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.

Island beauty

I apologize for the amount of metaphors I'm about to use.

Sometimes, creating custom stationery is like blindly throwing darts. You throw out a bunch of darts (aka design concepts) and hope one of them hits the target (aka matches up with what the client wants).

Other times, creating custom stationery is like a fire drill. A last-minute request comes in and you need to stop whatever you're doing and tend to the fire ASAP.

And still other times, creating custom stationery is like Iron Chef. You know the mystery ingredient (aka theme of the event) and have a general idea of what you want to cook (aka design), but it's not until your food is plated and sitting in front of the judges that you'll know if everything worked (aka presented to the client).

Ok, that's enough bad metaphors for one day.

The menu card shown above was designed for the Ko'olau Ballrooms open house event held in late 2012. The direction I got was exactly as follows: vintage/Hawaiian/earthy + moss green/brown + textural. With only a couple of days to pull this together, the design ended up being a 3-layered card with the bottom layer faintly resembling tightly woven lauhala, a middle layer of chocolate brown, and the top ivory layer accented with a pair of ferns. All in all, a successful dart-throwing, fire drill-inspired, Iron Chef presentation...and I couldn't be happier with the way the table was staged!

(Photo by Kris Labang Photography)

Eat your veggies

Or, you can just decorate your table with them.

The current issue of Hawaii Bride & Groom Magazine includes a fun editorial spread in which vegetables and other organic produce were incorporated into beautiful tablescapes. Emi Ink contributed to the decor for one of the tables by providing wood-textured favor boxes and coordinating menu cards.

Who knew that red cabbage and bitter melon could look so pretty?
(Created by Watanabe Floral)

This favor box design is one of my favorites. Such a unique shape and no glue or tape required to assemble!

Pick up your issue at newsstands today or check it out online here.

Last words about the expo

Almost forgot to post this photo from the Hawaii Bride and Groom Booth at the Bridal Expo. The beautiful florals were designed by Su-V Expressions and the linens, chair covers and napkins were provided by Les Saisons.

To complement the pewter gray linen, I designed this menu card (inspired by one of our new invitation designs):

In collaborating with other wedding vendors, I always get a Project Runway "group challenge" vibe. We're each working on our own designs and hope that in the end we'll come up with something cohesive that brings our shared vision to life.

I'm contributing stationery items for a photo shoot next week and am, again, crossing my fingers that my pieces will mesh with the designs envisioned by the talented florists that I'm working with! More to come on that later...