This week, Swanky Press launched our first-ever line of personalized cell phone cases. This has been our absolute biggest launch to date, and the response from all of you has been wonderful!  Many of you already have your swanky new cases in hand today.  I’ve been answering a ton of emails this week with questions about the cases, so I thought I’d give some background here.

My Past Experience with Cases

Every time I upgrade my iPhone (or my kid’s iPod touch) I like to splurge on a new case.  However,  I haven’t always had the best luck with my cases.  One cracked after 2 months.  One had too small of an opening for the camera and my pictures had a blurry edge.  One wouldn’t fit on my player unless I took the case off.  Worst of all, the case selection was slim enough that my phone generally looked similar to everyone else’s.

The Search for the Perfect Case

I had the idea of creating our own line of cases about a year ago.  The problem was, the “blanks” or printable cases that are out all seemed to have the same problems as my old cases.  To be honest, the cases I was able to get for trials were all cheap in my opinion.  Yes, I could start a product line with them…but if it really wasn’t a quality product that I would use myself, I didn’t see the point.  I was hooked on the idea of my cases being just as nice as the Kate Spade case I bought at the Apple store…not just some flimsy printable cover.

Our Exclusive line of Cases is Born

Fast forward a year later, and I was over-the-moon excited when Swanky Press finally closed a deal to partner with Case-Mate, the largest US premium case manufacturer.  They have agreed to manufacture cases for us, and we specifically design each and every case before production.  These cases are not just “printed” with the designs, but they are treated with sublimation dye processing – which means that the design is actually part of the case – no chance of it rubbing off or fading.

Not only that, but unlike a lot of personalized goods, Case-Mate is willing to work at the speed our clients are used to…fast!  The cases are designed, manufactured, and shipped to you all in around 4 business days.

Our new partnership allows us to design two different types of cases, a slim “barely there” case and a sturdy “tough” case.  Not only that, but cases are available for the iPhone 4/4s, iPhone 3/3s, iPod touch 4G and several models of Blackberry, Samsung, and HTC phones.Slim “Barely There” Cases

The Slim cases have a super-thin profile.  They are  a one-piece, impact resistant hard ABS plastic shell that covers the back and sides of your phone. You have access to all ports and functions.   One of the cool things is that the design rolls over onto the sides of the case.  The sides aren’t just a solid color like many lower-end cases.  I’ve taken some photos of a slim case so you can see the features up close.

“Tough” Cases

The Tough cases are more rugged, and perfect for people who are particularly hard on their phones.  The tough case has an inner black silicone sleeve (to absorb shock when you drop it).  Then, a sturdy hard ABS shell snaps on the outside of the liner.  The overall profile of this case is still small (it’s no where near as large as an Otterbox case), but it has a solid, sturdy feel to it.  I’ve also included a photo below showing the two cases side by side for comparison.

 The Designs

We launched our product line with over 30 unique designs.  As always at Swanky Press, our designs are made in-house and thus a designer can make any changes you want.  Funny…I guess our clients have come to expect that, because over 50% of our sales in the first week requested custom colors or layout.  If you can dream it up, we can make it – so feel free to ask!

The Ordering Process

Swanky Press will send you a mock-up proof of what your case will look like after manufacture.  At this stage, you can feel free to request any changes to the design or layout.  We never charge extra for tweaks or changes.  Colors on your final product may vary slightly from your proof due to your computer monitor’s color calibration.

BONUS:  All cases come with a micro-fiber cleaning cloth for your screen AND a plastic screen protection shield.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the 5,000 Facebook fan giveaway.  We are so happy to announce that Kimberly Beauchamp is our big winner of almost $1,000 in prizes! Congratulations!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Woo Hoo!  We are seriously excited to have just passed the 5,000 fan mark on our Facebook page.  To celebrate, we’ve put together a giveaway valued at approximately $1,000!  Over the course of growing Swanky Press, I have be-friended some fabulous creative business owners, and they have made some pretty fantastic prize donations to help us in our celebration.

Scroll down to the bottom of this post and you’ll find a widget to enter.  It’s that easy!  The winner will be notified by email on Friday, April 6th, 2012.  Good Luck!

                                    

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Almost every little girl dreams of being a ballerina at one point or another, so a ballet-themed birthday party is sure to be a crowd pleaser.  One of our most popular birthday invitations is our ballet birthday invite, so I thought I’d pull together some party ideas to make your planning a little simpler.

I’ll keep adding ideas to my Pinterest ballerina party board over time, so if you like what you see, make sure to follow my boards.  Keep reading after the inspiration board to find the sources for these cute finds!

1.  The Tutu

Needless to say it wouldn’t be a ballerina party if the guest of honor didn’t show up in a tutu!  My favorite tutus are handmade by Kristal at Atutudes.  (Yes, these are the same tutus that my kindergartner wears and loves.)  The great photo is by Jitter Bug Pics.

2.  The Invitation

This simple, modern invitation uses chevron stripes and a hand-drawn ballerina silhouette.  Colors can be changed to match your theme, but the shades of “ballet slipper pink” are always in style.  You can this  invitation at Swanky Press or on Etsy.  This invite looks especially nice when printed two-sided with the chevron stripes extending across the back.

3.  The Cake

I love the idea of the classic ruffle cake – but Rachel at Fondant Finger really took it to the next level by adding ombre coloring.  This cake is just too pretty for words!  Check out Fondant Finger’s Facebook page for photos of all of Rachel’s amazing cakes.

4.  Favor Bags

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you already know I’m a big fan of the personalized favor bags over at Paper Nook.  You really can’t get anything cuter – and they are only $2.50 each.

5.  Marshmallow Pops

Marshmallow pops are a fun new twist on the cake pop trend – and WAY easier to pull off. Deanna over at the Mommy Gaga blog has a wonderful tutorial for marshmallow pops.  She came up with the diy tutorial for Valentine’s day, but I think these would work great for a Ballet party (or a princess party)!  The Mommy Gaga blog and her Facebook page are definitely worth checking out – Deanna’s constantly adding fun new ideas for moms.

6.  Ballerina Doll Craft

Every party needs an activity, and these yarn pom-pom ballerina dolls (made from clothespins) are great for the 5 to 8 year old crowd.  You can ready the full tutorial here.

7.  Ruffled Table Skirt

I found this photo of a wedding cake table on Pinterest, and I just fell in love with it.  The ruffled table skirt on a round table simply completes the ballerina look with pure elegance.  I love, love, love this idea!

I’ve not been able to track down whose wedding it was, but it appears the photo was taken by the talented Janet Howard at JanetHowardStudios.  Janet’s website is great visual inspiration. She’s photographed some really beautiful weddings, and the ideas she’s captured can translate well into baby showers, bridal parties, or even kid’s birthday parties.

8.  Ballet Slipper Cookies

These ballet shoe cookies are just darling – and sure to be the hit of the party!  Lori at Lori’s Place on etsy sells them – and I just adore the little ribbon detail she added.  Lori also has cute tutu cookies for sale.

9.  Tutu Cupcake Stand

This tutu cupcake stand would be wonderful for the party -and could be used for lots of other girl or pink parties in the future.  It would also look great for a girl baby shower or sip and see.  You can find it at Oh So Sweet Stands on etsy (and they’ve got square cupcake stands, too).

10.  Ruffled Crepe Paper

I’m a big fan of ruffled crepe paper - it can be used for traditional decorating, but could also be used to dress up all sorts of other party items to give them that “tutu feel”.  Consider adding it to party hats, cups, or thank you cards.  The Red Robin on etsy has a good selection of colors and great prices, too.

11.  Vintage-Style Ballerina Cupcake Toppers

These vintage inspired ballerina cupcake toppers can really add a sweet touch to the party.  Obviously, they’d be darling on cupcakes, but there are so many other ways you could incorporate them into the party decor.  You can get them at Abby Place on etsy, and she’ll even hand paint them a special color to match your party decor for a small extra fee.

Obviously, keeping the kids entertained is one of the top priorities at any good children’s party. You need a craft that is interesting and new, but not too complicated for them to handle with minimal help.  For this week’s Ballet Party theme, we’ve found a craft that meets all these needs.  I recommend it for agest 5 and up, although you could do younger if you have some moms to help out.

This was originally the idea of Anjie on the Pom Pom Emporium blog (she made fairies as Christmas ornaments) – but we put a new twist on her idea to make these fun little ballerina dolls.

You will need:

Yarn

Cardboard

Scissors

Acrylic Craft Paint (or markers)

Wooden Clothespins

Step 1:  Paint hair, a leotard, and a face on your clothespin.  If the kids are doing this, you might just want to get some vibrant paint pens or markers.  It will make cleanup easier.

Step 2:  Take a drinking glass and create a “donut” template on your cardboard.  Cut out two identical cardboard circles for each ballerina.  I used a cereal box out of the recycling bin for this – it was sturdy enough for the craft, but still easy to cut through.

Step 3:  Place both “donuts” together, and wrap with yarn until covered.  If you want to make a striped or ombre skirt, consider changing yarn colors partway through.

Step 4.  Insert your painted clothespin into the center of the yarn-wrapped donuts.  Using sharp scissors, cut the yard around the edges of the two cardboard donuts.

Step 5:  Gently separate the two donuts – moving one towards the ballerina’s face and the other towards her feet.  Tie a length of yarn firmly around the ballerina’s waist (between the two separated cardboard donuts).

Step 6:  Fully slide the donuts off of the ballerina.  Fluff the tutu, trim any loose yarn pieces, and start playing!

This easy craft idea is courtesy of Kelly Purkey at American Crafts Studio Blog.  I originally found this idea when I was coming up with inspiration for my “Cute as a Button” baby shower, but this idea would be great for Mother’s Day, too.

To make your flower bouquet, you’ll need to gather a few items (most of which you should be able to find around the house – no trip to the store required!):

• die cut flowers (or cut your own from craft felt)
• buttons
• bamboo skewers
• ribbon
• thread
• vase, tea cup, drinking glass, etc.
• floral foam, rice or sand

Simply thread the buttons onto a die-cut felt flower (or one you cut yourself), making sure to keep excess string on the backside of the flower.  Tie excess thread around a skewer stick, securing the flower to the front of the stick.  Use a dot of glue to  hold it in place.  Tie a piece of ribbon on the skewer to look  like the flower leaves.

Then just place the skewers into your vase (or a teacup or pop can) that’s been filled with the floral foam, rice or sand.  It’s that easy!

I had a wonderful, long-term client request a “cute as a button” baby shower invitation last week, and I thought I’d pull together some ideas for her to take her party over the top. I’ll be posting a DIY tutorial on Friday for the button flowers, so stay tuned!

I’ll keep adding ideas to my Pinterest button board over time, so if you like what you see, make sure to follow my boards.  Keep reading after the inspiration board to find the sources for these cute finds!

1.  The Cake

I fell in love with this cake when I saw it on the Miso Bakes Blog.   The fondant buttons are simply adorable!

2.  The Invitation

I designed this invitation to match the color scheme my client was using – but, of course, we could update it to match any scheme you want for your party. You can this modern invitation at Swanky Press or on Etsy.

3.  Button Flowers

I love the idea of making these fun button flowers for the centerpiece – and to scatter in vases all around the party.  The DIY tutorial will be posted on Friday, so stay tuned!

4.  Button Napkin Rings

You can add buttons to all sorts of things for the party, but I especially loved this idea by Burnt Creative.  You can head over to their blog for a full DIY tutorial.

5.  Cupcakes

These fondant button cupcake toppers are as sweet as could be – and you can buy them at Sweet Lavender Bake Shop on etsy.  Another idea would be to add these to a frosted cake to give it a very custom look.

6. Button Bowl

This idea is so simple that’s it’s brilliant.  Take a balloon and cover it with glue.  Line up buttons on the balloon/glue and let dry.  Pop the balloon and you have a seriously cool bowl!  I pinned this on Pinterest a couple weeks ago and it shot all around the site like wildfire.  The bowl in the photo was designed and created by Knoop.

7.  Button Garland

This idea is just stunning – and would be so simple to create.  You can go over the top and add the garland throughout the party location, or, if your time/budget is more limited, create a garland above the dessert table only.  You can see this idea (originally from a very cool wedding) on The Wedding Chicks.

8.  Button Lollipops

These blueberry flavored button lollipops would be great on the dessert table, or could be the perfect party favor to take home.  You can find a tutorial on how to make them on The Daily Mixer blog from The Layer Cake Shop.  They sell the button candy molds there, too.  I’ve got to be honest here, I ended up wandering around their shop for a really long time (in a virtual sense)…there are too many fun baking supplies!

9. Button Wine Charms

These button wine charms from RBK Creations on etsy would be a great touch at the shower.  She’s got a ton of other fun button things in her shop, too.

10.  Button Soap

This adorable button soap would be great as a party favor – but make sure you put a bar in the bathroom at the shower, too. It would be such a fun way to incorporate the button theme throughout the house!  You can find it on Hello Crafty on etsy.

Wow – I had so much fun looking through everyone’s Pinterest party inspiration boards! It was a very, very tough decision.

But…drumroll please… the winner of the contest is MamieCole 24 for her Penguin Birthday Party ideas!  Congratulations.

Note:  MamieCole – your comment didn’t have an email address associated with it, so when you see this post, please email me at orders@swankypress.com so we can discuss your prize.

Thanks for pinning, everyone!

We are starting a contest today called “Pin it to Win it”, where you can win the invitations and thank you notes for your dream party.  To enter, create an inspiration board in Pinterest designing the best party you can come up with, using one of Swanky Press’s invitations.   Fill your board with the not just the invitation, but also cake, decor, clothing, and anything else that will set the vibe for your party.

Once you’ve designed your Pinterest board, leave a comment here with a link to your board.  The best board will win the featured invitation (a set of 25) and coordinating thank you notes (a set of 25) for their party!

So how do we judge best?  Quality is the first factor, but we will also give weight to boards that gets lots of pins and likes – so spread the word once your board is done.   Facebook, twitter…however you can want to get people to visit your board!

The boring fine print:  Contest open to US and Canadian residents only.  The winning board board will be chosen by Swanky Press On Wednesday, January 25th.  You have the entire year of 2012 to claim your prize – so don’t worry if you little one’s birthday isn’t until next November…that won’t be a problem.  You can create as many boards as you like for more chances to win.  The winner can select their invitation and thank you notes (and can substitute a different Swanky Press design of his or her choosing.)

Need to see what a party inspiration board can look like?  Check out our pirate party or princess party for inspiration.

Ahoy Matey!  Who doesn’t love a Pirate Party?  I’ve had a lot of requests from clients for pirate invitations lately (you can see my 3 favorite invitations here, here, and here), so I decided to pull together an inspiration board, too.  Make sure you check out the 4th photo – it’s free printable cupcake topper pirate flags, courtesy of Swanky Press.

I’ll keep adding ideas to my Pinterest pirate board over time, so if you like what you see, make sure to follow my boards.  And keep reading after the board to find the sources for these fun finds!

1.  The Invitation

A silhouette of a pirate ship is great for a pirate party, and works for both younger and older kids.  You can this modern invitation at Swanky Press or on Etsy.

2.  Pirate TShirt

This fun pirate tshirt is from Modern Frills – my personal favorite tshirt shop for party and seasonal tees.  She has a blog filled with amazing party and craft ideas that is worth checking out.  She has some great boards on Pinterest, too. (A Personal Note:  I don’t follow too many people on Pinterest, but when I do, it’s because they really offer something special.  Modern Frills is one of those I enjoy following!)

3.  Bunting

This pirate treasure map bunting is from Scrap Your Story on etsy.  I loved the aged details.

4.  Cupcakes and Free Printable Flags

These yummy chocolate ganache cupcakes were made by Noi Gifts and Gourmet out of Frankin, TN.  She has a fabulous shop – if you’re not local, you should at least pop by her Facebook page and check out some of the amazing cakes she makes!

Now for the pirate flag cupcake toppers – you can see a DIY tutorial and print them out for free by clicking here!

5. Photo Booth Pirate Props

These photo booth props would be great for the party – what a fun activity and a great way to catch some fabulous pics!  You can check them out at Little Retreats on etsy.

6. Walk the Plank!

This idea is the brainchild of The Fickle Pickle Blog:  a actual plank to walk as part of the party activities.  She threw a fab pirate party for her 4 year old – you should check out how she pulled it all together!

7.  Pirate Medallion – Doubloon

Ok, my two oldest kids just watched Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time – and are now a touch pirate obsessed.  I watched most of it with them (but dozed off at the end – typical movie watching for me!).  Anyway, when I saw this medallion from Touch Soul on etsy, I knew it would be the perfect accessory to the party.  If it’s a small party, you could have a treasure hunt where each child finds one as the last step.  If you have more kids and that doesn’t make sense financially, you could have the medallion be the grand prize for the pirate who wins the big contest at the party.  At $4 each, this really is a good, quality party find.

8.  Skull Cake

This skull cake is just fondant fabulous!  I love the pirate, patch and colors.  You can find it at ZebraCake1 - contact them on Facebook for more info.  (They are a UK baker, but lately, we have so many readers from the UK and Australia that I thought it would be nice to start including some international links.)

And More…

There are just too many great pirate ideas to limit it to 8 spots, so here goes:

Party Activities: scavenger hunt, treasure hunt (with a pirate map, of course), make your own “hook” hand – either a low budget one or a cute softie, use a hook to break the piñata, fill a small sandbox with pirate treasure (for little kids)

Party Keepsakes:  Get a Pirate Party Keepsake Book from Special Occaisions Design; attach a pirate flag to a small gift/favor bag (you can use the free printable)

Party Attire:  Check out these fun finds for Dad and for Baby Brother or Sister

Table Settings:  This table setting , another table setting, and this bunting are awesome!  Oh, and consider adding a map and scroll to your dessert table – you can find this awesome set on etsy!

Food:  I love this Watermelon Pirate ship, this cake, this pirate hat chocolate mold, this pirate hat cake pop, and these cookies.