Patty Hoffman Brahe '95: Invitations from the heart

Some may see the invention of e-mail as the end of hand crafted cards and invitations. But Patty Brahe, director of communications for Mountaincow, a software and stationery company, disagrees.
Easy Invitations, a book written by Brahe, shows readers how to use computers to create a modern twist on old-fashioned invitations. The computer-generated cards express the sentiment of homemade letters with the elegance of store-bought stationery.
More and more people are trying to use their home computer to create invitations, Brahe says. Mountaincow has created specific software and this book to make it accessible for everyone.
The book provides detailed instructions, beautiful pictures, and helpful etiquette tips. A CD with i The book is easy to follow no matter what your design background, Brahe says. The bonus CD works on all computers and is designed for all skill levels, she adds.
The book teaches readers how to make invitations for all kinds of events, including weddings, baby announcements, birthdays, and other parties. It also contains instructions on how to make personalized stationery.

	Patty Hoffman Brahe '95 got her start with The Brown and White.

Brahe is currently working on her second book for Mountaincow, titled Easy Scrapbooking, which will show photo collectors how to use their computers to attractively display their memories. Readers of Easy Scrapbooking will still be able to enjoy cutting and pasting their photographs into three-dimensional albums, but with new methods and computer shortcuts.
Scrapbooking is a growing art, and we don't want to change how people do it, Brahe says. We just want to make it easier. Easy Scrapbooking is scheduled to be published next fall.
Brahe's natural interest in writing about entertaining and crafts goes way back. She worked as a staff writer and feature editor on The Brown and White and, while writing for the paper, found herself drawn to lifestyle and human interest pieces. While everyone else was writing about the election, I was investigating the campus food services, Brahe says.
Following her graduation from Lehigh, Brahe worked as an editor for Family Circle and Seventeen magazines. While covering the coolest backpacks and school supplies for Seventeen, she stumbled across Mountaincow stationery and loved it.
It was a funny discovery, Brahe says. She had always made her own invitations for parties and enjoyed writing letters. When I went to camp, she remembers, the stationery I brought was more important than the clothes I packed.
For readers who share her sentiment and for those who just want to make some professional-looking invitations, Easy Invitations is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and from the Mountaincow Web site.
--Becky Straw
Lehigh Alumni Bulletin
Fall 2005