Live Your Style by B.G.

Inspiration Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:02:00 +0000

I am always inspired on Fridays - I think it goes back to the school week! Now with kids, it's so nice to sleep in on the weekends! Because of school schedules, Friday is also my only full day at the office so it seems like a good time to post a blog. Each week I will be sharing with you the things that inspire me.

Earlier this week I was sorting through and old box filled with mementos of my life in NYC post college. I lived in the city just over 6 years and I was fortunate enough to work in the Creative Department at Elizabeth Arden Corporate the whole time. I will be forever grateful to everyone in that department that gave me so many wonderful opportunities!

I have always been inspired by illustrations and I found this envelope filled with little cut outs that I had saved. These are over 15 years old (yikes!) and I still love them. I hope you find them inspiring!

Jane

Thanksgiving Invites

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Even though our family has never used Thanksgiving Invitations I thought it would be fun to pull some together! It can be an amusing challenge to go through our Everyday Personalization Catalogs and see what designs would work for certain holidays. Most of Boatman Geller's designs are created so that they can be used for any number of events or occasions. These are my favorites to bring about a Thanksgiving feel!

Seeing all these rich fall colors has inspired me to print up some Thanksgiving Invitations this year - our kids will get such a kick out of a mailed invite to Thanksgiving dinner at home! Greg's parents will be here from Seattle so we will have a full house - and lots of Greek cooking!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year?

Designs top to bottom
Classic Floral Brown: #19419
Custom Collection: Lattice Mocha and Chocolate: #364+P10+A14
Geo Pattern Pink: #19415
Silo Brown: #18438

Last Minute Halloween Costume!

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:18:00 +0000

Looking for a last minute and cute costume? Nancy Drew is the answer! If you can still pull off an above the knee plaid skirt, this costume is for you! It's quick, easy and you probably have everything in your closet. Its great for kids and adults!

- Solid colored flats (penny loafers if you have them!)
- Bobby socks or tights
- Plaid skirt
- Simple classic shirt, button down or polo
- Solid color cardigan sweater
- Headband
- Magnifying glass, Composition notebook and a Flashlight

Even if you don't have all of the above, you can still make it work. To test my theory on how simple and easy this is, I dressed our youngest up this morning. Charlotte loved being Nancy Drew! We opted for tights over bobby socks and as you can see in the photos she refused to wear shoes - we'll have to work on that for trick-or-treating! She wore a polo style shirt instead of a button down and then all she needed were the "accessories"! While I slightly cringed at pairing the black cardigan with a pink, green and chocolate brown skirt, I got over it - I had to remind myself it is a costume! She loved the magnifying glass and flashlight...afterall, how can you look for clues without them!

If you happen to go as Nancy - or encounter a Nancy over the weekend - please send us a picture!!

Happy Halloween!

Carrie and Tuck Notetote Savings!

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:30:00 +0000

It's time to start holiday shopping and Boatman Geller has a great deal for you! Along with our friends at momAgenda, we are offering you 50% off our Carrie and Tuck Notetotes! The notetotes retail for $39 which makes them $19.50 during this promotion!

This offer is valid through midnight EST on Monday, October 26th. To place an order, visit BoatmanGeller.com and enter Goodies Pass CTMA50 when you check out. Your choice of bright pink, kelly green, classic navy or chocolate brown (see photo below)...each Notetote comes filled with:

5 foldover notes and 5 envelopes
5 correspondence cards and 5 envelopes
25 padded letter sheets and 5 envelopes
6" x 9" clipboard
address sheet
writing pen

An Inside Look...

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:16:00 +0000

We thought it might be fun to show you some shots from around the Boatman Geller offices...kind of a "behind the scenes" look!

We love it when our melamine plates arrive! I always see something I want to order for myself...

Our stacks of personalized notepads before they are put through the padding machine. This is a great time of year for our notepads whether you have them personalized or just buy them plain. Not only are they fun to have on hand, they make fabulous hostess and teacher gifts as well as great stocking stuffers!

With our Holiday Designs done we have turned our attention to putting the finishing touches on updating our website so stay tuned... (finally, no more summer camp and graduation promos!)

We are also excited to resume our enewsletters to our fabulous customers. Make sure to sign up for our e-newsletter - we have one going out soon with a special offer for you!

Becky's thoughts on Fall...

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:22:00 +0000

* Becky Boatman Volk is Jane's sister and works with Jane in the Creative Department on New Product Development

I love fall...the leaves changing colors and the days getting cooler - Ok...I'm lying! I do love the leaves changing colors and the opportunity to wear jean jackets and sweaters but, fall means just one thing to me...winter is right around the corner! I know I should like fall - other people do. My birthday is in the fall, I always wanted a fall wedding (August was as close as I got) and I love football...I just hate being cold! Right now, sitting in the office writing this, I am cold and I can't warm up - even a Starbucks Vanilla Steamer hasn't helped! It is now officially "sweater weather" so here are some of my favorites for this season...
* This cardigan from Vineyard Vines is one of my favorites - it's perfect for running around during the day and cross country meets in the afternoon!

* This is another one of my "must-haves" from J. Crew - I love the fitted style!

* Finally, how cute is this poncho from J. McLaughlin!? I think I'll wear it to the school bonfire Friday night!

I hope this has given you some ideas for staying fashionably cozy as the days get shorter and cooler. Let me know what sweaters are keeping you warm this fall - Until next time...stay warm!

Becky

Halloween Melamine Plates!

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Set your table in style this Halloween with our custom design options in our Plate Catalog. Mix and match seasonal colors and patterns for the perfect design. For our Halloween inspired plates we've used our Awning Stripe our Cameron Pattern both in tangerine and midnight for a fun and festive look!

We are adding viewable catalog flip books to our website soon - you all can be the first to give it a try - view our Plate Catalog. Let us know what you think!

In order to receive your plates by Friday, October 30th, orders must be received from our retailers by Monday, October 19th! The plates are available through our Everyday Personalization Program retailers.

top: 389+P15+A06 - awning stripe in tangerine, accent color midnight
bottom: 439+P15+A06 - cameron in tangerine, accent color midnight

Halloween Invitations

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:29:00 +0000

How fun to have a Saturday Night Halloween this year!

Create a one of a kind invitation from our Custom Catalog available through our Everyday Personalization Program retailers. These simple graphic invites are sure to please, and a big thanks to Elaine at BG for some spooktacular wording!

top: skull and cross bones in midnight, border tangerine
middle: chain link in midnight, accent color tangerine
bottom: polka dot in tangerine, accent color midnight

Crests

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Did your school have a crest? I always wished I'd gone to a school with a cool crest, darn it! I guess you could say I've been crest-obsessed for a while now. Peter Beaton on Nantucket, peterbeaton.com, has a crest that I adore! Thus inspired, I decided it was time for Boatman Geller to create our own collection of crests.
You can see by my sketches where it all began - the hard part was narrowing it down! In the end, we created 5 crests in our Everyday Collection - golf, lacrosse, tennis, lobster and princess that are available as flat cards or foldovers.We also have 2 more crests that we created for Holiday as digital photocards! Check them out and since the options are limitless, let us know what kind of crest you'd like to see or how to use the current ones - notepads, plates, luggage tags, winetags - we're open to ideas!

Inspired by 101 Dalmations

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:10:00 +0000

Backgrounds from animated movies are one of my favorite sources of creative inspiration. I adore the look and feel of Disney's 101 Dalmations released in 1961. The color palette and illustration style are amazing - so satisfying to watch the special features on the newest DVD and to learn about the process.

I stumbled upon this blog dedicated to animation backgrounds, and while I was disappointed to see that the author, Rob Richards, was no longer posting, his blog is a treasure chest of visual inspiration! Check out all of his posted 101 Dalmation backgrounds here!

I am inspired to don a pair of wellies and jet off to London!

Jane

Chevron for Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Chevron patterns are everywhere and we thought they would be the perfect pattern to use in our Holiday Custom Collection for 2009. We just shipped our CD images to our accounts and like every new release, we hope that you all love the new designs and colors as much as we do!

Often inspiration comes from some of my favorite magazines, and sometimes it is validation that we are on the right track! My new Coastal Living came in the mail today and I was thrilled to see the feature on chevron / zig zags. I loved seeing the Brown and Seafoam pillows from Twinkle Living that match our new Chocolate and Slate Custom Chevron Photocards! While you all get to pick any combo you want from our holiday palette, this was a favorite of mine.

More holiday images coming soon!

Jane

Summer Sightings: 3 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:38:00 +0000

Swim caps, sail boats, and hammocks are now just a memory. Text books, school buses, and desk chairs become a new reality.

After a wonderful vacation, the Geller family is sad to bid the summer farewell, but excited for our most expansive holiday season to date. "We're so confident in our new, 2009 Holiday Collections that we've added tons of our past Holiday Collections to a Holiday Blowout Sale exclusive for Boatman Geller Dealers," Greg told me while he was nursing a nasty sun burn.

"You should remind people to ask their local Boatman Geller Dealer about the Holiday Blowout Sale to see all the deals available for them first hand," stated Greg. "It might even be something that could use a little reminder because of the limited time offers."

"I sure will Greg," I replied. "Before I do, can you take off your sunglasses already? You're making me even more jealous."

Another post soon,

- Marketing Guy

Summer Sightings: 2 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:39:00 +0000

It's scientifically proven (by employees of Boatman Geller with children) that as the Summer continues the boredom level of children rapidly increases.

We'd like to share a short but sweet remedy for the bored child in your home that actually validated how important it is to us to capture every moment on the beach.

As much as you may think children on summer break don't want to even smell a book, they'll be attracted to "Wave" by Suzy Lee. In fact, I can almost guarantee all our parent readers will too. This visually stimulating adventure of a nameless charcoal girl will surely spark the memory of innocent adolescence for anyone. Specifically, it reminds us of the driving force behind Boatman Geller - to give you, our reader, the opportunity to revisit your childhood innocence, have "un-self-conscience joy", and live your style (even if it's not a wave and only for a brief moment).

"Wave" by Suzy Lee is available on Amazon

Another Summer Sighting next week,

- Marketing Guy

Summer Sightings 1 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:55:00 +0000

It's Summer all right, and we're captured some of our favorite summer sightings so far to share with you. This image of the Geller Girls' swim suits on the fence screams: happiness, escape, friends, warmth, and just plain fun. These inspirations are what fuel Boatman Geller when we are designing, but we can always use more.....

We want you to share your summer sightings with us by posting to our Facebook Page. Who knows, your picture could be the inspiration behind the next Boatman Geller design. :-)

Another Summer Sighting next week,

- Marketing Guy

Alligator Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:32:00 +0000

Our phone company recently made us aware of an international (expensive) phone call made from our offices in Indianapolis, IN to the Bahamas. As soon as we heard this we quickly searched our phone log and found the exact call. It was Boatman Geller's new Alligator, Mitch, calling our old Preppy Alligator for some interesting advice. We transcribed the conversation for your enjoyment below.

"Hey Preppy, it's Mitch! You know, Mitch-the new guy. Hey, I wanted to see if I could get a little bit of your time to ask you something? What do you say?"

"Mitch?... Oh, Oh yeah, Mitch! I like that name. Mitch Mitch Mo Mitch Bannana Fanna Fo Fitch Me Mi Mo... Yeah, I've got a little bit of time, but I'm having trouble hearing you over the music at Senor Frogs. What's up?"

"Thanks! Ok, here it goes... Well, do you remember summer time not really ever feeling like summer at Boatman Geller? I mean it's almost like we skipped my favorite time of the year and went straight to winter with holiday album this, and new holiday cards that. Will I ever get a summer?"

"As soon as you leave! Hahahahaha... This is the first time I've ever had an actual summer and it's amazing! That is why I'm in the Bahamas hanging with some of the most well known celebrity alligators in the business my friend. In fact, here comes the one guy from La coste now. Actually, he doesn't look very happy. Oh boy..I should go. Gotta Run Mitch. Hang in there it'll be over soon."

Another post in 2 Weeks,

- Marketing Guy

Where do you plan to get your holiday cards from this season?

Summer Escape

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:07:00 +0000

With the way the economy is, many people are limiting their travel this summer. In fact, I've even heard the concept of staying home and finding something enjoyable to do around the house called a "stay-cation". Well, if a "stay-cation" is in your future or just some extra time, we'd like to introduce you to an author that will surely transport your mind to the wonderful land of Martha's Vineyard, Mr. Philip R. Craig.

Craig's widely known Martha's Vineyard Mysteries showcase his ability to capture every detail and transcribe them to his readers making you feel like you're right there. Although Craig passed in May of 2007, his large collection of books remains a staple in the Geller book collection and those of his adoring fans.

Craig's inspiration for writing a new mystery novel every year from 1989 - 2007 (except 1) went hand in hand with his love for Martha's Vineyard. His style of writing and his style of motivation make Martha's Vineyard Mysteries a "must" on the Boatman Geller summer reading list, because he inspires us to live our style.

What other summer reads inspire you to live your style?

Another post in two weeks,

- The Marketing Guy

Farewell Mrs. John L. Strong

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:50:00 +0000

We want to honor such a notable designer of high-end stationery, Mrs. John L. Strong. Sadly, they have decided to close their doors (Full Story) and we wish them the best in their journey ahead.

Here is our favorite Mrs. John L. Strong menu card that ties in perfectly with Boatman Geller's Hoosier roots. It has a corn on the cob image and we absolutely love it because there's no question that it's our style!

Thanks Again,

- The Marketing Guy

Do you salt your napkin?

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Summer is here, it's hot, and we're unsure if there is a better way to cool yourself down than with a refreshing beverage. Even more so, we're unsure why people salt their napkins. At our most recent all-staff meeting, we got a little off topic and onto this phenomenon, which divided the room almost equally between salters and non-salters. In fact, the majority of the non-salters had never even heard of it before. Today's post is of extreme educational importance for both our staff and readers to determine if salting 'is' or 'is not' part of living their style. Here's what we found out:

The Scientific Explanation is a bit over my head, but it's rather interesting.
A Video of the trick actually performed was quite appealing to those who had never heard of salting a napkin before.

Ultimately, you be the judge.

See you in 2 weeks,

- Marketing Guy

Commenters, tell us if you're a salter or not. Also, are we missing out on any other stylish trends?

Is it time for the beach yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:34:00 +0000

Young Charlotte Geller has gotten antsy for summer and is clearly ready for the beach (or here in Indiana it's the lake!). That means one thing for the Gellers... it's time to get ready for summer!

We're modifying the use of our blog some to suggest ways in which you, our follower and fan, can live your style in addition to using Boatman Geller Collections.

Can you believe this Extra Large Land's End Canvas Tote is only $27? Neither could we! It's so big Jane will be able to fit everything in it including: towels, sandals, sunscreen, games, etc.. and still have room for a Geller Girl or two. :-) Too bad she hasn't been able to use it yet. Oh well, at least they're ready!

Make sure you enjoy the beach this summer and live your style, which has always been our intention when designing collections with our fans in mind! Now, we want to introduce you to other companies that matched our style in hopes of it matching yours.

See you in 2 weeks,

- Marketing Guy

Hey Commenters, tell us how you plan to take your style to the beach.

Name Our New Preppy Alligator and Win!

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:19:00 +0000

Within 20 minutes of posting our Too many Preppy Alligators post on March 22nd, we got a direct message from TheNortherner asking us "not to get rid of the Preppy Alligator because it was her favorite". Soon after that, several other comments supporting TheNortherner's viewpoint came rolling in. Now, although we can't change the fact that we had to create a new alligator, we thought it was only right to award this promotion to the first person that commented, TheNortherner. She was awarded the chance to reveal the new preppy alligator, and we wanted to award all of you the chance to name it for a chance to win our biggest personalized Gator Prize yet!

Visit TheNortherner's Blog to find out more, and we wish you all Good Luck!

Another post in 2 weeks,

- Matt, The Marketing Guy

PS - As always we welcome any feedback, so don't hesitate for a second.

Wow, Your name is actually on it!

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:42:00 +0000

Now you can claim both your spot at the table and the food on your plate with our new personalized melamine plates.

The inspiration behind creating these personalizied plates was to eliminate any opportunity to say, "Well... I don't see your name on it," because now it is! Also, we wanted to stick with our mission of delivering functional collections that allow anyone, even children, to live their style.

Pictured here is our selective focus group, the Geller's, who confirmed a resounding appreciation for the plates and the fun they bring to an otherwise mundane activity.

These 10" plates are available in 30 standard designs and almost limitless custom choices allowing you to create your own unique place settings. These plates are a great way to bring each family member's style to your table or a thoughtful gift for just about anyone on your birthday and holiday shopping lists.

These plates can personalized and ordered online from the comofort of your own home.

Another post in 2 Weeks,

- Matt, The Marketing Guy

PS - Questions, Suggestions, and Feeback are always welcome, so don't hesitate to leave us a comment.

Too many preppy alligators

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:41:00 +0000

Sadly, the Boatman Geller preppy alligator has raised some eyebrows with LaCoste and has been deemed to be somewhat confusing when comparing it to the LaCoste icon. Today, we're honoring the retirement of a well noted figure in the Boatman Geller Collections , the preppy alligator. The gracious people at LaCoste have allowed us to run through of our existing inventory (rather than trash it), which gives our preppy alligator one more solid run at immortality. All preppy alligator fans, this will be your last opportunity to purchase any of our alligator collections with this image on it which can be found here: http://boatmangeller.com/products/list.html?criteria=alligator, so act fast while supplies last.

Now, after I became aware of this disheartening news, I spoke directly with Jane, the creator of the once infamous, now famous "preppy alligator" about her opinion. "I was looking to

express preppy... and having lived during the first alligator-is-synonymous-with-preppy phase

[see picture of Jane, right, from 1985], I was not following any trend by putting alligators on paper, but merely expressing my classic preppy style in a fun, Boatman Geller way," said Jane.

In closing, I'd like our readers to take a moment and remember the preppy alligator and all the good times he has brought us. Hopefully, our new alligator (to debut soon) will live up to these high standards.

Another post in 2 weeks,

- Matt, The Marketing Guy

PS - As always, any questions, suggestions, or feedback are welcome so don't hesitate to leave us a comment.

Boatman Geller Tent Sale Now Open!

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:23:00 +0000

We're doing some Spring Cleaning at Boatman Geller to make room for NEW Products and that means some incredible savings for you.

Our Tent Sale includes:

- Never Before Discounted Boatman Geller Classics

- Small Flats & Large Flats on Clearance

- Foldover Notes Drastically Reduced

- Photocards Priced to Sell

- Notepads & Luggage Tags Price Reduction

- And Many More...

Soon, we will be removing shopboatmangeller.com, but only to put all these great discounts in one place. Now, just visit www.BoatmanGeller.com to purchase over 300 discounted items in our Tent Sale. As always, these prices are only available while supplies last so visit us soon to get these stationery and gift items for that special someone, occasion, client or for yourself... live your style.

As always, any questions, suggestions, or feedback is welcome so don't hesitate to leave us a comment.

Valentine's Feature

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:09:00 +0000

Always seeking ways to make our lives easier, we were happy to see that Chic Simple Moms blog for trend conscious busy moms, included our own Boatman Geller notepads in their Valentine Gift Guide! We’re in great company with a variety of other mom-friendly products designed for stylish combinations of fashion + function. Be sure to visit their blog while composing your Valentine list - written on your BG notepad, of course!

Love is in the Air

noreply@blogger.com (Boatman Geller) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:36:00 +0000

We are in love with our new loose note sheets in a sleek acrylic holder. Tied up with our signature Boatman Geller ribbon, it is a perfect gift to give this Valentines Day!

Now through February 14th we are offering 15% off all acrylic note sheet orders when purchased on Boatman Geller.com - promo code: LOVE09

To make this deal extra sweet we are still offering free shipping on all orders of $50 off of BoatmanGeller.com. (Free shipping does not apply to tent sale/friends and family site purchases)

Know of anyone not so keen on Valentines Day? May we suggest our skull note sheets!