We’ve got a surprise for you, Blossomers!
All posts by asim
Hello, Blossomers! I know it’s been a terribly long time since we last spoke but I promise that I’ve got some great posts that I can’t wait to share with you. In the meantime, I thought I’d give you a small sneak peek into our offices.
We’re all abuzz over Spring and Summer. Southern Californians do not usually fare well in the cold — I am certainly no exception to this. But the clouds have lifted, the rains have (hopefully) ended, and we’re looking at sunshine all the way through the next few months. Naturally, this puts all of us into a super creative mood. What better way to channel all this creative energy than to spruce up our office with some springtime decor?
There’s nothing like some flowers on your desk to brighten a work day. How do you personalize your workspace, Blossomers? We wanna know!
Happy Spring!
-Kim
Picture this…
Beautiful gowns, sharp tuxedos, shining accessories, and memorable speeches.
No, I am not talking about a wedding. Although I will always enjoy weddings above all other events, I’d like to talk about another event that will be taking place this Sunday no more than an hour and a half (in good traffic) from where I sit: The 85th Annual Academy Awards. Yes, this weekend I will be setting up shop in front of my television and watch as Hollywood’s finest make their grand entrance onto the red carpet and listen as winners of the esteemed Oscar give their acceptance speech before a combined live and television audience of millions. Talk about pressure. Excuse me while I take a moment to visualize the moment I receive an Academy Award for Best Actress…
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
My vision would have me accept this honor with grace and with an incredibly eloquent speech thanking everyone I had ever met. The reality of course is that I would probably stumble across the stage (heels and I don’t get along), and I would proceed to give a speech comprised mostly of the not-so-eloquent sounds of “umm” and “uhh…” And since we’re talking reality now, I must admit that I am not an actress nor have I been asked to be in any major motion pictures. Surprising, right??
DEAN TREML/AFP/Getty Images
The point is, I am not well equipped to give any sort of speech at an event of such magnitude. Maybe that’s why I enjoy Awards Season so much; I get to watch and admire those who are much more well-spoken in front of an audience than I am. As much as I enjoy seeing all the gorgeous ensembles and catching up on the latest trends, the thing that I love the most is listening to the speeches and catching some profound moments in Hollywood history.
Alas, it all has to end. The Academy Awards brings a close to this season, but I’m not too broken up about it. Actually, I’m quite excited because it means my absolute favorite season is just getting started: wedding season. You know what that means? More speeches! If you’re anything like me, public speaking can be an incredibly daunting task. If you’re expected to make a toast or give a speech at a friend or family member’s wedding — well, you can already feel the nerves setting in. Never fear, I have a few tips that I’ve gathered to help you write that perfect toast!
- Having trouble getting started? Just remember that it’s for the bride and groom. It’s their wedding, let them be your inspiration. Another thing to remember, this day is a celebration of love between two people. Even if you are closer with one over the other, make sure you include both of them.
- Practice! Practice alone in your room, practice in front of a close friend, and practice whenever you get a chance. The better you know your toast, the less chance your nerves have of taking over.
- Keep it short. A toast shouldn’t really be longer than a couple of minutes. Unless you have a very engaging speech written and no short amount of confidence in your public speaking abilities, keep it short, simple, and sweet.
- Avoid these references: those crazy college parties, any past relationships, and inappropriate jokes. I don’t think these need any further explanation, do you?
Any speech stories, extra tips, or comments in general?? Post them in the comment section below!
First stop, wedding toasts. Next up, your Oscar acceptance speech! I’ll see you on the (pretend) red carpet.
-Kim
Happy Valentine’s Day, Blossomers! We wanted to celebrate this day by sharing the love with one of our retailers. I know you’re going to LOVE our friends from:
Tell us the story behind Candles & Such. How did it all begin?
It all began with a candle. My mother has made her own candles ever since I can remember. In 2003 I started helping her sell them at local craft shows. We decided to expand and offer candle accessories and other small little gifts. Our booth became so popular we had to start renting two spaces. We sold out at every show. The craft shows were seasonal and customers started calling in the off season wanting more candles, a few even called asking if they could order them to use as wedding favors. That’s when I had the idea that she needed a website. As I was researching personalized labels to use for the candle favors I realized that with our website we could offer more than just her candles. Unlike our craft show space, our website had unlimited space. I started attending bridal shows to research the wedding industry, attended webinars about e-commerce and building a website. By 2005 our first website was live, designed by me, and our first order came in about two months later. The high point for us was when her candle tin favors were featured in Parents Magazine in 2009.
Fast forward to 2013, we still offer her candles but we also offer over 5,000 other party favors and gifts. She is now retired, although she will always be making candles. It’s been an amazing experience working with my best friend and sharing the success of our business together.
You have a great reputation for providing excellent customer service. What do you believe is the key to creating a positive experience for your customers?
I believe the key is that you need to remember your customer is a person, not just a “sale” or a client. We take the time to get to know our customers. In our industry we are providing something small but important for a very special occasion in their life. Whether it’s a wedding, a 1st birthday party or a baby shower, they are celebrating a significant milestone. These little favors are a key part of their event so we take the time to make sure each customer is taken care of. A large percentage of our business is repeat customers, we are very proud of that.
What do you like best about Event Blossom products? Any favorites?
I remember the first time I saw the products on Event Blossom’s website and I couldn’t have been more excited. I loved the unique favors and the clean and modern design of the personalized labels. I couldn’t get the items on my website fast enough. I felt the product line synched well with what we wanted to offer our customers and I was right, they are some of our best sellers.
It’s hard to pick a favorite but I do love the Sweet Shoppe Candy Boxes. The boxes are top quality and I love all the different label designs and options that are available. The Lollipops are another favorite of mine. I have personally used the Candy Boxes, the Lollipops, the Lip Balm, the Mint Tins and the Candy Jars. When helping customers I almost always direct them to Event Blossom’s products because I know they will get a quality product. I really like the new Kid’s Birthday Designs, the Milk Bottles and the Candy Tubes. I think they will be best sellers this year.
Happy Valentine’s Day! What sort of ideas would you suggest to a bride who wants to have a Valentine’s Day wedding
Valentine’s Day makes me think of candy and chocolate. I think a Candy Buffet that offered candy hearts, small chocolates, red and pink M & M’s, and some Personalized Lollipops would be a fun way of incorporating Valentine’s Day without going overboard with Hearts everywhere. Of course the Sweet Shoppe Candy Bags would be the perfect way for friends and family to tote around their treats!
We had a little debate over here and I’d love to hear your input: Valentine’s Day weddings/proposals, classic or cliché?
I think Valentine’s Day will always be a classic day for weddings and proposals. It’s not cliché but it’s also not a big surprise if a man wants to propose that day. If he really wants to surprise her he shouldn’t do it on Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day isn’t the only day that couples can go out of their way to show their love for each other. True romance happens on the most random of days.
We couldn’t agree more with that last notion — random acts of romance on random days are the best kind! Thank you again, Kara, for being a part of our Quick Q+A! Want more of Candles and Such? Find them on Facebook and Twitter.
One more time — Happy Valentine’s Day, Blossomers!
-Kim
As I mentioned last week, the Event Blossom Blog (now known as “The Blossomer”) turned a year old. Starting a blog was incredibly exciting for me, but it was also a little bit frightening. I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I hardly ever shared my work — that was just too scary. After a year of blogging, those fears have subsided. I still get butterflies every time I hit the “publish” button, but I think that I’ll always get that feeling. It’s a good thing, in my opinion. That being said, there are some things I’d like to share about what I’ve learned so far.
Things I learned in my first year of blogging for a business:
- Research is always a good first step. First and foremost, take a look at some blogs in your industry. A quick search on Google will turn up a ton of results for you to peruse. This will give you an idea about what others are blogging about, how their content is set up, and maybe even some topics that haven’t been discussed yet or could be built upon further.
- Find your voice. Are you already an avid blog reader but not sure what kind of blogger you are/would be? Go through your favorite blogs. Identify what it is about the posts that you enjoy and keep you coming back for more. Most of the time, you like things that are like you in some way. So if you’re not sure what your style is, try out different ones you like until you find the style that’s right for you. If something doesn’t work or it just doesn’t feel right, re-evaluate and give it another go. When it comes down to it, be yourself and write in a way that comes naturally.
- Content is king. This isn’t an original saying; I’ve read it many times over in different blogs, books, and a variety of other publications. Just as in customer service, you want to always try and see things from the customer’s point of view. What kinds of topics are they interested in? What kind of information would they be seeking? What content would be the most helpful and/or valuable to them? These are the questions you need to ask when planning out your content strategy.
- Get an outsider’s perspective. Whether it’s your boss, colleagues, or best friend. It’s always good to get fresh eyes to edit and review your posts. They may see spots that could use a bit more elaborating or others that could be trimmed down. And staring at the computer screen for any extended period of time will cause anyone to make a small spelling or grammar error — it’s best to have someone take a quick look for those little slips while you rest your eyes. I also recommend including others in on brainstorming future posts; you never know where a great idea will stem from — and don’t forget to give credit where it’s due!
- Take notes, keep an eye on your site stats, and make adjustments where you see fit. You’ll learn new things with every post, comment, and page view. For example, I always write down a few notes when a post has significantly more hits than the others – what the topic was, how it was different from the others, and why it may have caused a bigger surge of traffic. Remember, blogging, just like business, is always evolving and changing. Be aware and adapt when necessary.
- Press “Publish!” Ultimately, you can’t really predict which posts or topics will be a hit. But you’ll never know if you don’t put it out there for your audience to decide.
Happy Blogging!
-Kim
P.S.
What did you think of these tips? Fellow bloggers feel free to share any advice you may have in the comments below.
There’s this great saying, perhaps you’ve heard of it:
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
In my experience, I have found this statement to be true. A photo can, indeed, tell quite a bit of story (even the whole story in some cases). However, in this fast-paced online world of ours I’ve found that this little quote has taken on a new meaning: a picture is worth a thousand conversations we can’t always have. There are so many little moments of laughter, joy, or inspiration that I wish we could share with you — little things like the silly doodles or drawings made while taking breaks, the small trinkets on our desks that keep us company, or even a refreshing ice cream sandwich that the boss surprises us with on hot summer afternoons. Sure, there’s always Facebook and Twitter. But they don’t have cool filters for your photos like…Instagram!
Instagram allows you to add that beautiful vintage look to brand new photos and share them with lots of people. As with all things social networking, I am greatly amused. You know what comes next…Now, Event Blossom has its very own Instagram profile where we can share more glimpses behind the scenes and we can see some of the lovely things you’ve taken a snapshot of. Follow us @eventblossom, and we’ll follow you!
Better yet, #eventblossom on images of your events or favors and show us what awesome and creative things you’ve done with your favorite EB products!
Now get out there and take some pictures!
-Kim
Hello, Blossomers! Today, we are celebrating a very momentous occasion. One year ago, this little blog of ours was created and the first post was published. I can still remember how excited I was to announce to everyone (I mean, everyone) that the blog was officially launched and that there were published posts ready to be read. Forty-four posts later and we’re ready to take our little blog to the next level. Expect some exciting changes in the near future. In the meantime, we’re going to celebrate!
Remember our friend, Kate from Sugar Therapy who made some delicious cupcakes for our Mod Party Kits?? Well, she and I worked together to surprise the office with some delicious cupcakes styled up with the help of our Cupcake Party Mod Party Kit.
I would like to thank a moment to thank everyone who has contributed: our wonderful retailers who have participated in our “Quick Q+A’s,” Kate from Sugar Therapy, and of course the entire Event Blossom Family for all their support from getting their pictures taken to helping me brainstorm some good topics. I would especially like to give a huge thank you to everyone who has stopped by our little corner of the internet and read our posts.
It’s been an exciting year, but we’re only getting started. Here’s to more happy blogging!
-Kim
I won’t deny it — I’m a hopeless romantic. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’m enjoying all the lovey-dovey displays in stores and all of the sweet cards that have made their appearance in the gifts and stationery departments. I’m an absolute sucker for romantic comedies, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, and roses. Yes, roses. Some may call them cliché, but I will never tire of those fragrant blooms. Speaking of things that seem overdone or maybe even faux pas, it seems to me that many people are split straight down the middle when it comes to this holiday of hearts. Having a date night with your other half is a classic way to celebrate, but how about proposing to your significant other or getting married on Valentine’s Day? Even I question the idea of getting engaged on a day that seems so “typical” for romantic gestures or having to share the spotlight with cupid on my wedding day. To settle this debate, I took it to the Event Blossom Staff over some pizza.
“Valentine’s Day Weddings or Proposals — Classic or Cliché?
For the most part, everyone was in agreement: a proposal on Valentine’s Day would be sweet, but a wedding on Valentine’s Day would be a big no-no. As an interesting twist, the suggestion was made that it would be a pleasant surprise if someone proposed the day before or after Valentine’s Day rather than on the actual day. I love the idea of doing Valentine’s Day related things on days that aren’t Valentine’s Day. Besides, who needs a holiday to celebrate love anyway??
Throw a love and hearts themed shindig, and I’m there! If you need some inspiration, take a look at our Hearts & Love Pinboard on Pinterest. You can even find the how-to on my little heart chains.
XO,
Kim
Our Quick Q+A posts are back, and I can’t wait to share more of our great resellers. These people make the Event Blossom world go round and they’re so much fun to work with! Our very first Quick Q+A of 2013 comes from Beau-coup.
We’ve had the wonderful opportunity of working with the fine folks over at Beau-coup.com for a few years now, and it was nice to get to know them even better. Before our break for the holidays, Winnie took some time to share some great answers with us:
Describe a typical day for the staff at Beau-coup. Any fun office stories you can share?
One of the best things about working at Beau-coup is that there is no such thing as a “typical” day. We’re always moving forward and trying to improve all aspects of the business. Depending on the project, you can find yourself working with a different set of people solving different types of problems on a weekly, if not daily basis.
One thing that brings us together is something we call the “7th Inning Stretch”. Everyday around three o’clock in the afternoon we start playing music in the office. Our head of engineering set up a computer on our local network, and through a web-based application, anyone in the office can put a song in the queue and the music will blast throughout all of the departments. We get exposed to all kinds of music, from pop, electronic and dubstep, to Christmas carols, Broadway hits, and the occasional disco oldie – all to cheers, giggles, and maybe a few moans and groans.
Beau-coup has had so many big milestones, which one of those would you consider to be the most exciting? What made it especially memorable?
Beau-coup started out as a home business, operating out of the founders’ living room in its first year. We stored inventory in the garage, and dropped packages off at the UPS store every afternoon. Moving into our first real office space in downtown Mountain View was a big deal, and a memorable milestone because it both signaled that we had a real business opportunity (we’re legit!), and with the space, set us up for further growth. Since then we’ve moved into bigger and bigger offices, and had many more milestones, from being named one of America’s fastest growing companies by Inc. Magazine three years in a row, to one of our most important milestones, to date: Re-launching the site as an online destination for folks planning not just weddings, but any of life’s special occasions.
The New Year is just around the corner. What have been your favorite themes/trends from this past year?
Some of our favorite trends from 2012 are rustic weddings, ombre, animals, and lace. Not necessarily in that order. We loved looking at all of the gorgeous photos on Pinterest of rustic barn weddings, ranch weddings, and backyard weddings with strung lights, chalkboard signs, and handmade bunting. So Etsy! In color trends, ombre came back in a big way in 2012. We loved it on gowns, cakes, and even hair! Lace was also big this year, and whether you’re taking your queue from Kate Middleton, or Bella Swan, if it’s long and lacey, you can’t go wrong. And lastly, animals are always popular for baby showers and kids birthday parties, but this year, we especially loved the wild animals of the savannah; elephants, lions, and giraffes drawn in modern lines and muted tones were everywhere, but we weren’t complaining.
What are some lessons you’ve learned from being a part of the wedding and event industry?
Being a part of the wedding and event industry means we are always surrounded by creative and passionate people. We all do what we do because we love it, and we’re good at it. One of most important lessons we’ve learned is that building and maintaining long, healthy relationships with other industry leaders is invaluable. One day you’re helping someone, and the next day someone’s helping you. We belong to a tight-knit community and whether you’re a retailer, wholesaler, designer, photographer or publisher, you can learn from one another and share ideas to make them better.
You’ve been an Event Blossom retailer for quite some time now — since 2007. How has having Event Blossom’s product line added to your website offerings?
We were first drawn to Event Blossom products because of their designs. The style was clean, and modern, and completely in line with Beau-coup’s aesthetic. Over the years, Event Blossom has grown its line of products and introduced many hits on our site, but always maintained a strong focus on design. Event Blossom also provides beautiful images for their products, and on our website, the image is what sells the product. It’s one of the reasons we love adding Even Blossom products to our offerings; they not only sell themselves, they make our website look good!
It’s always an exciting day when back ordered products come back in stock. Everyone eagerly awaits the sound of the big rig containing all of our goodies turning the corner. When it finally arrives, orders on hold get prepped and ready to go while the warehouse gets to work (our shipping department has got the unloading and re-organizing strategy down). Stock status updates get sent, announcements are made, and there is a sweet sigh of relief that our stock has been replenished. The best part? Seeing empty shelves and spaces get filled with fresh boxes of items ready to be ordered:
Just in case you missed the memo, Candy Boxes (EB2126), Chair Place Card Boxes (EB1024), and Mini Cube Boxes in Aqua (EB1025BL) are all back in stock.
Come back on Thursday for our very first “Quick Q+A” of 2013 — it’s going to be a good one!
-Kim