NY Gift Show Trend Report

A day out of the workroom on Monday, walking the NY Gift Show, was just what I needed to get my creative juices going. So happy I live just a train ride away from the city and can make it a day excursion.  Whenever I can get to one of the gift shows, I look for trends I can translate into upcoming projects.  The fabulous online marketplace, One Kings Lane, along with Pantone, made that very easy for me.  Here are the trends they displayed so beautifully at the show.

American Vintage – nostalgia, classic motifs, denim, patchwork (yea!), numbers, flags with distressed finishes, salvaged materials, schoolroom style.  Colors – blues, green and grey including Pantone colors Amazon, Bright White, Mars Red, Micro Chip, Oil Yellow, Peppercorn, Stonewash, Turkish Sea and Vintage Indigo.

French Moderne Way – elegant French design, blending rich materials and exotic elements.  Colors – muted neutrals, traditional dark blues and reds including Pantone Almost Mauve, Crown Blue, Gray Morn, Parisian Night, Rose Taupe, Silver, Sparrow, Tibetan Red and White Swan.

The Marrakesh Express – ethnic looks from North Africa, aged color story, set against distressed finishes.  Colors – richly aged patina metal surfaces, including Pantone colors Antique Moss, Cloudburst, Deep Mahogany, Fir Green, Mecca Orange, Moostruck, Morel, Red Dahlia, Rooibos Tea, and Stormy Weather. The Linen Revival – a dry hand, with rough linens that look hand-loomed, two-color tweeds, animal prints such as zebra and alligator wovens.  Colors – reaching beyond light neutrals, including Pantone Arabian Spice, Caramel Cafe, Deep Well, Hemp, Orange Peppers, Papyrus, Seal Brown and Toasted Coconut.

Graphic Modern – grounded by strong print statements with “pop”, often rendered in just one or two colors.  Colors – jewel-toned colors, including Pantone colors Bosphorus, Cayenne, Evening Blue, Gloxinia, Green Sheen, Jazzy, Sodalite Blue, Tender Shoots and Wild Aster.

So there’s a sneak peak into the trends you’ll be seeing in the stores in the upcoming months.

Week at the Beach

Topsail Beach, NC – Beach Sunrise from my Bedroom Window

There is nothing like a week at the beach to relax and unwind and reconnect with family, nature and self.  We just got back from an amazing week at Topsail, NC at a beautiful home right on the ocean.  I could get used to this being the view I see every morning when I wake up.

We all come to the beach with a book or two ready to park ourselves in the sand and read.  There is no better way to spend a day than to let the hypnotic sound of the ocean waves help you get “into” your book – whether with eyes open or closed.

Nothing better than the beach and a pile of books and projects.

I always come to the beach with many tote bags full of stitching projects and tons of books and magazines I’ve been meaning to read for months.  So it was with great joy I spent last week reading sewing, quilting, and crafting books one right after the other and totally immersing myself in my happy place of thread and fabric and creative techniques.

Toes in the sand….book in my hands.

Back to home and back to reality now but relaxed and inspired.  I want to hold onto this feeling as long as I can.