The Year in Review | 2018

Happy New Year, everyone! I don’t like resolutions because they are meant to be broken. However, I do like the word “intention” and not in the sense of “…well, I intended to do that” but intention being consciously putting in an effort regularly. So, with that being said, I have made an intention for 2019 to create more content on this blog portion of my site. I love that this website is home to all my creations in rotation but I do have another love, which is writing. I think it may be time to come back to that. It will of course be wedding and event related, but in an intentional way. Promise.

Whew. What a year 2018 was! It was actually my first full year truly as Fanciful Ink being my full time job. There were many things I learned, and many many things that I loved. You see, in the fall of 2017 my position with the company I worked for was dissolved. I was fortunate at that time to work from home which also allowed me less commute time and filled in spaces of time with design work so I was able to prove to myself that my dream was actually able to sustain me. I knew the loss of my full time job was the push I needed to take the leap of faith to really move Fanciful Ink into a serious full time opportunity. I want to say a special thank you to all of the wonderful couples, businesses and individuals for making my first full year in business a beautiful one. Most of the pieces are on display in the Bridal Gallery and there are many more to come that I will be finishing up this year. It is so hard to choose favorites because I put so much into my designs and enjoy working with every couple, truly. Here are a few highlights…

I was part of some amazing styled shoots, which you can find scrolling below and on the Published Style Sessions section. I love that they were all so different in style. I got to create a moody elegant all black toned invitation, a hand painted boho invitation on hand-made paper in tones of mustard, ash blue and rose, a celestial look on acrylic and a posh royal inspired invitation in navy and blush. I love working with other vendors in this industry.

On a personal note, my husband I were fortunate to travel to four countries last year on two trips as well as adventures to Maine, which we thought was beautiful. Our year started out literally in Paris, France where we spent a few days over New Years’ to explore the gorgeous city. We ventured on a day trip to Versailles, ate far too many carbs and breathed in all of the glamour that the city evokes. I loved that I also created this amazing invitation for a destination wedding in France after going on our trip.

Then we went to Disney World, where everything is always fun, no matter how old you are. I am a huge Disney fan, so I’m always down for anything Disney related, like this invitation that has hidden gems throughout the scroll work with a different theme on each piece.

In the spring, we went on a two week vacation to England and Scotland, which was amazing. We started out in London then rented a van and drove to stops along the way : Bath, Cotswolds and York in England. We made the trip with my in-laws who wanted to see some sites in Scotland that related to their heritage. We stayed in the lowlands of Scotland and finished the trip in Edinburgh. Since learning my father’s side of the family is Scottish, I really felt at home there. So, you know what that means. I need to create British inspired invitation complete with tartan. Any takers?

I cannot wait to start a new year fresh with a new life to designs and a fresh breath for me personally. The past year was a challenging one health-wise for me so I am reminding myself to breathe in every moment of living this dream job of Fanciful Ink.

Cheers to 2019, let’s make it incredibly fanciful.

- Laurie