Flaming Cactus

A cable tie, also known as a zip tie is a wonderful tool,

especially when it comes to securely binding and organizing things. I became the biggest fan of zip ties, and use them for everything; draping, binding multiple rugs together,

binding rods and branches, and much more.

zip ties are my remedy to almost anything,

like windex in the movie...

My Big Fat Greek Wedding to me "Put some Windex" :)

We had an amazing weather in NYC last Saturday, and I was determined to take an adventurous trip in the city. My journey began in the Astor Place in East Village, where I saw vibrant colored zip tie installation on the lampposts. From the distance, I couldn't tell what it was made out of. I walked closer to one of the lamppost then gasped, "OMG ARE THESE ZIP TIES??" Brightly neon zip ties wrapped around all the posts and created Cactus looking lampposts.

"Flaming Cactus" installation was part of an art project from the Animus Art Collective for this year's Summer Streets Program.

The goal of the installation was to demonstrate that everyday objects can be transformed into something interesting just by combining them in usual ways.

They are coming down in June 2012, please go check them out!

Also.. few of the photos I took during my inspirational tour in SOHO/NOLITA <3

Exotic Flair

Add some exotic flavor to your event by incorporating tropical elements to the décor.

The unique flair of design will become a conversation piece for your guests that will have them talking long after your party.

There are so many options to choose from whether it be foliage and grasses or vibrant flowers.

Some of my favorites are: Hanging Heliconia, Anthurium, Beehive Ginger, Pincushion Protea, Bird of Paradise, and Bromeliads.

When designing, I find that creating an arrangement of one variety creates a greater impact visually. However, a combination of colors and textures is aesthetically pleasing as well!

Planning a tropical inspired wedding? Check out some of these creative design ideas!

Lite Brite, Are You Making a Come Back?

An upcoming event has challenged us to design for a crowd with a demographic of males, ages 18 – 40. The event will showcase a variety of electronic gadgets and the boys/men who use them. The younger crowd who will be in attendance come from today’s super-high tech, 3D technology world that is leaps and bounds away form the technology that saturated the wonder years of the older generation that will be attending. We needed to find a bridge. So we are proposing a cool Lite Brite Wall as the focal point for the room and as a place to display our client’s logo.

I never had the chance to play with this legendary toy, so I did some quick research! The Lite Brite was created by Hasbro in 1967, and allows its user to create a glowing design. Essentially, this is just a light box with small colored pegs that fit into a grid of holes and illuminate from within. Users use any arrangement formed from a custom combination of eight different colored pegs (green, blue, red yellow, orange, pink, purple, and clear), so with that kind of variety, there are MANY custom designs to be created.

We think larger-than-life whenever possible so to my surprise, the largest Lite Brite ever built was an entire wall created in NYC. This structure created in 2008 by ASICS America Corporation and Vitrorobertson used 347,004 original size pegs and made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. This self-standing image was 9ft x 14ft.

A little nostalgia goes a long way and with the ever evolving App world available today, all kinds of “old school” technology has resurfaced in the shiny new form of tablet and smart phone apps. Case in point, Lite-Brite is now offered as an iPad app. You can pick the colored pegs you want and then every space you touch appears in those colors and makes a funny little sound, just as it did when Lite Brite users ripped through the paper of those fresh, new design templates that came with the game.

Our hope, is that guests will appreciate the nostalgic nod to technology that we are making by using a giant Lite Brite wall to display this ever-so-tech-forward company’s logo at their event.

Try Me

Christine <3

FLS Beauty Tips by Guest Blogger :: Lena Shkreli

Bio:

Hair and makeup have always been a passion of mine since I was a little girl. I always used to cut my dolls hair and give them a new style. I would take markers and pretend it were makeup pencils and color their eyes and lips with it. I became a licensed cosmetologist in 2006 and since then have had training in both hair and makeup thru TNG and Goldwell classes. I have done hair and makeup for local magazines in the Metro Detroit Area (Detroit HOUR, Styleline, and Metro Detroit Bride Magazine). I'm a hairdresser and makeup artist at Saks Fifth Avenue in Troy, MI. I also have my own freelance hair and makeup company, FLS Beauty (www.flsbeauty.com) offering brides and other women exceptional service in the comfort of their own home or the event venue.

Beauty tips:

From keeping your hair perfectly nourished to growing your lashes with out the high cost of prescriptions to making home beauty recipes this beauty tips will make you look and feel fabulous for any event you have coming up whether it be your wedding or a party your hosting!

Has the summer heat made your hair feel dry and straw like? Don't have the budget to get a in-salon treatment? Are you into all natural products? Well ladies, here is a great beauty recipe you can make in the comfort of your own home.

The Recipe:

All of the ingredients in this recipe moisturize and soften your hair.

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup plain, full-fat yogurt

2 Tbsp grapeseed oil (or olive oil)

1 Tbsp honey

Whip all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Apply to dry hair, concentrating on hair ends. Leave on for 15 minutes, covering with a shower cap to contain any drips. Shampoo as usual. Unused conditioning mask must be tightly sealed and refrigerated, and will keep for 3-4 days.

Want long, luscious lashes?! You don't have to buy Latisse. Just go to your kitchen and grab yourself some Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Pour just a small about into a cup. Take a Q-tip, dip it into the oil and apply to the lash line or as close as possible with out getting it into your eye. Do this to your bottom lashes also. Apply every night for at least 6 weeks to notice visible results.

We also want to keep our skin looking as young as possible. Don't forget to apply a SPF of at least 30 on your face everyday! Don’t over indulge in sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, & fruit-juice concentrate they can prematurely age skin. We're always looking for the next best product to reduce our fine lines or wrinkles. Here are some great supplements for your skin that you can take daily:

Coenzyme Q10 - Protects your skin from oxidative stress & helps give cells the energy to repair themselves.

Vitamin C - Without it your body can’t make collagen.

Polypodium Leucotomos (Found In Heliocare Pills) – Protects skin from UV damage.

Fish or Flaxseed Oil - Omega-3 fatty acids strengthens the skin’s barrier. Also reduces inflammation & treats eczema.

Hope you enjoy these tips! Questions or comments? Contact us at: www.flsbeauty.com

Best Regards,

Lena

Setting the Tone for the Entire Event

Last Saturday, we produced a whimsical mid summer nights dream wedding. Our overall concept for the wedding was expressed through a gorgeous harmony of textures and colors.

We wanted to create a focal point in the entry way that we felt would est the tone for the entire event. So we chose to make the Escort Card Table a huge WOW since it is the first thing the guests will see.

The table was designed with a collection of apothecary jars filled with a thin layer of moss, which was accented by succulents. The escort cards were presented in a lush bedding of moss. A series of ribbons in colors of blush pink, orange, and cream and clear votives were strung from a birch pole creating an artistic curtain overhead that highlighted the display.

HOW to create a RIBBON WALL

A ribbon wall can be easily created at home. All you need is a pole that you can string ribbons from and a collection of ribbons in different widths ranging from 7/8” to 1 ½”. Choose ribbons in monochromatic colors (recommend 3 – 4 different colors), it is visually more striking than displaying 7 different colors. You don’t want your head to spin! Cut them in varying heights, as different height to add dimension.

Voila, you’ve got your self a whimsical ribbon backdrop!

Express Yourself!

Say it with flowers is the traditional way to approach a special occasion or event, but why not go a step further and impress your guests with a little something more.

Expand your creative vision by incorporating different design elements through the use of vases. They can take a simple concept and shape it into an artistic theme.

The atmosphere and vibe of your party will change instantly.

Your guests will also be pleasantly surprised when they get to take one home too!

Put your 3D Glasses on!

About a year and a half ago the program Live Interior 3D Standard was introduced to the Rockstar Headquarter by tech savvy Bill. Live Interior 3D program is an interior design application that lets you build your event, house or office on your mac.

Most of our events are not only about the tabletop design but overall décor, creating that perfect environment. At jesGORDON/properFUN, With the large scale events that come our way, 3D Standard is the perfect tool.

We love perfection; so being able to create the floorplans perfectly to scale makes our productions day of move smoothly (Production on the day of should never be a guessing game anyways!). Our clients find it very difficult to envision the events themselves. They come to us with a list of ideas in their head but don't really see how it could come together, or better yet, if their ideas even to together, so they look to us to not only design their event but to give them a visual before they even step foot in the room. The feedback is ALWAYS positive.

Have you played The Sims games? 3D program is like decorating your own space on The Sims except with much more advanced tools and availabilities of décor items. I used to spend hours decorating the house of my dreams and not actually playing with the characters. So I had no problem spending endless hours playing with the program once it was installed.

To practice all the tools in the program, I built my own union Square apartment. It was a perfect space because it was small enough for me to measure with a measuring tape and I knew all the details (measurements and locations of the walls, windows, doors, and furniture). I attached the real photo of my room and the 3D version of it. Looking back at these renderings, I definitely was not fully utilizing what the program offers. As you can see, the 3D rendering still looks very computer created and not polished.

After about a year of pumping out 3D projects for our clients, I started a project of my own, building my DREAM HOME. It is a 1400sq. ft NYC apt built from a scratch. I am very much in love with materials like wood, metal, and tiles. You will notice the ceiling, walls, and floors all include all these materials.

These photos are few of my favorite projects I’ve worked on for our clients!

Put your 3D glasses on and ENJOY J

xoxo

Christine

Summer Favorites

People may think that your flower varieties are limited during the late months of summer, however some of my favorites fall right around this time of season.

If you are a future bride planning your wedding next year or just interested in what’s out there for your own personal knowledge, look no further!

In this post I will provide you with my three summer must haves.

HYDRANGEA:

While this flower is typically available year round in most cases, due to enhanced growing and shipping capabilities, some of the best color varieties come straight from local growers this time of year. The waves of dimension and color variation are so unique and mind blowing you will fall in love ten times over.

COCKSCOMB AND CELOSIA:

If you love funky unique flowers that will make your guests say WOW….this flower is calling your name. Late summer, early fall is prime for this flower and the colors are so diverse and outrageous. The texture of this flower is so vast, from waves and brain shapes to sharp points and spikes, it is definitely a flower with personality.

DAHLIAS:

Last but not least, this flower could never go out of style. It also comes in a broad range of shapes and sizes and their small buds could not be more charming. Another great flower for color variation, it also pairs well with all different textures.

Love,

Klair

inspireME

As the design director at jesGORDON/properFUN, I am encouraged and supported to step outside of the box and design one of a kind parties! It is not always easy to stray away from what’s been done and seen in events, especially in NYC where all the fabulous designers produce such top-notch work. Jes is definitely one of the most creative minded inventors in the realm of event design. She has keen eyes and a fresh taste for new design, and she is not afraid to execute it.

First step to producing a one of kind event is to be inspired. When it comes to designing an event, my inspirations come from many sources. I’ve come to learn that event design is not only about tabletop decorations and table linens, but is about completely transforming the space through lighting, furniture, linens, flowers, props and much more.

I am a big fan of delicious cuisines and sweet pastries, beautiful photographs, unique textures, variety of colors, home décor, music, shapes and much more. Blogs, restaurants, galleries, store displays, fashion and basically everywhere in The world is my creative outlets and play a role in my designs.

Everywhere I look there are inspirations. I take visual snapshots in my head as I cruise down the street. Store windows in Soho and 5^th avenue, art galleries in Chelsea and lower east side, and of course museums. Grab a pair of sunglasses and comfortable shoes, TAKE A WALK!

{Museum Pedestals}

{Museum Pedestals at the Pinch Event}

Top Store Window Displays:

Anthropology: I love their window displays. I like checking out the materials that they used. One of my favorite displays was large flower installation that was made with colorful plastic cups.

Louis Vuitton: LV always has visually striking window displays either through large fabricated props or lighting display. They are always the talk of the town!

I religiously read design and interior blogs. I’ve listed few below for you guys to check out! These Design blogs don’t contain anything event related. But that is why I enjoy reading them because they give me different perspective in design.

Design Blogs: Design Buzz, Gizmodo, Design Crush, Frame , Contemporist

Interior Blogs: Department of the Interior, Daily Dream Decor, Decor8

Check out my boards on Pinterest, these images work wonders for my imagination <3

Pinterest for smart brides

We wanted to share a great tool that will help you organize and collect gorgeous images. Have you heard about pinterest? Pinterest is a virtual pinboard where you can clip images from the web or even upload images of your own and ensemble mood boards around any variety of topics. Pinterest makes it so easy to collect and share all sorts of images.

{search word: Wedding}

We shared some of our event photos on Pinterest. You will find cocktail table arrangement photos, chuppah photos and other gorgeous JG event photos on Pinterest. Hope will inspire many stylish Pinterest-ers :D

{Search Word: Escort Card Table}

Request an invite from Pinterest and enjoy :)