matte stephens

I always love me some Matte Stephens...

do what you love..

Admittedly, I was a little petrified when Ryan called me and asked me if he could film me for his new series, Do What You Love (a series about women doing what they love in conjunction with Gap's 1969 Jeans collection). I'm not a big fan of being on video... I tend to get REALLY awkward. But Ryan is a friend and incredibly talented so I decided to brush that aside and go with it.. and trust him. I'm very excited to give you another glimpse inside my world. I think Ryan did a beautiful job of capturing the studio. I feel so blessed that I truly get to do what I love every single day. For those who have the same dream.. I can't stress enough that it really can be a reality if you set aside any fears & dive in with a whole lot of work and determination. I hope the series inspires you to do what you love!

see the post & video here.

monday eye candy... on tuesday

Mr. Clint Eastwood

I meant to post this yesterday but I was traveling back from California where I was visiting my new little nephew (which is also why the posts stopped for a bit.. i'm so bad at planning). Anyway, here's a little vintage Clint for you today.. enjoy!

behind the scenes at Rifle Paper Co. in Gifted Mag.

I was so excited when Ez from Creature Comforts contacted me about doing a behind-the-scenes feature as we prepared for the holidays. Check out the story in the online issue of Gifted Magazine, a stunning new holiday magazine & gift guide! I take you through the process of designing the cards, printing & packaging...

holiday cards + giveaway winners!

Here are a few images of the holiday collection... which includes cards, invites, wrapping sheets, postcards, and custom illustrated holiday cards (last image).

AND.. thank you SO much to all of you who commented and entered in the floral monogram card giveaway. I had so much fun getting into the spirit of the holidays by reading all of your favorite things.. some of you even made me tear up a little :)

I randomly picked a winner.. congrats to Kendall! (I'll be sending you an email about the win in a moment)

And because so many of you commented I also randomly selected two more winners to receive a free package of our Seasons Greetings Angels postcard set. Those winners are Reichel and Jennifer! I'll be sending you guys an email as well.

For everyone else, I'm exclusively offering you guys a 15% discount on the 'floral monogram cards' through Nov. 15th if you'd like to order them! Just use promo code "FLORAL10" at checkout.

New Floral Monogram Cards Giveaway!

As you may have seen... the holiday goods are in the shop but I also added these new floral monogram cards which I'm really excited about.

And.. because it's the holiday season, which means good cheer and gifts for all, I thought I'd give away 2 boxes of cards to one lucky reader! Each box includes 8 folded cards & envelopes.

To enter, just leave a comment with what you love most about the holidays and your monogram letter choice by Sunday night at midnight. I'll select a winner at random on Monday.

p.s. I'll be sending out my mailing list on Monday but thought I'd give my discount code here for early shoppers.. enter 'HOLIDAYCHEER' at checkout to save 10% on all holiday goods now through Nov. 15.

***giveaway has ended. winners are announced above & have received emails. Thank you all for entering! Use promo code 'FLORAL10' to receive 15% off floral monogram cards now through Nov. 15th.***

monday eye candy

mr. harry connick jr.

Business Series (NEW!): Interview with Simone Harouche

The business series is finally back and I'm kicking it off with an interview with Simone Harouche, fashion stylist (to the likes of Christina Aguilera, Nicole Richie, and Miley Cyrus) and handbag designer (Simone Camille) based in L.A. I actually had the wonderful pleasure of working with Simone on her custom wedding invitation suite last Spring and I had an amazing time working together. Her skills as a stylist came through in the whole wedding and because of her amazing inspiration for her invitations it allowed me to make one of my favorite sets.

Simone's always incredibly busy so I'm thrilled that she was willing take the time to answer a few questions about her daily life as a stylist for us. My goal with this series is to share some business tips, resources and interviews with a variety of professionals in a range of fields. So, here is Simone... Enjoy!

Image above (left to right, top to bottom): Simone, Nicole Richie at the Oscars styled by Simone, Cindy Crawford styled by Simone, Simone Camille bags (& clipping from Vogue), Guess ad styled by Simone, fashion icon Jane Birkin.

Tell us a bit about what you do as both a stylist and a designer.

 
As a stylist, there really is no such thing as an average day. There have been days where im in my robe till noon, sending emails, making phone calls. Then there are other days where I’m overbooked and running from a fitting to a meeting with another client’s fashion line. Or, where I'm going from a shoot then straight to the airport for another job the next day. A stylist is, for the most part, freelance, so my clients vary in their needs, their schedules, and what they require from me. It's all a balancing act. You also have to have a lot of discipline since there are all these deadlines and jobs to do, and you’ve got to multitask to figure out how to get it all done on time.  

 
As a designer, there is more focus and structure. I gather inspiration, make mood boards, and have ideas that I then base a collection off of. 

What does your typical day look like?

Well, it depends on the day and whether I am prepping a job, doing fittings, or on a shoot. I've been a stylist for years now and I can honestly say that no job is ever the same. Sometimes things get so hectic working 18 hour days running from a fitting with one client to a shoot with another. Other days, I will just work a normal 9-6 hour day.

My assistant will usually meet me at my house around 9, we go through the calendar, go over our schedule of what needs to get done for the various jobs, look though the list of items we need to pull, send sample requests to designers and showrooms, decide on places we need to shop from, etc. After a full day, once the stores close, we usually meet back at my house and go through what we have received or pulled from stores and make a list of what needs to taken care of the next day.

It really all depends on the jobs I'm trying to balance and what each of my clients needs are. I like that styling is unpredictable like that… I never get bored!

How did you break into the business? (the key steps that got you where you are) 

Fate.

 
It’s a very long story, but the short version is, I knew I wanted to get into fashion but didn’t know what exactly it was that I wanted to do. A month before graduating from college, I happened to pass by a boutique in Los Feliz that looked so cute!  Fate made me go into the store that day. The boutique happened to be owned by a very successful stylist and as fate would also have it, that the stylist happened to be there when I came in. To make things even more interesting, the stylist recognized me from 15 years before that fateful encounter when I happened to be friends with her younger brother.

 
We got to talking that day in the store. She asked me what I was doing with my life and I let her know I was graduating college the following month, trying to figure out how and what to do with fashion (keep in mind I still had no idea she was a very successful stylist). One thing led to another and before I knew it, I was her intern for the summer, then her assistant come fall. And now, 7 years later, I'm here. The rest is history!

Miley Cyrus, Nicole Richie & Christina Aguilera styled by Simone on the red carpet

At what point did you consider yourself a success? 

 
I still don’t consider my career a success. I have so much that I still want to accomplish. However, working with Mert and Marcus was definitely something I could check off my bucket list. They are my all time favorite photographers!

Where do you pull your inspiration from?

 
I pull inspiration from all over the place such as magazines, books, old movies, art, and travelling. There is so much out there to be inspired by- I think the hardest part is figuring out where to look, or knowing what you are looking for.

fashion icons Jane Birkin, Francoise Hardy, and Marlene Dietrich

Who are your your style icons?

 
Jane Birkin, Marlene Dietrich, Taletha Getty, Anita Pallenberg and Francoise Hardy.

The fashion world (especially styling) seems pretty individual and competitive. Is that true and if so, how have you dealt with that? How important is it to find professional mentors that you can turn to for support or advice?

 
The fashion world is extremely competitive. It's also very easy to get swept up and have work be all consuming. Luckily, I have friends in this business who I can talk to and get advice from. It makes things a lot easier when you can speak to people who have been there. I try to keep a balanced life although most of the time I know I should try harder to maintain that balance. I also try to remember that fashion is subjective, as is the case with beauty and art. I have to go with my instinct and with what I believe. I cant listen to other people's opinions or comments because it distracts and changes my original intention. If I go with what I believe, I can't fail.

Who do you admire as a business person and why?

I admire many people in business, some because they dare to follow their dreams, others because they are passionate, some for refusing to give up, and even some for being cutthroat. In the entertainment industry there is always someone waiting to take your spot, that’s why I try to do my absolute best every day and put all I have got into a job. You are only as good as your last project.

 

What's the best advice you've received and the greatest lesson you've learned so far in your career?

 
Greatest advice was from my agent and friend Margaret Maldonado, “If you work at what it is you want to do every day, it just gets better and better.
 Every day you get closer to where you want to be. When people talk about what they want to do but they don’t show up, they get stalled. Just do it. If you want to be a painter, make sure you paint every day.”

Greatest lesson: ..And this one I had to learn personally- Always take valuables out of the car. No matter how tired you are, or how long your day has been.

prepping...

I'm working hard to get our Holiday collection added to the store as soon as I can. Here's a little sneak peak from our very messy studio as I organize for a photo shoot of products. Between holiday preparations and the storefront opening (mid-Nov.) it's getting a little crazy around here...

I'm also working on making a list of all of the local shops we're carried in now to add to our site. I know a lot of you should be able to find our goods right in your own city. Many of them already have our holiday goods stocked too! :) If you're curious, leave me a comment with your city and I'll let you know if we're sold near you...

anna emilia laitinen

illustrations by Finnish artist Anna Emilia Laitenen. So beautiful & delicate.

prints available in her shop.

monday eye candy

Marlon Brando. ...specifically in A Streetcar Named Desire.

happy weeked + Fall Cruise

top to bottom, left to right:

Grace Kelly on the S.S. Constitution on her way to be married; Ray Ban Clubmaster sunglasses; Anchor Noteset from Sugar Paper; vintage cruise poster; classic F. Scott Fitzgerald series; coat from Anthro; leather gloves; Streamliner luggage; Hermes scarf

Sorry for the lack of posts this week (and the late one today). I've been feeling a bit under the weather.. though that did mean that I got to enjoy my favorite sick day movie, An Affair to Remember. This little roundup was inspired by the film and its 50's ship setting. I so wish that cruise ships would become classy again.. if so, I'd take a nice long trip in the Fall with the brisk sea air, cocktails, and good reads.

happy weekend! Hope you all do something lovely...

fall weather

I'm trying very hard to convince myself that it's Fall here in Florida. I'm putting on my tights and boots, sipping pumpkin spice lattes, wearing my favorite cardigans... but alas, the natives just think i'm crazy because it's still 85 degrees outside... and I probably look a little ridiculous.

Growing up in the Northeast Fall was always my favorite season. As the temperature slightly cools here I'm definitely looking forward to being outside more and enjoying the weather (crazy looking or not). One of my favorite things about Fall? The layering..which is done wonderfully in this Fall J.Crew lookbook.

also.. this is an interesting read about the transformation of the J.Crew brand a few years ago, which i find really fascinating. I hadn't realized that Jenna Lyons, the current creative director, has been with the company for over 20 years working her way up. I love her aesthetic.

images by J.Crew. via here.

makr carry goods (and amazing neighbors)

I always love the behind the scenes studio photos from Makr. They make incredible leather goods and also just happen to be our neighbor.. their studio is literally around the corner from ours. pretty awesome...

images via the Makr blog

monday eye candy

Mr. George Clooney