The Letter J

I am still loving the typography trend, and so when I walked into Urban Ornaments to spend my Groupon discount certificate before it expired my eye went right to the stacks of metal letters, numbers and type symbols that adorn this trendy boutique in Old Town Clovis. Best of all, some of the already framed and painted letters were on sale to make way for the new ones waiting to be displayed for the holiday season. They even had the letter J! For half off! My plan is to hang it in my cube at work on this big blank wall that screams for something interesting. Right now it's just leaning. But I think it's perfect!

Gypsy Girls

I love this! Designer Emilio Pucci's SS 12 collection for Milan Fashion Week included this gypsy-inspired look. It's so beautiful and exotic.

Speaking of Tori Spelling and Missoni...

Speaking of Missoni, Tori Spelling had a Missoni For Target experience that I thought was funny. Here it is. Picture below, taken by Tori Spelling.

So that's how my day got started...

I woke up really early this morning - 3:45am to be exact - and could not get back to sleep. Luckily, I heard our morning newspaper hit the front door at about 4am. (Yes, I still like to read the local paper in my hands while holding a cup of coffee.) So I got up and read through it. In the Business section was a story, Target Customers Seeing Red. We all know the story about how their website crashed the day Missoni merchandise debuted at Target on September 13th. But the worst of it is that Missoni orders that were placed have either been delayed or even canceled. (Yikes!, I thought, sipping my coffee...) The article went on to say "that customers are blasting Target on websites such as Facebook and Twitter at a time when Americans worried about the economy are easily being influenced by what their friends say on social media websites." What was meant to be a cool thing for customers - having affordable access to a designer collection like Missoni - has turned out to be a hot mess for Target. Riding on the success of last year's partnership with Liberty of London, Target tried to re-create the same success with the Missoni line. But too much hype created a shopping frenzy that rivaled Black Friday madness. Fans of both Missoni and Target were left disappointed and they are still talking about it. For a business, chatter and presence on social media sites can be your very best friend, or your biggest nightmare. Gulp. Definitely something to think about...

So that's how my day got started... Glad it's Friday! Enjoy the weekend.

Twenty Days

Has it seriously been 20 days since my last blog entry?! Let me tell you, I have been bizz-ee! Here's a recap:
I went to CCSA in Birmingham, Alabama, and LOVED it! Here's the view from my window at our hotel.Here's our show booth.The people I met were amazing. I had the great privilege of sharing trends with many of the attendees, and walking the show to see what people are up to in the ceramic market. Here is the Make It Take It we offered in our booth. People painted the hugely popular little monsters from the Tiny Tots Collection.













Yummies! Cookies made by an Etsy artist were giveaways in our booth.In the evenings we left the hotel to have dinner at some of the local eateries and enjoyed some really amazing food--like barbecued shrimp and grits. I had never had grits before, so it was really a treat to enjoy the southern cuisine. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

This is a dress made from broken ceramic pieces. Everyone wanted this as a display piece for their studios.As soon as I got back to California, I headed into full designer mode to create an art piece that would speak to the trends for 2012-13. I then have to use this art piece to give a trend presentation to our major clients. I always enjoy the challenge of doing this, and this time was no exception. As soon as it's photographed I will share bits of it with you.

Now that I am back at my desk I am playing catch-up with the work that got set aside so I could do all the stuff I just told you about. It's already Thursday and I am finally starting to breathe again................and I am definitely looking forward to a quiet weekend.

The Trend Spot at CCSA

Happy Friday! Is there anything better than a 3 day weekend?! I am busy preparing for a great opportunity next week to share my trend expertise with the wonderful people attending CCSA (Contemporary Ceramic Studios Association) in Birmingham, Alabama. Not only will I give a presentation on trends, I will be able to share and advise anyone attending the show when they come by our booth. We'll be giving out these cool light-up buttons promoting the Trend Spot. I'll be like a fortune teller, except I'll be telling people how embracing the latest trends may enhance their future. I can't wait! Check out my latest feathers...