delight in the little things

Holiday Giveaway!

2011-11-27T18:10:00.000-08:00

This year we are so excited to be part of Triad Moms on Main's Holiday Giveaway. We've put together a fun and stylish collection of holiday stationery and gifts valued at over $100. Included are two Mainstreet Collection ceramic ornaments, two sets of Kris-10's Creations fill-in holiday thank you notes for children, 50 holiday fill-in invitations by Paper Prince, two sets of holiday wine tags by Inviting Company, holiday note pads by Boatman Geller and MM's Designs and a set of 24 holiday photo cards beautifully greeted by Julia D. Azar. Plus, a couple of extra treats. This giveaway collection is perfect for celebrating the holidays this year and definitely helps you "delight in the little things". Check out the other great gifts featured in their giveaway on their blog.

Early Holiday 2 for 1 Photo Card Sale

2011-08-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

Now through August 31st, we have an awesome early holiday sale going on with some of our favorite brands. If you captured a great family photo this summer, go ahead and take advantage of this sale. You can finally be ahead of the game! Includes stylish and fun designs from Stacy Claire Boyd, Prints Charming, Rosanne Beck, Putnam House and more.

Tips for Kids' Thank You Notes

2011-08-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

Having a birthday party is so much fun, but sometimes it can be like pulling teeth to get kids to write the important thank you notes afterwards. Use these tips to help make the job easier:

When you address the invitations, go ahead and address the thank you note envelopes. This way, you only need to find the addresses once and it makes quick work out of getting the notes in the mail once they've been written.
Find a friend to help write down the name of the child and their gift during the party. If the list is easy to read, older children can use this as a guide when it's time to thank the gift givers.
To help encourage those kids that love to procrastinate, make a rule that a gift cannot be played with or used until the note has been written.
Sit down with your child and come up with a template for the notes. Be sure to specifically mention the gift, compliment the gift or gift giver, and mention when you hope to see or talk to the person in the future. Having a template will help your child with spelling, punctuation, and knowing what to say in the note.
Get younger children involved by letting them apply return address labels and stamps to each envelope.
Pick out stationery that reflects your child's personality and personalize it with your child's name.

Writing thank you notes is a great opportunity for parents to talk about gratitude with children. You can explain why this an important value in your family. Even better, have this discussion before a birthday or celebration where gifts will be given. Instead of having to prompt your child with "what do you say to Aunt Helen?" you may find your child showing sincere appreciation for someone's thoughtfulness . . . which is something we all can appreciate.

Check out our great selection of children's stationery and thank you notes here.

Super Summer Sale

2011-08-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

We are having a great summer sale on things like luggage and bag tags, Lucite ice buckets and trays, personalized calendars and padded stationery, stickers . . . so many cute things to chose from our favorite lines like Stacy Claire Boyd, Picture Perfect, Boatman Geller and Prints Charming.

The Cutest Background

2011-07-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

I am a total sucker for cute things, ask anyone! I love to have things coordinate and to have fun everyday items to brighten my day. When I came across this adorable wallpaper from Boatman Geller, I just couldn't wait to get it on my Ipad. The best part is that it is free! Click here to download wallpaper for your device or desktop computer.

My Ipad is held inside my Boatman Geller Note Tote, now on sale at Sassafras Paper. I love the portability of this tote. I can keep all of my cards, stamps, and labels in one place and it easily fits in a large purse for when I am on the go!

Party Idea: Luau Birthday Party

2011-07-25T17:36:00.002-07:00

For Ainsley's seventh birthday party she wanted to host a Luau for her friends and family. We had a wonderful Hawaiian fest!

We sent out invitations from Boatman Geller featuring a surf board and hot pink hibiscus border. Our surfer girl loved them! She greeted her guests with leis as they arrived. The girls received a grass skirt and bright flower clip for their hair. The kids loved getting dressed up. We had a video with instructions on the Hula dance, a water balloon fight, tiki pinata, and decorate your own tiki craft. We had loads of tropical fruit and various pizza flavors, including pineapple, for supper. It was a great birthday celebration!

Party Idea: Super Heroes!

2011-07-23T17:53:00.001-07:00

One of our customers planned a super spectacular party for her little super hero's 5th birthday. This invitation from Picture Perfect is just the right start to a party like this. You could include small masks with each invitation to get the guests excited about their own super hero costume for the party.

She kept it simple with decorations by using the colors red, blue and yellow in balloons and a flag banner. (By not focusing on one particular super hero, it made it easy to incorporate all of the children's ideas about a super hero.) Galvanized buckets filled with red & blue colored tootsie pops centered each table and the birthday boy's cake incorporated four different super hero emblems in the corners.

With an afternoon party from 2 to 4, she was able to keep the refreshments light. Crazy straws in cups filled with Sprite and colored ice cubes (made out of colored juice) gave the guests their super powers! Cat-woman claws (Bugles), chips and dip, and fruit rounded out the rest of the fare.

The birthday boy crossing the "Lava Pit"

When guests arrived to the party, they received a brown bag that had been painted with a simple crest and their initial. Inside was a "Super Hero Training Academy" card, a can of silly string, a t-shirt for creating their own super hero symbol, a ring pop, and an energy (granola) bar. The kids began with making their t-shirt. They were able to sponge paint their initial on the t-shirt which had been pre-painted with a small crest-emblem. Then, they began the Training Academy, which was filled with different stations in the back yard. The children used silly string to "Vaporize a Villain" by spraying it on the faces of villains which had been taped to balloons. Another station had the children "Capturing Kryptonite" by finding special green spray-painted rocks that had been hidden around the yard. The big hit of the party was having the kids "Cross the Lava Pit". The Lava Pit was an inflatable pool that had been lightly filled with water and a red bath tablet. The pool was flanked with cinder blocks on which rested a wooden plank. Inside the pool and under the wooden plank was a small bucket filled with dry ice and hot water. The kids loved it! The structure of the stations kept the children engaged and kept all that super energy in check.

At the end of the party, each child received a certificate stating they had graduated from Super Hero Academy with their own made-up Super Hero name on it. The party was a huge success and everyone was happy, especially our customer. She felt like the stations were easy to set-up and there wasn't much prep work. In fact, the super hero birthday boy was able to help with most of the preparations.

Mexican Fiesta!

2011-07-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

One of our customers hosted a Mexican Fiesta for a couple who is getting married. She used a beautiful invitation from Picture Perfect to get all the guests excited about the fun night. The party was held out on the deck, which was adorned with white lights and bright traditional Mexican banners that echoed the invitation's artwork. It continued out into the yard with colorful tablecloths covering round tables twinkling with citronella candles in glass jars. Highlights at the party included the round tubs of cold Mexican beers and sweating pitchers of margaritas and sangria, welcome and refreshing for such a hot night!

The food was outstanding with starters that included homemade guacamole, pico de gallo and a luscious raspberry salsa dip. Guests then feasted on skirt steak and adobe chicken fajitas, a brilliant salad platter of shrimp, mango and fresh tomatoes, black beans, rice, and chocolate dipped fruit. The meal was capped with a margarita cake and tart key lime pie. The happy couple was then showered with gifts and warm wishes. What a great evening!

Summer Savings through July 6th

2011-06-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

Our special Printswell site is featuring a great sale through July 6th. Order any amount of personalized note cards or enclosures, and we will double your order for FREE! It's a great deal and a perfect time to stock up on notes to use say thanks for summer get-togethers and parties. The brands included are Putnam House, PicMe Prints and Prints Charming. Stylish, fun designs at a great price!

Party Idea: Rock On, Girl!

2010-08-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

For our daughter's 6th birthday, we decided to indulge her love for singing (and listening to her Taylor Swift CD) and planned a Rock Star birthday party. We started with this adorable guitar invitation from San Lori.

On the invite, we asked the guests to come dressed as a rock star. We were amazed at how creative they all were. So very cute!

For the party, we put together some of her favorite Disney Princess and Taylor Swift songs and created a mix CD, which we duplicated to use as favors at the party. We also went ahead and gave her our big birthday gift for her, a small karaoke machine. It was a big hit and, of course, very useful for the party! At a local party store, we found a fun "red carpet" cloth for our hallway and a starry sky background that we taped up in a corner of our den.

Instead of a cake, I made cupcakes and turned them into mini-microphones by putting them in small ice cream cones. They turned out super cute!

Back to School!

2010-08-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

When I hear those words, I start getting excited about finding cute new notebooks and gear for my little ones but a little sad that summer is coming to a close. It's sure been hot, but we've had a lot of fun!

If you want to get ahead on some great back to school products, and save while you're at it, then browse through some of the items in our 20% off Back to School Sale. We have everything on our special Printswell site, which features such brands as Stacy Claire Boyd, Putnam House, PicMe Prints, and Starfish Art.
You can find super cute bag tags, perfect for labeling lunchboxes, totes and backpacks.

Powder Blue ID Tag

Get your family organized with our fresh selection of weekly calendars.

Family Weekly Calendar

And, who can resist a personalized note pad to start off the new school year? You can even choose one that features the faces of those you love best.

Blue and Red Paper Pad

Grand Opening Sale!

2010-07-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

We are excited this month to open our new ecommerce site at Sassafras Paper.com! We've added some beautiful new note card designs from Boatman Geller, as well as great gift items such as embroidered baby blankets, monogrammed buckets for fun home storage and more. We're also thrilled to introduce a new category of items to our selection--Entertaining and Tabletop!

Monogrammed Small Ice Bucket

Our new line of monogrammed acrylic serving pieces is perfect for your summer parties and cookouts. We also love our new collection of melamine plates and laminated placemats. With the placemats starting at just $15 and our plates starting at $26, they make fun gifts and special treats for entertaining.

Kris-10's Creations Firetruck Laminated Placemat

Boatman Geller Coral Repeat Melamine Plate

To celebrate our Grand Opening, all our note cards are 20% off, our acrylic line is 10% off and you can get an extra 10% off through July 10th by entering the code "Grand10" at checkout.

Our first Facebook Giveaway!

2009-10-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Sign-up to be a fan of Sassafras Paper on Facebook! We are celebrating the launch of our Facebook page with our first giveaway. All you have to do to enter is comment on one of our in-stock Boatman Geller stickers, featured on our Facebook page. You can win a set of 12 personalized stickers! Drawing is noon on Friday, October 9th, so sign-up today!

Party Idea: July Fourth

2009-09-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Each year our neighborhood has a Fourth of July party. This year we used a patriotic invitation from Sweet Pea Designs.

All of the neighbors gathered for dessert, fireworks, and my favorite - the kid's parade. Ainsley and Luke decorated our wagon and Ainsley pulled Luke in the parade.

Another highlight was hearing all the kids say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the Star Spangled Banner. God Bless America!

Party Idea: Trunk or Treat

2009-09-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

Our Sunday School class hosted a Trunk or Treat last year. We used this cute invitation from Picture Perfect to advertise the event.

We played Halloween games, had a costume parade, and then kids went from car to car "trunk or treating." Each family brought a potluck item for supper. It was a great success and we are looking forward to expanding it this year!

Notecard Idea: Spring Greetings

2009-09-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

To share Spring greetings with friends and family I sent out this card. I used a small, flat card from Boatman Geller. The card is an adorable green and purple gingham. I printed wallet sized photos of a picture of the kids at Easter and placed them on the top of each card. A fun way to send greetings anytime of the year!

Party Idea: Construction Party

2009-09-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

Since Will loves to play with trucks, we decided to have a Construction Party for his 3rd Birthday. This turned out to be lots of fun to plan! The first thing I did was settle on an invitation. I love this one by Cross-My-Heart because of the cute measuring tape ribbon. The wording was cute--things such as "We Break Ground May 16th" and "Need to call in sick? Contact Foreman . . .".

Decorations: We kept it simple with black, orange, yellow balloons and then roped off a play area with Caution tape from a hardware store. We also used some of the tape on the mailbox and cake table.

Food: We served lemonade in an orange water cooler and gave out Brown Bag lunches filled with ham/cheese wrapped in wax paper to serve as plate, bag of chips, juice box, and an apple. I tagged each child's lunch with a hard hat name tag that I found in the teacher section of the Dollar Store.

Activities: Each child received a yellow plastic hard hat with his name on it (my husband also had a hard hat--"Foreman") Also, we asked each child to bring his favorite truck so the kids really enjoyed just playing.
I found these fun Inflatable road signs from Oriental Traders and placed them in the yard so they could send their trucks in the right direction. We also had a water table filled with sand and mini construction vehicles and some cardboard bricks for the kids to stack for buildings.
Cake: We made a "dirt" cake out of pudding, coolwhip, oreos, and gummy worms and placed it in a cleaned Tonka dumptruck bed lined with plastic wrap.
Favors: Most of our favors came from Oriental Traders--Road Sign Lollipops and Construction stickers. I also found some Tonka coloring books at the Dollar Store along with some truck-themed treat bags.

Party Idea: Camp-Out!

2009-09-21T18:27:00.000-07:00

When we began planning our daughter's 4th birthday, she was really interested in sleeping outside in our backyard. We weren't quite ready for a sleepover party, but came up with the idea of a Pretend Camp-Out party. This turned out to be a fun and easy party right in our own backyard.

We looked for a "girly" camping invitation, but fell in love with this cute tent invite from Julia D. Azar. We added gold glitter to the firefiles and also a red gingham ribbon bow to the top. The wording says "Come sit around the campfire and have a s'more, Celebrate with us 'cause Mallory's turning Four!"

Favors & Activities: When the guests arrived, we had a friend manning a table where the kids could make friendship necklaces or bracelets with wooded beads and string. We also had little galvanized buckets labeled with each child's name that contained a red bandanna, glow sticks, and gummy worms. The kids loved wearing the bandannas! They all headed down to the playset in our backyard. We set-up a tent nearby so they could play in it as well.

Food: For the cake, we made a simple two layer cake and iced it with chocolate icing. After making a ring of candy rocks on the top, we built a "fire" out of Twix bars and Reeces Pieces. The candles were stuck through the middle of the Twix bars and it ended up pretty cute. We stuck with standard campfire fare for the kids (hot dogs, chips, baked beans) and grilled up some pork tenderloin for the adults.
Fun Extras: We special ordered a t-shirt with a camping scene embroidered on it along with Mallory's name. It was inexpensive, and our daughter loved having a special outfit for her party. We also had lots of fun making S'mores by the firepit.

The party ended with a pinata and lots of candy. It was lots of fun to pretend, but we were quite glad we had only one four year old to get to bed at the end of the night!

Party Idea: Bicycle Rodeo

2009-09-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

For my daughter's 4th birthday party we combined her love of riding her bike and her love of cowgirls. It was a Bike Rodeo Party, complete with bucking broncos and riding the range. My daughter picked this adorable invitation from Julia D. Azar. We worded the invitation - "Yippee! Hooray! It's a Bike Rodeo Birthday! Come ride your bike, play games, and more. Ainsley Gray is turning four!" She wore her own pink cowboy boots for the event as well!

Location: We live on a cul-de-sac and were able to block off the street for the party. We had different stations set up all around the cul-de-sac, including a table for a craft project.

Food: We set up tables outside for a snack of wagon wheel pretzels and cupcakes. My daughter had the adorable Julia D. Azar Cowgirl matching table mat at her place.

Decorations & Favors: Since the party was outside and we had so many games, the games mainly served as the decorations. We gave guests a cello bag filled with gardening gloves and a seed packet they could plant at home. They were packaged in cello bags with raffia and the matching Julia D. Azar cowgirl tag.
Games and Crafts: To stay in theme, we gave the games rodeo names. My husband drew a large bike obstacle course in the center of the cul-de-sac for our "Bucking Bronco." We timed the older children as they did the course. We also has a "Calf Rope" contest where kids raced down the straight part of the cul-de-sac on their bikes and then got off their bikes and threw a hoola hoop over a chair we placed there. We also had water guns for shooting plastic bottles off the small table we had set up. For the younger kids we had a small pool set up with magnetic items they could fish for. Each child also made their own decorative bicycle license plate at the craft station. We all had a blast!

Party Idea: Mermaid Party

2009-09-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Sassafras Paper co-owner, Tara, had lot of fun planning her daughter's Mermaid Party this summer at a local pool. This cute Pixie Mermaid invitation from Picture Perfect served as an inspiration for the rest of the party.
Food: A colorful goldfish/raisin snack mix combo, cut fruit, and the party cupcakes all served with Blue Hawaiian Punch for the kids and lemonade for the adults. She found awesome cupcake toppers from Gaddie and Tood. They are beautifully handmade and looked so festive on the tiered cupcake stand.

Decorations & Favors: Blue and green streamers were hung from the pergola. Blue tablecloths covered the picnic tables and were scattered with seashells. The birthday girl had fun picking out coordinating blue & green cups, plates and napkins. (She may just have a future as a party planner!) Guests received small cello bags with a small sea life coloring book and crayons as a thank you.

Activities: Using shells gathered from trips to the beach, kids were able to string their own shell necklace. Everyone got either a mermaid or pirate tattoo. Pool games included hunting for "gold" coins along the bottom of the pool and relay races while walking with flippers.
Finally, using an idea from Family Fun Magazine, the birthday girl wore her own Mermaid Princess Crown made of seashells!