Nate + Nest + Networking

If you follow other design bloggers that attended last Tuesday's Nate Berkus show taping, you've already heard plenty about it. In short - as a result of a twitter and blogging campaign, the Nate Berkus show producers invited a bunch of us to watch a taping. Then HGTV invited us all to lunch at their office (which I am so bummed about the fact I couldnt attend) and then Camila worked with The Nest to throw us a fabulous afterparty.

So here is my take on the Nate bit: I did not fly from far away nor did it cost me a great deal to attend so I'm not that upset about it. I think the way it was handled throughout was bad business - we were all herded like cattle in the pre show, no special design bloggy topics that episode, no on air mention of the fact we were even present, no opportunity to meet Nate after the fact, etc - it was kind of foolish of Nate and his producers to let an opportunity for incredibly positive press to leave feeling unfufilled. But hey, who the hell am I? So I'll leave it that. Should you want to read more about check out Sketch42's take on it. If you want to crack up check out MFAMB song parody about it.

So enough of the bad stuff...what about the good? Big hand to Camila of High Heeled Foot in the Door and the wonderful women at The Nest who threw us a little bash after the show was over. That was absolutely the highlight of the whole experience because I got to meet sooooo many other amazing bloggers that I've been following for years. It was a giant love fest. (If it weren't for the Nate show I would have never gotten an opportunity to connect with these fabulous people so even if it was an unintentional side effect, points to Nate Berkus for that one.)

I also got to meet the event photographer who is an incredible talent and nice guy - Trent Bailey. His portfolio makes me want to throw a fabulous gala event just so he can photograph it. (that's totally normal right?) He was kind enough to share some photos of the party with me so I could share them with you.




Some of the lovely ladies I got to chat up: Amy of ABCD Design; Tamara of Get it Girl Style; Emily A Clark; Erika of Blu Label Bungalow; Jonathan Legate, Kwana of KwanaWrites; Janell of Isabella&Max; Kate of Centsational Girl; Amy of Masion Decor; Tanya of Save the Date for Cupcakes; Juliann of Create Girl; Stephanie of Sabbesspot; Lindsay of Everything LEB; Sarah of LiveLaughShop; Lindsay of A Design Story; Emily of Perfectly Put Together; Traci Zeller; Sarah of Thrifty Decor; Bryn Alexandra; Teresa of The Stamford Wife and many more! (This is just from the top of my head). I somehow missed a few other people I really wanted to chat with even though we were all in the same room. But can you believe I got to meet all of those talented bloggers in one night???

I had such a great time!! The only downside was seeing this photo of myself that sent me into a shame circle all weekend long. I know its only a photo but wow, I look like a three chinned slow witted monster here. Ugh.

Itty Bitty Ghost Chair Giveaway

Before I get to the winner of the Ghost Chair Giveaway, I just want to thank everyone who left lovely comments. I expected it would be popular but I didn't expect it to be THIS popular. For those that are new here, I hope some of you liked what you saw and will be back. I really wish I could help get each of your very own but now comes the bittersweet part of these deals.

Without further delay, the winner is...

melissa of the lil bee



A very big thank you to AllModern for being kind enough to give one of these cuties away. For those of you that didn't win and really and truly want one for your tiny tot design affciandos, go ahead and get one! You, er, your baby deserves it!

Itty Bitty Ghost Chair Giveaway

{Entries will be accepted up until 8pm EST on August 05. The winner will be announced Thursday, August 06.}

I'm soooo excited to post today because I have such a fun giveaway for all of your tiny tot designers in training (or those that plan on making some in the future). Its the Lou Lou Ghost Chair courtesy of AllModern.



As you know, I'm a fan of the Kartell Ghost Chair and was lucky enough to get one as a gift last year. For me, its just the perfect marriage of old and new - the classic shape of a Louis XVI antique with the unmistaken modernity of plastic. Its beautiful and whimsical at the same time! Not to mention the practicality of a piece of furniture that serves a purpose while not taking up a lot of visual space. Perfect for small spaces like my office. (<----Click here to check it out if you haven't seen it already)


So when AllModern.com contacted me about doing a giveaway, I was more than a little bit overjoyed to be able to help someone get one of these baby ghost chairs into their own home.


All Modern has a fantastic selection of modern furniture and home accessories from many leading designers. Part of CSN Stores, All Modern is just one of over 260 retail sites that offer a diverse array of products from Herman Miller’s popular Aeron Chair to cookware by Rachael Ray.

Check out these fabulous photos I found of Lou Lou Ghost chairs on the web. I dare you NOT to smile! Needless to say, I'm a little bit bummed I can't win this one for my own future baby Limestone!

Photos above from: birdfruit, project nursery and terri smith photography.

So what do you need to do to enter?

• Option #1: Just comment on this post! It's that easy! I'd love to know how you found my blog or your favorite post but its up to you what you'd like to say.
• Option #2: If you have a blog, please post about this giveaway and add a comment here including the link to the post. And yes, you can enter twice this way!
  

One little caveat: Because of the shipping charges, this giveaway only applies to US residents or those that can ship it to a US address.

Good luck!