When paper meets cute

I love seeing my custom stationery out in the "real world"...it makes me feel a bit like a proud mama. This photo, for example, just made my heart sing. I designed a custom pennant banner in Journey's favorite colors of yellow and purple and finished it with touches of bling.

When you have a cool name like "Journey," chances are you won't find too many off-the-shelf knick knacks with your name emblazoned on them. No plastic license plates to screw on the back of your bicycle seat, no souvenir magnets to stick on the fridge, no snowflake ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree.

See, I had that problem as a kid. I would spin display racks round and round to find the correct spelling of my name. I always found S-T-A-C-Y and S-T-A-C-I-E, but rarely S-T-A-C-E-Y. To this day, I will casually, but pointedly, search for S-T-A-C-E-Y whenever I see a rack of anything with pre-printed names. I may or may not do a little fist pump when I spot my name. Small victories count, people.

So, this pennant banner was made with L-O-V-E for J-O-U-R-N-E-Y from her Aunty S-T-A-C-E-Y.

Sweet scallops

There's almost nothing sweeter than scalloped edges. And recently, for some reason unbeknownst to me, I've had lots of requests for stationery with this charming detail. This is a recent stationery order designed for a wedding coordinated by Seasons of Life Events.

Behold, the scalloped edge:

The menu cards were inspired by the bride + groom's invitation design with soft pink roses in each corner, names typeset in a slight arch, and the lovely scalloped edge...all the more impressive when stacked together.

The sweet, romantic style was carried over to their "I Spy" cards. Don't know what an "I Spy" card is? Well, it's only a fantastically fun way to get the ball rolling with those disposable cameras that you leave out on your guest tables! I may have cracked a smile or two (hundred) while designing these cards.

And a final piece designed for this sweet wedding (sans scallops)...a pretty little drink ticket.

Orange You Glad I Like Corny Titles?

This is a stationery set that I designed for a fun couple last year. Cymbidium orchids and a vibrant color scheme of Tiffany blue and tangerine meshed seamlessly to create an island feel for this destination wedding! The 2012 Pantone Color of the Year was, in fact, Tangerine Tango...so this stationery suite was not only fitting of the locale but most definitely in vogue.

The thing is, although we are well into 2013 (and Emerald Green should be reigning supreme this year), bright, vivid oranges and soft coral tones are still holding strong. Perhaps it's because the islands are full of natural beauty and vibrant colors, perhaps it's because orange, when used alone or paired with another color, screams FUN.

These are reception programs that I just produced for a wedding last weekend:

Truth be told, the inspiration behind the orange in this wedding was not the island's tropical flowers, but by the Chicago Bears team colors. With rich navy blue linen on their guest tables, the reception programs in their sweet little pockets provided a nice pop of color at each place setting.

And a bonus pic from one of their enclosure cards that was mailed with their invitations - we created a somewhat chic looking pattern from the Chicago Bears' logo:

Stump-endous

You've heard people say that a stump is a stump is a stump, right? No? Well, it doesn't matter because it's not true, especially if it's a super cute Heart Stump Wood Container by Shop Toast.

This is a (very) short story about how the adorable printed stump shown above came to be.

I designed wedding invitations for my recently married bride, Wendy (actually, she adopted the "newlywed" moniker only a couple of days ago!)

She loved the finished invitations! She was also equally in love with Shop Toast's wood containers and wanted to use them as her favors.

Light bulb moment ensued.

I communicated with the ever-accommodating Jeremy of Shop Toast about file format, artwork specs, what his favorite sushi places were, and we were good to go.

<< cue triumphant fanfare >>

Wendy was kind enough to gift me with a sample stump and I absolutely L-O-V-E it!

Easiest client/vendor/vendor collaboration I've ever had the pleasure of working on.

Congratulations Wendy and David!

That vintage island feel

A few months back I worked with a wonderful Aussie bride who was planning her destination wedding in Hawaii. She wanted her custom stationery to reflect the beautiful locale and we weaved images of palm trees throughout the printed pieces. About halfway through the design process, I found out that she had purchased a set of vintage-style Hawaiian postcards to use as table numbers...the only problem was, we had to figure out how to do it. She mailed the postcards to me and we decided to do a double-layered, double-sided card with the number printed in front, and the postcard image featured on the back. I rounded the corners on the printed table number cards to match the postcards, and voila! A successful collaboration between client and designer resulting in a beautiful and unique set of cards to adorn her tables!

Pretty and Pocket-Sized

I introduced this pocket-sized invitation at a wedding expo last year, and I've been pleasantly surprised at the amount of interest it's garnered since then! This accordion-fold layout with a perforated response postcard is not only compact and convenient, but it's a money-saver as well! The postage required for the response postcard is less than a regular 1-ounce stamp, and the overall weight of this 4.25" x 5.5" invitation is substantially less than its full-sized cousins (5" x 7", 4" x 9", 6" x 6", you get the picture). And custom designs are available!

Let It Snow!

Snowflake installation! (Photo by Derek Wong Photography)

Less than a week before Erin and Matt's wedding, we added a huge project to our plate - creating a hanging snowflake installation for their ceremony site! I accepted the job before I figured out exactly how I was going to produce it (not an uncommon thing for me). Without much time for experimentation, I quickly mapped out a plan to string 50 strands of clear and iridescent snowflakes, add some sparkle to catch the light, and weight each strand with a teardrop crystal. 

I'll be honest, this was a monstrous task that took a lot of helping hands to create, pack, deliver and install (stationers are not equipped to climb ladders and thankfully I left that up to the talented crew at Vignette). I was happy just to have completed the job on time but it wasn't until I saw photos of the snowflakes by candlelight, against the gorgeous draping, and hanging above Erin and Matt that I was really able to appreciate what we had created.

Exchanging vows... (Photo by Derek Wong Photography)

Naughty or Nice?

"Naughty" favor boxes (Photo by Derek Wong Photography)

"Nice" favor boxes (Photo by Derek Wong Photography)

Continuing on with Erin and Matt's holiday-inspired wedding extravaganza...

They presented their guests with a choice of "Naughty" or "Nice" gourmet chocolates packaged in red and white pillow boxes. We designed corresponding tags and a framed sign that invited guests to make their selection at the end of the evening. Love bringing clients' creative ideas to life!

Holiday-Inspired Invitation...the nose knows

Holiday-inspired invitation (Photo by Derek Wong Photography)

If only my blog came with a scratch-n-sniff feature.

This invitation was for a winter wedding back in December. There were so many fun elements to this wedding, that I decided to cover them all in multiple posts. (When you've taken a break from writing as long as I have, you gotta ease back into a little at a time. I don't want to sprain a muscle or anything.)

So, back to the invitation shown above. My clients, Erin and Matt, wanted a festive piece that tied in with their Christmas themed extravaganza. (I refer to it as an "extravaganza" because, well, you'll see why after I'm done writing about it.) A color scheme of red and white and touches of silver worked seamlessly with the printed Christmas ornaments that festooned the invitation and response card. The outside of the invitation was wrapped with a red and white striped paper band and a little "no peeking 'til Christmas" sign...the "no" was crossed out, so technically it was a "NO no peeking 'til Christmas" sign which gets a little confusing when you think about it too long. So don't think about it too long.

The hidden gem of the invitation, though, was the scent. Yes, I said scent. Erin and Matt's uber creative wedding coordinator, Mona Hirata from Weddings by Grace and Mona, suggested that we add a holiday scent to the invitation to drum up even more excitement for their guests. Why not? I love trying new things and scent was definitely a new thing.

Erin and Matt's scent of choice was pine. Great! Little did I know that finding pine-scented anything in the month of August was near impossible. Sure, I could order something online but without the benefit of sniffing something firsthand (first nose?), online shopping was my last resort. I decided to hit up some local stores in search of essential oils. Bingo. The very first store I visited had pine...too bad it was too earthy. (It actually smelled like a rotting tree, but I think "earthy" sounds classier.) The second store I visited also had pine...well, they had an empty slot reserved for pine but they were sold out. Lots of other tree scents like sandalwood and eucalyptus were perched in their slots, but no pine.

Out of desperation, my husband and I took a spin by an auto parts store. Yes, the idea of shredding the hanging Christmas tree car fresheners sounded ridiculous, but how awesome would it be if that worked? IT DID NOT WORK. IT WAS NOT AWESOME. Lesson #1: Christmas trees that dangle from your rear view mirror do not smell anything like Christmas trees. Lesson #2: Don't tear open the package of Christmas tree air fresheners in a confined space (like your car) unless you're prepared to go rogue and toss it out of the window while driving down the highway (for the record, I didn't litter...but I did hang my arm out of the window the whole ride home).

Scarred from the whole pine fiasco, I suggested to my clients that we go with a peppermint scent. A nice, refreshing, easy-to-find peppermint scent. This was my first custom invitation that smelled as good as it looked.

In the midst of chaos...more chaos!

While the "busy season" for stationers cycles a little differently than for other wedding vendors, I barely had time to catch my breath for the entire month of June. I have vague memories of side-stepping packing peanuts on the floor, scheduling client pick-ups and drop-offs, collecting an insane amount of empty Diet Coke cans next to my sink, and wondering what the sun would feel like on my face if I ever had the time to go outside (ok, maybe it wasn't THAT bad, but pretty close to it). Added to all that chaotic goodness, was sweet Merri, the event services manager at Ko`olau Ballrooms.

Ko`olau Ballrooms is a venue that's near and dear to my heart because it practically sits in my backyard. It's nestled at the base of the Ko`olau Mountains and that's not an exaggeration. This was my view when I pulled into their parking lot this morning. No photo retouching necessary, it's a gorgeous locale!

So, back to the chaos at hand, Ko`olau Ballrooms has been hosting special tastings for prospective clients. A couple of times a month, guests are invited to visit the venue, learn more about their event services, and are treated to a special tasting menu prepared by the chef. Aside from the delish food, tables are decked out with specialty linen and gorgeous floral centerpieces. I think it's such a fantastic opportunity for engaged couples to get a feel for the venue and start to envision their own special day.

Merri contacted me back in May, and I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the featured stationers for their tastings. While there typically isn't a long lead time for producing their custom printed pieces, I've had fun approaching these jobs as mini design challenges for myself. I typically produce printed menus, tented cards for the buffet table, and place cards for each guest. This is a small sampling of what I've delivered this summer:

Can't wait to find out the theme for August!

Destination wedding fun!

This custom invitation had so many charming elements to it, and from what I've heard, it was the perfect prelude to the couple's FUN wedding celebration!

The bride and groom requested an invitation in the style of a boarding pass which we housed in a vibrant lime green pocket fold enclosure. Complete with bar code, seat number and fun tropical design elements, this invitation surely got their guests excited about the destination wedding in Hawaii.

Inside the pocket, we inserted a card packed full of information for the couple's out-of-town guests. We designed color-coordinating icons to go with each category: shave ice for the "Pig Out Spots", surfboard with orchid design for the "Must-Dos" and a pair of "rubbah slippahs" with purple straps for the "Leisure Activities." This was definitely a fun one to work on!

Invitations, Favors and Special Touches Showcase

Head to The Wedding Cafe tonight @ 6:30pm to check out the latest in invitations and favors! I'll be debuting some SWEET new goodies at the Emi Ink table and can't wait to see if it's a hit or miss with the brides/grooms (hopefully, I'm on target with this one!).

In other news, I was lucky enough to work on a lot of fun projects over the summer, and this recent invitation order was no exception. I'll have to wait a few months before I can display the complete design, but here's a sneak peek:

Balloons with Swarovski crystal accents

Can't reveal the inspiration behind the design, although I'm guessing that I've shown just enough for people in the know to figure it out themselves. Definitely an out-of-the-box wedding theme!

Up, up, and away

Sad, but true fact: a lot of my design ideas will hit the cutting room floor before seeing the light of day. I suppose it's just the nature of this job, having to come up with several concepts for each client and holding my breath while they pick one and reject the others. Most of the time, I can accurately predict which design they'll pick, but I often throw in an extra design as a "curve ball" of sorts - something a little different, something that speaks more loudly to my own interpretation of their wedding style, something that they didn't ask for but might be willing to consider once they see it fleshed out on paper.

Someone contacted me a few weeks ago inquiring about custom invitations for her son's first birthday party. The theme of the party was inspired by the Disney/Pixar movie UP and she was having a difficult time finding suitable invitations. I loved the movie, loved her theme, and loved the possibility of designing something so fun and youthful. We exchanged a couple of emails, I sent her my proposal, she approved it, and we were just about to start the design process...and then...she found out that her sister-in-law had already taken care of the invitations and was planning to surprise her with it! That meant a lost order for me (which was unfortunate but totally understandable), but even worse, the UP design was stuck in my mind for days! I realized that I needed to move forward with the design to remedy the visions of balloons dancing in my head. This is what I came up with:

I envisioned putting the client's last name on the mailbox fronting the house, and adding a few wayward balloons to the rsvp card...maybe even a single balloon on the mailing envelope. If I'm lucky, this design will find its way into the hands of another client one day and be saved from obscurity!

Silence, please...

Mark your calendars for the TWC Gives Back Silent Auction on May 4, 2011. Starting at 6:30pm, you can bid on prize packages and services donated by vendors of The Wedding Cafe with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross in a continued effort to help those in need following the Japan disaster. Visit TWC's website where you can download a complete list of auction items. Emi Ink will be donating a $500 gift certificate good towards custom wedding invitations.

Back to the drawing board

About a month ago I started working with a bride on Kauai who had an interesting vision for her invitations. While I can't reveal the finished invitation til after the wedding, I can share one design element that was very important to the bride. She requested that blue jade flowers be the main focal point and sent me half a dozen photos for inspiration. This image shows the original photo that I referenced, and the original illustration that resulted from it. To incorporate all the elements that the bride requested, I took a little bit of artistic license with the flower and gave it a green stem to match the green vines that were cascading down the side of her invitation.

It was a challenging design both creatively and logistically since we were on an extremely tight timeline, but I think my bride will be happy with her vision come to life!

Love, Romance and Street Fighter?

If you know who E. Honda, Blanka and Chun Li are, I'm guessing either you or your significant other is a Street Fighter fan. I had the unexpected pleasure of being schooled in Street Fighter characters when I created custom stationery pieces for a bride and groom for their out-of-the-box wedding celebration.

Beginning with the couple's invitation, I designed a simple Street Fighter-inspired power bar featuring the names of the bride and groom (as opposing players), wedding date, and a single white heart and red infinity symbol to complete the look. The tag was attached to a wraparound belly band that easily slid off the pale gold pocketfold.

The interior of the invitation is where we mixed it up a bit. The couple's wedding coordinator, Mona Hirata of Weddings by Grace and Mona, suggested that we find a way to reflect the bride/groom's medical profession. This is what transpired:

I have fun designing all of my clients' invitations, but this particular invitation was SO much fun! It's hard to make out the details in the photo, but in the yellow section off to the right, I included cute little warnings like "Do Not Read While Intoxicated" and "May Cause Excessive Happiness." With the main invitation designed as a prescription label, it only made sense to design the response card to look like a doctor's prescription.

For the ceremony, I designed reserved seating cards and programs that incorporated the wedding colors of gold and deep red. For the reception, well, this is where things got crazy! Traditional table numbers were swapped for fancier cards featuring different Street Fighter characters. Allow me to introduce you to dear, sweet Blanka:

These images were taken from the custom bar menu that I designed for their signature cocktails:

The groom supplied the character images and I was given the freedom to interpret the rest of the design in anyway I wanted. What a gift to be given carte blanche on this fun job! The last piece I produced for the wedding involved printing the same powerbar from the invitation, but as an oversized 6-ft foamcore sign. It hung inside the reception room as the backdrop to the couple's Street Fighter tournament. Yup, that's right...video games, large screens, tons of fun. I didn't get to see the giant sign in person as it went directly from the printshop to the hotel, but I'm sure it was the perfect finishing touch for this awesome wedding!

Ocean inspiration

Back in December I received an email inquiry from a bride who wanted to incorporate a painting by a local Kailua artist into her wedding invitation. I asked her to send me the link to the artist's website and instantly fell in love with the gorgeous print that she had in mind:


"Ebb and Flow" by Colin Redican

We had a tight production timeline so I had the bride contact the artist, Colin Redican, right away to seek permission to reprint. A day later, I forwarded a copy of the invitation mock-up for his review and with his swift approval, printing was underway! The couple's beachside wedding and affinity for the ocean was reflected perfectly in this beautiful print.

I'll have a sample of this custom oversized 7"x7" invitation on display in the Emi Ink booth at the Hawaii Wedding Expo (April 29-30 @ the Hawaii Convention Center).