What does for Personal Use Only mean? July 14, 2014

 

When you purchase any file from me, somewhere on the PDF will be the following statement:

For Personal Use Only! Do not distribute in any way. All rights reserved by A Party Studio http://www.apartystudio.etsy.com

What does that actually mean? “For personal use” means that the person who purchased the file from me has the right to use it for their own needs but not as a business or for profit. I recently had a client run into difficulties printing a file at Office Depot because the employee there said that ‘for personal use only’ indicates that it can only be printed on a home computer. This is incorrect.  Personal use only has nothing to do with how you print- just how you control the files. The file/s can be printed where ever you’d like and once printed, can be used for your party, baby shower, bridal shower, wedding, etc.

Thankfully, I happened to be online and saw her message so I was able to call the Office Depot store and talk to the print/copy center to explain that she had every right to print out the PDF.

If you head to Office Depot, Staples, Kinkos or any other commercial printing place, to avoid the situation that my client faced, please print out a copy of your receipt to prove you are the owner of the file and entitled to print.

If you are concerned about your print job, then I recommend using an online service.

Kelli at Print and Cut Your Printables or Andrea at Paper + Pop

Their print work is fantastic and much better quality than what you would get through an office supply store. Plus, both these lovely ladies will cut out your files which will save you so much time.

I’m gonna go off on a little tangent here since it’s somewhat related… what does the “Do not distribute in any way” mean? It means you can’t pass on the PDF files to your friends to use for their events. It also means you can’t sell resell the files.

A couple examples…

So, is it ok to purchase a chocolate bar wrapper from me for $10 and then open your own store and offer the wrapper for sale as an assembled item? Absolutely not. This is stealing and a violation of my intellectual property. If you have to place text boxes or make screen shots of a PDF file that you have purchased then you are probably doing something unethical. Sadly, I have actually had this exact scenario happen.

Is it ok to buy a non-personalized item from my store- for example, a banner that simply reads “Happy Birthday” and then make that banner available for free via your blog? You may think that is fine to do because you are not profiting when the banner is downloaded but guess what? No, that is also not ok.

If you are a event stylist and purchase a set of printables from me, can you use them for you event? Sure, that’s fine but if you want to reuse the items for another event, you need to repurchase the personalized files. The files I send are not editable so you cannot make a screen shot and then insert them in to a program such as Word and add a text box over the personalization information in order to ‘update’ the file.  Plus, you are cheating yourself because by doing this, you are reducing the quality of the file and your prints will not look nice. And honestly, the length of time it takes to do that, you may as well pay me for my services.

If you are still not clear, please don’t hesitate to contact me via e-mail! apartystudio@gmail.com

 

 

Bryntleigh’s Minnie Mouse Birthday Party! May 17, 2012

I met a local photographer, Christie (of Christie Griffin Photography) a few months back when I took my kids to a first birthday party. Christie was there photographing the party and capturing all the magical moments. I was thrilled when she contacted me last month about designing her granddaughter’s first birthday party. She wanted a Minnie Mouse theme and asked for zebra print and hot pink! I think everything turned out amazing- the photos speak for themselves! Christie- thank you for sharing photos of Bryntleigh’s first birthday party. I’m sure that she had a wonderful day.

If you live in the Pensacola area and have a party, you should contact Christie about photographing the event. It is so nice to be able to relax and take care of hostess things at the party instead of panicking/trying to capture each moment on the camera. Christie can be reached via e-mail at: christie.griffinphotograpghy@yahoo.com You can also check out her Facebook page.

Pink and White Damask Baby Shower August 10, 2011

I just love damask. I think it is so pretty and also from a design point of view, it can be very versatile. I recently designed a range of party printables for a girl baby shower. Classic, clean lines, pretty and soft. I love it and hope one of my girlfriends has a baby soon so that I can use this!

Check out this adorable invite:

Here are the personalized cupcake toppers and the food labels:

The full range is available now in my Etsy store! The complete set includes:
1. invite- either 4×6 or 5×7
2. “BABY” banner
3. hang tags (personalized)
4. cupcake toppers (personalized)
5. cupcake wrappers
6. buffet/food labels (blank)
7. water bottle wrappers (personalized)
8. thank you OR advice note cards (personalized)

Of course, as with all my designs changes can be made. Take a look at these water bottle wrappers. The background can be changed to blue for a sweet baby boy, or perhaps make the damask grey for twins, or finally, combine a couple colors such as the butter yellow and steel grey? What do you think?

And here’s a little lesson direct from Wise Geek about our favorite pattern!!!

Damask is a type of textile closely associated with drapes, tablecloths, cloth wallpapering, and upholstery. It has also historically been used to make jackets and other heavy outer garments. Classical damask is made from silk, although the term is now widely used to refer to the style of weaving, regardless as to the material used. Damask is characterized by a background of lustrous fabric against which raised designs appear. Many pieces of antique upholstered furniture are covered in damask fabric, which is how many consumers become acquainted with this fabric.

The patterns used in damask are often geometric or botanical in theme, although the pattern may also integrate animals or simple scenes. The weaving style originated in Asia, spread across the Middle East, and reached into Europe thanks to the efforts of traders like Marco Polo. By the 12th century, the fabric had been named after Damascus, which was quickly rising to fame as a center of textile production. The ornate fabrics exported from Damascus were well known, leading many people to associate the fabric with the city. Italy also housed numerous well known manufacturers of damask.

New business logo and shop make-over!

My goal for the month of July was to create a new look for my Etsy store. I knew the colors that I wanted and I knew that I wanted the logo to match my whimsical style. You’d think it would have been the easiest job ever because after all, who knows my tastes better than me? Ugh. Not so… after the stress of moving from Rhode Island to Florida and then going on a lazy family vacation for a week, my creativity was at an all time low. I took on a couple new projects for clients and that totally helped me get back into the groove.

I am absolutely loving my new logo! Here is the new store banner and my Facebook picture!  

And I had so much fun creating a flyer for the business. I’m gonna get this flyer posted in various bakeries here in Pensacola, Florida. Isn’t it cute? Hope you like the new look as much as I do!

Finally, if you are on Facebook, make sure to LIKE A Party Studio!!! I usually announce all my latest projects on Facebook and also I will periodically announce promo codes on there too! And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

Blast Out Friday July 15, 2011

Blast Out Friday

 

Here are the items from this week’s Blast Out Friday. Lots of fun hair accessories this week! If you have a store on Etsy, please come check out our team. We have fun promoting each other’s items on a weekly basis and participation each week is voluntary. The only rule is that if you list an item to be promoted then you need to participate in the blast on Friday!

Caprica Accessories – Pink candy heart headband for girls! Made with real candy!

Pink candy heart headband

beBOWutiful – Sorbet colored hair bow, sure to make any girl sweet!

Layered sorbet hair bow

Blue Eyed Blessings: Pair of Sassy & Bright Orange and Yellow Polka Dot Hair Clips with Black Korker Centers

Bright orange and yellow polka dot hair clips

 

Beautifulswagstore– looking for a bow to celebrate baseball summer and the all star game. Look now further. Hint there is a limited time discount code for baseball finds.

Batter up all star bows

 

Gigi– Mauve Crystalline Silver Earrings

Mauve crystalline silver dangle earrings

Goodies By Greiner– Wood Ultra Sound and Baby Picture Holder!! Super cute for displaying your sweet ultra sound picture and then using it for all the fun baby pictures you’ll want to change and display that first year!!!

Baby wood frame

 

A Party Studio– Full Sailboat Party Collection- digital files! Everything you’ll need to host a gorgeous party. Fully personalized!

Sailboat birthday party

Sailboat Birthday Party July 13, 2011

Just realized that I never posted actual photos from the Sailboat Birthday Party I threw for my son’s first birthday back in April! Here are some photos from the party. The colors for the party were navy blue, cream, beige, and sage green with accents of orange and dark red. A couple weeks before his party, I found a cute long sleeve t-shirt at Gymboree that said “I run this ship” and it had green stripes on it! How perfect! Of course, I had a welcome door sign to greet guests when they first arrived.

Welcome door sign

Sailboat Birthday Party

 

Banner

The party was in the morning and most of the kids attending were very young, between 12 and 16 months so I wanted the food to be kid friendly but at the same time, appetizing to the adults. My menu was bagels with cream cheese, ham and cheese breakfast croissants, and star (jam filled) sandwiches. I put out goldfish crackers which went perfectly with the orange accents of the party decorations. For dessert, I offered a healthy fruit platter, both chocolate and vanilla cupcakes which were decorated with the personalized cupcake toppers. I also had a large doughnut cake from a local doughnut shop, Allie’s in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. I gave them a copy of the invite and they were able to match the sailboat.

 

Buffet

 

Buffet labels

Fruit platter

 

Cupcakes

 

 

Personalized cupcake topper

 

Doughnut cake

 

For the party favors, I made chocolate dipped pretzel rods. These were very easy to make and a lot of fun! I put each one in a clear pretzel bag (available at craft stores) and then added a personalized label and a bit of grosgrain ribbon. I also had bottles of bubbles with personalized labels on those. The bubble labels said “Ships ahoy! Bubbles away!” I also had Hershey bars of chocolate that I wrapped. I have done these every year for my daughter’s birthday and I am continuing the tradition with my son!

 

Bubbles

Chocolate bar wrapper

Party favors

 

Table

Water bottle wrappers

Finally, here’s a picture of the birthday boy enjoying his first ever cupcake!

Birthday boy

If you are interested in this collection, everything is available at my Etsy store. Also, if you wanted to use this for a baby shower, then I will be happy to change the wording for you! Send me an e-mail or convo me via Etsy!