Show me what you got!

Sorry I'm so late with this post. It's been a whirl wind leading up to and coming off of attending the shows this weekend in NYC. I'm talking about the ENK Childrens Club and Playtime New York shows.

My goal: see where my brand fit, and check out brands/booths that impressed us and why

My dream team: Kim Salter of Design Thoughts: a crazy talented interior designer and author of the popular Design Thoughts blog, Dominika Fanning: smart, fashion savvy, visual merchandiser, and me: well, you know me. 

Leading up to the show, I'd planned a fun girls day filled with inspiration with my dream team.

Surprise! my son got an ear infection in both ears and one drum perforated.

Surprise! Dream Team mbr Dominika couldn't make it bc both of her babies had a stomach flu. Surprise! an unexpected meeting to gain valuable feed back that I had to prep for

I think a lot of you are going to relate to this. HOW am I going to get this all done?

There were some ugly moments…

Andrew: (gently, & kindly) rubbed my shoulders, almost 1am and I was still preparing

Me: (growling like a rabid dog) don't touch me! 

side note: was I INSANE?? baaaad behavior on my part!

There were some perfect moments…

Emails filled with words of encouragement and rock solid belief in me, the brand and what it stands for from all my beautiful friends. 

There were real moments…

Jonah crying on my lap while I applied eye liner, rubbed his back, kissed his cheek and played "pretend we're kittens" with Ava, while going over my mental notes. 

In the end, what needed to get done, got done. I crammed, I let go of a few things, and I did what was most important to get done, first. 

The shows were GREAT! Kim pointed out as she was looking over the sea of booths, colors and textures, "Look at these dreams! Every single one of them made it there. These are all real dreams come true. Some will make it, some wont." Her comment really hit me. 

We hit ENK Childrens Club first. Overall impression is that show is about business. People were there to shop, and the booths were there to sell. Was it just me? I could feel it in the air, and the reactions we got to us looking. Some were really excited to talk to a fellow new brand. Some, eehhh, not so much.

First pic is from one of our favorite booths we visited. Luna Leggings. 

Jennie Hearing was about the nicest person you want to meet, AND I loved her leggings. Really fun, unexpected, playful but hip & sophisticated color combos! That is not an easy balance to strike. To top it off, in our estimation, her booth was perfect. The first thing you saw was a clear shot to a creative, artful, carefully curated selection of her leggings, ie, she successfully showcased her pieces. That was flanked with very emotionally appealing pictures that just exuded fun and cool! The other prints and sizes were nealty hung to one side, not over crowded at all. We thought this booth not only had it's product right, but had it's visual approach right. Great colors, great display, very cool woman. I'm totally buying some for Ava. She will LOVE!

Next up, we both, like, fell over ourselves in love with poeme&poesie. Every single garment was a piece of art. Talk about special details! Words cannot express, so here are some pics...

Her booth, and the little overalls I fell in love with. Can't you just see a cute belly filling those out?!

Do you see this adorable little dude riding a horse on this bootie?!

me holding up a gown by poeme&poesie. I love the classic gray with the special decorative button placket!

Another fun stop was at Laughing Out Loud. The line is developed out of Peru, so you know where I'm going with how these pieces felt, right? The fabrics were out of this world soft. The styles were cute, sophisticated, and we really wished they came in our size. She also did a wonderful job with her booth. It wasn't too overdone. The clothes spoke for themselves. I really think that say a lot. All the mood in the world gets you only so far.

Laughing Out Loud

Two other fun stops were Feather Baby and Tane Organics. 

We didn't get to stop and chat with Feather Baby. But, I've long been an admirer. Beautiful prints, soft and touches of special details. They really bring out and compliment that soft, sweet baby feeling! I would have posted a pic from their site, but that isn't an option, and I'm going to respect that. But, the link is clickable, above. Do check them out!

I discovered Tane Organics last year. She is friendly professional and creative. Her line was LOVELY! I would have bet my entire line we snapped some pics. But, I cannot find a one. So, I pulled this one off her site. How cute?!

Tane Organics

Next up, we headed to Soho to check out Playtime. Playtime is like a feast of the eyes. It's a children's art installation, really. Booths arranged amidst artful displays, and each booth adding to that. These pieces, and these lines, spoke more to the art of the garment design. Also, color-wise, there was a distinct overall color story: stone neutrals with pops of jewel toned and/or primary brights. Whereas at ENK my impression was that there was more overall variety of color that spoke to the brand.

me checking out some really creative children's artwork

the floor, art and design winding and weaving

knitted display. sorry a little blurry!

beautiful brights!

loved this mobile installation, the shadows literally danced on the walls

At the end of the day, what are two designing girls to do in soho?? Umm, yeah?! We went to Antique Garage, had a glass of Champagne, recapped the day, reminisced about the past and dreamed about the future!

It doesn't matter what filter I put on this pic. I just don't look cute in it.
So, let's look at Kim, instead! Look how beautiful she is!!

Cheers!

All the moments add up

Happy Friday! It's a super, BIG, fun weekend ahead! My little dream team and I are attending the Playtime show and the ENK show. We're walking the floor to check out space, layout and to get inspired. Then, we're out for drinks to discuss and brainstorm! I'm so excited to have a day with these two wonderful women. They have been rock solid in their belief in me, and what the brand stands for. They are crazy talented, and I have a feeling I'm going to want to move into my booth space by the time we're done designing it! Check out Monday's post for a full update. 

As I close the week, and look towards the upcoming weekend. I've been taking note of all those little moments that have added up to what was really a wonderful week. Because when you look back, do you really remember be stuck in traffic, out of eggs, or mail you forgot to send? Probably not, and if you are, start a new mental record! Perception is everything!

Jonah: (Holding up an Olivia pig and handing me Llama) mama, will you pway wif me?

Me: sure!

Jonah: (pig to llama) hi, I'm owibdia. You my friend?

Me: hi, I'm llama! Yes, I'm you're friend.

Jonah: I wuv you (pig kisses & hugs llama) come wif me, wets pway!

Me: (melting)

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Ava: But, I want to take care of Daddy too! Me and Jonah both want to!!

(after being told she was spending the night at her grandparents when Andrew got out of surgery)

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Walking into the market, a little cutie barely walking come careening down the aisle at me, laughing. A few minutes later, still laughing, I saw him nuzzling his mom as well. His mom now laughing too. Buckling my seat belt I faintly heard the now familiar laughter, and looked out my window to see this happy little guy in his stroller laughing, babbling and pointing. I was now laughing too, again. THAT was joy. I'm honored to have witnessed it. And proof positive you can literally share your joy!

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As we discussed new biz seed money

Andrew: Personally I see this as a much better investment of our money.

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Ava rolling in the grass, frolicking around as she giggles and displays the "beeauteeeful" white flowers (weeds) growing in our yard like Vanna White. All the while she's chirping, happily:

it's spring, it's spring! It's so much fun bc it's spring!!

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Andrew making me laugh so hard coffee dribbled out of my mouth and almost out of my nose.

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Geese proudly, if a bit arrogantly, but certainly with conviction of sense of self, crossing the road while 5 VIPs in cars (myself included) are forced to wait, take a moment and watch. We all  look at each other as we pass, waving, laughing and smiling.

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Jonah: Is that mine?? Is that my big one? Actually, I want a big one.

little head can be seen over the edge of the counter, as he excitedly bobs up and down on his toes trying to see into the bowls of yogurt Andrew can't fill fast enough

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Beautiful, surprise, 70 degree, sunny walk with Andrew, holding hands and everything.