Finally, Unveiled

{new Checkerboard wedding product from the Unveiled, an "inspired wedding" collection}

Do you want to know where I have been? Maybe you just stumbled here, but I have been a little absent from blogging for a while. It's hard balancing family, work and fun with time spent connected to the keyboard, so I took a little break to try to find that balance.

About a year ago, I started designing for this new project, that was "unveiled" in May at the National Stationery Show in New York City. It has been a pretty exciting year. This collection and it's presentation of invitations is very different from anything that is on the market today. {so cool!} We do all our trends research ourselves, watching fashion, design, decor, furniture, and color. My eyes are always open to translating fashion into paper. Created and inspired by couples that want to share their personalities with their guests, this collection of innovative invitations and imported Italian papers is finally on the market. It is so exciting hearing all of the feedback and wonderful comments. I hope this book, presented with full color inspiration boards, kicks up the heels of brides and grooms all over. The inspiration boards were a collaboration of amazing talent. Images from the incredible Michele M. Waite Photography of Washington State actually inspired the boards. She was a major contributor of images and time, as well as Jennifer Burkhart of Cookie Creatives, award winning cake designer Michelle Bohigian of Something Sweet by Michelle, Cathy Walsh of Sprout, Erin Wolczik and fantastic product shots by Adoniram Sides of Checkerboard.

{Unveiled inspiration board from Suite # 1, Presidio, featuring a new luxury envelope}

**The Unveiled Collection is hot off the press and not currently available online. You can call Checkerboard customer service {1.800.735.2475 or e-mail us at info@checkernet.com} to find a vendor in your community that carries Unveiled. Or, you can contact me if you are in Central Massachusetts!

Michèle M. Waite Photography

{images via michèle m. waite photography}

Recently, I have had the pleasure to work with some very talented wedding pros, one being Michèle M. Waite, photographer, mother, wife, and oh so creative. As long as I have been trolling wedding blogs, her images stayed with me. I can't imagine what that means to the couples that share their day with her. What a gift being a part of so many life changing events in people's lives. I know that creating invites gives me a pretty incredible feeling. Knowing we can create a lasting memory for people is pretty extreme. When I see our invitations on press, I am compelled to go take a peek to see the names and the place the wedding will be. Our clients are our dealers, so we never really get to meet the couples choosing our designs. I am lucky that I am a designer and also a dealer, so I can share a little of both worlds. I wish I could meet every couple really and say thank you!

Working with Michèle over the past couple of weeks has been amazing. I presented her with a crazy idea about changing the way our clients shopped and were inspired as they chose invitations. I started thinking that it is very romantic to plan all of the elements of such an incredible day. I wanted to give couples something exciting...imagery, that would get all of their ideas flowing. For this project, Michèle's photos were what inspired me really...looking at them, I thought how incredible it would be to share her creativity to enhance the experience of our customers and make it easier to plan. There are creative people that thrive on imagery and there are the people that gain so much insight as they use inspirational compilations as a tool.

Look at the 3 images above! I was so excited to share her photgraphs in our industry of paper, to inspire and guide. Wedding blogs and magazines are filled with imagery. I don't think there is a time in your life when you look for inspiration as much as when you are planning your wedding. Every detail is special. Michèle's work made my project rock! I cannot wait for our client to see it.

Networking and Collaboration for Innovation

{images borrowed from the blog of eInvite.com featuring photos by michele m. waite}

{image of silk kimono cake by something sweet by michelle}

{image via cookie creatives}

It 's spring here in the US and every wedding vendor is starting to feel the bustle. As the skies turn blue and the trees burst to life once again, we start to feel energetic and excited for the coming warm season. This is such a fun time for wedding vendors. If you are paper, there is the National Stationery Show, if you are flora, photog or sweet, your calendars are probably already full.

I am paper. Our new designs are about to be revealed to our clients in NY in May. We are brimming with excitement and last minute touches for the show. This year I had the pleasure of working with outside vendors on a collaborative project for one of our wedding stationery albums, Unveiled. Discovered on all the best wedding blogs, like Style Me Pretty and 100 Layer Cake, was Michèle M. Waite. Her unconventional photographic signature caught my eye and when I contacted her she was simply incredible. My idea was a little time consuming even in the bustle of spring business, but Michele was attentive and helpful, making my idea a lot more concrete and exciting. In the months prior it had been just an idea, a pitch to my management and administrators, but now it was coming together and becoming validated. Exciting, yes. {yay} The fun of creative people working together makes me insanely prolific in the idea department. So I continued with my adventure.

Earlier this year I met up with Michelle Bohigian, yes a 3rd Michelle, at Taste of the Nation in Worcester where she was serving up some incredible chocolate cake. I had seen her business, Something Sweet by Michelle featured in major wedding mags and on the Today Show. I knew if she was the creme de la creme of cakes then maybe a taste would be a great idea. A year later, at one of Michelle's personal tastings at local Tuckerman Hall, she introduced to me to yet another incredible wedding vendor, Jennifer Burkhart from Cookie Creatives. She had a sweet mention of us on her blog today. Great relationships come from open conversation. Both women proved to be amazing from hello and I instantly started bouncing ideas off each.
With finishing touches from our photoshoot earlier in the month with my Worcester girl Cathy Walsh from Sprout, plentiful flora was added to the mix.

{sprout worcester, a trend setter in flowers, a community advocate in the woo. love her!}

When my brain stopped spinning ideas, a brand new concept was created for a beautiful collaboration of talents and trades. From paper to imagery, cake to cookie we were all brought together by the wonders of media. From the far corner of the west coast to the opposite side of the country, a fun creative collaboration has come to fruition. I just want to tell you what amazing people and businesswomen they are. Each helping me develop my idea and work innovation into an industry that is constantly evolving with fashion, technology, the environment, and recently the economy.

What is the collaboration? The finishing touches are being added now. I will sneak a few tidbits out as they are available! Let's just say, your eyes will look at wedding invitations a whole new way! From networking and collaboration on the internet and locally, by getting involved with a community abundant with talent, together I hope we make a splash at the NYSS in May. It will all be "Unveiled" soon!

Lesson learned: never be afraid to reach out to people who you admire, it could lead to great ideas and wonderful places.

One last thing tonight before I say goodnight, Taste of the Nation mentioned above benefits the Worcester County Food Bank. You know I am a huge supporter personally and professionally, Checkerboard Ltd. where I design has contributed invitations to the event for years. Please come {empty} and enjoy amazing food and cocktails from the best restaurants in Worcester while supporting a great cause.

Taste of the Nation Worcester
April 19, 2010
5:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Crowne Plaza Hotel
10 Lincoln Square
Worcester, MA 01608

For ticket information to this premier national culinary event, visit Share Our Strength.

sweet dreams...