NYC recap and Ann Taylor windows

Posted on | Friday, April 22, 2011 | 16 Comments

Matt and I went on a last, last minute trip to NYC earlier in the week/weekend and had a great time. We've both never been so everything was new. :) It was mostly meetings and business, but we did get to squeeze in some great meals and sightseeing.

Off to NYC

Posted on | Friday, April 15, 2011 | 6 Comments

The better half and I are heading to NYC tomorrow morning for the weekend and will be back Tuesday with lots of photos of the Ann Taylor windows. :) :) :)
We hope to chow down on lots of yummy food, take in the sights, and have a few great meetings. More updates next week! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!! Thank you so much for the amazingly sweet comments on the previous post about the windows... we were thrilled to read them!!!!!!!

Ann Taylor Window Displays :: Twigs & Honey paper flowers

Posted on | Thursday, April 7, 2011 | 31 Comments

Inspiration board from the Ann Taylor Blog

Twigs & Honey was recently commissioned to design and create paper flowers for the window displays of Ann Taylor retail stores. Pretty amazing, yes? It was a massive undertaking for us but very gratifying! I designed multiple paper flowers, some adapted from my handmade silk flowers and others that were brand new and Ann Taylor chose 9 total designs/sizes for their lovely windows. They will be featured during the month of April and will be in 266 stores nationwide. There are a few NYC locations and other flagship stores that will be receiving an extra special amount of flowers for a truly impressive display. We started discussions in late January and when we got the greenlight, we had about 3 weeks to finish the project. We had to purchase about 6000+ parent sized sheets of paper. They were all cut based on my patterns and then we had to hire and train about 27 contract workers around the area to help with the hand pressing and assembly (including my mom and mother-in-law!). After we got all the finished flowers back, we had just a couple days to package everything accordingly and then Matt and I drove them all down to California for distribution (okay, Matt did all the driving while I was passed out most of the way). Overall, it was the most grueling and stressful project ever, mainly due to the short turnaround time, but it was pretty awesome. Every single day was extraordinarily long and exhausting and it felt like there was some sort of crisis everyday, but in the end, we were so happy with completing the massive project and so grateful. Thank you so much, Ann Taylor, for this amazing opportunity! Also, thank you so much to all the contract workers for working tirelessly to finish the flowers. Each contractor had to make from 475-600+ flowers in a little over a week. That is VERY impressive!!!

Here are some photos of the flowers. Matt and I will be taking more photos of the actual displays later in the month. :)

Best lip balm! La Mer's The Lip Balm

Posted on | Monday, March 28, 2011 | 3 Comments

I get dry lips all the time. I try not to use too much chapstick or balm because I feel like you get dependent on it. Nevertheless, I've tried about 20 different brands/types of lip products and none ever work quite like I hope. It always feels like the product just sits on the surface and somewhat moisturizes, but not really and I'll still have bits of dry skin on my lips and roughness - not attractive!

I was nearly resolved to the fact that nothing could be done, but then I finally decided to give one more a try. I really like La Mer products but they are spendy. I have been using Creme de La Mer off and on for years. Whenever finances are tight, I cut it out and go for the cheaper moisturizers. After our big project, I decided to finally "treat" myself to some La Mer products - specifically their Lip Balm (And the Radiant Infusion and a little pot of Creme de La Mer). I'd wondered about it for years, but could never justify the cost ($45 for lip balm!!!). I read really good reviews about it and thought - "heck! I'm going to get it!"

I went with the "free" super slow shipping and patiently waited for a week and it arrived about an hour ago and I totally love it. After warming with my fingers and patting on my lips, I could feel all the dry skin melt away... That never happens! It also has a pleasant smell and tastes like sugar. I would have been completely sold on just the dryness being fixed, but it actually filled in fine lines and made my lips plumper. Bonus! Roughness and fine lines - gone. :)

I'm so excited to have finally found "the" product of all products for my lips - the cost is still a bummer but the results make it well worth it. Sorry for this long post on a simple product! I just thought that maybe someone else out there might stumble on this and find it beneficial. ;)

Available at La Mer's website HERE.

LOVE.

Posted on | Friday, March 25, 2011 | 5 Comments

Cure for cabin fever - Feathers!

Posted on | Monday, March 21, 2011 | 13 Comments

After the BIG project last week, I've been locked up working on another project and many orders non-stop. I started getting a litle antsy! I had to dye tons of feathers over the weekend (which takes a very long time) to get the perfect shade of grey. Today, I decided to be a goof and "wear" those fluffy dyed feathers.

Have you seen the new Collection by Hetterson?

Posted on | Friday, March 18, 2011 | 4 Comments

I just adore everything Hannah of Hetterson makes. I love how her collections are tightly and thoughtfully curated so that every single piece is just absolutely perfect. The quality and craftsmanship are amazing with careful consideration for the fine knits and fabrics chosen. View all the new pieces on her blog HERE.

Designs: Hetterson
Photography: Anja Verdugo
Hair +makeup: Katie Groover
Model: Terra Lynn Cathey, Meredith Adelaide

Almost finished!!

Posted on | Monday, March 14, 2011 | 12 Comments

Boxes... so many boxes. Boxes big enough to fit a couple bodies. Seriously! And within each box - product packed to the brim. Over 800 bundles of carefully handmade, sorted, and counted lovelies. Matt and I have been doing the pack out for the biggest project ever (with some local help on Saturday). On Sunday, we did some marathon packing from noon until 4am! Thousands and thousands of "things"... and we cannot wait to share with all of you!

So here it all is! I wasn't kidding at all when I said I've been working 100+ hours a week. It has been a massive undertaking and I could not have achieved it without a tremendous amount of help from my hubby, family, and many local contract workers - thank you!!!!

I know I've been bad about emails and I promise I wasn't trying to neglect you! I've just been completely consumed by this project and it isn't just doing it at a comfortable pace - everyday, it's working break neck speeds - running around, literally, all day long. BUT - it will be so wonderful to share with you in just a couple weeks!!!!

So thank you to everyone for your patience and here are a few photos we shot in the hallway outside of the new studio after 3am:

That's the top of my head - yes, lying on the boxes!

Trying to show some scale. ;)

Here's my "working to the bone, no sleep, achy all over, but soooo happy" look.
I want so badly to share with you - very soon! We are driving everything down in about 1 hour - about a 17 hour drive to LA. Nutty!

Check back for updates!

Where am I?

Posted on | Friday, March 4, 2011 | 11 Comments

Photo credits: Elizabeth Messina

I'm so sorry for not blogging more! I used to blog so much.. what happened?
Well- the biggest order/project of my life happened and we are down to the last couple weeks of completion and then... then things will calm down a bit - but only a little bit.

What project?
A surprise project, of course!
What does it entail?
Managing about 27 people - day and night, weekdays and weekends
When will it become public?
April!

So I'm literally working about 100+ hours a week. Almost triple full-time!
I know I've been really bad about my emails - and it haunts and taunts me all day long - I am so sorry if I haven't gotten back to you yet! Trust me - I feel bad and it weighs on me!! Also, many January orders have an extended turnaround time temporarily. After this project is finished, I'll have more help (so excited!) and things will finally be moving along faster.

I truly appreciate the patience and support from everyone during my busiest time ever!

I can't wait for the biggest reveal, ever! More likely than not, it will be coming to a city near you. ;) Stay tuned!!

Drop It Modern

Posted on | Tuesday, February 15, 2011 | 11 Comments

I am currently obsessed with Drop It Modern. The hubby approves too! Their backdrops are gorgeous and really create both a lovely and unique look to photos. They come in a variety of sizes and colors. I think they'd even work beautifully as a tapestry in your home (I totally want one in every color for every wall!). We recently were very lucky to use them in our new collection photo shoot. Aren't they magnificent?

Twigs & Honey at BHLDN :: Anthropologie Weddings

Posted on | Monday, February 14, 2011 | 12 Comments