As you all may know, stationery has been one of my favorite things to talk about and include in many of my posts: all things postcards, note cards, planners, calendars, the whole lot. Just this past weekend I had an amazing experience with my Public Relations Student Society with my college and attended our regional conference downtown Chicago.
As a way to immerse myself in the professional realm, I’ve been able to have the opportunity to network with some notable PR firms such as Edelman, Ketchum, and Golin, and well established brands like Mars Wrigley, Hyatt, and RXBar. Now this may not be something every college student thinks about, but as someone who loves stationery and written mementos, I wanted to express how important it is to have especially when networking with professionals in the future workplace.
I got the pleasure of working with Basic Invite to create my own personalized stationery to use when I go on future business site visits with my college group. A little background about Basic Invite is that they are a high quality, online stationery company on business cards, thank you notes, wedding invitations, graduation announcements, and all of life’s grand moments. Some of their very recent releases of stationery include graduation commencement invitations, specifically their princess graduation invitations, and graduation party invitations as the graduation season is nearing around the corner. Keep reading for a discount!
Out of all the stationery websites I’ve encountered, Basic Invite is the first to have unlimited color selections, and man was it hard to decide what color palette I was going for, but I’m quite pleased with the pastel blues and pinks I chose—they compliment each other very nicely. They also provide custom samples of their products to make sure the design is exactly the way you like. Basic Invite allows you to have the liberty of uploading your own logo and images, as well.
Business Cards
I always thought that having business cards was only something that really serious business people have. My presumption was that business cards could only be really basic, sophisticated, and lack personality. Well, I was wrong. Many young professionals and college students, especially in public relations, have them. To be honest, I was a little overwhelmed by the idea of having business cards—I mean, I don’t necessarily work for a business.
However, I’ve learned that promoting your own personal brand to other businesses and networking through the use of business cards makes all the difference. Employers will really appreciate the initiative and professionality of someone who knows how to self promote. Basic Invite has an abundance of business cards templates to choose from and you can upload your own logos and images to your styling and personal brand. Here, is the template I used to create mine! I love the two toned chevron print and the black and white photo I was able to add for a bit of a personal touch. They also have metallic foil options, too.
Thank You Notes
Over the past few months of going on professional site visits, I’ve noticed that some people give hand written thank you notes to employers and staff. I think this is really effective in getting your name out there to be remembered and to also be courteous when these professionals are taking time out of their busy work day to share their experiences with you. Handwritten sentiments are also great ways to making closer connections with people since we live in a media focused world.
I designed these simple, yet classic thank you notes on their website and love the vibrancy and quality of the cardstock. You can choose from a huge selection of colors, patterns, and include custom notes and your name on them, too. Feel free to explore Basic Invite’s wide variety of cards. I’m loving the Chicago skyline especially!
Personalized Notecards
It can be really handy to have your own note cards, especially if you’ve established your own brand. Some may say it’s a little extra to have your name on everything, but I think it’s very stylish and who cares? I was very pleased with the note cards I ordered. I was amazed by the selection of stationary on Basic Invite and how they cater to so many events, not just business related. I know that having customized stationery isn’t for everybody, but if you are as obsessed as I am, I would really recommend using Basic Invite for all your stationery needs. Being truly honest, these pieces were delivered in less than five days, the picture quality is great, and the cards are crisp and sturdy.
For college students who are professionally driven or who are looking for ways in which they can amp up their networking skills, acquiring some personalized stationery really makes the difference. It expresses your genuine self, adds character, makes you remembered, and ultimately allows you the freedom of designing and cultivating an authentic personal brand that speaks to you.
If you would like to explore more of Basic Invite, you can connect with their social media: Follow their Instagram and Facebook @basicinvite. Also, since I know it’s hard to spend money as a college student, Basic Invite is currently offering 15% off your purchase with this promo code: 15FF51 applied at checkout.
I recieved monetary compensation for this post.
I recieved monetary compensation for this post.
I am currently 19 years old and as I watch all of my friends turn 20 and 21 around me, I'm starting to look forward to a new decade. Yes, I still have six more months until I get there, but just recently I have felt very nostalgic and have been remembering moments of my teenage life that just seemed to fly by. In all honesty, I feel like I should just write a book about the concept of time, but that would be too long (granted someone has probably already done it).
I've heard that your 20s is the time of your life and the period where you really discover who you are. While I like to think that, I believe that your whole life is there for you to constantly change and discover who you are. For one thing, you're legal, so there's that. But something about being in my 20s seems scary and inticing. I haven't felt like I have wanted to be seen as more "adult" or at least since I'm usually the youngest in the room, I haven't felt left out. Maybe it's my mature sense of being. I haven't exhausted my youth and am still anticipating many experiences to come.
As a sophomore in college of course I have been thinking about what my future plans are in terms of my career path. As of now, I am really excited with my major and know that I chose the right choice. Being in my 20s will allow me to really think about what I want to begin with and which path I want to take.
02. I will travel as much as I want
Finances aside, I have the liberty to decide if I want to go on trips or not without impending schedules. I hope to do more traveling later on as much as I can while I'm young and without children. Sure, I won't have as flexible as a schedule as I hope, but if all is good with the company I work with, there's gotta be vacation time in there somewhere.
03. My relationship with my family will grow
I wouldn't say that I have a bad relationship with my family at all, but there have been "teen rage" moments that I'm not entirely proud of and I think showing my family, especially my parents, that I am capable of being an adult and on my own will alllow for more bonding and less drama.
04. I can make big decisions for myself
Yes, I have already made some big decisions for myself, college being one of them, but with my parents in mind of course. When I'm in my 20's, I might be finding my first apartment, first job, first car, on my own. I couldn't think of anything more empowering than knowing that you made the decisions on your own.
Inevitably, I will be meeting new people all the time and that's the goal for the remainder of my life. Each year I am introduced to someone, at least one person, who makes an impact on my life in some way. It's kind of funny to think about the people I might soon meet and have no idea who or where they are at this moment.
06. I'm allowed to make mistakes because I'm young
Still being in my 20's will allow me to have a security when it comes to making mistakes because, hey, I'm still pretty young and there are a lot of new things for me. Not that these mistakes are okay or I'm validating them, but I think that being in your 20's is a could median "buffer zone" where you're still trying to figure yourself out.
With that said, making mistakes also means being responsible for them and my actions. I'm not 15 anymore and I can't just rely on my parents to fix the problem or hand it off to someone else.
08. My Style Will Evolve
My taste in clothes has come a long way, so I am eager to see how drastic my clothing choices change—or don't. Hopefully, they do. I'm not tired of the blue jeans, chelsea boot, look yet, but I hope that my style in my 20s remains fresh and my authentic self. Who knows, maybe I'll actually wear heels.
I've loved doing yoga, don't get me wrong, but I've felt like I need to expand the ways in which I stay active. I just started to box, which is a start, but I also want to maintain my mentality and motivation throughout my 20's while not holding myself accountable for feeling lazy one day. Maybe my eating habits will change, I'll find a new fitness class I love, or I run a race. The possibilities are endless.
10. My writing journey will prevail
I've felt a lot of pride with how far I've come with my writing, but whether it be with my job or some opportunity, I hope that I will be recognized in some way. I find fulfillment in the growth and improvement I've made, but a little part of me wishes that some big thing will happen with it. A book, a headline, an award, something.
I'm not in a rush to be 20, as there are many things I'm dealing with now in school and life, but it's bittersweet to think about the opportunities I will have coming my way (and the stress). I think that's why so many people are trying to live more in the now. We are so fixated on deciding our futures that we don't realize the impact that our present day has on us.
These things aren't set and stone, but can be used to refer back to and reflect upon when I am in my 20s. You know, right now as I'm sitting in this local coffee joint, I'm worrying about what research papers I have due, what my roommates are doing, if I'm going to study abroad or not, who knows what I could be worrying about when I'm 20, 25, or 29? Are you excited to be 20? Are you already 20?
I've been meaning to dedicate a post to my pup for awhile now, granted he is a dog and doesn't care or understand at all, but for everyone that knows him, this is a little update on how he's doing at the moment. He is about 19 months old and will turn two in July. It's funny because in the picture above, he looks like an old man—he's really still a baby. I mean we've improved on the minimal amount of accidents and "happy pees," but he is still very much a puppy and has the energy of the Tasmanian Devil.
I think the extremely cold weather hasn't gotten to him or bothered him that much, just when we have to take him out to the bathroom because his paws freeze so quickly and he will reject or eat any type of sock or bootie we put on him. So, that was a little concerning when he couldn't poop for two or three days in late January when Chicago got a blast of the polar vortex. Other than that, he loves the snow and anything that flies in the air. He could stand in the snow banks and just chomp chomp chomp all the snow away and stare at me like it's not normal for him to be inhaling this much snow.
Since I am away at college, I miss him during the weeks, but when I come home occasionally to babysit my favorite thing is having him sleep with me on my bed. It's hilarious because he used to be addicted to going on my bed even when I wasn't home, but now he waits until I'm home to sleep with me. My parents say that he sleeps on their bed when I'm away, and my mom very much dislikes it when he does because he basically lays on her. He really doesn't like sleeping alone is what I figured.
Usually we take Cooper to daycare, and saying that word "daycare," is an instant trigger for him. He bounces off the walls and prances down the hall to the back door. My mom and I take him on Fridays, but he'd be fine if we left him there for the weekend. He has a lot of energy, so we enrolled him into the "high energy club," at daycare. It basically means he's in a pen of other dogs who act just like him—a kid on a sugar rush every minute of the day. You bet everyone knows him at daycare. "Hi Cooper," they'd greet us before we even get a minute to tell them who he is.
I call him a meercat because every time he thinks he hears something, usually a leaf or the wind, he pops his head up and usually runs to the front window and stands up on his hind legs to look out and see what's "out there". Not like he would ncessarily protect us from anything. I appreciate the effort, though. Cooper is an enigma, most of the time I can't figure him out.
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