At last!

Purse envy

Some women go ga-ga over jewelry. Others love their shoes. For me and my sister-in-law, nothing’s better than finding a cute new purse. And believe me, collecting purses isn’t a hobby…it’s a sport.

I recently heard about a cool Chicago-based boutique called 1154 Lill Studio that allows customers to create their own handbags. First, select the style of your handbag from 25 different shapes and silhouettes. Next, browse through their huge collections of fabrics (anywhere from 150-300 at any given time!) and choose exactly what you want for the exterior, interior, straps, etc. In 3-4 weeks, your custom creation arrives at your doorstep, ready to be initiated into your personal handbag hall of fame. How fun is that?!

Confessions of an mp3 lover

I shed a tear when Napster (the original Napster) bit the dust.

I turned to BearShare shortly after that, but grew tired of having to sift through hundreds of versions of the same song just to find the one decent one that didn’t “skip.” I hear that the site is much better now and has gotten a spiffy new facelift...now that it’s legal.

My latest mp3 hotspot is a site that a friend told me about a few years ago, www.gomusic.ru. It’s actually a Russian site, so aside from all the regular Top 40 stuff, I can also download songs from their “Legends of Russian Rock” section if I'm ever in the mood. To get started, I had to deposit a minimum of $20 into my account. I wasn’t crazy about having to put in that money up front, but here’s the kicker…most of the songs are only fifteen cents each! They used to go for ten cents a piece, but honestly I don’t mind paying the extra nickel (I’m a big spender). Plus, when I download an entire album, they give me a 10% discount! Their selection is pretty good, although I sometimes have problems looking for jazz or alternative albums.

I’ve visited the site a lot this past month since I’ve been trying to load up my iPod for my mainland trip. I have $1.51 left in my account. I’m going shopping!

Christmas cheer

There’s less than a week ‘til Christmas and my refrigerator is covered with holiday cards from family and friends. I received one a few days ago from a dear friend of mine who created a photo collage of “big moments” in her son’s life over the past year. I look forward to her card every year because although I see her all the time, I don’t get to see her son nearly as often. It’s always amazing to see how much he’s grown and matured.

Then there’s the card from an old colleague that I used to work with in California. She has three adorable poodles (Pogo, Polly and Porter House) and hosts a fabulous holiday party at her house every year that I’m determined to go to one of these days!

Well, in the middle of all the cheery cards on my refrigerator, is one that I received from a past client. Part of the card is pictured above (the photo bears no resemblance to the real couple…well, maybe if you squint really hard and turn the lights down). I had so much fun working with this couple and their card definitely brought a smile to my face! It also made me realize just how many of my clients will be spending their first Christmas together as husband and wife, some of whom are already expecting their first child. Now there’s a warm and fuzzy thought!

Perhaps next year I’ll actually get around to mailing out my Christmas cards before Christmas…or at least before Easter.

I do believe...I do believe

Once upon a time, there lived a disillusioned bride who thought that purchasing bridesmaid dresses would be a snap. The fact that one of her bridesmaids lived thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean posed no challenge to the bride, for she decided to buy off-the-rack dresses that would require minimal alterations. The bride hit the malls with a vengeance, only to turn up empty handed at the end of each shopping trip. Then one day, the bride decided to venture into the land of online shopping and was lured in by the promise of free shipping and a no-hassle return policy. The bride searched high and low for the one thing that was more elusive than the Wizard of Oz…a simple black dress that would be elegant yet casual enough for an outdoor evening wedding, would flatter all body types, and would not break the bank.

After hours of searching, the bride found what she was looking for…in the CLEARANCE section! She wept with joy as she saw that all the sizes she wanted were still in stock! She quickly entered her credit card number, congratulated herself on the best purchase in all of the kingdom, and lived happily ever after.

Or so she thought.

Alright, what I didn’t know was that the sizing of the dresses was on the small side. I was faced with the dilemma of having to find a larger size for a dress that was no longer available. After checking with the store, I jumped on a couple of different forums in hopes that I would find someone selling the exact dress I was looking for. Lo and behold, someone in Queens, NY had the dress in the right size…but the wrong color. Well, it was ebay to the rescue! I found what I needed for 1/4 the price and I didn’t even have to engage in a bidding war. If I wasn't already a believer in the magical power of ebay, I’d sure be one now.

Cold Hand Luke

I admit it. I have cold hands. Even as I’m typing now, I can feel that my fingertips are a little chilled. That would be great if I were a shrimp cocktail, but…

Anyway, many years ago I was shopping at REI and found these cool warmers in the camping aisle. I was skeptical at first, but decided to buy a pair to try out. I ripped open the wrapper, exposed the pouch to air, and bingo! I was an instant convert. I made sure I packed them in my pockets on every snowboarding trip, snow-shoeing expedition (alright, I only went on one of these), and every time the temperature dipped below 50 degrees.

So when I started planning my New Year’s trip to Chicago, these hand warmers were at the top of my “must bring” list. They’re really meant for extreme weather conditions and emergency situations, but I think a Hawaii girl walking around the bone-chilling streets of the WINDY CITY is pretty extreme, right? My fiancé laughs at the ten pairs of hand warmers sitting on my shelf, but he grew up with that kind of weather. He just doesn’t understand. Now, I wonder what he’ll think when I tell him that I want to try out those big adhesive body warmers in the produce section of the Waipio Costco?

Where everybody knows your name

I love meeting my clients at The Wedding Café in Manoa Marketplace. In my opinion, it’s the best wedding resource in the state -- hands down. I always thought so, and now that I’ve joined the ranks as a bride-to-be, I’m even more convinced that this is the greatest not-so-hidden gem for those who are headed towards marital bliss. The café has an entire wall of wedding-related books and magazines to browse through. From local wedding mags, to the revered Martha Stewart Weddings, to the beautiful Vera Wang on Weddings coffee table book, everything you can imagine is on that wall. There are also dispay boards, albums and brochures from all the top local wedding vendors for you to browse through over a cup of coffee and a little pumpkin crunch!

One very cool thing that I’ve encouraged many clients to check out is their biannual series of workshops where brides and grooms can have some one-on-one time with different vendors. Say you’re undecided about a videographer. All you need to do is sign up for the videography showcase and you’ll get the chance to meet a handful of videographers all in one evening. Instead of having to set up multiple consultation meetings, you can meet all your prospective vendors in one shot. Perfect for the busy couple!

Fish or chicken?

Did I think that I was actually going to continue to eat sensibly during the holidays? I did try...maybe not that hard...but I had good intentions. What ultimately got me this year were the holiday parties. It's just not possible to stick to healthy, nutritious foods when you've got never-ending buffet tables or "to die for" desserts staring you in the face. A week ago I attended a fancy shmancy cocktail party and remembered a tip I'd heard from the "experts" a while back: skip the dinner plate and opt for the smaller salad plate instead. That's exactly what I did. I loaded that salad plate with so many canapes that in the end, it weighed more than I did...and then I went back for seconds. I'm sure I burned off some calories while making that beeline to the chocolate fondue, though!

Well, I forgave myself for over-indulging at that party just in time to enjoy our tasting at the hotel where we're holding our wedding reception. Talk about good eats. We had so many tasty entrees to try and nothing disappointed. Our tasting also turned into a productive meeting with the catering manager so we were able to discuss all the reception details that I had overlooked. Who knew that there would be so many minute details involved in creating the simplest of receptions?

My fur monster

This is my dog, Abby...and this is what happens when I ask her to pose for the camera. Abby is a rescue dog and hails from the industrial town of Modesto, CA. She's got the quirkiest personality of any dog I've ever known and always knows just how to make me laugh.

She loves tennis balls, doggie treats, tennis balls, snow, tennis balls, furry things that squeak, and tennis balls! She hates snails, walks on the beach, and things that go bump in the night.

Abby from head to tail
Breed: Alaskan Husky mix
Weight: 48 lbs
Height: Taller than her water dish, shorter than me
Favorite place to visit: Park
Greatest physical feat: Catching her stuffed hamburger mid-air while doing a 360-degree turn

Classic butterflies with a mod twist

This is why I LOVE designing wedding invitations -- every single job is different, and each has its own unique twist! I'm just putting the finishing touches on a butterfly-themed invitation (inspired by the bride's beautiful and ultra-hip dress shown on the right) and I couldn't be happier with the final design. Wanting to keep it simple and elegant but still working within the clients' theme, I found a shimmery pearlescent paper with tons of delicately embossed butterflies on it. After applying just a handful of turquoise Swarovski rhinestones here and there, we achieved the whimsical yet chic effect we were going for.

bling bling

Every girl loves a little bling! Funny thing is, I never thought I was one of those girls. But as soon as I started incorporating Swarovski crystal rhinestones into some of my invitation designs, I was hooked. These tiny little "blingsters" come in a gorgeous variety of colors and choosing just the right shade to work with is as much fun as picking out a pair of new shoes...well, almost as much fun. My current fave is a rich honey topaz that's a beautiful complement to the warm fall colors of red, orange and chocolate brown. Of course, you can never go wrong with clear rhinestones since they go with e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Anyway, I've been busy experimenting with new designs this past week and plan to showcase the elegance of these sparkling beauties in a new line of invitations. I attach each rhinestone by hand using my most treasured tool of the trade: a toothpick. Yes, just a little dab of glue applied with a plain wooden toothpick and a steady hand, and that's all there is to it. On the invitation pictured above, I used 9 rhinestones on the front and 14 on the inside...multiply that by an average order of 150 invitations...that's a total of 3,450 rhinestones. I wonder if I can hire Santa's elves during their off-season??

Earrings, bracelets, and necklaces...OH MY!

For the past few years I've purchased my jewelry almost exclusively from one source, Stacey Lee Designs. I love, love, love Stacey's designs and I'm like a kid in a candy store every time I see her beautiful collection of pieces. Take one peek at my jewelry box and you'll see that it's filled with Stacey Lee earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc. And now that I'm starting to piece together the "look" for my wedding, I have a stunning pearl necklace to add to my treasured collection. I had no idea what I wanted, but I showed Stacey a few pictures of my gown and told her that I wanted something "simple, yet elegant, nothing over the top"...sadly, I just didn't have a clear vision of what I wanted and those were the most descriptive words I could think of. What transpired from the cryptic description I gave her of my perfect necklace was just that...the perfect necklace. It's formed with delicate seed pearls and consists of a shorter choker-length strand, and a longer strand with a drop pearl pendant. There's a separate length of pearls that dangles from the back of the necklace, too, which adds just the right touch. Check out Stacey's web site to see where she'll be showing her collection next!

Putting my game face on

This is day one of my craft fair debut. I've got regular notecards, mini notecards, "limited edition" notecards, low fat notecards, chocolate-covered notecards...let's just say I have a LOT of notecards. Most of my "limited edition" cards were made using this gorgeous selection of papers that I picked up on my last buying trip. I made a point to visit this one particular art supply store in the Bay Area and discovered a virtual paper-lover's paradise! I perused the aisles for over two hours and left the store with an armful of materials and a wonderful "paper high."

27 hours to go...

...until my very first craft fair. These mini desk calendars are just some of the goodies I'll be selling tomorrow. I bought the plain tear-away calendars a few months ago and really had no idea what I wanted to do with them. Then I realized that I could finally use them with the leftover card stock and washi paper that I'd been storing for over a year now...voila!

The wonderful world of blogging

This is my very first post in my very first blog. It's kind of exciting and, to be perfectly honest, a little daunting. I'm getting flashbacks of all those half-filled journals that I've collected over the years and all the (broken) promises I made to write in them everyday. Hmm, I wonder how long this new blog smell will last?