Revamp, revive, refresh...

Hey! I've migrated the blog into my main Emi Ink website!

For new posts, come visit me here: http://www.emiink.com/blog

Spring Wedding Expo!

Big weekend ahead! Emi Ink will be at the Hawaii World Class Wedding Expo and I'd love to meet you! On display will be a mix of new Spring 2014 designs and some of my all-time favorites.

Dates/times: Friday, April 25 (6pm-10pm) + Saturday, April 26 (11am - 5pm)
Location: Hawaii Convention Center

Stop by, say "hi" - and if you sign up for our email newsletter at the booth, you'll be entered to win a luxe 3-tiered card box!

For my Abby...

It's been a year. One year since I lost my dear sweet Abby. One whole year without slobbery kisses, fur on my clothes, and squeaky toys left underfoot. Even though Abby's passing left a big hole in our lives, I never wrote about it. This is odd only because I usually find solace in putting pen to paper...it helps me refocus and get clarity. I couldn't write a word until now, one year later. Perhaps I'm beyond the acceptable period for a tribute post, but I guess I'm throwing caution to the wind and letting the words just take over.

So, without further ado, please meet Abby.

She liked to photo bomb her own pictures

I adopted Abby from a shelter while I was living in California. They estimated that she was about three years old at the time and her breed was listed as Alaskan Husky Mix. She was spirited, crazy about playing fetch, not great on a leash, amusingly quirky, and incredibly beautiful.

Adopting an older dog was quite different than raising a puppy. I discovered new things about her everyday - some good, some not so good. She was clearly housebroken and knew basic commands - good. She was also obsessive about squirrels and all things furry - not so good. I took her out for a walk by myself on our second day together and when she spotted a squirrel in a nearby tree she literally dragged me halfway into the street before I even knew what was happening. Her inner sled dog definitely came out that day.

Abby on the ready and scouting for squirrels.

Abby had favorite spots picked out in my backyard, all of them positioned purposefully at the bottom of a tree or within direct eye line of a tree. These spots, of course, were her prime squirrel-watching posts. Had the squirrels suddenly revealed themselves to be unfriendly alien mutants and threatened to destroy our beloved planet Earth, Abby would have been our front line of defense...and she would have been victorious. And I won't even get started on the night she encountered a possum in our backyard. It was my first encounter with a possum as well, and let's just say that I was schooled on the correct way to play possum (by a possum).

I knew in my heart that Abby was disappointed and perhaps confused by the lack of furry critters in Hawaii. She also did not take to the sun, surf and sand as I had hoped. She liked water just fine, just not in it's liquid form.

Before I left California, I took my sweet girl on several road trips. She took to the snow in Lake Tahoe like a champ, but ran away from the waves in Mendocino.

She was a natural in the snow, jumping in without hesitation

But she ran from the water as if it were burning her paws.

I find myself thinking back to our adventures and daily interactions often. They're both comforting and comfortable. People have asked me in recent months if I'm going to get another dog, but it's not something that I'm ready to think about yet. Abby wasn't just a pet, she was family.

Abby was with me for over 10 years. I watched her grow and mature, her young spry body giving way to all sorts of common and not-so-common challenges that senior dogs face. Her back flips and 360-degree mid-air turns were once physical feats to behold. I didn't encourage this, but she just did seemingly impossible things when a tennis ball was thrown her way. Seeing her eyes light up with unbridled excitement, and eventually watching the drool from her mouth arc backwards in the air and land on the back of her head at EVERY SINGLE MEALTIME was as reliable as clockwork. These are things I will remember about Abby, because her spirit always felt very much like a a young pup though her physical body failed her often in recent years. She didn't seem to be aware of her limitations, and what a valuable lesson that is to me, a mere human.

I loved my sweet Abby to the moon and back, and I miss her dearly. I think of her everyday.

Rest in peace my beloved friend.

My dear sweet Abby | 1999-2013

Wedding Expo this weekend!

If you're in the mood for some fun wedding hoopla, come by the Hawaii Convention Center this weekend and check out the Hawaii World Class Wedding Expo! I've got some fun new things to unveil at my booth...honestly, I've been waiting MONTHS for this big reveal. If you're reading this before the show starts, I'll reward you with two hints.

HINT #1 - there's bling...or no bling...whatever you prefer.

HINT #2 - there's fabric...super luxe fabric.

Things with bling are second nature to me. Bling adds sparkle. Bling adds pizzazz. Bling adds the WOW factor that makes people go "oooh" and "aaah."

Things with fabric are a new thing for me. My medium of choice is generally paper, so dabbling into fabric is all the more fun. I've got bigger plans down the road, but I'm just dipping my toes in the water for now. Come dip with me, the water's fine.

Here's the who, what, when, where, how...

Hawaii World Class Wedding Expo
Hawaii Convention Center
1801 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, HI  96815

Friday, 10/25 | 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Saturday, 10/26 | 11:00am - 5:00pm

Tickets are $8.00 at the door.

Hope to see you there!

Updated sample book (at long last)

I'm so SO happy that my updated sample book is done and on the shelf at The Wedding Cafe! It's way overdue and checking this off my to-do list feels great!

The hardest part about assembling this book was selecting only a precious few stationery samples to showcase. With the help of my assistant, I think I covered some of Emi Ink's most popular designs and in addition to invitations, there's a wide array of ceremony and reception pieces, too!

The next best thing to scheduling an in-person consultation or visiting me at a wedding expo is stopping by The Wedding Cafe and flipping through these samples. I think you'll get a good feel for my design style!

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.

A tasty collaboration

When I'm asked about great sources of inspiration, I sound a bit like a broken record. I want to shout this from the rooftops because I truly believe it - "You can find inspiration ANYWHERE!"

A few weeks ago I was meandering the aisles of Target and stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted this über cool collection of kitchen appliances. My stainless-steel-loving husband did not share my enthusiasm, but I was over the moon at seeing these French Bull designs up close and personal! 

I think this is what's been missing in my life...and how much fun would it be to have an explosion of color like this on wedding stationery???