Here's a great recent article featuring our products at http://www.electrasmonograms.com/ we thought you'd like to see.
Monogram Mania: Making a Personal Statement
Published: Friday, August 1, 2008 - 2:00 am By Kondria WoodsPhotographed by Josh Norris
If the sweetest sound is hearing one's own name, then the sweetest sight must be one’s own initials. Whether it's the singular elegance of a capitalized letter or a merry trio of stylish script, the impact is instantly recognizable, yet intimately unique. You'll know monogram mania when you see it.
"Normally when someone receives a gift, it’s nice, but when they see their name on it, the smile gets a little wider," said Dionne Sandiford, owner of A Celebration of Us!
"In the South, monogramming has been around for years," said Monica Smith, owner of Pink Monogram. "Young ladies received silver brushes and gifts featuring their three-letter monogram when they got married, showing their new name. Most items showed their monograms engraved in silver. Due to the popularity of new equipment, monograms can be featured on anything that can be sewn using an embroidery machine."
A monogram is defined as being a design of one or more letters that is used to decorate or identify an object. It can feature a prominent letter, standing for the first name, but is most likely to appear as a three-letter design, with a large center letter representing a last name, flanked by the first name initial on the left, and the middle or maiden name initial on the right. Just look around any city and you're bound to see a monogram swing by on a handbag, a piece of clothing or even an automobile.
"I see monogrammed items on people of all ages," said Electra Ariail, owner of Preppy Decals. "From embroidered babies' bloomers and engraved pacifier clips, to mom's custom clogs, to dad's monogrammed cuff or pocket of his dress shirt, to grandma's car monogram on her BMW, I see monograms everywhere, spanning every age group."
Something for everyone. Sandiford's custom embroidery offers a personalized touch with a featured monogram or full name.
"In my niche of vinyl monograms, babies' nurseries and toddlers' bedrooms are popular places for our giant wall monograms to be used. Everyone strives to have unique and personalized children's rooms, and our monograms and giant wall stickers add a fun, colorful and playful element to the room. Some people adorn a chest of drawers with one of our monograms." "Teens love the car monograms and cell-phone monograms. Our cell-phone monograms were actually chosen to be included in a spring break survival kit for many teen celebrities, so it was fun making monograms for Miley Cyrus/'Hannah Montana' and the cast of 'High School Musical,' and musicians such as Rhianna and Chris Brown. I keep hoping to catch a glimpse of one of these I made in a magazine photo!" Dionne Sandiford, owner of A Celebration of Us!, said she spotted the monogramming trend with her home and interior decor clients. "I am seeing it across the board," Sandiford said. "Monograms are being placed on decorative pillows, bath items, clothing, school items, you name it. I've produced baby blankets incorporating the baby's name and date of birth, along with a monogrammed baby announcement pillow. For teens, I have placed monograms on backpacks, jackets and tote bags." "My company is licensed to make a blanket for Clemson, USC, Wofford and Furman, and when I tell the customer that we can embroider a name, graduation date or a monogram, they get very excited. It makes a great gift. Normally when someone receives a gift, it's nice, but when they see their name on it, the smile gets a little wider." Smith has seen tremendous interest in her monogrammed products, especially her original monogrammed clogs, from near and definitely far. Her online store and her location on Sevier Street are full of items that can be easily personalized. "I'm seeing a lot of customers in the 20- to 50-year-old age group," Smith said. "Children like to see their full names on items. In the South and the Northeast, it's the monogram. On the West Coast, it's the full name." The classic, traditional script has dominated bed linens and towels, and now fun, whimsical styles and fonts have joined the monogram party. Making a decision might be the most difficult part of designing your own monogram "I specialize in the heirloom monogram," Smith said. "The interlocking monogram style uses a true classic font. People have grown up knowing it. The curly fonts are young and fun, and I'm seeing a lot of them. I offer a lot more fonts than most Web sites or store fronts." Ariail added, "My best-selling colors are white, hot pink and lime green. Pink and green have always been classified as 'preppy' colors, and 'preppy' is hip again. Here in the Upstate, orange is pretty popular, too, for obvious reasons. My fancy interlocking font and the Curlz font are the most popular." Everyone can find something to love about monograms -- men and women alike. "Men obviously gravitate toward the circular font," Ariail said. "That font resembles a man’s signet ring. Of course, the ladies love anything girly. I tease my husband, Mills, that he loves his 'man-o-gram'... the 'manly' monogram." Though "men buy nothing for themselves," Smith said, they are more apt to receive engraved bar ware or opt for monogrammed shirts. "Men use the first, middle and last initials on their shirts and cuffs, and it started as a way to identify their shirts in the Laundromat," she said. "Now, it’' not a necessity, but more exclusive to higher-end J. Crew and Brooks Brothers' shirts. My mother had everything I owned monogrammed. A lot of mothers will get the plain dresses from Target and have their daughters' initials embroidered on the front. They also have it done for swimsuits and skirts, and the little girls will look adorable. Personalization makes it unique and different."Sandiford added, "For the guys, I've seen more monograms on the left sleeve of their shirt cuffs or on the shirt pocket. For the male golfer, I have also monogrammed their golf towels." Once a mark of privilege, the monogram has made the leap to everyday elegance; it can go anywhere and look great on anything. Thanks to Ariail's varied peel-and-stick options, the baby's room and dad's den can feature a unique monogram design. "I think monograms will always be popular for special occasion and keepsake items, but I think they are more accepted now for everyday use," she said. "In this day and age, we have more 'stuff' to adorn, so it makes sense that this trend has trickled down to everyday items such as your coffee mug, your cell phone or a pretty decorative candle. "Today, with the economy slowing down, I think people see personalization as an affordable luxury. It is an inexpensive way to buy yourself a little luxury and to treat yourself. You might not be in the position to buy a new car, but if you could put something on your car that would make you smile every time you see it, now that’s money well spent!"
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