Stacey M Design

Basketball Hysteria

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:39:00 +0000

With all of the excitement surrounding the recent NBA finals, I decided to design a series of products featuring basketball kids. The fun thing about this series is that you can select the uniform colors.

Click here to see all of the products with the basketball design, as well as the uniform colors.

Ebony Magazine mentions Stacey M Design

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:18:00 +0000

Stacey M Design was mentioned in the August issue of Ebony magazine. In an article in the parenting section, page 134, called, “Party Like a Rock Climber,” I discuss the children’s party invitations I design, as well as my son’s recent Rock Climbing birthday party. (However, the photo of the boy rock climbing is NOT Isaiah. :-)

Read the article here.

Baseball Fever

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:43:00 +0000

In recent years I have become a baseball fan. I once thought baseball was a painfully slow game. I could never understand how people could watch it on television. I understood even less how people, like my father, could listen to it on the radio. (I still can’t do that!) When I first moved to Chicago, I lived on the north side and worked among “yuppies”—most of whom lived on the north side or in the northern suburbs. In order words, I became a Cubs fan. I grew in the Philadelphia area, so I also maintain an allegiance to the Phillies. And, a couple of years ago when the Tigers got hot and made it to the World Series after being pathetic for so long, I developed a soft spot for the Tigers. So, basically I am a baseball fan.

This year Chicago is crazy with baseball fever. For the past several weeks, both the Cubs and the White Sox are in first place in their divisions. And the cubs were first place in the league for a few weeks. Talk of an all-Chicago World Series is running rampant. Baseball fever!!!

What a great time for a baseball-themed birthday party!

School Uniform Stationery

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:13:00 +0000

I have a wonderful client whose daughter attends a school that requires uniforms. She asked that I design products featuring girls in school uniforms. The uniforms are green jumpers and white blouses. I was very excited about this project because I went to a school, the Shipley School, which required similar green uniforms. We called them the green jumpers “tunics” and we also wore white shirts with them. Memories…..

My client also asked that I customize the girls to look like her daughter and her daughter’s classmates. For months I had been planning on offering clients options of selecting different looks for the kids when ordering certain products. Every now and then customers have asked for different skin tones, different hairstyles, etc. My school uniform client’s request provided the perfect opportunity for me to stop procrastinating and develop custom options.

For my client I made placemats and note cards featuring the School Uniform Girls. My client was very happy with the result--- and so was I! In fact, I was so happy that I decided to offer an array of school uniform options. My sister attended The Agnes Irwin School where they wore blue jumpers with white shirts. So that was the next option I created. I also offer jumpers in beige, blue and white plaid, and blue and green plaid. Currently, School Uniform Girls are available on note cards, placemats, luggage tags and stationery sets.

I will soon add options for uniforms with skirts, pants and uniforms for boys.

The Benefits of Using a Professional Party Planner

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:10:00 +0000

Your child’s birthday is coming up and you need to plan that special party. But you also have to get the kids to soccer and swimming classes, plus meet a big deadline at work. When are you going to find time to plan the perfect birthday party with everything else going on in your life?

This is when a children’s party planner can help bring some peace of mind to your hectic life. A children’s party planner works like a wedding planner, providing everything you need to make your child’s party magical! The party planner can do everything from printing and sending your party invitations, catering the party food and birthday cakes, to providing all the party games and activities so your guests stay busy from the time they walk in the door to the time they leave with their goody bags in hand. This way you can relax and enjoy the party as much as your guests will. And the best part is the party planners clean up everything afterwards so you don’t have to lift a finger. What could be easier?

How do you know if using a party planner is right for your child's next party? Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you have the budget for a party planner?

The prices vary depending on your area, the services and party packages offered, and so on. Do your homework to find a local planner that fits your budget and makes you feel comfortable and confident in their services.

2. Do you have enough time to plan a party yourself? Or are you too busy to sweat the details?

If you're like most parents, you're getting pulled in a million directions. If your time is limited, a party planner could pull together a magical birthday party much faster and more creatively than most parents have the time or energy to do.

3. Do you want the party at your home or 'off-site'?

Most party planners come to your home for the party. They do everything from setup, to hosting the party, to cleaning up afterwards. Some party planners even provide refreshment areas for the parents as well as the pint-sized guests, for an additional fee. The only limit is your imagination! But if you want to have the party somewhere other than your home, then a party planner may not fit your needs.

4. Can you 'relinquish control' of the party planning?

Some party planners allow parents to have as much (or as little) involvement in the party planning as parents desire. Other planners expect little or no parental involvement - other than attending the party and paying for their services afterwards. Discuss these options with your party planner up front to determine the level of involvement that's right for you. But remember, you're paying the planner to work for you. So sit back, relax, and most of all - enjoy the party!

[Special thanks to children's party planner, Kent Jackson, of Pint-Size Parties in Atlanta for offering these tips on using a professional party planner for children's birthday parties. If you live in the metro Atlanta area and need a party planner, contact Kent! Check out her website for contact information and details about her party packages: www.pintsizedparties.com.

Learning to swim

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:48:00 +0000

Isaiah has been taking swimming lessons for about 3 years and still is a beginner. His biggest problems are his fear of getting into deep water and that very cold water bothers him. Isaiah is very, very skinny. He has very little body fat. He shivers like crazy if he gets in a pool that is not heated. This weekend he had a swimming class on Saturday and on Sunday we went to the pool. Neither day went very well. Both times Isaiah could barely do anything because he was so cold.
At end of our afternoon at the pool on Sunday, we discovered a 2nd, heated pool at our community center. Isaiah was very excited. He ran in the water and had a ball. He still did not want to practice going under the water or kicking his legs. "I just want to play!" However, as we left, he agreed that he would work on learning to swim if when we return to the heated pool. The problem with that is that his swimming lessons are not in a heated pool. So we will see how it goes at his next lesson.

Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:11:00 +0000

For Father’s Day I bought Harold and Isaiah a father/son cooking class at A Kids Kitchen. I thought this would be a great gift because Isaiah loves A Kids Kitchen and always enjoys helping me out in the kitchen. The class is perfect for Harold because they will be making Harold’s favorite food: RIBS!!!!

I must say that Harold is indeed a wonderful Dad. He spends a great deal of time with Isaiah, doing everything from driving Isaiah to his various activities, helping him with his math homework, taking him to get a haircut, taking him to the water park, taking him to Panera Bread or California Pizza Kitchen (Isaiah’s favorite restaurants), or taking him a doctor appointments. I often come home and find Harold reading a book to him or snuggled up together watching Sponge Bob or a movie.

Happy Father’s Day Harold and to all Fathers!!

Summer

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:09:00 +0000

The official beginning of summer will be here in a few days. What does that mean? For our family it means lots of time at the pool. It means lots of time grilling. It means picnicking, the beach, enjoying fireworks, catching fireflies. What are you doing this summer?

Graduation

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:37:00 +0000

For most graduation season has come and gone. However, I was going through some old photographs a few days ago and came across this photo from Isaiah’s preschool graduation a few years ago. So I decided to post it.

When recalling that event I remember being so excited that my little boy was reaching this milestone. He was just 4 years old. My mother and sister flew in from Ne Jersey and California for the event. Harold had a Kente graduation stole made for Isaiah to commemorate the event. This was a BIG deal for us. Just last week I was listening to a radio personality mention that he did not understand the point of celebrating preschool graduation or 8th grade graduation. He stated that finishing preschool is not such a big feat. Well I believe in celebrating in one way or another every accomplishment in life, no matter how big or small.

During Isaiah’s graduation, there were tears in all of our eyes. In all our minds we recalled Isaiah’s early entry into this world. He was born almost 2 ½ months early and weighed only 1 pound 14 ounces. He was in the hospital for 57 days. In our minds, as we listened to Isaiah sing the various songs the kids were taught for the event, we recalled that Isaiah had a severe speech delay. He first was taught to communicate via sign language. After intense speech therapy, he finally learned to speak. Isaiah’s speech therapist, Karen, was at the ceremony with tears in her eyes.

This year, several clients requested invitations that could be used for preschool or kindergarten graduation invitations or graduation party invitations. So I created a Kids Graduation design. I also have invitations for older grads—8th grade, high school, college, graduate school, etc.

A great day in Golf History

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:52:00 +0000

For most the notable golf sports story of today is all about Tiger Woods… and a little about Rocco Mediate. For Tiger: Three U.S. Open titles. Fourteen major wins. For Rocco: Number 158 hung in there with Tiger. Both great stories. But for me, the notable golf story of the day is that today was my son, Isaiah’s, first day at Golf Camp. Isaiah has been telling us for a couple of years that he wanted to learn how to play golf. I have no idea how he came to this conclusion. We live near several golf courses, but we have never played golf. The closest we have come to playing golf is playing mini golf a few times. So this year we decided to register Isaiah for 2 weeks of golf camp. The first camp, Golf for Christ Clinic, is through our church, DuPage AME Church. Isaiah was very excited when he returned home from is morning of golfing: he had hit the ball into the hole!

Isaiah’s interests have always been a huge inspiration for me in developing new illustrations for invitations, notecards and other stationery. Being only mildly creative, I initially created designs featuring basketball, baseball and football. Isaiah caused me to think a little bit out of the box. I have since added bowling, wall climbing and golf themed stationery. The golf guy design is available with several different custom options.

Customize your cards!

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:37:00 +0000

I have been working on providing an expanded selection of custom options for many of my products. I have always given clients the option of adding their own wording and selecting fonts. From time to time, clients have requested additional customization such as changes in the skin tone or hairstyle. I usually will make such adjustments as I love making my clients happy!!! These projects have been lots of fun, but have also been quite time-consuming. So I decided to develop a large selection of options including options for skin tone, hair style, clothing and accessories. Different designs will have different options. A few products and designs will not have expanded customization options, but the vast majority will. Check out our new custom options. I will be adding additional options over the next several weeks.

Rock Climbing Party

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:40:00 +0000

This Spring Isaiah will be 8 years old. It is hard to believe that that scrawny little preemie, who weighed 1 pound 14 ounces at birth, is almost 8 years old! I recall visiting him in the Neo-natal intensive care unit every day for the 57 days that he was there. In the hallways were photographs of children who were once patients in the NICU. The children in the photographs looked as if they were about 2-4 years old. I recall saying to my sister that I could not even imagine Isaiah looking like that. At the time Isaiah had a bunch of wires attached to monitors, a feeding tube and was just so tiny.

Fast forward to 2008. He is now this tall, skinny kid who is constantly running around. He is in 2nd grade, is a Cub Scout, loves to use the computer, wants to be an architect and is currently obsessed with Sponge Bob. He also loves to rock climb!

Sometime in 2007, seemingly out of the blue, Isaiah told me that he wanted a rock climbing birthday party. I thought the idea was kinda cool and agreed to it. His birthday was still over 6 months away, so I figured there was a strong possibility that he would change his mind. Every once in a while when the topic of his birthday would come up, we would mention it to me again, “Mommy, I want a rock climbing party.” Two months before his birthday he was still insisting on a rock climbing party. I gave him other options. He was steadfast in his desire to rock climb. I decided that we would have to at least try it once or twice prior to his party to make sure he really likes it and that he can do it. We signed up at Vertical Endeavors to climb during one of their open climbing sessions. Isaiah was beside himself with excitement. Harold, Isaiah and I all put on the climbing gear. One of the instructors gave us an orientation on climbing and instruction. It really is not that difficult to learn how to do it. the difficulty is to have the strength to push your body up with your legs and/or pull your body up. Now for Isaiah, who barely weights 40 pounds, this is not so much an issue. We attached the safety equipment to him and practically scrambled up the wall!! I was shocked that he showed no fear even when he was all the way up—about 20 feet above the ground. Because Isaiah is so light, we had to attach an extra rope to his climbing belt that we would pull to bring him down. Typically, the climber’s weight would help him quickly descend.

When Isaiah was back on the ground after climbing once, we had a huge smile. He was just beaming. He loved it. We spent about an hour climbing. Isaiah climbed about 5 different areas of the wall. I also attempted to climb—with little success. I just was not strong enough to pull my body up. But I have not given up!

I took Isaiah climbing again the next 2 weekends. Since he loves it so much, we plan to purchase a family membership so that we can climb regularly.

So Isaiah is having a rock climbing party. Now that I have secured the location, my next task: design the invitation! For this invitation I am not sure whether to do my traditional style of invitation with one of my characters wall climbing. The other option I am considering is designing the invitation with a photo of Isaiah climbing. I think that a photo of him would be so cute and compelling that I may just go that route. I would still design a more traditional invitation and I would use my traditional design to make the accessories such as the favor labes, thank you note cards, etc.

Stay tuned!! I will post the invitations in a future post-- as soon as I design it!

Cooking Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:10:00 +0000

Last year, for his 7th birthday, Isaiah declared that he wanted his party at A Kid’s Kitchen. We discovered A Kid’s Kitchen in 2006, shortly after it first opened. This wonderful little kid’s culinary institute offers numerous cooking classes for children. Isaiah has attended classes on making ice cream sandwiches featuring fresh baked brownies, pizzas, donuts and several other scrumptious, kid-friendly fare. Harold and I even took a “grown-up” class which doubled as dinner for 2. We made barbecue spare-ribs and salad and brought in a nice bottle of wine!

A couple of months before Isaiah’s party we took him to a class at A Kid’s Kitchen. It has been several months since he had taken a class, but he quickly remembered how much he enjoyed it. A week or so later I gave him several options for his birthday party: another bowling party, ice-skating, baseball game or a party at A Kid’s Kitchen. Without hesitation he selected A Kid’s Kitchen.

After contacting Chef Michelle, owner of A Kid’s Kitchen, the next thing I had to do was design a party invitation and accessories. A few days late my “Chef Guy” invitation design was born!

This party involved very little work. A Kid’s Kitchen’s license provided that no outside food could be brought in. All we provided was the goody bags.

The activity was making pizza. The kids did everything from rolling the dough, to adding the sauce and picking toppings. Some of the adults got involved as well and made personal pizzas. The great thing about his type of party is that kids love to put their hands into gooey, messy things. Add to pizza to that concept and you have a winning recipe for a birthday party. There is also an educational component. Chef Michelle instructs the children on kitchen hygiene. There are hand-washing stations that the kids had to use multiple times throughout the party. Chef Michelle also gave a mini-lesson on measuring ingredients.

After the kids (and a few adults) designed their own pizzas, Chef Michelle popped them in the oven. While they were baking, the kids decorated cupcakes to eat in place of a traditional birthday cake. (We had a traditional birthday cake at home.). We opened gifts and everyone went home with very happy tummies!

I designed the invitation to feature a boy. Soon after I posted it one of my clients requested a girl version. The Chef Girl invitation was born!

Bowling Party

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Many of my design ideas are based on my son, Isaiah’s, parties. Two years ago for his 6th birthday party, he wanted a bowling party. A few months prior to his birthday, Isaiah, Harold and I went bowling. Prior to that I had bowled about 2-3 times in the past 20 years. However, when I was in elementary school I was on the bowling team and was pretty gold. I even won a trophy! My assumption was that if I was able to bowl pretty well when I was 8, against other kids who were 8, then 30 years later I should still be able to bowl pretty well—especially against my 6 year old.

The first indication that my logic was faulty was when I tried to pick up a bowling ball. It was sooo heavy. After bowling a couple of frames my wrist ached. I was able to barely win the first game. However, both Isaiah and Harold handily beat me the second the game.

On the way home Isaiah could not stop talking about how much fun he had. They just happened to be a bowling match on TV. Isaiah sat and watched it…. mesmerized. It naturally followed that we would have a bowling birthday party. Soon after he made it clear to me that he wanted to have a bowling birthday party.

We had the party at Brunswick Lanes in Naperville, IL. Of course I had to come up with a cute birthday party invitation. Although my son’s party was the inspiration for the invitation, I wanted the invitation to be unisex. The invitation features both a boy and girl bowling. I also designed matching fill-in thank you note cards and favor labels. We used white paper bags that we purchased at an office supply store. We filled them with candy, small toys and a book. We folded the top of the bag over and sealed them with the bowling-themed label that read, “Thank you for coming to Isaiah’s 6th Birthday Party.” One additional special touch was that I designed a coordinating, bowling-themed t-shirt for Isaiah to wear to the party. He looked so CUTE!!!

Besides my designing the invitations, we had to do very little to prepare for the party. Brunswick provided the food and beverages. We brought in ice cream and toppings from Harold’s favorite ice cream store and a bought a cute little bowling themed cake from my favorite bakery. In addition to about 10 of Isaiah’s friends, the usual family and family friends came to the party: my mother, my sister and Karen (Isaiah’s speech therapist).

Let's PARTY!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:15:00 +0000

I have several new party invitations--- not only children's birthday party invitations, but "grown up" party invitations! The line now includes:

*adult birthday party invitations
*wedding-related party invitations (bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, etc.)
*baby shower invitations
*graduation party invitations
*Christmas party invitations

I plan to add more invitations throughout the year. So visit often. :)

Stacey M Design LOVES Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:59:00 +0000

This year I have new Valentine's Day cards for kids to exchange with their friends. For girls there is the "Forever Friends" set, the "Fairy Friends" set, and the "Gymnastics" set. For boys there is the "Racecar" set. I have increased the number of cards in each package to 10: 3 each of 3 designs and 1 teacher card.

The cards are 3.5"x4.875" and include mailable envelopes.

Thanks!

Summer Party Season is Here!!

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:06:00 +0000

Hello:

Now that summer is here it is time for pool parties, barbecues and lots of outdoor fun! I designed new kids party invitations for summer fun. Check them out!

http://www.staceymdesign.com/childparty.shtml

Stacey

Chef Girl Invitation available

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:44:00 +0000

After I posted an image of the Chef Boy invitation that I designed for my son's birthday party, I received many requests for a Chef Girl invitation. Well, the Chef Girl invite is now available!
http://www.staceymdesign.com/order5-188.shtml

I am constantly thinking about new themes for party invitations. If you have any ideas, let me know!!

Stacey

Isaiah is 7!!

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 03:29:00 +0000

My son, Isaiah, recently celebrated his 7th birthday. Each year I design his party invitation and sometimes incorporate the invitation into my line.

This year Isaiah wanted to have his party at A Kids Kitchen-- a children's culinary school in Naperville, IL. Since the school opened about a year ago, Isaiah has taken several classes. So, I designed a cute little invitation for the event.

At the party the kids made their own pizzas and decorated cupcakes. Everyone had a great time.

....And the owned of A Kids Kitchen, Chef Michelle, loved the invitation and put one on display!!

Stacey

New Greeting Cards for Adults

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 03:09:00 +0000

Greetings!
It has been a long time since I last posted. I have been very busy over the last several months developing a new line of cards featuring adult characters. I have added over 20 new greeting card designs for several occasions including: birthday, friendship, bridal shower, baby shower and graduation. I also have new bridal shower invitations.

Throughout this year, I plan to continue to expand the line with both cards featuring children and cards featuring adults.

I am also considering several new types of products that will feature my designs.

So far this year has already been both exciting and exhausting. However, I constantly find energy through the creative process and look forward to introducing many new products and designs over the next several months.

Check back often to see what's new!!

Stacey

Christmas is here!... well... almost....

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 01:58:00 +0000

At Stacey M Design, Christmas is here! It is time to get those Christmas cards. Why wait until the last minute. :) This year I offer new Christmas card designs, including 9 new photocards. I also have gift tags, and gift tag labels that I will personalize for you.

See the complete line: http://www.staceymdesign.com/christmaskwanzaa.shtml

Maryland Friends

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 01:35:00 +0000

Greetings!
I am proud to announce that Stacey M Design's products are now available in the following stores in Maryland:

Party! Party! Party!6435 Dobbin Road,Columbia, MD 21045410/992-1998
Pat's Hallmark15421 Emerald Way,Bowie, MD 20716301/464-5557

Both stores offer a wide range of my children's party invitations that the store will custom imprint for you, as well as notecards and related items.

For additional locations click here:
http://www.staceymdesign.com/store.shtml

Thanks!

Great customers!

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:24:00 +0000

Welcome to my blog!

First I have to thank all of my customers for support over the years. I appreciate the business, the referrals and the kind words.

My products are now offered at several different stores in several different states. If you like to "touch and feel" before purchasing, check out the selection of one the stores. Click this link for a listing of stores:

http://www.staceymdesign.com/store.shtml

Again, thank you for your support and stay tuned for new products and designs.

Stacey

noreply@blogger.com (StaceyMDesign) — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:50:00 +0000

Welcome to Stacey M Design.