Red carpet commentator and fashion specialist Kara Birkenstock caught wind of my gifting a scarf to Sarah Jessica Parker and ran three wonderful Mothers Day -related features on the scarf: her blog, the radio, and on the online magazine Positively Celebrity, where she is fashion editor. She has so many lovely and warm things to say about the new Rotem Limited Edition line, and I love how she recommends it with, “This luxurious scarf was recently gifted to the most stylish celeb mom on the planet, Sarah Jessica Parker! If she can rock it, we all can too!”
I’m excited to share the radio spot! Radio, but I’ve added a few visuals.
As for rocking the scarf, you can too, over here.
April is Zibbet month over at About.com’s DIY Fashion column by Rain Blanken, and that means a spotlight on many wonderful shops hosted at the handmade heaven known as Zibbet.com, along with some nifty exclusive coupons. The Rotem Gear Limited Edition Zibbet shop is among them, with a nice little write-up, and to celebrate, we’re offering a 10% coupon! You can check out the article here, or, oh heck, just go straight to the shop and take 10% off with coupon ABOUTDIY.
Now, allow me to introduce some of my Zibbet friends who are featured on DIY Fashion: Xquisitely Lady M is offering 15% off her gorgeous statement chainmaille jewelry.
Handmade Fuzzy has a 10% coupon on wonderful things knitted and knotted: mice, bracelets, hats and more. Dancing Rainbows makes lovely transcendental sun catchers from crystals.
“Dolce, Dolce, Dolce!” her best known character once exclaimed. And sweet (“dolce”) it is! OK, so maybe Carrie Bradshaw meant something else but I think it’s pretty sweet that Sarah Jessica Parker will soon be receiving one of my Agapanthus scarves.
Presented with the opportunity to send the renowned Ms. Parker a gift, made possible through my involvement with The Artisan Group, I was a bit overwhelmed with the decision of which scarf to send her. At first I thought a ruby red scarf with a rose print, but no, that seemed more Carrie than Sarah Jessica, from what I can tell. Then I thought teal might be wonderful for her coloring, but then, oh! a nice soft neutral might be the perfect go-anywhere light touch. Hmmm… it was so hard to choose…. Finally, I did what any forward-thinking, hard-boiled, tough decision-making businesswoman would do.
I asked all my friends on social media.
The result of which was, not surprisingly, first, that responses varied wildly, and second, that it did not make my decision much easier.
The candidates
However, it was clear that the teal was, for the most part, the front-runner. It was also clear that try as I might there was no way I could tap telepathically into the part of SJP’s brain labeled “colors I really, really like” and that trying to keep doing so was a waste of time.
The teal scarf (teal being, frankly, one of the more popular colors in my line, I kept reminding myself) was duly rolled up with my signature evil eye and hamsa charms, and packed into a jute bag with a note from yours truly. And thus dispatched.
It turns out that gifting a celebrity is a bit like a blind date or job interview. You can do some advance research but you can’t possibly know what the other person really wants. You put your best foot (or scarf) forward, and then… you see. Maybe a tiny part of you is tempted to sit by the phone or twitter app for a response, and while a response would be great, the most important part of the whole exercise is doing it in the first place.
And didn’t this just start sounding a little bit like a Carrie Bradshaw voice-over?
Practically on the tails of the Golden Globes came the Oscars, and with it, another gift lounge. Once again, I offered my assistance to The Artisan Group, helping to set up the beautiful displays of my fellow artisans at the extraordinary W Hotel. I also had the pleasure of meeting some of the more local artists at dinner … at Gordon Ramsey’s at the London. Yes, all very posh.
Except my part had less to do with evening wraps and more to do with bubble wrap.
But I had a spotlight of my own! This week I was named Featured Zibbeter — an honor given weekly at Zibbet.com to a selected artist, designer or crafter. By the way, Zibbet is an awesome site/platform for creatives to sell their work — my shop there is http://www.zibbet.com/rotemgear.
Each year someone discovers my Valentine Shmalentine tees and adds them to a Valentines Day gift guide, or features them in some other way. Yesterday it was Simo Media’s Craftsyble site, where the ironically romantic looking anti-Valentines Day tee was featured among some lovely handcrafted pro-Valentines Day gifts from bath items to jewelry (classic, modern, vintage, whimsical, elaborate, simple… you name it!), even a couple of very special bears. For those who want to shop right out of the box, this is an excellent place to start!
Romantic cupids and Victorian flourishes make for perfect irony.
The story of how Rotem Gear came to be was featured in a short but sweet piece on Fox Small Business yesterday. The opportunity was a nice surprise when the reporter called and informed me that someone had nominated me. I still haven’t found out who that secret sdmirer is, although I have a hunch or two!
If you have a small business, you might be interested to know that Fox has a feature like this nearly every day. Per their website: “We’re highlighting small businesses from around the country as nominated by you, our readers. If your favorite small business is using Twitter to communicate with customers, let us know about it @fbsmallbiz with the hashtag #mysbc, and it may be featured as an upcoming Small Business of the Day.”
The Golden Globes is around the corner (Sun, Jan 15) and with it all the parties and gift lounges that accompany awards shows and gob up traffic in my city, lol. The GBK Gift Lounge is one of these events (and proclaimed by an insider friend of mine as “the best of the gift lounges”) and The Artisan Group will have a display table there. From all past photographs I’ve seen, it should be a spectacular display.
I’m going to be a helper elf for set-up, so I’ll get to see some of the gorgeous items that will be on display. While my designs won’t be among them, a number of Rotem Gear items will be in Industry Mixer gift bags!
Now I must share the guide to the TAG members who are participating in the display or gift bags — just check out the range of talent in this group!
The GBK official press release lists Mayim Bialik, Joe Mantegna, Laura Prepon and Descendants director Alexander Payne among guests who have RSVP’d. GBK will be making a “donation to (the) Clinton Global Initiative for this event and a local education fund in FIJI (sic).”
Hollywood’s not the only place getting some Rotem Gear goodness… A “Kitty Crossbones” Limited Edition tee is among the artisan gifts donated by members of The Artisan Group to be auctioned off at a charity event for S.A.R.A., an animal rescue and placement organization in New Jersey.
As it’s the eighth day of Chanukah and Christmas is behind us, I’d best be posting my holiday update. From November to mid-December I was finishing up non-stop multiple client graphic design deadlines. Somehow, I managed to sail through the several holiday boutique events to which I’d committed.
For the first time, I participated in a home-based boutique-open house hosted by an old friend whom I see all too rarely. I had to scrunch a bit, sandwiched as I was between a sofa and a piano *wink*, and I took the photo while my display was in some disarray, but you can see some of the new cards I introduced this year.
I also had to pleasure of inviting a jewelry designer whom I’d met at another boutique. Shiho Mizuno aka Fifty50 Studio, creates wonderful chic, simple contemporary jewelry. I was thrilled when she gifted me with the middle necklace of this trio. Check out her shop on Etsy!
On a completely different track, I enjoyed posting a spontaneous giveaway on Twitter when I introduced a hashtag game inviting people to submit funny responses to the challenge to change one word of a quote or saying to “latkes.” Two people earned Rotem Gear t-shirts for their whimsy; here are some of the choice responses (we even got one from Shanghai!) Enjoy, along with some latkes, perhaps!:
“NORM!” “What’s the story, Norm?” “Boy meets Latke. Boy eats Latke. Boy meets another Latke.”
“My name is Inigo Montoya. You ate my Latke. Prepare to diet!”
“Leave the Latke, take the cannoli.”
“My name is Latke. Potato Latke”
“I like big Latkes and I cannot lie!”
“I did NOT have Latkes with that woman.”
“Who is rich? One who is satisfied with his latkes.”
“I just want to say one word to you. Just one word, Benjamin: Latke.”
“Bring me the Latkes of the Wicked Witch of the West! (I hear they’re delicious.)”
“Latkes in mirror are closer than they appear.”
“In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: … These are their latkes.”
“I love the smell of latkes in the morning”
“Keep your friends close and your latkes closer.”
“Look out for Miss Latke Lenya, and old Lucy Brown.”
“I want the latke!” “You can’t HANDLE the latke!”
“Where there’s smoke there’s latkes.”
“I’ve got a latke you can’t refuse.”
And with this last one, until 2012 … “So long, and thanks for all the latkes.”
Once upon a time, there lived a designer in a village nestled between the Great Ocean and the magical city of Tinsel. The designer loved to create magical garments to warm and delight people from near and far who were lucky enough to buy one of these rare items.
One special day, the designer was invited (along with other artisans from her crafts guild) to present one of her scarves to a Tinsel Town princess.* What a wonderful bag of enchanting gifts! — surely it would gladden the heart of the busy princess. It held baubles and books, scents and sights (no apples!) … and one, very special, magical scarf.
The scarf was made of the midnight sky and the ghost of spring flowers, long and flowing like a river but spun into a fabric so light and soft, it felt like a vapor on the skin.
Its magic made it light in the summer, and warm when chill settled over land, elegant for courtly duties yet just right for a walk down the Boulevard of Stars.
And so, the magical scarf was dispatched. (To be continued...)
*The princess in the story is, of course, the talented Ginnifer Goodwin, star of the current ABC hit “Once Upon a Time,” where she plays Snow White (caught in a time-space continuum sort of spell!) I am so honored to have been invited by The Artisan Group to gift her with my black pima Agapanthus scarf. See what other wonderful gifts they will be sending to Ginnifer here on Pinterest.
This is the same design that was purchased for (Desperate Housewives) actor Marcia Cross by a member of her staff, for a Christmas gift last year, but on a taupe heather burnout fabric. More scarves like this are available in my Limited Edition shop (black is currently sold out but other colors and fabrics available will be sure to delight!)
What was the magic that made this scarf? Well, it starts in the garden…
I did my first show of the season last Saturday, at the “Boo-tique” that was part of the “Big Boo” festival, a local school fundraiser. Not all school fundraisers are as successful; I was impressed by the measure of parental and community support at the Big Boo.
It was a huge fun day for the kids with games, a DJ who kept them hopping (bunny hop to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” anyone?), a haunted house and a pumpkin patch, and we had beautiful weather — all contributing to a good time had by all. Adults without kids came as well, equally dressed up in creative, funny costumes or Halloween gear. I mean, who dresses up as a spatula or a colander of neon colored noodles?
So pleased once again to see how well received my scarves and tie cardigans were! Regardless, one thing I try to anticipate but which is always a mystery — what stock to bring for the audience of each event. It is rarely what I think. This time I brought tons of kids’ stuff since it’s a school event, but I sold nearly ALL adult items. I brought very little Hanukkah products and was asked for them specifically. You just can’t know…
Some of my scarves on display at Saturday’s Big Boo-tique.
My next event is Nov 20 at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, and I sure hope people won’t be too busy shopping for Thanksgiving to come and shop.
By the way, you can now take $15 of any order of $50 or more at the main Rotem Gear shop with coupon code ANN1102. Good through 11/16. Great time to shop for the holidays!!!
• HamiFest
Sun., May 20; 12-6 pm
Hamilton High School
2955 S Robertson Blvd, LA
HamiFest will have some of L.A.’s best food trucks, free entertainment, activities, artisans, performances, photography. More info.
• Uptown Village Market Sat., June 2; 10-4 pm
Expo Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Blvd. Long Beach 90807 (Bixby Knolls)
Eclectic and sophisticated creations ranging from jewelry, stationary, fashion, art, ceramic & glass wares, edibles, and accessories for the home, garden, pets, etc.
More info.
