Happy 4th of July Everyone! With the 4th of July upon us – we would like to take a moment to honor the men and women who bravely served our country and have lost their lives serving to protect us in the line of duty. We offer our prayers to those families who have lost loved ones in the Armed Forces. And for those who continue to serve – we salute you and thank you for continuing to protect our freedom and independence!
To celebrate this holiday we are offering our blog readers a special discount 15% OFF your wedding favors or wedding order of $175 or more PLUS Free UPS Ground Shipping. But Hurry! This offer won’t last for long, your 15% OFF Discount expires on Sunday July 5th, 2009 at 11:59 PM.
Use discount code: July09 to save 15% off!
And remember! Our New Jersey Showroom features over 2,000 of our most popular wedding favors, over 30 wedding accessory collections and wedding invitations. Plus we carry tiaras, Bridesmaid and Groomsmen gifts. If you are in the Tri-State area we are conveniently located just 30 minutes from New York City, 10 Minutes from Staten Island and centrally located in NJ.
Our showroom is located at 137 Main Street, Sayreville NJ 08872. We are open to the public on Saturdays 12-6 and weekdays by appointment only. We are opened tomorrow, July 4th until 6 PM.
Finally, if you’re on Facebook – become a fan of our page!
It’s 9:30 at night and my cell phone is ringing, it’s my grandfather on the phone. He asks me how things are, if I can take tomorrow off to visit, and where I am.
“I’m still in the office editing products. I can’t make it tomorrow, I have alot of work to do, but I’ll try to make it over on Saturday [the 4th of July] after we close up the store.”
I hang up the phone. Ten minutes later my cell phone rings again, “Hey hunnie, what time are you leaving? It’s almost 10.”
That would be my husband who is battling with a severe head cold. I’ve left him all day alone so I could tinker in the office.
This particular blog isn’t about wedding favors, but in a way, it is – it is my job, my career, my baby. And what I am about to say isn’t necessarily about my business but it’s for any person who wants to be an Entrepreneur.
When I worked a full time 9-5 job, I looked forward to the end of the day. I looked forward to the weekends and paid holidays. I liked having sick time and personal time and all the goodies and benefits of working for someone. But I also longed to be my own boss and create an environment which would allow me the flexibility to take my son to work with me or take the day off if I needed it.
However, being your own boss isn’t easy. As a matter of fact, I haven’t seen a 40 hour work week since I quit my full time job back in 2003. That’s right, no 40 hour work weeks – they are more like 80 or 120. There are no holidays, no sick time, no personal days off. I work almost 7 days a week. It’s been one of the hardest – but most rewarding – job I have ever worked. Perhaps with the exception of being a mom, that’s hard work too.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I adore what I do, I adore weddings, wedding favors and I am in love with the concept of love. But for all those young entrepreneur’s who think it’s easy starting a business, or running one – it’s not. It’s a labor of love.
Just like a baby, you create it, nurture it, and hope it does well. But you need alot more than a string of hope and a bit of luck to make a business a success. You need the tenancity to plow on no matter what you face, the belief that you will be successful and some toothpicks to keep your eyes open during it all. It’s exhausting, exhilarating and consuming. Do you have what it takes?
I wear many hats around Little Things. How many jobs do I have? Well that depends on the day:
1) Buyer – I travel to the trade shows, scour the web for new products, make contacts, and look for leads. I decide on what to bring in, what to keep out and what lines we should carry. I also decide which areas need expansion and which need to be condensed.
2) Webmaster – that’s correct, about 90% of the wedding favors and accessories you see on the site have been input by me, manually by hand. That includes the product descriptions, price points, and all the other junk which needs to go into the backend for you to make a purchase. I also design the categories, subdivide them and move products.
3) Copy editor & Writer – I write the copy, the articles, the section pages, the meat and potatoes of the site – it’s what makes a site rank. I also write the blogs, outside articles, etc… I even have some articles being published in an upcoming wedding book.
4) Marketing & Advertising – whether it be SEO, SEM, affiliate marketing, linking, purchasing advertising space – that’s me too. I also design the graphics when I have to produce newsletters. You’ll find my twitter account managed by me. Our facebook and myspace pages too are handled in house.
5) SEO & Analytics – falls into a category all by itself. Any entrepreneur who is venturing on the web today should know some basic SEO. Even if you’re going to outsource this, you should know what your seo company is doing for you. I can’t tell you the countless numbers of hours I’ve poured into research.
6) Administrative work – the faxes, the bills, the payroll, the monthly sales tax. There is always paperwork to be handled.
7) Sales – yes, you may ocassionally get me on the phone when you call. This usually only happens when all my employees are occupied with other customers. Or if you venture into my store on a Saturday, you’ll see me there working, on the floor.
I wear many other hats including Human Resources, Mom, Hiring, training, developing, IT, software development, etc. Yesterday I had to deal with open season for our health insurance for our employees while trying to deal with networking a laser printer, updating drivers and editing hang tag options on 638 products.
Being an entreprenuer requires you (unless you have a ton of capital behind you to hire department heads) to know a little bit of everything, and figure out all the right answers when you have little knowledge of the subject. It requires extensive hours, hands on training, learning and developing.
But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I really don’t mind working until 4 am (which I did last night) or putting in 18 hour days. One day, I know we’ll be large enough to alleviate some of the workload. But until then, I plow on.
In the essence of Independence, I’ve created mine. How about you? I’d love to hear your stories as well. Happy 4th of July! If you’re in the Sayreville NJ area be sure to swing by our store – 137 Main Street Sayreville, NJ 08872 (732) 654-5262. Or visit us on the web at www.littlethingsfavors.com
Fashioncraft has updated there offerings on there personalized tags and personalized expressions items. Now all items have 234 designs, and 30 different color options. As we make this transition over the course of the following week, you’ll have all these great choices to select from. There are designs for weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, engagement parties, birthday parties, religious events and so much more!
Please bear in mind though, that all personalized tags are printed exactly as you request in the colors and designs shown. Personalized tags are included in a separate envelope in your order and you must attach these by hand to your favors.
It’s A Napkin and it stands up! It’s useful and is serves as pretty table decor. And I couldn’t be more excited to show these unique wedding napkins off to you! These are innovated little naps, folded just perfectly into a shape which stands up.
With chic, modern designs and made in the USA of recycled materials and printed with all natural soy based inks – this eco-friendly product is not only trendy but instyle as well!
Simply place one at each place setting for unique (and inexpensive) table decor. Each napkin stands 6.5″ tall.
And we have designs for cocktail parties, weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, bachelorette parties, wine themed events, holidays and more!
These napkins were the 2009 Winner of the NY National Stationary show for best new design and received the Top 10 New Product Award in Canada.
Love to entertain? Having a Birthday Party? We have themed napkins for you as well. Whether you are celebrating a wedding or a 1st Birthday – these fun designs are sure to fit in with your decor and theme.
Unique Wedding Theme Napkins (In Pink or Blue)
Shown here are our Chic Cocktail and Wine Theme Napkins and our Bride & Groom Wedding Napkins which I was first drawn too. The cocktail napkins remind me of something Sex and The City – very modern, hip and chic. I was handed one of the bride and groom napkins as a “take home” sample” from the NY Stationary show last month and it has been propped up on my office desk. She’s really pretty in her blue dress and is perfect for that “something blue” touch or as bridal shower decor.
And since these napkins are so eco-friendly – I just had to add them to our Little Things product line! I’m a sucker for eco-chic products – I love all natural designs and earth friendly materials.
And I adore the fact that this product is made in the good ‘ol USA. I love buying domestic and supporting our families and our economy here at home.
The office is a bit hectic today – so I bid you farewell until next time!
Just in time for the beach season! It’s not often we offer a huge blow-out sale on items, but this week we are featuring 8 beach wedding favors at GREAT prices! The following favors were regularly priced $2.25 through $2.35 each – Now ONLY $1.00 Each! Buy these while we have them at this awesome price!
And only a minimum order of 12 pieces on any of the following favors:
We’ve all received them, wedding favors which make you scratch your head and go “huh’? Or “What was the bride thinking?” I’m sure you’ve all received your share of matches (who smokes anymore?), cookie cutters (imagine a guy baking?), post it notes, band-aids, or maybe even the little tulle almonds. Now, I’m not saying these things are bad as favors – some couples really like them – while I admit, some went out of style back in the 1980’s.
So I would like to know what was the worst wedding favor you received?
And to make it more fun, I’ll select the best (or maybe worst ) story and you’ll get something free in the mail from me! (Could be anything, but it will definitely be wedding favor related).
I’m actually thinking of posting a question of the day, everyday, with a freebie giveaway. Let me know if this is something which you would be interested in.
We had a couple come into our Sayreville, NJ showroom on Thursday who were shopping for beach themed wedding favors for their destination wedding in South America. They were looking for something memorable and wanted candles, but we advised her against it. Candles don’t travel well in the heat, and if the cargo area on a plane is hot, you’ll end up with melted candles. Same holds true for chocolates.
If you’re traveling to a destination by plane you’ll want wedding favors which are relatively lightweight (due to weight restrictions on luggage now) easy to pack, and temperature proof.
Wedding Favors we would not recommend for destination weddings:
Candles (due to high heat, they can melt)
Chocolates, chocolate covered candy (again they can melt)
Oddly shaped and/or large items which would be difficult to pack such as our tall candle lamps (they would take up too much room in your luggage)
Heavy items such as 4 pack glass coasters. 100 coaster sets (where there are 4 coasters per set and made of glass weigh approximately 80 pounds which is too heavy for airline luggage restrictions).
Lip balm, chap-stick, soaps and hand cream (again these items will melt in transit)
It’s best to use common sense when deciding on which wedding favors to buy for your destination wedding. If you think there is a possibility they may melt, break or be too heavy – you’re instinct is probably right.
1) Beach Themed Bookmarks – while all of the beach themed bookmark we carry are cute, I recommend “A Jewel From The Sea” Seashell Bookmark because the outside folder is pretty (its a metallic pearl shimmer in your choice of label color, but I am partial to the origina color scheme). It’s lightweight, can easily be packed and the bookmarks themselves are lovely! At about $2 each for a personalized wedding favor, these are sweet. Here’s a picture of them:
"A Jewel From the Sea" Seashell Bookmark (2 Designs and 27 Colors Available)
2. Beach Themed Keychains – lightweight and useful, everyone can use a keychain. However, the boxes (although small, about 2″ x 3″) can take up a bit of luggage space if you’re carrying a whole bunch of them. Inexpensive, these range from $1.75 to under $1, depending on design. My favorite beach themed keychain is Choice Crystal Shell Keychains – they are really pretty and great quality plus the packaging is a pretty blue box which can’t be beat. Here’s a picture of them:
3. Beach Themed Coasters – Coasters are great because they are functional. I don’t know what household wouldn’t be complete without coasters. Men and women can use them, they are a universal favor. Ultimately, our customers who were shopping this week in our store, chose coasters for their favors. And here is my choice, because they are 2 to a pack (lightweight), they can hold 2 photos of the couple, and they are relatively flat to pack in luggage. Here’s a hint to pack these, line your luggage with clothing, pack the coasters above the first layer of clothing, then pack the rest of your clothing on top.
5. Personalized Mint Tin Wedding Favors – cheap, personalized and useful (hey everyone needs a breath mint after dinner) these adorable and useful palm sized tins can be refilled after your wedding day. They come in a variety of beach inspired designs, are easy to carry, are lightweight and won’t melt. Some come in a variety of colors (like the one below comes in 5 different color choices), so these would make great favors.
We’re going back to the beach again! (Can’t you tell summer is on my mind?) Yesterday we visited our customer’s top ten favors and today we’re going to visit my top ten new beach wedding favors which were just released this season – perhaps it will give you some beach themed wedding favor ideas for your upcoming beach wedding.
(By the way, did you know I had a beach / destination wedding as well?)
1. Chrome Starfish Wine Bottle Stopper – I’m a big fan of wine stoppers because there isn’t a household out there that doesn’t have a bottle (these work with any bottle not just wine) that needs to be sealed. Cork tends to break after a while – whereas chrome stays sturdy and strong. I like the fact that these are reasonably priced and have chrome (not resin) tops – which make them more durable. It comes pre-wrapped with attached beach themed tags, so there is no need to do any work! Btw, we have a huge selection of wine stopper wedding favors, so if this design doesn’t work for you check out the 100 + other stoppers we carry.
2. Shell Place Card Favor Boxes With Designer Beach Place Cards – Brand, spanking new and just out of the box (get it? lol). These favor boxes serve double duty – you can use them to hold sweet treats (candy, almonds, mini cookies, jelly beans) while at the same time the tops double as place card holders. When your guests take them home they have a neat looking little wooden trinket box to display in their homes or to use as a jewelry box. A really inventive idea.
Beach Theme Shell Place Card Favor Boxes with Designer Place Cards
3. “Please Be Seeded” Starfish Eco-Friendly Plantable Place Cards – Let’s face it – you need place cards. People want to know where to sit. If you don’t seat your guests, some people who don’t know your family will be left holding their plates looking for a spot to sit. You don’t want that and neither do we. Here’s a beach themed wedding favor that is eco-friendly (the starfish can be planted), functional (it is used to assign your guests seats), pretty (hey, they are good lookin’), and relatively cheap ($1.10 to $1.60 each depending on quantity). We have these available in different designs too, so hop over to our eco-friendly wedding favors page for more designs.
"Please Be Seeded" Starfish Plantable Seed Place Cards (Set of 12)
4. Natural Selections Shell Candle Wedding Favors – It’s like you just collected a jar full of beautiful shells from the beach and topped it off with a candle. These candle holders are beautiful and packaged in recycled cardboard boxes with natural rattan ties. Eco-friendly as glass is reuseable and renewable. If I go to a wedding this beach season, I would want someone to give me this!
5. Palm Tree Water Globe Beach Wine Stoppers – Yes, I’m back to wine stoppers again, but with good reason - this is the most unique stopper we carry. Have you everr seen a water globe on top of a wine stopper? It’s pretty cool. Not to mention the packaging and display is dynamite.
Palm Tree Water Globe Beach Wine Stopper Wedding Favors
6. Beach Theme Starfish Ice Cream Scoops – Nothing says summer more than the sand, the shore and ice cream! Functional, fun and practical who can’t use an ice cream scoop in their kitchen? Made of resin with a solid chrome scoop these will last for many seasons to come.
7. Elegant Crystal Flower & Starfish Candle – if you want a beach themed favor but don’t want to scream “beach” at your wedding – or if you want to give a gift a bit more upscale – these candles fit the bill. Pretty flowers and starfish in crystal clear color (these are also available in pink or lavender, btw) will charm your guests. Subdued but classy, these are elegant beach wedding favors.
8. “Ocean Breeze” Seashell Scented Soaps – Gorgeously gift boxed, these beach themed soap favors will look beautiful on your reception tables or as your bridal shower favors. Very popular, these guest soaps smell as good as an ocean breeze!
Ocean Breeze Seashell Beach Soap Wedding Favors
9. Personalized Lemonade Wedding Favors – Long days in the sun call for a refreshing summertime treat. Share the sunny love with your guests with these delicious lemonade mixes – available personalized in 58 designs. These are also available in 4 packet lemonade gift packs (great for gift bags!)
Personalized Lemonade Wedding Favors
10. Seaglass Luminary With Beaded Handle – These come as show in assorted beachy colors. Whether you use them as table decorations or give them out as candle wedding favors, these are beautiful and well made lanterns.
“Sea Glass” Luminary with Beaded Handle (Set of 3)
I blogged yesterday about the top selling wedding favors for 2009, so with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and the official kick off to the summer here, it is a great time to discuss beach wedding favors! Whether you are a beach bride or having a summer wedding here are the Top 10 beach themed wedding favors selected by our customer’s based on popularity and sales.
Mini Buri Fans - Eco-friendly Favors
1. Buri Wedding Fans – they made it to the Top 10 list yesterday and they are #1 on our top beach wedding favors as well. A bestseller for beach and summer weddings – you can keep your guests cool as well as providing them with their seating assignments. Shown here as a DIY project with craft paper, reinforcements and colored favor ribbon. Since these are currently out of stock until 7/30/09, why not try the larger version of these fans – Large Buri Wedding Fans
Sandalwood Fan Wedding Favors in Glass Top White Box
3. Starfish Design Wine Stopper – Great for beach themed weddings, events and parties these chrome, resin and rhinestone accented bottle stoppers are as pretty as they are functional. They come pre-packed in a black box tied with organza ribbon. One of our best sellers for the past two beach wedding seasons.
Beach Theme Luggage Tag Wedding Favors
4. Beach Themed Luggage Tags – What says beach more than summer vactions, sand and shells? These beach themed luggage tags are perfect gender neutral wedding favors which are great for beach weddings here or abroad!
Flip-Flop Luggage Tag Wedding Favors in Beach Themed Box
5. Flip Flop Luggage Tags in Beach Themed Box – In the world of look-alike luggage any distinctive or brightly colored mark can help identify your luggage. These uniquly designed flip flop luggage tags will help your guests easily travel in style. With a cute beach themed box and “For You” beach bucket thank you tag, these beach wedding favors can’t be beat.
"Our Love Shell Last Forever" Personalized Seashells
6. “Our Love Shell Last Forever” Personalized Sea Shells – if you would like to give your guests a truly memorable keepsake favor then these personalized seashells will be perfect for your beach wedding. Each comes with the standard engraving “Our Love Shell Last Forever” and is then engraved with up to 2 lines of your text. Since these are all natural, they are eco-friendly too!
Palm Tree Favor Boxes
7. Palm Tree Favor Boxes – Edible favors are a trend in weddings, so why not have a cute and themed box to display your wedding favor treats in? These charming little pryamid shaped boxed have neat little palm leaves which top off these irrestible boxes. Great for beach and destination weddings.
Starfish Bookmark Beach Wedding Favors
8. Starfish Bookmarks – What’s a day at the beach, or a seaside vacation without a good book to curl up with? They will remember your wedding each time they use these shore inspired place markers. Although these are out of stock until 6/30, we do have two other similar starfish bookmarks to recommend: our Modern Starfish Bookmark and the slightly darker colored Starfish Design Bookmark
"Beach Memories" Miniature Adirondack Chair Place Card / Photo Frame
9. Beach Memories Miniature Adirondack Chair Place Card / Photo Frame – While the concept is great and these are our bestsellers, they hold a VERY small place card or photo. The opening is only 1 1/2″ x 1 1/4″ (who’s wedding photo is that small?) They are designed well, but look at their name – Miniature Adirondack Chairs!! (They don’t call them miniature for no reason). If you are looking for the same item which is bigger, heavier and will really “wow” your guests try our Adirondack Chair Frames (which holds a 2″ x 3″ photo – standard size wallet photo) – I guarantee you will like them! They are slighly more expensive (about .15 cents difference) but they are well worth it.
Starfish Wine Stopper
10. Chrome Starfish Wine Stopper - prettily packaged and made of solid chrome this handsome wine stopper is gender neutral and will serve everyone on your guest list well. Here is an alternate view:
I’ve been looking through our sales and for the past 6 months (December until today), these are our top 10 bestselling wedding favors based on our customer’s purchases. Granted these items can always change, and if they do, they will change based on our customer’s behavior and buying patterns. This is a great place to start for wedding favor ideas, to get inspiration for your wedding favors or just to see what other brides are buying!
Here’s our Top 10 Bestselling Wedding Favors for 2009:
Miniature Silver Galvanized Pails / Buckets
1. Miniature Silver Galvanized Buckets – Our Miniature silver pails have always been a bestseller. Great for the do-it-yourself crowd, there is just so many uses for these little miniature wonders. Add ribbon and felt flowers, insert lollipops and Volia! A miniature flower garden. Are you a DIY type? Pour soy wax into these little bad boys and make your own homemade candle favors. Like candy? Fill these little buckets with your favorite sweets. For a bridal shower idea – just add bath salts or mini bath balls/gems. For the eco-friendly crowd, why not add some potting soil and plant our Personalized Plantable Magic Beans in them?
Chrome Heart Bottle Stopper With Free Personalized Tags
2. Chrome Heart Bottle Stopper With FREE Personalized Tags – Classic and timeless, this is a traditional and favorite wedding favor among our brides. Since it is already pre-packaged in a formal style black bottomed box and tied with sheer white organza ribbon – there is no stress over how to wrap or display these pretty little things! Simply place them on your tables and you are good to go! PLUS – these come with free (yes, that’s FREE) personalized tags. The only drawback with these tags is you will have to attach them to the favors yourself.
Personalized Theme Candy Jars - Available in 27 Designs & Colors
3. Personalized Themed Candy Jars – Available in 27 themes and colors these are perfect for every ocassion from bridal showers to weddings and even baby showers! Great for the do-it-yourself crowd, you can do so much with these little jars. Simply fill with your favorite candy (this is deceiving, because these jars hold ALOT more than the picture appears). We can fit 22-26 jordan almonds in ONE little jar. Select your design, pick your color scheme, fill with candy and add ribbon for a cute touch. Here’s our tip: Place the label on the jars after they are filled and tightly sealed!
Personalized Round Shot Glass & Votive Holder
4. Our Personalized Round Shot Glass and Votive Holders - popular for years, these round shot glasses hold approximately 2.5 ounces (filled to the tippy-top) and are perfect as votive or tealight candle holders. Available in over 50 designs and several ink colors these make perfect personalized favors.
Beautifully Beaded Place Card & Photo Frame
5. Beautifully Beaded Place Card and Photo Frame – Seen in the Movie 27 Dresses and featured in many bridal magazines this classic and traditional silver place card frame is a timeless and elegant wedding favor. It has a sturdy velveteen back, a glass insert, it comes with a blank place card and has a beautiful silver metal frame. The frames can also be positioned horizontally or vertically. This is very well priced and a value for the money. The frames are also available in gold: Gold Beautifully Beaded Place Card Frames
"Two of a Kind" Playing Cards - Label Can Be Personalized
6. Two Of A Kind Personalized Playing Cards – Available personalized in 12 different label colors, these playing cards are functional favors everyone can keep in their homes and enjoy for years to come. Just a quick note: selecting a different color label does not change the card color, only the label outside the box is changed. Additionally, these cards are not personalized – only the box label is.
'Pink Polka Purse' Manicure Set Favors
7. Pink Polka Dot Purse Manicure Sets – Great for bridal or baby showers these are our most popular chic favors. Great for all the women in your life – who doesn’t need an adorable portable manicure set? Each little pink purse contains all the essentials you need a tweezer, nail clipper, emery board, and small scissor.
Mini Buri Fans - Eco-friendly Favors
8. Mini Buri Fans – a great eco-friendly favor option, as shown these double as place card holders or as wedding favors for beach and summer weddings. Made out of all natural buri palm these are beautiful as they are earth friendly. Shown here, we cut out tags from cardstock and attached reinforcements before attaching with ribbon. And if your looking for a larger fan, we do carry large buri fans as well.
Handbag Design Compact Mirror Favors
9. Handbag Design Compact Mirror Favors – These inexpensive (Only 85 Cents!) favors are great for bridal showers, bachlorette parties, girls night out events, sweet 16 and more. A very popular favor, these little plastic handbags open to reveal a double sided mirror. How adorable!
Rose Ball Candle Wedding Favors - With FREE Personalized Tags
10. Rose Ball Candle Wedding Favors – With Free personalized tags! How easy and simple these little candles are – just place them on your tables and your all set! No need to gift wrap these candles – they come prewrapped with white organza ribbon and a pre-attached thank you tag. If you decide to order the FREE personalized tags – all you’ll need to do is attach them to the favors once they arrive.
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Erica
We’ve all received them, 
) story and you’ll get something free in the mail from me! (Could be anything, but it will definitely be wedding favor related).
