One of the best parts about my role here at TOG.ink is that the team and I get the incredible pleasure of testing out products! Of course, a lot of my creative energy goes toward my two amazing kiddos, and my favorite spot to plan a party is my parents’ place in the country. My idea of a beautiful country home is very different than the hobby farms you see on HGTV. In fact, one of my favorite things about this particular location is embracing the imperfections of an old country property and taking advantage of my Dad’s ingenuity he developed being raised on a farm.

The first birthday party we planned out there was a Winnie the Pooh birthday party to celebrate my daughter turning three. You can read all about it in A Birthday Party (and Invitation) to Remember. Last year, I turned that very same party into a Halloween Trail, and you can read more about that in A Halloween Party with Custom Print.

However, I told my husband that I was NOT going to plan another party this year. I needed a break. As much as I love planning parties, they are a lot of work (I’m preaching to the choir, I know). However, when my son fell in love with Disney’s Robin Hood, I simply couldn’t resist. It was the perfect theme for a trail we had already created. So here we are post-party and it might be my husband’s favorite party yet.

Let’s Begin with the Custom Birthday Party Invitations

As the third of three parties I’ve had on this trail, I have come to really enjoy using the same invitation design but modifying it to fit the party theme. You can see the tree artwork in the backdrop is the same as the first two parties but we added some Robin Hood elements to the scene. This time, I went with a deckle edge trim (new option just added this year) and I included a belly band once again. The artwork on the belly band will come into play for custom signs we’ll talk about later on.

I chose ecru textured paper for both the custom invitations and the belly bands. The creamy color of ecru gives the whole design a nice warm tone and the textured paper with deckle edge trim lends an old-fashioned feel to the whole piece. I went with the Matcha Tea envelopes because they coordinated beautifully. I hand-addressed the envelopes with a white ink pen but we do offer White Ink envelopes with variable print, if you’re interested. The invitation turned out so SO DARNED CUTE! All the credit goes to Jeremy Schulz, my friend who designed the invitation.

No custom napkins? You know us better than that!

I have ordered digital napkins so many times now, but I actually really love foil-stamped napkins. Digital is easy because you can add existing artwork. Foil-stamped napkins often require new artwork, which adds a little time (not much though) and the shine is so worth it!

I have to say, these napkins hold a special place in my heart because my husband sings the song that old rooster sings in the Disney Robin Hood movie to our children at bedtime. In case you need a trip down memory lane, take a listen to the song, Oo De Lally. One of the phrases in the song,“Golly What a Day”, is foil-stamped on these napkins in the same Robin Hood font Jeremy found for the invitation. I couldn’t decide what color combination to pick so I went with two: sage foil on ecru napkins and gold foil on hunter green napkins. They turned out beautifully! If you’re looking for more information about how to order custom napkins, check out our Napkin Printing page.

And We’re Off to Sherwood Forest

We do a lot of print product testing here, and sometimes we get to step outside of the box and do something totally new. This next piece is a custom, custom piece (so to speak). Did you know you can submit custom quote requests via the Custom Quote Form? The custom quotes we receive are often requests for different paper colors from what we offer on the site, multiple print processes, blind embossing, two foil colors, and so on. What I wanted was to create custom party signs that fit the Robin Hood theme. I wanted to make sure each spot was marked for guests as they walked the trail and stopped at various activities.

I asked Jeremy to use the wooden board artwork from the belly band on the invitation. We used that on a sign about 20” in length and added wording in gold enhanced foil. I asked the press operators how many signs we could fit on their largest sheet of paper and we were able to comfortably fit 4 signs at the size I wanted. I needed eight signs total, so this worked out beautifully. I could have used art prints to make this work but I wanted each sign to say something different AND I wanted the enhanced foil to give it a metal-like finish. Since we don’t have variable print art prints featuring enhanced foil, I chose to request something custom and they were amazing!

The press operators did an awesome job and the artwork from Jeremy worked wonderfully with the theme. The digital art and enhanced foil print complemented each other perfectly. He even outlined the enhanced foil wording with a digital border to add depth. This also helped with readability at long distances.

Custom Designs Bring So Much Joy

I’m all for buying off the shelf and ordering from websites for so many things but when you have the talent to create and the means to print those creations, the results are beyond special. My little boy and all of our party guests had the most wonderful day!

I know the success of the party was a combination of many things from decorations to food to the wonderful friends and family we had the privilege of hosting but custom print pieces bring parties to life! They set the theme, they build excitement and they help create a mood. And here’s the thing that every single one of you knows but the party guests don’t…your creations helped make that event not just fun but joyful. I truly believe the love you pour into your creations becomes a part of the celebration itself.

Happy birthday, my little Asher!