California Gift Show

I tried to post my progress of visual merchandising for the California Gift Show on Twitter and instagram, but here is a more complete documentation of the exhibit hall via my iPhone camera and its handy filter apps. During the Gift Show, the 2nd floor is full of exhibitor booths featuring all kinds of cool product. If you aren't a retailer who attends the show, many people wonder what the "gift" show is all about. The best way I know how to describe it is anything that doesn't fall into the categories of traditional clothing, food, or furniture, can be found at the gift show. It is where wholesalers bring their new product to show retailers, specifically more boutique type shops.

Beckman's is a handcrafted show that exhibits at the Ca Gift Show. It is for creative and artistic handmade wholesalers looking to connect with retail establishments. The exhibit hall is full of Beckman's participants, and I was given a few of those companies to work with to use their product for my displays in the lobby area. In these photos you can see that I had everything from hand made pottery to dog collars. It was such a fun mix of product!

Not gonna lie, it's a bit of a challenge to design and install a space like this. The ceilings are high and the space between the elevators is pretty wide. The space needed to feel inviting to make people want to get off the elevators, and my own personal requirement was for it to feel fun and cheery. At the same time the space couldn't be too cluttered or crowded because there is a lot of traffic in this space during the show and people need to be able to move around easily and the product  had to be displayed in a way that it wouldn't impede walking paths or get pushed or bumped on to the floor. 

Canopies seem to be my go to for an easy but big impact these days (see post here). Although they take some time to install, it really is a pretty easy project. The canopy was perfect for this particular project because it added a lot of drama to the space without getting in the way. 

Stay tuned for the photos of the displays that I designed and installed on the other floors for the gift show. I was so happy to have my photographer Stacey Sutherland take professional photos for me and I can't wait to share them with you!

featured product // J. Johnson & Co., cdd Silhouettes, Nell & Mary, Hilary Lamon, Jackpots!

Holiday Style / No. 3

Why is everything old so much cooler than anything brand new? All of these ingredients for a perfectly retro Christmas were found on Etsy.

shepherd / tags / mugs / ornaments / santa mug / wood letters / santa tags

Holiday Style / No. 2

felt ornaments / stocking / cards / outfit / door / ornaments / nativity

A Very Merry Giveaway!

Merry Christmas blog readers! As tempted as I was to do something completely outside the box and go for a navy and hot pink themed Christmas, I kept getting drawn to something more classic, simple, and sophisticated (see inspiration from previous post here). Anyone can easily put this table together with the below ingredients from your local craft store, but for one lucky reader, you won't have to because I'll be boxin' it up and shippin' it to ya!

I wanted to do something fun for this special time of year, so we're celebrating by doing my first ever giveaway here on the blog! To enter to win this holiday table design for 4, simply enter a comment below and tell me your favorite Christmas memory, or simply your favorite thing about this time of year. (Mine would be sailing around the Florida Keys last Christmas on a very questionable boat; that memory will definitely be hard to top.) To enter you must first leave a comment, but for additional entries you can following me on twitter here, and like my Facebook page here. I'll be selecting a winner at noon on Friday (December 16) and then packing it up and shipping it ASAP so that you have time to enjoy it before Christmas day. Sound good?

Here's what you'll get:

(4) red ribbed plate chargers

(4) smaller clear vases

(2) larger clear vases

berries, cinnamon sticks, twigs/branches

(4) gift boxes (to be filled with your own creation, personalized for your guests)

(4) red glittered initials to act as place cards and tree ornaments (I love when things serve a dual purpose...)

*Note: winner is to request the letters of their choice to coordinate with guests' names

(4) speckled feathers

twine

(1) table runner

(4) white cloth napkins

**does not include silverware, plates, goblets

Good luck and merry Christmas!!

WINNER UPDATE: I wanted the drawing to be totally fair (because a lot of times I think these types of things are rigged), so I assigned everyone a number for their comment, then you were given an additional number for a Facebook like, and an additional number for a Twitter follow. That totaled numbers 1-54. I went here and the number that came up was 23, Rebecca!!

Congrats! Let me know what glitter initials you want me to send you and I'll ship it out tomorrow! Merry Christmas!!

Simple and Elegant Styling

A modern day Breakfast at Tiffany's meets Sounds of Music? There's probably a much better film association that I could make, but it's late, and as much as I'd like to be, I'm not much of a film buff. Even still, I'm enjoying bookmarking more and more fashion styling and photography that catches my eye. This particular shoot was photographed by Alasdair McLellan and styled by Suzanne Koller. So well done.

images

Styling / The Story of 2 Chairs

These are some photos from my first attempt at collaborating with a photographer to style something specifically for my blog. Steven Pereira was so fun to work with as we moved around these two little chairs in the grasses of Newport's Back Bay.

pink chair / Goodwill
gold damask chair / TJ Maxx
coat rack / Urban
fabric from Lee Jofa, LuLu DK, Schumacher, Kravet

Eccentric Styling

This girl is sort of creepy which makes the styling of these photos all the more amazing. It's time I added a little bit of edge to this little blog of mine.

Photographs by the very talented Silja Magg.

Styling / Fall Picnic

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of teaming up with photographer Chantel Marie Tripp to style a  photo shoot. I wanted to do a fall picnic, but fall in Newport usually consists of "brisk" 75 degree weather and the beach. So why fight it, right?

I've styled interiors, windows, weddings and holiday tables, but this was the first time I had ever styled a photo shoot with people...from the models, to the clothes, to the scene, to the props, to the location...and I have to say, I had an absolute blast. 

It helps that Chantel is an incredible photographer and amazing to work with. She has a way of interacting with people that makes them come out of their shell and appear as though they are in love, even if they've only met once before (ahem, ahem). Not only is she amazing with people, but I love the way she sees the world and captures that with her camera. Girlfriend has a serious artistic eye and mad photography skills. 

See more photos on Chantel's blog here.

And a major shout out to Kelli and Aaron for being spectacular models and such amazing sports. Seriously kids...add these photos to your modeling portfolios! And Erin, mad props on Kelli's make up...are you for hire?

Fall Picnic

I acquired a really cool vintage picnic basket at the flea market and have been wanting to style a photo shoot around it. Living in Southern California, the days that it actually feels or looks like fall are few and far between, but I really love the idea of a fall picnic. Maybe I'll use these images as inspiration, but take it to the beach instead. 

one, two, three, four, five, six