Every parent needs a "Misseyee"

My little girl turns 3 on July 10th. She's had her birthday party planned out for the last two months or so. She tells me she's going to wear a birthday hat, everyone's going to sing happy birthday to her, she's going hit her Hello Kitty piñata and eat all the pink and purple flowers on her birthday cake! Apparently all I have to do make it all come true.

I went to look for her baby pictures today in hopes to find something I can use for her birthday party invitations. I felt awful when I came to the realization that if it wasn't for my sister, Cynthia (a.k.a Misseyee), I wouldn't own half of the images I looked at today!

What does "Misseyee" mean?
A couple of years ago my daughter learned the names of her aunts and uncles Melina (Meli), Eddie and Erik. To her, all names sounded alike, so she called them all "Eyee". But I think she also thougth that "Eyee" meant "tall and slender" which is why Cynthia was automatically an "Eyee" too, even though her name didn't sound like any of the rest, she looked like them...tall and slender.

During this time Andria also went through a phase where she called everyone Miss or Mister. For a while we were all refered to as: "Miss Mommy," "Miss Gramma," "Mister Daddy," and naturally "Miss Eyee."

Well, I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank my sister for being such a loving aunt and constantly photographing my little girl! Most of the photos above were taken by her except for: (1) Andria's Halloween picture where she's dressed as her daddy, (2) Andria's first birthday party, Hawaiian theme, photographed with her aunt, Misseyee.

Tip to all new parents
I also wanted to encourage all the new parents out there, and all the newlywed couples who will eventually become parents without a Misseyee of their own - use your camera phones and digital cameras constantly - babies do grow up fast!

What a sweet idea!

If I had to describe myself in a few words, here's what I'd say: Love, family, art, paper, color, work, chocolate, computers, design, design, design.

The truth is, I love what I do! I love the fact that I can combine my passion for paper, color, and my need to be creative on a daily basis. It keeps me inspired, it's challenging at times therefore keeps me growing, and it puts bread on the table. It truly is a win-win situation.

And I adore my family. I love spending time with my husband and my little "Androopants," which is why I've opted to work the "graveyard" shift. (We're Sponge Bob Square Pants fans - her real name is Andria, in case you wondered).

Yes my friends, while the family sleeps, I work, work, work! Usually from 11pm - 6am! It's actually one of the best ideas I've ever had! There are hardly any interruptions which allows me to completely focus on what I'm doing. My husband watches our daughter in the mornings while I sleep, which allows us to save $ on day care. So we win-win again.

Is there a downfall? Yes. Only a couple, though.

1. I don't have much time to return business calls on the evenings that I have scheduled consultations.
   Luckily, we live in an era of high technology, which makes it easier to keep in constant communicaiton with my clients. I use and rely on e-mail all the time!
   
2. I get hungry around 2am.
   I do, and fruit just seems too "lively" for a midnight snack and left overs seem too heavy. I usually just have cereal, or sometimes I treat myself to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

But oh, what I wouldn't give to try one of those fresh baked chocolate chip cookies from Insomnia Cookies delivered to my door right now!

That's what I call a SWEET idea! High-five to the college students who started this delivery service! They operate from 8pm - 2am, later on weekends. Unfortunately, at this time their services are only provided to college campuses in the NYC area. But I cross my fingers and hope that they make it big and soon expand their services to residential areas in the west coast. Particuarly the Palm Springs area, which is where this chocolaholic (that's me!) will anxiously await a warm, chocolatey and satisfying cookie with a tall glass of cold milk.

Don't worry! When the day comes, I promise to be extra careful and not get any cookie crumbs on your invitations!

The Greater Palm Springs Wedding Association - Exciting changes are on the way!

2007 has been a busy year indeed! Aside from adding new pieces to my portfolio this season and managing my invitation studio, I have also been serving in the Greater Palm Springs Wedding Association's (GPSWA) board of directors as Marketing Committee Chairman, since January of this year.

Needless to say the last 6 months have been very exciting!

Rebranding the organization had been in the marketing plan since day one, but the changes are finally starting to happen. One of our milestones so far is the unveiling of our new logo! It's not your typical wedding logo composed of cute doves, hearts, or calligraphy style text. I designed this logo to reflect the elegance and uniqueness of our location, given that our beautiful surroundings are far from "typical" as well. Our architectural landmarks, clean cities, gorgeus landscaping, mountain views and year-round sunny blue skies make the Greater Palm Springs area the perfect wedding destination!

With this in mind, our (GPSWA) web site will also be going through a transformation in the coming months to better depict what desert weddings are like, and to better reflect our surroundings, as well as what the association and its members have to offer. So please stay tuned, you won't be disappointed!