Jonathan Adler Studio #Blogfest2013 part 2

Our first night of Blogfest 2013 in New York started with a cocktail party at the Jonathan Adler retail location on Madison Avenue. I have always been a fan of Jonathan Adler designs. Graphic patterns, happy colors, and spirited style with a sense of humour. Surrounded by a showroom of his artistic expression was a real treat, and a fab way to kick off our “we love to blog about pretty things” field trip.

photo credit: Linda Holt

As I mentioned in my last post, Linda and I dressed in JA-inspired cocktail attire. Traveling with a former portrait photographer has its advantages (Linda’s specialty was head shots for models and celebs in the Boston area). 

Jonathan Adler cozy throws in my

favorite patterns and colorways.

Pops of color combine effortlessly with black and brass accents. 

Smiles all around. A happy place.

Tobi Fairley Design Campers meet again at Blogfest 2013:

Leslie Hassler, Linda Holt, Ann McDonald

Brass lovelies from the hard glamour collection.

With Mindy Miles Greenberg, Colleen Carney, Linda Holt and Lisa Ehrlich

(I met Lisa at the International Gift Fair a couple years ago)

Simply mahvelous: white porcelain Muse vessels.

Southern charm: Kevin Wild, Brandy Scott and Shay Geyer

(I met Shay in the Nate Day blogger audience in 2010)

Adoring these agate coasters!

Boston bloggers: with Linda Holt and Laurie Gorelick

Our cocktail party surroundings were quite distracting what with all the shiny objects and bright baubles (including furnishings AND blogger fashions!) Being the first evening of our three-day design adventure, we were all excited about our Blogfest agenda. Meeting up with aquaintances from past design related events and twitter chats made the evening feel oddly familiar.

A couple of designers in the crowd were also from the Boston area, and a large number of the attending bloggers were Brizo alum like myself, so we will be seeing each other again in Memphis come July for the Brizo Blogger 19 Reunion. Woo hoo! I think I am finally starting to enjoy traveling (okay, I admit it’s a little easier to unwind when I’m not responsible for the packing and entertaining of an energetic family of six, with myself the only girl!)

Pick-a-card networking: Jeffrey Johnson chooses his favorite color

from Linda’s selection of newly printed business cards.

The Leo in me loves this guy.

Thank you, Jonathan, for welcoming us! After the Adler team closed up shop, a group of us headed out to enjoy a late dinner.  

Laurie Gorelick, Courtney Price, Linda Holt, Vicki Bolick

With Manvi Hildago Drona and Mindy Miles Greenberg

photo credit: Courtney Price

Sharing a meal together is the best way to really get to know each other. We found out who has pets, who has children, who has a daughter living in the city, who loves photography, and who used to be a regular on HGTV (that would be Mindy!) While we were enjoying our girl talk, there was a long table next to us seated with New York pre-teens enjoying the birthday celebration of one of their girlfriends. They were adorable! One of them said she liked my dress as I walked by. I hope it was a sincere compliment – too many episodes of Gossip Girl makes me wonder : )  

Quick cab ride back to Yotel for one more drink before calling it a night.

Next up: Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse!

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.

Photo credit: Amisha Thakkar-Kashyap

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)

Stephanie (Sabbe Interior Design)
Lindsay (EverythingLEB)
Katie (Domestikated)

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

Photo credit: Monica Lee

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

Next week: a Brimfield tweet-up

New England Finery, issue 3, page 63

Next week from September 6th through the 11th, the Brimfield antique show will be open for the final time this season. And for the second time, there will be a Brimfield tweet-up held on the premises! To view photos from last May’s tweet-up, check out pages 63–69 of New England Finery, issue 3.

New England Finery, issue 3, page 67

Once again, celebrity guests Kelley Moore and Brian Kelsey will be there to dazzle visitors to the VIP tent with fabulous do-it-yourself projects featuring vintage finds from the grounds of what is known as the largest outdoor antique event in the USA.

New England Finery, issue 3, page 68

This season’s tweet-up, hosted by The Daily Basics and Gretchen Aubuchon Design, is being sponsored by favorite interior design sources Benjamin Moore (paint), Company C (fabrics and more), Pandora de Balthazar (European luxury bedding), and Aubuchon Hardware. There will be a trash-to-treasure shopping spree event with a pretty amazing giveaway (click here for details) and the unveiling of a design-inspired fashion contest winner (to see entries, like #brimfield on facebook).

Who will be in attendance? Look for lots of media presence including media partners Better Homes and Gardens and Traditional Home, not to mention a rocking list of design bloggers, industry professionals and twitter personalities. Put your name on the list by clicking here. It is sure to be a fun couple of days filled with treasure finding and connecting IRL!

Shopping, sipping and networking

Liz White, owner of Mason & Madison with friends Janeen,
Michelle, Shannon, and Nicole Mitsakis of Bee Custom


Last Thursday night I attended a fun event at the new Burton’s Grill in Peabody. We were invited to enjoy complimentary cocktails, sample dishes off the Burton’s menu and do some shopping while mingling with a number of North Shore businesses. A couple of Middleton business owners that I know were there, so I was happy to have an evening to chat with them about work, business and life!

New England Fine Living representatives enjoying our Harvest martinis (joining me is Heidi Bond, owner of The Dazzling Dot which specializes in gourmet gifts).

On display: A table full of unique gift items
available at Mason & Madison ...

along with just a sample of the custom stationery and
gift items designed by Nicole Mitsakis of Bee Custom.

This fun event was coordinated by Julie Fairweather
of In Full Force pictured here with Nicole and Liz.

Get on the list: follow
IFF on Facebook!

Northshore Magazine was the media sponsor and had representatives at the event. I happily noticed an ad for New England Fine Living is in the December issue (page 86). After looking at the two issues I left with, I still think they could use more content featuring North Shore home design (I may have even offered to help with that ...) and I also put in a request for a digital version to be made available online. Wouldn’t that be nice? I was happy to see some familiar faces in the Oct./Nov. issue (Liz is on page 44 and the home of furniture designer and architect Sebastian Carpenter was featured on pages 118-121). To read my posts on Sebastian’s work and to see photos that I took while visiting his home click here and here. To see my post on Liz at Mason & Madison click here.



Check out the Lifestyle Blitz Facebook page
for future events by clicking here.

Perhaps I will see you at the next one ; )



FYI: Save now on holiday treats ...

The Dazzling Dot (my friend Heidi’s business) is offering $5.00 off all Thanksgiving cookie and brownie gift boxes. Act quick, offers ends November 24th!
Click here for online ordering info.


If you would like to network on the Northshore,
mark your calendar and plan to combine business
with pleasure on Thursday, December 2nd for a
Women in Business Holiday Networking Event
that will take place at New England Fine Living at
106 South Main St. in Middleton from 5pm to 7pm.
Click here for RSVP details.