Ashley Brooke Designs: Celebrity Love | Tori Spelling

A few months back I received THE sweetest note from Tori Spelling! We had done some stationery for her family and she just loved the finished look!



Here is what her finished stationery suite looked like! I can't get enough of it!!



Some of you may have seen me tweet about it a few months back! I was, and still am so excited over the note!



Thank you Tori & Dean! I loved illustrating your custom design!
xo- Ashley Brooke





Content and Illustrations ©2010 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Ashley Brooke Designs: How a Thank You Note Can Build a Brand

Good Morning!!  I have to admit, although they're crazy, I kind of like Mondays.  It's my catch-up/get organized day most of the time.  Returning emails, working on invoices, and always a little designing!

I wanted to share a story with you that really reinforces for me just how important a hand written thank you note can be.  Not only personally but professionally.  

I recently sent my friend EHK to get the new OPI gel manicure as a thank you to her.  She had a great time and her nails look FANTASTIC!  Seriously, I need to get one of these, like today.  But anyway, about two days later she got something in the mail:  A hand-written, thank you note from the nail technician!  Karen (the nail tech) thanked EHK for letting her take care of hands and assured her that she would always be there to answer any questions, etc.  It was a super nice note and an important professional gesture as well.

See even if EHK was unsure about whether or not she would go back to Karen, you can bet your bottom dollar that such a thoughtful, sweet note sealed the deal!  I'm sure Karen thanked her when she left the salon, but by going to extra mile, she made EHK feel special and truly appreciated as a client.  And that is what thank you notes are all about: conveying just how much you care and appreciate the recipient.  A lesson we should all take to heart.

Content and Illustrations ©2010 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Ashley Brooke Designs: Don't forget to say thank you!

And now for the last piece of the shower etiquette puzzle: saying thank you!  Even if you thank your guests at the shower, it's always best to follow up with a written thank you note.  If you are the guest of honor,  it is thoughtful to bring a thank you note and small gift to your host or hostess on the day of, for throwing you the shower.

Examples of Baby and Bridal Shower Thank Yous.

Dear Mary,

Thank you so much for the sweet onesies and receiving blanket.  We are so excited about this little one's impending arrival.  I can wait to see him in the onesies and I know the blanket will be very useful. Thanks again for coming and being so thoughtful.

Dear Mary,

Thanks so much for the lovely place-setting.  Joe and I are so excited for this next step in our lives and are so blessed to share it with so many wonderful friends and family.  I can't wait to put that place setting to good use in our kitchen.  Thank you for coming to the shower and being so thoughtful!

Content and Illustrations ©2009 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Ashley Brooke Designs: Graduation Thank You's

Graduation is just around the corner, believe it or not, and the orders are roll'n in for graduation announcements, and thank yous! This is one of my favorites! Super sweet Kelsey e-mailed me a few weeks back and attached her A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E Senior photo where she was wearing this exact outfit and I couldn't stop myself I had to draw it!! Anyways, I'm loving the way it came out and can't wait to hear what her friends and family thought about this desgin as well! CONGRATULATIONS Kelsey! All of us here at Ashley Brooke Designs are super excited for you!

Thank You Notes and Holiday Gifts

Sometimes at the holidays it may seem that you are inundated with gifts and little tokens of affection.  And it can seem the prospect of responding to each of those with a hand written note is a daunting task.  According to Emily Post's Etiquette, thank you notes are always necessary unless you've thanked the giver in person.  Personally I think (and Post encourages this too) its always better form to follow up with a note even if you've thanked the giver in person.  So get to writing!  See one of my favorite plan ahead tips here.

Thank You Preparation

As a new bride, I have lots of thank you notes to write. If you find yourself in a similar position here's a quick tip from me to you to help with the writing process. If you know ahead of time a situation is going to merit a thank you note, prepare the card and envelope. That is, address the envelope and add the return address, and put the card you will write with it. Then after the event, gift or encounter, all you have to do is jot a sweet note and slip it in the envelope. It may not seem like a big deal, but it will save you time and by placing the envelope and card somewhere where you'll see it, you aren't likely to forget to write it!

What to say in a thank you note

Thank you notes don't have to follow any specific formula, but sometimes it helps to have an idea as to what to do and how to phrase something. Start out by thanking the giver for the gift specifically. "Dear Mary, Thank you so much for the lovely wine glasses." Then insert a line or two about what you like about it or how you plan to use it. "I love the unique design of the glasses. Mark and I can't wait to use them at our next dinner party." Wrap up the note by thanking the giver again for the gift and their general thoughtfulness. "Thank you again for such a thoughtful gift."

As you can see, you can keep it short and simple and still convey your genuine thanks.

How long do I have to send a Thank You note?

Thank you notes should be sent as soon as possible after a gift or gesture. One week is customary but there a couple of situations where the window is extended. If you receive a gift while in the hospital, obviously thank you notes can wait to be written until you (or the patient) are feeling better. Another exception is wedding thank you notes. Couples generally have up to three months to send thank you notes for gifts they've received.

For my part, I believe the sooner the better when it comes to sending out notes. However, waiting too long does not excuse you from sending a note at all. Despite all of these guidelines, better late than never most definitely applies to thank you notes.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

I am so overwhelmed by all of your sweet comments and kind words over the last week or so! I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be married to my best friend and to be home, starting our lives together. I am anxious to get back to work so if you contacted me while I was away, I'll be getting back with you soon.

Being blessed with so many great people who helped make my engagement and wedding so very special, I have lots of thank you notes to write. So I thought this week we'd talk about the art of the thank you note. Timing a note, what to write and when to send it are all things to be considered when writing a thank you. I'll address these and other topics this week and I hope you'll find it super helpful! Happy Monday, here's to a good week!

Gracias

9 days and counting until the big day! Like the card? Its one of the designs I created for Manolo and I to use as thank you cards for our wedding gifts. I think its really pretty and I like that it combines the English and Spanish for some of his family friends and relatives.

Kids Thank Yous

Even if your little one is too young to write their own thank you note, it's nice for them to have some stationery of their own. Here are a couple of sample designs. One for a little girl and one for a little boy:

Wedding thank you note etiquette.

Should you break out your stationery with you soon to be new monogram before the wedding to write shower thank you notes and others?

No, actually the stationery that has your new monogram should be used for wedding gifts and you shouldn't start using them until after you are married, says tradition.

Also remember to sign your maiden name up until you are married on all of your thank you notes and your married name on the "Wedding" thank you notes if you are changing names.

(via Emily Post)

Thank You Note: Quick Tip

Although thank you notes are extremely important they are also very time consuming.
A quick tip to speed up the process is to go a head and address and stamp the envelope as soon as you see the opportunity for a thank you note to be written, that way you won't forget about that special person and you can save the actual 'thank you note writing' for a day when you have a few extra minutes!"

Men, write your thank you notes!

I know that most of my readers are not men, but none the less tell your brothers, boyfriends, and husbands that it does NOT make them any less manly to write a thank you note! In fact, some of the most powerful men in this country write thank you notes, including our President and many other Presidents that came before him. If anything, writing a note makes you more "manly"!!

Custom Illistrated Thank You Cards

Here is the finished Look!

I know I showed you what they looked like in a sketch form, but here it is coupled with a Kraft paper envelope and coordinating green liner. Look closely it says "the proposal spot" on the right hand corner of the envelope! So sweet and very personal.

Wedding Thank You Cards

This adorable couple came to me in search of something really fun that they could send out as thank you notes for all of their pre and post wedding events.

These are just adorable, and just what she had in mind!

Thank You Note: Quick Tip

Although thank you notes are extremely important they are also very time consuming.
A quick tip to speed up the process is to go a head and address and stamp the envelope as soon as you see the opportunity for a thank you note to be written, that way you won't forget about that special person and you can save the actual "thank you note writing" for a day when you have a few extra minutes!Lemon Flat Cards