apparently, when it comes to babies and baby showers… i really have a thing for giraffes. this time he doesn’t have wings, and isn’t pink, but he’s pretty awesome nonetheless.

HUGE, HUGE congrats to one of our former couples (remember these?) on the upcoming arrival of their beautiful baby boy! it’s been such an honor to help celebrate yet another incredible milestone .

after reconnecting over lunch a few months back he dropped the news he was engaged, and the rest is history . being a designer himself (and an awesome one to boot), he already had some fantabulous ideas on the brain.. it was just a matter of putting them on paper, and making it all work. he and brooke live and work in downtown, and that mod, hipster city vibe was exactly what they were going for. their venue, the ultimate skybox, also served as the perfect inspiration, along with it’s spectacular panoramic view of the city AND a completely unobstructed look into petco park. they’re also big on baseball. totally meant to be, right??

here’s what we came up with, and so far they’ve been an absolute hit with guests! NOW we’ve got matching programs in the works — custom die cutting, beautiful view and all!  two more weeks!

brooke & brian, so excited for you both! huge thanks for letting me be a part of it!

a little while ago we shared this sneak peek right after the paper portion came off press. i was just too excited not to! the colors just popped right off the page, caution tape and all! but that was not quite the end of it… i had bigger plans for these puppies .

BOLTS! and not just bolts, but screws too! what 3 year-old-to-be could resist “real” hardware?? admittedly, i was having a hard enough time leaving them alone myself!! (ever since i was a kid, i’ve  been obsessed with power tools, constructing things from the ground up, and of course taking things apart)

happy birthday little man! i hope you loved these as much as we did! i know your mama put a lot of thought into making this the PERFECT construction zone shin-dig for you! looks like she was off to an absolutely amazing start! i was just over the moon to have the chance to help!

at long last: the now infamous pittsburgh penguins inspired, hockey puck invitations in all their glory (well, almost.. had to blur out some of the personal information).

huge congrats to jenn & darrin on your upcoming wedding!! thank you again and again for letting me be a part of your big day!

but here’s raising a glass to one of our amazing couples, the originators and inspiration behind this popular design, who recently celebrated their second year of wedded bliss… AS WELL AS their first mother’s and father’s day, with the arrival of their beautiful baby boy in february .

regis & jenny, love you guys tons!! happy anniversary, and may your lives always be so wonderfully rich and full together!

venue: olivas adobe historical park
photo credit: janice darlington

each and every one of them are driven entrepreneurs, pursuing a passion and not only making their clients dreams come true, but their own as well. yet, while they’re out crusading for that picture perfect wedding, many times they haven’t had the time to focus on themselves. and from a graphics and branding standpoint, consequently, i’ve had the pleasure of coming into the picture to help out for just those reasons.

before diving head first into the wedding biz, my design background was immersed in the corporate sphere. branding, corporate identity, publications, etc. and it’s actually something i still do in addition to invitations and special events… just not as fun to blog about .  i had never considered blending the two sides of bamboo star studios, until i was talking to a wonderful local wedding coordinator (who has since become a very dear friend) meaghan schmaltz of weddings made splendid. i wish i had a before shot, but on our quest to update her brand with a touch of elegance, this is part of what we ended up with…

from there.. things have snowballed. the latest in the pipeline, a top to bottom revamp for the ever-amazing, and also very dear to my heart, brenda swann of swann soirees. a softer, warmer, more wedding-centric, wedding-friendly side of the brand. of all the items we’re tackling, we got the first pieces off press recently – updated business cards for the girls in the swann squad! they turned out beautifully, and are now packed up and ready to head to their new homes this weekend.

but back to the heart of the matter… i’ve always loved to lend a hand whenever necessary. and in this case, with every opportunity or inquiry from my fellow wedding pros, i am not only humbled and honored by their trust, but also energized by the fact that i have a chance to make their lives easier, do it well, and most importantly, do it RIGHT.

well, me hearties, after getting aged and burned with a musket ball sized hole to boot, they’ve been set free to their eagerly awaiting bride and groom! .. and have SINCE made their way farther out to sea to the honored guests, sealed with blood red wax & stamped with the jolly roger!

i sat here for a solid while trying to write something clever in pirate-speak, but it wasn’t doing the job (matey). so, in plain ol’ english: jarma and justin, it was awesome getting to work with you on your invitation project! i had such a fantastical time with this . thank you for planning outside the box, and letting me come along for the ride!

godspeed to ye both!!

uuber excited and honored to be working with you guys! now, email me won’t you? we need to finish your save-the-dates!!!

Everyone has their own opinion or advice on the best or most effective ways to plan your dream wedding. From your grandparents celebrating their 50th anniversary, to your best friend just married last week, everyone wants to give their two cents. These days, you can also easily find a lot of it on fantastic websites and blogs just like this one! And with the exploding DIY movement, many other resources have popped up, providing all kinds of incredible tips, tricks and ideas that can turn anyone into an aspiring Martha Stewart.

But one thing every bride-to-be must never lose sight of, is how to truly make your wedding your OWN. Trends aside, here are three things to ask yourself, to help point you in the right direction.

1. What inspires you? As you begin to make your own decisions in your planning process, dig into yourself, your relationship with your fiancee, your lives together and see what you find. None of that happened over night, or resulted from the latest, hottest fad of the hour. What is “it”? What drives you? What makes you who you are? Something makes you tick, and both of you tick together.

2. What is your story? Just like opinions and advice, everyone has one of these and they are all absolutely unique and amazing in their own way. You and your fiancee are coming from two different places, and are now about to make your own story as one. What was your life like before you met? What was it that brought you together? And how have things changed since? All stories worth telling, all utterly you.

3. Where are you going? The future always holds so much for everyone, regardless of how young or old we are. We all have our own goals, dreams and aspirations, which play a huge part in defining who we are as individuals. The same can be said for any committed relationship. Together, where do you want to be? What do you want for each other? How do you plan on getting there? You have your entire lives.. your future, ahead of you. Together. And this is the very start of all that amazingness to come.

A little soul searching does everyone a world of good every once in a while. And as a part of your wedding planning, it can provide a deeper, more meaningful direction than any trendy idea, or borrowed opinion ever could. Why not share all of it, and all of you, with your nearest and dearest for your big day?

in their words “… we have custom jerseys that we are wearing, ring pillow, garter, glasses, flower girl basket, photo album, guest book, custom handmade wedding cake topper, and the wedding party are to be dressed in customized Pens tshirts.”

how awesome is that???

for those of you who’ve faithfully followed this saga from the very beginning via my freakishly excited tweets and facebook updates, you know what a roller coaster it’s been from the initial brainstorm and proposal, through budgetary negotiations, and now finally… FINALLY through a signed contract and initial deposit.

but yes, that’s right people. we’re a GO!!!! i could do a jig. that’s probably not appropriate in hockey skates.. but i’ll figure it out. i’m just that excited .  in the meantime, here’s a quick teaser.. a sneak peek of how things are coming along.

thanks to michelle for giving me a chance, and sending jenn and darrin my way! to the happy couple for this incredible opportunity! and a huge, HUGE thanks to all of you out there for rooting for me, for my wacky idea, and for this project as a whole.