goodbye 2010

My fingers are itching to turn the page of my calendar. New year, blank slate, fresh start.

I've been blessed with so many good things this year, but, truth be told, they've been tempered by some pretty trying times. I don't care what anyone else says, I'm convinced that Mercury was in retrograde for the past 365 days...not that I believe in astrology, but I'm desperately looking for a scapegoat here. The bright spots of 2010 were very bright, blinding even. Example: Traveling with my husband was so much fun that it really should be one of Oprah's Favorite Things... if only Oprah knew my husband and was remotely interested in vacationing with him. The low points of 2010 were heartbreaking and tested the limits of my inner strength and faith. They proved to be yet another life lesson that disguised itself as an emotional cha-cha...one step forward, two steps back.

But I have big plans for the coming year, both personally and professionally. I'm exhausted from working straight through the holidays, but the old familiar feelings of motivation, inspiration and determination have started peeking through the clouds and I'm warmed by their rays of hope.

Yoo-hoo, 2011...I'm ready for you.

Wishing you all a joyful and prosperous new year!

I'm still in denial that Christmas is a mere five days away. Just gonna keep my head down and lay low...maybe even close my eyes for a bit, because if I don't see it, it won't see me. And I won't even address my six week absence from blog land because, again, I'm in denial.

Although the winter months aren't traditionally known as peak wedding season, many stationers are facing busy production schedules and a barrage of deadlines as they ramp up for their spring 2011 weddings. I have some fun projects to keep me busy over the holidays and I can't wait to share them. Also reserving some time to train my new intern and am over-the-moon excited to have some help!

Will try to check in before the end of the year. In the meantime, Happy Holidays to all!

Gold + smelly + Chin Ho Kelly

It's hard to go wrong when you're working with paper as stunning as this:

I'm working on custom stationery pieces for a wedding taking place in just over a week. From menu cards to programs to place cards and guest itineraries, my studio is filled with neat piles of trimmed card stock and the pretty gold embossed floral paper shown above.

The one challenge in working with this thick embossed paper is that it requires heavy duty adhesive since traditional tapes and glues just don't work. Earlier this week, I spent a good number of hours prepping my materials and trying hard not to inhale all the fumes, while a concerned Chin Ho Kelly (aka Daniel Dae Kim from Hawaii 5-0) kept a watchful eye on me.

Stay tuned for pics of the finished projects!

Calligraphy (for the modern DIY woman)

Just finished up some elegant place cards for one of my November brides. She had originally planned on having the cards written out by a professional calligrapher, but ultimately opted for an alternate printing method to save on cost and time. Traditional calligraphy, when done right, is a truly beautiful artform, but not everyone has the means to hire a calligrapher to personalize their custom stationery pieces.

If you're looking to tackle some of your own printing jobs at home, search for script fonts that are tagged with words like "calligraphy" or "ornamental." For a fancier touch, look for fonts with swashes (letters with extra flourishes or decorative strokes). I tend to keep other design elements pretty simple when working with ornamental fonts so the focus is on the words themselves...less is more!

Politics, shmolitics

This blog has been helpful to some, entertaining to others, sometimes fun, sometimes silly. It's been a mish-mash of wedding + paper + food + travel + everyday ordinary things that occupy my days. The one thing it's never been is political. I've never divulged my political leanings, not because I don't have opinions on the matters at hand, because I do. It's just that aligning myself wholeheartedly to one political party or another just never sat right with me. And maybe it's my marketing background that contributes to my skepticism when it comes to slick (and sometimes downright dirty) ad campaigns.

This election was different for me, though. My cousin, Aaron, ran for the State House. I had planned on watching the election results from my comfy couch, but with a last-minute change of plans, I found myself sitting in a roomful of spirited Republicans instead. It was interesting to witness everyone's reactions as the first results rolled in. Aiona/Finnegan....trailing. Djou...trailing. Race after race, the Democrats held strong leads in the majority of the races. And then, State House District 32: Johanson...leading.

Second printout of the night: Johanson...leading.

Final printout of the night: Johanson...wins.

I'm so proud of my cousin, everything he's accomplished, and more importantly, the kind of man that he grew up to be. At least a few times during his campaign, I wondered to myself if he was too good-natured, too kind, too honest to be a politician? But his true desire and passion for serving the people in his community was undeniable. And Aaron knew that the best way to serve the people was to be elected into office.

District 32...you lucky ducks. Congratulations, Aaron!

Smaller than a breadbox

Sometimes I fall victim to clever marketing. It doesn't matter what the product is really...if it's strikes a certain this-is-a-cool-product-that-might-change-your-life chord with me, I'll buy it. Even if I don't need it. And a few days ago, the chord was struck and I purchased this:

It's marketed as the anti-bottle because it's not only reusable, it's foldable. When the "bottle" is not in use, you can roll it up all neat and tidy. I liked that it came with a color-coordinated caribiner and think it would be cool to use while traveling. I imagine it would be easy to slip into the seat pocket in front of you on planes and wouldn't be as awkward and bulky as traditional plastic water bottles. The biggest question I have is how easy it will be to keep clean. I'll have to take it for a test spin and see how it performs.

Don't know why I'm so obsessed with water bottles, but since this is an "anti-bottle" it doesn't really count, right? I'm just hoping that it will play nicely with my Nalgene, CamelBak and Sigg bottles already sitting on the shelf!

If you get sucked in by the marketing, too, you can purchase it locally on Oahu at Red Pineapple for $10.

Starting with...ending with

My weekend was bookended with a surprise mimosa on Saturday morning at Kalapawai Cafe in Kailua, and a stunning sunset over Kaneohe Bay on Sunday evening. What happened in between was a blend of work and play with friends and family...oh, and a pumpkin massacre. A fun pumpkin-carving party with some friends turned ugly when somebody's husband (yes, mine) carved into his hand while slicing and dicing his pumpkin. Luckily, we were able to bandage him up and continue with our fun, but I can't say the same for the poor pumpkin. I made a last-ditch effort to save him (the pumpkin, not my husband), but I just couldn't breathe life back into him. A valiant sacrifice by such a brave pumpkin.

Mellow yellow

It's been a busy week of client consultations, proposals, assembly, and paperwork and it's been challenging to find time to wear my designer hat. I can't really afford to have creative blocks, but when I do, I usually find that a 10-15 minute breather where I pull myself away from the computer does wonders. And if not, I have faith that something will trigger a burst of inspiration...something, like this:

Received samples of this lovely yellow floral cardstock in the mail today and can't wait to start on a mock-up for a special little project that someone inquired about. It's something that I've never designed in the 5+ years that I've been doing this, but I'm excited to give it a whirl and see what transpires. If all goes well, I'll post photos of the finished project. *fingers crossed*

Gray skies are gonna clear up...

After I posted about my extra "gray" week yesterday, along comes this huge explosion of color today. It came in the form of a long overdue lunch with a girlfriend at Indigo restaurant:

I always tell myself not to let the buffet line servers overload my plate, but it's hard to resist all the brightly colored dishes. I ended up with a plate full of yumminess which filled me up pretty good. But then the waitress brought the dessert menu and I read the words,"Warm Soft Chocolate Cloud in High Heaven." Seriously, how can you NOT order something with the words "chocolate cloud" in it, let alone if it's in "high heaven?"

So, after a splitting a chocolate cloud and a plate full of fresh fruit with my girlfriend, I returned home vowing to not eat for the rest of the day. But just as I was taking my shoes off, I heard half a doorbell. It's funny, I just heard the "ding" and waited about ten seconds for the "dong" which never came, so I guess our bell is broken. Finally opened the door despite the missing "dong" and saw our neighbor's daughter holding a red velvet, Helly Kitty cupcake on a paper plate. It was her birthday and she wanted to spread the joy. So sweet, and lucky for me that birthday calories don't count (even when it's not MY birthday).

Thoroughly enjoyed my colorful Tuesday.

Shades of gray

This is what my week looks like:

Some weeks are all about vibrant hues and pops of color. Not this one. Over the next five days, I'll be swimming in platinum, graphite, and gunmetal gray as I assemble stationery pieces for three lovely couples.

And in totally unrelated news, I caught a passing glimpse of Tim Gunn this weekend at Ala Moana Shopping Center. As I watched a large group of fans waiting to get an autograph and pose for a picture with him, my husband asked me if I wanted to take my place in line. I looked at Tim Gunn, decked out in a beautifully tailored suit, then looked down at my outfit. Looked back at Tim Gunn, then down at my outfit. Nope, I'd have to settle for admiring him from afar. Just couldn't bear to stand next to that impeccably dressed man while rocking my t-shirt and shorts and without a stitch of make-up on. I definitely could not make it work.

Favor box winner!

Congratulations to Tori M., the winner of our favor box giveaway! Tori will be receiving 100 favor boxes in the style and color of her choice.

Thanks to all who entered our contest and be on the lookout for some special Fall offers!

Thanks for the support!

Thanks to all who stopped by my booth this past weekend at the Wedding Expo! I love having the chance to meet potential new clients face-to-face. There's only so much that I display on my website or blog, and nothing beats the personal interaction where I can show brides the huge variety of color, design and paper options. It can sometimes be overwhelming, but hopefully not disappointing in anyway!

A last-minute decision prompted a favor box giveaway at my booth. I'll be picking a winner later today and the lucky bride will win 100 free favor boxes in the color of her choice. Fun!

Just another (10.10.10) day

Custom sign-in sheets with orange/yellow color theme and pineapple design motif



It's a busy, busy weekend for a lot of my wedding industry friends! 10.10.10 has been looming on the horizon since, well, 09.09.09, and it happened to fall on the very same weekend as a popular wedding expo. For brides and grooms, selecting highly sought after dates like 10.10.10 takes a lot of tenacity and early planning since the demand for wedding vendors can be incredibly high.

As for next year's big dates? I'm already working with 9.10.11 and 11.11.11 couples who are well on their way to finalizing plans for their big days.

Wishing all of my 10.10.10 couples a lifetime of happiness!

Box it up

Whew! A packed room of brides, eighty favor boxes, four rotations, one hour! It was speed crafting at its finest at last night's DIY Workshop. Loved the projects that my fellow crafty vendors came up with and was so happy that everyone seemed pleased with the favor box kits that I put together. I definitely had more time to chat with the brides this time around so I think I finally came up with the perfect project. This is the finished box that everyone assembled:

If you're an Oahu bride and need a little wedding fix this weekend, be sure to check out the Wedding Expo at the Hawaii Convention Center this weekend! Hours are Friday (6-10pm) and Saturday (10am-5pm). Would love to see you there!

Sweet sakura

Just finished up an order of favor tags for Menehune Mac. Their clients ordered square tags in pearlescent white and gunmetal gray with blush pink cherry blossoms. Thought it would be interesting to take a couple of "before and after" shots...as in, before bling and after bling. Swarovski crystals aren't everyone's cup of tea, but it's always amazing to see what a difference these little sparkly guys can make.

One degree of separation

A good day, for me, is sometimes defined by this:

"This" refers to a nondescript white paper bag that occasionally accompanies my husband home from work. Just the sight of this plain white bag makes my heart go pitter-patter. In its simplest form, this plain white bag holds the power to transform a ho-hum day into a fantastic day.

Behold, the contents of the plain white bag:

A recent favorite, a lovely orange creamsicle cupcake from Cake Couture. Normally, my cupcake of choice would involve chocolate or peanut butter or red velvet goodness, but my obsession with orange flavored anything continues.

When my husband changed jobs and I found out that his new office would be a stone's throw away from the Cake Couture shop, I had fantasies of working my way through their menu and sampling each cupcake flavor at least once (or twice). I quickly came to my senses, though, and have made peace with the fact that just because I CAN get a cupcake at anytime, doesn't mean I SHOULD. I can rest easy knowing that the degrees of separation between me and said cupcakes have dramatically decreased and in a cupcake emergency, my husband will have my back.

Two cents worth...

Staying on top of postal regulations and rates is probably the least favorite part of my job - maybe because I'm often at the mercy of the post office and it's an area of my business that I have absolutely no control over.

A few weeks ago, I informed a roomful of brides and grooms that there was a proposal in the works for yet another postage rate hike expected to take effect in January 2011. I hated being the bearer of bad news, so I made sure that I did my homework, read up on the subject, even asked the postal clerk at my local post office about it...she said it was "pretty much a done deal." Tough decisions loomed on the horizon for many brides -- err on the side of caution and practicality and go with the obvious (yet not-so-chic) choice of Forever stamps? Cling to the fantasy of perfectly matched wedding stationery and purchase pretty Love stamps only to succumb to pairing them with unattractive two-cent stamps? So, the tough decisions weren't so earth-shattering, but in a bride's mind these things matter.

Well, I'm happy to say that the proposal was DENIED a few days ago and while another postage increase is inevitable, we won't have to worry about doling out an extra two cents for first class stamps in the next few months and some lucky brides will be able to send out their invitations without incident. Lucky girls.

I hate it when I'm wrong, but in this instance I'll happily eat my words.

Fold it, wrap it, glue it

Less than a week to go until the DIY Workshop at The Wedding Cafe! This "speed crafting" night is always fun and definitely keeps me on my toes as I attempt to teach a project in ten minutes flat to four rotating groups of brides over the course of the evening. The key, I think, is keeping the project simple enough to demo without a lot of detailed instructions, yet universal enough that brides personalize it in their own way should they want to do something similar for their wedding.

The "ingredients" for my project this time around are shown above: 2" x 2" x 2" die-cut favor boxes, strips of washi paper and oh-so-sparkly rhinestone buckles. The only pieces not shown are the satin ribbons that go with the buckles.

Hope the project goes over well!

Design challenge!

A cake artist, a cookie designer and a stationery designer walk into a bar...well, not exactly.

About a month ago, Sasha Reichart of cakelava contacted me with an opportunity to contribute a stationery design for a guest blogging gig she had coming up for Half Baked - The Cake Blog.

Sasha's husband, Rick (of recent Food Network Challenge fame!), had designed a stylish cake inspired by a fabric swatch provided by their clients. This same fabric swatch was the source of inspiration for the adorable cookies designed by Decadent Cookie Favours, and the invitation and place card designed by me. Click here to see what transpired. It's interesting to see how well everyone's designs meshed despite the fact that we worked independently of one another!

Thanks, Sasha, for inviting me to be a part of this fun design challenge!

Photo editing on the fly

Downloaded the free version of the TiltShift Generator for my iPhone recently and finally had a chance to try it out while waiting for my latte order to be filled. On a side note, is it bad that I can no longer JUST STAND or JUST SIT for more than a minute without whipping out my phone to occupy me?

Anyway, here's the original photo that I took:


Then I performed a bit of TiltShift magic:


In all of thirty seconds, I had applied a radial blur with the edible book acting as my focal point, added a vignette effect, and increased the saturation. Fun stuff!

Benny and the Jets

Got caught up in some work this morning and almost missed the Blue Angels performance this afternoon. Luckily, we were able to speed over to my old intermediate school and stake out a prime viewing spot on the grassy area, behind the buildings, overlooking Kaneohe Bay. We weren't the only ones with this brilliant idea, though. Lots of people were already there with beach blankets and folding chairs and...dogs. Lots and lots of dogs. So many dogs, in fact, that it resembled a dog park. This is where I met "Benny", a spunky Bichon mix that was more excited to mingle with his four-legged friends than take in all the action overhead. (By the way, I've changed Benny's name to protect his identity...Benny likes his privacy),

Here's Benny...

And, here's "The Jets"...
 
Wish I brought along my bigger camera, but at least I had my phone to snap a few shots. Loved the precision flying, loved reading the letters on the bottom of the jets as the flew over our heads, loved how my ears had to wait a few seconds to catch up to my eyes. (I know that there's a scientifically correct way to address the whole speed of sound thing, but I like thinking of my ears and eyes in a race, with my eyes actually winning one for a change.)

Great way to spend a "quiet" Sunday afternoon!

Color + Inspiration

I don't ever seem to have enough downtime to check out the latest and greatest in wedding trends, but when I can steal a moment away from design/production, my "go to" resource is the mile-long list of blogs that I have in my Google Reader queue. It doesn't stop there, though. I start reading one blog, then click on a link to another blog, then another, and then before I know it, I've fully embarked on a fun version of leapfrog - er, leapblog?

Last week, I came across this fun blog and instantly knew the potential value to brides trying to figure out a possible color scheme for their weddings. It's The Perfect Palette, and the feature that I found most helpful was being able to click on a specific color (located in the left sidebar) and seeing multiple inspiration boards pop up that include that particular color. I clicked on "Plum" and zeroed in on this plum and pink color scheme complete with bridesmaid dresses, florals, and even a whimsical hairpiece. Lots of brides build their own inspiration boards based on magazine tear sheets or web site photos, but this might be good place to start for that extra inspiration!


Image from www.theperfectpalette.blogspot.com

And...scene!

This was the final printed piece for my clients that were married earlier this month. I really enjoyed working on all of their custom stationery, but their thank you card design accented with Swarovski crystals, was definitely the cherry on top! I added a couple of flowers to the back of the folded card, too, for all those people who unfailingly flip cards over lookng for the Hallmark ID.

Island hopping...a quick respite

I'm trying hard not to get bogged down by the tiniest of details that creep into every day. Consultations, proposals, design, research, etc. Also attempting to take on the role of "efficiency expert" in my own business...challenging, but necessary. Too bad that every time I want to point a finger at someone, that someone is me!

Already wishing that I was back here (my weekend getaway with the family back in July):

Loved seeing the larger than life sculptures on display at the Grand Wailea. The piece shown above is by Satoru Abe, the one below is by Esther Shimazu.


Had a really lovely stay at the hotel. My favorite memories were the morning walks through the grounds, lounging by the pool with Eat, Pray, Love in one hand and a blended mojito in the other, and sitting out on the lanai of our suite while desperately wishing I could freeze time.

We decided to limit our activities so we could fully enjoy the hotel amenities, but we did manage to squeeze in a few low-key things.

En route to Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm, I spotted this picturesque structure and had to snap a quick photo:

Of course, my camera was just getting warmed up for all the beauty at the farm. Both the protea and hydrangea blossoms were h-u-g-e!

And there was this little guy that was hanging around without a care in the world:


We hit up the Surfing Goat Dairy, too, and munched on a goat cheese sampler plate.

Ahh, counting down til my next vacay...

Tears of joy

I've been looking into redesigning my online gallery and while I decide on the final format, I've been digging up some of my favorite past jobs.

This program, designed for a chic black and white affair, was a memorable one. The bride was looking for a classic style, nothing over-the-top, nothing too glitzy. I used a heavy matte white card stock and paired that with a double face satin ribbon. The interior pages were printed on a crisp white linen paper.



At the bride's request, I added an interior pocket to the back cover with the printed message, "Tears of Joy." Naturally, this was the perfect spot to slip in a single tissue for her guests. Adorable.

Workshop tomorrow!

Gearing up for another invitations + favors workshop tomorrow night. Come on down to The Wedding Cafe at 6:30pm for an up close and personal session with me and my other designer friends. I'm bringing a small supply of those super cool invisible ink pens with me and will be selling them for $10.00ea. At the last workshop, the pens sold out in about two minutes flat!

I really enjoy this smaller, intimate workshop since I'm able to bring samples of some of the custom pieces that I've designed. It's hard to do a similar set-up at the larger wedding expos because I don't really like leaving too many one-of-a-kind pieces out on the table. Should be lots of fun tomorrow!

She liked it, she really liked it!

As a follow up to this post earlier in the week, the display at The Wedding Cafe caught the eye of a lovely bride who happens to be getting married this weekend. We met for a consultation, referred to the table display a few times as a source of inspiration, and voila! Her suite of wedding stationery was born. It just so happened that the colors I used for my display pieces were the same colors of her wedding, and with just a few tweaks we came up with her invitation, table tents, escort cards and thank you cards.

The tentfold cards list the guests seated on each table:



We came up with "generic" escort cards on which the table numbers can be handwritten when the guests check in. Oftentimes, clients order personalized escort cards which includes the printed guest names, but these generic cards are a great option, too. They can be ordered ahead of time, even before you've collected the last of your RSVPs, and including a blank line for the table number means that any last-minute seating changes are a snap!



Happy wedding day, Marcy and Michael!

bridges, boardwalks, and brown butter cookies

It's been quite awhile since I took a vacation during the summer. Normally, I'm a spring/fall/winter travel gal but couldn't resist the opportunity for a quick getaway with my husband this past June. Because of work commitments, we only had about 7 days to explore, relax and rejuvenate and ultimately decided on a mini road trip on the California coast.

We kicked off our trip by visiting with good friends (and the adorable addition to their family) in L.A. Being in the company of a little one meant lots of time spent at their apartment, ordering take-out, and taking short walks for ice cream and mango lassis. What a treat! Sadly, this kind of relaxing quality time with friends is a luxury these days and I loved every minute of this rare indulgence.

Two days into our trip, we had a lovely homecooked breakfast with our friends (by the way, Trader Joe's blueberry juice really is heaven in a glass), filled our gas tank, and hit the road. With our GPS mounted securely to the windshield, we headed north with no real plan. Lunch in Santa Barbara? Wine tasting? Nope, decided to switch it up and check out Solvang, the quaint Danish town that made an appearance in the movie, Sideways. I tried to see only the cute flower boxes and gaslamps without the throngs of tourists walking along the cobblestone sidewalks. I tried to get excited about eating ebelskivers in the shadow of a big windmill without feeling as if I had just entered Epcot Center. Eh, I couldn't really do it. Maybe next time I'll just pay a visit to the ostrich farm on the edge of town and call it a day.

While Solvang left much to be desired, I knew that our next stop would not disappoint. Back in December, a friend gave us a lovely gift of cookies from Brown Butter Cookie Company. The cookies were good. Really good. So good, that I made a mental note to order some cookies online...I've made a lot of online purchases before, but never cookies. That's how good they were. So, as luck would have it, Brown Butter Cookie Company is located in Cayucos, just a stone's throw from the main highway. It was one of the "must stop here" locations that I programmed into the GPS, and stop we did! Loaded up on cookies, enjoyed the smell of ocean air, and continued on our way to a B&B in Cambria.



Cambria, ahh lovely Cambria. Love the stretch of coastline that fronts the row of inns and B&Bs here. Love the long walks we took on this boardwalk. Love the tidepools and seals that we discovered when we veered off the boardwalk and made our way down to the beach. Is it odd that I can travel a couple thousand miles from my island home and still be enamored by the same beautiful ocean?

Our time in Cambria was too short, but I squeezed every drop of serenity I could from the time we spent there. And I knew the road ahead held lovely promises of its own.

This is NOT the much photographed Bixby Bridge that's included in every photo montage of Big Sur. It's Big Creek Bridge, just south of Bixby Bridge. It's smaller, doesn't have the same dramatic coastline backdrop for picture-taking, but I think it's just as beautiful. And I didn't have to jostle my way to edge of the mountain to get a good shot. Because I did that at Bixby Bridge and ended up with only one photo without someone's elbow in it...and all of them had cars in it. I think this bridge is perfect.



After leaving the rugged beauty of the Big Sur coastline, we stopped for a quick lunch of cinnamon rolls and calamari in Monterey, and made it to the Peninsula before the worst of the rush hour traffic. Spent some time visiting my old haunts in Mountain View and Palo Alto the next day, and went on an impromptu 15-mile bike ride along the bay.

Have always loved this long boardwalk at the Palo Alto Baylands Preserve and always make it a point to check it out.

We winded up our California adventure with a couple days in San Francisco where we ate our way through North Beach, Cow Hollow, and Sunset districts. Found some new loves in Hayes Valley this time around including Nancy Boy (am officially addicted to their signature scent to freshen up our home) and Miette (I think I could sustain myself on their Chocolate Fleur de Sel Caramels alone).

Love vacations.

And these guys...never get tired of seeing elephant seals and thought they deserved a mention:

Stationery on display

Back in May, I teamed up with Naomi Lee of Les Saisons to create a table display at The Wedding Cafe. Truth be told, anytime I work with Naomi I tend to breathe a little easier because everything she touches results in something beautiful! For this set-up, she layered a luxurious embroidered linen on a satin magenta linen...and then...she bustled the magenta linen. It was the first time I had seen this done with table linen and the end result looked just like a pickup skirt on a couture wedding gown. With nothing but a handful of straight pins, she transformed the table into a work of art. Wish I had some nice wide angle shots of the entire table, but do have some close-up detail pics to share.

The "high fashion" linen:



The menu card peeking out of the magenta napkin:



Guest sign-in sheets with antique gold mat:



Decided to create a "wishing tree" for our imaginary bride and groom:

You can leave blank cards out for your guests to write special wishes for the lovely couple:

Once your guests have penned their wishes, they can hang them with organza ribbon to create a lovely wishing tree:



Custom table number insert in 5" x 7" frame:



I created this mock invitation using two layers of metallic cardstock and mounted that to a gold embossed paper for added texture. Gold Swarovski crystals added the perfect finishing touch. I started with this invitation and created all the other stationery pieces to complement it: