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HOSTING THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS PARTY: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Carla — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 15:47:30 +0000

The sound of children squealing with excitment, the smell of dinner being prepared, quality time with family and friends, wrapping paper lying everywhere and good memories being made. Yes this could only mean one thing: the best time of the year is around the corner and we have just the tools to make this year’s Christmas party, one of your best!

We have made a list of what we think you need to host the perfect Christmas party. Firstly we would need to decorate the Christmas tree. We boast a range of ornaments to compliment any Christmas tree and style. From perspex & lace, to paper and even wood. These range from personalized ornaments with your guests’ names on, to geometric shapes, words like “peace” and mirror perspex for that reflecting finish.

Once the Christmas tree is decorated, we can now start planning the finer details like the table décor, which includes the menu, place cards, glass toppers and napkins.

Menus for your party are great! Guests know exactly what to expect during the meal(s) and can avoid foods that they are allergic to, or do not fall in their dietary preferences. We boast a beautiful Once Upon a Winter menu; A single sided DL menu, printed on white shimmer card.

After knowing whom your guests will be, you can now go ahead with customized place cards for each guest. We offer a pop-up place card as well as a simple tent card. The pop-up place card is a small A-frame tented white place card, with pop-up antlers. Customised with your guest name digitally printed on it. If you prefer something simpler then the Once upon a Winter place card is for you. A small-tented place card, made from white shimmer card with snowflakes in the corner, with your guests’ name printed in the other corner.

Foiled metallic napkins make a great and necessary addition to your table. These are sold in packs of 20 and one can never have enough napkins. A laser cut deer glass topper in a matte white thick paper is the perfect completion to your table décor.

It’s all about your guests and having a good time, so why not show them how much you appreciate them in your life with a greeting card that suits your style and theme. We offer a few options; from a traditional Lasercut green and white greeting card, to a more South African, Karoo Christmas Z-fold cut out greeting card. Or if you prefer a folder style greeting card with matching tag and twine, then we have that too! Whichever one you go with, we are sure your guests will love the warm welcome.

If you want to give your guests’ a souvenir to take home, we have the perfect box to put it in! A small flat box covered in snowflakes with a white paper thank you band that wraps around the box. The box is made from white shimmer card. They will love the nice after thought and can keep the box long after the party is over.

Lastly to top off your party you will need some general décor around the house (besides the Christmas tree of course). We offer a range of paper lanterns, a three-meter long white floral cut out bunting with 14 flags and a set of 3 honeycomb decorations (White, grey and peach) for you to pick from.

With all these great stationery options, how can you not throw the perfect Christmas party?! We even have stationery for a kiddies Christmas party. From plates, cups, hats and a Christmas themed bunting, which measures 2m in length and includes 13 paper flags. Have a peek at some of our Christmas stationery below. For more options visit our online store to easy purchase your stationery.

E-Store Pick | Luxury Senzo Orchid – Boxed Invitation

Carla — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 10:44:11 +0000

Your wedding invitations set the scene for your special day, showing the colour and any theme of your wedding. Today on our E-Store pick, our stunning Oriental flower inspired Senzo Orchid – Luxury Boxed Invitations your theme will definitely be set for one to remember with an A5 debossed and foiled invite box containing a beautifully detailed laser cut gate folder which holds a letter pressed and gold foiled card with an additional digitally printed card. The foiling of Monogram can be done in Gold, Silver and Rose Gold, depending on what design you want to go for.

The soft aqua blue and unique iced gold reminds me of something out of mermaids and fairy tales adding just the right amount of sparkle and elegance to set the mood for your special day. Stand out this season and be the princess you’ve always wanted to be!

Birthday stationery: All you need to know

Carla — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 09:59:52 +0000

Whether you are turning 2 or 82 it doesn’t matter – a birthday should always be celebrated in style and should never be spent quietly hoping that no one will notice that you’re getting older. It is the after all the one day of the year that everyone celebrates you for being you! At Secret Diary we love birthdays because come on what is not to love? Eating scrumptious cake and tearing open wrapping paper will always near the top of my favourites list. We also happen to be pros at providing some of the tools in order to throw a top birthday bash.

So let’s start at the beginning: Invitations. Every perfectly planned party needs to start with a show-stopping invite. Did you know that all of our wedding invitations on our online store can also be adapted for a birthday? Just pop us a comment when ordering your invitations that you would like it for a birthday. See our whole range of invitations here. We also have a range of cute themed kiddies invites – whether you are throwing your little one a pizza party or a Coco Chanel soiree then don’t fret we have you covered! If you have something special in mind and can’t see what you are looking for on our online store then please email us at info@secretdiary.co.za for us to design an invitation as unique as you are. For us, the sky is the limit and we would certainly love to assist you with any of your ideas, no matter how crazy they are!

So now that you have the invites done and dusted it’s time to think about party decor. Don’t you dare bring out that cheesy card shop happy birthday signage, rather have us custom make you personalised bunting and banners. We have a wide range of decor items on our online store from quirky cupcake toppers, themed napkins and personalised cake boxes to foil balloons, funky straws and pretty pom poms. Enquire with us for any further paper decor items, we would love to whip something up for you.

Oh no, the party is almost over – it’s a fun idea to give your guests a party bag to continue the party at home. We make custom gift bags and boxes – from fancy personalised screen printed tote bags to quirky themed boxes. We even can fill them with goodies for you with customised gifts and snacks. Chat to us about suggesting some awesome goodie bag fillers unique for you.

Boho Flair ‘Happy Birthday’ Cake Topper

Little Safari Explorer

Little Builder

Princess Party Tote Bag

Stationery & Wedding Feature | Alexia and Peter | Destination Wedding in Fiji

Carla — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 12:43:36 +0000

Earlier this year we had the privilege of designing invitations and wedding day stationery for Alexia and Peter, a couple from New Zealand. We are in absolute awe when looking at the photos and seeing how beautiful their special day came together in Fiji.

We created a couture design for their invites, which included a gold ornate perspex invitation, a textured additional card with gold foiled text and a custom monogram. The invite was placed inside a white textured envelope with a custom-made wax seal. The classic gold and white theme continued throughout their stationery designs in the four-page program fans, napkin bands, and on-the-day decor.

From the all-white floral arrangements and island garlands hanging from the ceilings to the casual reception dinner on the beach, this wedding feels like it hit the perfect combination between a destination and traditional style.

Feast your eyes on the beautiful wedding day of Alexia and Peter below as captured by New Zealand Photographer, Danelle Bohane Photography. See and read more on their special day here.

Our E-store Pick | Oriental Origami Suite

Carla — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 12:29:59 +0000

If you love oriental design or you’re inspired by anything Eastern and you’re looking to use an oriental theme for your next event or wedding, we’ve got you covered!

We did this oriental suite for a shoot recently and loved how it turned out! The patterns are what make this a really inspiring suite. I love how the invitation folder is beautifully wrapped with twine and a pretty printed belly band. The folder flaps are cut asymmetric and folds in a non-traditional manner, which adds interest and takes to it’s “Origami” naming.

The place cards are laser cut fans that are printed on both sides with different patterns, which can be placed on each guests’ glass.

We get so many inquiries about our parasols, that I had to shine a bit of light on them! They are very popular and so practical for summer weddings or events. These paper parasols are the perfect accessory to an event – whether it’s themed or not!

Click on the link or pics below to shop this invite. Browse our South African E-store here and our International E-store (currency in US dollars) here.

Shop | Origami Invitation

Shop | Origami Tag

Shop | Origami Place Card

Shop | Origami Table Number

Shop | Orient White Paper Parasol

Celebrating Heritage Day 2016!

Carla — Sat, 24 Sep 2016 05:30:44 +0000

Today is Heritage Day and we’ve designed a special suite for the occasion! Introducing National Treasure – an African-inspired invitation and stationery suite that makes one want to spend an afternoon with sundowners in one of South Africa’s magnificent game reserves. We’ve gone with a muted colour palette that is reminiscent of the dusty bushveld and we’ve brought in pretty tribal patterns, all to be printed on a smooth paper.

You can get your hands on this collection with the link below or shop individual items by clicking on them.

Shop | National Treasure Collection

Wedding Feature: Laureth & Wayne

Carla — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 13:45:31 +0000

Our featured couple for today is Laureth & Wayne; The couple got married at the Strandkombuis, Yzerfontein, and although they tied the knot in March 2014, we could not resist showcasing this fun and quirky couple’s wedding. We absolutely loved to create all of their beautiful and fun stationery items including heart-shaped seating chart cards, menus, tags, stickers, a banner and wooden engraved signs to name but just a few. Their beachy theme was celebrated with hints of turquoise used throughout all their stationery items.

We’ll let the stunning photographs taken by Zara Zoo photography do all the talking…

The Anatomy Invitation Suite

Carla — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 12:57:13 +0000

When meeting with a lot of just-engaged couples for consultations, it seems that a common question that comes up is “What do I actually need to include in my invitation?”. Mostly our couples have never had to think about this before with this being their first wedding and the thought of getting it wrong can be a little daunting. One of our goals is to make the invitation process as enjoyable and stress-free as possible, so we have compiled a complete list of what is actually needed to go into your invites along with the do’s and don’ts of inviting.

Main Card

When it comes to whose names are printed on a wedding invitation, modern life can make things a little confusing. Gone is the time when the wedding invitation was issued only by the bride’s parents (as hosts, this meant their names headed the lineup). These days, many different people – including the bride and groom – can (and do) host the wedding and issue the invitation. Today’s complex family structures (parents are divorced, widowed, remarried, and so on) only further complicate matters when it comes to the wording of the invitation. Your designer will always send you a wording guide with various options for each scenario but there are a few general rules to keep in mind when composing your wording:

Additional Information

If you have a wedding website with all your additional information present then you may not need any extra cards and can write something like “For more information and to RSVP please see our wedding website www.yourweddingwebsite.com” at the bottom of the main card. But for those not so tech-savvy then here is a breakdown of the additional information you may want to include with your invitations.

If you are having a destination wedding or inviting lots of international guests then you may want to think about having a wedding website, which we can design for you to match your printed paraphernalia. Some things you may want to include: Accommodation options, fun things to do in the area and flights/transport suggestions.

Addressing the envelopes

We can print your guest names and addresses on the front of your envelopes for a small charge.

Our E-store Pick | The Atrium Suite

Carla — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 12:18:43 +0000

We are ending off this week with a beautiful botanical invitation and stationery suite. This is a full suite with all the bells and whistles; you’ve got your invitation, menu, place card, program/order of service and seating chart to complete the set. This suite is understated, but with a natural modern style.

The invitation is an A5 flat card made from thick white paper, with digitally printed text. The envelope is made from brown kraft paper and finished off with a patterned liner.

The menu follows through with the pattern, white overlay and text printed on a white A5 card. The place card and paddle program fan make use of the same crisp design to keep that golden thread. The paddle fan is ideal for summer weddings – so simple but so practical! The seating chart is a large block mounted canvas and we see the signature botanicals coming through once again.

If your stationery style is natural, crisp design with green botanical and white flower detail, then this suite could be the one! See below to shop the entire suite, or have a browse at them individually by clicking on the links below each photo.

Shop Here | The Atrium Suite

Shop Here | Atrium Invitation

Shop Here | Atrium Menu

Shop Here | Atrium Place Card

Shop Here | Atrium Program Fan

Shop Here | Atrium Seating Chart

Wedding Feature: Tatum & Piero

Carla — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 12:34:36 +0000

A while ago we designed Tatum and Piero’s lovely navy and white wedding invitations. We talked about them in a blog post here, because they were just such cool and quirky pieces!

I love how to see how invitations and stationery come together in the end as a cohesive vision. This invite and stationery suite was no different. I love how the couple’s personalities shone through the little touches in the stationery – from the cutest “best day ever” phrase recurring throughout to the hilarious “sit yo’ ass down!” on the seating chart. It seems like one really gets to know the couple by the stationery and quirky details they incorporated into their special day.

The wedding photos were taken by the amazing Kikitography. Hop on over to their blog for more of Tatum and Piero’s wedding pics!

If you love Tatum and Piero’s stationery style, you can browse their invites, menu, seating chart, program, and cake topper on our online store.