Sometimes you find a product that speaks to you. It is perfect in every way. But, in the case that you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for … don’t hesitate to ask. Between the constant product updates and all the abilities to customize, the selection is endless. Ink colors, typestyles, number of feature photos, and layout are often custom selected.

We even have more brands available to choose from than currently shown online. (You can check out descriptions of all the brands we currently carry on my website: Wiley Valentine, Arzberger Stationers, Pipo Press, Haute Papier, Mindy Windy, Tag & Company, Carlson Craft, Boatman Geller, 3 Designing Women, Dabney Lee).

The paper is the most important part. Really, the paper is what we can’t change, so we start with that. The second most important component is whether you want any specific printing process – my lines offer digital, thermography, offset/flat, letterpress, and engraving. The rest (design-wise), is pretty negotiable.

The marketplace has changed dramatically in the past 7 years. I immediately built a website when I started my business, but it didn’t have any bells or whistles. I used it merely to show images of products for long-distance clients. But, I built it with legs – I kept it simple and maintained a visual platform that would work for extending to online sales eventually. Online shopping at the time was not what is now. But, I was the only Erie, Pennsylvania (where Bliss Folio was born) wedding invitation/stationery store with a web presence. Since I had such a Erie web monopoly for so long, I am still the number 1 result on a search. It really does blow my mind how many calls I get from Erie. It makes me smile to work with these customers as it is such a great reminder of where life was when Bliss Folio began. And, while the process is a bit different, I still strive to make the invitation process easy and exceed my clients’ expectations.

Can you tell I’ve been working with a few Erie brides lately?

Here is a list of some of our favorite gifts:

*We know the selection is vast, and we love to provide personalized service.  Simply send us an email with your budget and bit about the gift recipient and we’ll send you some recommendations. Think of us as your gift concierge.*

Under $30

Notepad set by Boatman Geller

Personalized stamp by 3 Designing Women

Under $50

Executive notepad combination by Haute Papier

Cell phone case by Boatman Geller

Flat printed notes on beautiful Crane lettra cotton paper by Haute Papier

Under $100

Preppy foldover notes by Boatman Geller

Under $150

Letterpressed note set by Haute Papier

Classic stationery styles by Arzberger Stationers on luxury papers

Under $200

Silk stationery box set of letterpressed notes by Haute Papier

Sky’s the Limit

Dabney Lee’s letterpress notes are modern and luxurious

Arzberger Stationers letterpressed and engraved notes on double thick paper (you can even up the glamor with painted edges. swoon.)

Want to know more about the brands we carry?

Read all about our hand-selected lines in the Vendors section of our website.

Bride’s parents are divorced, but issuing the invitation (read: paying for the event):

Bride’s parents are divorced, groom’s parents are married and the two are splitting costs for the event:

Bride’s parents are married, groom’s parents are divorce and the two are splitting costs for the event:

Both sets of parents are divorced and splitting costs for the event:

Groom’s parents are issuing the invitation:

Often times, I have couples where the bride’s parents are paying for the wedding, but the couple would like to still include the groom’s parents on the invitation. A nice way to do this is by listing them beneath the groom.

This April. That is one month away. Can’t wait to see what they come up with!

I love letterpress, but I especially love today’s designs married to the old process. So many gorgeous pieces out there. And, it also means more use of cotton paper. Natural and renewable. And it makes me happy!

It’s easy being green. (Sorry, couldn’t resist. I have toddlers.)

This is the first part of what I am sure will become quite an extensive series. Wording. Wedding wording. We’ll start with the classic. Bride’s parents issuing the invitation. And, don’t worry. I’ll supplement with other versions soon. Very soon.

Her stationery has her full name across the top – first middle last. She had her last name crossed out, so naturally, I took a picture on my iphone and messaged her to be sure hadn’t become engaged or something and I somehow missed out on the exciting news. She said that when writing close friends, you should always cross out your last name,  making it more personal. Love this idea and it is a great way to extend the life of more formal stationery!

P.S. My friend has gorgeous taste and a set of classically beautiful stationery from my Arzberger Stationers line. (I’d post a pic, but it has all the juicy gossip of her life written on it. Natch.)

I used the “Cupcakes” invitation from Mindy Windy and made these little adorable (and rather simple) Pinkalicious ribbon wands as the favor. Here are the steps to the wand:

Need: dowels, glitter cardstock, ribbon and a glue gun.

1. Cut out the stars (I wanted to use a shape punch, but couldn’t find one at my local Michaels, so I just downloaded a star from the web, traced and cut by hand). I used a front and a back star, so 2 stars per wand.

2. Cut the ribbons. I used 3 types of ribbon per wand, and used the length of the dowel as a measurement. You’ll be tying the ribbon, so make them double length.

3. Glue the dowels to the inside of one of the stars (glitter side shows face out, natch).

4. Tie the ribbon loosely onto the dowel, get it positioned where you want it (right at the base of the star) and then squeeze some hot glue down into the knot and then tighten.

5. Time to glue on the other side to the star. Trace the star that already has the dowel glued to it in glue and put a dollop over the dowel in the center too. (You’ve got to work quickly!) Line up the star, sandwich the dowel and seal all the way around. You can trim up the stars if necessary after this step if your placement isn’t perfect in the gluing.

*I found it worked best for me to complete each step for all the wands at once rather than making them one at a time.

Home is where the heart is. Literally. As you can see, I’ve been collecting states (and kids – wow, that photo cracks me up every time I look at it. such chaos & love. lol). If you’re a long-time client, then you likely know the story. If you’re new here, you may have notice ties to several states. My nomadic style comes from being married to a military man. Thankfully, we live in a glorious time that allows me to actually have a business and move around – it just has to be an online business. Perhaps, someday, I will have dreamy little storefront to call my own. But for now, Bliss Folio moves every three years.

Now, for my little project. One map for each place we’ve lived together – I just selected maps, sized them on my computer (I knew what size I wanted my final piece, so I just made my maps to fit within – I used an 8″ width), and printed them. Then I traced (with a lot of pressure) onto the colored paper and used an exacto knife to cut out (my fingers are still numb!). Then, mount the colored paper over white, cut out a little colored heart and adhere to the city or area within the state.

For the wood backing. I just used some scraps we had in the garage. We already have several frames in our room, so I really wanted to do something without one. I decided to try to echo the lines from the photo that hangs above, so I used wood. I gray-washed it with some gray paint I already had (mixed the paint with water, painted it on the wood, then wiped it off) and then used a black glaze over top (again, applying and then wiping).