atlanta gift market

oh my, i hardly know where to begin. i went to the atlanta gift market this past weekend. it was a whirlwind – a very quick 36 hour adventure.

all of the new demdaco products in the Kelly Rae Roberts Collection debuted and it was awesome. this is my third year partnering with demdaco and my second year attending the show (you can see photos + read about my 2010 show experience here and here). i almost always feel like the luckiest girl on the planet when it comes to demdaco, the success of the collection, and how i get to work with some pretty amazing people.

i almost jumped out of my shoes when i saw how the new product was styled and displayed in the showrooms this year. last year was pretty awesome, too, but this year was out of the box awesome. the suitcases, the lampshades, the utility carts, the rustic file drawers. seriously, people. my mom came with me to see what the show was all about and she teared up when she saw this display. they could not have done a better job inserting my style/aesthetic into the displays. i feel so lucky.

and there were several displays!! check it out:

the girlie figures are a new format. this particular product feels like a big leap for me and it’s been a couple of years in the making to get them just right. i’m really happy with how they turned out and i’m loving (loving) how the set designers displayed them here in a file bin. how cool is that?

the wall to the left is pretty awesome, too. here’s a close up:

as you can see, we’ve added large 18×24 canvases to the line as well as longer 8×24 canvases, too. we also added MANY new canvases in various sizes (6×6, 12×12, 8×12, 16×16, etc) that you’ll see sprinkled throughout these photos. but the large 18×24 canvases are pretty awesome – perfect for larger home spaces.

this is a whole other display…loving the studio desk setup. again, they did such an amazing job…pinching myself.

here’s a close up of some of my favorite new products. they’re soft heart shaped everyday ornaments with wings! more photos of these coming soon. they’re so whimsical and fun and they’re double sided with imagery and words and art.

here’s another shot of them:

we’ve also got new butterfly clips which you can see on the lamp shade above. love this idea of creating a mobile of sorts out of old lamp shades and butterfly clips!

my mom flew up from florida at the last minute to come with me. it was really fun to give her a peek into what i do! it was also great fun to introduce her to the folks at demdaco, friends, and other people i work with (including my licensing agent!).

here’s another fun display showing all three of the new large 18×24 canvases as well as the girlie figures and few other goodies.

as if that wasn’t enough excitement for me to last the entire year, i walked into demdaco’s holiday showroom and this is what i saw:

omg! the krr holiday collection was displayed so beautifully. a blue tree, a dress form with a tutu (on the left), birdie cages, and more. totally loved the strings of ornaments coming down from the ceiling. wow.

the ribbon on the tutu is one of my all time favorite krr collection products. here’s a more detailed shot of it.

i can’t wait to show you guys ALL of the new stuff. we are working on getting it all uploaded to the online shop which will reopen in a few weeks.

this is one of the new ornaments. love. we’ve got several like these..

this photo shows a couple of the ornaments (could be everyday or holiday). the one in the right background is awesome – can’t wait to get better shots of those. they are made to look like they’ve been constructed from painted salvage wood – really cool!

it was so hard for me to get shots of all the new stuff but i’ll share detailed shots of it all when the online shop reopens. be sure to sign up for the newsletter if you want to know just when it reopens and is fully stocked with new stuff and old faves.

i was able to get in a good visit with my friend leigh of curly girl designs. she’s one of my friends who totally gets the ins and outs of the industry as an artist, so it’s always nice to be able to talk shop with her. plus, she’s just so sweet and fun and we have very similar tastes in just about everything. she’s one of those friends that i really really really wish didn’t live 3000 miles away.

(anne, leigh, me)

leigh and curly girl opened up their own permanent showroom in atlanta and it was so fun to see it (GORGEOUS) and help celebrate. it’s a mighty big accomplishment and we’re so proud of her!

here we are, my mom and i, in leigh’s showroom on the cozy couch. so glad she could come and be a part of the whirlwind.

thank you, jonathan, for sending over these photos of my signing! this was my third signing with demdaco and it’s always such a treat to meet the people who buy the product, including a few bloggers who stopped by!

giant thanks to everyone at demdaco and to all you who support the line. its success is a team effort and i can’t thank you enough for being a part of the team! these trips to the showrooms always bring it home for me. there are so many people behind the scenes that work so very hard to make all of this possible. i’m very aware of that hard work and the atlanta show feels like a celebration of all of that hard work. the product designers, the marketing department, the graphic designers, the packaging designers, the shipping folks, the creative directors, the sales reps, the set designers, the photographers, and on and on – there are SO MANY people, so many hearts that make all of this possible. i’m one of those many hearts and i’m just so very grateful to be a part of it. truly.

i’m working hard to savor every second.