Stylevise - the new way to DIY style your life

Who doesn't want to look like they just stepped out of Pinterest for their family photos!?

My whole concept of... well, styling anything, has changed! Thanks to Kaycee Majxner and Megan Megan Fredericks Dubofsky, the brains and beauty behind a Boulder startup company called Stylevise.

Lucky me, I just so happen to live nearly next door to Kaycee, so I've had an opportunity to learn about this company intimately, and I couldn't be more impressed or happy to support them.

Here's how it went down:

1. I wanted to get our first set of professional family photos. I had a limited budget, limited time, and very specific vision, because I'm an annoying designer and think I'm a stylist. (Laughable, once you see the photos).

2. I found a "Stylevisor," and presented my style dilemma,  - STYLE DILEMMA: How can I make our family photos look really cool, retro, and reminiscent of a Slim Aaron's photo from the mid-1960's? - Oh and not cost more than $150.

3. My Stylevisor interviewed me, and I told her that I had a pair of floral heels that I thought would really kick things off (no pun intended) for the look I was going for.

4. She presented my Style Boards, with colors, specific clothing items, how much they were, and where to find them.

5. Scout for fun retro locations no further than three blocks from home.

6. Set it up with the fabulous photographer Ashlee Burke (Who Stylevise recommended).http://ashleeburkephotography.pixieset.com/jillvivianrob/7. Shoot!

For this particular shoot we did one set where I chose the clothes for a more contemporary look, then we changed into our Stylevised outfits, I threw some red lipstick on, and put my hair in a bun, and out the door we were to take our retro photos.

All of this took about 1.5 hour. The total cost of the clothing was approximately $150, photo was separate and is quoted individually with Ashlee.

THE RESULTS:

I couldn't be happier, more impressed with my experience and the talent!

Being a creative director and having extensive on site styling experience makes me a picky buyer; but I'm sold on Stylevise.

I will be using this service again and again to capture out family moments while our daughter Vivienne is growing up, and for a lot of other styling needs to come.

See for yourself.

http://blog.stylevise.com/2015/05/26/sunshine-of-your-love-styling-a-retro-family-photo-shoot-with-super-style/

xo

The Golden History Museum

What a fantastic project to be a part of. Check out this article about the rebrand and a bit of History about The Golden History Museum

http://goldenhistory.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/ghm-gets-a-brand-new-look/

Asian Adventure in Design

As I prepare for my big 2012 adventure to Tokyo, Thailand, and Siem Reap, Cambodia, I am getting more and more excited about what I might discover over there with design, packaging, and typography.

This is my second trip to Tokyo, I went in 1996 and it blew my mind. I came home with a suitcase of food, candy, toys, jewelry and basically anything that was shiney and pretty. Everything in Japan is beautiful and inspiring. From simply wrapped pastries on the streets, to their soda cans in vending machines.

Years later I can only imagine what I might behold. I will be collecting a lot of stuff and snapping picts of as much good stuff as I can.

 In the meantime here are some fun Japanese inspirations to get me going on this.

 

(Above) “KAKIYAMA is a long-established rice cracker brand in Tokyo, their brand-new packages including the assorted gift box, tin box, gift wrapping & shopping bags. The designer's goal was to create a Modern Japanese yet traditional and luxury rice cracker brand that appeals to all ages consumers.”

 


This quirky product design is by the Japanese design company D-bros. It takes brilliant creativity to make a cheap material like plastic look beautiful, classy and elegant. D-bros has once again created an innovative design, using a flat plastic sheet as a watering can to water flowers and plants. In addition, you can also use them as a flower vase!

 

 Kinoko no Yama (mushroom mountain),

These are my FAVORITE candy bites in Japan, and I love the word "Kinoko" which translates to Mushroom. And they all come in boxes with silver-foil cases inside to “protect” the contents even further. Plus you feel like a little knome when you are eating them.

 

One of my favorite things about Japanese packaging design is that they often use transparent wrappers with ink treatmens printed. While it's only a 2" bite of cake, you are still feeling like it's a fashionable present everytime you open one.

Really...there are animal faces on match heads!?! Why yes of course! And why wouldn't they spend an additional, say - $.50 per match book just to make them cute? Seriously, I love the Japanese for this stuff, and I will be keep my eyes peeled for the likes of the panda matches you see above!

Let the custom wallpaper begin!

Since last September when I had the amazing opportunity to work with my lifelong friend John Gidding from HGTV on the Rachel Ray Show loft, I have been insanely inspired to get going on doing some of my own custom wallpaper designs. Serendipitously, there is a new boutique in the Highlands, Denver neighborhood called "Covered Wallpaper." The two women who own it are visionaries in Colorado. They see the need for this niche product and let me tell you...they are delivering! They serve up the coolest of the cool when it comes to wallpaper. I met with them last week to discuss getting something going; so fingers crossed, that something may come out of that. In the meantime my dear friend Donna Montgomery has put me to the test with a special Ikat pattern that she loves. I can't wait to see this stuff plastered all over her contemporary bathroom with peacock colored tiles. It will be a color-site to behold. Here's what it looks like so far.


Inspiration in 2012

There is something so wonderful and magical about these cut paper scenes.