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!

Gold + smelly + Chin Ho Kelly

It's hard to go wrong when you're working with paper as stunning as this:

I'm working on custom stationery pieces for a wedding taking place in just over a week. From menu cards to programs to place cards and guest itineraries, my studio is filled with neat piles of trimmed card stock and the pretty gold embossed floral paper shown above.

The one challenge in working with this thick embossed paper is that it requires heavy duty adhesive since traditional tapes and glues just don't work. Earlier this week, I spent a good number of hours prepping my materials and trying hard not to inhale all the fumes, while a concerned Chin Ho Kelly (aka Daniel Dae Kim from Hawaii 5-0) kept a watchful eye on me.

Stay tuned for pics of the finished projects!

Calligraphy (for the modern DIY woman)

Just finished up some elegant place cards for one of my November brides. She had originally planned on having the cards written out by a professional calligrapher, but ultimately opted for an alternate printing method to save on cost and time. Traditional calligraphy, when done right, is a truly beautiful artform, but not everyone has the means to hire a calligrapher to personalize their custom stationery pieces.

If you're looking to tackle some of your own printing jobs at home, search for script fonts that are tagged with words like "calligraphy" or "ornamental." For a fancier touch, look for fonts with swashes (letters with extra flourishes or decorative strokes). I tend to keep other design elements pretty simple when working with ornamental fonts so the focus is on the words themselves...less is more!

Politics, shmolitics

This blog has been helpful to some, entertaining to others, sometimes fun, sometimes silly. It's been a mish-mash of wedding + paper + food + travel + everyday ordinary things that occupy my days. The one thing it's never been is political. I've never divulged my political leanings, not because I don't have opinions on the matters at hand, because I do. It's just that aligning myself wholeheartedly to one political party or another just never sat right with me. And maybe it's my marketing background that contributes to my skepticism when it comes to slick (and sometimes downright dirty) ad campaigns.

This election was different for me, though. My cousin, Aaron, ran for the State House. I had planned on watching the election results from my comfy couch, but with a last-minute change of plans, I found myself sitting in a roomful of spirited Republicans instead. It was interesting to witness everyone's reactions as the first results rolled in. Aiona/Finnegan....trailing. Djou...trailing. Race after race, the Democrats held strong leads in the majority of the races. And then, State House District 32: Johanson...leading.

Second printout of the night: Johanson...leading.

Final printout of the night: Johanson...wins.

I'm so proud of my cousin, everything he's accomplished, and more importantly, the kind of man that he grew up to be. At least a few times during his campaign, I wondered to myself if he was too good-natured, too kind, too honest to be a politician? But his true desire and passion for serving the people in his community was undeniable. And Aaron knew that the best way to serve the people was to be elected into office.

District 32...you lucky ducks. Congratulations, Aaron!

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.