Passenger Side Window: Driving Through the Desert

Driving to and from Vegas meant a few hours looking out my passenger side window at the Mojave Desert. Luckily we traveled in the early morning and after the rain (yep, rained in Vegas for 2 days) so the heat was bearable. And the views were incredible.

There is something distinctively serene, yet wild about the desert. Something about the vastness that fosters exploration. I love the blues, tans, browns, and greens.

And the open road.

And the wonderful sky.

Have you driven through the desert recently? I hope to do more of this, maybe on the way to Palm Springs!

POOL Trade Show August 2012

POOL Trade Show was an intense adventure! With months of prep (heart & ring forging, jewelry assembly, photo editing, line sheet work) we packed up the car with our suitcases, supplies, hopes, and dreams for 5 days in Vegas. This was my first trade show experience, and while I have participated in many independent design shows, I knew this was a whole other kind of show. My vendor friends who had done POOL answered my countless of questions and shared their advice the weeks leading up to the show and I am immensely thankful for their kindness and support. honey my heart had a wonderful POOL, learned about ourselves and brand, and are ready for the future!

Just a peek at the trade show floor in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The Cash & Carry booths lined about half of the hall. A great option for newer business who are ready for their first trade show experience, Cash & Carry allowed buyers to purchase as much merchandise as they wanted and carry the merch back to their boutiques. It also allowed attendees, employees, media, and various others to purchase from the designers. 

 

I had a lot of fun at Cash & Carry because I got to buy a few necklaces from ISWAS+WILLBE.

The rest of the hall was full of booths. The sheer amount of design and talent that filled the booths was energizing and inspiring. Booth designers showcased their upcoming collections and could only take wholesale orders from buyers/retailers. I liked being able to browse the new collections of some of my favorite designers, and discover new designers.

Awesome fan installation that separated POOL and PROJECT.

As a POOL designer, I had access to the other trade shows going on including PROJECT, STREET, SLATE, and MAGIC. It was hard to leave my booth, but I did get a few chances to explore the extremely massive PROJECT. And oh was it amazing! Designers showcasing at PROJECT included Billionaire Boys Club, Dogeared, Ted Baker, Lacoste, Trina Turk, Ben Sherman, and Bench. All booths were taking wholesale orders only, but boy do I wish that I could purchase right then and there.

I spent most of my time here at the honey my heart booth. Days were full of explaining our designs, materials, and process. We met lots of awesome people from around the country, Costa Rica, and Japan, passed out business cards/postcards and line sheets, and shared our story. It was overwhelming, then slow, then busy, then easy. And it was worth it.

 

 

New York, New York was our home for the week. Lots of slot playing and dining was done there. I totally felt at home :)

View from the Mandalay Bay roof top. The lights and the colors were amazing.

Mandalay during the day. This photo was taken at the end of our first POOL experience and is just so calming.

Thanks Vegas and POOL. Can't wait til next year!

Believe

We are finally back from a week of travel, our first trade show, networking, food, Vegas fun, and LA fun... and are intensely inspired! Between the very warm reception of honey my heart by boutiques across the USA to seeing old friends/meeting new ones, I am ready for what's next. And when I saw this quote written outside of Reform School in Silver Lake, my heart was happy. Hard work and a great support system is key to any success. We are all in this together.

Hope that you all have a great week! I am looking forward to catching up on all of your blogs.

Feature in POOLTRADESHOW tumblr

So happy to share this good news to end the work week: honey my heart was just featured in the POOL tumblr!! Please visit this link for my short interview.

Right now I'm in the midst of tons of prep and packing, but I'm super excited to rock my first trade show.

Happy Friday all! Embrace the weekend.

Behind the Scenes: My Heart Ring

This week's afternoons and evenings have been full of prep for our next event: POOL Trade Show! I have been hunched over my jeweler's bench heating, hammering, and heart-making the hours away. It gets repetitive and each piece requires it's own care/attention, but I like it because I get in a zone and happy hearts are created. Here are a few "behind the scenes" shots of my last few days.

Attaching the band to the heart.

My Heart ring in the quench bowl.

Finished products!

I completed 40 rings and 40 stud earrings tonight! Now to assemble necklaces, label rings, package earrings... and about 100 other things to-do. Wish me luck!!

Hope your week has been good :)

Follow Your Heart

Spotted this little nugget of inspiration while strolling down Abbot Kinney on Saturday. I had been shopping from some friends at the Venice Meet and on my way to pick up some paper goods, and of the numerous amount of street art on Abbot Kinney, "Follow Your Heart" stood out the most. And it meant a lot to see. All those friends selling their handmade good and gourmet edibles are following their entrepreneurial desire, sharing their love through their goods. The boutique I was heading to is a locally owned small business and showcased so much stationery, for the many from independent designers who do what they love. And I was enjoying such a good summer day with good people, inspired to create for an upcoming trade show, following my heart.

It's such an easy saying and such a simple thought, but it's so deep and meaningful. Whether professional, personal, emotional, following your heart and what you feel ultimately brings happiness.

"Hang on to your heart, stay close to your soul, hold on, stand and decide, never say die." -Bouncing Souls

Coming Up: Fizz & Frills

 

So happy to announce that honey my heart will be part of fizz & frills: A Wedding Marketplace this September. We participated in the inaugural event last summer (see our post about it here) and had the best time meeting brides, sipping of fizzy drinks, and selling our frills up in San Francisco. Today we are excited and can't wait to meet more brides, be inspired by the amazing style of the event, and to share our new heart shaped frills in Pasadena.

Below is a lovely video of last year's event. 

Hooray for love! Happy weekend.

Bunny My Heart

Adding this little creature to my collection of little brass pieces puts a smile on my face. I have found that so many shoppers love bunnies and this little one is just so cute. It has hopped into plenty of hearts already :)

 

Hope you are happily hopping over the Wednesday Hump!

Instagram

If you follow me on twitter, you may have started to notice some of my instagram shots. I set up my account last week and have been having a lot of fun editing and sharing my photos, and liking all of my friends' photos. Here are a few of my recent instagrams.

 

Follow me @honeymyheart !! I'd love to see your instagrams.

SB Fiesta

 

It is Santa Barbara's biggest weekend, Old Spanish Days Fiesta!! Dedicated to SB's history, culture, spirit, and traditions, the weekend will be full of events, live music, a parade, museum tours, dancing, food booths, confetti eggs, and parties! My favorite part is the food, and I really love how much this city comes alive in celebration. 

 

 

 

Festivities began on Wednesday, we have already enjoyed in some food and drinks, and are looking forward to an awesome weekend. Have a great weekend all. Viva la Fiesta!