BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS STYLEMAKER EVENT

Several weeks ago I attended the Better Homes and Gardens Stylemaker Event held in New York City.  This is an annual event that 75 home and food bloggers along with other creatives are invited to attend.   I thought I'd take you through the event and give you a little peek into our time spent with the BHG team.  The BHG team did a phenomenal job of taking care of and even spoiling us for the day!

All images courtesy David Keith Photography unless otherwise noted underneath the photo.

The event was held at the stunning Gramercy Park hotel.  The design was absolutely exquisite.  I couldn't take it all in...

photo via Gramercy Park Hotel

Upon arrival we were whisked up to the top floor which houses a variety of meeting rooms and a gorgeous rooftop atrium gathering space.

After checking in we were welcomed into this swanky lounge.  Notice the ceiling.  That is hundreds of individual light bulbs... it was jaw-dropping!  The room was outfitted with furniture and accessories from one of the sponsors for the event, Crate and Barrel.

The atrium bar where we were served refreshments and lunch.  How cute are those marquee lights?  They were especially fun in the evening!

At the time of the event, BHG had just launched their new special edition "Stylemakers" magazine, which highlights the homes of a number of "stylemaker" bloggers.  I'm so excited that several of my friends' homes are featured inside.  Be sure to check out the issue at your local newsstand!

Of course, just as exciting as a day hearing from the leaders in the creative industry, is the opportunity to hang out and chat in person with so many "online" friends.

Me, Emily A. Clark, Rhoda of Southern Hospitality, and Emily of Eleven Gables (photo cred.)

I think we were previewing our cute Boomerang video...

me, Emily, Rhoda, Cyndy from The Creativity Exchange, Laura Trevey

The event was everything and more that you would expect from the talented Better Homes and Gardens creative staff.  Gorgeous flower arrangements from FTD-

This backdrop was probably one of my favorite things there.  It's a living moss wall from Planted Design.  The texture and color variation was so pretty and interesting!

And, of course, the food spread was spectacular and so beautifully and creatively displayed.

We enjoyed plenty of time in between the program sessions to catch up and brainstorm together.

One of the sessions I attended was on floral design.  I greatly enjoyed hearing from these three ladies, and picking up some of their tips and tricks for arranging as well as photography.  I shared these last week in my flower arranging tips post, but these 3 are good ladies to follow on Instagram for inspiring flower feeds:  @francespalmer  @floretflower @emilythompsonflowers

photo Dimples and Tangles

In other sessions, we heard from blogger and author Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge, actress and food expert Padma Lakshmi, and a creative panel including Chris Benz- Creative Director of Bill Blass, Steve Woodard- President of Crate and Barrel, and Stephen Orr- Editor in Chief of BHG.  It was interesting to hear everyone's creative stories and journeys and hear their predictions for up and coming trends.

Emily, Rhoda, and I were intently discussing something...

After a short break we returned for the evening.  This venue was stunning at night!  The rooftop views surrounding the hotel were breathtaking.

photo Dimples and Tangles

After an evening of mingling, a few of us headed to a nearby restaurant for pizza (yum!  I told you about it here), but not before being sent off with a fantastic swag bag.  I wanted to show you these little succulents that were included from FTD, primarily because I loved how they packaged them.  The soil was covered in moss, and then wrapped in plastic wrap so everything stayed in place.  SO smart for all of us that were traveling.  I literally threw this in my carry-on bag- I think it even got buried under some things- and transported it without a hitch.   Something similar would be such great little party or wedding favors.

The next morning we were invited to Crate and Barrel's Soho location for breakfast and more design talk.  We heard from some industry leaders about current and future trends.

The store was gorgeous and they had a wonderful breakfast presentation all ready for us.  Notice the spiced donuts stacked up on a dowel rod- how smart!

So much inspiration and pretty things to snap a shot of!

This event was truly a dream come true for me to be invited to.  I felt completely out of my league, yet everyone from the BHG team to the guest speakers to all of my fellow attendees were gracious and welcoming and kind.  I know that I owe YOU, my readers, a huge thank you!  Without you following along, commenting, sharing and pinning posts that you like, and encouraging me, I know that this incredible opportunity would have never come my way.  So, thank you!



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