oh maine

Maine. Maine. Maine. How everyone in the world doesn't just strive to move there and live happily ever after forever and ever amen is now beyond me. It was heaven in a small little ocean town. Heaven with really, really good lobster. The biggest decisions of my days in Maine were where to read - on the couch in the screened in porch or on the stairs outside - and how many lobsters to eat - two or three? Yes, I wrote three. They were that good. It was just what I needed after my whirlwind wholesale show and wedding weekend tour this July and August. You would have to work at not relaxing in this little slice of heaven.

maine-bound

I'm leaving you again, dear blog readers of mine. But this time I'm heading to rest, relaxation, peace, quiet and bliss in Maine. We'll see how this workaholic responds to no internet access - maybe there are cameras set up in the house and this is all just a fun experiment to see how I react. I've got two new books packed, more comfy clothes than I knew I had available and my Cute Husband is coming with me, so I do believe I will be just fine. I'll see you all back here on Monday when I will begin, after oh so many weeks away, my normally scheduled posting.

booth: nyigf august 2010

Y'all...these walls...this booth. Man oh man. I think sometimes I might be running for control freak of the year. To think that I, a person who doesn't really believe in measurements (more of a "oh, sure, yeah, that looks about right..." kind of gal), thought that I could manage to get these booth walls to look perfectly seamless and assembled in a matter of hours all by myself (with no emotional breakdowns) is kind of hilarious. No, wait, really hilarious. Now. Not so much hilarious on Thursday night. Or Friday during the second day of set up. But now - now that I've been living in this 8x10 for a few days and have gotten so much great feedback, now I can manage a smile or two when looking back on set up and I'm rethinking my firm proclamation to Cute Husband (and all of those people around me in NYC that had the unfortunate circumstance to be within earshot) that "these booth walls are going to be burned when I get home." I'm really happy with the display as it turned out. Yes, it was a lot of work, but I guess that makes the end result a little sweeter...I mean, I guess. It would have been just as sweet with an easy set up, too, I'm almost positive.

To answer to the questions I keep getting -- three books were injured for these walls and I made sure they were sad little neglected books on the discount shelf who I've now given glory to (mostly because I just couldn't fathom tearing apart one of my favorites even though I'd love to be surrounding my those comforting and treasured pages during trade shows) and, secondly, no, I did not read them. I was in a panic and mess of wallpaper paste. There was no reading.

nyigf - handmade, booth 9554

Welp, I'm leaving today for the big NYC. Set up for the NY Gift show begins tomorrow and the show begins on Saturday. I'm so excited to have another five days in a row with my loves from Figs & Ginger - sweet, sweet Rhonda and Elijah make this show my favorite, that's for sure. Once again, posting will be spotty while I'm away, but I'll try to update as much as I can.

NYIGF | HANDMADE SECTION | BOOTH 9554 (the white/organic/cream-ish/gold-ish one filled with tiny jewelry...)

new laurel denise

Here's a peek into some of the new designs I'll be showing at the NY Gift Show next week (sat-wed, javits center, handmade section, booth 9554). Cute Husband really loves the illustration pieces and I'm pretty sure I do, too. Feels oh so good to come out of that crazy-panic-if-I-don't-get-this-out-of-my-brain-and-into-an-actual-piece creative place that I was in and then see a finished product that I can be happy with. Really excited to get these shown and out there into boutique-land. Some of you loves will remember the images from my very first Laurel Denise glass collection. The top illustration is a very loose interpretation of a piece called "join hands." It had a Shakespeare quote on it and many brides purchased that piece. The middle picture (on the far left) shows a piece that is similar to my old "swept away" piece...no quote on that one, but the piece was the second one that I ever made (I mean ever) and so the image makes my heart happy.

reading tales

I finished these two books on my Atlanta>North Carolina>Chicago trip a week or so ago and have been meaning to post about them ever since. Seriously delicious reads, friends. I'm not usually lucky enough in my reading to get two awesome books in a row - probably because I get too attached to each story and character that it's hard to let another one in so quickly with whatever book happens to be number two in the sequence - but this time was different and I found myself completely wrapped up in both of these books. Fortune's Rocks got a big hug when I finished it poolside (so great was this book and Anita Shreve's storytelling that I'm now reading The Pilot's Wife, despite the fact that it's about a woman losing her husband in an airplane accident - a reading subject I try to avoid at all costs). I thank the amazing Brett for letting me borrow her copy. The second book, also so so so very good, was The Concubine's Daughter. A nice, thick, awesome story that I could dive into and not be finished with in one day. When it comes to my normal reading speed, that's considered a win.

weekend no. 080710

Oh, U.S. Airways, you've hurt my heart. The delays, the cancellations, the changes, the extended and additional delays...you kind of killed me this weekend. Cute Husband and I spent a bit too much time for anyone's happiness in various airports this weekend, friends. Waiting and waiting and waiting for things to go as they were planned to go. Man oh man. But said delays couldn't knock us down completely, that's for sure. There was too much fun to be had with such great friends in St. Louis! The wedding was great, held in one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen, the couple was glowing and happy, the music was hoppin' and inspired much dancing (a small rendition of M.J's Thriller, anyone?), the wine was delicious and might have even inspired a head stand or two, and the friends are the kind that you can just jump right back into life with, as though you've seen each other everyday for years and years. Those are my most favorite kinds of friends. All in all, a fantastic weekend...could have done without the airport tours, but ah well...

what to wear no. 080610

Welp, the Cute Husband and I are off on another adventure this weekend. I'm sitting in a beautiful hotel room in downtown St. Louis right now assembling a little outfit post for today. We're here for a wedding of one of our favorites from JMU and after our adventures in travel last night, I couldn't be happier to be sitting in this comfy room. First flight out of C'ville? Canceled. Cab to Dulles in a rush? Oh, about $200. Second flight from Dulles to St. Louis? Oh, you know, just delayed about four hours or so. What a night, friends. But when you're heading to a wedding of great friends and have your Cute Husband by your side, it can't really get ya down.

dress | laurel denise heart cuff | anna beck earrings | shoes

I'm so not wearing anything like this dress (in fact, I've never attempted the one shoulder thing...ever), but I'm kind of loving it today.

studio tour no. 080510

So what happens when you put together two weeks away from the office with two wholesale shows and then two more coming up - one being your biggest and baddest that you have high expectations for, but are cautiously managing those expectations because you've been through bad shows before and when you're selling goods that you make with your very own hands and that come out of your very own head, it becomes personal and it's not supposed to be personal because it's just business, you know, and, oh, you just decided to build an entirely new booth along with two entirely new collections just a week ago??? [insert gasp for breath here] You get a stressed out designer, friends...and it ain't pretty. So I'm just going to leave you with photos this morning and call it a day.

Shopping loves out there, laurel denise has been shipped to the following places so, um, go shop your hearts out!

Veronica's Attic (Atlanta, GA)
The General Store of Minnetonka (Minnetonka, MN)
Theos Brothers Bakery (Alpharetta, GA)
Le Papier Studio (more adorable silhouette customs!)

must have bag

So, um, I'm sorry, but when did L.L. Bean start making super cool and fashionable and incredible everyday leather bags that I simply must have?? I must have missed the memo on the change from the traditional white canvas monogrammed bags.

soap & paper factory

I think I've written about Soap & Paper Factory before and their amazing products, but seriously, this warrants a re-visit. I got my recent shipment of goodness last week and, y'all, I can't even stand the amazing-ness. Can't. Even Stand. It. The Jasmine scent, my fave, is one of the best things that's ever happened. Period. It smells like the beach mixed with sunshine and flowers and happiness all into one. Even Cute Husband has remarked on its deliciousness. Also, the company of women who run the business are just the very best. You couldn't be supporting a better crew, cross my heart. And, I'm sorry, did I forget to mention the packaging?!

sleep, sleep, sleep

So, um, Cute Husband and I did something crazy last night...we fell asleep at 5:30pm to give true voice to the absolute rock stars that we are. 5:30pm, friends. That's a whopping 13 hours of sleep...like, in a row. I'm pretty sure there's something medically not okay about that. In honor of our glorious night 'o sleeping, I'm posting some beautiful bedding this morning (and also because I was a slacker and took not even a single picture this weekend to use in my Monday morning weekend photo strip).

one: Dwell Studio Azure Sheet Set
two: Dwell Studio Striped Sheet Set
three: West Elm Ikat Sheet Set
four: Anthropologie Dusky Blooms Sheet Set