Little PINK Book features Mei Xu, Chesapeake Bay Candle’s founder and president, and invites her to share her insight and experience regarding how strong innovation contributes to business growth.
We asked Katherine Rodriguez, one of our talented designers here at Chesapeake Bay Candle, to share her top 5 favorite blogs and she got back to us with a well-balanced mix.
1. In the Market
http://www.brandweek.com/
Though this isn’t a blog, I still like to know what’s going on in the industry. With articles about targeting demographics, rebranding that has and has not worked, which companies are spending what money where on advertising, and new methods of marketing, I feel connected to the design world. Just seeing what has worked for some companies and how we can apply their methods to our product and retailers is key to design.
2. Packaging
http://www.thedieline.com/blog/
Being a packaging designer, this blog, features packaging, was a no brainer. There’s a great balance of design, from food to soap, from around the world. The descriptions behind the design are a great way to further appreciate the designer’s message he/she is trying to communicate. Also, I like the student spotlights showing what talent is coming out of some of the top design schools.
3. Home Décor & Fashion
http://www.designspongeonline.com/
http://decor8blog.com/
http://ohjoy.blogs.com/
These are mostly driven by product and home décor, but there’s some fashion mixed in. Any of these blogs are a great way to see various styles of design. I love Design Sponge’s “Before and After” for home furnishings and Oh Joy’s “This and That”, translating trends across multiple means. Such a great way to be exposed to all kinds of home décor goods, fashion accessories, patterns and great product. Also amazing images for trend boards!
4. Design
http://www.designworklife.com/
A friend from college started this blog and I think its great to see a fellow designer blogging. While great product is always good to see (like design sponge, print and pattern, and decor8), I like the entries about typography, new typefaces, and other designers.
5. Wedding Blogs
http://www.swsmag.net/
http://bklynbrideonline.com/
Recently being married myself, I discovered the joy of wedding blogs! They are great for color inspiration and DIY projects, along with amazing photography. Beautiful patterns, trends, and ideas come out of these creative brides. And Brooklyn Bride’s studio tours are great to take a peak inside workspaces for more inspiration.
Sometimes when you’re walking down the candle aisle of your favorite store, a product will jump out at you. What great color! I love the packaging! Such an awesome concept!
And then you think: how do they do that?
Corina Heymann, Designer
Wonder no more. Corina Heymann, one of our insanely talented designers, sat down and talked about how she conceptualized our Room to Breathe collection and about the design process in general.
What is the concept behind Room to Breathe?
With our economic climate, people are cutting back on vacations and spending more time at home. With this collection, we want to convey a state of mind with our fragrances and allow you to escape to an oasis in each and every room of your home. We want to give the consumer the power to create such a state of mind in your own time in your own home.
How do you conceptualize a collection like this?
Usually I go through three main steps when designing a collection. I start by doing a lot of research online, looking at blogs, product web sites, trend web sites. Just try to get as much visual stimulation as possible. You never know what will inspire you next. Then I like to brainstorm with my colleagues where we feed from each other ideas. It is amazing what comes out of brainstorming sessions. And last, I try to make sense of it all. I pull pantone colors that fit the mood of the collection and then I either get my sketchbook or jump directly to my computer with my beloved Wacom tablet (my digital pen) and start sketching out anything and everything I can think of. Slowly the collection starts molding and getting shape.
What inspired you?
A collection like this one is very organic so there are many inspirations and influences. The main ones were Barbara Berry’s home fragrance collection. She focuses on creating specific fragrances that fit a type of room. Another great inspiration was from the Lotus Haus’ blog. There was a great article about creating room to breathe
Filled Candle - Room to Breathe Collection
What do you like most about this collection?
Well, I am a little subjective on this but I do love the collection. It is one of my favorites so far. I must say that I love the fragrances and colors. They are very fragrant, soothing and overall just fabulous. I also love the photo real aspect of the packaging. I think it makes it easier for the consumer to identify the fragrance type at the first glance and if you look at the back of the packaging the images ties it back to a room.
How does the design process work in general?
I think it is different for every designer. As for myself, I think it is about a lot of research and study and about keeping an open mind to new ideas and constant changes.
SELF magazine has an awesome article in the October issue about aromatherapy. Here’s the gist:
For energy: Think citrus! Surround yourself in the aroma of these bright fruits for a quick wake-up call.
For peace: To take it down a notch, take a whiff of light “powdery” notes. SELF recommends apple, cucumber and tea.
For umph: You’re bad, you know it. Pump up your confidence and make others take notice with sultry notes like amber, musk and vanilla (delicious!).
For heart-thumps: Stop and smell the roses – literally! Floral scents evoke feelings of “compassion and kindness” and are a lovely way to spark your own romance.
Get the whole story at: http//www.self.com/beauty/2009/10/aromatherapy-slideshow#slide=1
Baileys Home and Garden
I’m always on the look-out for the next big trend.
Every year a group of us goes to gift shows all around the world. This year I had a chance to attend both the Atlanta Gift and the New York Gift shows. As a designer, it is both exciting and inspiring to be exposed to all types of trends, colors, products, fragrances, and packaging. It gets my blood pumping and my mind fresh and ready to be put to work!
Part of my job when attending these shows is to see what is new and exciting and also to observe what the common trends are amongst the different areas in home fragrance, home décor and packaging. You never know what will catch your eye next. We are always on the look out for something new and different.
One of the trends that stood out the most on both shows this year was the elements of nature. With these tough times people want to go back to the basics, in this case nature, making one remember those simpler days. This beautiful and yet simple trend comes together with effortless grace, with a wide variety of delightful earth-tones colors such as whites, beiges, taupes, greens and browns.
HomArt
Key motifs include unfinished, untreated wood and ceramic, branches, vines, bamboo, rattan, dried leaves, fruits and horns. This looks is rendered in everything from metal, fabrics to fragrances and packaging. This natural trend is both very serene and elegant, making it one of my favorite trends in the current market. Hope you enjoy it, too!
Corina Heymann
Senior Designer
Chesapeake Bay Candle Booth
The New York International Gift Fair: packed. The Chesapeake Bay Candle booth: breathtaking. My feet after the first day: killing me.
I should have known that something was wrong when I strode up to the Chesapeake Bay Candle booth at the New York International Gift Fair and was met with: “Child, what do you think you’re doing?!”
Aimee Dorsey, our CBC booth mistress who is usually a smiling angel, looked like she wanted to shake me.
“What?” I said, perplexed. She pointed down to my feet.
Bad idea...
My happy feet weren’t clad in their usual ballerina flats – I had decided to be daring for my first day in New York. I was towering in 3” heels.
Apparently, as Aimee went on to vehemently explain, if you didn’t wear heels normally, you couldn’t just start wearing them all of a sudden. I had chosen poor footwear for a day filled with scampering about NYC, she said.
It was 9:30 a.m. and my soles felt fine, so I waved off her concern.
Noon rolled around, and I was still feeling fine.
By five thirty, I was beginning to understand why my good friend was so alarmed. The heels were gorgeous, yes, but those puppies hurt like no other. The balls of my feet were throbbing and my hips (of all things) felt unaligned.
We had a press event that night, so there was no way I was getting out of them anytime soon. Aimee had given me a dire warning that morning: don’t take my shoes off until I was ready to leave them off for the night. So I didn’t.
I made it through the event, and I don’t think anyone noticed me shifting from one foot to the other, so I considered it a success.
As soon as I hobbled into the cab though, I whipped off the heels and put on my trusty Old Navy flops. Too late.
It took three days for my feet to feel normal again, but I’m thrilled to say that I’m sitting here at my computer wearing my comfy flats – feet fully returned to normal operation.
Some people say beauty is pain, and you have to sacrifice sometimes. I say tell that to my not-so-happy feet.
Stephanie
PR & Marketing Assistant
We’ve got a new feature that will light your flame.
Every month, we will feature an Oh, Really? video. These can cover new product launches, how-to videos, decorating tips, anything and everything. Feel free to leave a comment to let us know what you’re interested in, or what your
can-dilemma is – need help decorating for your next party? Don’t know how to choose a fragrance? Need wedding decorating tips? Want a sneak look at what we’re working on? We are happy to answer any and all inquiries in a way that will leave you saying: oh, really?
For our debut Oh, Really? we have Aimee Dorsey, Merchandising Executive, describing the new Room to Breathe collection – which recently launched at the New York International Gift Fair.
Really.
The New York International Gift Fair at Jacob Javitts Convention Center in New York
City was a huge success! The Chesapeake Bay Candle Booth was absolutely
gorgeous and caught a lot of attention. Hover above the photos in the slideshow
above to see captions!
Candles are amazing, but wax on your clothing is not. Here’s a simple guide for those times when you need to pull a few tricks out of your sleeve. Or your tablecloth.
Candles and dating. When my boss asked me, the twenty-something marketing assistant, to write about romance and candles I was nervous – stumped even. What to write? It seems to me that with tough times and tight wallets we let romance slide by the wayside in the name of cutting back. Shame on us.
Romance isn’t dead, people, it’s just a little comatose. Here’s how to revive it (even on a shoestring budget):
Step 1: Obtain some candles. Buy them, make them, swipe them from your mom, we don’t care how it happens, just get your paws on them.
Step 2: Create a flame source. If cavemen can do it, so can you. Hint: matches.
Step 3: Light the candle. Votives, pillars, filled jars…anything works.
Step 4: Dim the lights. Or turn them off, your pick.
Voila! Instant ambiance and romance with the flick of a match. Now couple it with a bottle of bubbly and you’ve brought sexy back.
