Ashley Brooke Designs

Content and Illustrations ©2011 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Everyone needs stationery. The warmth of a hand written note cannot be matched by email. And even though modern etiquette dictates a thank you email can be appropriate, I always prefer to write such a sentiment on stationery.

Getting an actual piece of mail is rare these days. Most of us are inundated with catalogs, bills and solicitous fliers. So imagine receiving a note on personalized stationery from a friend or family member. That conveys a type of care and thoughtfulness that is hard to find anywhere else.

So before you make a quick call, send a text or an email. Think about delivering your message in a different way. Think about sitting down, leaning in and hand writing a note on stationery. I think you’ll feel that you’ve conveyed your message more effectively and that your recipient will feel just a little more special.

Content and Illustrations ©2011 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Stuffy, Old-fashioned, out-dated. These are some of the words people may use today to describe classic etiquette and manners. Even if you feel this way ( I don’t happen to), you must recognize the importance of etiquette as a resource for successfully navigating the social and corporate world.

Though not everyone is mindful of etiquette, when someone treats you with kindness by using proper manners or etiquette, you appreciate it. And more to the point, when someone treats you poorly and discards these rules, you ALWAYS take notice.

Remembering proper etiquette means you bring out the best of yourself and other people in a situation. Sometimes it’s about recognizing what someone else is doing and sometimes its about rising to the occasion and making the decision to ignore what someone else is doing for the sake of everyone’s comfort level.

Remember, as I have said before (with help from Clarence Thomas) “Manners open doors that even education cannot.” And that’s really the bottom line. Manners and etiquette can do things for people and in people, that other things cannot and that is why they are so important.

Content and Illustrations ©2011 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

You may wonder what exactly led me to become a stationery designer or what compels me to write every week on the proper etiquette in various situations.

I think both of these things are extremely important. I believe that manners can open doors that even education and experience cannot. I believe that stationery is more than a piece of paper. It’s a backdrop for your celebrations and your gratitude.

So I thought this week (the week before my wedding week!! yay!!) we could talk about these things and why they are important to me and why I think you should value them too. So tomorrow we’ll talk about etiquette and manners and why they still matter no matter how old fashioned they may seem. Wednesday I let you in on why I think stationery and handwritten notes matter. And Thursday we’ll talk about what it is you’re actually getting when you order stationery from Ashley Brooke Designs.

I hope you’ll enjoy learning a little more about why I do what I do.

Content and Illustrations ©2011 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

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Content and Illustrations ©2011 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

This J. Mendel dress is quite dreamy. Don’t you agree?? via Coco + Kelley

I would love to curl up in that chair with a pumpkin spice latte and take in that beautiful bookcase…sigh. Via moodboard

Crewcuts by J. Crew kill me! I so wish I could fit into these clothes! via Pink Lemonade Design

I’m dying to embrace fall but the 90 degree temps are cramping my style…I’ll just have to pretend as I carve pumpkins and drink cider!

Content and Illustrations ©2011 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.