Dream Job!!!!!!

Just before Thanksgiving, I came across a very obscure posting for a sales and marketing job. It was so vague that the only thing that caught my attention was the word 'stationery' in the one line description. So naturally I applied - got call number one! Went in for my interview, was asked to write a proposal - which I nailed with my 'impeccable' writing skills, they said that by the way ;)
Anyway, after three meetings, I got the final call yesterday and I was officially told that the position was mine!

So what exactly is the dream job?!

I am the sales and marketing director of a brand new, high end stationery company, whose wedding invitations showcase their expert craftsmanship in laser cut designs. My role is to give all my input about designs, product development and marketing and selling wedding invitations. A full time position that doesn't even require me to leave my own desk! I go to their studio a couple times each week for a few hours, but most of my work is managed from home, making calls, browsing wedding blogs and magazines, meeting with event planners, going to stationery and bridal shows, etc....

That's my job, or rather, my first career! This career opportunity will allow me to do what I love for as long as I want. It also allows me the time to develop my own projects - Lily Notes Studio and My Big Small Wedding,  without the stress of a annoying 9 to 5, doing something I care nothing for and being exhausted and miserable because there aren't enough hours in the week!

I am really stinkin' happy and excited about this new position, so much so, that I've gotten to work at it immediately! It will open so many doors for me, as the opportunity is endless and I cannot wait to see what happens in the year ahead.

Yay, ME!!!

A Side Project to the Side Project

aka ME!

I have been stuck. Very little inspiration to writing about stationery. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy it and love everything about it, but I'm going through a bit of a block. I also need to re-design this blog because it is most certainly uninspiring. Nevertheless, I'm not so stuck with my new blog that I created to end this constant conflict I've been having with this blog. I have a lot of random ideas and thoughts that run through my head and sometimes, it can be difficult to keep them all organized. I'll pop on here wanting to write about stationery, but all I can think about is event planning to-dos. So, I created a blog called My Big Small Wedding in an attempt to fix my scattered-brain of a problem. I have to admit, so far so good. Hopefully, it gives birth to inspiration and encouragement to get back to my first love, Lily Notes Studio.
Stick around...

Late Night Ramblings of An Insomniac

No where near capable of falling asleep yet and I've been awake since 6am! Nevertheless, I continue to work as much as I can growing Lily Notes, BC NYC and even, FWSB. I spend countless hours in front of my computer - it's official, I definitely need new prescription for my glasses - and I can never get to sleep before 4am.

I spent the last five days networking on Wedding Wire, Craigslist and Facebook and thus far, it's beginning to pay off. I courted a new stationery client - small budget, but worth adding something to my portfolio. I've also found two possible participants for the bridal show this October - click photo for details. On top of that, we almost brokered a deal for our own space, that we smartly decided to walk away from - we could certainly do better and find a more remarkable space to call home.

All in all, managing your own business is no easy feat. It takes so much effort, energy and emotion to be successful. As much as I complain, I find my self welcoming the sleepless nights because it provides me with the opportunity to manipulate more hours in the day. I often used these late nights to work on more designs and client proposals, as to not interrupt my day. Oh and I start a new job on Monday where I work from 3pm to 11pm Thursday thru Monday. Someone once called me abusive, which I've never believed {this was simply an accusation which often reflects what that person thinks of themselves}. But I now believe that I am abusive to no one but myself and this is simply so because I have to be. And I won't stop until I achieve what I want out of life.
Anyway, here are just a few of the samples I've been working on, as I get back to work!PS: It's official...I'm sick of yellow!

What I've Been Up To - A Quick Update!

So...the past three or four months have been a bit of a whirlwind. From cutting myself off from the world, to rejoining it with a subtle bang, I've been doing pretty alright for myself. Working with Renita and Fabulous Weddings Shoestring Budgets have proven itself quite fruitful for me. I've been having fun learning about event planning, I've been designing more invitations and I'm now part owner of our fun, brainchild - Bridal Cafe NYC! I've really been flexing those graphic design and creativity muscles on this one. I'm really happy about how things have been maturing and I am uber excited about the many gratifying opportunities that are yet to come. I also cannot wait to showcase all my invitations at our bridal showcase on June 3rd! I'll be extremely proud to have my work acknowledged by a lot of prospective clients. I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that all continues to go well and I can finally have that bang up New Years Eve party I've always dreamed of. Hopefully, the rest of the year continues to give me many reasons to celebrate and be thankful for!In the meantime, checkout the new website and keep following, as we update it with loads of fun and interesting things to come - www.bridalcafenyc.com
Love, Kiki!

A Fabulous Wedding on A Shoesstring Budget!

Well...The Old Hollywood, Valentine's weekend wedding I worked on, finally aired on TLC's, Four Weddings this past Friday night. Unfortunately, our gorgeous bride, Francine, did not win the honeymoon getaway. However, as much as we were content with these results, I am not thrilled with the show's portrayal and ghastly comments made by viewers and even Francine's fellow contestants.

Now I would admit, there were a few things that Renita - owner of FWSB - & I decided we would change, if we had to do it all over again. There were a few logistical and catering elements that we believe we can adjust to further enhance and even perfect the overall experience. Nevertheless, TLC's brilliant producers did a smashing job leaving 90% of the memorable elements of Francine's wedding on the cutting room floor. I did like their portrayal of the wedding's ceremony - they really did capture the beauty and the sentiments of the moment. However, from this point on, it was all downhill. The show's contestants brought out their boxing gloves and the TLC producers were the ring card girls, as they tallied their hooks and jabs. They took the time to highlight a wind-tossed red carpet, a typical production breakdown and setup and the availability of salad dressing! Even a wonderful, professionally choreographed dance paying homage to the late Michael Jackson, performed by, yes, "urban" kids, in costumes reminiscent of the wedding's theme, was treated as a cheap kindergarten performance that warranted a lot more appreciation than what was ignorantly paid. But at the end of the day, this was reality television and in a society obsessed with opulent over-abundance and narrow-minded perceptions of what perfection should be, could we expect anything more of it?
What was unfortunately lost in prime-time translation, was what really mattered most to our Old Hollywood couple. This "wedding" was a celebration of Francine & Michael's commitment to each other. This wasn't some over-indulgent, factory produced farce to mark the beginning of the beginning of their lives together. They have been a solid couple with two beautiful children for over 15 years! Their wedding was an expression of their unity as a family and their devoted partnership in loving each other for many years to come. So, if you could not appreciate this unique and passionate profession, done on a realistic and attainable budget, then you can stick that nice little opinion of yours, where no one would care to tune in!

Not So Mellow Yellow

To be honest, I've never been a huge fan of the colour yellow. I've always dreaded its ease to look very tacky and cheap - especially in fashion. It is so easy for it to be portrayed horridly and it is not the most subdued of colours. However, 2010 has been proving itself quite kind to the intense colour. Fashion and interior designers, event planners and cake artists, have all found masterful, gorgeous ways to either showcase this faboulous colour or use its brilliance as fresh accents. Bridal magazines have depicted several fun ideas of how the colour can be used in a myriad of ways, to execute a memorable event. Even dress manufacturers like The Dessy Group, have an abundance of beautifully designed dresses in several shades of yellow, that would not be an eyesore and a significant embarrassment to a loyal bridesmaid.

All in all, yellow is everywhere! From it's delicate and whimsical hues to it's impacting, dramatic flare, yellow is surely making a bold statement and kicking it up a few notches for this Spring season. Not to mention, it is the signature colour for the bridal show I'm working on this coming June - more details on this to come! My boss, Renita - owner of Fabulous Weddings Shoestring Budgets, has been super excited and frighteningly obsessed with all things yellow and spring in bloom. We've been cataloguing every shade and every idea the colour yellow, in preparation of a fabulous bridal show.

However, as much as I am developing an affinity for yellow, I'm not quite sure I've completely committed to it's brilliant splendour. Nevertheless, I am trying. I created the inspiration board to the right about a week ago, to illustrate a modern twist in using yellow as an accent colour. I must say, I kind of like it - it adds an intense pop of colour, that oddly enough, can be quite elegant and chic. Oh...and it does not look cheap or tacky! I plan on designing a couple invitations depicting the colour, but after I bang out the current work I have on my plate. Either way, I have a new found respect for the use of yellow and I look forward to all the fun, fresh and fabulous ways {ode to FWSB} that my boss and I, among many others, will be depicting it this Spring.

Paper Shopping, Yay!!!!

I'm sooo excited I can't freakin' sleep! It's funny the stupid things that make me giddy but it's me. I get to spend the entire day tomorrow shopping for flowers and PAPER!!! I'm making a much needed trip to Paper Presentation - one of my beloved paper meccas on West 18th Street in the city. It's like going to a candy shop and seeing all your favourite pieces of candy in all your favourite flavours, colours, shapes and sizes and wanting all of them but not knowing where to begin. My boss suggested I make a list so I can be in and out. Ha! God, I can't wait. I'm going to have so much fun and Ill finally be able to finish those invites I have been working on because I'll finally have some sort of inspiration and direction as to what I want to do. Yes - PAPER inspires me :D

Happy Almost Birthday to ME!!!

Birthday flowers from the new boss! I must say, so far, I love my job. I get to spend the entire day doing things that I enjoy. I mean seriously, this is my work day:
Wake up at 5:30 in the morning and go to the Flower District to get the first selections of the day's freshest flowers. Then go to Michael's, an arts and crafts supply store, to shop for stationery and other supplies. Go back to the office, make a few follow up calls and answer emails, surf the web browing wedding websites, search for invitation inspiration, look for the perfect feather for a floral arrangement, read a couple bridal and fashion magazines, setup a DJ mixer for a few clients and taste some cake!!!
Why couldn't I found this job sooner :D

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Restless Night...

So...another night, tossing around in bed and still can't fall asleep. Not that I'm not tired - I slept three hours last night and I had a full productive day today - I just can't sleep. One can only watch so many reruns of The Nanny.
Anyway, my boss gave me an assignment today, well yesterday, and I'm slightly stumped. I'm supposed to come up with an inspiration collage/board for a Midtown loft summer wedding and my colour palette is white, purple, silver and gold. Now, if this were just an assignment to create an invitation, I'd be fine - chose some papers, ink colour and an embellishment or two - done deal and I'd be proud. But an entire freaking wedding, with a theme, food, decor, clothes, accessories with those colours - no wonder I can't fall asleep. I did my first inspiration board and it wasn't so bad, but why is this one so different. So I've given up - until the morning at least - but these are the two renderings I've come up with this far. Hopefully, I'm more inspired in the morning.
P.S.: Family Matters just started!

Inspiration Collage: Modern Chic

Over the years, I've browsed the internet and cut up magazines, collecting things that inspire me or I find interesting. So finally this weekend, I've decided to begin putting them together in what I'll like to consider a collage of inspiration. They're pretty much a combination of items or colours that I love and my vision of how they may work together. Here is the first of many...

New Year, New Opportunities, New Direction!

It has been just over a year since I've written on my blog or paid any real focus to developing LilyNotes Studio. I purchased new papers and tools, but nothing serious to mention. I've spent the past year doing just the thing I swore against doing, working to help others and not in a good way. Worthless jobs, draining relationships and not a damn thing toward my own growth. The year ended with me letting go of someone who was a major facet of my life for the past six years. Although painful, it reminded me that I need to refocus on making me happy. That's my New Year's resolution - make Afeisha happy! I've also reminded myself that I need to fully commit to building my business. A slow process, but so far I've been doing pretty okay.
My first step toward doing so...I accepted an internship with a fabulous event coordinator, Renita. Owner of Fabulous Weddings Shoestring Budgets, she has a lot of great ideas. Her personal style and sophistication lends handsomely to the weddings she designs. I'm really excited to work with her, because for once I'll be doing precisely what I want to do. I'm getting to experience first hand, what goes on behind the scenes in putting together beautiful, memorable weddings and other events and how to be successful in the industry. I'm also thrilled because I'm going to get to work with brides again and design gorgeous wedding invitations and develop a portfolio for LilyNotes Studio.
I may not have everything I want or have things the way I imagined they would, but for now, I'm practicing what I preach - be patient!
Cheers to a wonderful and successful New Year!