Graduation season has arrived! Or at least it’s just around the corner, and that means not just the actual commencement ceremony, but the fun parties and celebrations that often accompany this exciting educational milestone! From kindergarten graduations to college commencements and every academic stage in-between, if you have a grad-to-be at home, chances are you’ve already been bombarded with offers to purchase those generic announcements. The thing is – those may be perfectly “nice” but they certainly don’t show off your grad’s style and personality. Not when they all say the same thing and look the exactly the same, other than the portrait! And that’s where Simply to Impress can really help you standout creatively! No matter what their age, we wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve got more of your kids’ photos – in formal, informal, silly or just sweet poses – than you know what to do with. So, why not do something truly unique this grad season? In just a few steps, you can create custom graduation invitations or graduation announcements with favorite photos! The online design tools make it a fun and easy process and now, not only can you upload directly from your computer, you can also get one-click access to photos on ®FLICKR, Facebook, Instagram and Picasa. With hundreds of amazing designs to choose from, we’re sure you can find the perfect invitation or announcement that will either welcome everyone together to celebrate or just spread the exciting news to family and friends all over the world.

How many times have we had to run out last minute to buy a store-bought greeting or birthday card? Or worse yet, how many times have we ended up sending an e-card because there’s no time for a store run? Well, it occurred to us recently that one of the many versatile features at Simply to Impress is their “Simply Photos” line of custom stationary cards that can be personalized with any digital photo (or photos)! A great shot of favorite people, places or even wonderful things, like a floral still-life or a sunset view, can be uploaded and customized to create greeting cards for any occasion – all year round! Don’t be stuck empty-handed when a friend’s birthday is on the horizon or when you just feel like saying “hi” or “miss you” or even “get well” – create stunning custom cards using your digital photos from one of hundreds “Simply Photos” templates. You can even pick your envelope style, include return addressing to save even more time and then order any number of chic and charming greeting cards to have at your fingertips throughout the year.

The last ten days of December is definitely holiday central this year! With Hanukkah on December 20^th thru the 28^th and Christmas on December 25^th, you can double the joy and spread goodwill with custom holiday cards for one or both special days. If you want to cover all your bases and have friends and family of both faiths, it’s easy to create photo holiday cards that reference both holidays (plus, New Year’s) at the same time.

Or, if you think it’s too late to put together a last minute Hanukkah, Christmas or Holiday party – believe me, it isn’t! You can create chic and charming custom holiday party invitations in just minutes at Simply to Impress. Just take a few moments to choose a design that best fits your holiday party style, personalize the text and place your order. In the meantime, you can get all the food, drink and decoration details in place and within days your invitations will be on your doorstep. All you have to do is pop in the mail and wait for the RSVPs to roll on in!

Yes, it’s true – the holiday season is just around the corner, with the big “T-Day” marking what many consider to be the “un-official” holiday blast-off.  If the change in TV commercials isn’t enough, you’ve probably been reminded of Thanksgiving every time you’ve stepped foot in the supermarket lately – special areas stacked with dry stuffing, canned pumpkin and marshmallows.  Truthfully, if the meal weren’t so tasty it would almost be overwhelming!  In many ways, what follows is six weeks or so of non-stop holiday planning, holiday parties and winter holiday events, so why not let this year’s “T-Day” help you get ahead of the game.

With everything else you’ve got going on, the last thing you want to be worried about is finding the time to choose photographs for holiday photo cards. Take advantage of the day that traditionally brings families together and take a great family portrait to use in your photo holiday cards this year. With a little organization and a digital camera, you can capture a memorable photo, create a holiday card at SimplyToImpress.com, include return addressing on all your envelopes and have it on your doorstep in just days. It’s fun, easy to use and before you know it, you’ll have your holiday cards in the mail – leaving you plenty of time for everything else you need to do in December!

So whether you take a shot of the entire family at the Thanksgiving table (with the turkey as the centerpiece) or your kids digging into that yummy pumpkin pie dessert, take advantage of loved ones being together on this special day and share it with photo holiday cards sent to friends, family and more this year.

There’s just something about the fall season that says “friends, family and fun!” It could be the change in the weather, or having the kids back in school or just seeing the change in colors as inspiration, but the truth is – fall is filled with great opportunities to throw a fabulous party! Whether it’s a World Series dinner, football tailgate bbq, food festival picnics or more, from the 1st of October to the 31st, there’s so many ways to celebrate fall fun with friends and family.

Of course, many of these events are last minute get-togethers and really don’t require official party invitations, but as far as I’m concerned, the one October day that deserves a full-on party planning push is definitely Halloween! Year after year, when fall arrives, my mind turns to creating, organizing and hosting the most fun and freaky Halloween party in the neighborhood.  Some years they’ve been totally kids oriented – with trick or treat games, friendly ghosts gruel (that’s mac n’ cheese to you and me!), a happy haunted house and more. Other years it’s been a cool themed party, like Super Heroes & Villains or Ghoulish Ghost Town, for my adult friends that’s included freaky (yet tasty) finger foods, a monster mash dance-off and creepy costume contests.

In either case, for me, it always starts with the germ of a haunted idea or the eerie inspiration I get from seeing really fun Halloween party invitations! Mummies, black cats, good (and sometimes, bad) witches, haunted houses, pumpkin parties and more; a professionally designed invitation that I can personalize with my party details and order and receive in the mail in just days has not only saved me lots of valuable time but has also inspired lots of creative party planning. Because when it comes down to Halloween, it’s always fun for the kids and it lets us adults act like kids – at least one night of the year!

Well, of course it can! While professional portraits are great, with a new baby at home (and everything that comes with that) the time and expense of a photo sitting and proofs is often too high. Still, we want our baby’s birth announcements to look spectacular so what can we do? Well, you know your baby better than anyone else, so why not try your hand at a parental view through the lens. Either way, your gorgeous little one is going to be the star! All that’s required from you is a digital camera, a little patience, some attention to detail and the right setting to create stellar DIY portraits just perfect for your newborn’s birth announcements.

1). Choose a backdrop

Tack up a large piece of fabric or even a sheet, from the ceiling to the floor and make sure that it fills the entire camera view. Pick a favorite color but stay away from patterns – you want little one to be the star! If you’ve got a fall or early winter baby and you’re thinking of sending out holiday photo announcements this year, choose a color that’s reflective of the season.

2) Create the lighting

One of the most important elements in a great photo is, of course, great lighting! The more natural, softer light you can find the better as the camera’s flash is often too bright. Best to choose an area at home that receives a lot of natural light and if it isn’t enough, set up some good reading lamps on either side. Make sure that your baby is lit from the side rather than head-on, and at the same time make sure that the light is in front of where you’re standing.

3) Adjust your camera

If you use the basic setting on your digital camera, often the photos will come out grainy – far from the professional look you were aiming for. Instead, use the highest quality setting on your camera. If you have questions, you can often find tips about the best way to take quality photos by visiting the camera manufacturer’s website.

4) Ready your baby

Try to set up your photo shoot when your baby is happiest – often that’s just after a feeding, nap or bath. Find something soft and comfortable for them to lie on – a fuzzy rug or a fluffy blanket, for example. Give them a favorite toy if you’d like but we’re pretty sure that just the sight of you will make them smile. And while hats are adorable, try not to dress up your baby too much – all your friends and family will want to see your baby being a baby, they’ll grow into an adult soon enough!

5) Take your best shot (lots of them!)

If you have a camera tripod definitely use it but if not, place your camera on a steady surface (a TV tray, for example), get behind the lens and start shooting. The more photos you take the better and the better the chance you’ll have at least one or two that everyone will fall in love with! Talk to your baby while shooting to keep them happy and interested. And don’t forget to take close-ups of more than just their cute faces – those tiny fingers and toes can be featured in birth announcements as an incredible photo collage!

Let’s just admit it. We’ve all been there – spending way too much time deliberating over how we want to show off babies to the world for those all-important photo birth announcements! Should we put them in their cutest outfit? Swaddled in a colorful blanket? Or in an old school shot just wearing their birthday suit, posed on a (faux) bear skin rug?  The creative possibilities are endless and really, there’s no right or wrong way to go — but there are definitely styling trends these days that might be helpful when it comes to making a final decision. And by far the hottest trend in photo birth announcements is showing off your gorgeous little one in an adorable knit hat or colorful baby beanie!

Why? Well, let’s face it – most of our beautiful babies aren’t born with a full mane of hair and even if they do have a full head, their first few out-of- house visits aren’t to the barber shop or beauty salon for a wash and style! And when we do venture out with our pride and joy to grocery stores, the park or the mall, how many of us have been complimented on our gorgeous little girl when we’re carrying our handsome little boy – and vice versa! If we put the practical aspects of baby hats aside, meaning if you live in a cold climate or know that babies prefer warmth in general, the point is… there’s just really nothing cuter than a baby in a hat! Knit caps and baby beanies frame their fabulous faces and depending on the style or color, can announce their gender without you having to say a word.

So whether you’re packing up the baby bag on your way to a professional photographer or setting up a spot at home to capture the perfect shot of your newborn, throw a few hats into the mix! Those big, bright eyes shining out from underneath a knitted pastel confection will be even more spellbinding and should definitely give you a photo that you can turn into stand-out baby announcements!

When it comes to your child’s birthday, there are three essential elements to throwing an awesome party: presents, cake, and a cool theme.  It may seem easier said than done, but with a little help you’ll be watching him celebrate their new year with a smile.  We know there are an overwhelming amount of ideas out there for both girls and boys parties, but we’ve picked some of our favorites to share with you.

Having a theme picked out sets a solid foundation for the rest of the party.  You might decide to do something with your son’s favorite movie or TV show, for example.  Cars is still really popular with boys this year, so you might consider getting cups, plates, and posters printed with Lightning McQueen and the rest of the gang.  You can even have the soundtrack going in the background.

If you’re not sure of a favorite movie, you might want to try picking a theme based on your boy’s interests.  Maybe he’s really interested in books.  You could have a whole party built on one or several stories that he loves. Have the kids (or even better the adults!) dress up as his favorite characters like Curious George and the man in the yellow hat.  He’ll have a blast getting to meet everyone.

You might even decide to do a party based on his favorite sport.  Try getting a game of baseball or soccer going with all of the guests at the party before coming in for cake.  They’ll burn tons of energy and have a blast with all of their friends.  You might even host the party out on the local field or diamond and make it a picnic party.

There are so many ideas for great parties, and our custom invitations and thank you cards are just the icing on the cake.  Check out our products and we’ll help you get started.

Whether you’re already picking out names or you’re still just thinking about it, bringing a dog into your home is a big decision.  You’re not just getting a dog, but you’re picking a companion to stick with you for the next decade on up, so it’s important to consider your options.  We want to help make this decision a little easier by offering up some suggestions. 

The most important thing to do before you run out to adopt your new friend is to research.  Different breeds have different needs.  Some are more high-maintenance than others, so you should read up on the types you’re interested in before hand.  You should also think about what age groups you’ll be looking at.  A puppy can take a lot of time and energy, so think about how much you’re willing to invest.  Would an older, housebroken dog be more suitable?

Once you’ve got some of the facts, you might be ready to rescue.  Those puppies in the mall window can be awfully cute, but most pet stores are in support of puppy mills where dogs are mistreated and over-bred.  Instead, try visiting the local pound.  Phoenix has dozens of shelters with adorable and adoptable dogs, and there are tons of rescues for all the different types of breeds. 

You might even head over to your local PetSmart on one of their scheduled adoption days.  They work with different shelters in the area to help find dogs good homes, and they even have an online adoption program through their website in case you miss one of the store’s events. 

Once you find your match, we’ll help you tell all of your friends with a custom made announcement.  Just start with your favorite boy or girl birth announcement design and we’ll customize the rest for you! You’ll be able to add photos to your layout so everyone can see how cute your new family member is.  We want you to spread the joy, and we’ll be there to help you every step of the way.

Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about the girls!  Her birthday should be just as spectacular as his, and the great party ideas are still endless.  Choosing a theme makes the planning process a lot easier, and it creates a great atmosphere on her special day.  Here are a few suggestions to help make your girl’s celebration unforgettable.

Her birthday only comes once a year, so we know it’s important that she feels like a princess.  Throwing a glamour party is a great way to make a girl feel special.  You might have her friends come dressed up in their most spectacular outfits, or have different stations set up at the party where the girls can dress up, do their hair, and take fashionable photos.  (Accessorizing with candy watches and necklaces couldn’t hurt either).

Maybe she has a favorite Disney princess or movie that she watches over and over and over again.  You might decide to recreate The Little Mermaid by having an “under the sea” themed party.  If it’s warm enough, you might have guests wear their swimsuits for a fun day of water games like a balloon toss.

If you’re little lady is into a more action-packed day, you might consider throwing a dance party.  Setting up karaoke is a great way to let the girls play rock star, and having a few extra instruments around makes sure everyone’s included.  You might even ask a local dance instructor to stop by and teach the girls some moves so they can boogie all day to their favorite pop music.

We’ll help out with the before and after by providing you with stylish invitations and thank you cards.  Browse through our website and find something you like or create a layout all your own.