House of Papier had a great year in 2009! Our business has grown and we’ve learned a lot. I have the privilege of working with the best clients on the planet who challenge me to create the most beautiful custom invitation designs.  December is filled with Christmas parties and holiday cocktails and while I will be out and about this month, the invitation presses will not stop. We have two projects underway that I’m excited about and House of Papier has a new Über-Fabulous Collection that will be launching in February 2010 just in time for NY Fashion Week.

I would also like to announce a new member of the House of Papier team – Louise Grdovic (pictured below) in her wedding picture. How fitting, since she will be assisting with Wedding invitations and much more.

{Louise Grdovic – Assistant Invitation Designer}

Thank you to all of you who subscribe to the House of Papier blog, follow us on Facebook, and of course I can’t forget my Tweetie Pies on Twitter. Stay tuned for more wonderful things to come in 2010!

House of Papier, LLC
Designer Invitations for Your Fashionable Life!

XOXO,

Wedding gowns, cake, and brides, Oh My! Last night I attended the Wedding Salon in Manhattan at the Roosevelt Hotel and it was quite the experience. I expected to stroll through the ballroom and peruse all the vendor stations while taking time to chit-chat at each booth. Boy was I wrong! The place was packed from wall to wall and you literally had to get in where you fit in. The Wedding Salon was the place to be for all thing bridal. The brides-to-be showed up in droves, all clammering to get the best deals on wedding gowns, cake, invitations, photographers, honeymoons and much more. While there you could get your face made up in the makeup room, listen to a wedding singer and in the ballroom, model brides and grooms were dancing to the music of a wedding band. The ballroom also hosted the reception table design concepts, which I was looking forward to seeing. Most of the designs were beautiful, but some were a little too gaudy for me. Wedding gowns lined the hallways on maniquines while model brides strolled the event wearing designer dresses. The Wedding Salon is held in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Visit thier website at: www.weddingsalon.com for upcoming events. Here are some pictures from the event. View the entire album at: http://houseofpapierllcpicturesvideos.shutterfly.com/

Missy & Sylvia Wienstock {Celebrity Cake Designer}

 Reception Table Design

 Reception Table Design ~ Chanel Inspired

 Reception Table Design ~ Love the Bamboo Menus!

 Loved this Wedding Gown!

XOXO,

Twice a year the fashion elite gather in the heart of New York City for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to view the latest fashion collections for the upcoming season. September 10th kicked off the start of Fashion Week Spring 2010 and House of Papier was right in the mix. With two days left to go until it’s all over, I finally have time to catch up on my blog posts to bring you the inside scoop from the Tents.

So what in the world does fashion have to do with House of Papier and invitations? I’m glad you asked! Simply put, fashion inspires me (See my post from February). The colors, material, embellishments, trimmings all give me ideas for custom invitation designs. A clothing designer creates their clothes in a Fashion House and Missy creates invitations in the House of Papier.

PRESS RELEASE:

Melissa “Missy” McDowell, Creative Director of House of Papier interviewed for Identity Magazine. Click HERE to read the article.

 This weekend I attended my Uncle’s wedding in Minneapolis, MN at the Semple Mansion. While I was there I meet professional floral designer, Eric Sandstrom who created the beautiful floral centerpieces for the reception tables. Sandstrom is the owner of Floral Logic and has created award winning designs. His arrangements are sure to be a show stopper for any event. Visit www.florallogic.com to view Sandstorm’s portfolio and learn how you can book him for your event.

Missy and Eric Sandstrom of Floral Logic

Floral Logic Centerpiece

This past Saturday I spent most of the day in Manhattan picking up supplies for a current project I’m working on. I was in search of ribbon embellishments. Colors are so important when designing invitations, and I found out every earlier on in this business that one person’s shade of blue is not another person’s shade of blue. It would be lovely if there was one universal color chart to work with. While I start off with the pantone color palette, that usually gets thrown out the window when a client requests tangerine orange or raspberry pink. On this particular Saturday I was on the hunt for a specific shade of pink and brown. With swatch in tow I was on a mission to find it – and I did!

On Wednesday, May 6th I attended the Savor the Success Women Entrepreneurs Event in New York. It was great to be around other women business owners who share the same hopes and dreams for the success and growth of their business. The day was full of panel discussions and topic discussion on all things related to running and building a successful business.

Of all the networking events and conferences I have attended, this one has been the most valuable. I connected with a variety of business owners who can help me get House of Papier to the next level. One of my favorite speakers was Mike Michalowicz, the author of The Toiletpaper Entrepenuer. Aside from providing excellent strategies for business growth – he is hilarious. I would recommend attending one of his sessions if you ever have the opportunity. As a premium member of Savor the Success I look forward to the journey of growing House of Papier and providing you with the best invitation products and best customer service!

                                                                                                                            ~ Missy

Here are some more pictures from the event

Missy and Donnie of Donnella's Closet - www.dcsbag.com

Missy and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

I’m having a lot of fun working on a new project for a potential client. My creative juices are flowing and this project reminds me how much I love the couture designed invitations that are tailored to my customers needs. It’s so fun to bring a vision to fruition. I’ll share the completed project with you once it’s finished. In the mean time, here’s a sneak peek: