Showing posts with label inspired by creatives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspired by creatives. Show all posts

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Please vote for Design Vignettes!




Design Vignettes has been nominated for the second year in a row for Best Blogger Interior Design! My blog is up against a number of design blogs that have also been nominated (13 total in the Interior Design category) so every vote counts. If you enjoy this blog on a regular basis, I would truly appreciate your vote of support! 

Even more so, I would like to know why you follow this blog. Do you like the before and after makeovers, the sharing of design trends, local design event coverage, or other art related content? Is there a topic you would like to learn more about? Are you interested in reading more personal posts that are not design specific? Or do you rarely read blogs anymore and prefer a stream of Instagram images?

Since starting this blog in 2009, my life has certainly had a lot of significant changes ... from being a stay-at-home-mom of 4 who needed a creative outlet, to becoming a design show participant (on 8 different occasions), to creating a years worth of issues of a digital design magazine, to guest blogging for dozens of brands, to being invited to several design blogging events across the country, to working full-time for 3 different companies over the last 5 years.

I know that the opportunities that have presented themselves have without a doubt been influenced by the simple act of writing this blog, which helped to define my creative path. And how fun has it been to connect with and meet other design bloggers on the same journey!

And while my blog posts have certainly decreased as my work life has become more structured – and as my growing boys lives have required a new type of attention – I still feel compelled to post every now and then for whatever reason. To those of you who continue to come back to check in, thank you! And my sincerest gratitude to any of you new visitors who stopped by today and read to the end : )

Monday, February 3, 2014

New Home + Design Studio



For the past month, I feel as if I have been in design boot camp! Today I finally have a moment to catch my breath and share why I have not posted for weeks ...

At year’s end, I was offered a full-time position as an interior Design Consultant for the newest location of Bassett Furniture in Burlington, MA, which has its very own HGTV Home Design Studio! This new collaboration between the solid Bassett brand (in the furniture business for over 100 years) with the very colorful “we make decorating fun culture of HGTV, offers me the opportunity to design complete living spaces utilizing an incredible amount of available products, design resources, and support. Having recently moved out of my suite of rooms at the Glen Magna Farms Designers Holiday Show House, I knew that working alongside a group of creatively focused peers was an experience I wanted to continue. And as much as I enjoyed many of my creative roles at Designer Bath, from coordinating events to handling all the advertising, marketing and social media details, I knew I needed more hands-on design time and less screen time. I just couldn’t pass this up! 


The newest Bassett Furniture location in Burlington, MA




I am happy to say that my new home at Bassett is just what I needed. After completing over 30+ classes via Bassett University, training in two of their Massachusetts locations, assisting in the set up of this beautiful two-story design studio, and surviving my first sale on the floor, I can truly say I feel at home. I will share some of the details of my recent Bassett design makeovers later! In the meantime, come visit me – and the rest of the Burlington Bassett design team – at 90 Middlesex Marketplace. And for those of you who were able to join us for our Grand Opening celebration last week, thank you! It meant so much to have you there!



Ribbon cutting with the Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce
at our Grand Opening celebration // photo courtesy BACC


The HGTV custom design studio at Bassett in Burlington











Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Lunch with Holly Becker of Decor8


In late August, I was invited to attend a book signing at Anthropologie in Boston featuring Holly Becker of the well-known design blog Decor8, where for the past 5+ years she has featured “fresh finds for hip spaces.


Holly, along with lifestyle writer Joanna Copestick, has taken the design philosophy of her highly followed blog and has turned it into a really fabulous book filled with
1,000 professional design ideas for every room in your home.



photo Debi Treloar; designer Sania Pell
Decorate is available at local Anthropologie
stores or through
Amazon.com.



Peppered throughout with inspiring quotes from talented designers, and image-rich with a wide range of decorative styles, Holly has created an extensive guide that encourages readers to uncover their own personal design aesthetic while providing tips and techniques to decorate with confidence.






Meeting Holly in person was such a treat! Even with her cross-continental fame (she lived in the Boston area for 20 years but now lives in Germany with her husband) she is very approachable and truly values connecting with others. There were lots of people in line who had taken her e-course on how to establish a meaningful and creative blog (Blogging Your Way) and many others who have followed her creative journey throughout the years. She was warm and gracious to all, even after signing books for over 2 hours!




Before sitting down to sign books, Holly shared decorating tips with a group of attendees who had signed up for her mood board presentation. I wasn’t able to make it to this part of the event, but a lot of other bloggers in attendance wrote about it (see list below).




After finishing up at Anthropologie, about 20 of us headed to the Back Bay Social Club which was just a short walk down Boylston Street. We filled two long tables and Holly encouraged each of us to stand up and introduce ourselves to the group and share a little bit about why we blog and what else we do to fulfill our artistic impulses. The room was filled with a creative buzz and there was lots to talk about!

While I did not get a chance to speak with everyone personally, I was really impressed with the accomplishments and goals of these women who had gathered to meet Holly. I was happy to spend some time getting to know Rochelle Greayer, a landscape designer turned editor, who is on the verge of launching Leaf Magazine. Just like when I started New England Finery Magazine, she was full of contagious enthusiasm! Being a gardener myself, I am looking forward to reading their first issue (due out in October) which I am sure will be beautiful and informative.





I sat next to a handful of Boston bloggers who I have met at other design events (at the Boston Design Center and again in NYC on the set of the Nate Berkus show). I was also introduced to other area bloggers that I have been following online. Here I am chatting about blog writing and life in general with Laura of Journey Chic. Laura’s blog focuses on sharing easy and affordable design style tips. During lunch she told me she used to be roommates with Boston blogger Erin Gates of Elements of Style.


Here are some more photos from our end of the table:


Artist Sarah Ahearn with lifestyle blogger/writer Katy Elliott.
Photo credit: Amisha Thakkar-Kashyap


This was my first time meeting the two Kates who blog:
DomestiKated Life and Katy Elliott


It’s always fun spending time with Boston bloggers!
Julieann (CreateGirl)



Thank you, Julieann, for getting us all together. It is always a pleasure to connect with and support other creatives!



Check out the blog posts below. Most of them share their personal thoughts on gathering to meet Holly Becker, along with providing insights on what it is like to travel a creative path. The first two posts are from Holly : ) Enjoy!



Decor8

HausMaus

CreateGirl

Sabbe Interior Design

Everything LEB

DomestiKated Life

Katy Elliott

Monica Lee Studios

WellerWishes

Studio G

Sarah Ahearn Bellemare

Journey Chic

Gorgeous and Fun Things

Pretty Neat Design

Lolalina

The Desha Show

The Patterned Peacock

Graceful Whimsy

Ellen Crimi-Trent

D.S. Brennan Photography