POP by these amazing Pop-Up stores in NYC

Raise your hand if you are still stressing over finishing up the holiday shopping.

If you are in NYC, print this blog entry, grab your bag/purse/wallet and leave your office or apartment right now! I am about to share FIVE AMAZING pop-up stores in NYC that will solve all your problems.

Beats by Dr. Dre

67 Greene St. Soho(Open through Jan 15, 2012)

JG team happens to be one of the biggest fans of dr. Dre headphones. Check out the brand's first ever Beats by Dr.Dre store. TIP: You must try the sound-proofed listening room for the Beatbox Speaker system (which is on my wish list).

Wired Store

42nd St. at Broadway St. (Open through Dec. 24, 2011)

You will definitely get lost as you enter this hip, tech magazine's seventh annual holiday pop-up shop, where you can test out everything from headphones and household items to the latest gadgets and electronics. TIP: touch, smell and test out all the products. I was like a kid in a candy store! (Photo source: unplggd)

Artists & Fleas

88 Tenth Ave. (Open through Dec. 31, 2011)

You will feel like you just walked into a Williamsburg art market. Located in an industrial space at beautiful Chelsea Market, you can find anything from fashionable wears to art pieces by 30 exciting artists and designers from Williamsburg.

TIP: Each pieces has a unique stories behind it! Don't forget to ask what it is!

Gaga's Workshop at Barneys NY

660 Madison Ave. (Open through Jan 2, 2012)

What can I say, it's GAGA! Everything in the store has a lot of Gaga in it. Welcome to Lady Gagao's world, where inside it is broken up into eight separate stores including the Toy Shop, Candy Shop, and Boudoir. Barneys will donate 25% of sales proceeds to Gaga's Born This Way foundation. So you can feel good about spending your money there, you are doing a good deed at the same time :) TIP: take a moment to check out giant sculptures in the store. They are Gaga museum worthy pieces. (Photo Source: accessAtlanta)

Jingle: A Holiday Pop-Up Store in Chelsea Market

75 Ninth Ave. (Open through Dec. 23, 2011)

The "Jingle", a holiday pop-up store was established by Jill Schwartz of Elements/Jill Schwartz. This is the 5th year she brings Jingle back to Chelsea Market with 20 companies included in the store. One of kind art pieces, hand-made jewelry, gourmet chocolate, and other wonderful products won't disappoint you and your loved ones. (Photo Source: Jingle's FB page)

After you become exhausted from shopping, take a break at the temporary pop-up indoor park called "Park Here' at Open House Gallery (201 Mulberry St.). This is Open House Gallery's 2nd year of bringing the park to Noho. You can zen out at this cozy, warm, and comfortable indoor park. It is an oasis from the cold and the crazy NYC life (especially during holiday time).

Papers

While wandering the corridors of the invitation show a few months back, we came across the Bell’Invito booth. Two beauties from Texas smiled brightly eager to show us what they have to offer. In our day-to-day, we see it all and are rarely blown away, but there was something artisanal about their paper that showed a lot of care went into the design, which we found to be a nice blend of contemporary and classic. Visually, the layouts all had a harmony to them that carried through from the invite to the rsvp card to the informational card. And from talking to them for just a minute, we got the feeling they know exactly what the market needs. This is not the DIY invitation, but is really a hands-on and streamlines approach to make the process super easy.

As we got talking further, our conversation took a turn that I did not expect. Never in our history had we thought about taking on invitations as something the company would sell. We work closely with our clients to design and oversee the process, but we leave it to the professionals to speak the technical stuff.

The Bell’Invito team took the time to talk through the partnership and has made it super easy and now, clients can come directly to jesGORDON and we will walk them through the entire process of designing the perfect invite.

Beautiful books offer our clients a tour of all the “suites” that previous clients have used. For those of you who do not know what a “suite” is, like I did not before this process, it is the entire invite package (envelope, cards, etc). The books are great tools for those who just want to see something they like, point at it and be done.

For the client who really wants to pick every little detail, we can walk you through that process with ease. And there are so many choices to be made right down to who stuffs and mails the invitations for you.

· Envelope size, shape and color

· Liners (you would be amazed at the selections)

· Paper thickness, color, border, edge treatment

· Fonts, Calligraphy, letterpress vs. engraving, colors

· Wording

· Graphics

· Layout

· Stuffing and Mailing – who does it?

Lastly, as part of our many services as event producers and designers, when you hire us to produce your event, we will manage your RSVP’s for you so you have a stress free time and can focus on everything else, like the cake!

jesGORDON's Perfect New Years Eve Party

jesGORDON’s Perfect New Years Eve Party:

New Years Eve is right around the corner and I’ve compiled a list of essential items and ideas of how to make your New Years Eve party one for the books….

Invitations:

Invitations are necessary to provide all the details and they give the receiver exactly what to expect from your party. If you want the party to have a running theme, this is the place to express that. If you just want to set a fun, quirky tone, try something different like making an origami invitation that you can mail.

Lighting:

Fun lighting is essential to set the tone for ANY party, however New Years Eve to me has a thirst for sparkle that I quench with rope lights. Rope lights are a fun way to light a room and are available in various colors so you can really express yourself - stay classic with White lighting, or change it up and use Blue, or Green! Jamali Garden in NYC sells 18’ of rope light for about $12 bucks. Not bad. (www.jamaligarden.com)

Food:

Serve Mexican food at your New Years Eve party. I love Mexican, it’s spicy, fun, and easy to cook! Trust me, I know what it’s like to have a hard time with cooking, but if you take the time to plan ahead and try out the recipe a few days before, you’ll know what works and what doesn’t so that you are not spending all day laboring in the kitchen. Mexican food is always a hit with guests and it is cheap too so you can put your money toward other provisions like the alcohol!

The Bubbly:

New Years Eve is not the same without something bubbly. Here’s a list of some of my fizzy favorites ranging from around $75 per bottle down to $10 per bottle:

Vilmart Grand Cellier d’Or Brut, 2001

Veuve Clicquot Brut

Prosecco Frozza

Cordorniu Napa Brut Cava Classico

As for the rest of the bar, keep it simple. Unless you go all out in providing a full bar, but frankly I find that to be a complete pain. Stick with lots of bubbly and one hard alcohol like vodka. Provide a bunch of unique mixers like Lorina’s soda and some fresh juices and guests will have a blast mixing up something festive.

Music:

Finally, you want your guests to relax and just have fun. As a lover of music, I know that a great playlist can make the party. If you are fortunate enough to know your guests well, you have the edge and can provide a mix of upbeat music that strikes a cord with most everyone at some point in the night. If you do not know your guests, keep it safe but most importantly upbeat. Here are some of my favorite songs that I know will be playing at my New Years Eve party:

1999 – Prince

Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones

Stayin’ Alive – The Bee Gees

Rock and Roll All Nite – Kiss

Like a G6 – Far East Movement

Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen

All of the Lights – Kanye West

Tubthumping – Chumbawamba

I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas

Feeling Good – Michael Buble

Own Your Holiday Decoration

Decorating for holiday party is important to create a celebratory environment, but you don't want to offend certain groups of employees so here are some tips in keeping it "neutral".

Easy Breezy Beautiful Four Step Instructions:

Step One: Find COLORFUL construction paper. Cut two 12" strips, two 10" strips and one 8 3/4" strip with each strips width approximately 1". Feel free to play with the lengths of the sets of strips, but be mindful that the length of the middle strip demines the overall size and shape of the finished product - meanting a longer center strips yields and larger finished product. One important note: Don't be limited to the Holiday colors (Red, Green, Blue and White) - EXPRESS YOUR SELF!

Step Two: Place the shortest strip in the middle as the anchor and pair the rest by like size (length.) Starting with the shortest pair, take one of the strips and affix it to the top and bottom of the middle anchor strip so that it bows outward creating an elliptical patern. We used double stick tape (spongey kind) to bind the ends. Once you have affixed both of the shorter pieces to the opposite sides of the anchor, do the next longest set, affix them the same way so that it creates the outer layer of the ornament.

Setp Three: Wire the ornaments with fishing wire on one end so that you can hang the ornament. Cut the wires in varying heights fo rosme visual interest!

Step Four: Find boring corners, windows walls, or doors to hang the ornaments near.

Now put your elf hat on and get started!

Jes' eventoftheMONTH

This past month, the JG team put together an amazing rockstar bar mitzvah at Gotham Hall. Gotham is one of my favorite event spaces to work in because the architecture inside and out is absolutely gorgeous and screams old, chic New York City. Having previously been a bank, Gotham Hall’s interior is truly something else with its teller walls still in place and an awe inspiring glass domed ceiling.

For this bar mitzvah, we really wanted to incorporate Gotham’s vibe into the party’s atmosphere. Our design was inspired by a supper club environment and incorporated various textures, illumination, patterns, and lighting to add depth.

Since this was for a 13 year old boy, we kept the color palette in hues of Silver, Blue, Violet, and White. The combination of color gave off a fabulous balance of modern with the old-world chic venue.

We used some amazing décor elements that combined made this bar mitzvah’s aesthetic unlike any other bar mitzvah New York City has seen. Some of my favorite things we used were:

Luminaries:

I don’t think I can put into words how fan-freaking-tastic this lighting installation was. We’re all still talking about how gorgeous it looked. Raised high above the room and affixed to the dauntingly huge oval truss that hangs from the ceiling these votives gave off the feel the one was looking off into the skyline of a magical cartoon city. And “city” was an underlying theme the bar mitzvah boy wanted us to incorporate, so that was our interpretation as it fit into this venue. We lowered the truss some 35 ‘ to the floor and hung the luminaries at various lengths that, once the lights were lowered and the truss raised back up, looked like they were floating on air! Using LED lights to illuminate the luminaries, the dimness was perfect. It was so one of those moments where you had to take a step back and have a moment because it was really THAT amazing to see.

Infinity Votives:

Here at the JG studio, we have A LOT of votives to work with but these infinity votives are my absolute favorites! The chemistry they add to a table setting or a bar is truly stunning. These votives worked perfectly with our floral displays on every table. The combination with the floral displays that consisted of Mini Calla Lilies, Hydrangea, Anemones, and Orchids provided an outstanding exuberance on those tables!

Lounge Furniture:

For the teen’s area, we used amazing lounge furniture that gave a very clubby chic appeal for the younger attendees. The White furniture was able to pop in an area where we used lots of darker colors in the accessories, including blue custom made pillows with the bar mitzvah logo. In using a mix of couches and ottomans, the differences in furniture style gave off an eclectic vibe for the bar mitzvah boy and his friends!

It’s been a few weeks and this party is still resonating inside of me. I’m continuously showing my friends and family pictures from this event. It’s events like these that really show how awesome my job can be!

"Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Holiday Decor

We are often faced with the challenge of not using repetitive materials when designing most of our events, and when it comes to holiday time I am a fan of using every medium to express anything aesthetic and celebratory.

If I could fill a room with squiggly, soft puppies instead of the average Christmas tree I would. But, is that really practical? NOT.

Instead, I am a sucker for the traditional cone shape of a tree, or the outline of what can be reminiscent of a Jewish Star or Menorah, but I tend to shy away from expressing these shapes using traditional materials.

Does Christmas or Hanukah colors necessarily have to be expressed in Green and Red or White and Blue, respectively? I don’t think so… so many other colors and metallics are celebratory in their own ways, such as Copper, Gold and Gun Metal tones, Purple hues, rich Chocolate Brown tones mixed with gradients of Ivory, White and natural Green.

For Corporate events, using your Logo colors as base Holiday tones raises morale around the water cooler.

In my holiday design aesthetic, I like to use a lot of textures. The use of rich Velvet or Faux Fur screams Holiday to me a lot more than a soft linen or light Cotton which I associate more with spring and summer. Festive fabrics that have a natural sheen to them will reflect natural candlelight or any illumination in a room that can easily cause “visual magic.”

To me a fireplace is a Rock Star Holiday element that many of us take for granted… I cant tell you how many times I stared into the glistening light of the fireplace and let it gleefully transport me out of my food coma and into an enjoyable Holiday trance.

What I am saying here is that there are so many simple things that we overlook when gearing up to decorate in time for the Holidays, things that we already own and can utilize from our own surroundings:

Don’t overlook color as a Holiday décor concept.

Paper and cardboard rocks!

Never underestimate the power of candlelight or LED candles - use them!

Family photos displayed artfully around a Holiday affair gives meaning to your event.

Comfort is key: pillow up! Utilize your plush accents for folks to feel at home. I use shag carpets, pillows, blankets, floor cushions, and give comfy slippers as gifts.

Give Back! If you are throwing a corporate Holiday event incorporate your LOGO in a playful way and find a way to include a charity that your employees want to support.

Treat your guests like Kings and Queens. Everyone loves presents, but don’t go overboard, sending a guest home with a take away cupcake or sweet treat can work wonders.

Make sure those Kings have a good Holiday beer and that the Queens have a specialty cocktail that will make them feel fabulous!

Use your own feel good music playlist as an entertainment source. Most likely if something gets your blood pumping on the dance floor your guests will feel enthusiastic about it too.

Keep Holiday entertaining organic in the way that you should ask yourself what makes you happy and then share it with those you love. An example is if you adore bowling, then take a group of your special people out for a great bowling night that is a great way to start out an evening of celebration; just remember that not everyone will be as passionate as you about it so offer up some other options for the evening too.

If you love your home, then invite the people you love into your home. Don’t feel intimidated if you don’t have a “show place,” you have a good time to offer and that should be enough.

Its funny because obviously we do some pretty heavy duty and detailed events over here at jesGORDON/properFUN, but it seems that when the team actually does get a Holiday off, we tend to spend them very simply, quietly and happily J

Kid At Heart

Birthdays, graduations, bar mitzvahs, quinceaneras – these are just a few of the infinite occasions that may arise during adolescence. While planning for such events may seem initially daunting, with a few pointers you’ll soon find that these occasions provide an opportunity to evoke the kid in you and let your imagination run wild!

To start with, you want to set an atmosphere that evokes the senses and awakens the creative spirit within your guests. To create a whimsical feel, you can pin up color wheels of various shades circulating in waves along the walls. For some sophisticated color, tie together some striped straws with a bright ribbon placed in a clear jar, and voila!

As any child might declare, it is essential to set aside a dessert table with an assortment of scrumptious sweets and colorful candies that will really make the room pop. Apothecary jars filled to the brim with gumballs, jellybeans, rock candy, gummy bears, or other candies are sure to bring out the sweet tooth of any guest, regardless of age! For a nifty beverage idea, use Pirouline sticks for edible straws and dip them in root beer floats.

Lighting is an essential visual tool to enhance the mood. If you want to make the aura more magical and warm, you can hang LED candle votives in mid-air or use paper lanterns to bring some color to the neutral space.

Simple yet vivid in color, flowers like tulips and craspedias make for perfect floral additions that will soften the room.

If in need of labels for guest names or edible items, be sure to make them monochromatic for visual balance with all the mix of color. You can attach them to ribbons on goodies or on a spiraling wire on writing utensils.

All in all, just make sure to have fun with it! Tell a story with your event that will awaken the senses and stir the creative juices within each child.