I am really excited to share with you our first ever photo shoot video.  Watch now for a behind the scenes look at the making of our Back to School 2011 catalog.  We took these photos on a chilly January day in our picturesque downtown Stuart.  The girls had a great time and I think it definitely showed in the end result.  Take a couple minutes to watch and let me know what you think!

Psst – Did you know that we are now offering consumer catalogs?!  You can fill out a RIU Catalog Request form on our website.  We’ll be sending them out towards the middle of June.

Tags: back to school, bts2011, video, youtube

Happy Friday everyone!  We made it to the holiday weekend!  Here is to wishing you a fabulous and relaxing memorial day weekend. Whether your weekend agenda is filled with a staycation at home with friends and family, a patriotic BBQ or maybe trip to the beach – I hope its grand and filled with fun times (and some sun wouldn’t hurt too!)  Oh, and these cupcakes?  Don’t they look delish!

{patriotic bike + cupcakes via pinterest}

I have noticed a big trend out there in the blogesphere – many of my favorite blogs do a weekly wrap up to summarize their week’s postings or just fun and inspiring things they found around the net.  Taking inspiration from this I have decided to bring a similar concept here to our blog.  So without further ado… introducing RIU’s Weekly Wrap Up:

On Monday we spotted our lap desk with Jimmy Fallon on Live! with Regis & Kelly

We announced a great 20% off Spring Sale on our popular beach towels and beach hats in our shop.  (promo code:  SPRING20)  Be sure to check out all of the great deals!

Currently obsessing over these fun and fringey DIY streamers we found over at Oh Happy Day! Seriously, how fun would these be at your next party?

A helpful article on USA Today about the benefits of Facebook pages for small businesses that we shared on our RIU facebook page.

That’s all for this week – catch you all on Tuesday – relaxed and refreshed!

Tags: memorial day, weekly wrap up

Yesterday we had a pretty fun sighting of our popular Lap Desk!  Here is how it went down:  In the morning Jimmy Fallon was on Live! with Regis and Kelly promoting his new book of thank you notes.  As we all know, Jimmy is hilarious and the whole premise of his book is that he is “thanking” all of the people, places, things in his life that he wants to show his gratitude for – of course in his funny and sarcastic way.  So in the midst of him explaining his book, Regis and Kelly then ask him if he would write a few right then and there.  Then the best thing happened – he breaks out a Dream Dot Lap Desk!!  To which both Regis and Kelly then proceed to comment about how cute it is and then each take a turn writing a thank you note while using the lap desk.  It was cute and funny all at the same time.  So thank you, Jimmy, Regis and Kelly – it was the highlight of our Monday for sure!

You can watch the whole segment here on YouTube.  It’s pretty funny and definitely worth the watch.  As an FYI – the part with the lap desk is towards the last few minutes of the clip.

Tags: lap desk on regis and kelly, lap desk on tv, riu lap desk, room it up lap desk

Ah, summer.  It’s upon us!  The summer months are filled with celebrations, whether it’s graduation, father’s day or a wedding – the summer is bound to be filled with many things to celebrate, along with many opportunities to give some fabulous gifts.  This morning on the Today Show, an editor from Real Simple Magazine was showcasing some of their favorite gifts for the season.  You can watch the clip here:

What are some of your favorite gifts to give during the summer month celebrations?  I have rounded up a few of our favorite giftable RIU items for the graduation season specifically. All of the below make great gifts for those college-bound grads!  ..oh, and did I mention all of which are under $25!!  Fabulous!

Grad Gifts by amchauss featuring hats

Tags: classof2011, gifts, Graduation

Tomorrow we are heading off to NYC for the annual National Stationery Show!  We are excited to show off the new BTS line as well as the new paper goods from Capri Designs.  Follow me on twitter to get some fun updates from the show, and if you are also headed up to NYC please stop by and see us in Booth# 1635.

Tags: capri designs, NSS, room it up, stationery show

We just added the new BTS items to our website for everyone to preview before they come into stock in June!  We are really excited about this new launch as we have so many fun new prints and items!  You can click here to preview the collection on the website.  What is your new favorite print or item from the new collection?

Tags: bts2011

It’s the week where we show our appreciation for all of the teachers in our lives.  Teachers are so important in how they shape not only our education but aspects of our lives.  I know that I have many fond memories of some of my teachers that I had through the years, and that some of them have helped make me into the person that I am today.  Teachers often have to invest their own free time, and more often than not, own money into their work.  I think that it is great that we take the time to honor them for all that they do!  After a little bit of googling around the web I found a website with some great tips about how you can show your appreciation for the teachers in your lives.

And of course what spells appreciation more than a fun little gift to show that you care?  Below are my picks for some fun teacher’s gifts – and they are  all each under $15!

{padfolio, cookies, tumbler}

Have you shown your appreciation yet for a teacher you think has gone above and beyond?

To teachers everywhere – Thank you for all that you do, you deserve this special day (and week)!

Tags: teacher appreciation, teachers