inspiration anywhere: when you wish upon a star

I took a very roundabout way to arrive at today's design. Are you ready? I was reading a blog in which the writer had received a teapot charm for her birthday. The teapot reminded me of Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast, which made me think about other Disney movies, the older ones especially, like Pinnochio. Once my thoughts turned to Pinnochio, "When You Wish Upon A Star" began playing in my head...and thus, this design took shape:

I think the stars were a much better inspiration than Pinnochio himself, don't you?

Love is in the air

So happy to feature Jessica (Emi Ink's fabulous intern) as a guest blogger today! If you stopped by my booth at the Hawaii Convention Center wedding expo in April, you may have spotted my beautiful new logo board. This is how it came to be...take it away, Jessica!

Ever since I've started working for Stacey at Emi Ink, my love has grown -- my love for paper, that is. I have been interning at Emi Ink for a little over seven months, and I am loving every second of it! Paper to me is what a football is to a quarterback, a pair of scissors is to a hairstylist, or a ladle to a chef. With that said, whatever paper-related task I receive, a warm and fuzzy feeling comes over me and a smile automatically switches on.

One of the projects Stacey had me do was her dream sign for her booth to display at the wedding expos. This task included cutting out Emi Ink's signature-styled cherry blossom flowers, sticking the flowers on letter blocks one by one, and a lot of patience. I was eager to start, but excitement was soon replaced by frustration as I put the cherry blossoms on the wrong side of the letter blocks twice! I have to admit that the fuzzy feeling dissipated. I'm glad it returned after the 2,000 metallic paper flowers, accented with crystal rhinestones, were glued onto the letters and the letters were positioned neatly on a canvas. When I first saw the completed sign displayed at the April wedding expo, I'm pretty sure my smile was as bright as the rhinestones that were studded in the middle of the cherry blossoms!

This marked the completion of my first big task for Emi Ink, and also the end of another successful wedding expo. To say the least, I am looking forward to many more to come!

inspiration anywhere: vera wang

I was wondering what I was going to pull for inspiration this week when inspiration came to me via Mona Hirata of Weddings by Grace and Mona. At the end of a brainstorming lunch meeting, Mona mentioned that she had just written a blog for The Knot about wedding cakes inspired by brides' gowns. What a perfect idea to piggyback on! First stop for me was the Vera Wang site where I spotted this lovely gown from their 2011 bridal collection:


Flora by Vera Wang

I was immediately drawn to the beaded/embroidered bodice of this strapless gown. My interpretation of the design on paper would feature layers of translucent blossoms accented with Swarovski crystals and a pale mauve ribbon that mimics the fabric sash on the gown.

inspiration anywhere #2: socks

Today's inspiration comes from a sock. This sock would feel incredibly out of place in my dresser drawer amongst my white, whiter, and whitest socks. It would also feel out of place in my husband's dresser drawer amongst the sea of black socks. But here, where inspiration abounds, it feels right at home. Here's the glorious red and white striped, knee-high sock:

And the invitation design that it inspired:

I started with the vibrant red color and the crisp white stripes first. Then I added in the curved lines on the top and bottom. The pairing of red and white gave off a Valentine's vibe to me so I just went with it and used a playful font and added a heart embellishment for an added touch of whimsy.



I *heart* my clients

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about Emi Ink's early years. To some extent, I employed a "sink or swim" strategy during my first year...although, "sink" wasn't really an option for me. There was no question that I would accept any job that came my way, I never said "no" to my clients, and I would often grossly underestimate the amount of labor that my jobs would require. It was a learning process, painful at times, but so rewarding in the end.

One of my earliest invitation jobs was for May and Gregg, a sweet couple who probably had more confidence in my design skills than I had in myself at the time! I can't recall how many hours this job took me to complete, but it had EVERYTHING: rounded corners, hand embossing, die-cut flowers, a washi paper band, organza ribbon, vellum, a perforated response card, etc. I probably learned more about the design/assembly process in that one job than I did in the next 20 jobs that followed.

May and Gregg are nearing their fifth anniversary and although the odds of them reading this particular blog are slim, I'd like to thank them and every lovely couple I've worked with since then. My clients, past and present (and future!), fuel my passion for creativity and I'm eternally grateful for that!

inspiration anywhere #1: curtains

As much as I'd like to be able to have a flash of creativity at any given time, it just doesn't happen like that - for me, at least. I can sit in front of my laptop for hours, eyes fixated on the screen, mouse in hand, "mood music" piped in via Pandora, and nothing happens. When I'm unable to find inspiration within myself, I always look elsewhere...someplace outside the world of weddings or stationery, someplace that's visually appealing or someplace that just makes me happy.

I had a little creative letdown yesterday and I started thinking about all the brides out there planning their weddings. I always tell my own clients to bring along magazine tear sheets or online photos that they've collected as inspiration for their wedding, as these images speak volumes about their personal style and taste. Ninety-percent of the time, brides will bring wedding-related photos - reception decor, flowers, dresses, etc. Once in awhile, I'll get to see something completely different. In recent months, one bride brought in a photo of a henna tattoo, another bride brought in a wallpaper swatch, and another bride wore a collection of beautiful bangle bracelets that reflected the subtle shades in her wedding color scheme.

It's not always easy to think outside the box and allow yourself to be inspired by everyday things, so I thought it was time to start a new weekly series on the blog called, "inspiration anywhere." I hope it helps to unleash some creative possibilities!

First up, I spotted these ombre curtains on the Anthropologie site and instantly realized how it could translate into a beautiful wedding invitation. Here's the ombre curtain in blue:

Wavering Ombre Curtain via Anthropologie

And my interpretation for a wedding invitation:

 And the ombre curtain in coral:

Wavering Ombre Curtain via Anthropologie

And my take on it:

These invitation designs represent very literal interpretations of the curtains, but I could have taken it in a number of different directions. Instead of filling the whole card with color, I could have applied the ombre effect to a large flower in the corner of the invitation. Or, I could have translated the crocheted paillettes (they run vertically on the curtain panels) as a background watermark pattern.

If you see something that catches your eye, in colors that you love, don't be afraid to take wedding inspiration from it!

Swim, bike, run

Did my first triathlon yesterday! It was an amazing experience that, as a first-timer, I'll never forget. Technically, I didn't actually swim...or bike...or run...but I cheered from the sideline like nobody's business. Truth be told, it was my husband who competed and the only thing I did was show up.

From a spectator's cheerleader's perspective, the event was really incredible. I learned quickly where to position myself so I could see my husband running out of the water, whizzing past me on his bicycle, or coming in for the last 1/2 mile of the run. Basically, it amounted to a total of 45 seconds of cheering for my husband and 2-3 hours of waiting. With all this downtime, I didn't park myself on the beach to gaze out at the ocean, didn't read a single page of the "Real Simple" magazine I had slipped into my backpack, I didn't even play a single word on "Words with Friends" the whole morning. The thing that captivated my attention was just watching the other athletes in amazement and wondering how their bodies could do what my own body couldn't even dream of doing. But is it fair (or healthy) to compare yourself to others in that way? I mean, is it a bigger accomplishment to master a 1.5 swim, a 40K bike, and 10K run than it is to, say, assemble 100 blinged out invitations in under an hour? I think the answer's obvious, don't you? Ha, ha...nevermind.

The Honolulu Triathlon is actually just a stepping stone in my husband's formal training for the Tinman Triathlon later this summer (which could be a stepping stone to the Ironman at some point). I've seen an amazing transformation in him as the weeks have gone by. There's the physical aspect, of course, but it's also been a mental victory in that he challenged himself to do something he's never done before. To bear witness to someone fulfilling a lifelong dream, discovering a true passion, and embracing something that fills their soul is such a beautiful thing.

A big congratulations to my husband on his first triathlon!