Basic Invite for the Holiday Card Win!

Thank you to Basic Invite for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

This year I stepped out of my usual holiday card creation bubble and created our card through Basic Invite. Since we are quickly approaching the deadline to get holiday cards in the mail (ahhh!), I wanted to tell you about the Basic Invite holiday card options ASAP. But first, here’s a little sneak peek of our card. Isn’t she a beaut??

 
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Basic Invite is a fully custom card, invitation, and stationary company, and WOW- they have some of the best, most contemporary designs I have seen in a while! You can create and customize practically anything you can think of- holiday photo cards 2019, of course, but also wedding, shower, and party invitations, as well as stationary, business cards, and stickers. They even offer dog Christmas cards to include your furry children in the celebrations!

The Basic Invite selection of holiday photo cards and accessories is amazing and includes:

  • Almost Unlimited Colors. Basic Invite offers over 180 colors to choose from, so no matter where your family pictures were taken this year- a tree farm, your home, the town square, a beach, or even Disney- you’ll be able to match your photos with your card. Basic Invite also offers 40+ colors of envelopes to give your card an extra pop of holiday cheer.

  • Foil Cards. All that glitters IS gold! Basic Invite offers beautiful foil card options in gold, silver, and rose gold. You can choose flat or raised foil on all designs to add that extra sparkle to your holiday greeting.

  • Custom Samples. Basic Invite is one of the few card companies that allows customers to order a printed sample of their actual product. I may have thought this wasn’t very important before, but I have changed my tune. I ordered a sample of our holiday card to check out the paper and printing quality, and what did I catch when it arrived? A typo! Which is pretty much my worst nightmare. Something about handling the physical hardcopy made it pop out at me. I was then able to fix it easily online before completing my final order. Side note: I was more than pleased with the exceptional quality of both the paper and the printing.

  • Address Capturing Service. Are you ready to hear of a true Christmas miracle? Basic Invite offers a service that allows you to share a link with your friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media to request their mailing addresses. The addresses are then stored in your Basic Invite account to be printed on holiday card envelopes. AT NO ADDITIONAL COST! This makes tracking down friends and family and addressing cards so easy (and free), you guys! I can finally kiss my battered and bruised Excel spreadsheet goodbye.

If you’re looking to get out of the usual holiday card box this year, I suggest you give Basic Invite a try. The design process is easy and streamlined, the number and quality of options is dazzling, and the final products are absolutely gorgeous. And right now, Basic Invite is offering a discount (you know I love a good deal)! Use code 15FF51 for 15% off. That’s a good deal on a high quality product, y’all!

If you need more convincing that Basic Invite is an all-around solid paper and card company, here are a few more custom designs I ordered from them. I mean, just look at that clear business card! I just love them all!

 
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Lyric Stage Presents Mirette

This weekend, my daughter and I were able to attend a stage production of Mirette, presented by Lyric Stage, at The Majestic Theatre in Dallas. Mirette is the musical theatre adaption of one of our favorite Caldecott Medal-winning books, Mirette on the High Wire, by Emily Arnold McCully. In Mirette on the High Wire, a young girl, Mirette, meets a mysterious and melancholy gentleman at her mother’s boarding house in 19th century Paris. Over time, Mirette learns that the melancholy boarder is none other than The Great Bellini- the greatest tightrope performer in the world. But Bellini has developed a debilitating fear of the wire and has thus removed himself from the spotlight to practice his craft in seclusion. Curious and brave Mirette immediately becomes obsessed with learning to walk the wire herself, setting the course for her and Bellini to work together to overcome their anxieties and fears, both of the physical act of tightrope walking and the mental gymnastics required to perform at such great heights.

While my daughter is 7 years old and loves children’s theatre, I was still a little concerned about how she would handle a true theatre production as they tend to be longer and not geared specifically toward children. But to my delight, she loved it! She was able to follow the storyline based on our experience with the book, and the cast of characters- acrobats, a juggler, a mime, opera singer, and ballerina- kept her enraptured for the entirety of the performance. It was very special to both of us to see a young girl not much older than my daughter practice and excel at something deemed “dangerous.” The entire performance spoke to her love of adventure and daring.

Speaking of daring young girls, let’s talk about the star of the play, Mirette, for a minute. Young Emma Grace Freeman shone so brightly as Mirette that neither my daughter nor I could tear our eyes away from her. Emma Grace absolutely owned the stage with her beautiful voice, refined acting skills, and incredible presence. I loved that my daughter was able to identify not only with a strong female character, but also with a brave and talented real-life girl.

The Lyric Stage adaptation of Mirette was an absolute delight. The show has finished its run at The Majestic, but Lyric has two upcoming shows in their Wonder of Women season that I know we’ll go see. First up is Abyssinia, based on the Joyce Carol Thomas book Marked by Fire, which runs February 14-16, 2020. Then hold on to your slippers and get ready for Cinderella in June 2020! My daughter lit up with excitement when she heard the announcement that Cinderella is coming to her favorite theatre. And so did I! We’ll see you there!

Let It Go... Frozen Jr. at The Firehouse Theatre

My 7-year-old daughter and I made the short drive to Farmers Branch, Texas, to attend Frozen Jr. at The Firehouse Theatre this afternoon. It was such a treat! I was a little nervous that my daughter would feel too old to enjoy the Frozen story line (she’s been resistant to the movie and merchandise for a few years now), but she LOVED it! It was really special to see her light up over the presentation and theater of it all, not only the subject matter. She stayed engaged the entire time and left saying she’d like to attend theatre camp and perform on stage.

The particular group of kids making up the cast of this Frozen Jr. production is among the best children’s theater I’ve ever seen. All of the leads sparkle and shine on stage- particularly the character of Anna, who was just as charming and awkward as you’d hope she’d be- and the rest of the ensemble was simply fantastic as well. Gosh, those kids can sing and dance!

Clocking in right at an hour and a half, including intermission, this show is the perfect length for a children’s program. (I’ve been to a few at other theaters that drug on and on, losing half of the young audience in the process.) Additionally, the exposition was almost entirely in song form, which helped keep the attention of the young audience members and moved the story along quickly and smoothly.

The Firehouse Theatre is small, intimate, and very charming. Originally built in 1958 as a working fire station for the City of Farmers Branch, the station was remodeled into a community theatre in 2012. And there isn’t a bad seat in the house! The theatre offers production options for all audiences, with Firehouse Jr. productions catering to younger audiences and families, as well as more mature productions for adult audiences.

I am delighted to have found this theatre gem and look forward to attending several of their upcoming shows in 2020! Frozen Jr. runs now through October 13, 2019. Go see it if you have the opportunity!

*Cover photo credit: Brandon Tijerina