INSPIRED BY SIMPLE LIVING, DESIGNED FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN INSTITUTE
41 Berkley Street, South End
Boston, Massachusetts
Admission $5, Free for Children under 12
I cannot believe the Holidays are in full swing and Christmas is around the corner. To me the holidays are all about coming together with family and friends near and far, sharing in laughter and joy, enjoying yummy food and sending simple gestures of gratitude to those around you.
Making simple sweet treats is one thing I look forward to every holiday season—they are easily giftable to friends, family, neighbors and colleagues. But if your holiday season is anything like mine, your calendar is filled to the brim. This year I'm making chocolate and pretzel bark using a no-fuss recipe shared with me by Boston designer, friend and collaborator Jill Rosenwald while we were working on our Limited Edition Makers Towel. It's easy, simple and sweet.
Did you know each one of our Makers Towel comes with this recipe from Jill and her daughter, Thea!?
Holiday bark is a great and easy option that's delicious and festive. It requires little prep time and calls for only a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen . . . not to mention it's sweet and salty!? No brainer. It's a great activity with kids and perfect for teacher gifts. Wrap it with an Everyday Signature Napkin and you're good to go!
The best part: you can make it your own. Add extra sea salt (we used La Jolla Pure California Sea Salt harvested in San Diego), festive sugar sprinkles, crushed candy cane, nuts and anything else you can easily sprinkle to top off your bark! I'm definitely going to make this with my nieces later this month while they visit from California!
Read more about our special collaboration with Jill Rosenwald and our Makers Towel here.
Join us, Of Note Stationers, True Vine and Urban Outfitters Cambridge for a special Friendsgiving DIY Workshop, November 16 at 6:30p. It's free, just rsvp!
Take notes on styling for the holidays, writing notes of gratitude and floral arranging!
We'll be closing the night with a pop-up so come on by and get a head start on the perfect, local, handmade holiday gifts!
Let's start it off like this. I was in 6th grade when Jill launched Jill Rosenwald in 1996. So while everything was a big deal and my world was crumbling as a middle schooler, Jill was building an empire. Enough said?
Ok, fast forward to 2009. I was onto my second design job at a local Boston firm, Korn Design. I was living in the South End and life was really good. At Korn, we had a strong focus in hospitality and the arts. My first big account was The London Hotels: The London NYC and The London West Hollywood. I was working on their print collateral, pulling together photoshoots and developing custom products for their VIP clients and in-room amenities. Owner, boss and mentor, Denise Korn, sent me off to New York to what was then called, the New York Gift Show. It's now NYNOW. I was to find brands to partner with and products we could customize for our hotel and restaurant clients. "Don't forget to say 'hello' to Jill Rosenwald, you must find her, she's awesome." It literally went something like that. Ummm . . . ok, will do!
Without any other knowledge, there I was going up and down the never ending rows of company after company at the Javits Center looking for unique goods . . . and Jill Rosenwald. After sore feet and being slightly famished (if you have ever been to the gift show you know exactly what I mean), I spotted her! Beautiful lamps by her husband Lawrence McRae, bright colors, bold patterns and a women with an exuberant and warm personality. Denise was right, she was pretty awesome.
Jill makes you laugh. She has a personality like no other and ever since that day, she's been an incredible inspiration. She captured the attention of Neiman Marcus in the 90s and graced the pages of InStyle, House Beautiful, and Oprah Magazine just to name a few. She has since launched a bedding line, rugs and soon, new pillows which I've been lucky to get a sneak peak of!
But what I love most about Jill is her drive and her passion for being a maker. Success aside, it starts when you're young and it's about the journey that gets you to where you are. At a recent In Company of Women panel in Boston, she tells the story of being a young girl with an entrepreneurial spirit. Jill would make little objects and sell them door to door in her hometown of New York pretending she was a girl scout to "raise money for her troop". She had the entire theatre laughing and if you know Jill, there is something not so surprising about that! Jill went on to sell her ceramics out of boxes on the street. These are the types of maker stories that inspire me.
In 2013, I decided to leave Korn Design and give myself an opportunity to grow as a designer. At that point, I had been at Korn for five years. So much of what I know today (and how I think) is because of Denise.
A year later, Jill had a few available studios in her large Fort Point space and I jumped on it with two friends and colleagues, Jessica Klein and Nicole Bass. I had been at a non-permanent co-working space on Newbury and it was time to create a space for my business. At this time I was doing some event design work but what really started to take flight was the beginnings of The Everyday Co.
2016. Spring was approaching and Jill popped her head into our studio with an idea. She shared that she had yardage of this amazing fabric she had printed hanging out in the back room. She wanted to do something with it. The print was her Hampton links pattern that covers many Vintage Jill ceramics and her current bedding collection. It was a no-brainer (our cloth goods use remnant fabrics) and an opportunity for us to revive her Libeco fabric back to all it's glory. 100% linen and hand-printed in Massachusetts, this luxurious fabric was perfect for something substantial. And special.
We tossed around a few ideas . . . dinner napkin . . . placemats. I wanted to do something that would hold a story and inspire other makers no matter where you were or what you did. We landed on a towel. We would make it slightly larger than our Everyday Hand Towels and beef up the hook to match the weight and feel of the fabric. Along with my team, Caitlin and Marta, we gathered in the studio and start picking out the details. Edge colors . . . twill weight . . . twill colors. Then we noodled over construction . . . hook placement . . . stitch width . . . and the custom twill tag that would help tell our story.
The challenge here was highlighting the fabric, the technique and construction—the combination of Jill Rosenwald and The Everyday Co. The goal was to create something useful that married all of these touch points. The result, a Makers Towel that is functional and beautiful.
Cut from what was left of Jill's Hampton link fabric, each towel is numbered 1 through 80 with a note from us.
This project is for all the dreamers, believers and makers with a story. A story of conviction, passion and willingness to take risks.
Whether you're a gardener, painter, chef or oyster shucker . . . mom, pop, homemaker or shopkeeper . . . you're a maker and we hope our Makers Towel brings you joy and inspiration.
You got this.
xo,
Kathryn & Jill
Gorgeous lifestyle photography by our dear friend, Lara Woolfson of Studio Nouveau. Thank you.
Check us out on page 194 in your Fall/Winter 2016 Issue—Charleston Weddings Special Edition and largest issue yet featuring Style Me Pretty Editor, Abby Larson's favorites!
Click to read full online article.
A special thank you to our incredible modern calligrapher, Chelsea Petaja. and our photographer from Colorado, Jacob Brumley of Brumley & Wells. They were the best to work with and we couldn't have done this special invitation for our wedding without them.
Love being in the company of talents: La Happy (they did this beautifully designed map), Graphic Designer, Safron Avenue; and incredible photographer, Jeremy Chou.
Photo by Brumley & Wells
Click for the full story!
I have this wire wall grid in my own office as an inspiration board! I have the copper version, but it also comes in the classic black version pictured above and in white.
Unison Home seriously has the best selection of grid pattern products, from trays to textiles. This grid platter would be so perfect for dinner parties
A Master Plan grid notepad from Snow & Graham
This ombré grid bedding from Hay is super cool! I also like the large scale windowpane pattern bedding from Brooklinen and these smaller scale grid pattern sheets from West Elm.
The most beautiful navy windowpane linen napkins from The Everyday Co.
Silver foil thanks over an illustrated grid pattern from Hartland Brooklyn
This grid tablecloth from Unison Home makes a huge graphic statement for dinner party table décor. I also picked up this budget version (with a smaller scale pattern) during one of my latest trips to Ikea.
A pretty ceramic ring dish with a hand painted grid pattern from A Sensible Habit
Removable grid wallpaper in a black and white pattern – also available in dark gray/light gray and white on black here.
Super cute grid pattern paper plates from Bash Party Goods (they have lots of other grid pattern items in their party collections!)