Showing posts with label visual merchandising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label visual merchandising. Show all posts

Thursday, January 30, 2014

DIY raffia pendant light REVISITED

THIS POST IS OVER TWO YEARS OLD NOW BUT KEEPS GETTING HIT'S SO I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE IT AGAIN WITH YOU ALL. THIS IS A GREAT DIY PROJECT FOR DECORATING EVENTS AND YOU CAN USE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT MEDIA TO MAKE THIS PENDANT! 



What a bright idea! 
While brainstorming for additions for our Fall window display for Road Less Traveled I kept thinking about the moon and the sun. The certain way the Autumn sky seems to glow through the leaves and cast soft shadows. I wanted to interpret this somehow into the window display that Delilah had already started. I searched for ideas and came across this idea and thought I would try it myself. It never hurts to try you know. 

BTW: Many customers love this light and ask about it. 



Raffia-Michaels Craft Store
Punch Balloons-Party City
Mod Podge-Michaels
Paint Brush-already had
Sharpie-already had
Pendant Light Base-Cost Plus Market
What You Gotta Do:
This craft needs at least 2 hrs of invested time so gather a friend or sister and a beer to help keep you company :)

 1. Inflate the balloon to desired size.
2. Draw circle with sharpie that is large enough for light bulb to go through.
3.Adhere mod podge to raffia while tying the raffia around the balloon.
4. Continue covering your balloon as desired and tie all ends of knots together. 
5. Make sure entire surface has glue to ensure that it is stable when hardened.
6. Hang your balloon over night and leave newspaper underneath in case of glue drips.
7. Wait for at least 8 hrs for glue to dry and for there to be a hard sturdy surface.
8. When ready insert light base and either hang (using s brackets) or use as a table lamp. 













Thursday, February 21, 2013

You Need To Visualize

   They say you need to visualize what it is that you want in life. Well, here it is. I want to work for Anthropologie. I have for a while, and for the past few years been working on building my portfolio and style as a visual merchandiser and display artist for small business. I feel that it is time for me to become a part of something big, something that is part of the big picture. Become a member of a tight knit creative world where perfectionism is a godsend, and quirkiness is encouraged. So when I applied last week, I knew in my heart that this was where I wanted to be and that the hard work I have done will pay off. But you can still wish me luck on landing an interview for their open position :) 

   The second part of of getting where you want to be in life is immersing yourself in it. So this past week I went to 4 different Anthropologie stores. I went to look at and indulge in their displays, merchandise, vibe, and overall vibes. What I loved most is that though each store had a similar theme, you could see the uniqueness of each crafted display. I visited the stores in South Coast Plaza, Fashion Island, Pasadena and The Grove.

     The third part of this process is to ask questions. So upon arriving to one of the locations I asked about a question I had in regards to applying online. And the following day I received an email from a manager. I instantly felt that this was working in my favor. I'm a believer in the secret. And the law of attraction. So I'm going to keep doing the three parts of this process, and I encourage you to do so too! 

The following photos were taken at Anthropologie South Coast Plaza. I couldn't resist taking photos of the work that the visuals team had put together. What an amazing job. I want it all. Including the job! 

Front and side entrances featured an abstract reptile design.  Those blue hues are breathtaking.

The front entrance of the store is so effortlessly cool. Layers of textiles and home accessories.

Intimates in bright hues of salmon and neon pink caught my eye. 

Double sided  painted bag for those days when you want a bold or basic look.

Luxurious bedding, pillows and hand towels. Hard to pick just one fav. 


Gorgeous clothing featuring sequins, exotic prints and cobalt, magenta and yellow.  

An enticing view upon entering, we have spring embroidered, dyed, scents, and a floral backdrop. Everything you need to bring you right into a spring Sunday afternoon.

All photos by Maggy Slater
Taken at Anthropologie South Coast Plaza


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

We Built This City Window Display

Eloisa adding some final touches.
    This winter we made a mini city window display at Road Less Traveled! It's pretty cool what you can make from something that would have gone into the trash. We used cardboard boxes, markers, paint, cotton balls, fishing wire, box cutters & Christmas lights. We all had a blast putting this display together thanks to the reggae Christmas playlist on Pandora, highly recommended :) Stop by the shop to see in person! 

ENJOY!

Feeding the lights into the boxes.

Funny Reggae  Christmas song # 1

Funny Reggae Christmas song # 2

We built this city!

The city from behind.

Windows by: Eloisa Bordador, Maggy Slater, Delilah Snell, Leigh Slater

P.S. Here is last years window display  I designed with the help of Eloisa :) 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Can I tell you something?

      As I sit here at a lovely cafe in Downtown Fullerton, I wonder what has stopped me from blogging for so long. In the blog world a month or so is long enough for you to think I may have fallen off the face of the planet. But I assure you that I have been away for reasons that are more awesome than I could have imagined. In the last month I have gone through a change of lifestyle. For a while I wasn't sure what I was doing with myself, doing things that we're out of character, constantly mad angry and upset at my situation. Now, I would be lying if I said it didn't happen over night, because it did. My life changed over the course of mere hours. Let me tell you something...

     When you know what you want, you will be given what you desire to make you happy in life. 

    One night I laid in bed alone feeling like another day had gone by with me not knowing what my purpose was or how to really feel truly happy anymore. The days of summer were filled with more sadness than happiness. I cover up most of my feelings by being a joker of sorts, but I knew deep down that something needed to change. I turned on my netflix and scrolled through the recommendations, and as usual I couldn't make up my mind and was about to give up. I stumbled upon a documentary called "The Secret". I figured what the heck, why not, I have nothing to lose. 

    At first this so-called documentary looked a bit cheesy, and how could anyone really watch the whole thing without thinking this is a load of shit. It was late, I closed my eyes and tried to fight the urge to fall asleep. The next day couldn't come any sooner. When I awoke that next morning it was different than it had been in a while. I thought to myself I want a coffee, so I went and I got a coffee for myself, and for the girl in from of me who forgot her wallet. I was instantly in a really good mood. This works for me, is what I told myself. All day I felt a little spring in my step. Even at work some dude said "Wow you must really like working here!" and I replied "Im just having a really good day"...he then said "Must have been something that someone did to make you this happy" and my final answer was "Yeah, ME!". 

     The feelings I felt didn't go away, its as if they got more and more intense with each waking day since I watched that documentary "The Secret". I thought about things in a different way, my outlook on life was not about being scared or afraid, but about if it makes you happy go for it, and what is it you want out of life? I put out into the world my thoughts on positiveness and how it can change your way of being, and that any negative things of the moment could be blamed on Mercury In Retrograde! That is a whole other thing in itself. The point is that no matter what the bad things can and will happen, but if you focus on those alone, you will live a life full of hate, fear, sadness, depression...you get the point, right?

   I told myself I wanted to ban all evil, sadness, failure, any things from my past ways of thinking and banish them. These are the things that have held me back in so many ways. The what if's the Im not good enough, the I dont have the money. This being said I pushed myself to think of what I wanted in life and where I wanted my path to be leading me to. I decided to start working on myself, so I thought the 1st thing I really want to do is find a new job. One that I feel appreciated at, that I feel creative, understood, opinionated etc. So I put it out into the universe that I wanted these things. That same week things worked in my favor. It was quite scary actually how fast things began to shift. 

    In an instant I was offered a position at one of my favorite shops in Fullerton. And on top of that I was referred to the Los Angeles regional recruiter for Anthropologie! Can you believe it? I sure couldn't. I called my mom and told her about both incidents and how strange it was that life came together like the secret said it would. I gave myself one week to decide what to do. I knew that I had to focus really hard on what it was that I wanted in order for it to be apparent what decision would be the right one for me. 

   I attended a creative meeting at the shop in Fullerton to work on a window display and talked more with them about the position being offered. Later that night I went home super pumped and knew the decision was almost ready to be made. When all of a sudden fear came back into play. The what ifs...the I don't knows...I began to cry. This was the decision that was so hard because I had so much weighing on it. Within minutes the house began to shake. There was an earthquake. Instantly I went into panic mode. What does it mean? What does this all mean? I had gone from happy, sad to scared in a matter of minutes. 

    The earthquake in my eyes was the worlds way of shaking me out of my comfort zone, and to make a choice of what to do next and soon. Life doesn't wait for you, it will move on without you if you decide to take your time making decisions. It had begun the process of purging the past and making room for a new bright future ahead! I started by selling my stock, and then writing a letter of resignation, and then a vacation that I had planned on taking before hand. Before I knew it I had one week left of work before I started my new position. Things happened so fast, I look back now and wish I could only have done this sooner. But life doesn't always give you second chances. So I'm glad that I made my decision when I did. I decided to have a happy life, a happy outlook, a new place of work where I feel creative, and part of a great team of ladies that are so inspiring to work with! 

    So for all of you wondering for the past few weeks what has gotten into me...well that was it. I just had to harness what it is I wanted. I totally believe in "The Secret" I'm living proof that you can attract the things you want to have a happy life :) 


Have any of you read "The Secret" or seen the documentary?

What are your thoughts on it? 

Friday, July 13, 2012

Foreign Visuals




     While window shopping at South Coast plaza I was immediately drawn to the window display at Foreign Exchange. I absolutely love what they did with the cups! Strange thing is, a week earlier I had just done a window display at Road Less Traveled using plastic cups and paint...great minds think alike!

Take a look at some of the shots that I got in store. Enjoy





Saturday, July 7, 2012

Everyday Neon

I make it look easy :)
     I would have to say that one of my favorite things to do is design window displays! It is a great mix of fashion and interior merchandising. So how could I not love this? This past summer at Road Less Traveled we featured two of my displays that I made from recycled materials, plastic cups and cardboard boxes. 

     My vision was bright neon, graphic, everyday items in unusual forms. I absolutely love how it all came together in the end. Take a look below, and as always Im available for consultations for window display services. Let me know. 

The cups were painted to resemble the blanket.


A view from outside.

Ladders and Neon Cardboard sparked interest in onlookers.