Unveiled Revealed!

Unveiled Revealed........We were graced with the presence of bride-to-be, Eva LaRue and her fiancee. It was great to have her come by and be interested in our work. I wrote out her daughter's name in calligraphy. Hope it will lead to much more.

Thanks to all who came out to support me out at "Unveiled" on March 28th for 2 Hearts B 1 Designs first time exhibiting with Plan A events. It was a great turn out of brides. We got to make a lot of connections and do some networking among other vendors in the event industry.

The booth consisted of my calligraphy with 2 Hearts B 1 Designs and the beautiful letterpress printing of Blue Note Press. Together, we made a fabulous team!

Here is our booth display, showing off some stationary, invitations and tags.
Our cherry blossom branches featured tags showing off the idea of using this at a reception for your table assignments. It was a an eye catcher and a great hit!

I did calligraphy on site, writing out couples' names on strips of paper provided by Blue Note Press to be used as bookmarks.

All this fun took place on the street of Melrose Place on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the beauty of spring. My dearest thanks go out to my assistant, Kylie Guglielmetti and my husband, Tim Pham who helped set-up, tear down and initiate contact with each bride out there. Thank you to my collaborative partner, Autumn Michelle Foote from Blue Note Press. She always continues to rock and amaze me. We gave out favors of letterpress cards graced with my calligraphy of Grazie, Gracias, Merci and Thank you mixed with Michelle's expertise in printing, giving a chance for all the different ways for brides to say thanks. 2 Hearts B 1 Designs and Blue Note Press are unveiled and ready to design, create, and bring your vision to life on paper!

Unveiled

What do Gordon Ramsey, Mindy Weiss, Monique Lhullier

and

2 Hearts B1 all have in common??

We will all be featured at Unveiled; Bridal Style Revealed

Sunday, March 28, 2010 on Melrose Place

This will be a collaboration of letterpress designs from my dear friend Michelle Foote at Blue Note Press and calligraphy from moi.

We will have our own booth, so stop on by!!!!

I can't tell you how excited I am to be participating with these heavy hitters.

Check out Michelle’s website

bluenotepress.com

and

unveiledevent.com

And as a little treat friends and clients of mine can use discount code FF10 to get $5 off each ticket.

See you on Melrose Place!!

The Result is in!

The result ended up being the envelopment one was the favorite. Although, my client modified it from the previous horizontal design into a vertical one.

She also loved to have a touch of ribbon, so we came up with a belly band idea using black satin ribbon and the harajuku girl as the buckle that held it all together. The harajuku girl paper I scalloped punch from a flat sheet that is called Japanese Collage paper. You can find it at Paper Source.

My dearest thanks go out to Annie Pierce and Elizabeth Upton who were my helpers to put this project into full swing.

My suggestion for invites is dressing up an envelope. That's the first thing that your guests see before opening your invite. It's your first impression. Anyone would be happy to get something in the mail that is colorful and festive. So, skip the plain o'l white boring envelope and pizazz it with a little fun. I used a stardream onyx envelope. I scalloped punch another harajuku girl for the envelope, so that there is a sense of continuity throughout. I custom created 2.5" return address circle labels for the back flap of the envelope. A great source for labels in www.onlinelabels.com. They have an assortment of colors, sizes and shapes to suit your needs.

My next blog will feature save-the-dates. Some will be my designs as well as some will be inspirations from others. Stay tuned!

Harajuku Shower

I had a client who asked me to make baby shower invitations with this as my inspiration.

She was creating a rock and roll, harajuku lover, gwen stefani type vibe for her girlfriend's baby shower.

These girls have loads of inspiration. They inspired Gwen, and they totally inspired these invites.

I used hot pink and black, drawing from the photo of the dolls that the client sent me.

Here are my samples. Still waiting to hear from her.

Can guess which one she chooses.

The first invite is a simple #10 size card.

I jazzed it up by using a backing paper of stardream azalea. This adds color, contrast and a thickness that makes the invite seem more substantial.

I also rounded the corners which makes any plain old card look chic.

I used these awesome japanese graphic girls for all the invites!!

For the second sample I did an homage to the kimono.

I started with a half moon enclosure. Then added some piping, and made the obi belt out of my graphic paper.

The invite slips right in to the enclosure!!

For all of the invites I used the same print formatting, A great source for freee and inexpensive fonts is http://www.dafont.com/.

Bring in da noise, bring in da font!!!!

Peek a boo!!

For my third sample I used a gatefold card. Secured the invite to the backing and then decorating the hidden flap.

I then used a circle hole punch on the top flap to reveal a bit of my harajuku girl.

I loooove the reveal when this invite is opened

My last sample could be my fave. But how do you really choose between your babies??

This invite is all about the layers. The stardream envelopment, the shimmery black backing paper and the crisp bold invite.

The whimsical touch is the closure.

Notice the ribbon in my girls hair. I love her!!

Stay tuned to see what my client picks. Any ideas???

Results will be revealed.

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

Happy October Everyone!!!

Fall is finally here in Los Angeles, and it is a balmy 85 degrees. Sometimes, when this time of year rolls around I wish I lived in a cooler climate. A lovely town where the leaves turn red and orange, jack-o-lanterns light up front porches and all the neighborhood kiddies are bundled up to play on the schoolyard. A quaint New England Town just like the one in the new ABC show Eastwick.

Well, for now I am happily staying here in LA. But, recently, I did get to visit the set of Eastwick and step in to my fantasy world for a day. I have done calligraphy for many Hollywood events, and luckily my work gets seen around town and my business gets many referrals. A few months ago the property master for Eastwick contacted me to do a whole lot of fun work for the show. Spell Books, invitations, old parchments, all sorts of decorative handwork!!!

Wanted to share a few pictures with y’all!!!!

Spell cover with drawing.

An invite from the Devil himself.

An inforative and decorative archival parchment.

A Magical Formula!

Hope you all check out the show!!!

Three very different women find themselves drawn together by a mysterious man who unleashes unique powers in each of them, and this small New England town will never be the same. The series is based on the popular movie "The Witches of Eastwick" and the novel of the same title by John Updike. "Eastwick" stars Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price, Jamie Ray Newman and Paul Gross. – ABC TV

Have a Happy Halloween!!!

Queen Takes King

Living in Hollywood means sometimes being a part of amazing events!!

Recently, I was pleased to be a part of a signing for the launch of Gigi Grazer's new book Queen Takes King. I wanted to share a few pictures and tips with you guys from the big event.

The party took place at the Luau in Beverly Hills. The Luau is a newly reopened Hawaiian restaurant on Bedford drive. The decor is very neutral, as seen in the picture below. My job was to make the party a little more jazzy and link the decor to the theme of the book and the colors of the books cover.

It was easy to pick colors, I just had to match Gigi's cover. The tones of green and blue with touches of a blinged out silver made a real impact against the taupes, creams and whites of Luau.

To start with I chose a white tablecloth. White can be a base for any combination when setting a table, and most homes and restaurants have bone white plates and bowls that match a white cloth perfectly. I find it is easier to work with white than trying to match the various hues of cream cloths.

Next I made a simple, yet striking table runner. Runners do not have to be custom sewn, nor do you have to settle for a store bought one that doesn't match your decor. Instead, an easy affordable option is a paper runner.

First, I chose a thick green stock. I cut that down and ran it the length of the table. Don't worry about seams. Once the table is set they melt away.

Because, the cover of Gigi's book has an awesome glittery chess piece i decided to mimic that on the runner. I bought some glitter wrapping paper from Paper Source and cut it about 6 inches thinner than the green base layer. This way I had a nice border of the green surrounding the silver.

When setting a table I like to look for fun and individual touches that suit the mood of the party. I hand wrote all the menus and table cards. Again, I tied in green and blue and used a more casual and modern style of calligraphy.

Because this was a ladies event I played off the "queen" of the title and used tiaras as place card holders. You never have to settle for boring, and it is those special touches that make an event zing!!

Luau made a wonderful cocktail that tied in not only to the Hawaiian flare of the restaurant but the color scheme of the party as well. There are so many fun drinks out there these days!! Pink Cosmos, Orange Bloody Mary's, Tequila Sunrises always look great on a table. And my fave is always a yummy fresh green mojito. Don't think that decor has to be inedible. When planning a party the food and drink can and should be just as pleasing to the eye as to the tummy.

Each seat also had cards that could be used to start some pretty racy conversations. they made the event not only about the book but also about the theme of the book.

Lastly, I added purely decorative touches like the white chess pieces and simple crisp white flowers to the table to complete the look.

I think it made this table evoke the vibe of Gigi's book.

She did too.

This photo of her was featured in the September issue of Harper's Bazaar.

Look at my table. I am so proud!!!

Until next time; PARTY ON!!

My creative space

So, here's what I came up with from my inspirational friends and sites to fit my own creative needs and space.
I used a drawer and left it partially open for my big spools of ribbon. I got a ribbon container from the trusty Container Store, http://www.containerstore.com. They are a great source for your container needs. My jaw drops every time I go in there. And for those ribbon by the yard, I found these different size jars at IKEA, http://www.ikea.com to suit the various color palettes.



I then have flat files that I use for my 12 x 12's and flat sheets of paper (courtesy of my Paper Source manager , Jake Drake, allowing me to have something that was going to be thrown out.) He spared me from dumpster diving in Beverly Hills. Then I was able to convert 2 large bins of gift bags and tissue into one organized vertical gift bag holder that I also found at the Container Store.
The remaining containers were found at an office supply store where I keep creative odds and ends while labeling everything, of course.


My family comes down to visit and I put them to work. My dad was nice enough to provide me with some new lighting and a drafting table for my calligraphy. I explained my organizational dilemma. All of these things you see here, I had lined up against the wall on the floor. I desired something more professional looking rather than a make shift kinda studio. After being inspired by my friend, Michelle Foote, and her studio in Pasadena where Blue Note Press lives. http://www.bluenotepress.com . I adopted a bit of her idea and made it my own. I went to work my shift at Paper Source and I come home to voila! My mom was so kind, for she was magical. The piece of furniture is from IKEA and it comes in different colors to fit your own creative space. The bottom row I have each basket, which are from Target, on the bottom designated to a client & the materials being used for their project. The top row is designated for show, reviews and samples designed by 2 Hearts B 1.

This fun shabby chic piece is a lovely gift from my dear friend & colleague, Francesca Grossman from her studio of Creative Paperie.
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/francesca-grossman/4/844/7a8
I use it as a showcase to show off favors & place card samples.


My genius idea that I wanted to disclose here was how I turned my bar stools into shelving units. These bar stools were from my old apartment, when I had a bar. Now, I have no need for them, but I didn't exactly want to discard them either. So, I used the top as a table for displaying invites. Then I found containers at Target that I can put in the different slots to fit more creative odds and ends for making cards and prototypes. In the corner, I found a discounted piece of basket drawer fixture that worked perfectly with my new set up that I picked up again at Target. So, see I found everything I needed with a few resources, inspiration and a little creativity. I know that you too can be creative. No matter how big or small. You can make your space, a place to call your very own!