Monday, November 16, 2009

Book Binding with Jen O'Sullivan


I had a fun new experience yesterday when I attended Jen O’Sullivan’s one-day book binding workshop at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Jen O’Sullivan, founder and principal photographer of Jen O’Sullivan Photography in Beverly Hills, shared her knowledge and expertise of traditional and non-traditional methods of book binding with me and a class of about twenty-two other students. We learned and practiced various stitching methods and walked away with several mini-books for our use and inspiration.

Learning a few binding methods is beneficial for student projects, professionals creating presentations and everyone wanting to create fun in everyday life! If you are interested in finding out more about this and other workshops offered by Jen, go to http://www.jenosullivan.com, and click on the workshops tab.

Go create and by happy!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Finding Creative Inspiration

At times, creative inspiration comes quite easy. You begin thinking about a project and your mind begins racing with ideas. Sometimes it's hard to turn the ideas off. At other times, you need a little nudge to get the ball rolling.

In thinking about this past week I have had inspiration overload! It's not a bad thing, but it started me thinking about how a single object, a certain shade of color, an article of clothing, or an interesting shape or texture can be the starting point in creating an amazing invitation or the inspiration in designing an event's fabulous decor.

Inspiration is everywhere around us! We just need to take the time to see it, experience it, and appreciate it! Here are a few things that have given me creative inspiration this past week -

  • The Brewery Artwalk . . . the brewery artwalk takes place twice a year on North Main Street in Los Angeles. Over one hundred resident artists showcase their amazing talents at this open studio event. From paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry design and other mixed media, you can experience all types of art as well as talk directly with the artists. Art comes in many forms and can add a great element of interest to your special event.

  • Music that moves me . . . many tunes from U2 and Michael Jackson move me. I've loved music all of my life. I've moved beyond the piano and flute lessons from my childhood, but that was the start of my love for music. Music inspires! Find lyrics and beats you can't stop dancing to and incorporate them into your affair!

  • Halloween costume creativity . . . I was amazed at the creativity shown by the children who rang my doorbell last night for trick or treating! I was inspired that many of the children were wearing well designed, adorable handmade costumes. From ladybugs to robots, it's great to see the dreams and creativity of children! What are your dreams for your wedding or special event?

Go and find what inspires the creativity in you!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Host a Distilled Spirits Tasting


Wine tasting parties are popular and fun ways to bring old and new friends together. But, why not step it up a notch by hosting a distilled spirits tasting!

Check out a few tips at http://bit.ly/85LaA courtesy of Celebrations.com and Cheryl Jablow.

Happy tasting!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

A Little Bit of Press from SheKnows.com


Baby showers can be festive and fun, but don’t need to break the bank. Social Frog Designs recently discussed this with SheKnows.com . . . If you’re creatively challenged, go online. Sites like FreePrintables.net enable you to download invitations at no cost. “DIY (Do-It-Yourself) event options are popular in this economy,” says Cheryl Jablow of Social Frog Designs, Wedding & Event Consulting. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of great DIY options online.”

Check out the whole article at http://bit.ly/13z3vW

Happy planning!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Kimberly and Jason

At the beginning of the summer I had the pleasure of watching a dear friend of mine marry her prince charming! These two hearts compliment the other in such beautiful ways!

The wedding was a large, traditional Russian Orthodox wedding in which I had the honor of assisting in the planning process. There were many moving parts to this joyous event and I would like to thank Marcia Hemphill and her team at An Urban Affair for their outstanding day-of-event execution.

My very best wishes to Kimberly and Jason as they begin their new life together! Enjoy one another and have fun every day!

Photos by Tricia Koning Photography

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Current Wedding Invitation Trends

Today there are no longer rules in defining your wedding style. The more creativity and color a couple uses in the details of their special day the more personal the entire day becomes. When planning for your celebration’s correspondence consider a few of the latest trends -

  • Purple Passion – Brides are enjoying the use of the colors lavender, raspberry, plum and other hues of purple in many of their correspondence designs. A contemporary pairing is plum and pewter. Accents of yellow, orange, turquoise, or green are current favorites!

  • Culturally Inspired – Brides are inspired by bold Moroccan, Mexican, and Indian colors and patterns. Such colors as gold, red, green, and magenta with intricate, cultural patterns as backgrounds and borders make for festive invitations.

  • Make it a Hands on Experience – Forget flat cards! Correspondence pieces that have an extra dimension add interest and surprise for guests. Favorite styles among brides are pocket style invitations, invitation sleeves, boxes, folios, and ribbon closures.

  • It’s in the Details – Classic correspondence pieces are being dressed up with unique materials and tiny and luxurious embellishments such as sparkly crystals for a touch of bling! Patterned envelope liners, satin ribbon, personal monograms and custom seals lend a special touch to correspondence pieces.