I got a couple of emails this last week, as I know other bloggers did (Hi Terramia, I got yours, too….)
pingg provides both digital and printed invitations, enabling hosts to design online invitations or e-cards and have the option to send a print version that pingg will print, stamp and mail to all or a part of a guest list. Whether sending print invitations to a few people who don’t have email or to an entire guest list as a keepsake, pingg makes it seamless. Hosts can still manage their event online as each of pingg’s printed invitations and cards include a dedicated event Webpage link where guests can go to RSVP online.
(From the press release)
Very nice. And then this little tidbit caught my eye:
pingg has also launched an all-new content section on its site that features party-planning tips and entertaining ideas from Martha Stewart and her editorial team. Whether looking for ideas for bridal showers, inspiration for kids birthday party activities or etiquette guidance, pingg users will now be able to enjoy advice from today’s leading entertaining expert, Martha Stewart.
Regular readers of Easy and Elegant Life will know that the thing that I most lament is not having help. And by “help” I mean staff. I would want the best of the best… a Jeeves to my slightly befuddled Wooster.
There are, of course, any number of experts on any number of topics. But, in terms of entertaining anyway, there is one who stands head and shoulders above all others. She is Martha Stewart of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Love her or hate her, we all want to be like Ms. Stewart in one way or another: you’ve got to admit, she’s organized and has a definite aesthetic.
Ms. Stewart has graciously extended her online presence and allowed pingg to use images from her catalogue to create beautiful invitations (you may use your own art at pingg as well; but you’ve seen evidence of my photography, I doubt I’d chance it.) Yes, the invites may be emailed, SMS/texted, tweeted and the like, but you may also choose to print and mail your invitation to your guest list. Naturally, I’m more a fan of the written RSVP, but times change and getting guests to respond at all can be like pulling teeth, so the idea of a dedicated webpage on which your guest may post an acceptance or gracious decline of an event seems more in keeping with modern manners. And who couldn’t use a little advice?
If you are pressed for time, sadly lacking in staff and in desperate need of professional help, pingg may be your answer. Besides, if Martha speaks, we all listen whether we like to admit it or not. She is good at what she does and such is the power of omnimedia.
Got that one too but I still prefer a note in the mail…
Hello BH, I do too. At least this lets you send a printed invite instead of just an ecard. A step in the right direction. I suppose the best of all possible worlds would be to have a one off printed reply sent from each recipient. One day….
I read an article by Anthony Bourdain the other day where he was commenting on other food related television shows. I remember his comment on Marth Stewart being that she definitely knew what she was doing and one could learn a thing or two from her. I was quite surprised, as I would have expected some scathing remark from him regarding her.
Do you know what I think these are delightful for? School related things. Parent get-togethers and moms-night-outs. It’s easy for people to remember and respond to on line immediately. I, too, prefer paper, but these absolutely have their place.
Glad you’re back – hope it was a good break.
I also would prefer to send (and receive) a hand-written note, but if one needs to extend an invitation through the web – well – one might as well have a resource to make that request a bit more charming.
I say – here, here.
I’ve always had a thing for Martha. That my ex-wife was a dead ringer for her is neither here nor there. But I just picked up signature cards at Mrs John Strong and they’re amazing. Something long gone but still alive and I hope well in NYC. Martha is no longer a person but a brand. And she has a staff. A very big staff.
I hadn’t heard about this – thanks for passing it on. Also, thanks for your kind comment about my bathroom makeover. I am now working up the courage to think about what I can do with my pink & black master bath.
You just “pinged” me.
Since stamps go up and up, one may be forced to a round of pingg-pong.
Will stamps go above a buck?
E –
In my other life, Martha did, indeed, speak to me — personally. I was the first corporate type to hire her to do a sales video back in the mid 80’s, which was shot at her restored farmhouse on Turkey Hill Road in Westport, CT, following the publication of her first book Entertaining. The client: Avon. The downside. She was looking for a corporate sponsor and they thought her too “high-brow” for their audience at the time. I believe on her way to building Omnimedia, she penned her first deal with K-Mart sometime thereafter. Not the first or last corporation to suffer from limited vision.
In any event, despite her somewhat controversial reputation, she and her aesthetics are a marvel to behold. I read something recently that said ‘brilliance begets brilliance’ and she more than fulfilled that premise. She took the simplest concept for a party layout and created the most wondrous presentation my staff and I had ever witnessed. Her attention to detail knows no match. And the real genius in it was its utter and complete simplicity.
Thank you for this Martha infused source on entertaining.