Smaller than a breadbox

Sometimes I fall victim to clever marketing. It doesn't matter what the product is really...if it's strikes a certain this-is-a-cool-product-that-might-change-your-life chord with me, I'll buy it. Even if I don't need it. And a few days ago, the chord was struck and I purchased this:

It's marketed as the anti-bottle because it's not only reusable, it's foldable. When the "bottle" is not in use, you can roll it up all neat and tidy. I liked that it came with a color-coordinated caribiner and think it would be cool to use while traveling. I imagine it would be easy to slip into the seat pocket in front of you on planes and wouldn't be as awkward and bulky as traditional plastic water bottles. The biggest question I have is how easy it will be to keep clean. I'll have to take it for a test spin and see how it performs.

Don't know why I'm so obsessed with water bottles, but since this is an "anti-bottle" it doesn't really count, right? I'm just hoping that it will play nicely with my Nalgene, CamelBak and Sigg bottles already sitting on the shelf!

If you get sucked in by the marketing, too, you can purchase it locally on Oahu at Red Pineapple for $10.

Starting with...ending with

My weekend was bookended with a surprise mimosa on Saturday morning at Kalapawai Cafe in Kailua, and a stunning sunset over Kaneohe Bay on Sunday evening. What happened in between was a blend of work and play with friends and family...oh, and a pumpkin massacre. A fun pumpkin-carving party with some friends turned ugly when somebody's husband (yes, mine) carved into his hand while slicing and dicing his pumpkin. Luckily, we were able to bandage him up and continue with our fun, but I can't say the same for the poor pumpkin. I made a last-ditch effort to save him (the pumpkin, not my husband), but I just couldn't breathe life back into him. A valiant sacrifice by such a brave pumpkin.

Mellow yellow

It's been a busy week of client consultations, proposals, assembly, and paperwork and it's been challenging to find time to wear my designer hat. I can't really afford to have creative blocks, but when I do, I usually find that a 10-15 minute breather where I pull myself away from the computer does wonders. And if not, I have faith that something will trigger a burst of inspiration...something, like this:

Received samples of this lovely yellow floral cardstock in the mail today and can't wait to start on a mock-up for a special little project that someone inquired about. It's something that I've never designed in the 5+ years that I've been doing this, but I'm excited to give it a whirl and see what transpires. If all goes well, I'll post photos of the finished project. *fingers crossed*

Gray skies are gonna clear up...

After I posted about my extra "gray" week yesterday, along comes this huge explosion of color today. It came in the form of a long overdue lunch with a girlfriend at Indigo restaurant:

I always tell myself not to let the buffet line servers overload my plate, but it's hard to resist all the brightly colored dishes. I ended up with a plate full of yumminess which filled me up pretty good. But then the waitress brought the dessert menu and I read the words,"Warm Soft Chocolate Cloud in High Heaven." Seriously, how can you NOT order something with the words "chocolate cloud" in it, let alone if it's in "high heaven?"

So, after a splitting a chocolate cloud and a plate full of fresh fruit with my girlfriend, I returned home vowing to not eat for the rest of the day. But just as I was taking my shoes off, I heard half a doorbell. It's funny, I just heard the "ding" and waited about ten seconds for the "dong" which never came, so I guess our bell is broken. Finally opened the door despite the missing "dong" and saw our neighbor's daughter holding a red velvet, Helly Kitty cupcake on a paper plate. It was her birthday and she wanted to spread the joy. So sweet, and lucky for me that birthday calories don't count (even when it's not MY birthday).

Thoroughly enjoyed my colorful Tuesday.

Shades of gray

This is what my week looks like:

Some weeks are all about vibrant hues and pops of color. Not this one. Over the next five days, I'll be swimming in platinum, graphite, and gunmetal gray as I assemble stationery pieces for three lovely couples.

And in totally unrelated news, I caught a passing glimpse of Tim Gunn this weekend at Ala Moana Shopping Center. As I watched a large group of fans waiting to get an autograph and pose for a picture with him, my husband asked me if I wanted to take my place in line. I looked at Tim Gunn, decked out in a beautifully tailored suit, then looked down at my outfit. Looked back at Tim Gunn, then down at my outfit. Nope, I'd have to settle for admiring him from afar. Just couldn't bear to stand next to that impeccably dressed man while rocking my t-shirt and shorts and without a stitch of make-up on. I definitely could not make it work.

Favor box winner!

Congratulations to Tori M., the winner of our favor box giveaway! Tori will be receiving 100 favor boxes in the style and color of her choice.

Thanks to all who entered our contest and be on the lookout for some special Fall offers!

Thanks for the support!

Thanks to all who stopped by my booth this past weekend at the Wedding Expo! I love having the chance to meet potential new clients face-to-face. There's only so much that I display on my website or blog, and nothing beats the personal interaction where I can show brides the huge variety of color, design and paper options. It can sometimes be overwhelming, but hopefully not disappointing in anyway!

A last-minute decision prompted a favor box giveaway at my booth. I'll be picking a winner later today and the lucky bride will win 100 free favor boxes in the color of her choice. Fun!

Just another (10.10.10) day

Custom sign-in sheets with orange/yellow color theme and pineapple design motif



It's a busy, busy weekend for a lot of my wedding industry friends! 10.10.10 has been looming on the horizon since, well, 09.09.09, and it happened to fall on the very same weekend as a popular wedding expo. For brides and grooms, selecting highly sought after dates like 10.10.10 takes a lot of tenacity and early planning since the demand for wedding vendors can be incredibly high.

As for next year's big dates? I'm already working with 9.10.11 and 11.11.11 couples who are well on their way to finalizing plans for their big days.

Wishing all of my 10.10.10 couples a lifetime of happiness!

Box it up

Whew! A packed room of brides, eighty favor boxes, four rotations, one hour! It was speed crafting at its finest at last night's DIY Workshop. Loved the projects that my fellow crafty vendors came up with and was so happy that everyone seemed pleased with the favor box kits that I put together. I definitely had more time to chat with the brides this time around so I think I finally came up with the perfect project. This is the finished box that everyone assembled:

If you're an Oahu bride and need a little wedding fix this weekend, be sure to check out the Wedding Expo at the Hawaii Convention Center this weekend! Hours are Friday (6-10pm) and Saturday (10am-5pm). Would love to see you there!

Sweet sakura

Just finished up an order of favor tags for Menehune Mac. Their clients ordered square tags in pearlescent white and gunmetal gray with blush pink cherry blossoms. Thought it would be interesting to take a couple of "before and after" shots...as in, before bling and after bling. Swarovski crystals aren't everyone's cup of tea, but it's always amazing to see what a difference these little sparkly guys can make.

One degree of separation

A good day, for me, is sometimes defined by this:

"This" refers to a nondescript white paper bag that occasionally accompanies my husband home from work. Just the sight of this plain white bag makes my heart go pitter-patter. In its simplest form, this plain white bag holds the power to transform a ho-hum day into a fantastic day.

Behold, the contents of the plain white bag:

A recent favorite, a lovely orange creamsicle cupcake from Cake Couture. Normally, my cupcake of choice would involve chocolate or peanut butter or red velvet goodness, but my obsession with orange flavored anything continues.

When my husband changed jobs and I found out that his new office would be a stone's throw away from the Cake Couture shop, I had fantasies of working my way through their menu and sampling each cupcake flavor at least once (or twice). I quickly came to my senses, though, and have made peace with the fact that just because I CAN get a cupcake at anytime, doesn't mean I SHOULD. I can rest easy knowing that the degrees of separation between me and said cupcakes have dramatically decreased and in a cupcake emergency, my husband will have my back.

Two cents worth...

Staying on top of postal regulations and rates is probably the least favorite part of my job - maybe because I'm often at the mercy of the post office and it's an area of my business that I have absolutely no control over.

A few weeks ago, I informed a roomful of brides and grooms that there was a proposal in the works for yet another postage rate hike expected to take effect in January 2011. I hated being the bearer of bad news, so I made sure that I did my homework, read up on the subject, even asked the postal clerk at my local post office about it...she said it was "pretty much a done deal." Tough decisions loomed on the horizon for many brides -- err on the side of caution and practicality and go with the obvious (yet not-so-chic) choice of Forever stamps? Cling to the fantasy of perfectly matched wedding stationery and purchase pretty Love stamps only to succumb to pairing them with unattractive two-cent stamps? So, the tough decisions weren't so earth-shattering, but in a bride's mind these things matter.

Well, I'm happy to say that the proposal was DENIED a few days ago and while another postage increase is inevitable, we won't have to worry about doling out an extra two cents for first class stamps in the next few months and some lucky brides will be able to send out their invitations without incident. Lucky girls.

I hate it when I'm wrong, but in this instance I'll happily eat my words.