First and foremost, Mary Kay (MK) is the absolute best! If Yelp would allow me give her 100 stars, I absolutely would! My sister and I walked into 221 Creations on Monday, August 6, 2018 with worry in our eyes. My wedding is Saturday, October 6, 2018 and we knew we had to get these invitations out as quickly as possible. Mary Kay sat and gave us all the time we needed. My sister and I looked in the invitation book and we figured we'd have to pass on my favorite option because the paper only came in ecru. MK called the printer to get the invitation paper in white. She made it happen! We ordered the addresses to be printed on the invitation envelopes and she was an immense help with the invitation wording etiquette. The invitation company suggested four glue dots to paste the invitation on the backing but Mary Kay suggested that a different form of tape would be easier to apply and it would be more durable. She could have easily ordered those dots but she knew it would be a pain to do which we really appreciated when it came to assembling the invitations. Once we had decided on the invitations and text, she submitted the order to the printer and told us she would follow up with a proof via email the next day. As promised, we received the proof email and once we responded with our approval, she instantly submitted the order to print. We had the invitations in hand yesterday, Thursday, August 16 at 1:30pm. She communicated with us from the moment we walked into the shop until we had the invitations in hand. I can't stress how pleasant MK made the invitations process for us! Mary Kay went above and beyond to make sure that my sister and I were beyond happy with every detail. Mary Kay is patient, kind, funny, courteous and understanding. She did not try to up sell us or con us into buying anything we did not need. It is evident that Mary Kay has her customer's best interests in mind. Planning a wedding is stressful, but I know that anything I ask of MK will be done correctly and efficiently! It is a joy to work with her! Go and see her for everything wedding and beyond. I'm not going to stop here, we plan to order our wedding ceremony programs, wedding menu cards, place cards, bridesmaid's & groomsmen's gifts etc. from MK. Mary Kay, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! read more

I highly recommend using Marykay for your invitations. She listens to what you want and need. I Will definitely use her again in the future. She is the best.. Sue M. read more

Mary Kay was so kind, welcoming, and understanding. She has so many samples to look through and will creat anything you want! I wanted gold foil and she was much more affordable than other boutiques. Great communication and prompt service. read more

Mary Kay is absolutely amazing! She is doing my wedding invitations and she made the process run so smoothly. Not only is she great at what she does, but her hospitality was outstanding! I definitely would not have done this any other way or with any other company due to Mary Kay's spectacular service. I highly recommend using 221 creations for any big event or even just your standard stationary needs. read more

LOOK no further! 211 Creations (Mary Kay) was ABSOLUTELY one of the best service companies we have ever worked with. After carefully comparing several high-end paper companies we landed on 312 Creations, and we are thankful and grateful for Mary Kay's support, guidance and absolute knowledge of the industry. She offers high quality invitations; wedding programs and menu cards... and a whole lot more... and the pricing is fantastic. Everything was printed in a timely manner and looked pristine. In addition, Mary Kay was one of the friendliest people we have ever met and worked with (GEM!). I would use 312 Creations for ALL of my printing jobs. Excellent experience. read more

Beth, at 221 Creations, is simply the best. Just picked up my bridal shower invitations and couldn't be more pleased. Downers Grove has a real treasure in this shop. read more

This place is a little hidden gem! SO much to offer beyond just wedding related items! Mary Kay is an angel, a saint, a sweet heart! She did an incredible job coordinating our wedding invitations and I would highly suggest working with her!! read more

Could not have asked for a more smooth, fun process for my wedding invitations! Mark Kay is very knowledgable and answered all of our questions. She kept us in the loop every step of the way. I am obsessed with our invitations! read more

We used 221 Creations for our "Save the Dates" and we are beyond pleased with how they turned out! Mary Kay was so great to work with and was so knowledgable. She made the process so easy for us and took our vision and brought it to life! The turnaround time from when we submitted to when we received them was very quick and it was also very reasonably priced. We already booked our next appointment with her to have her do our wedding/shower invites and cannot wait to see how they turn out! We will definitely be using 221 Creations for all of our stationary needs from this point forward! =) read more

Mary Kay was so great to work with throughout our whole wedding planning process - 221 Creations did both our save-the-dates and our wedding invites. For our wedding we had a Chicago theme and Mary Kay came up with the perfect border for our invites - a drawing of the skyline, it really tied everything together. We received so many compliments on the invites once they were sent out! Living downtown without a car always makes things tricky when it comes to dealing with businesses in the suburbs but Mary Kay was always more than accommodating with us and worked around our hectic scheduled. I would recommend 221 to anyone - city or suburbs - especially if you want personal, one-on-one attention! read more

Hi just love this shop everyone is so helpful and easy to work with. I found this shop when my daughter graduated from High School, and now we just ordered invites for her engagement party. Thank you to everyone at the shop. Mary Stieber read more

I moved to downtown Dowers just this past April and have found this wonderful little store to be my favorite "go-to" place for a charming, whimsical gift or a fun card. This shop truly pulled me through this past holiday season, taking away much of the stress that holiday shopping brings. The owner and her daughter are warm, fun and friendly and will (often times) stop what they are doing to help you find what you are looking for. I would highly recommend a visit to this great little store. Not only are their prices super reasonable but they are also dog friendly too. I just love it!! read more

In a frantic search for wedding invitations, I went to the internet to find a good vendor for stationary needs. I found 221 Creations and shot them an email to see if they were still taking clients for 2016 and to see if they might be able to help me. I'm getting married September 2016 and it's currently June. We wanted to send out invitations earlier than normal so that we can begin to get RSVPs sooner, so we are in quite a time crunch. Clark and I stopped at Paper Source and were told that with our time constraints, we would be limited to pre-selected suites, fonts, and formats for our invitations...and that they would need to be ordered online. Other vendors were not accepting 2016 clients (commence minor meltdown). Then, the email back from Mary Kay came through! Yes they could help us and could do a quick turn around, but we'd need to act fast to make things happen on the timeline that we were looking for. Could I come into the shop this week? (Of course!) The shop closes at 5 PM on weeknights, but Mary Kay was flexible and met me there at 6:30 PM, since that was the earliest I could be out there coming from the city. We were there for a good couple of hours browsing invitations, looking at styles, discussing what we all liked and didn't like. She let us stay there w/ her until past 8 PM! During our discussions, it's obvious that Mary Kay and Beth know what they are doing. Once MK got a good idea of what Momma and I liked, she steered us away from the things we started to think we liked and put us right back on track with beautiful invitation suite upon beautiful invitation suite. She gave us her opinion on certain styles and looks, but always reiterated "We will do whatever you want! It's YOUR choice. If you like it, we do it." Momma and I appreciated her input, as we both have a difficult time envisioning what everything will look like when put together. Our second meeting happened last night with MK. We selected fonts, motifs, and finalized the wording and look of the invitation. I cannot be more excited about what we ended up with! She let us go through the different fonts in the book and she was able to pull them up online on a rough draft so that we could actually see what it would potentially look like. I'm so thankful that we did that, because the font I thought I'd end up liking was NOT what we ended up with. Now, we wait for the draft of the actual design to come back from the designer. Mary Kay and Beth were so accommodating of our needs and desires. They are straight up and honest/realistic with you, which is something that I appreciate. The added bonus that Beth is an Ohio native and fellow Flyer is awesome (go UD!) I will update as the process of our invites moves along. TBD: designer work, printing, final product. I CAN'T WAIT! If you're a Chicago suburban bride, talk to these women and give them your business. They offer more flexibility and personalization to your wedding invitation suites than online options do, AND they're very likely cheaper than the online option! Most important bonus: they have a baby golden retriever named Stella that is usually at the store with them in her little cage. Go pet her. read more

As a guy it is sometime hard to find that unique gift my wife or sisters would appreciate. This shop is one of those jewels in Downtown Downers Grove that has a few of those options and the customer service team was super helpful and friendly to talk with. No pressure...good listening and offering advice. If you have a creative bent, they have some unique classes and workshops available. read more

I recently had the pleasure to work with Mary Kay Vincenti through 221 Creations, and I could not be happier with the EXCELLENT service I was provided! I went to Mary Kay for all of my wedding day stationary needs- invites, RSVPs, breakfast invites, placecards, table numbers, favor signs and ceremony programs. Mary Kay created a design that was incorporated through all stationary components needed. She truly created a beautiful and elegant invitation, which set the tone for our wedding from the moment our guests opened our invite. Mary Kay was very communicative and open throughout the entire design process. I would recommend Mary Kay and 221 Creations to anyone and everyone! Thank you so much Mary Kay and 221 Creations! read more

221 Creations - Cards & Stationery Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Love this boutique - lots of fun gift ideas for everyone on your shopping list! They have lots of housewares along with some great gift ideas that include babies/kids, & with all the fun wine and beer custom glasses you can find a funny gift for everyone 21+! The store was very accommodating with some requests to shop during this Covid-era and they even wrapped gifts for me. Definitely a wonderful local store that we will shop again and again! read more

Adorable shop! Convenient location. Friendly, knowledgable staff. My "go to" place for that perfect gift. Also, the custom stationary selection is amazing. read more

If you are questioning where to go for amazing invitations for a wedding shower and wedding, please just go here. I was in a bind and getting married in a short time period and after scrolling the internet for invitations and getting overwhelmed, I was referred to Mary Kay at 221 Creations. I reached out to Mary Kay and she accommodated me on EVERYTHING! She worked with me on giving me the best experience and we couldn't be happier! This woman opened her business on a Sunday for me to help me out. The quality of the invitations turned out wonderfully and she truly has the kindest heart. This is a small business that should be supported and trust me, you will not be disappointed. The internet is overwhelming and Mary Kay made it so easy and effortless for me! Planning a wedding is very stressful and Mary Kay took the invitation stress off my shoulder. I will be continuing to go to this establishment going forward and will never turn back! I love you Mary Kay!!!!!!!!!! read more

I just found this shop today. It is loaded with cute and different Christmas items. Their festive bags come with gift tags and stuffed with tissue around your gift purchase. All you need to do is deliver your gift. Beth was so friendly and pleasant. A pleasure to shop and feel so welcomed. I will shop there again without hesitation and will look forward to finding Some fun treasures. read more

Mary Kay went above and beyond our expectations, our wedding invitations our amazing!

This is my go to place for all invitations! I can't stress enough how meticulous I am about things and how I want it done, but thanks 221 Creation and to Beth and Mary Kay my invitation shop hunting is no more. I first came here for my wedding invitation 2016 and honestly it blew my mind how well and beautiful my wedding invitation came out in an affordable cost. And just recently I had my baby shower July of 2018 i came back again for my invitation and again I was not disappointed. Beth and Mary Kay will surely help you through all the details you want from design,color and fonts. I live all the way in Montgomery IL. But that did not stop me from coming back. Plus if i needed changes with my designs or add ons they're just an email away. I will surely come back here for future events! Keep up the great works 221 creation! A happy and satisfied customer right here! read more

I had the pleasure of working with Mary Kay and Beth to design my bridal shower invites, wedding invites, personalized extras for my wedding reception, and even appliques I wanted for my bridesmaids' dresses. Their valuable knowledge came in handy when it came to ordering products from different companies and when deciding on the proper wording for my invites. Not to mention that they are definitely aware of the wedding trends. Mary Kay and Beth certainly made making tedious decisions so much easier! I also loved that I was able to actually see in person examples of what I was ordering as I worried about purchasing products just from a picture online. I was thrilled with how beautiful everything I ordered was. 221 Creations is a darling shop that truly does everything wedding. Thank you 221 Creations for helping make my wedding so beautiful! read more

I had my wedding invitations done at 221 Creations and I couldn't be happier with them!! The adorable store has a bridal area set up right there. They offer so many different options and designs, it was an easy process. It was a very quick turnaround time for the final product and they turned out beautiful! Mary Kay & Beth are great to work with and so helpful! Can't wait to work with them again very soon! read more

Mary Kay has been absolutely amazing! We had an invitation mishap 2 weeks before wedding invitations were scheduled to be mailed, and in that time she was able to create the PERFECT invites flawlessly and for a great price. The design was even better than what we had imagined. Very quick turnaround and like I said, they were absolutely perfect. 221 Creations also took care of our place cards and programs for our wedding. Again, a super easy process. We met with them to discuss what we liked, they added their own creative ideas and touches, we gave them only the info they needed, and we got proofs a few days later with gorgeous designs exactly how we were thinking. They also have a great selection of bridal gifts, as well as just little gifts for just about anyone in your life. HIGHLY recommend! read more

221 creations is your one stop shop for business cards, flyers, invitations, gifts and so much more. Mary Kay and Beth truly love what they do and have a blast doing it. They always have greAt gift ideas for every occasion. I used 221 to purchase all my bridesmaids gifts and Christmas gifts for my staff. Can't wAit to order my wedding invites from them as well! read more

This store was such a fun shop to visit. It has everything from fun trinkets and jewelry to everything you would need for a bride and groom from toasting glasses to veils to invitations. It is a great one stop shop for picking up a cute gift for a hostess or teacher or your BFF. read more

If they had 10 stars, I would give this place a 10 star rating! My experience dealing with 221 Creations has been incredible from the very beginning. The owners take pride in what they do here and treat people with the utmost respect. The staff is also amazing. I personally dealt with one of the owners Beth, whom from the first time I sat down in front of her felt like I've known her for years. She helped put together my daughters shower invitation and thank you notes along with the wedding invitations and thank you notes. We gave her a budget and she was right on the money. I called her many times to change this or that and never once did I feel like I was an imposition. Friendly, kind, thoughtful, understanding and experts at what they do are just some of the words I would use to describe this store. Thank you Beth and all the ladies for helping us make decisions for my daughters wedding.. I will never forget your kindness and generosity. I would highly recommend 221 Creations to everyone for your wedding, shower, or any kind of party needs. These gals are top notch in my opinion! Such a great establishment and a breath of fresh air to deal with people who generally care and love what they do. Thanks again ladies!!! read more

I came into this place expecting much more than I received. I have never been so disappointed with a company that is supposed to strive to make their clients happy. I found this place online and noticed they were in Downers Grove which is not far from where I live so I wanted to give them a shot. It is a small boutique store that specializes in card designs, or so we thought. We decided to book with them after a face to face meeting and were looking forward to the experience. Initially things went very well. We originally purchased save the dates, invitations and a little bit of stationary. Problems surfaced quickly after. This company misspelled words on THREE separate occasions! After we received the invitation proofs we noticed that the word "married" was spelled as "mavried." Now we were informed that it was a font error. However, after examining our save the dates we noticed they did the same thing to my wife's last name! Completely unacceptable. They apologized and decided to give us the printed names/addresses on the envelopes for their mistake, so we stuck it out hoping for some redemption. They gave us an excuse that their designer was sick and put it together real quick. Really? You are telling me that it is acceptable to just throw things together and think it is okay? Furthermore, they failed in trying to fix the mistake. We were informed we would receive the invitations before New Years so we could get these sent out as the wedding was March 5. We did not receive these until almost two weeks after New Years. A company should not make promises when they are unable to fulfill them. Then, when we received the names/addresses, multiple names had the same issue has I previously stated! Any name that had two r's in their name had it spelled "vr". Again, they blamed it on the font. Because of this, we had to bring the bad envelopes back and have them replaced with new ones. Now we had less than a month to send out the invitations and get the responses. They were supposed to give us the extra envelopes we got back but never did. These invitations were started in October and did not get them until the end of January. Their communication was poor at best, and I hope everyone stays as far away as possible from this place. If you are looking for a mediocre experience with sloppy put-together items then this place is for you. I will never recommend this anyone. read more