to bring a pack of diapers (for a baby shower) or a bottle of wine (for a bridal shower) in addition to their gift to be entered into a raffle. Each guest receives a scratch-off ticket, with one winner to receive a grand prize!

4. Play with Gift Bingo

If you are playing Bingo during the gift opening, hand out scratch-off cards to bingo-callers in lieu of prizes for a chance to win a grand prize. It's like a game within a game, and is a great way to keep the fun going during the entire gift opening without the need to purchase dozens of prizes. Find our coordinating bingo cards here.

5. Set The Timer

Set a timer to go off randomly while the guest of honor is opening her gifts. The person whose gift is being opened when the buzzer goes off is given a scratch-off to open. This is a great budget-conscious idea for those who have a large shower with lots of guests. Our cards are available in sets of 12 of 24, which is a perfect quantity for this game. This is another great way to hold the attention of guests during gift opening, and guests will be all the more aware of who gave each gift!

6. Under the Seat Surprise

Tape scratch-off cards under each seat (or under select seats, if you're on a budget) with one winning card in the room. Guests must scratch to see if they've got a winning ticket!

7. Large Shower Budget Savers

Want to play lots of games, but don't have a huge budget for prizes to give each winner? Control your prizes by handing out a scratch-off ticket to each game winner for a chance to win a grand prize at the end of the shower. To keep the suspense, instruct guests to refrain from scratching until the last game has been played. Then all at once, allow each card holder to scratch to reveal the winner overall. Consider having smaller consolation prizes on hand for the other card holders.

8. Beat the Line

Place a card under each plate, and instruct each guest to scratch their card. Randomly distribute winners throughout each table. The table with the most number of winning cards gets to be first in line for cake! Or if you would prefer, award the table with a shareable prize (a bag of M&M's, mini hand sanitizers for each guest, or a bowl of snack-sized candies to share).

9. Centerpiece Prizes

If you have guests seated around tables, lay a card at each placesetting with one winning card at each table. The person with the winning card gets to take the centerpiece after the shower is over! They're a fun way to add color to the table and kick off the fun! Mix and match our cards (available in a variety of colors and styles) to create a look that's all your own!

10. Favor / Goodie Bags

Place a scratch-off in each favor bag for guests to scratch before they leave. The winning card holder can receive a prize on the way out!

We hope you have so much fun with these cards! Browse our entire collection here!

Inklings on Food52!

The future looks yummy!

Earlier this month, we were surprised and delighted when Food52 contacted us about our Scratch-off Lunchbox Notes. Food52 is the highly acclaimed site that is packed with incredible recipes, aspirational food photography, and a vibrant community of cooks, chefs, and foodies.

Their beautiful shop, Provisions by Food52, launched last year and has been featured by Design Sponge, Bon Appétit, Fast Company, Dwell, Cool Hunting, and more. Pretty much all of my favorite websites are talking about this place. Featuring a highly curated collection of beautiful home and kitchen goods, the team at Provisions seems as obsessed with the details as we are.

We're delighted to share that today, our notes launched as part of their Back to School Collection! You can see our notes here.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do not claim to be a good cook. I often joke that my creativity ends when I enter the kitchen. If it's on paper, I can create anything and it turns out. But somehow, I enter the kitchen and my mind is blocked. How lovely then, that there is still a place for my little creations in the kitchen. I will not however vouch for how they taste. Nevertheless, all of us at Inklings are tickled to be part of this wonderful community.

Food52, thanks for the love! We can't wait for what's in store. Or in kitchen.

 L

Lunchbox Notes

School's coming (shudder), and I've got a four-year-old who goes to Jr. Kindergarten this fall. That's right folks... five mornings a week at a brand new school. I love my little skoober, and am always looking for ways to tell him... but as a mom with a toddler and a newborn, sometimes it takes a miracle just to get out the door. And while I'm blessed to be able to work from my home studio most days, on the days when I go in to clients' offices, I found myself whipping out a piece of construction paper and some markers from the craft drawer and making one of these:

While these are all well and good, this beautiful artistry (note sarcasm) takes time. And I found myself being tempted to re-use the signs. Because let's be honest... there are only so many ways to draw kissing hands.

But it won't be long before my little guy (who still adores finding these notes) will be embarrassed if one of these shows up in his lunch box.

That's when I decided that something had to be done. There had to be a cute, easy way for parents to create little love notes for their special little people, even while on the run. Something that was small enough to slip in a lunch box, without being a Post-it note (not that there's anything wrong with Post-its...). And best of all, something that was easy to give, and fun for a toddler to receive.

I knew that I had the fun factor down pat. My little man can't HELP but scratch off a card. Every time he finds a stray scratch-off card in our house, he comes to me and asks if he can scratch it. I call him our quality control manager. So imagine his surprise when he scratches a card and finds a funny cartoon, or a short little love note in mommy's handwriting, written especially for him! And thus, Lunchbox Notes were born.

The shot at the very top of this post is my little guy with the very first card.
Here it is again:

Disclaimer: I paid him $0.26 for the shot. I offered him a quarter if he would pose for the camera after scratching, and then I let him keep his scratching penny. Before you judge me for paying my son to pose for the camera, consider the shots below which represent our last attempts at a family photo during cottage week this summer. My son hates. having. his. picture. taken.

It's my own fault, I realize. After all, I did do THIS to him as an infant (see below). I'm not sure what finally broke him. It could have been the antique bonnet (which he clearly was embarrassed of, even at just 5 mos), the bear rug experience, the leg warmers, or the Anne Geddes-style "Baby-in-Distress" photo shoot attempt (lower left) which yielded shots that never made the birth announcement. Either way, getting a picture of my son is always a challenge. Thankfully, it didn't take much coaxing to get my son to smile with the lunchbox notes... and if you were there with me this morning during the shoot, you'd know that behind the card, that little stinker was sticking out his tongue.

But I digress. Back to the Lunchbox Notes. Here's a step-by-step look at how they work:

Each set comes with 20 cards printed on our premium, ultra-thick card stock, 20 scratch-off stickers, and a cute hand-stamped muslin bag that's perfect for stashing in your junk drawer until that moment when you need them most. 

Inklings Lunchbox Notes are available for purchase here. To my awesome blog readers, please feel free to use the coupon code "BACKTOSCHOOL201310" for 10% off your set!

So what will you write on yours?

cuteness, freshly minted

What could possibly be sweeter than our new mint green bridal scratch-offs, you ask? Nothing. Except, of course, an animated gif of a smiling baby holding them. It's all about cuteness today, my friends. It's all about cuteness.

"Prince" or "Princess"... what will it be?

I thought I'd share a peek inside my sketchbook at the making of a new Baby Gender Reveal Scratch-off card we're just about to launch! With a certain royal couple who are expecting, I've used royalty as inspiration for this new card design... enjoy!

P.S. Click the link below for a story by ABC News about fun ways to reveal a baby's gender. They contacted us earlier this year asking for scratch-off samples, and we decided instead to design the special new card below for the occasion.

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/royal-baby-gender-reveal-party-ideas/story?id=18537302#.Ucs077SUr1I

 

Some little details added to the card were the triple chevron pattern (inspired by the Middleton Family Crest), and the motif at the top of the carriage (inspired by the Queen's vintage Cartier crown, worn by Kate Middleton on her wedding day).   

The cards have a shiny metallic finish, with cute polka dots in a varnish that give it an extra "shine". Scratching the carriage reveals either "Prince" or "Princess".

 

Cards each come packaged in their own little glassine envelope.

Cards are available for purchase here.

Pantone's 2012 Color of the Year = A perfect fall wedding

Pantone has just released their Fall 2012 Fashion Color report, and we were excited to see a number of colors that are shared by our Inklings palette make an appearance on the top colors for the season! I will disclaim this entry by saying that we're not suggesting any affiliation to Pantone in any way... we are just inspired by their colors, and are excited when we see that our products are on trend.

Here's what's going to be hot in weddings and fashion this fall, according to Pantone:

http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr.aspx?pg=20948&ca=4#

Like Pantone's Pink Flambé? (Pantone 18-2133)
Try our Fuchsia Bachelorette Scratch-offs!

Like Pantone's Honey Gold? (Pantone 15-1142)
Then you'll love our bridal scratch-offs in Honey Yellow (coming soon!)

Like Pantone's Tangerine Tango? (Pantone 17-1463)
Then you'll love our bridal scratch-offs in Tangerine!

Like Pantone's Ultramarine Green? (Pantone 18-5388)
Then you'll love our bridal scratch-offs in Jeweler Blue!*
*This shade is a bit lighter and brighter than Ultramarine Green

Like Pantone's Titanium? (Pantone 17-4014)
Then you'll love our bridal scratch-offs in Platinum Grey!

Like Pantone's Rhapsody? (Pantone 16-3817)
Then you'll love our bridal scratch-offs in Rich Purple!*
*This shade is richer and deeper than Rhapsody, but is a great compliment.

Like Pantone's Rose Smoke? (Pantone 16-3817)
Then try our bridal scratch-offs in Blush Pink or these sweet baby stork scratch-offs in blush pink.
*Our blush pink is a bit more pure and not quite as "smoky" as Rose Smoke.

And while we're talking color, below are some of our favorite combinations from our bridal collection. The great thing about these designs is that they are all coordinated, so you can mix and match to create a palette that's a perfect expression of your style.

My favorite these days? It's a toss-up between Yellow + Platinum  and Tangerine + Platinum.

What about you? Whats your favorite color pairing?

    

        

little robots

A few weeks ago, a customer contacted me about making scratch-offs for a robot-themed baby shower. How could I resist? And so the Inklings Robot was born. Scratching the shiny screen on his belly reveals "System Error" for the losing cards, and "You Win!" with a heart on the winning cards.

Inklings "little robot" scratch-offs are available in sets of 24, and also in smaller sets of 12 that make them a perfect little game or goody bag stuffer for children's parties or showers. They are in our "Pool Blue" which is a great gender-neutral color that works for boy or girl themed events.

What will you use them for?

paper buzz

We've been busy as bees at Inklings! I'm pleased to share our bumble bee scratch-off design... aren't these baby gender announcements the sweetest? The soft grey background and yellow honeycomb back make these perfect for a boy or girl. These are printed on our premium 16pt cover with rounded corners, and each scratch-off card is packaged inside a glassine envelope with a freshly-minted 2012 penny. Slip it in a letter and send it to the ones you love to share your exciting news!

These are available as a set of 10 scratch-offs, and also as a suite. A suite gives you everything you need to mail your announcement: one fold-over notecard, one white A2 envelope (made with environmentally friendly FSC-certified paper), one scratch-off card, one glassine envelope, and a shiny penny. You'll enjoy all of the little details that we've been busily perfecting.

We've chosen French Paper Mill's Mod Tone for our fold-over notecards as part of our commitment to greener practices. French Paper Company has long been known as a pioneer in recycled paper manufacturing. They are the only paper mill to use fully renewable hydroelectric generators to create their premium papers, and their Mod Tone stock uses 50% recycled content. The finish is smooth and great to write on, with a subtle mod pattern in the background in a warm ecru that we just love!

We also plan on rolling out a baby shower game with this design, so stay tuned!

So... are you buzzing yet?

announcements

Who doesn't love a good announcement? When babies are concerned, one of the most exciting times when you're expecting is finding out the gender. For some, this happens when baby is born. For others (like myself) who choose to find out sooner, it's equally exciting! No, this is not the kind of announcement you may think it is... sorry to disappoint.

With that said, we're pleased to introduce the sweetest little member of our Inklings family... baby gender announcement cards! These are perfect to mail to out-of-town family members and friends as a way of sharing your big news. Our stork gender reveal scratch-offs come with a shiny, freshly-minted 2012 penny, and are already assembled in a little glassine envelope for safe travels. Slip them in a greeting card, and you're good to go.

And like all of our paper products, they're printed on premium, satin-coated 16pt card stock for durability and an ultra premium feel.

The color of these scratch-offs is a light robin's egg blue (we think it reads as a sky, and not as a "boy-themed" card). Scratching reveals "It's a boy!" in blue, or "It's a girl!" in pink. If you're ordering, be sure to specify the baby's gender when checking out.

All of our scratch-offs come packaged in a lovely frosted pillow envelope (shown below), and are wrapped in tissue paper to ensure that they arrive in perfect condition.

Like this design for a shower game? We'll soon be announcing blush pink and soft grey variations that will be great for a super chic, ultra-sweet shower game. Stay tuned!

We feel so honored to be part of this exciting time in your life, and have LOVED to be among the first to know your big secret before it's revealed.

Hope that the stork brings you good news today,

baby owl scratch-offs!

A cute owl or woodland creature is hard to resist. As is a scratch-off. Bring them together, and you get our newest scratch-off cards! Like all our other scratch-offs, these are printed on premium, ultra-thick satin coated paper and are sweetly packaged in a frosted pillow envelope. I love the rounded corners on these as well. Package them in a sweet glassine envelope with a penny, and you're all set for a chic door prize or shower / party game.

Find them on our Etsy store!

Have a hoot!