The rose(s) and the thorn

I'm channelling President Obama today and picking out the rose and the thorn from last weekend's expo. Good news is that it's impossible for me to pick just one rose, since I was blessed with so many in the span of three short days. I'll blog about the biggest bloom in a separate post, but for now here are some of my favorite roses:

#1: My linen fairy came to the rescue again and dressed my tables in gorgeous blush pink linen and beaded overlays. I wanted something feminine and flirty, and was over-the-moon happy with the overall look. Need table linens or chair covers? Contact Naomi Lee @ Les Saisons and she'll hook you up with something beautiful.

#2: Just before the holidays, I discovered Bit of Sugar at a local craft fair. Thought their deco jewelry and accessories were so adorable and made it a point to file away their business card for future gift ideas. Few weeks after that, I read Melissa Chang's blog on Nonstop Honolulu and saw a photo of their miniature wedding cakes that could double as place card holders...*click*...lightbulb moment. Lost no time in contacting company owners Lei and Brad, and asked if they might be interested in designing a few custom cakes for me. Sent them some rough design concepts for my place cards along with color schemes, and this is what they came up with:


"Lovebirds" place card in Tiffany blue and red



"Amelie" place card in black and white



"Kathryn" cherry blossom place card in tourmaline and fuchsia

Prices for the cakes shown above range from $8-12, but Bit of Sugar is also happy to work with your budget and custom design specs. A big mahalo to Lei and Brad for the lovely cakes (and a shout out to Stacey Lee of Stacey Lee Designs for introducing me to their work!).

#3: Ah, rose #3 is a big one, but I can't really take credit for it. I planned on creating a display board to show off our favor box line and our custom designed favor tags. I knew exactly where I wanted to position the board, but had no idea that directly across the aisle would be my friends at Menehune Mac! I've been designing custom favor tags and wrappers for Menehune Mac for about a year now and it truly was serendipitous that I could take advantage of their favor display and they could bring customers over to look at paper swatches. Not to mention, Susan and Jana are just a joy to be around!

#4: I may be the only one who appreciates this rose, but the fact that no one tried to pull on or tug at my plexiglass display was a GOOD THING. I've had the display for many years and have considered removing it because of the time involved in setting it up, but brides really like seeing everything at a glance.

#5: The thorn. In retrospect, this isn't such a huge thing, but maybe if I get it off my chest and release it out into the "interweb," I can just let it go. So, in the booth photo at the top of this post, the #5 marker is sitting just to the right of a large, 6" x 9" invitation. I printed the text on a really pretty pale gold metallic cover stock, covered the top third of the invitation in a pale pink cherry blossom print washi paper, and finished it with a special trim using a basket weave material that I purchased in Japan. It was (was, as in past tense) a sample that I created especially for my booth display because I LOVED the washi paper print (another material purchased in Japan) and I've had a lot of clients asking for really large invitations recently. Anyway, at some point on Sunday, this oversized, not-so-subtle invitation walked away from my booth. Maybe it left me in search of cake samples? I'd hate to think that someone swiped it...and what would someone do with ONE invitation, anyway? Maybe someone picked it up inadvertently and dropped it into their swag bag. I'm hoping that's the case so that this thorn won't be so "thorny."

Tomorrow, I'll wrap up the week with a post on my biggest rose of the expo. Here's a hint, her name starts with a "J"...and ends with a "essica."

I see your true colors

New color swatches are up on our site! Check them out here.

And if you want your own pretty sample set of all these lovely colors, shoot us an email (emi@emiink.com) for ordering info. The mini swatch decks are $20 + tax. If we get at least ten orders, free shipping for all!

It's a wrap!

What a great show! Thanks to all who stopped by the booth and checked out our designs. So happy with the great reaction we've been getting to our 2011 Spring Collection. Can't wait to release these new kids on the block out into the world and into your guests' mailboxes!

We've added most of our new designs to the site (late last night) and while emiink.com is still in its transitional stage, we hope that you'll keep coming back to see all the changes we're working on.

More expo pics later this week!

Showtime!

I'm working at a feverish pace as I prep for this weekend's Bridal Expo! I've been wanting to change things up a bit in my booth for quite a while now, and finally decided that I just had to MAKE IT HAPPEN already. Hoping for a good turnout and am looking forward to meeting all the newly engaged brides/grooms. I know you're out there, the holidays are such a romantic time for so many of you!

Here are the details:

What: Hawaii Bridal Expo
Where: Neal Blaisdell Center
When: 1/21 (5:30-10:00pm);  1/22 (10:30am-5:00pm); 1/23 (10:30am-4:00pm)
Admission: $9.00 (arrive by noon and get a 2-for-1 admission coupon)

And if you can't make it this weekend, here's a little sneak peek of some of our new 2011 Spring Collection:


"Daphne"



"Amelie"

"Sophia"

I should have these newbies, and a whole lot more, added to my web site in a matter of days. The entire site design overhaul is proving to be a massive job as expected so I'm making do for now!

Day three of the new year and I definitely hit the ground running.

With less than three weeks to go til the Bridal Expo, I've got new samples to print, albums to assemble, booth displays to design...and a website that needs a MAJOR overhaul. I may have to schedule in time to breathe, which is why I chose the photo above to ring in the new year. It was taken during a camping trip last year and looking at it reminds me that in the midst of chaos, it's important to take a step back and reflect on all that is good, all that nourishes my soul, all that centers me.

. . .

And now, back to running.

goodbye 2010

My fingers are itching to turn the page of my calendar. New year, blank slate, fresh start.

I've been blessed with so many good things this year, but, truth be told, they've been tempered by some pretty trying times. I don't care what anyone else says, I'm convinced that Mercury was in retrograde for the past 365 days...not that I believe in astrology, but I'm desperately looking for a scapegoat here. The bright spots of 2010 were very bright, blinding even. Example: Traveling with my husband was so much fun that it really should be one of Oprah's Favorite Things... if only Oprah knew my husband and was remotely interested in vacationing with him. The low points of 2010 were heartbreaking and tested the limits of my inner strength and faith. They proved to be yet another life lesson that disguised itself as an emotional cha-cha...one step forward, two steps back.

But I have big plans for the coming year, both personally and professionally. I'm exhausted from working straight through the holidays, but the old familiar feelings of motivation, inspiration and determination have started peeking through the clouds and I'm warmed by their rays of hope.

Yoo-hoo, 2011...I'm ready for you.

Wishing you all a joyful and prosperous new year!

I'm still in denial that Christmas is a mere five days away. Just gonna keep my head down and lay low...maybe even close my eyes for a bit, because if I don't see it, it won't see me. And I won't even address my six week absence from blog land because, again, I'm in denial.

Although the winter months aren't traditionally known as peak wedding season, many stationers are facing busy production schedules and a barrage of deadlines as they ramp up for their spring 2011 weddings. I have some fun projects to keep me busy over the holidays and I can't wait to share them. Also reserving some time to train my new intern and am over-the-moon excited to have some help!

Will try to check in before the end of the year. In the meantime, Happy Holidays to all!