Tan-je-reen Design - the blog...

Deadline to order Holiday Cards is fast approaching!

2009-12-10T15:40:00.004-05:00

Well this season definitely did sneak up on most of us, and the deadline to order holiday cards and receive them by December 19th is tomorrow. Thanks to everyone that ordered early and to those that forgot, hurry, hurry. You still have today and tomorrow to pick out the perfect card this year!

Delivery by the 19th is still enough time to get them out to your friends and family before the big day! We can even send you your envelopes early so that you can start addressing them.

For all those last minute shoppers; right now we are running another sale; 15% off any order of $50 or more & Free Shipping on orders of $100 or more!

If you don't think that you will make the deadline, send out a New Years card. We all love receiving cards from loved ones, especially photo cards!

Have a great Holiday!

New Hampshire has got taste...

2009-11-25T15:17:00.004-05:00

November 25, 2009

We have to give a big thank you to New Hampshire, their # 1 Parenting magazine featured our "Naughty Kid" note cards in their Hot Mama section. Sending lots of traffic to our web site from that area, which we just LOVE!

We were approached by Parenting New Hampshire about a month ago and asked if we would like to be featured, of course I screamed yes!!!

Here is a picture from copy they sent us of the latest issue, December 2009, that has our note cards featured!

Want to buy yourself a set or give a set for a funny holiday gift that will make your friends laugh, click here!

Thanks again Parenting NH!

Its wonderful to see our products being mentioned and people excited about them, it makes all of our time & hard work worth while!

PS - Don't forget to order your holiday cards during our great sale!

The Holidays are closing in...sale ends soon!

2009-11-24T10:13:00.004-05:00

November 24, 2009

Well, the holidays are just around the corner and sending out beautiful holiday cards is a tradition that is going strong. It's a wonderful and inexpensive way to send a thoughtful hello to people we dont always get a chance to talk to.

Sending photo cards is an even a better way to show those friends just how your children and family are doing. Kids grow up so fast, a photo holiday card is a great way to treasure the memories of their youth and share them with friends and family.

Our Photo Cards are not printed on "picture paper" or light weight photo paper found at your local mega-store, we use premium, photo quality, heavy weight card stocks. Our Standard is 110lb and our deluxe Pearl Card Stock (which creates a stunning visual effect, giving a luminous, pearlescent appearance) is also 110lb.

I had the pleasure of working with a wonderful family in California on their Holiday Cards, they upgraded their paper to the Pearl Card Stock and the final result was breathtaking. The black & white photos look almost silver and pearl, the upgrade is well worth it. (this photo doesn't do it justice, but I wanted to share)

Thank you to the Borba Family! It was a pleasure working with you!

We are having an AMAZING sale going on now! Be sure to take advantage of it!!!

SALE ENDS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30th 2009!

Only 4 days left to enter!

2009-10-28T09:52:00.003-04:00

Be sure that you submit your chance to win 50 Free Holiday Cards! Enter here...

Double your chances by becoming a fan on our Facebook page! click here

Good Luck to everyone that enters....

Be sure to take advantage of our 25% off your $75 purchase offer as well!

25% off and a chance to win 50 Free Holiday Cards!

2009-10-20T11:03:00.005-04:00

The Holidays are right around the corner, and if you haven't started to think about your holiday cards, then I hope this deal is incentive!

Right now you can receive 25% off your entire order of $75 or more. Right now there is now expiration date, we are feeling the holiday spirit a bit early. But be sure to take advantage of it soon...code is SAVEMOOLA

You also have the chance to win 50 FREE Holiday Cards, that is a $99 value. Be sure to enter...and in our generous mood of giving, if you become a fan of Tan-je-reen on Facebook you get entered twice!

For the introduction of our Double-sided cards we are offering them to you at the same low price as single sided cards!!!

This year we are offering 4 different types of paper choice for your cards to be printed on...read more about them here

110 lb Smooth Matte Card Stock
100 lb "Green" Smooth Matte
90 lb Linen Card Stock
110 lb Pearl Card Stock

Be sure to see all of our new additions this year!

More Holiday Cards!

2009-10-10T08:27:00.002-04:00

All of our holidays cards will be ready for ordering on Monday the 12th, but until then I wanted to give you another sneak peek at another design that will be in our new collection...I am just loving these new designs. We hope you are too!

This also comes in blue. The back space can be used for any message or for another photo....the choice is your. Be as creative as you want!

Fall is in the air! Come see us at the Haddonfield Fall Festival!

2009-10-05T09:38:00.004-04:00

October 5th, 2009

This is my most favorite time of year! The weather is just one part, I LOVE the colors, how it can be a brisk 68 degrees outside but the brightness of the sun and the golden & burnt hues of the leaves all around, can warm us instantly.

Please be sure to come out and visit the Tan-je-reen Design Tent at this years Haddonfield Fall Festival on October 17th, 10am - 5pm. We will have wonderful fabric pieces as well as our note card & imprintables collection. We will post our location when we receive it!

I wanted to just post a few of my favorite pieces in our collection that brings Autumn right into your stationery collection.

This item is so versatile, it can be used as an engagement announcement, save the date or engagement party invite. My FAVORITE part of this piece, the initials carved onto the tree. I have shown the card used in to different ways. All of our stationery can be customized to fit your needs.

This is another of my favorite examples of Fall in our collections, a folded personalized note card! We unveiled this piece at the Haddonfield Arts Festival and got rave reviews.

I also think that the Winter Holidays should be the only time to send out cards, why not stand out from the crowd and send Halloween, Thanksgiving or just Happy Fall cards. It's a great way to put a smile on someone face, an unexpected card will brighten anyone's day.

I am back! and come bearing new Holiday Card designs!

2009-09-29T15:04:00.014-04:00

September 29, 2009

So as some of you know I have been crazy busy planning a fundraiser for Chiari Malformation, a Neurological Disorder my son has. So I haven't been blogging or designing as much as I should or want to. Now that the fundraiser is over I can focus more of my attention on Tan-je-reen, and since the holidays are coming up on us fast, it couldn't be more perfect timing! I wanted to unveil some of the new Holiday Card designs that we will be featuring this year and as promised last year, we will also have a few back and front designs as well. I really do feel like the back of the card is just wasted space!

None of these are ready for purchase yet, but I hope they get you in the photo taking spirit. If you haven't made your appointment with your photographer yet, hurry up, the sooner you get your photos taken the faster you can get your Holiday Cards and avoid any rush charges or expensive shipping charges.

If you are on a tight budget and many of us are, I found a great site that gives some tips, guidelines & ideas for shooting your own Holiday Card photos... Keith Pitts Photography was nice enough to post a blog about this very subject last year!

Without further a due...ta-da! The newest additions to the holiday card family at Tan-je-reenDesign...

Please leave some comments about what you think about them...

The 1st is "Classic Elegance" Can be used for a wedding photo, family, pet...anything

The 2nd Design is "Snowflake Frame", this available in 5x7 & 5x5. Black and white work great with this, but colors can also look great!

The 3rd is going to be so popular...I just know it. This trend has grown more and more popular over the last couple of years...this is called "Just Damask"...

The 4th is a unique design with unique colors. With so many other holidays to celebrate besides Christmas...I wanted to provide a variety of colors. Not to mention, who says you have to use green or red around the holidays...

Hope you like the first of many designs to come...we are also releasing the design we used for our personal cards last year for purchase this year. We got compliments from every single person that received it or saw it...wow your recipients too! It is the first of the double-sided cards we will be offering!

Help us Help Others!

2009-08-29T08:34:00.007-04:00

August 29, 2009

As many of you know, I started a fundraiser to help raise awareness of Chiari Malformation, the rare neurological disorder my son Mason has. It is called Mason's Mission. All of the money raised goes to the American Syringomyelia & Chiari Alliance Project, Inc. (ASAP,Inc), an organization that is dedicated to providing research, education & support for Chiari Malformation patients.

Well, this month (September) is Chiari Awareness Month and in honor of it, I have designed 3 Note Cards in the colors of Mason's Mission. I think I designed something for everyone,

1. This design is very posh and stylish. But includes the fundraiser colors to show your support!

2. This design uses the burst that is in the logo, it is layered making this design fun and exciting!

3. Our third design actually uses a piece of Mason's Artwork. He loves to draw & color. It only seemed fitting to use a drawing from the inspiration behind the fundraiser.

On the back of each card is the Mason's Mission logo displayed proudly along with the website.

Tan-je-reen Design is donating 100% of all the profits of the sales of these design starting today and going through the entire month of September!

Help us raise as much awareness as possible! There is a huge lack of public knowledge as well as research of this disorder. Our goal is to one day make it possible for patients and parents to have information, research and help right at their fingertips.

Don't forget the 1st Annual Family Fun Day being help September 20th, 2009. If you are local make sure you buy you tickets soon, they are selling like hot cakes! Click here to learn more about the event and buy your tickets!

Wedding Invitations - Heather and Bill

2009-08-04T19:45:00.006-04:00

August 4th, 2009

Well, I have MIA once again from my blog. This summer has been a blur and I cant believe that it is almost over.

The events over the summer are slowing down but the Mason's Mission Family Fun Day is quickly approaching so I am sure that will be claiming most of my attention over the upcoming weeks.

I did want to pop onto the blog to write about one of the many orders we have received, I recently (a couple of weeks ago) finished up wedding invitations for a great couple! She, with a doubt, is the most laid back and calm Bride I have ever had the pleasure of working with. it rubs off on me, she is a lot of fun to be around, her mom is the same way. By the end of the initial wedding consult we were laughing and drinking wine! Great business meeting!

Here are some of the photos I took of the finished product, its hard to see but the dark color is a beautiful dark metallic green! Great color choices for this wedding!!!!

Leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Come Out and See Us in Haddonfield this Weekend!

2009-07-07T09:09:00.006-04:00

I have really absent from my blog...I am back. I have been very busy with my little boy, trying to enjoy every moment!

But this blog entry is about the wonderful event this weekend. The 17th Annual Haddonfield Fine Arts and Craft Festival, its the largest outdoor event in Haddonfield. Kings Highway & Tanner Streets are shut down to traffic and replaced with rows of tent containing beautiful handmade goods. Every corner has live music and the local restaurants come out and have food and cafes along the sidewalks. It is a great time to enjoy this beautiful, historic town.

We are lucky enough to have been invited to this event after we were accepted to attend the Fall Festival last year! Please make sure come out and visit us and enjoy the beautiful summer day while shopping, eating and relaxing....

Some details;

Saturday, July 11th - 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 12th - 12 noon - 5:00 pm

Tanj-je-reen Design -Kings Court, Booth 271

Hope to see all of our friends there!

5% off all of our sales this weekend at the festival will be donated to Mason's Mission - a fundraiser to help raise awareness and fund research for Chiari Malformation - a neurological disorder that is a congenital anomaly in which two parts of the brain, the brainstem and the cerebellum, protrude through the opening at the base of the skull.

We will also being selling tickets to the Family Fun Day fundraising event being held Sunday, September, 20th at Kid Junction in Mt. Laurel, NJ.

See you there!

More Press....

2009-06-11T09:04:00.002-04:00

The wonderful blog Sage and Savvy wrote about our ever so popular "Naughty Kid Note Cards". She is also giving away a set, make sure to head on over and enter in the drawing.

You can also find some discount codes for the great sale we are having! Make sure to head over to our site and check out whats new!

Pick up a set of the "Naughty" Kid Note Cards....they make a great gift, or a funny way to say sorry....

We are a "Funky Find"....

2009-06-03T14:56:00.003-04:00

June 3, 2009

Jessica over at www.funkyfinds.us was gracious enough to post a feature about us on their way cool blog! Check out what she had to say over at the Funky Finds blog.

Be sure to check the other fabulous shops she has!

Fall in Love...

2009-05-19T12:27:00.003-04:00

May 19, 2009

We had a bride that loved 2 of our Save the Date designs and couldn't pick between the 2, so what did we do? Combined them to make a unique Save the Date!

This Save the Date has so many details that were customized for the bride & groom! The magnet is removable so it serves as a friendly reminder to your guests, but while the magnet is attached, it gives the look of a flat card.

My favorite part of this Save the Date is the tree trunk; in the trunk of the tree you will see their initials carved, it's such a cute addition.

We are so excited for this couple and wish them nothing but the best!

Click here to see the original "Fall in Love" save the date

or click here if you are interested in a custom order

People are noticing us.....

2009-05-19T09:32:00.003-04:00

May 19, 2009

Shari over at Spearmint Baby has an awesome blog. She finds and writes reviews on some of the most fabulous & unique things on the web. And I am happy to say, we made that list! Click here to read the post.

Our "Not so Naughty" cards have been a huge hit and am happy that we aren't the only ones that love them!!!

She also mentioned our "Warhol Inspired" invites, a personal favorite of mine! Check out her blog, at www.spearmintbaby.com, I promise you'll get hooked!

Wedding Invitations - Meredith & Bailey

2009-05-12T06:53:00.017-04:00

May 12th, 2009

I couldn't wait to get started on these invitations, the colors this couple chose for their wedding are just stunning, so it was extremely fun to work with these great hues.

The bride was excited to use a Metallic Ruby Envelopment to hold the entire invite together, which not only added function it was a gorgeous addition to the invitation, we then added a beautiful floral image to tie all the colors together.

This is a great example of taking a classic invitation and adding a modern twist.

Good Luck Jennifer & Bill!

Interested in Custom Invitations? Fill out our Order Inquiry
http://www.tanjereendesign.com/Forms/customorderinquiryform.htm

Ta-Da! - What do you think about the new digs?

2009-05-11T17:14:00.002-04:00

May 11th, 2009

Hey everyone!

Our blog was overdue for a much needed facelift!

Leave some comments and let us know what you think!

Another Date for Your Calendar!

2009-05-11T16:20:00.003-04:00

We are very excited to spread the word about a company based out of Wilmington, DE that contacted us to join them for a ladies night out.

Shopmamie is an awesome online boutique that has fabulous fashion finds, one of the best parts....everything is under $100. YES, you read that right. Nothing on their site has a price tag higher than $100. Check them out at www.shopmamie.com

These great girls are hosting an event called "Girls Night Fit for a Recessionista!" (love the name), with vendors from all over the area. The proceeds and profits from this event all go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a great cause!

Make sure to put this event in your calendars;

When:
June 10th
5pm - 9pm

Where:
1308 Delaware Avenue
Wilmington, DE

For all of our New Jersey friends - come on down, it will be worth the drive!

Mark Your Calendars!

2009-05-01T12:48:00.007-04:00

We just got our acceptance letter in the mail!

Tan-je-reen Design will have a booth at the nationally ranked 16th Annual Haddonfield Craft & Fine Arts Festival. This is a juried event so we had to submit examples of our work along with an application to be accepted.

This will be our first year attending this festival, we were at the Fall Festival in Haddonfield but the size of this one is almost 10 times larger!

We are so excited and have already been preparing, sewing, designing and planning the booth layout!

Here are the details;

When:
Sat., July 11, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sun., July 12 noon - 5p.m.

Where:
Kings Highway
Haddonfield, NJ

I hope that everyone can make it out for the festival, there are so many activities for the family as well as great shopping! You can visit this link to learn more about the event as well as parking.

http://www.haddonfieldnj.org/eventscrafts.php

Our Graduation Collection is here!

2009-04-24T14:02:00.005-04:00

Here is our latest email, if you aren't receiving our emails please sign up here

www.tanjereendesign.com

For the not so "naughty" kids in our lives

2009-04-21T14:53:00.005-04:00

This design came to me in one of those horribly embarrassing, mommy moments.

I was at a playdate with one of my closest friends, the kids were eerily quiet. All of a sudden an explosion of screaming & crying, we run as fast as we can to them. My son sitting looking guilty, hers, red in the face from pain. Mason had just bit him...and this was the 2nd time.

After ensuring her son was OK, I scolded Mason, then of course mortified, break down into my own tears. They were tears of embarrassment, apologies, feeling like a bad mom...all wrapped in to one sobbing woman.

I know my son isn't a bad kid, in fact, he usually isn't rough at all and is more likely to be the kid at the bottom of the pile instead of the top. But, that is no excuse and I was still angry that this was how he chose to act out.

Thankfully I am surrounded my understanding, nurturing woman, who ensured me that this was just one of those "spirited" things that kids do...

I wanted to say sorry, but also be able to hopefully giggle about it one day with my friend, I have to send her one of these cards!

Sorry Tina, and thanks for being so understanding!

15% of the profits from the sales of this card will go to "Mason's Mission", please learn more about this fundraiser here www.masons-mission.com

Graduate with Style!

2009-04-17T08:31:00.008-04:00

I am sure mothers and fathers of teenagers graduating High School just cannot believe this day has come, I am sure I will be in denial when my son gets to that stage in life...not to mention dealing with how old that will mean I am! But seriously, this moment is such a momentous occasion, it is a time to grow up, leave your old life and start taking the final steps into becoming a young adult and being more responsible for yourself. Some on to college and some to trades, whatever path they choose the memories that they have from these years will be with them forever.

It seems the Seniors today are much more mature and fashionable than I remember being, so I have started designing a line of "couture" graduation announcements & invitations. On most I am utilizing the backs of the cards as well, making the front all about the graduate & the back about the event details. I have shown 2 here that have a more feminine feel, and will post the more masculine designs shortly.

They will be available for purchase by this Sunday along with the rest of the line.

We will also have available Senior Calling Cards, its a fabulous way for seniors leaving for college to make sure that all their friends and family have the right contact info. Here is an example of one....

coming soon...stylish mommy cards, because we need business cards too....after all we do have the most important job in the world!

Graduation Invitation - Airline Pilot

2009-04-06T17:25:00.006-04:00

I was approached with a very unique challenge, a graduation invitation about airplanes for an adult. Well, when I think of airplane images, I automatically envision little boys 5 year old birthday party invitations. When I found out it was for a graduating commercial airline pilot, I was excited about getting to create something sophisticated but fun.

The graduating seniors mom, who is bursting with pride about her son finally attaining his dream, wanted to incorporate the colors of his college as well as an a image of a commercial airplane.

We came up with this design and her son helped us with getting the "pilot" lingo right under the airplane. I also designed some matching Thank You cards that tied the whole design together.

Joanne was a pleasure to work with, her excitement for her son was something that I felt pouring out right from her emails. I hope to work with her again in the future.

Congratulations Joanne & Jonathan!

Latest email to our friends

2009-04-06T17:13:00.010-04:00

If you arent receiving our emails please sign up here... www.tanjereendesign.com

Working with Friends - Baptism Invites for Brandon & Gavin

2009-04-06T16:04:00.008-04:00

I was so excited when my very close friend asked me to design her youngest son, Brandon's Baptism invitations. Her son is one the most adorable babies I have had the chance to design a photo card for. He makes this simple, yet classy design come to life!

I liked the design so much that I decided to use it again for another friend of mine, it just so happened that their Baptism Ceremonies were only a week apart at the same church. Gavin is the happiest baby, his smile just lights up the room!

I feel lucky to be in these young boys lives, their little personalities shine through in their photos and makes it a joy to design photo cards around them

This design will also be available in pink & green on the website soon!

Ladies Night!

2009-04-04T22:33:00.007-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know what a great night we had last week being a vendor at Otherhood's event at Swanky Bubbles! It was a huge success! Met some great people and also had a lot of fun. Its great when you can actually say that you love what you do for a living, I DO love owning Tan-je-reen! Not only do I get to use my creative talents every single day, I get to meet great people and experience great things!

We unveiled some of our new items from our Sweet Tanjereen line of fabric pieces. We got great feedback and sold more of them than the stationery....hmmm is that a good or bad thing? It's a great thing! I enjoy working in all facets of design and hope to keep bringing you more unique pieces.

I wanted to congratulate Tina & Colleen for hosting a great night out! People really enjoyed mingling and the pampering! I cant wait for the next Ladies Night Out!

Check me out at Otherhood!

2009-03-18T16:15:00.005-04:00

I was lucky enough to be asked by the wonderful women over at Otherhood, LLC, to be a guest blogger and to occasionally write about the lastest trends in Stationery, Accessories, Gifts and Party Planning. I couldn't help but scream yes, and then I of course answered in a much calmer and more sophisticated tone.

Please check out this wonderful organization as well as their blog! I hear they are going to have some great guest bloggers, hehehe!

http://otherhoodllc.blogspot.com/

We are on FaceBook!

2009-03-16T15:17:00.004-04:00

FaceBook is all the craze! We jumped on the bandwagon awhile ago and we are hooked, I even made a page for the Store. And just today we started Advertising on FaceBook as well! So, if you are a FaceBook junkie too, or just an occasional user, come by our page, check us out and become a fan of the store.

Being an online boutique definately has its advantages, like being open 24 hours a day, but one MAJOR disadvantage is not meeting and getting to know our customers face to face. But now, with a little help from FaceBook, I can meet some of my customers and shoppers.

I hope you stop by, if you do please become a fan!

Here is a little preview of what the Ad on FaceBook looks like - small but it is worth 15% off your Personalized Note Card purchase.

Don't forget, visit the blog and leave some feedback on the new site between now and March 25th, and you will receive a 15% off Coupon Code!

Click here to visit our FaceBook page and become a fan!

Our New site is up and running! Get 15% off just for checking it out!

2009-03-13T11:02:00.011-04:00

We are so happy about the new site that we wanted to pass on the feeling to you! Come over to the new site, browse around, come back to the blog and leave a comment telling us what you think of it! You will then receive an email with the 15% discount code good for all Personalized Stationery purchases now through March 25th, 2009.

http://www.tanjereendesign.com/

Just our way of saying thank you!

If you do not have a google account or blogger account please also send us your email address after you have commented on our blog to receive the 15% Discount. email info@tanjereendesign.com include "new site" in the subject line.

Spring Cleaning!

2009-03-10T15:41:00.003-04:00

We have just shut down our site temporarily to update and refresh. Sort of a spring cleaning! We are sweeping out the old site design and blossoming into a crisp, clean, easy to navigate site. This was a HUGE undertaking and glad that it is finally ready to be unveiled. I hope you guys like the site as much as I do. In the next few days when you come back to check it out, if you notice any glitches or "oops" please let us know. I acknowledge the fact I am not perfect so i am sure that there may be a few hiccups here and there. But bear with us, I am sure you will think its worth it.

Thanks so much for all of your support! See you soon!

PS - Don't forget about Ladies Night Out, March 26th, Swanky Bubbles!!!!!

Ladies Only!

2009-02-26T09:39:00.018-05:00

Hey everyone!

I wanted to write about a great event coming up that Tan-je-reen will have a table at. The event is called "Ladies Night Out", and is being held at the very cool, Swanky Bubbles in Cherry Hill! It is sure to be a great night! Along with Tan-je-reen there are going to be some really, creative and unique vendors.

5% of our profits from this event will be donated to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Here are the details;

Ladies Night Out, hosted by Otherhood, LLC
Thursday, March 26th
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Click Here to read more and register

We will also be unveiling some more of our "Sweet Tanjereen" products. Bags, burp cloths, bibs and more. Along with our new handmade line we will also have our unique note cards and printable invitations for sale.

Our note cards are our number 1 seller, we are trying to save the Handwritten Note from becoming extinct. Email and text has become the fastest & easiest way of communication, but there is nothing like getting a touching, handwritten note in the mail from a close friend or family member. Help us save this fading tradition, purchase a pack of note cards and write your loved ones a little something, you will brighten their day!

Ladies Night Out is being hosted by an Social Event company that is very close to my heart. Otherhood, LLC is a company that is helping to fill a void in mom's and women in the South Jersey area by giving us great events to attend while meeting other inspiring women. Their events range from Infant massage classes, play time at My Gym to How to keep a clean "green" home & everything in between. I really recommend this group to not only new moms but to mothers of toddlers and up as well.

Sneak Peek!

2009-02-20T00:10:00.005-05:00

So, I have been very absent on the blog recently. I do have a very good reason though, we are updating the website and it is a larger task then I anticipated. But well worth the work, I am so happy with how it is turning out! The clean, crisp feeling of the site is making me think of spring...

I have posted a few snippets of what the site is going to look like....I hope you all like it. Please leave any comments or feedback!

I better get back to working on the new site...I eat, breath and dream about this site....I cant wait for its unveiling!

Feeling totally inspired!

2009-01-22T08:18:00.003-05:00

I know this is a little late, but updating and changing our website is taking longer then I suspected. But well worth the time, I am really happy with how its coming along.

I have been incredibly inspired and filled with feelings of hope and optimism. I watched Tuesday from the moment we woke up, it was incredible to see History being made before my very eyes. I know that every inauguration is history, but this day was obviously a more historic and groundbreaking day.

I was taking photos of the TV, clapping and woo-hooing out loud. As if I was there on the lawn with the millions of other American Citizens welcoming change. My son was standing next to the TV while I took pictures, and while he was being sworn in, mix-up and all, he was High Fiving his right hand as Barack held it up.

Now, I know that he was not handed a magic wand during the swearing in or that things will change over night. But they will change, I am sure of it. His ideas are fresh, he expects and demands responsability from the citizens of this great country and most of all he is willing to go agaisnt the grain and do things differently then how they may have been done for the last couple of hundred years.

I was filled with emotion thinking about how it wasnt that long ago that this country was segregated, my mother has told me of stories when she went on trips to Virginia and the bathrooms were labeled "Blacks" and "Whites". It is very hard for me to understand that fully, or understand the pain that may have caused those African-Amercians today that lived through that. It is sad to think that it wasnt all that long ago a black man couldnt even use the same bathroom as a white man, but AMAZING to think that the walls have been broken down so much that he can become president.

How inspring and wonderful, that the first President that my 2 1/2yr old son saw inagurated was the Frist African-Amercian President. I am excited and anxous to see what the future holds. I am ready and need change! Good Luck Obama!

This has been a strange but great week!

2009-01-11T21:59:00.006-05:00

It's Sunday and I am working on our new updated look for the website which I hope to unveil soon, watching the Golden Globes and reflecting on this past week.

This week is one that now looking back I can really see the many hats that a WAHM (work at home mom) wears. Before sending out our monthly email for Tan-je-reen Design, I was doing my daily mundane household "jobs", throwing in the load of laundry, serving and cleaning up breakfast, getting Mason set-up with some crayons and settling in to prepare and send the email. Well as usual nothing goes as easy or as nice as it is planned in the world of young children, so I found myself working sitting at my sons small round childrens table, on a childs size chair with my laptop, thinking my presence in his playroom would help him let me get a little work done. That didn't happen so in between mouse clicks and typing I had to play the timeless game of Cootie, for those don't remember this game, you build a large bug or "cootie". So here I am trying to wear my Business Owner "hat" while simultaneously wearing my Mom "hat", playing with my son. Once he was satisfied with the bugs, I started to work again when I noticed a large bug peering at me over my laptop screen....Mason was walking all of the bugs up and down the back of my screen....I laughed so loud and hard that I fell into tears.

It was at this moment that I realized I have the BEST job(s) in the world. Although I can honestly say that being a Stay or Work at Home Mom is harder than any job I had in Corporate America...it is by far the most rewarding. Nothing worth doing is easy, and making the hard decision to stay home with my son and start my own business is the best that My Husband and I ever made!

Don't just send out cards for traditional holidays!

2009-01-09T08:24:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!.....It's been awhile since my last post

2009-01-05T08:31:00.009-05:00

I want to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! Among my New Year Resolutions, making sure that my Blog is up to date is one of them! I have missed writing and hope to have some new and interesting things to vent about...I mean write about, haha.

We had a great holiday season here at Tan-je-reen, below are a few of my favorite holiday cards that were ordered.

This is one in particular is my absolute favorite, being that it is my family's card. I really like this design, I wanted something that looked more like a piece of photography then a card. Our holiday message was on the back side, I felt that the back of the card was a blank slate and should also be utilized. I am thinking of having similar designs to include in next years holiday collection, please leave some feedback if you like it and would like to see some in our collections.

Also be on the lookout for a new look on the Tan-je-reen Website, with this New Year we are giving Tan-je-reen a New Look. Look for a Fresh & Clean...but Sweet & Sassy feeling....

Please keep visiting our site for you everyday stationery needs....our personalized stationery is our hottest item right now!

The Holidays Are Upon Us

2008-11-04T19:53:00.011-05:00

The Halloween decorations are now put away, the crisp brisk air is turning chilly, all the signs are pointing to winter. With the new season knocking on our door, our shopping lists are growing, our family is visiting and the to-do lists seem to be out of control. On that list is Holiday or Christmas cards, let us help you with that. We have designed some beautiful, elegant holiday cards that will fit you needs. Please visit our site to order yours today! http://www.tanjereendesign.com/

I have posted a couple of my favorites...enjoy. I plan on designing more cards in the coming weeks. This time of year is very busy and the orders have already started to come in. Thank you to everyone who ordered early! and I cant wait to receive all the orders forth coming!

Great Success at the Haddonfield Festival!

2008-10-23T09:42:00.006-04:00

Thank you to everyone that came out Saturday! It was a gorgeous fall day, the festival had a great turn out. There were so many activities in addition to the Arts Festival, the whole town was involved.

I met so many interesting people that showed a lot of interest in our stationery pieces, from note cards to wedding accessories. I am very excited about all the contacts we made and hope to work with them all in the near future.

I have posted a few pictures from the festival, this was our first and I was nervous about the tent design and decor, but, I thought it turned out pretty well. I got a lot of great feedback on the stationery as well as the tent. Next fall festival though, I will be bringing a small space heater. The brisk wind was frigid at times, customers would also love the heat as they shopped and perused the stationery!

Thanks again to everyone that came out!

Stationery Spotlight

2008-10-14T09:56:00.007-04:00

Hi Everyone, I must apologize for my absence on the blog. We are getting ready for the Fall Art Festival this Saturday and it is a lot more work then I anticipated! But I am sure it will be worth it. I hope that you can all come and visit if you are local to the area!

I wanted to post Octobers Stationery Spotlight! I was fortunate to work with a great young woman from Florida on her Disney Wedding. She contacted me after seeing a post from Jennifer Buckley (Shout out to Jenn) on a DisneyBrides forum. She was interested in our Table #'s , Seating Cards, Monogram Design & Programs. Her colors were gorgeous and the "Sea" theme beautiful.

When designing custom pieces, I feel that the extraordinary details add that special touch, and let your guests see that everything was thought of, even down to the smallest detail. To make sure the theme was followed, our special touches included a Star Fish in her monogram instead of using an "&", Cinderellas Castle was used as watermark on the pages in the program & Disney movie posters were printed on the opposite side of the Table #.

Laura was truly a pleasure to work with and I hope to do so again!

Thanks Again!

Melanie Gaffney Interviewed by NBC 10's Denise Nakano

2008-09-26T10:09:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone, as some of you know, I am a Childhood Cancer Survivor. In a previous post I mentioned the The Parkway Run to benefit The Cancer Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that is being held this Sunday, September 28th. (Also my husbands birthday, Happy Birthday Babe).

In CHOP's effort to bring awareness to this disease and the effects it has on patients, they called and asked if they could interview me, and speak about the Late-Term Effects of Adults that overcame their Childhood Cancer. At first I was hesitant, wondering why me, there has to be a better story then mine. But of course accepted the offer in hopes that sharing my story will help raise awareness as well as money for the walk this Sunday.

Most people dont know that the Drugs that help patients conquer Cancer are so strong that they take an incredible toll and at such a young age they can effect many other parts of your growing body. Some of the late effects are Heart/Cardiovascular Disease, Respiratory Disease, Growth & Development problems, Second Cancers and Infertility.

As a direct result of my Cancer Treatments, I have Cardiomyopathy (Heart Disease) and Restrictive Lung Disease. My Doctors also thought that I would be dealing with Infertility too, since my ovaries were in fact radiated and the type of Chemotherapy I received can have a negative effect on reproduction. But, as most of you know, I was blessed with my wonderful son, Mason! Not only is conceiving a concern for Childhood Cancer survivors but carrying a child is also a major concern, especially when Heart Disease and Lung Disease are present. But we proved them wrong and Mason is here and we couldnt be happier.

I was so nervous about the Interview, I felt incredibly vain talking about myself, but Denise and her camera man Brian were great and made our whole family feel at ease. She asked me about what my thoughts were on these late effects that cancer survivors are dealing with, my hopes for the children fighting today and my feelings about how they may have to fight again later in life as an Adult. We also spoke about infertility and how it is now becoming a such a concern that young adults (teenagers) are presented with the options of freezing their eggs or sperm just in case they cant conceive later. What a "grown-up" decision to make at such a young age. Another side effect of Childhood Cancer, the fact that you have to grow up so fast, deal and see things that some people will never deal with their whole lives, face death in the face and beat it!

The clip is supposed to air Tonight, Friday September 26th, on the 5 o'clock news on NBC 10. I hope I dont end up on the cutting room floor! haha.

Thanks Denise and Brian, for making it so easy and comfortable to share my story!

Tan-je-reen Design Accepted in Haddonfield Fall Festival

2008-09-10T17:22:00.004-04:00

Well I am happy to announce that we were accepted to showcase in the Haddonfield Fall Festival on October 18th. This will be our first fine arts festival and I am more then excited. It is sure to be a great day, besides all of beautiful Handcrafted pieces for sale, there will be events for the whole family. Carriage rides, pumpkin painting and scarecrow making for the kids, for the grown-ups; some of Haddonfields best restaurants will be showcasing their food curbside.

Saturday, October 18th (Rain date - Sunday, October 19th)
10 am - 5 pm
Tanner Street & Kings Court
Haddonfield, NJ

For information on Parking click here
For Directions click here

I hope that everyone can come out and see us, our booth number is 46, all of the Arts & Craft tables will be located on Tanner Street and Kings Court.

Last Days of Summer

2008-09-03T17:02:00.003-04:00

Today was one of those days where you just start to realize summer is coming to an end...fast. And although I absolutely LOVE fall & winter, fall especially, I start to think that soon our days outside are numbered and the weather will force us to bundle up and stay cozy inside.

So Mason and I headed outside for a little fun in the sun and a little "photo shoot", I use that term loosely since I have no professional skills (as you can see from the pics) and I really dont know what I am doing most of the time. We had fun and I thought I would post them, and to prove that I dont work "all" of the time...just "most" (to those that have accused me, hehehe). Please enjoy!

Sneak Peak!

2008-09-01T16:38:00.013-04:00

I have to apologize for my absence from the blog for the last week or so...I have been busy with both designing new cards as well as continuing to work on my latest venture. I have missed blogging and in an effort to say sorry I am giving everyone an opportunity to get a "sneak peak" at a couple of new designs.

These will be available in both the QuickExpressions line as well as in our stationery boutique. If you purchase from our boutique you will also have the option of printing on the reverse side as well. This a new feature that we will be adding to most of our notecards for a very small fee. I posted an example here.

These cards do not have to include a photo, especially if we are doing the printing. They are great used as invitations as well!

I hope you like the new designs, we have more ready and they will all be unveiled this Thursday in our email. If you would like to be added to our email list and receive our announcements and specials please email me your email address.

Very excited about the sewing thing!

2008-08-20T13:39:00.008-04:00

Well I wont bore everyone with a wordy explanation of this, but I am really getting into this sewing idea. Here are some pics of my latest sewing adventure! Its a portfolio (as if you couldn't tell that, heheh). By no means is it perfect, but I am proud of it!

Please leave a comment and tell me your honest opinion, I welcome all feedback!

I CAN sew!

2008-08-18T23:14:00.008-04:00

Ok, well, some of you know that we are going to be branching out and starting a new venture that will run along side of Tan-je-reen Design, a sort of "sister" store. I don't want to give away what we will specialize in, but...it has to do with sewing.

For this I have enlisted the assistance of my mom, "the master seamstress". This is a woman who not only made HER wedding dress, also made ALL of the bridesmaids and flower girl dresses. That being said, since she is incredible, I have asked her to help me with some ideas and designs I have floating around in my head. But needless to say, to be able to produce enough of these beautiful, high quality, carefully hand-made products to keep orders rolling in and customers happy, its a lot of man hours and work, even for the "the master seamstress".

So, that leads me to this...I have taken on the task of learning to sew. Not only do I want to help out with the labor, I want to be able to design and create pieces that may be hard to explain or convey to people.

Some have used the term "obsessive" or "anal" to describe how I am about my designs or work, a bad trait to have in some cases, but when you are creating and producing custom pieces for people, they are GREAT traits! and I found out that its a great trait to have for sewing.

I sat down at the machine, after having multiple heart palpitations and deep breaths, lined up the fabric with the needle, pushed the pedal thing (I guess I still have to learn the correct terms) and off I went. I designed the pattern from scratch and did all of the sewing myself (can you tell how proud of myself I am)

Although not a fancy pattern, in fact very basic, I am very fond of my new business card holder. The fabric is a bit bold and bright for my taste, but it has grown on me and I think its pretty cute!

Enjoy the photos, please leave a comment, I would love to hear your thoughts!

A big thank you to the "the master seamstress"!

PS - We are working hard on some fabulous Fall and Holiday Card Designs, keep checking the website for updates!

Walk for Pediatric Cancer

2008-08-08T19:06:00.006-04:00

So, it's that time of year again, 2008 Parkway Run/Walk for Children's Cancer Research, this will be our 2nd year participating in this fundraiser and I hope to raise even more money and have more walkers then last year. Our Goal is 75 Walkers and $3000.00 !!!!

The 2008 Parkway Run/Walk for Children's Cancer Research, benefits The Cancer Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's. The name of our team is "CHOPing Down Cancer", I am hoping that everyone I send this to can join our team and walk on Sunday, September 28th up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to raise money to cure Pediatric Cancer.

When: Sunday, September 28, 2008 - Rain or shine

Where: Four Seasons Hotel, One Logan Square 18th St. and Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia, PA 19103

Please click here to register for the walk, be sure to join our team "CHOPing down Cancer" . When you get to the actual registration page you must pick a team, make sure to pick "CHOPing Down Cancer".

If you can't make it to the event but would like to donate please follow this link. http://www.active.com/donate/parkwayrun2008/choppingdowncancer

I am extremely passionate about this cause and wanted to use my story to help raise awareness for this disease that children also have to fight, most of you know this story. For those that dont please read below.

As most of you know I am a Long-Term Survivor of Pediatric Cancer, I was diagnosed with Wilm's Tumor at the age of 5. After the removal of my left Kidney, radiation to my entire torso and 2 years of Chemotherapy I was in remission and have gone on to lead a very full life. As a Childhood Cancer survivor you just want to grow up and have a "normal" life like most kids, not having to think about Cancer anymore. Which is exactly what I did, unfortunately that isn't how it works. After being told I probably couldn't have children I was thrilled when my husband and I found out we were pregnant. Before going any further, we thought it may be important to share the news with my old Oncologist at CHOP to find out if there were any precautions we should take. Because of my medical past I was considered "high risk", after a battery of tests we found out that I had Cardiomyopathy and Restrictive Lung Disease. Both due to having Cancer, it turns out that the medicine that treats cancer can also have long term effects on patients. I was one of them. This is why I feel it is so important to raise awareness for Childhood Cancer, to help the children fighting for their lives now and for those who may have to fight again. This disease needs to be stopped in its tracks, if we could cure it there wouldn't have to be a fight…now or later!

Stationery Spotlight - August 2008

2008-08-05T18:11:00.015-04:00

We have decided to feature a piece of our stationery once a month, these pieces may be newly designed, custom pieces or something we pulled out of our old stock! We are calling it "Stationery Spotlight".

This month we are showcasing one of my favorite designs, it was originally designed as my sons baptism invitation but has so many uses and possibilities. I was contacted about creating a graduation invitation for 2 graduating sisters. One was graduating from High School the other from College. This awesome Mom had a really creative idea about combining the parties into one, chose this design and let me pretty much run with it.

I am really happy with the way it turned out and so was she and her daughters, it was a total pleasure to work with them and I hope do so again in the future!

Our First Craft Fair

2008-08-03T22:49:00.005-04:00

Since we are an online stationery boutique we are limited to the number of people that we meet in person. In an effort to get Tan-je-reen's name out there we are hoping to attend the Fall Festival & Craft Fair in Haddonfield, NJ. I am mailing in the application and mandatory 4 photos of my work, which I posted for you all to see, to the administration running the event, I am nervous and hope that we are accepted.

For most of you that know me, you know that I don't like "typical" things and already have ideas brewing on how to decorate our booth and tablescape so we don't have that "craft fair" look or feel. I am excited to get my little stationery boutique out there in the public eye. Although the web offers visitors from all over the world access to my designs, I cant help but feeling that sometimes my little store gets lost in the enormous sea of websites.

I have enlisted the help of my mother (and best friend) to help man the booth and chat with visitors and potential clients. She understands how passionate I am about this company and my work, she supports me 100%.

The fair is Saturday, October 18th in Haddonfield, NJ. I hope that everyone can come and visit, it is sure to be fun. Fall is my most absolute favorite time of year, the rich colors the brisk air, the big sweaters....I am counting down the weeks until the fist day of fall.....8 weeks to go!

New Stationery Design!

2008-08-01T12:18:00.006-04:00

I have created a unique design that can be purchased without personalization or with. It is availble for both boys & girls, and is the cutest thing ever. Although the design is simple the design inside the initial adds a bit of whimsy. I have also included the option to purchase matching envelope liners, I have always felt that liners add an element of design that brings the whole piece together.

I used these as Thank You cards for my sons birthday party and have gotten rave reviews as well as a few orders. If you like these they can be purchased soon at our online store, the liners are extra but well worth it, I use a light weight cardstock so it adds a rich feel to the envelope itself.

The design inside the initial can be changed as well, if your son or daughter (or you for that matter) likes a specific animal, turtles for example, I can make the fill small images of turtles. The possibilites are endless.

I LOVE Party Planning and Hosting

2008-07-06T16:20:00.011-04:00

I know that Tan-je-reen Design does not specialize in Party Planning or decorating but it is something that I love to do. I have been lucky enough to plan, design and host many partys and get very excited when challanged with a blank slate. I havent really got to design/decorate a party since my sons last Birthday.....but here it is again, a year later and I am thrilled to be right in the throws of the last minute details.

The party is next week, and until 4 days ago I had no idea what the theme would be. My son loves every character on Noggin/Nick Jr. so picking one was to hard for him. Then while I was in a party store trying to get the essentials (for a party I hadnt designed yet), a lightbulb went off. I saw the colors of the Nick Jr. logo (Orange Peel & a Dark Teal) and thought, why not have a Nick party and then Mason can have all his favorite characters represented. At that very moment the creative juices started to flow. To avoid a store bought look to the party, I did not buy the premade character decorations, instead I opted to create functional pieces, like these snack bowls. They were placed down the center of the childrens table offering goodies to snack on while also bringing the characters to the table.

The tablescape for the kids table is so bright and colorful it would make any adult walk away with a headache, but the little tots will love it! I immediately jumped on google images and downloaded every charcter I could find! Here are some photos of the party elements. The cake was made using Williams-Sonoma Great Cupcake Pan and I added wire spirals which I hung Nick Jr. images, each tot sized guest got their own personal "Giant" cupcake that I made using the Wilton King Cupcake pan. The favors were Pails that had a shovel, castle form and bubbles and were gender specific. I designed and printed a tag that included some of Mason's favorite characters.

We have done party planning and can easily recreate anything you see here for any themed party! If you are interested in our help or to purchase center pieces, tags, favors or decorations please visit http://www.tanjereendesign.com/ or email me mgaffney@tanjereendesign.com

Some Logo design for Fun!!!!!

2008-06-27T22:57:00.006-04:00

A few years ago I focused in the areas of Logo Design, Company Branding and website design. I have since taken a softer route and haven't done that...well, since designing my own logo. Until 2 very special people asked if I could help them come up with a logo for a company that I hold very dear to my heart. Colleen and Tina are very important people in my life and I feel very strongly about the vision that they have for this company and for mothers in our area.

So when they asked for my help I couldn't help but scream...YES! These are two incredibly creative and innovative women, they had the idea and vision for the logo, I just helped bring it to fruition....

This venture will be incredibly successful and when their site launches I will post the link on my blog and on www.tanjereendesign.com!

My Very First Blog Entry...Ever!

2008-06-27T22:21:00.006-04:00

Well I guess I should say Hello to the world, this is the first time I have blogged and I have to say I am bit nervous. I plan on using this medium to post information on Tan-je-reen Design but also as a way to express the thoughts that go behind the designs that I create.

Sometimes I feel like the concept or my thoughts are not always conveyed, each piece I create is special and unique to me and has its own "personality". I hope that I can use this medium to explain and let people understand why and how, these pieces came to light. I know that not everyone will be interested in understanding that, and that is OK. As much as this blog is for others to read about my work, it also for me.

I have found a very happy balance in my life, and this has just come recently. My work is becoming more a part of me and a labor of love, my son amazes me each & everyday and I have made an effort to surround myself with friends and family that I love and make me genuinely happy. Life, unfortunately, is short. You get a small window to make what you do count and I want to make sure at the end of my journey I can honestly say that I tried my hardest to do that.

I feel good about this blogging thing! Now that I have broken the ice...I am going to jump right in! My next post shouldn't be to far away....