Simple pleasures

I'm in a constant struggle to keep my studio tidy and clutter-free. I admit that on most days, it's a losing battle. Today for instance, I spent the good part of an hour cleaning up the mess that I created in preparing for last weekend's expo. Mountains of paper were dwindled down to a few sparse stacks, tools were put away in their respective drawers, and amazingly, I cleared up some precious floor space. I only enjoyed my clean space for a few brief hours, though, thanks to a large UPS delivery of brand spankin' new supplies/materials. Such is life.

Amid the organized clutter and chaos, is my "zen" wall that holds a large, hanging calendar with no room to jot down any notes or impending deadlines, and an empty bulletin board. It wasn't my intention to leave the bulletin board blank, but I'm enjoying the lovely chartreuse damask pattern quite a bit. I find myself looking up at this wall several times a day and relishing in its simplicity. A calendar that only tells me what day it is and refuses to remind me what's coming up tomorrow, next week, next month. A bulletin board that's waiting for just the right piece of inspiration to be pinned to its blank canvas. Perfectly simple...and simply perfect.

Mahalo!

If you stopped by my booth at this weekend's Bridal Expo, a big MAHALO to you! Traffic at the show seemed a bit slower than in previous years, but it's always fun to meet new couples and reconnect with friends in the wedding industry. The big companies were represented well (hotels and such), but the majority of vendors present were entrepreneurs like myself; people who love what they do and truly believe in the product/service they're offering; sole proprietors who wear many different hats on any given day and will do whatever's necessary to ensure a quality product and excellent customer service. It's not always easy given the time and budget constraints that we often face, but we try our best. Believe me, we try. And we appreciate every single inquiry we receive - every email, every phone call, every "This might be a silly question, but..." And most recently, I especially love every "I read your blog!" that I hear. Thank you for your continued support!

And now for something silly...

Eggs. This is not just any half-eaten carton of eggs, this is the carton of eggs that's currently sitting in my refrigerator. I opened the carton the other day to make myself an omelet and found this asymmetrical pattern staring back at me. I'm trying to understand the thought process that my husband goes through when selecting eggs out of the carton. He didn't want to clear the whole front row, or the whole back row. He didn't even want to form a "T" straight down the middle. I'm stumped...and so amused that I had to take a picture of it.

Bridal Expo this weekend!

I'm hurriedly trying to get my things together for the Bridal Expo this weekend...once again, it's as if a mini tornado has ravaged my studio! It's times like these that make me grateful for not having a storefront...where would I hide my mess??

If you're in need of a wedding fix, head down to the Hawaii Bridal Expo:

Neal Blasidell Exhibition Hall
777 Ward Avenue

Friday, January 22: 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Saturday, January 23: 10:30am - 5:00pm
Sunday, January 24: 10:30am - 4:00pm

Tickets are $8.00 at the door, but you can download a 2-for-1 coupon here.

I'm adding a collection of my custom invitation designs to my display board to showcase what I've created for my clients within the past year. From recipe card invitations to classic damask, these designs definitely kept the creative juices flowing for me.

Oh, and if you do attend, be sure to check out the table displays in the exhibition hall. I'm teaming up with Naomi Lee of Les Saisons and adding my special "paper touch" to her lovely tablescapes. Moroccan inspired menu cards, vintage garden programs, and natural/organic place cards...

& then...

So, uh, this post is going to be boring. I'm so sorry. I don't even know why I'm writing it, but sometimes I just feel the need to document things...even if it's just for my own sake.

I have a favorite symbol, and that symbol is this: &

I'm not sure how many other people have favorite symbols that reside on their keyboards, but I really like the ampersand. More than the pretty asterisk sitting beside it, and waaaaay more than the tilde that lives at the end of the block. The ampersand is fancy, yet concise. Useful, yet whimsical. Efficient in so many ways and the one symbol that can be dressed up or dressed down depending on the level of formality that's called for.

Back in '08, I spotted this gigantic red ampersand at the Olympia Sculpture Park in Seattle. My heart skipped a beat. So big. So red. So magnificent.


And when I spotted this ampersand last night via www.welovetypography.com, my heart again skipped a beat...because I was laughing so hard when I read the caption: Spampersand.


By the way, if you ever look up the definition of "ampersand" on Wikipedia, it's identified as a logogram which is defined as a grapheme that represents a word or morpheme. Huh? I told you this post was going to bore you...

A day of work, flaxseed and poppies

Had a wonderfully productive day yesterday:

• caught up on some emails
• enjoyed a hearty breakfast of flaxseed meal pancakes (lovingly made by my husband
• ordered materials
• unpacked a handful of boxes in my studio (yes, STILL trying to get organized here in my not-so-new space)
• emailed two sets of digital proofs
• had a phone consultation with an out-of-state bride
• salad for lunch
• packed and mailed invitations to a lovely bride on the Big Island
• snuck in a light snack before I hit the road (it was a bean brownie...and, yes, you're spotting a trend with the foods I'm eating)
• met with three clients at The Wedding Cafe (gobbled down a chicken walnut salad - no dressing - during my ten minute break)

The poppies photo above is exactly what I pictured in my head when my first bride explained their wedding colors and inspiration: peach/cream + wildflowers. I immediately thought about the beautiful, expansive poppy field in "The Wizard of Oz"...minus the part about Dorothy and company being magically lulled into a deep sleep by the evil witch. I'll present the bride and groom with my proposal in a day or two and am excited at the prospect of bringing these poppies to life!

On busy days like this, it can be challenging to keep the energy up in back-to-back meetings, especially during the evening hours. What makes it enjoyable, though, is getting to meet such nice people! Day in and day out, I work with happy people in love...people who are planning for one of the biggest celebrations in their lives. This is something that I don't take lightly and never take for granted.

A turquoise year

The warm mimosa yellow was Pantone's pick for color of the year in 2009. This year? Turquoise!

This has always been a popular invitation color, especially for destination weddings in Hawaii. It plays off our tropical surroundings so well, and another bonus: it seems to be equally appealing to to both women and men.

Keep your eyes open for an influx of turquoise in fashion/design in 2010.

Hello 2010

Hello 2010,

I can't believe you're here already. It feels like you arrived earlier than usual...like months ahead of schedule? No? It's just me, then.

We're only four days in and you've already made your presence known. No signs of holiday decorations in sight, no holiday leftovers in the fridge, no memory of any holiday madness or overeating whatsoever.

After much thought, I've decided to skip the resolutions this year and opt for my husband's suggestion of 2010 THEMES. Nothing new or shocking, just the tried and true: live healthy, be kind to the soul, nurture relationships with loved ones...if something clashes with any of our themes, then it's not a good fit and we'll just pass on it. It seems to make perfect sense, although I suspect that "themes" will be just as challenging to maintain as "resolutions."

A toast to the NEW YEAR and the many wonderful surprises that it holds!