New York Stationery Show 2011

Who knew that one day away from my design studio/dinning room would have me so behind that it has taken 5 days to FINALLY blog about my trip to the 2011 New York Stationery Show. Two years ago was the first time Liz White owner of Mason and Madison and I went and I can honestly say the experience is night and day. This year I felt more like a professional designer than a newbie which is nice for a change. Also joining us for the day was my son Alec's Flat Stanley.....he too wanted to go to the Stationery Show!

My first stop was of course to ENVELOPMENTS for me they're really special because deciding to join them literally changed my business and has made me a better designer. I was greeted by Maria head of customer service who actually looked at me before my badge which was refreshing I was excited because she recognized my company name.... that was huge, when you're a small designer sometimes you wonder if anyone knows you exist. I was able to sit down and chat with her as she filled me in on some fabulous new changes and products. What I LOVE about ENVELOPMENTS is the company.......they have a huge presence in the Stationery Industry yet you feel like your part of a family, it's even written on their website "welcome to the family". When I first inquired about joining I didn't speak to a random sales rep but one of the owners Mark Smith, that was three years ago and I've never looked back. They are constantly changing and offering their dealers the tools and inspiration that drives you to be a better designer. The recent release of their new line "Envelopments Gets Social"  hands down houses some impressive design inspiration. It goes without saying that Envelopments has a stellar design department which is evident by a recent blog posting that chronicled the hiring of a new designer but because they are so connected to their dealers you will often find them blogging about them. As a designer I value this feature, being creative is a gift and no two designers are ever alike. We may all be using the same paper but it's what you do with that paper that makes you different.

I was first introduced to Kristy Rice owner/designer of MOMENTAL DESIGNS via the Envelopments blog she is truly a gifted artist painting individual invitations by hand....yes I did say by hand. After reading about her I went over to her site to view some more of her work which was impressive and unique. This is my point if you look at the design inspiration Envelopments sends out then look at what their dealers/designers do with it the only thing that is the same is the paper. I was lucky enough to be at the NSS on Monday the day Kristy Rice was displaying her work in the Envelopments booth I was excited to see it in person and meet the artist who was super friendly.

I will spread some more vendor love in a minute but first I have to talk about "The Paper Runway" In partnership with Kate’s Paperie, this fashion exhibit reinforced the paper-fashion relationship by showcasing paper dresses from cutting-edge fashion designers. I took photos of my favorites but honestly seeing them in person was amazing you can not imagine the amount of detail used in designing these......it was really inspiring and I hope that the NSS does it again next year.

As I walked the isles of the show it was incredible to see the amount of talent in one space and because I am a creative sharer I would like to tell you about some of the talented designers I met that day. After chatting with Michelle Wagner of The Artcraft Company my new printer she told me to go and visit Peyton & Clark I had first seen their work while visiting Artcraft and just LOVED their whimsical style so I decide to stop by and say hello. Bebbins Yudes's who is the talented artist behind Peyton & Clark was welcoming, friendly and took the time to tell me what they are all about. My next stop was MAY BOOKS creative genius Mica greeted me with a warm smile and was nice enough to take the time to show me her designs. The style of her products were fun, fresh and colorful, when I arrived home I checked out her website which has the best quote ever "Life is too short for ugly notebooks" I could not agree more.

Both Liz and I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Deborah Koncan the talented illustrator behind ANNSCOTTDESIGN. I love her drawing style, her use of colors and yes all those shoes. It's obvious that I embrace all things creative but for me Professional Illustrators/Artists are in a class all by themselves.....while in school for graphic design it was my Illustration teacher that I learned the most from. I once asked her how she got to be so good.......her answer was simple.....TIME,  the more you learn, the more you experience, the more you grow, the better you get.......she was right!

You've probably heard the phrase "it's a small world" well the world just got a whole lot smaller thanks to Facebook and Twitter........ahhhh social media LOVE IT or HATE IT it's here to stay and is changing how business is done everyday. I personally LOVE IT.....thanks to twitter I have met some really great designers and bloggers. I was first introduced to Sarah owner of HIP INK through Envelopments blog, they had featured her work which I liked so I went to her site and started to follow her blog.......which is SO FABULOUS, SO FUNNY and she strives on KEEPING IT REAL one post at a time. I knew right away that she was a creative sharer......it was Sarah that told me about a great box company called Do It With More Options.....and a website called Let's Talk Stationery this is an exclusive forum for stationery professionals........Sarah told me it was the best 50.00 dollars she ever spent and she was right. I just joined yesterday and I already have two pages of welcome messages from other members....YEAH for NICE creative people:) Funny thing about social media is you tend to recognize people by their logo not their face.....which is so true, about late afternoon as I strolled down one of the many isles I could see a badge coming towards me that I recognized the logo....OMG it was Sarah from Hip Ink and behind that logo was the smiling face of my first twitter friend.......what a small world it is.

Stay tuned for part two........Fabulous Retail Finds.....these are the kinds of items you want to see when shopping:)

Bridal Shower

It is never a good feeling to pull up the 7 day weather forecast and see rain drops and clouds straight across the board.......WELCOME to Springtime in New England. I have no idea when the sun will come back, but I do know that I can bring you a warm, bare feet in the sand kind of blog post to hopefully brighten your day:)

I don't always meet with my clients in person sometimes a design consultation is done over the phone which was the case with this recent bridal shower. Mother of the bride Kerry was planning her daughters upcoming bridal shower, her only instructions for the invite were tiffany blue, beach and simply elegant.......the rest she would leave up to me.  My first thought was the card stock.....if this design was going to be simple I felt one layer would be best. One of my NEW favorite card stocks is called powder it's thick with a firm texture to it. The name is so fitting because it's not a bright white but a more soft white. You can see how the texture of this card stock actually resembles the look of sand.

The envelope was a shimmery tiffany blue color called caspian which I also used as one of the ink colors. The favor at the shower is going to be a sand dollar so I decide to use one on the invitation and added some clear glitter to give it a little sparkle. I love how this invitation has so many subtle elements all coming together to create a simply warm elegant design and just for a little while has reminded me that behind all the clouds and rain lies the sun.....just waiting for it's turn to come out and shine.

CLASS of 2011

When you become a parent you automatically start to create a vision for your child's future which is fine while they are little but as we all know children grow up. One day you'll turn around and realize they've gone and created their own vision........and yes most often than not it looks nothing like yours. That being said at the end of the journey whether the visions match or don't really doesn't matter all any parent truly wants is for their child to be happy.

Melissa contacted me about invitations for her son Austin's upcoming Graduation from High School....like all parents she is so proud of his achievements and wanted to celebrate them with a party for all their family and friends. She wanted something stylish but masculine, I began with a color palette of chocolate brown and cream, the main square backer was a shimmery bronze and the invite was a stunning textured cream called magnolia. Keeping with the stylish aspect I added chocolate glitter to the date of the party, then continued the design over to the envelope also in magnolia. By custom printing all the addresses for each guest gives this design a very finished look. At one point during our meeting Melissa said to me that she and Austin were a team and always have been.........I LOVE that because when I look at the design of their invitation that is actually what I see.........a perfect combination of two visions not exactly the same but in the end a result that leaves both of them happy:) Congratulations Austin! I wish you plenty of success in the future...........after meeting your mom I would expect nothing less.

Emerson's Ice Cream Parlour

I've been waiting FOREVER to blog about this recent invitation design....a few months ago Janeen Donati owner of Paige-Reese Designer Bakeshop emailed me about invitations for her daughter Emerson's upcoming sundae themed birthday. I've included Janeen in many of my blogs because we often work together on design projects but also because hands down she is an incredibly talented designer and as you know when I like something I like share it. I was excited to design this invitation but REALLY excited to see what Janeen would create to coordinate with it. I wanted the invitation to have a vintage ice cream shop feel so I began with a color palette of bubble gum pink, chocolate and white. I knew Janeen wanted coordinating signs for all the condiments in the sundae bar as well as the water bottles.....therefore I felt this party needed some branding... WELCOME to Emerson's Ice Cream Parlour. There is no way you can design for an ice cream sundae party and not have glitter somewhere on the invitation so I created an adorable ice cream sundae using clear glitter on the whip cream and of course red on the cherry! Next up........the envelope, who says an envelope should be plain! I used a pattern of swiss dots in bubble gum pink for the background and placed the vintage style frame from the logo on top but replaced the wording with each of the guests names that would be invited to the party. The envelope design was completed with a bubble gum pink envelope liner which looks stunning against the invitation backer of chocolate brown.

Now that my part is done lets talk SWEETS....I first need to start with the ice cream sundae shaped cookie favors the amount of detail on them is truly impressive but I would expect nothing less from Janeen. Each cookie was individually wrapped with a custom tag that had a message and the the glittered sundae from the invitation. Next is the spoon......seriously the most adorable item I have ever seen but notice the "E" monogram on the bottom of the spoon it's practically identically to the font I used on the invitation. That right there is why I refer to Janeen as a BAKING GENIUS and LOVE working with her, she truly cares about the little details. If you want to know where you can get Emerson's adorable shirt it was custom made by Modern Frills.......too cute!

When she sent me the photos of the party I was truly in awe of the amount of styling that went into this birthday but nearly fell off my chair when I saw the cake..........simply elegant and equally stunning.......I mean would just look at the cherry on top there are just no words for this. I follow a lot of cake blogs because it's a part of my industry but also because I would LOVE to someday learn how to do be cake designer.......who says you can't do an internship when your in your thirties. I highly recommend taking a peek at Janeen's blog www.paige-reese.blogspot.com you too will be blown away by her designs:)

Georgia and Chad........ENGAGED

I may be a little biased because of my chosen profession but getting engaged ranks in my top five most memorable life moments. I can honestly remember every single detail of when my husband proposed to me over 14 years ago. For me every bride I work with is important but this one is different because she's family.  Thirteen years ago at just 17 Georgia was a bridesmaid at my own wedding so I was over the top with excitement to hear the news about her engagement to Chad but even more excited and honored when she asked if I would design invitations for her up coming engagement party. Honestly, so much has changed since I got married.....especially with regards to custom invitations, I look back at my own wedding invitation truly horrified....you would never know that I had just graduated with a degree in graphic design but like everything in life.......you get better with age.

When I met with Georgia and her mother she really didn't have a color palette or theme in mind, I suggested picking what you like and I would do the rest. Square has been really big this wedding season for me, it seems everyone is gravitating towards it. The main component of the invite is a 5x5 envelofold with the pattern on the interior instead of exterior. The main invite is white linen with a deep shimmery chocolate brown backer called bronze, the reply card we kept simple by continuing the use of the white linen. I always talk about the little details.......postage has taken the wedding world by storm recently giving brides plenty options, you will notice the custom stamps used are an exact match to the pattern in the invite itself which is nice.......it gives everyone a little peek of what's to come.

Most often than not any invitation having to do with a wedding embodies some kind of symbolism, some are obvious to everyone while others might be more subtle. Saying "YES" I believe has a lot of symbolism, if you think of all the important things you say "YES" too in your life.  For example what  college you will decide to attend or what fabulous job offer will you take, being asked out on a date, deciding to get married or have children........all of these questions that you answer "YES" too will ultimately change your life and send you on a new path. Georgia said "YES" to Chad when he asked her to marry him, next up...........saying "YES" to the DRESS.........equally as important:)

It's rare that I'm on location for the event I designed invitations for but lucky for me this time around I am part of the family. I'm so excited because I usually only see the completed vision through photos after the party is over........this time around I will get a front row seat......which is nice for a change. I would like to wish Georgia, Chad and their families and huge CONGRATS!

A FIELD TRIP TO NORTH ATTLEBORO

If you know me well enough then you know I believe "SHARING IS CARING" so what does this have to do with a blog titled "Field Trip"........actually A LOT! When I first started BeeCustom Design I discovered early on that very few creative professionals SHARE information and a few might even try and lead you in the wrong direction. I truly believe no two designers are alike, we all have tons of original artwork or designs however it's what you do with it that will make you different. Two years ago I set out for my first New York Stationery Show and was so excited to be amongst my fellow creative professionals. I wanted to find a company that could produce some of my artwork on melamine plates and bowls and figured I would be able to find a source there...NOT A CHANCE...NOBODY would share anything. I finally spoke with a woman that represented a very large company and I asked her what the deal was.....her response was yes most creative professionals will not share because it may impact their business. Every plate or bowl in that entire stationery show that I saw clearly was made by one company but what made them all different were the designs....some designers have a whimsical look, some have a preppy look my point is no two designers are alike so sharing information with another creative professional should not impact your business and any good designer wouldn't dream of copying another designers work. On the last day of the show I spotted a plate in a display case that someone forgot to put their logo sticker on the back and I was able to copy down a phone number. When I look at my plates and bowls they don't look like any other designers because it is my artwork and my style on them.  After that show I promised myself that I would never do that to another creative professional, I would share because we are not re-inventing the wheel people we're all just all trying to make it our own.

I recently was talking with a potential client who wanted a specific look for her wedding invitations, she wanted blush pink ink on navy card stock I knew this would have to be out sourced to a printing company. I called a few different ones asking how I could achieve this look, I was told I could not because all inks are transparent except for metallic inks. Feeling a little annoyed and defeated I kept searching the internet........FINALLY I stumble upon something online ENGRAVING........this method of printing will allow you to print using light ink on dark card stock because the ink is not transparent. Funny thing is I went back to the websites of the company's I originally called non of them offered engraving but I find it hard to believe that as professional printers they didn't know this printing method existed....I guess they were not willing to share.

I'm the type of designer that if I am going to allow someone else to handle the printing of any of my work then I want to not only know them but physically be able to meet them which meant I needed to find a local printer. I came across the Artcraft Company located in North Attleboro, Massachusetts I was impressed with their website so I emailed Michelle Wagner their social stationery manager who was very prompt in answering all my questions and providing me with a quote. She then invited me to come down and visit the company.........I was thrilled!

A few weeks ago I went on a field trip to The Artcraft Company and it was by far the best professional four hours I have ever spent, so much so that I wanted SHARE what I learned with all of you. As I sat in Michelle's office she showed me all the work they have done with multiple kinds of printing methods. I learned that if you are designing for letterpress make sure your lines have some thickness to them if you have a design that contains a lot of fine lines have it engraved......engraving LOVES fine lines. The more Michelle spoke the more I realized if you're a designer your printer should not just be a company you send your work too, they should in a way be your creative partner......their knowledge of printing methods will essentially make you a better designer.

Michelle was able to give me a personal tour of the print shop.......OMG it was incredible to see all the equipment in full operation.....our first stop was to meet Steve Ladabauche and Jim Petrarca who are the plate makers they were kind enough to stop and show me what they were doing and why. In short Steve and Jim receive a negative from the pre press department.  They in turn make the copper plates (one plate is necessary per color for engraving) which are then processed in an acid bath. After the plates are made, Steve and Jim hand tool any areas that require extra depth or fine-tuning in any way. Watching them fine tune someones design by hand was truly amazing and just re-affirmed how essential it is to know your printer and their peeps. Next up was pressman Phil Havey who also took the time to stop and not only explain but show me the engraving process as a job was being done. As we continued on through the printing facility I was able to see business cards being cut and completed orders getting ready to ship. One of my favorite spots on the tour was the seeing all the tubs of inks.......hundreds of colors, Michelle explained a lot of times to achieve the exact color is not as simple as just picking one color but the art of mixing a few. As I look at all the colors I spotted a shelf of PINKS and in the middle of all them was the perfect blush pink ink.......who knew that a simple request would have lead me to one thing I had been searching for......a really good printer.

My visit to The Artcraft Company has changed me as a designer I feel like I can offer so much more to my clients now.  To any creative professionals out there I encourage you to know your printer they have A LOT of knowledge that can and will make you a better designer. If you do not have a printer I will share mine because "SHARING IS CARING"  I feel I have found a partner in The Artcraft Company, I know now when I send a design for Michelle to look at she can tell me the best method of printing to use in order to achieve the ultimate finished product. The only thing I regret about my day at Art Craft was not bringing my camera.......thank you to Steve for taking these photos for me to share with all of you. I wanted to share one last photo of an engraved letterhead printed by Artcraft, before I contacted them I was on their website and came across it........to me it was a SIGN because I actually received my degree in Graphic Design from Mount Ida College.

I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone at The Artcraft Company very making my field trip first rate.

It's the little details........

This past Tuesday evening I received an email from event planner Jen Hansen.....who was in a bit of a PICKLE! One of her brides who's wedding is on Saturday (yes, 3 days away) had a last minute change of heart about some "little details" she now wanted. A typical wedding vendor will tell you getting married is an emotional thing and not to sweat the "little details" a truly exceptional wedding vendor will always go above and beyond to make sure their bride is happy. As a custom designer I always have extra stock on hand for situations just like this and was happy to reply back that I would be able to get her what she needed.

Jen immediately sent her brides inspiration board which was essential for me, even though the order was last minute the last thing I wanted was for it to look that way. The "little details" really are what make your wedding extra special and sometimes brides are so overwhelmed by everything that needs to get done that they don't realized how important a few extra special items are until a couple of days before the wedding. I must say this is when working with a custom invitation designer comes in handy, as one of my own brides last week decided a few days before her wedding that she too needed some of those "little details" thankfully I was able to provide them for her without delay.

The next email was about what she needed......they were having a Candy Bar for all the guest so she would need a table sign for that glittered, she also wanted 16 candy tags to put on all the jars and of course coordinating stickers to put on the bags. A set of Mr and Mrs signs glittered to be hung on the couples chairs completed the order. A few electronic proofs later, Jens order was done and ready to be picked up on Thursday!

This Thursday morning I checked my email as I do every morning and I had one from Jen asking if I could "PERFORM A MIRACLE."  Next up, 12 table numbers glittered, a special separate sign glittered for the couple because they were having a sweetheart table, a sign for the the photo booth glittered and a sign for the guest book yes, you guessed it, glittered. Jen still picked her order up today......she is what you call an EXCEPTIONAL WEDDING VENDOR.......and I am honored to be one her "PROFESSIONAL PEEPS" that she can turn to.  I look at these photos and LOVE how everything turned out..........this brides "little details" were anything but last minute.

Jackie & Michael's Save The Dates

One would think using a color palette of black, white and graphite might not give enough pop....if you do then you'd be completely wrong......and I have a save the date design to prove it. I met Jackie at the recent wedding workshop that I was a part of. She had been looking for her save the dates and wedding invitations but just had not found the right ones. Out of the three tablescape designs her favorite was Natural Elegance this was the one that had crystals on the table and sparkles on the invite. She wanted her save the dates to give a hint of what her wedding would be, a formal and stylish affair with a whole lot of sparkle. Jackie was drawn to the black linen card stock which I paired with a white dove card stock that has a slight texture mixed with a subtle shimmer and lastly a shimmery graphite envelope.

Now for the design, lately I have noticed a lot of save the date designs that have so much information on them one would wonder why bother sending out the wedding invitation. We chose a two layer 5x5 square layout a perfect size because Jackie wanted the information to be simply stated. I used a touch of script mixed with a clean font and a few ornamental accents. She wanted to use glitter but could not decide on what color would be best, Jackie is actually the first person that has ever asked to see the glitter (in the jar)....but by opening a few jars of different colors while looking at the card stocks she had chosen really made the the right choice evident. Hands down the winner was black.....yes I know everyone says its bad luck to use, include, wear or even talk about the color black when it comes to weddings but that was forever ago. Ive been happily married for 13 years and both my mother and mother in law wore black to my wedding, to me black is timeless, classic and never goes out of style. Black glitter does not have the same look or feel as colored or even clear....it sparkles but is far more opaque giving Jackie's design a unique look.

Envelope shown with optional custom address printing.