Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating your invitations and planning your party. They’ll help you make sure that your guests don’t spill the beans before the big moment.

1. This is no time to be subtle with your guests.  We always advise customers who are throwing a Surprise Party to put the word “SURPRISE” in bold and in caps on their invitations, and to make the type for this word larger than the rest of the text.  Some of your guests may take a cursory glance at the invitation when they first receive it, and if the word “SURPRISE” doesn’t jump out at them and they’re not reading carefully, they may not realize that they’re being trusted to keep a secret.

2.  If the Guest of Honor lives with you, make absolutely sure that there is no chance that a stray invitation will be found laying around your house or at a good friend’s house.  If you are throwing a Surprise Party for a teacher, do not bring the Invitations anywhere near the school building. If the party is for a co-worker, distribute the Invitations somewhere away from the office.

3.  If the Guest of Honor lives with you, and you’ve ordered party items online, such as invitations, favors, etc., have all shipments delivered to a neighbor or a friend.  You don’t want to give the Guest of Honor any reason to be curious about the contents of a package that you just received. It’s much easier to avoid questions than to have to create alibis to cover up your plans.

4.  If the Guest of Honor lives with you, and if you are using Response Cards with your Invitations, have all envelopes addressed to a friend or neighbor.  If you’re concerned that your invited guests won’t recognize this return address and therefore may not open the invitation, you can still include your name or the name of the Guest of Honor.  For instance:

John Smith’s SURPRISE Birthday Party
c/o Mary Jones
111 First Street
Brooklyn, NY  11209

5.  Make sure that your Guest of Honor will be available on the date and time of the party. Get your alibi straight right from the beginning.  Tell them that they’ll be attending a party for someone else, or that they’ll be going out for a night at the theater, or to the game. Figure out what will appeal to the Guest of Honor.

6.  If your guests are going to be driving to the site of the party, ask them to please park their cars off-site. After you’ve concealed the secret of the party for months, the last thing you want is to have the secret given away moments before the Guest of Honor makes their grand entrance, when they recognize several friends’ cars in the parking lot.

7.  Make sure to tell your guests to arrive half an hour before the Guest of Honor.
Spell it out in the Invitation.  Party begins at 7:00 p.m. SHARP.  Guest of Honor arrives at 7:30 p.m.

8. Enlist your guests to cooperate in keeping the secret.
Spell it out in the Invitation. Loose lips sink ships. 

9. It’s always a nice touch to ask your guests to prepare a toast or a few remarks to pay tribute to the Guest of Honor. If you ask for this in the body of the Invitation, that leaves your guests plenty of time to prepare a few words. Some of them may freeze up if asked on the spot, but with a few weeks’ prep time they might find the perfect thing to say.

10. You can see a selection of Surprise Party Invitations on our website.  We also have some suggestions for wording for your Surprise Party Invitation. If you don’t see what you want or if you have any questions, feel free to contact Debbie toll-free at 888.286.0365 or info [at] ipvstudio.com. She’ll be glad to assist you.

Photo Credit: End of Party courtesy of Juliana Coutinho via Creative Commons

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To ensure that it looks great, take a few moments to consider the following details.

1. Consider using a professional photographer.

A professional photographer will ensure that your photos have a sharp focus, that your subject is well posed, that the lighting and composition will be perfect and that the background doesn’t distract from the subject of the photo. If this option is out of your price range, consider finding a photography student to do the job. Review their portfolio before hiring.

2. If you don’t have a digital photo that can be attached to an email, but you have a print of a great photo:

■ Try to get it scanned at a high resolution. 300 dpi (dots per inch) should be the minimum.

■ Avoid using your phone to take a picture of the original photo, especially if it is already behind glass in a frame. While it may look good on your phone screen, the final print of the photo on your invitation will look skewed. If the photo is in a frame, there will be visible reflections on the glass.

If you choose to take the photograph yourself, here are some tips to keep in mind:

3. Seek out inspiration before you take your photos.

If you’re not in the habit of shooting posed subjects, take a look around online and in magazines before you begin. Notice which photos catch your eye. See if you can figure out why. Did the photo create an attractive mood? Do you like the expression on the subject’s face? Do you like the background of the photo? Professional photographers consider a host of details before they shoot. You can benefit from their experience by attempting to dissect their work, and using it as inspiration.

4. Consider the lighting.

■ Try to have the subject cast in natural light, either outdoors or indoors with the light coming in through a window.

■ Make sure that the light isn’t blinding, and that it isn’t making your subject squint.

■ Be sure that the subject is not standing in front of a window on a brilliant sunny day. While they may look great in the room, they will wind up photographing as a dark silhouette in front of the light coming in through the window.

■ The lighting source should be coming over the photographer’s shoulder, with the light falling on the subject. It should not be behind the subject.

■ Make sure that no shadows are falling on the subject, including the shadow of the photographer. If you’re shooting indoors, please keep in mind that fluorescent lighting tends to be harsh.

■ Avoid using the flash.

5. Arrange to have a neutral background behind the subject.

Do not pose your subject inside a cluttered bedroom, or any other area in the house that hasn’t been straightened up. Even if the house is immaculate, the furniture in the background, or the artwork on the walls may wind up distracting the eye from the subject of the photo. Ideally, you’d like the subject to stand before a blank wall. You could also choose to use a backdrop. Hang a clean, stain free, well ironed, solid colored bed sheet on the wall behind the subject.

6. Make sure that the subject has brushed their hair and groomed themselves.

The camera can be unforgiving. It can emphasize things that the naked eye would overlook. Wisps of stray hair straggling from an up-do will show up in your photo, and may give the subject a messier appearance. Make sure that makeup has been touched up, that there is no lipstick on the teeth, and that the subject isn’t chewing gum. If you are photographing someone with long hair, try asking them to pull it to the side, and have it covering one shoulder instead of both. This will give you a better view of their face.

7. Make sure that you hold your camera as steadily as possible.

This will help you get a sharper focus on your photo. If you have a tripod, use it. If you don’t have a tripod, try resting your camera, or your elbows, on any fixed piece of heavy furniture or any solid surface. If you can keep your body still while shooting, there’s less risk that a small movement will wind up blurring the photo.

8. Don’t assume that your first photo will do the job.

Take a series of photos of the subject in a pose. Then try a host of different poses.

This is the way that professional photographers conduct a photo session. It’s a good idea to take many more photos than you’ll need, and then to have this wide variety of photos available to choose from.

9. Get your subjects to speak while you’re photographing them.

Your subject will look more relaxed and less stiff and posed if you can encourage them to talk during your photo session. Top fashion models cultivate the skill of conveying a message to the camera with the expressions on their faces. Try to snap the photo just as the subject has finished saying something. The subject will wind up looking more alive, even while sitting still in a pose. More of their personality will come through in the photograph.

10. Experiment with keeping the camera just slightly above the middle of the subject’s face.

You will get an unflattering result if you shoot the subject from below, looking up their nostrils. You’ll get a more flattering result if you shoot the subject from slightly above. Bear this in mind if you are photographing a newborn in a crib. Try to take the photo from overhead, rather than from the usual vantage point, where you’d be near the baby’s feet and shooting their face from below.

11. If you are photographing a couple, or more than one subject in a photo, take more photos.

It is harder to get a good photo when you’ve got more than one subject. One subject might come out looking great while the other is slightly out of focus or looking away. The more photos you take, the better your chance of winding up with one in which all the subjects look great.

12. Have patience and allow the time needed to do the job right the first time.

If you wind up with a blurred photo and an unkempt subject in a messy environment, do not assume that graphic artists are magicians who can fix it up. Not much can be done to help a bad photo.

13. Make sure that you’ve seen a print of your photo.

Photos can look much different in print than they do on your phone or laptop screen. Avoid disappointment by making sure that your photo will make a good print before you decide to use it on an invitation.

If you’ve reached the end of this list, but still have questions, please feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call. Ask for Debbie.

We want to make sure that you’re completely thrilled with your invitations.

Photo ‘SAKURAKO – Photographer’ by MIKI Yoshihito used with gratitude via Creative Commons

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Customers have often told me that they have trouble finding the words to express themselves or that they feel self conscious about their writing skills.  Often, all that they need are a few prompts, and that’s enough to get them going toward writing a beautiful heartfelt sentiment.  Consider some of these ideas when it comes to crafting your own personal note.

Open with a salutation.  Here are some examples:

We hope that this finds you and yours doing well and enjoying the magic of the season.

As we enjoy the season and prepare to gather with family and friends, we’ve been thinking of you.

It’s hard to believe that another year has passed so quickly.  We hope that it’s been wonderful for you and yours.

If you’re replying to a letter that someone’s just sent you, it’s a nice touch to write, “It’s so good to hear from you.”  This will music to the ears of your friend.  It will let them know that their note to you was appreciated and it will encourage them to make the effort to stay in touch with you.

Your friend wants to know that someone is thinking of them and enjoys their company.  If you are writing to a specific person, go on to engage that person with comments about something meaningful specifically for them.  For example:

We went to the ballet and when they danced your favorite Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, it made me think of you.

When the Giants won the Worlds Series, we knew that you must have been at home watching the game and cheering along with us.  We got such a kick out of seeing your hero Tim Lincecum pitch.

Based on your recommendation, I read The Black Box by Michael Connelly.  I couldn’t put it down and now I want to read everything that he’s written.

We had a beautiful crop of tomatoes in our backyard this year, thanks go all the tips that you gave me about gardening.

Think about your loved one’s favorite things.  Do they like to cook, knit, play basketball, hunt?  Did you experience one of these things during the year, and did it make you think of them?  Did you have a meal that you know he would have loved?  Did you drive through a town where she once lived?  Did the two of you do something great together this year, like kayak down the Hudson or see a terrific movie?  Tell her that you were thinking about her, and if you can tell her specifically why, it adds a beautiful touch and it will be likely raise a smile on her face.

If you are writing one note that’s going to go out to a broader audience, consider if there’s something you can say of a somewhat personal nature to all of them.  You might want to talk about your home town, or the family business, or a personal labor of love.

I’ve become so obsessed with my aikido practice, that it inspired me to start studying jiu jitsu and muay thai too.

Brooklyn has changed so rapidly in the past few years that it’s hard to remember the way it used to be.

We realized a dream this year when our company was finally able to launch an art program for the local kids.

Now it’s time to talk about yourself and your family.  Consider whether or not there have been any big changes in the past year.  Did something exciting happen in your professional or personal life?  Did a family member marry or have a baby?  Did you start a new job?  Did you visit a place where you’d never been before?  Did you get involved in some new endeavor?

Joseph and Stella had the most beautiful October wedding.  I wish that you could have seen them at the altar at the Palm House conservatory, surrounded by the fiery autumn leaves outdoors.

On September 1st Nick and Lisa welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world and lovingly named him Tommaso, after Lisa’s beloved grandfather.  The old man would have been beaming with pride to see his name sake.

Mary and I attended our 40th High School Reunion!  Our old friends looked so different without their bell bottoms and love beads.

If you have children, give a brief report on their progress:

Michael took up Tee Ball and made a gang of new friends.

Kathy loves her ballet lessons.  She played an angel in The Nutcracker.

We can’t keep William off the ice; he’s destined to play with the Rangers.

Elizabeth started college and is majoring in forestry.  The woodlands need her care now more than ever before.

Do not make your note too long.  People will love to hear from you, but if you go on too long, they may start to zone out.  You want to send a friendly letter, not a filibuster.  It’s better to get good things said in the smallest amount of words.

Close with a holiday sentiment and an expression of thanksgiving.  We have a large selection of sentiments right here.

Image courtesy of Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism via Creative Commons

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I’ve had a life long love affair with dance, especially with ballet.  I’ve spent more than twenty-five years taking class at various studios around New York City, including American Ballet Theatre and Steps.  These days I also work behind the scenes for a couple of dance companies and I review dance concerts for Body Wrappers / Angelo Luzio.

We started working on marketing materials and theatre programs for the Vicky Simegiatos Performing Arts Center back in 1999.  I was so happy to find a studio in Bay Ridge that was so strong in ballet, and all the work that I’ve done for VSPAC throughout the years has been a labor of love.  (It’s also been really touching to have had such a long relationship with the studio — some of the beautiful ballerinas pictured above were just little ones when I first met them.)

Every year at this time, we prepare their marketing materials for September Back-to-School Registration.

Being surrounded by all of these dance images always reminds me of how deeply I love ballet.  The discipline, the ritual, the exertion, the glamour, the music, the artistry, the spirituality, the community, the communion, and the inspiration of all the great primas and masters who came before and those who continue to work today.

I also love the promise that’s contained in this moment every year as we’re poised on the cusp of a new season.

::    ::    ::    ::    ::

Photo of ensemble of VSPAC ballet students by Jesse Stein for Body Wrappers/Angelo Luzio

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We have a large selection of cards for you to send to your family and friends commemorating the Jewish New Year.  Take a look and think of those whom you’d like to greet for the holiday.

The post Rosh Hashanah Is On The Way appeared first on IPV Studio.

Have you seen our collection of Download-and-Print Invitations?  They make  beautiful announcements for any party, but they’re especially useful if you’re giving a party on short notice.  We also love it that we can deliver them to you without the use of packing materials and fuel guzzling trucks and planes.

Just choose your favorite design, download it to your computer, fill in the details for your party, print the invitations and have them in the mail the same day!

Through July 31, 2012, all of our Download-and-Print Invitations will be available for FREE when you use the coupon code FREE at checkout.

This offer applies only to our Download-and-Print designs.

– Children’s Party Invitations

– Retirement Party Invitations

– Family Reunion Invitations

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Check out our cute new Valentine’s Day Party Invitations, available in custom and fill-in styles.  Invitations above are style VPIT-04, available on our website.  For further information, e-mail us or call toll free, 888.286.0365.

Below is style VPIT-05, also available in custom and fill-in styles (not shown).

For something a little more romantic, check out VPIT-03 (below).

All the styles shown above can be viewed on the IPV Studio web site.

Be sure to check out our selection of Print Your Own Valentine’s Day Party Invitations.   These are available as .pdfs to be customized or you can just print them out and fill in the details by hand.  The link will take you to my favorite design, which is shown below.  While you’re on the page, be sure to follow the links to see our other Print Your Own styles.

There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate.  ~ Charles Dickens.

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I couldn’t decide on which background worked the best, so we’re making these new cards available with three different backgrounds.  The style number is JNY-00-32 and they’ll be available on our Jewish New Year page a soon as it’s updated for 2011, which should be any day.  If you need any further information about the cards, feel free to contact me.

Below you can see two designs we did for customers in 2010.  They will also be made available on our web site this season, Style Numbers JNY-00-30 and JNY – 00-31.

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“Every person on the streets of New York is a type. The city is one big theater where everyone is on display.” — Jerry Rubin

New York is a city with so much going on that if you mentioned it to a dozen different people, a dozen different images would form in their imaginations. To so many, it means Broadway shows and Times Square. To others, it’s all about the culture, the museums, the galleries, the symphony, the opera and the ballet at Lincoln Center. Some see it as the ultimate party city, the city that never sleeps, where you can dance the night away in a chic club. To others, it’s about the architecture, from the skyscrapers which make up the skyline to the brownstones and row houses which line the side streets. Or landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.

You don’t have to live in New York City to throw a party with a New York City Theme. People do it all across the country. Ira’s Peripheral Visions has operated from New York City for the duration of our 28 years in business. One of our first lines of cards, created back in 1983, was a line of architectural drawings of New York City scenes. The collection has been growing ever since. Because of this, we have one of the largest selections of Invitations for New York City Theme Parties, along with a wide selection of verses to celebrate the “Greatest City in the World”.

The elegant Invitation pictured above is perfect for a city wedding or any celebration in the city. It’s most popular as an Invitation with black line work in a black frame with black type, but we are very flexible and we are able to deliver the line work, frame and type in whatever color you choose. We can even mix colors if you’d like, or match them to those used in your party’s color scheme.

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Your party doesn’t have to take place in New York City. All across the country, people transform everything from banquet halls to their own living rooms in to their own little replicas of the Big Apple. To decorate the room, they create painted cardboard cut outs of the skyline, street signs, or the city’s signature landmarks.  One hostess decorated her buffet with miniature die cast yellow cabs.  Just run a search on New York Theme Party Ideas and you’ll see dozens of great suggestions for your New York City Theme Party.

The images on these Invitations are typical of the artwork we’ve been offering at Ira’s Peripheral Visions ever since our inception. Like the Wedding Invitations shown above, we are able to adjust all the color on these Invitations too. We invite you to visit our web site and take a look through our New York Theme Party Invitations and Invitation verses.

We also carry a large selection of Everyday Blank Note Cards with hand drawn images of New York City. Any of these cards can be transformed to an Invitation with the details of your party printed inside. Or the artwork can be used on Flat Invitations, like the ones shown above.

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For further information, feel free to contact us.

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“A hundred times have I thought New York is a catastrophe, and fifty times: It is a beautiful catastrophe.” — Le Corbusier

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“There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless.” — Simone De Beauvoir

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Every day is Mother Earth Day at IPV Studio.

There is no way to throw things out, because there is no “out” to throw them.  Indigenous cultures made all their decisions with the next seven generations in mind.  At IPV Studio, we do what we can to incorporate this concept in to all decisions regarding our purchases, inventory and consumables.

Throughout the years, we’ve been able to cut way back on our use of paper, and to recycle our leftover paper by donating it to other local businesses in the neighborhood, or putting it together into pads.  At the end of their lives, all of our empty printer cartridges are returned for recycling by the vendors who sold them to us.

We purchase all of our paper exclusively from Mohawk Fine Paper, who have demonstrated a commitment to the environment which surpasses the most rigorous standards.  They support and promote the efforts of the Forest Stewardship Council, Rainforest Alliance, and other environmental organizations that are fighting deforestation and illegal logging.  They are a national leader in the support of emission–free wind energy.  They continue to increase their content of postconsumer fiber.

“Most civilizations of the world, for most of human history have seen the world in terms of relatedness and connection.  And if there’s one thing the Rights of Mother Earth is waking us to it’s that we’re all connected.”
Vandana Shiva on Democracy Now

Plurinational State of Bolivia’s Law of the Rights of Mother Earth
– translated to English

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