Review My Line Blogger

Thanks for visiting today, I hope you enjoy this post. As I receive samples and work on reviews I am going to be blogging as well and today I wanted to share my home style with you. On some level my style has had similarities through the years, minus the short period where every where you looked there was a buddah statue, or some other form of spiritual comfort in view, because that was exactly what I needed. I still have many of those pieces in my home today, along with French Antiques pieces, mixed with a worn wood dining table, and one of my most favorite creations; the GIANT coffee table that you can see above in the picture which is in my living room.
That was formerly my kitchen table, and in knowing that I wanted to have an enormous coffee table, the more I looked at that kitchen table I thought, “I’ll just chop those legs off!”. So, literally on moving day, I had one of the movers saw off the legs and do a quick sand job and BAM!, I got just what I wanted. Lets just throw that under the category of “Eco-money saving Chic”.

A few other favorites to call out here are the oversized vase, that is from IKEA along with the fake flowers, which generally I am not a huge fan of, but hydrangeas somehow defy all rules. The wall plaque, which throws a casual feel to the chandelier and the antique French desk and mirror that is in my entry that you cannot see, says exactly what I so believe. Life truly is beautiful and so well said, BEAUTY FULL. That sign is from a company named “Sugarboo” and you should definately check them out http://www.sugarboodesigns.com/Contact.html. Their line has grown quite a bit and is warm, homey, touching and just feels good. From wall plaques, to pillows and frames and much more, their products are well made, although you may have to wait a bit to get them. (they did not request a review, I happen to be an actual customer!)

The place where I splurged was on my drapery and that came from Pom Pom Interiors, another site and company to check out! So many things in my home came from there, so if you have customers that want the finest, high quality, high design and the feeling that they will love their purchases as much in years to come as they do the day they bring them home, you need to check them out. The owner, Hilde Leiaghat, is incredibly talented and designs much of their linens and hand picks what comes into their stores. I am so flattered that she has chosen to carry the Aglow line of diffusers(www.aglowecoliving.com) and has been one of our customers for years now. Check out their site http://www.pompominteriors.com/ , you will be glad you did. I love my drapery as I do the desk, antique mirror, chaise lounge and my dining table and chairs (see below) (And again, this is a bloggers choice post, as this is how I live, Hilde did not ask for a review, but I will be sending her the link just the same!!)

From this last view, you can begin to see a few things. One, I LOVE chandliers. I have a few more in the house. A tiny one in the guest bathroom and its darling. The last one is….do I really need to tell you the obvious….is above my bed…and yes, yes, I know I live in California. If I’m going to go, why not go in amazing style and grace! You may be able to see that my home is loft style, meaning it is just one very large open space with the living and dining room/kitchen seperated by a 2 sided fireplace that you can walk all the way around. The fireplace is different on both sides and it makes for the house great to entertain in and feel very relaxed. A wide open space with a few nooks and crannys to cuddle up in. I just love it. The first picture is the fireplace from the living room side and the little sweetheart in the shot is Ruby, the princess rescue doggie that is an angel from above! I love the differences in the 2 sides of the fireplaces, the front side, facing the living room is more traditional , while the backside has an all over brick face, that is mishapened and whose wall leading to the top has a staggered walk with odd jut outs for apparently no reason. I wouldn’t change a thing about it!

What I pride myself on in decorating is that there is a balance of how to combine what you have, with what items you really need to splurge on and/or not skimp, and where you can truly bargin hunt. There is a balance that needs to be struck and when done correctly, I can create a living space, big or small, that has a feeling that each and every piece had to be a fortune, but truly it’s not, and yet it feels like you can kick off your shoes and jump on the furniture and live completely at ease all of the time.
I feel really strongly that the bed is one of the MOST IMPORTANT items in the house, and that includes the mattress, the sheets and the pillows. Never, ever, ever skimp on those items. When you calculate the time that you spend in your bed, you owe it to yourself to give up where ever you go to overpay for coffee and treat yourself to the bedding you deserve. For every friend whose bed I have transformed, it has been life changing. This past year it was my boyfriends birthday gift and I honestly don’t know how to top that.

I was stopped in my tracks when I turned the isle at the LA Gift Show and saw Full Bloom Cottage, as they had 2 booths, one on either side of the isle. If vintage, romantic, comfortably French and everything that was old is suddenly fresh and new is what your customer is in search of, then you must contact Loretta at The Full Bloom Cottage and see all that they have to offer.

One of the first sightings that stopped me were the stunning array of 100% Belgium linen curtains, of course of the extra long variety, and with the lovely, romantic details with ruffles and layers that leave you thinking you are suddenly far away. It’s amazing how one item can take you a million miles away. I realize that there are some of you that will read this and know exactly what I mean, and then there are those of you that are going to seriously wonder. For me, it is home furnishings, but for you it could be in gems, or fabric, or some other art form….I just seem to get lost in so many aspects of home furnishings and Full Bloom Cottage makes it very easy to take a very long hiatus without really leaving home!

The linens, duvets and pillows will create a sacred and romantic bed ensemble that will make it hard to leave in the morning and will give you that same feeling each time you see it when you come into your room, and being that Full Bloom Cottage’s specialty is all about being custom, should your customer want more or less ruffles, they are happy to honor that request. They make everything in house and are known for individual service along with outstanding product.

The beauty of the Full Bloom Cottage is that each item is hand picked by Loretta herself and they are truly one of a kind. If you are looking to entice, excite and motivate your customer to buy throughout the season, give them items they cannot refuse, and one of a kind beauties are the way to do it. If you have not shopped with them already, you owe it to yourself to check them out. Their website it under construction as they load their newest items but you can reach them at (714)600-8971 and can also send them an email at info@fullbloomcottage.com for pricing information.

A new product to hit the market this summer from a well established company, The Lebermuth Company who has been in business since 1908, launches their “LIP AND BOBY BALM” which has to be the most smooth, moist and effective lip balm I have ever used.

The LIP AND BODY BALM comes packaged in a tube, which to call it generous in size would be an understatement. It comes in a 5oz/14g tube, which to give you some comparison, a tube of chapstick is .15 oz, so you get the idea here, this is going to last a long time, not get lost in a handbag, backpack or gymbag and it gives you the smoothest lips in the shortest amount of time. I find myself reapplying, not because I need to but because I love the flavor and scent. It’s not as though I am eating it, but the combination of the scent, their use of peppermint and vanilla, is a perfect blend and, lets face it, there is no way around it, you do end up with some tiny part of it in your mouth.The peppermint is the prevailing flavor/scent so there is that cool and refreshing feeling that comes along with having peppermint anything, let alone having it smooth, against your lips.

The Lebermuth Company has been in the business of creating quality fragrances, flavors. essential oils and raw materials for over a century, so they bring to the table experience unlike many others in this category. They are US based and have created a package of a 24 piece in store display stand that fits and sits easily on any beauty counter or check out area., perfect for so many venues to retail in.

The balm is 100% natural and has:

* NO Parabens, NO Soduim Lauryl Sulfate, NO Mineral Oil, NO Artificial Fragrances, NO Chemical Preservatives, and NOT tested on Animals

I give special attention to products that come onto the market and have a multi purpose feature. It would never occur to me to take any of my other lip balms and apply them to my cuticles, use on my hands and this product I have also used on my dry elbows!This really creates that “VALUE ADDED” benefit that takes THE LIP AND BODY BALM across the goal line. Mega bonus points to the super size product (that is healthy!) and saves me money from spending it on additional products and space as I attempt to minimize my own world.

For wholesalers, the product is shipped in the 24 piece pack, that arrives store ready, product information of course printed onto a part of the box, ready for display. The individiual tube MSRP is $9.00, and for as large as it is and for as long as it will last,it well worth the price.
For order information contact Ted.George@Lebermuth.com

This reveiw is expecially exciting and a great way to begin this new journey, as Susan Brown is not just an incredibly talented artist whose time has come, but someone that I have had the pleasure of knowing since the early 90′s. I have watched her hone her craft and seen the gifts of her talent blossom in ways I am not certain even she knew the depths of.

At the July 2011 California Gift Show, I would not be alone in saying that Susan Brown and her original artwork, silk fabrics made from original art, hand painted furniture, upholstered headboards, artcards and more were the inspiration and gem that so many store owners and interior designers came to the show in search of.

If you are a gift, home furnishings, gallery store owner or a larger retailer in need of the largest breath of fresh air, you are going to want to check out Susan Brown’s work. But do yourself a favor that you will not regret. See her work up close and personal. You can see images on the web, and yes they are lovely and special but nothing will do her pieces justice as seeing them in front of you, which is exactly the experience your customer will have when they are in the company of any of the work she does.
Susan lives in San Diego where she creates her work. She would agree that her most spectacular new products this season are the printes silk fabrics, which are her amazing works of arts all digitally printed onto the fabric. I will post those pictures in a day or two.(sorry for the tease!)
For now, enjoy these photos and treat your customer like your most favorite friend. Have some offerings from Susan Brown this season. They (and you) will be so thrilled you did! To see more of Susan’s work or to contact her, visit her full gallery of work and shop at www.SusanBrown.net

You might be wondering what this is all about, and why this is free, or how you can get in on the action, or “God, this sounds like an amazing thing to do!” , so in the spirit of being “transparent”, which seems to be a pretty trendy word these days, I want to address all of that and more!

“Review My Line Blogger.Com” is a Free service in which I, Ilyse Craft, a 25 year industry expert, will give you an unbiased, unemotional and completely unattached to the outcome (as much as I want everyone to have great abundance and success), on either their line or a new product they are launching. Free, you might ask? Yes, it is free and I will return your samples and materials, should you request, so long as you supply the return postage. It’s only fair and reasonable that as I am making this service free and accessible to everyone , that I do not incur expenses. What I will do is give you feedback on presentation, packaging, value, sales and product information that come with the samples, the experience of the product (should they require usage) , and how your product stacks up against the competition. Not only will you get feedback from the perspective of a former Buyer, but also from a Manufacturing perspective as to pricing components, and from the one that in the end makes the ultimate decision, the consumer.
You may ask, why in the world would I do this and what is in it for me? Here comes the transparency part. There are consulting services that are fee based, in an ala carte menu style I am offering for the most extraordinary fee scale that you will not find anywhere in this industry from anyone else that is even remotely as qualified as I am. Period. Additionally, I am offering advertising space, also at incredible rates, so you can always have your line visible to the many visitors that will be coming to the site.

Review My Line Blogger. Com has an extensive marketing plan that will get your review seen by decision makers (Buyers whether they are specialty store or chain store), Fashion Editors, Sales Reps, Bloggers who may want to feature you, Fashionistas that love to read blogs and shop, and many more folks that you are trying desperately to reach. And it is FREE!

I have met many of you along the way in my travels at shows, around market and through other contacts. Having an incredible product is a part of this journey. Knowing how to position yourself, understanding the math and costing, whether you should be doing shows or if you should have sales reps or not, what to do about PR when it sound so critical and yet you know you can’t afford it and when in the world are you ever going to work all the social media networks when you can barely get through all the papers on your desk and remember to eat lunch.

Running a business should not run your life. I have been exactly where you are and I have lived through exactly what you are living through and bring excellent perspective. I don’t think anyone that has not lived the experience on their own dime can truly understand the pressure, the intensity, the thrill, the joy, the exhilaration, the highs and the lows.

To all of you, the great heroes of our time, that dare to step outside the everyday norm
and create your own dream, consider me your very own dream catcher. It would be my honor and pleasure to work with you and for you.

Send me your amazing products. Send them to me as though you are sending it to a Buyer or Editor that you want to land an order with or a spot in a magazine. Show me how you do what you do. And I vow to give you an honest review.

This will give you the opportunity to create a Press Release, Tweet about it, post it on Face Book, we can create a contest or give away. You are going to learn to make some noise and make it loud and make it often. The world is going to know that you have arrived.

WELCOME TO REVIEW MY LINE BLOGGER.COM

I am Ilyse Craft and I am at your service! Let’s show them what you’ve got!