Thursday, November 22, 2012
Holiday greeting cards are often most closely associated with Christmas. While this may have been true in decades of the past, the fact is that now holiday cards come for just about any winter holiday or festival you can think of. With a range of options including both religious and pop-culture influence, there’s a holiday card for absolutely everyone.
The Perfect Holiday Card
There’s no denying a certain religious bent to many different holiday cards. From Hanukkah to Christmas with plenty of room for Kwanzaa, Diwali and other winter holidays. Although Christian and Jewish holidays may be well known, other religions hold end of the year celebrations. In order to reflect each of these holidays we offer a wide selection of card and letterpress designs which play on both the religious and cultural themes associated with them. These days of observance stretch beyond traditional organized religion and also play into cultural and even astronomical occurrences. Winter brings with it the Winter Solstice, which has been celebrated by ancient cultures and is still celebrated by people today.
But in order to remain truly modern and relevant, cards have also grown to encompass pop-culture holidays, including the infamous Festivus. Originally introduced on Seinfeld in 1997, the anti-holiday was adopted almost instantly by Seinfeld fans and has since grown into a worldwide movement. Card makers routinely offer special Festivus cards in spite of the holiday’s tongue in cheek rules regarding the trappings of typical holidays.
Show You Care with the Right Holiday Card
Holidays aside, cards have simply opened themselves up as a way to embrace the feeling of the entire holiday season. The holidays have come to mean more than any one specific day. As the calender begins to come to its end, we all get that urge to stop and move a little slower, to be a little nicer and to, in short, get into the holiday spirit, whatever that means to us personally. The holidays have expanded and evolved to be more inclusive and holiday greeting cards have followed suit. Even for those who simply want to celebrate the season as a whole, holiday cards have it covered. Cards that celebrate the season as whole make it even easier for people to stay in touch and the levity they bring to the season adds a bit of humor, which is welcomed anywhere.
Society has embraced Christmas as more than just a religious holiday. No other holiday enjoys the secular crossover Christmas does and, as a result, the entire holiday season takes on a warm and unifying glow. The end of the year brings out a surge of nostalgia in all of us and it’s natural to want to reach out and make contact with our family and friends. Luckily, holiday cards have evolved and adapted to meet the need while lightening the mood. So, get in the spirit and share your love of Yuletide Christmas Festival Sweater Day on December 22nd and Wren Day on the 26th, in addition to the more traditional holidays. (Insert your grandmother’s voice here…) Would it kill you to send a card?
Posted in Washington DC Event Resources
Friday, April 6, 2012
Whether you have been planning your wedding in your head for years, or didn’t even give it a thought until you said yes, when it actually comes time to plan the big day it can be hard to know where to begin. Well don’t worry, we are here to help make finding a venue a little bit easier. In this part of a three part series, we will show you some of the most luxurious hotels in Washington, D.C., which will make a great venue for any wedding. Whether your wedding is large or small a hotel is a great choice to host your ceremony or reception. With a full staff on hand, spacious banquet halls and years of experience hosting weddings, a hotel can provide you with the flexibility and reliability you need to make sure your wedding day is perfect. If you’re considering getting married in the Washington, D.C. area here are some of our favorite luxury wedding hotels you should consider.
Hotel Monaco Washington DC
Located right in the heart of Chinatown and Penn Quarter, this stunning boutique hotel has the feel of a quaint French hotel with a modern twist. Every room, from the reception area to the restaurant Poste Moderne Brasserie, is popping with bright, bold color. Located right downtown next to the historic Tarrif Building, and numerous monuments and museums, the exterior of the hotel, as well as the interior, provide a stunning back drop for wedding photos. Guests from out of town will feel right at home staying at the Hotel Monaco. The hotel hosts a complimentary wine tasting every day, and even provides guests who love animals with a guppy in their room for the entirety of their stay. Write to family and friends who couldn’t attend on the specially-designed letterpress stationery left in each room.
The Washington Hilton
If you plan on having a larger wedding, you may want to consider the beautiful Hilton Washington. The Washington Hilton can accommodate up to 4,000 guests in their largest ballroom and has a romantic garden oasis on the roof of the hotel, which has comfy couches and fire pits to keep guests warm while they enjoy a breathtaking, panoramic view of the city. The hotel, which was originally built in 1965, has a timeless feel; but a recent head-to-toe renovation costing $150 million ensures the iconic building still has all the modern luxuries you would expect to find in a brand new hotel.
The Mandarin Oriental
This brand new luxury hotel is a five-star hotel and spa that can only be described as elegant. Recently, Institutional Investor Magazine ranked the hotel as one of the Top 100 Hotels in the World. The hotel has an understated, classic beauty with lots of creams and deep brown colors throughout the hotel and the ballrooms. The main ballroom can seat up to 625 people and the hotel sits amongst beautiful gardens filled with charming Cherry Blossom Trees. The rooms provide beautiful views of the Potomac River and the city sky line.
The Omni Shoreham
This large hotel offers one of the widest selections of ballrooms in the city of Washington D.C. With seven uniquely-themed ballrooms you are sure to find one with the ambiance you are looking for. The ballrooms hold between 200 to 1,500 guests. The hotel itself is a historic landmark and has hosted a number of U.S. Presidents and foreign Royalty. The hotel has won numerous awards for hospitality and interior design, and is a AAA four-diamond hotel. For grooms who are looking to pick up a last minute gift for their brides, there is a jewelry and diamond store right in the hotel lobby.
The Willard InterContinental
If you are looking to feel like a million bucks on your wedding day, this hotel neighboring the White House on the infamous Pennsylvania Avenue is the spot for you. Constructed in 1853 the hotel has 19,891 square feet of banquet facilities and boasts rooms that cost up to $4,000 a night. The interior decoration is reminiscent of an earlier era, with large crystal chandeliers, mosaic tile floors and stunning marble accents present in almost every room. The history behind the hotel is vast, and can be felt in every hallway. President Lincoln and his family actually lived in the hotel for a month before they moved into the White House, and Martin Luther King finished writing his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in one of the hotel’s rooms.
The Park Hyatt Washington
This hotel has a modern feel, and has only been open for six years since its $24 million renovation. The Park Hyatt Washington has a quaint feel, housed on the eastern end of Georgetown. To make sure you won’t soon forget your time at the Park Hyatt Washington, the hotel has its own signature fragrance that they offer to guests. If you would like an out of the ordinary venue, consider getting married in the hotel’s Tea Cellar, a vast room filled with teas from all over the world. The Deluxe guest rooms are the largest hotel rooms in the city and each room comes with antique hardcover books and an assortment of vintage boardgames. The famous restaurant located in the hotel, The Blue Duck Tavern, has private tasting rooms where guests can sample some of the finest wines and liquors.
If you are looking for that extra touch of luxury consider one of these world-class hotels as the perfect venue for your upcoming nuptials. These hotels are built to create unsurpassed, long-lasting memories and will make sure that both you and your guests enjoy one of the most luxurious days of your lives.
casinorulet.com
Posted in Washington DC Event Resources
Thursday, February 2, 2012
We’ll be posting photos of some of the Notable Signs and Fonts used in the neighborhoods of Washington, DC in the coming weeks. Today’s post came as a great excuse to get an espresso at Baked and Wired in Georgetown. Although it’s a few miles from our letterpress invitation design studio in Cleveland Park in NW, its ALWAYS worth the trip to enjoy their goods and support another local business. My criteria for this post is simple: 1) hanging signs 2) affixed to a building on the 3) route from the studio to caffeine.
Baked & Wired
Cafe La Ruche may seem to be the least refined sign in today’s look at signs. But is it really? The sign expresses that fact that inside you’ll be eating at a country French bistro. I love the “accidental” brush stroke of the sign to make it seem even more inviting with a homemade feel.
What I like most about this is the early 90s heavy computer font and the fact that it can’t be missed on M Street, right in the middle of Georgetown.
Here’s one where you can honestly say, “Design First, Cost Second!” I love people that have their priorities straight in life. I liked the blue track lit and cut brushed aluminum sign so much, here’s a second look.
The restaurant Mien Yu on M Street doesn’t really need the signs as the colors tells us plenty of what’s inside–SPICE from the far east. I do like “packaging” design and this was well thought out if you consider the size of the package being the whole building.
They have what I love…paper, print and design.
Next post on Notable DC Signs and Fonts will be a look at some of the fonts used in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. Here’s a peek…
Posted in Washington DC Event Resources
