I am trying to rush Spring. The official "First Day of Spring" has come, but that does not mean a great deal in the part of Colorado where we live. We have, however, had some really nice days, so I decided it was time to make the front door "Springy."
My green outdoor pillow came out to play. The black vase gets a touch of green with the addition of some "faux" fern, and I created a new greeting sign from an old window. Instant Spring at our house.
Inside, the Eastlake Dresser gets a "real" green plant and a bunny. That is about as much time as I have for Spring decorating.
So what is it really like to have a trunk show at your house? What do you have to do? What do you get in return? Now that I'm a Stella & Dot stylist, I can give you the inside scoop and help you decide what's right for you!
Before I became a stylist, I attended trunk shows and I even hosted one of my own. What I love about the Stella & Dot experience is that it doesn't feel "salesy" at all. In fact, the first show I went to, I kept waiting for the moment the stylist would make us all sit down and listen to a 20 minute demo. It never happened. We just drank wine, laughed, and tried on lots of fun jewelry while she provided style tips. Awesome.
Now, you all know I love to host a party---be it a dinner, brunch, big ole BBQ or whatever. So I went all out with my brunch items when I had my trunk show as a hostess. But in reality, all your friends really need is one drink and one snack. Don't feel overwhelmed! Just keep it simple so you can have fun as the hostess.
As the hostess, you do need to invite all your friends to the party! The more people you invite, the more your rewards stack up. Talk up the party, wear some of your Stella & Dot items if you've got them in the days leading up to the show, even pass out catalogs. Also, make sure to send the invitation to friends near AND far. Everyone can shop online!
One last tip for hostesses. Wear something simple. And then when your guests arrive, make sure you kick off the fun by trying on your favorite items. Show them off. And if your hostess doesn't already do this, ask her to style you. That's what she's there for!
Now, sit back and watch your hostess rewards build. The average show earns hostess about $200 and 4 items at 50% off!
If you're at all interested in hosting a party, let me know. It really is one of my very favorite things to do. I also LOVE to do one-on-one styling sessions. I can bring the bling to you or you can come to me.
And finally, if you know you just LOVE the entire line, consider joining my team as a stylist. For only $199 you get $350 in product credit and you get to shop at 50% for 30 days. I made my initial investment back in my first trunk show. The rest is just cake...on top of beautiful accessories that I now own and love!
When you makeover a room, like I am in the process of doing, sometimes a limited budget requires getting creative. I've had this brass lamp since 1984 when this cute picture was taken. Karli was three. Check out the old waterbed in the master bedroom as well.
I know that "Brass is Back" and I do have brass touches throughout my home, but in this case, I wanted a new lamp but decided to make this one over instead. I should have taken a close up of the lamp so you could see it better. But I often jump right in before thinking about the fact that I should document what I did.
Anyway, I cleaned up the lamp base and wrapped the cord with painter's tape, just to keep the overspray from hitting it. I got creative and used leftover spray paint from other projects. I first used a can of spray primer (ruddy red). After that was dry, I applied a light coat of the Krylon Brushed Metallic, Oil Rubbed Bronze in Satin Finish. Then, while that was still wet, I sprayed on some of the Rust-Oleum Hammered Spray Finish in Brown, in random areas. After those were dry I sprayed on the Krylon Looking Glass Finish, where the seams of the lamp base are. I then went back added in areas of the Oil Rubbed Bronze Finish to create shading. Here are the products, except for the primer.
The finished lamp looks like a new one, right? I did replace the white pleated shade with a khaki one. I think the lamp now looks more industrial and fits right in with the metal straps we added to the oak library table. That was another makeover project we did to cover the oak veneer edges that were peeling up.
I am still working on this room but it is slowing coming together with more fun than funds!
