One of my favorite things in working for Blissliving Home is going to New York for the gift show. Twice a year, in January and in August, we open the doors of our little Blissliving Home “pop-up store” in Manhattan, showcasing our latest collections at one of the most popular home and design shows in the country.
To me, traveling to New York and attending the show is always a personal highlight - many of the editors, bloggers, reporters and writers I work with via email and phone all year long stop by our booth to say hello and check out our new designs. How fun to catch up with everyone in person!
I usually also schedule a few visits with magazines and editors at their offices or for drinks or dinner - it is always a lot of fun and great to see people’s faces when they open our new catalog. Some of them may have already received it in the mail and may have flagged their favorite pages (you know who you are and just so you know - you couldn’t make us happier).
My last trip was particularly exciting. Las Vegas World Market Center (another show that Blissliving Home participates in) was hosting an exclusive fall preview event in conjunction with the New York Gift Fair. The event took place at the stunning Museum of Art and Design. Las Vegas World Market Center had selected eighteen brands to represent the more than fifteen hundred companies exhibiting at the market - and Blissliving Home was one of them! What an incredible honor for Blissliving Home! The purpose of the event was to create buzz for the Las Vegas market, and to make an important “industry announcement” - as it turned out Las Vegas World Market Center is launching an unprecedented $20 million dollar marketing campaign called “Is it Home yet?”
Walking into the museum and seeing our new Modern Tree House collection on display, surrounded by exquisite pieces of Klaus Moje glass paintings was an unforgettable experience that I wished the entire Blissliving Home team could share (sadly not all team members were able to be present). But I was truly touched - and I could see in the eyes of Blissliving Home Creator and CEO Mei Xu that she shared my sentiment when she saw our products on display. In this wonderful venue our Amelie Green duvet set and matching pillows were truly elevated into pieces of art.
To perfect the evening we were introduced to design icon Vincente Wolf. Sharing Vincente’s passion for travel and global inspirations, we have followed his work for years and were thrilled to finally meet him in person.
By the time Mei Xu took the Bliss team to Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill everyone was truly in celebratory mood. Thank you, Las Vegas World Market, for inviting us to participate in this very special event - we cannot wait until the next time!
We wanted to give you a sneak peek of one of three new collections we are launching this Fall, but you’ll have to complete the puzzle to see. This product will be available August 09.
The Bliss Kids Arts Festival ended on May 31, 2009 and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the young artists who participated in our bedding design competition, and for making it such an exciting and successful event!
Nearly one hundred budding artists from all corners of the country participated in the Bliss Kids Arts Festival, and we could not have been more delighted and proud of the stunning designs that kept on coming in throughout the months of April and May.
After a week of careful review and long deliberation, we are thrilled to announce the names of two finalists: Aria Curameng, age 11, from Fort Washington, MD and Darwin Lau, age 8, from Virginia Beach, VA. Both Aria and Darwin have been notified of their current status and are awaiting the winner announcement - which is expected for the week of June 15. You can view their submissions above and below this post. Share your comments for our talented young designers!
ps. we (digitally) framed Aria and Darwin’s artwork in My Brother’s Frame, available here.
The most important thing to understand about thread count is higher numbers do not mean better quality. In fact, there is an argument to be made that a lower thread count may be a more comfortable sheet. Let me explain.
First, you have to understand thread count. The right way to calculate this involves adding up all of the vertical and horizontal threads (warp and weft) in a square inch of fabric. There are only so many threads you can realistically fit into a square inch and generally speaking, anything over 300 is more perceived value than real value. Many companies exaggerate the number by counting the number of ply’s in a yarn, so a 300 count sheet using a 2 ply yarn may be promoted as a 600 count.
The key element most people don’t think about when purchasing sheets is how they sleep. Everyone perspires while sleeping, so ideally you would want a sheet that is breathable and absorbent, as well as being soft and comfortable. Higher thread counts mean a tighter weave and consequently a sheet that does not breathe as well, or a hotter sleep. If you live in a warm climate already, sleeping with a higher thread count may just make your nights even warmer.
Selecting a good quality sheet involves looking for a brand that uses 100% cotton. Cotton is still one of the best fabrics when it comes to comfort, durability and care. In August 2005, Consumer Reports issued a report about high thread count sheets from nationally known brands and concluded; “Two hundred is typical and perfectly fine; 400 may provide a finer, softer sheet. Above 400, the only difference is likely to be price.”
Blissliving Home selected our 100% cotton 300 thread count sateen for our sheets. The yarn is soft to the hand and the thread count provides a comfortable sleep in almost every environment. Sateen provides a smooth hand through a weave of four or more vertical threads over a single horizontal thread. We add deep 18″ pockets with elastic all the way around the fitted sheets for a more secure fit on most mattresses. We invest a great deal of time selecting the best fabric to meet our standards, and confident you’ll enjoy a Blissful sleep.
Erin Hartigan, DailyCandy’s Washington, D.C. editor, presented our Give & Receive shopping event benefiting Food for Others, one of the largest food banks in Northern Virginia, in her weekly appearance on NBC’s News 4 Today.
Our Spring 2009 collection has finally arrived bringing four completely new looks that convey a lively energy and optimism with cheerful palettes and unique inspirations! You can shop the complete collection here in our Spring Arrivals section. As a member of our design team, I wanted to take a couple of posts to introduce you to the destination-inspired trends behind our new looks. We begin the season in West Lake, China where we pulled inspiration from a special place to our team, the hometown of our Creator, Mei. The romantic pagodas and bridges that appear to float on the serene waters of this still lake became a perfect setting for our team to take on a refreshing twist on East meets West in a classic palette of stunningly rich blues and crisp white. Some highlights of the West Lake ‘look’ include a new duvet which captures the Lake’s traditional motifs in grand scale, new richly embroidered pillows and a new color for our Chelsea sheet set. We paired a really lovely fragrance with West Lake, Rice Flower Vanilla (makes me wish your screen was scratch ‘n sniff), available in a porcelain covered jar, a reed diffuser and new ceramic spheres which release their sent through tiny holes in their surface.
Gracing the cover of our catalog (which you can request right here) is our new Anis duvet set which is part of our Off the Park collection. Inspired by New York City’s central park and urban landscape. We covered our design boards with black and white graphic patterns to create a series of mix and match pieces that feature spots, sequins and central park silhouettes. Our added pop of playful yellow mimics the countless yellow-cabs that dot the city. Highlights include a stunning new comforter with a faceted stitch pattern, Toko, our Madison pillow which is covered is velvet appliqued spots, and our Dottie pillars.
We look forward to sharing more of what inspired our Spring collection and hope to hear some of you feedback on the new looks… we always want to hear from you.
It’s that time of year again, the holiday season is upon us! Blissliving Home marked the occasion with a company gathering filled with dinner, drinks and dancing.
As the season switches into high gear and we look back over the past year, we would like to thank our families, business partners, global vendors and the expanding circle of friends of Blissliving Home who have followed the brand and watched us grow this year.
Our best wishes for happy holidays and a magnificent new year!
With the holiday season in full swing, your calendar is probably filling up with invites to holiday parties and festive dinners. So what are you bringing with you to these gatherings?
A hostess gift says thank you to the party planner for running all over town for the past two weeks trying to find the right tomatoes for the bruschetta, deciding where to hang the mistletoe, and organizing the seating chart!
While most people rely on the staple bottle-of-wine-and-baked-good offering, we advise that you break away from the status-quo and be memorable.
How is this done? We have an easy guide for any situation you might encounter. Whether the gathering is thrown by someone you know well (your best friend), an acquaintance (one of your neighbors), or at the home of someone you’ve never met (his family) - we have the right gift for you.
This simple guide will have you well on your way to giving elegant, unique gifts - and truly spreading the holiday cheer!
