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!

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

Brushing off the cobwebs

This feels like my first day back at school after a looooong summer break. Oh, how I miss the days of stocking up on school supplies. New crayons were my favorite...especially the big "64" box with the sharpener in the back. Think my clients would mind if I signed their contracts in burnt sienna?

But first things first, since I've been fielding amusing questions here and there from some curious "regulars":

- I haven't disappeared into a black hole (well, almost)
- I haven't gone out business (still chugging along quite nicely *knock on wood*)
- I haven't given up on writing (lack of time, not inspiration, was the culprit here)

My unscheduled hiatus was simply the byproduct of an overwhelming amount of work. Something had to give and, again, it was this blog. Oh, and my feeble attempt to maintain my Facebook page. Thankfully, the whole Facebook fiasco was almost over before it began -- a quick death so there wasn't much pain involved. For those that are interested, my page is still up, along with a handful of (old) posts and photos. Maybe one day I'll pump some new life into it. Maybe not.

But now that I'm committed to carving out some time for myself each day, I'm anxious to return to the things that I love. Truthfully, I've been T E R R I B L E at maintaining balance in my life but I realize that stressing out about this or that 24 hours a day is really a disservice to myself, my family, my friends, and my clients.

So, I'm back. And it feels great.

Something's different around here...

Gotta start somewhere, right?

I wanted to do a complete redesign of my blog for a couple of years now and finally got around to it...well, at least phase one. At the very least, I wanted to bring in some color and liven things up. Oh, I also changed the name from "emi's blog" (gotta love the creativity there) to "emi ink chit chat" in honor of something very near and dear to my heart...which is a long story in itself that's probably not very interesting without some sort of visual aid.

Anyway, hope you like the redecorating around here because who knows how many years it'll take me to launch into phase two.

Happy news

Almost every bride I meet with comes prepared with carefully chosen tear sheets from Martha Stewart Weddings, InStyle Weddings, Hawaii Bride & Groom...the list goes on and on. If you're looking for a fabulous online resource for your fantasy wedding, look no further than Style Me Pretty. Not to sound like a commercial, but this web site is everything you want and more. I had a "healthy" obsession with this site when I was planning my own wedding, and couldn't get enough of the gorgeous photos and creative ideas.


A special feature at Style Me Pretty is their Little Black Book that includes a select list of vendors from each of the 50 states. Emi Ink joined the ranks of these top vendors recently and I couldn't be happier! A big thank you to cakelava for the lovely referral!


Another bit of happy news is that this blog has been added to Delightful Blogs under the Weddings + Marriage category. If you're not yet a blogaholic like I am, a visit to Delightful Blogs might just be the perfect pastime for you.

I spy...hapa|hale

What started out as a dreadful Wednesday complete with a mind-numbing migraine, has turned into quite a lovely day. Yes, a small reason for that is my doctor-prescribed pills, but the real miracle drug was reading today's fabulous post about Emi Ink on hapa hale.

hapa hale is a delightful blog that showcases the best that Hawaii has to offer. Part fashionista news, eco-chic finds, foodie must-haves, and all around Hawaiian-inspired fabulosity, hapa hale has been a must-read for me and all of my friends for quite some time. I'm so Thrilled (note the capital "T") with the write-up on Emi Ink!

Mahalo, Leigh!