For those out there who aren’t lucky enough to get that envious summer vacation, there’s still a few things to look forward to this season: Memorial Day and the 4^th of July! A lot of companies get the day off for either one or both of these holidays, so there’s no better time to get together with friends and enjoy the summer sun.

If you happen to live in a house with a big yard, or even an apartment with a roof garden or balcony, invite everyone over for an outdoor barbeque. Host an afternoon of food and games, or an evening for fireworks and drinks; either way, invite your guests before they make other plans!

With the weather heating up, the winter holiday season is long gone, and so is the frequency at which most people receive mail. Brighten up their day and ensure their attendance at your event by sending an invitation. Choose between formal and fun and find the perfect invitation to fit the theme and feel of your get-together. This is a great way to get people excited, and to get the help you need! Have your guests bring a drink or appetizer of their choice. If you’re grilling, encourage them to bring whatever they would like cooked on the grill while you provide the side dishes and desserts or vice versa.

For example, this bucket invitation is filled with your favorite beverage and decorated with a red, white and blue banner and a flag; ready to celebrate Memorial Day, 4^th of July, Labor Day or any Patriotic event.

If you have a high school or college student, graduation is most likely next month! Before you get caught up in the excitement and even the stress of packing up, moving out, and moving on, make sure to celebrate the accomplishments your graduate has made. Throw a graduation party to commemorate such a notable occasion!

Two of the most important, yet easiest to forget items necessary for a successful graduation party are the invitations and the thank you notes. Even though many students in school these days don’t send letters, or any snail mail for that matter, the majority of the relatives sending cards and money will have grown up with the tradition and courtesy of a thank you note. Ordering them before the party ever begins ensures that neither you nor your graduate will be able to forget in all the hectic time around graduation to remember the ones who remembered you.

Options for custom graduation invites and party invitations are practically endless. This square card features a black graduation cap with a white tassel. Your information is featured on a separate insert card and white envelopes are included.

You can send thanks in style with these coordinating fold over notes in heavy weight cardstock to perfectly coordinate with your graduation cards. Fonts and text are customizable, with white envelopes again included.

Spring is here, and what a great time to celebrate new life! The pastel colors associated with Spring and the soft textures surrounding the season perfectly compliment any birth announcement, baby shower invitation, or baby shower theme.

If you’re looking for any soft, sweet colored baby shower invitations or birth announcements, Spring really is the perfect time to find them. Colorful cartoon baby animals are a popular pick, and yet there are enough options to not seem typical. Find the invitation that’s right for you and remember to send out invitations with plenty of time to RSVP.

Whether you are planning your own shower or throwing one for a friend – if the weather is warm enough, take the party outside! Garden parties are a great way to take advantage of the natural colors sprouting up everywhere, and can help save on decorations. Have a spring theme – placing watering cans around as vases to hold fresh cut flowers and inviting your guests to wear floral dresses or straw hats. The possibilities are endless and luckily also inexpensive.

Keep to the theme by providing food made with fruits typically in season in the spring such as apricots, cherries, citrus grapefruits, navel oranges, tangelos/tangerines, pineapple, raspberries, rhubarb, or strawberries. Raspberries and strawberries make a particularly festive and colorful addition if you are having a girl; for a boy, try highlighting the greens, yellows and oranges in your fresh fruit selections.

Don’t forget to order thank you notes for after the shower. A lot of shower invites also offer similarly themed or even matching thank you cards so you can have the whole event coordinate!

Away from your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day? There’s still a way to make sure they see your smiling face: send a photo card! With beautiful printing quality on heavy cardstock and backside personalization available, it’ll be almost like being there. The people you love will surely feel special receiving an old fashioned love letter with a modern twist.

In our digital age, the art of love letters has certainly been lost but this simple romantic gesture can rekindle an age-old tradition, a romance, or even just a long-distance friendship, and making a love letter a keepsake adds even more meaning.

There are a few ways to make sure that your letter is memorable and worth keeping: First, include the date and the year; this will be fun to look back on in years to come and will help in remembering where your relationship with this person was at a particular moment in time. Presentation is also important so take care to give your love letter and photo cards extra flare so it is a one-of-a-kind. You can do this by adding a stylish personalized color label to the outside or even colored envelopes. A photo card will be something they can display all year and remember in years to come.

The holidays are over and it’s finally time to relax. Except – maybe this would have all been a little bit easier had you been prepared ahead of time. In 2010, make life easier on yourself and pledge to be prepared for any events coming up this year.

Pick Invites Early

While you might not want to send out invitations to an event to far in advance, it’s never too early to decide on an invitation. Whether you have a corporate party, cocktail event, or a child’s birthday, there are nearly limitless invitation possibilities available for each that you could buy ahead of time and customize later. This can apply to more than invitations, too. Keeping a stock of any all-purpose cards, especially thank you cards can really save you stress in a pinch. One way to keep track of all these extra cards would be to have a box with labeled sections; for example, “birthday cards,” “thank you,” “thinking of you,” etc.

Don’t Forget the Favors

When planning an event, sometimes it’s easy to forget favors. Be sure to thank your guests for coming with something as simple as customized candies. Choose a seasonal or festive container for mints to have for your guests with their place settings, and they’ll be sure to remember your party (and you’ll be glad you remembered those favors!).

So whatever events you have coming up this year, don’t wait until the last minute! Be prepared this year and make 2010 memorable and stress-free.