It was just past midnight and there I was, sitting at my little cutting table slicing away at 8.5×11 sheets, cutting out tags for a friend’s Buck and Doe last week when…. GASP! I had dragged the exacto knife right into the edge of my thumb. I ran to the bathroom sink and called for my roomie’s boyfriend to help me. I saw that it was bad when I first realized what I had done, but wasn’t prepared to take another glance.

He did for me though, and said “Yep, you’re going to have to go to the hospital”. We hopped in a cab, driving one block down the street to pick up my boyfriend, and the two of us continued to the hospital.

It was a long night, but TLC (one of my favourite television channels), kept us occupied in the waiting room.

Three hours and one tetnis shot later,…

We were on our way home and ready for sleep.

A week later and I’m almost healed. No more bandages at least – yay! And yes,… although things have proven a bit more difficult without the use of one thumb (opening packages, washing my hair, and even getting dressed), I’m pretty much recovered and back to normal.

And to think, I had made it through 4 years of design school and not a single cut. Well, I guess it was bound to happen at some point and now I can move on and be a better, more careful cutter because of it. :)

As of late, despite the mounds of work I have on my plate, I have found time to reflect and be grateful. (Those subway commutes have proven to be good for something). I thought it would make a great return post, so here are a few things I am thankful for…

• A super supportive boyfriend.
• Super inspiring friends who make my days so invigorating.
• BFFs in Hong Kong who help write blog posts for you when you are struggling to keep up.
• Inspiring and strong business partners who can fight through anything.
• My mom. No words can sum up everything she is and what she has done for me.
• The little one growing in my best friend’s belly. (More on that soon!)

• Chocolate. Okay…. so maybe I overdid it with the chocolate lately, but… it makes me feel warm and happy when things aren’t going A+, so… how can I deny it?
• My clients. I couldn’t be doing this without them. They are helping me build this business and gain experience with something I am so passionate about, so for that I thank them.

So yeah… I’m feeling pretty fortunate these days. And here I go – back to blogging! I missed you guys.

xo Sam

Surprise! It’s been two months since I left Toronto and I am back on this blog briefly to help Sam a little with the blogging. I know she has been overwhelmed juggling a full-time job, working on making her projects amazing and still staying sane :P So since I am in bed today with a flu, a box of tissues and my laptop, I’ve decided to come back and do some blogging for H+H :)

Being in Asia brings a lot of different inspiration and experiences, so hopefully I will be able to schedule some interesting posts for the next little while.

I hate to do this, but the truth is I’m struggling. This stationery design business is only one of my jobs. The other is a full-time manager position at tea shop, and I cannot afford to drop that for H&H right now. I will be taking a break from posting for at least 2 weeks to figure out my direction with the business. I need to re-group and figure out my resources. I want this to be my career. It’s my passion. …but I must do some serious re-planning before I can spend more of my time blogging again. Sorry all! :(

Also, I do have actual client work on-the-go, so that’s great! I just need the time to complete it too. See you all very soon!

xo

Sam

p.s. I apologize for the hacks. I hate hackers. I’m working on getting this fixed too. :( wish me luck.

I felt as though this was a necessary post to make, especially for those of you who follow To Have and To Hold closely. Cheryl has officially left H+H to pursue work as a designer in Hong Kong. It seems to be going well for her as she has already landed a position at a studio, but… my gosh I miss her!!!

Don’t worry though, we keep in touch regularly. Whether it’s on MSN, Skype, Twitter, or through email, we find ways to stay connected. Maybe she’ll find a way to make time for H+H again in the future. For now though, I wish her all the luck and happiness in HK.

xoxo Cheryl! You’ll always have a home here.

{image stolen from Cheryl’s Facebook page}

So most people don’t know, but I spent over fifteen years of my life figure skating. Some I even dedicated to coaching (mostly little ones ages 4-10). Those were important years to me. I still have my skates… well, not the ones I started out in, but the ones I used for the last few years of my skating. I miss it so. My favourite area was always ice dancing. I wanted so badly to achieve what is called the ‘gold’ in ice dancing, but never went on to complete all the testing. This is something different from an Olympic gold, but regardless it was a huge accomplishment to me. I still think about going back and completing it.

So when I heard just a few days ago that Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue had won the gold medal for Canada in ice dancing, I was thrilled. And then I watched the routine. I couldn’t have been more excited, proud, and moved by a performance. I am still so amazed by the technique and feeling that was put into that routine. It was the perfect display of a classic romance: timeless, elegant, and tender.

Even if you aren’t as excited about skating as I am, it’s a must see. It’s like watching an old Hollywood romance movie, except on ice. See for youself: this is the routine done at the Grand Prix Final in 2009, and here is the gold medal moment they shared this year at the Olympics. The video makes my heart delighted, especially since these two have been ice skating together since they were kids. You can really sense the chemistry and care they have for each other when they skate.

Note: Pretty certain Scott whispers “I love you SO much” after the completion of their routine. *cue heart melting

{image from CTVOlympics.ca; screen capture from CTVOlympics on YouTube}

Hello!

It’s Giulia, writing my very first post! I was first mentioned here and now I am finally writing to explain how I ended up finding, saying hello and joining H+H!

Firstly, thank you to Sam for being so welcoming, encouraging and just awesome throughout this whole process. As she mentioned, we both went to York/Sheridan Design in Toronto. After graduation, I worked as a freelance designer and when my two older sisters were planning their weddings (7 months apart) both suggested that I help them with their invitations. I had so much fun working with each of them for their special days.

{image © me}

After their weddings, I started to think about starting an invitation site. I took my time until I was focused and ready. But once I decided, here’s what happened:

- brainstorm some names + decide on To Have and To Hold
- Google tells me it’s taken by fellow classmates
- e-mail them congratulating and encouraging them to continue
- get an e-mail back + an invite for tea
- tea lasts almost 5 hours
- I join H+H

{image from keraoc via Flickr}

Now, five hours is a pretty long time for tea (sorry Starbucks!) but we had so much to talk about and so many ideas. Our experiences weren’t the same, but the lessons learned and the view on our respective projects were very, very similar. And so, after much talking, meeting and consideration, I joined H+H. Isn’t it funny how timing slash things works out? Lesson of the day: be happy for others! You never know what can happen!

{image from mackin ink}

One thing we both wanted to focus on was a mantra for the blog and so “celebrating life’s special moments…and everything in between” was born. With that, I am so grateful and excited to be part of this. I hope that we can bring you ideas, inspiration and a love for celebrating you and all the people, places and things around you!

There are some big changes happening here at To Have and To Hold. It’s time to make an official announcement about one of them. A while back we received an email from an alumna from the same university Cheryl and I graduated from. It turns out we were actually all in the same class for one semester. And although we never got to know each other on a personal level at the time, we have since learned that we have more than a few things in common. In the email, the alumna, Giulia, described how she came across us while searching for a name for her own stationery design business. What are the odds that she would settle on the name “To Have and To Hold”, only to find out that two graduates from the following year had already claimed it? The solution: make her part of the team!

Alright so, the decision didn’t exactly happen that quickly, but.. it didn’t take long for me to realize what a warm and wonderful person Giulia is. The story gets far more detailed than this… but I’ll leave some for Giulia to tell. She’s talented, determined, and extremely positive and we’re happy to have her on board. Welcome Giulia!

Today is a fresh start. I woke up, grabbed myself a light, healthy breakfast and completed a yoga routine. This felt awesome. I promised myself that in my new ‘adult life’ I will make a habit of yoga and pilates a few times a week. I need balance in my life and I think this is the answer.

It also feels awesome to be revealing the winner of the Spread the Love Giveaway. Here it is…

The third commenter wins. Congrats Victoria! Expect some pretty Valentine’s Day cards in the mail this week. I can’t wait for the next giveaway already. Thanks again to all who entered, and for all the sweet comments. They definitely made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

A bit of news: To Have and To Hold will be getting a make-over this coming month, so look out for it! I have commissioned my dear friend Chris from university to take care of the re-design since I’m so busy with other projects and work. But trust me, it’s in good hands. You can check out his portfolio here. He does some pretty amazing stuff. I’m so proud of him. :)

Well, I’m off to meet another special person who you may or may not hear about in the future in regards to H+H, but… that’s for me to find out today. Wish me luck! xo

Happy Sunday everyone!

There are a few things I need to update you on… but first, I’m feeling generous and thankful so it’s time to launch our very first giveaway! In the spirit of Valentine’s Day we’re calling it the Spread the Love Giveaway.

So here’s the deal: I’ll be giving away a pack of 12 Bee Mine cards with envelopes included for you to hand out to all your friends and loved ones. To enter, simply comment on this post with a reason why you like Valentine’s Day, or a favourite memory associated with it. People bash on this day, but we need to remember that holidays like this aren’t about how much money you spend, but the time you spend with the people you love. You don’t have to be in a relationship; Valentines is for families too! Show them that you’re thankful for having them in your life.

The giveaway will be closed on Thursday, January 28th at 10:00 a.m. Friday, January 29th at 12:00 a.m. The winner will be chosen by a random generator and will be announced that afternoon.

Finally, I just want to say thank you to those of you who have supported us so far. I really do appreciate all of the visits. Even though we are still in the young stage of development, I promise you we aren’t going anywhere and we intend on continuing to grow. I ask you to ’spread the love’ for us by spreading the word about To Have and To Hold on Facebook, Twitter or on your own blog. It really means a lot to me that we have already received so much love after just a few months of being at work.

Thanks again and I look forward to reading your comments!