Miki & Friends

"Care for a spot of tea?" (said with an English accent).

Afternoon tea at The Langham Hotel in Pasadena, CA, was a nice way to spend a slightly chilly, sunny, & beautiful Saturday. The girls arrived one by one, dropped off by there parents & began to congregate in the lush & serene hotel courtyard. Tea length dresses, rosy cheeks, & a little bit of lip gloss. These tweens were ready to celebrate my cousin, Miki's 12th birthday in style.

Oh..... to be 12 years of age once again (insert *sigh here). I remember when I was 12. I was a spunky little gymnast without a care in the world. Traveling to gymnastic competitions all over the region, winning & losing some medals. Trying to be "cool" by putting glitter in my hair to make sure I literally sparkled while I tumbled & flipped through the air to impress the judges. Hey.... don't judge me.... I aimed to impress, even at age 12. Being 12 was such an easy age. I really appreciate my parents for putting up with my hectic competition schedule. They did not really get a weekend. I was there weekend. Now as an adult, the weekend is my down time from the crazy work week. I LOVE weekends & wish weekends were at least a day longer. Thanks mom & dad for motivating me to be a good athlete & for being my ride to my competitions. I really did love each moment I spent flipping, tumbling, twisting, turning, falling, & crying. It made me a stronger person to deal with daily life challenges.

Enough reminiscing for now. I know Miki was super appreciative of her mom & family for planning a lovely afternoon with her closest friends. She got all dolled up for the occasion & looked so beautiful, like the young lady she is growing up to be. Man she makes me feel old! They grow so fast.

I was invited to share in her special day & was able to document the afternoon. I designed this invitation for her party to play up the "Tea Time" theme. I wanted to make sure each guest got the point of the Tea party theme by designing the invitation to look like a tea bag itself. I had so much fun designing this cutesy themed invitation for my beloved cousin Mikayla.

Detail below.

Little Ladies.

Delish scones & to die for desserts.

Front of the Hotel.

So youthful.

Funny face or Smile?!?!

Happy Happy 12th Birthday Mikayla!!

I hope you enjoyed your special day.

i heart l.e.t.t.e.r.p.r.e.s.s.

For this weeks blog, I would like to express my infinite l.o.v.e. for the art of letterpress printing. Thank you to Mr. Johannes Gutenberg, in 1440, who is credited with the invention of modern movable type printing from individually-cast, reusable letters set together in a form (frame). Letterpress printing is relief printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed" printing press and movable type, in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image.


I would also like to give a shout out AND a huge THANKS to Scott at Spiffy Press for helping me create such lovely business cards.  I think they turned out UGH-MAZING.... & even if you don't think so, just smile & nod anyways.... *fist shaking.*


Here are some detail shots of how they turned out.

Front facing.

Close up detail shot.  Beautiful 2 rounded corners.

Back side of biz card.

Front side of biz card laying flat.

I do indeed heart letterpress!

Below are some of my favorite quotes presented beautifully by the art of letterpress printing.

How could I leave out such a fantastic, almost used everyday, from one of the funniest TV shows EVER "The Office",  & most often inappropriate.... but sooooo appropriate quote, "That's what she said." Also designed by Scott at Spiffy Press.

The color & precision of this postcard are exceptionally exquisite.

I am so honored & stoked to finally create a letterpress wedding invitation stationary set for one of my good friends from high school.  This bride-to-be is the sweetest gal you will ever meet AND she has such a modern & sophisticated style to her wedding details.  I will post more about these details later.  Below is just a teaser letterpress invitation..... I DIE for the intricate details of this invitation.  Wowee!

Betty's Bridal Shower

I had the pleasure of being invited to my good friend/client/bride-to-be, Betty's bridal shower.  A Manhattan Beach residence was the perfect setting for a lovely afternoon dessert party to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Betty+Elliot.

The beachside, spanish style home was decorated beautifully by hosts the maid and matron of honors, Michelle & Annie.  They planned out  an awesome day for the for the ladies in attendance.  Let me just say now.... as a person who lives WAY further inland, the weather could not be more perfect for this special slightly chilly beachy day. My cousin, Chef Jan-Michael, put out a TO DIE FOR, mouth savoring, nom-nom kind of spread.  His love  & passion for food shined through & through & for sure brought huge smiles to the ladies faces & stomachs.  As favors, the maid & matron of honors sent each guest home with pickings from the dessert table.  I know I left happy, super FULL of deliciousness & sugar!  My choice to indulge was was killer on my hour & a half drive home.  I just wanted nap time.

I made it home safely.  CONGRATS again to Betty+Elliot!  I can't wait for your wedding day!!

Bride-to-Be.

Mini cupcakes with Nutella frosting.

Flatbread pizza with smoked salmon, red onion, basil, tomato, mozzarella, & olive oil. 

Chef Jan-Michael hard at work creating the perfect presentation.  Beef & chicken skewers with a savory glaze sauce.

Toilet paper roll wedding gown game.

Time for DESSERT....... Nom nom!

Can I borrow that book too?  As a Filipino-American woman, I only know how to make adobo..... oh AND steamed rice. Ok.Ok. I cheat, I use the rice cooker.  I'm such a horrible Filipino.

Risque business..... OoooOoooo La Laaaa!

Betty & her bridal party.

Thank you Nina for hosting the elegant party at your new house.

Betty & Michelle, Maid of Honor.

Betty & Annie, Matron of Honor.

This is why I required a nap on my way home.  Pasta with a homemade bolognese sauce.

H A P P Y 2 0 1 1

As I begin this blessed new year, I wrote out my daily "things to do" list.  I could not really sleep last night because (1) I have rang in this new year with a cold AND a barking cough that seems to keep me up all hours of the night and (2) I was thinking and planning how I was going to start this year out on the right foot.

The dogs were sound asleep, Brent was off into his dreamland, and there I lay halfway propped up on my memory foam pillow and other various squishy pillows to help me breathe better as I sleep.  I thought to myself, how am I going to improve myself this year?  I am so thankful for everything that I have in my life, my husband, my family, my friends, my career, and even my health, even though I had a cold.  I knew I wanted to make a difference and better myself and my career.... so with that, I woke up refreshed, wrote my list and here are the results for today.

I guess you can say this is my new years resolution..... I have many more things I would like to do to improve myself, however I think this is a good start.

HAPPY 2011 everyone! Here's to an amazing year!