Fresh Fridays- New Fire Truck Invitation!

What little boy wouldn't love a fire truck themed birthday party? When a customer asked me to create an invitation matching this theme I was excited to give it a try. This customer had used our popular cupcake invitation for her daughter's 1st birthday so she requested a similar format for the fire truck invitation.

Here is how it turned out

I hope you like it! I am hoping to have our 2010 Halloween card gallery complete for next weeks Fresh Friday. Can't wait to show you what I've been working on!

New print at home pricing!

Work at Home Wednesdays will be back next week, as this week we have an exciting announcement instead. We are pleased to let our customers know that we have discounted our print at home design option from $30 for gallery designs to $20 . Custom designs will be $25. Custom design pricing only applies to brand new designs. If you are changing colors or wording those changes can be made at the gallery design price.

For those that are new to addiekate.com our print at home option allows you to purchase the rights to your card and have it printed as many times as you like. Some customers print on their home computer and others choose to print the design just like you would print a photograph at a processing lab. This can be an economical option for those that need a large quantity of cards. It is also a great choice if you are on a strict timeline to have your invitations sent. Some customers choose to go green and e-mail their card. The print at home option provides lots of choices!

We know that times are tough for many and are hoping this pricing change will allow our loyal customers to continue enjoying our invitation, announcement and holiday card designs.

Party Time Tuesday - Lovely Luau!

This week for Party Time Tuesday I am featuring baby Katelyn's first birthday luau. Katelyn's creative mommy found some adorable fabric that she used as an inspiration for the entire party. I worked with her to create a custom version of our "A year in pictures" invitation design . I have done several different versions of this invitation to incorporate various themes and I always love seeing the progression from birth to one year.

The flowers were also incorporated in this cute banner...

and in the cake too!

Finally, here is the birthday girl in her adorable hand made outfit.
I love the idea of picking a single pattern or fabric swatch and using it as inspiration for the rest of the party. I think Katelyn's mom did a great job of adding a unique twist to a luau party theme.

Have you had a fun birthday party that you want to show off? Send your photos to me at meredith@addiekate.com and we will feature you soon!

Fresh Friday - New Apple themed invitation

One of my favorite custom invitations from last year was this adorable apple themed invitation.




I love the green, red and white color combo and the little girly touches. The beautiful photo by canyon photography really completes the look of this invitation. I hope you agree that this apple invitation is a great addition to our photo card gallery!

Work at home Wednesday - Starting a home based business - part one

Throughout the three and half years I have been running Addie Kate Creations I have encountered many moms both online and in real life that would like to find a way to work from home. In my opinion one of the best ways to accomplish this is to find a way to turn an interest or hobby into a service or product you can sell online.


I have learned quite a bit through the years about getting a business off the ground and thought I might be able to share some advice with others hoping to do the same. Today I will cover one of the first steps in getting started with an online business.


Choosing what it is you will be selling or offering.


When choosing what type of product or service you will be selling consider these important questions.


If you are making a product what is the time involved to produce it?


When considering this question think about the time involved in gathering needed materials, producing the actual product, packaging the product and shipping the finished goods. It is a good idea to go through all the steps for a prototype to get an accurate timeline. Many aspiring business owners are overwhelmed when they receive their first order and realize the entire process is more involved than originally expected.


What are the cost of materials?


Research the costs of your supplies as extensively as possible. See if any of the supplies you need can be acquired with a wholesale discount once you have your business license. Order sample materials to ensure they are of a quality you are happy with. Don't forget to consider packaging and shipping supplies when calculating your costs.


What are similar products selling for?


Spend time creating a list of competitors and finding the range of prices of your product. Consider whether you want to be at the high end, low end or somewhere in the middle. Pricing is a complicated process and I will create a more specific post about pricing in the future. To start though ,seeing the range of prices in your market is a good first step.


When will I have time to produce the product?


When deciding on what to sell think about your time constraints. Are you hoping to work form home with your kids present? Will you continue to work while building your business? These questions can help you choose a realistic venture when first starting out.


Asking yourself these questions can help you narrow the scope of your business venture to include items that can be produced in the time you have available. It will also help you determine if your item has a profit margin that will generate a decent income for you.



Hope this tip helps! I look forward to sharing more next week!

Party Time Tuesday!

I really enjoy seeing the creative ideas my customers incorporate into their children's birthday celebrations so I decided to showcase one party each week. I am hoping this can help inspire others when planning their children's parties.


This weeks party is an adorable animal themed bash for little Nicholas (who is also my Godson). Back when his mom was awaiting his arrival we worked together to create animal themed wall art designs to match her nursery bedding. She decided to incorporate the same patterns and graphics in Nicholas' party, and if I do say so the result was adorable!


First we worked together on a custom double sided invitation..

Next my friend incorporated the graphics into this adorable banner and decorations






Finally the cake (that was to die for by the way)...
It was a great party and everything came together wonderfully! There is nothing better than celebrating a babies first year of life.


I hope you enjoyed these fun ideas! If you would like your own party pictures and invitation showcased on posh parties and products please e-mail me your photos at meredith@addiekate.com . Happy celebrating!

Introducing Fresh Fridays!

What better way to end the work work week than by showcasing our newest work! Custom design is a huge part of Addie Kate Creations and one of my favorite things to do. I love creating new photo card designs as well as t-shirt designs for our cafe press shop. I can't wait to share what's new with you every week!



This week's feature is our new giraffe big brother/sister shirts . I have been obsessed with giraffes lately as evidenced by the theme of my baby girls birthday party and all the giraffe designs I have been creating for AddieKate.com . That obsession naturally lead to new t-shirt designs.


Both the big brother/ big sister and little brother/ little sister shirts can also be customized with your child's name. Just send me an e-mail with the name at meredith@addiekate.com and I will add it to the shop. Have any design ideas you would like to see added to our shop? Let me know in the comments below!