CANADIAN OOT BAG info...where to shop!

[torilynnsmith]

The "toolbox" I love that!!!!!!!!!!! 

Originally Posted by traceysteve 

Torilynnsmith...I LOVE YOU!!! I dunno, last night, reading all of the threads, I was thinking, oh crap, I never thought of that, or oh crap, I don't have time...grrrrr. Your ideas for the kids were fantastic, will work on that this weekend. sigh. As for the swim bags, I love them. But, I will warn you that I cleaned out the store at the scarborough town center, and when I asked the toolbox if there were any in the back, she was very confused. Beware, not the brightest stars in there. Good luck in your search, and thanks for the support!
 

 

 

[MJKH]

Emergen-C located in Saskatoon...at Winners...actually had lots that don't expire until the end of 2013.  Check.  But I should have asked those that are the believers if there is a flavour you prefer over the others/any flavours to avoid.  They had a tropical one, lemon-lime, raspberry, acai berry, cranberry something...I think that was it.  Is it tasty to drink...like do you sip it out of a water bottle or chug it down as fast as possible?  

 

 

[Manda123]

I've had the orange. It reminds me a little of Kool-aid, but not as sweet I guess. I wouldn't chug it - especially if I was hungover, cause it would probably make me throw up! You can just drink it normally. Originally I was trying to find gatorade singles to pack but emergen-c is available in Canada and its a decent alternative!

Originally Posted by MJKH 

Emergen-C located in Saskatoon...at Winners...actually had lots that don't expire until the end of 2013.  Check.  But I should have asked those that are the believers if there is a flavour you prefer over the others/any flavours to avoid.  They had a tropical one, lemon-lime, raspberry, acai berry, cranberry something...I think that was it.  Is it tasty to drink...like do you sip it out of a water bottle or chug it down as fast as possible?  

 

 

 

[Manda123]

I was strolling around my fave store these days, Dollarama, and came across these bags which would be great for OOT bags for anyone who is still looking! They were in the Halloween section. They had lots left toO! There was no pricetag so I'm guessing they are $1! They were a really good size too.

 

 

 

 

[Camy47]

Hello Ladies,

 

I don't know whether to love you all or dislike you.....I am OOT obsessed so just hearing about your shopping adventures inspires me to keep buying MORE!!! hahaha.

There are some GREAT ideas on here that I might have to 'borrow' )

 

I am an avid shopper and love finding a great bargain. Wanted to share a couple 'hot spots' with you ladies who might be in the GTA. I have to admit I didn't read all 164 pages, so hopefully these aren't repeats:

 

1. www.creativebag.com

One of my bridesmaids tipped me off to this store during her wedding prep. You can order online, or there is a store (and another one opening soon in Pickering). I purchased lots of goodies here like my welcome bags for $0.99, smart bag liners for $2, ribbon, organza bags for my favours and candy bags that I will use for the hangover kits etc. which were only $3-5 for 100 in store clearance.

 

2. Sandylion sticker warehouse in Markham

I always go to this store to pick up stickers and activity books for my niece and nephew, but they have some good items for OOT bags. If you are looking to print your own labels, you can get 50 sheets of blank labels for $5 or 100 sheets of sticker paper for $5. They also have rolls of sparkly stickers for printing and lots of scrapbooking items.

Side note: This store is amazing for teachers.

 

3. Canadian Tire

If you are looking for Bubba kegs...this is the place to go. At least once a month they put them on sale 50-60% off. I was super fortunate b/c I bought them one weekend on sale and then they had a $10 GC when you spend $40 promo so it was like getting every 6th mug free!

 

4. Superstore/Zehrs/Loblaws

I know this isn't a new one, but this week seems to be a great time to hit up the clearance section. I was in there on the weekend and picked up some adorable padded CD cases for $1.44 each. They are similar to the straw photo albums someone posted with the insert in the front for a picture. I'm going to make copies of my wedding DVD and give these out as thank you gifts to my family / bridal party after we return.

 

5. Vistaprint.ca

I'm sure you all know about vista, but it's always worth mentioning again. They have a $0 sale on this week which makes for some phenomenal deals. So far here are some of the items I have created on vista:

- welcome party banner (small banner)

- OOT bag tags using my logo (business cards)

- photoshare cards (business cards)

- do not disturb signs (rack cards)

- variety of postcards

- bookmarks (cut long invitation in half)

- small magnets with our logo

- welcome letter (flyers)

- schedule of events (invitation)

- Spanish for dummies card (invitation)

- thank you sign to use in pictures (small banner)

- Bride & Groom t-shirts

- rehearsal dinner invites (invitation)

- guest room list (oversized postcard)

 

I'd love to hear any other creative ideas you ladies have used vista for. I find this is the best way to get OOT 'filler' VERY inexpensive. Best part is that they ship from Windsor so no duty!!!

 

I will try and post some pictures in the near future. Hope this post has helped a few of you ladies out!!!

[torilynnsmith]

I saw these the other day!!! They are almost like a reusable shopping bag but would also be a great beach bag!!!! Gotta love Canada's wedding planning store!!!

Originally Posted by Manda123 

I was strolling around my fave store these days, Dollarama, and came across these bags which would be great for OOT bags for anyone who is still looking! They were in the Halloween section. They had lots left toO! There was no pricetag so I'm guessing they are $1! They were a really good size too.

 

 

 

 

 

I totally forgot about the Sandylion sticker warehouse!!  Thanks for reminding me!!!!!!    Also thanks for the vista list... I have still yet to order anything from them because I just can't really figure it out and be sure itll work, be the right sizes etc........  This is a great tip because now I know which sizes to use for each!!!!!

Originally Posted by Camy47 

Hello Ladies,

 

I don't know whether to love you all or dislike you.....I am OOT obsessed so just hearing about your shopping adventures inspires me to keep buying MORE!!! hahaha.

There are some GREAT ideas on here that I might have to 'borrow' )

 

I am an avid shopper and love finding a great bargain. Wanted to share a couple 'hot spots' with you ladies who might be in the GTA. I have to admit I didn't read all 164 pages, so hopefully these aren't repeats:

 

1. www.creativebag.com

One of my bridesmaids tipped me off to this store during her wedding prep. You can order online, or there is a store (and another one opening soon in Pickering). I purchased lots of goodies here like my welcome bags for $0.99, smart bag liners for $2, ribbon, organza bags for my favours and candy bags that I will use for the hangover kits etc. which were only $3-5 for 100 in store clearance.

 

2. Sandylion sticker warehouse in Markham

I always go to this store to pick up stickers and activity books for my niece and nephew, but they have some good items for OOT bags. If you are looking to print your own labels, you can get 50 sheets of blank labels for $5 or 100 sheets of sticker paper for $5. They also have rolls of sparkly stickers for printing and lots of scrapbooking items.

Side note: This store is amazing for teachers.

 

3. Canadian Tire

If you are looking for Bubba kegs...this is the place to go. At least once a month they put them on sale 50-60% off. I was super fortunate b/c I bought them one weekend on sale and then they had a $10 GC when you spend $40 promo so it was like getting every 6th mug free!

 

4. Superstore/Zehrs/Loblaws

I know this isn't a new one, but this week seems to be a great time to hit up the clearance section. I was in there on the weekend and picked up some adorable padded CD cases for $1.44 each. They are similar to the straw photo albums someone posted with the insert in the front for a picture. I'm going to make copies of my wedding DVD and give these out as thank you gifts to my family / bridal party after we return.

 

5. Vistaprint.ca

I'm sure you all know about vista, but it's always worth mentioning again. They have a $0 sale on this week which makes for some phenomenal deals. So far here are some of the items I have created on vista:

- welcome party banner (small banner)

- OOT bag tags using my logo (business cards)

- photoshare cards (business cards)

- do not disturb signs (rack cards)

- variety of postcards

- bookmarks (cut long invitation in half)

- small magnets with our logo

- welcome letter (flyers)

- schedule of events (invitation)

- Spanish for dummies card (invitation)

- thank you sign to use in pictures (small banner)

- Bride & Groom t-shirts

- rehearsal dinner invites (invitation)

- guest room list (oversized postcard)

 

I'd love to hear any other creative ideas you ladies have used vista for. I find this is the best way to get OOT 'filler' VERY inexpensive. Best part is that they ship from Windsor so no duty!!!

 

I will try and post some pictures in the near future. Hope this post has helped a few of you ladies out!!!

 

[MJKH]

 

 

Originally Posted by torilynnsmith 

 

 

FI has his first Pina Colada (w/o alcohol unfortunately) from freshly squeezed the other day and now he can't wait to have a few pina coladas when we're down south!!!!! Perhaps we'll get a pitcher and get pumping our our OOTs!!!

 

I know it has been discussed a million times but how is everyone giving out their oots?

 

Welcome Dinner/Drinks?

Individual Room Deliveries?

Have them delivered by the resort staff?  (this makes me nervous..... theres good stuff in there!)

 

I really want to do that FI and I go to everyones rooms to drop off their OOTs to give them that One on One quick minute, thank them for coming etc. but when would everyone be in their rooms?! Do we carry 40 OOT bags around with us or go with 1 bag at a time going back to our room every time! I just don't know how to make this work!!!!!!  I am feeling so dumb lately, it seems like I am over thinking EVERY detail!!!

 

 

 

I've been trying to think thru all the scenerios in my head...here is what I THINK we will be doing:

 

The majority of our guests will be travelling on the same flight as us out of Saskatoon.  I don't want to put the bags together ahead of time...I think everything will stay nicer that way...but we will have a very clear and efficient (hopefully!) plan of attack for when we arrive at the resort in the middle of the afternoon.  NONE of our guests know about the OOTs, and to keep it that way, my FI and I will hunker down in our suite (with a cocktail or two) until supper while our guests get settled in and look around the resort.  Once the bags are nearly complete, my FI will head to the front desk for an up-to-the-minute room # list (just in case anyone has been switched to another room since check-in)...we'll mark the tags on the bags...then call a bellman to come and deliver them to the rooms (WP said just to plan to provide a tip).  Surprisingly, my FI suggested he'd like us to deliver them to each room...but we talked about the pros and cons and will be going the bellman route.  My biggest concerns: 1) that our guests are indeed IN the room numbers provided by the front desk and 2) that some random idiot doesn't come along and grab bags off the bellman's cart while he's making deliveries to the upper floors.  The solution to that would be to accompany the bellman on his route...but the whole idea of us not making the deliveries is so that we then have time to freshen up and get settled, rather than spending an hour or two hauling around 25 - 30 bags.  Sometimes you just have to "LET GO" of the need to be in control of everything, right?

 

Whichever bride said she likes the idea of the guests walking into their room and thinking "OOOO...What's this?!?"...that's what I want our guests to have out of the experience too.  

 

I've been thinking too about treats for the bags...edible treats to include.  There is FOOD A-PLENTY on the resort, and anything chocolate is out of the question due to extreme heat.  But we all have our little obsessions, and one of mine is "bar snacks".  That's what was missing the first time we went to the resort...at 3 am you could order room service, but it would take an hour...and sometimes you just need something a little salty to go with a cold one.  Costco has boxes of those long skinny bags of nuts...peanuts, mixed nuts, etc.  I think we'll include a couple of those bags of nuts in each OOT too. 

[Digado]

Which etsy seller did you get your tatoo's from?? that sounds like such a fun idea!!

[MJKH]

I know exactly those DVD cases you are talking about...I think they had them for $1.44 and they were super cute.  Great idea!
 

Originally Posted by Camy47 

Hello Ladies,

 

I don't know whether to love you all or dislike you.....I am OOT obsessed so just hearing about your shopping adventures inspires me to keep buying MORE!!! hahaha.

There are some GREAT ideas on here that I might have to 'borrow' )

 

I am an avid shopper and love finding a great bargain. Wanted to share a couple 'hot spots' with you ladies who might be in the GTA. I have to admit I didn't read all 164 pages, so hopefully these aren't repeats:

 

1. www.creativebag.com

One of my bridesmaids tipped me off to this store during her wedding prep. You can order online, or there is a store (and another one opening soon in Pickering). I purchased lots of goodies here like my welcome bags for $0.99, smart bag liners for $2, ribbon, organza bags for my favours and candy bags that I will use for the hangover kits etc. which were only $3-5 for 100 in store clearance.

 

2. Sandylion sticker warehouse in Markham

I always go to this store to pick up stickers and activity books for my niece and nephew, but they have some good items for OOT bags. If you are looking to print your own labels, you can get 50 sheets of blank labels for $5 or 100 sheets of sticker paper for $5. They also have rolls of sparkly stickers for printing and lots of scrapbooking items.

Side note: This store is amazing for teachers.

 

3. Canadian Tire

If you are looking for Bubba kegs...this is the place to go. At least once a month they put them on sale 50-60% off. I was super fortunate b/c I bought them one weekend on sale and then they had a $10 GC when you spend $40 promo so it was like getting every 6th mug free!

 

4. Superstore/Zehrs/Loblaws

I know this isn't a new one, but this week seems to be a great time to hit up the clearance section. I was in there on the weekend and picked up some adorable padded CD cases for $1.44 each. They are similar to the straw photo albums someone posted with the insert in the front for a picture. I'm going to make copies of my wedding DVD and give these out as thank you gifts to my family / bridal party after we return.

 

5. Vistaprint.ca

I'm sure you all know about vista, but it's always worth mentioning again. They have a $0 sale on this week which makes for some phenomenal deals. So far here are some of the items I have created on vista:

- welcome party banner (small banner)

- OOT bag tags using my logo (business cards)

- photoshare cards (business cards)

- do not disturb signs (rack cards)

- variety of postcards

- bookmarks (cut long invitation in half)

- small magnets with our logo

- welcome letter (flyers)

- schedule of events (invitation)

- Spanish for dummies card (invitation)

- thank you sign to use in pictures (small banner)

- Bride & Groom t-shirts

- rehearsal dinner invites (invitation)

- guest room list (oversized postcard)

 

I'd love to hear any other creative ideas you ladies have used vista for. I find this is the best way to get OOT 'filler' VERY inexpensive. Best part is that they ship from Windsor so no duty!!!

 

I will try and post some pictures in the near future. Hope this post has helped a few of you ladies out!!!

 

[Camy47]

Torilynnsmith,

 

I was intimidated by Vista at first too....but after a little bit of playing around I got the hang of it. It will take some investment of your time to get everything the way you want it, but it's worth it in the end. For example I'm just working on an order that will get me a car magnet (I'm putting these on our limo on the way to the airport), 10 schedule of events cards, 100 'wish you were here' postcards, 10 thank you cards for my bachlorette, 10 rehearsal dinner invites, 50 guest room lists, a t-shirt, pen and totebag all customized for $25 incl. shipping. With this order and everything I mentioned earlier I'm still under $100 and that gives me enough for 25 bags.

 

Another tip: create the items you want when you have some time to work on them and then save them to your portfolio. They store them for 90 days or something, so when you get a sale email you are all ready to add them to your cart and order at the discounted price!