Interview with Kimberly Wilson

Where do you "go" for inspiration?

I seek inspiration everywhere. Here is a sampling of what I find inspiring: chandeliers, French music, LUSH bath bombs, nature, peonies, fair trade chocolate, lavender, jazz, Paris, New York, countryside, gardens, journal writing, my pug, scented candles, damask print, women writers, Monet, inexpensive accessories, eco-fashion, organic tea, traveling, cupcakes.

What do you find inspiring right now?

All of the above plus returning to graduate school to get a Master's in Social Work, doing all I can to leave a legacy, and planning for my trip to Paris this fall.

What trends do you see happening now?

More consciousness about food, shopping, the environment, the economy, and do-gooding. Going green is the norm and it infuses so much of our decision-making.

What is your favorite gift you've given and/or received?

Favorite gift I've recently received is a pink pig ring. J'adore pigs and a teacher training mentee brought this darling gift back for me from a recent trip and I wear it stacked next to my diamond band on my right hand.

At an event you've been involved in, hosted or attended, what was your favorite guest gift?

I love giving goody bags at events I host. They are usually filled with incense, tea lights, a bath product, colored pencils or markers, a journal, a yoga CD, and armwarmers or a headband. For personal parties, I usually give a small token to guests as they leave such as tea, incense, a candle, or candy.

[Sidebar: I saw her almost brought to tears when she realized she forgot to hand out goody bags at a holiday party once. I loved that she got that upset about giving a gift!]

Do you have a gift-giving philosophy?

Give constantly. I'm a snail mail thank you writer and I love enclosing a tea bag. After travels I always come back with goodies for all. When I see something that is perfect for a friend, I'm sure to pick it up. My joy comes in the packaging of the gift. I try to reuse as often as possible so I'll reuse gift bags, tissue paper, or wrap a gift in fabric and a ribbon that can be reused. Gift-giving with panache is an art.

Interview with Wanwisa Posner

Where do you "go" for inspiration?

My inspiration come from everywhere, my travels, furniture store outings with Jay {my husband and I love to do rounds at our favorite furniture stores which include Mitchell gold and Bob Williams, ABC carpet and Design Within Reach}, food packaging and lately, most of my inspirations have come from my experiences eating out. These days, many of the New York restaurants, from uber trendy spots to fine dining establishments to chic hole-in-the-walls, are so well branded. I love analyzing menus from logos to font usage and seeing how they harmonize with the restaurants' decor and food selections.

What do you find inspiring right now?

I've been obsessed with the direction of organic goods and food. I love all the farm-to-table restaurants that are popping up with their seasonal inspired menus and how organic brands have taken a much hipper/stylish approach to branding themselves. I would love to throw an event inspired by farmers markets! I'd fill the tables with whimsical arrangements of wild flowers in vintage pails and give out favors of mini canvas bags filled with locally grown fruits along with fresh scones and baked goods from a local organic bakery.

What trends do you see happening now?

The trend that has really taken flight has to be the DIY bride. Brides these days don't want a "cookie cutter" celebration, they want a personalized event and that means lots of DIY projects {I know one couple where the groom stayed up all night creating paper leaves for his wedding's escort card display!}. It's great that vendors and companies like Martha Stewart Craft cater to these brides and DIY projects can now be a chic and stylish thing.

What is your favorite gift you've given and/or received?

I recieved a keepsake box from a very crafty friend on my wedding day. She printed some photos of my husband and me that I had up on Flickr, lined the interior of a fold-out box with it along with the lyrics from "100 years" by Five for Fighting {It was my recessional song, we had a string quartet perform it live immediately after our first kiss at the end of our ceremony}.

At an event you've been involved in, hosted or attended, what was your favorite guest gift?

I would have to say it was the "Bouchekins" {Bouchon Bakery's donut holes} that I gave out at my 28th Birthday Brunch. I packed them in mini kraft gable boxes - it reminded me of my birthdays during elementary school when my mom would send me to school with Dukin Donut's munchkins and I would walk from desk to desk and pass them out to classmates as they sang "Happy Birthday" to me. This time around, I was handing out "designer" donut holes. Bouchon's Chef Capizzi and I picked three flavors: classic glazed, cinnamon sugar and fresh strawberry.

Do you have a gift-giving philosophy?

If I'm working on gift-giving for a large number of people, I like the gift to celebrate a memory or something special to the gifter. If I'm giving an individual something, I'd like the gift to let the giftee know I really thought long and hard about him or her.

Holly Bimba interview

Where do you "go" for inspiration?

I “go” everywhere. Sometimes I feel like a giant vacuum, just hoovering up everything in my path, including some garbage. Seriously, I am inspired by so many things: friends and family, snippets of conversation, food, travel, novels, nature, fashion and home magazines, wallpaper books, pop culture, artists, music. It all gets stirred up in my head and pours out in some slightly mysterious way.

What do you find inspiring right now?

Nature is endlessly inspiring. I walk in the woods nearly every day. I bring my binoculars. I watch the birds. I hunt for shelf mushrooms. I am fascinated by collections. I love multiples. I like order and seeing things grouped together. I have always had a love affair with natural history - especially museum collections. All the little birds with their toe tags, carefully catalogued. The old dioramas at the New York Museum of Natural History are amazing!

What trends do you see happening now?

I see an economic and lifestyle trend. I am going to go out on a limb here. I sort of like the recession. After all, necessity is the mother of invention. It has inspired people to be authentic and real. People are walking away from cookie-cutter industries and embracing the handmade movement. Little cottage businesses are sprouting up everywhere. It is ingenious. The products that people are making are often custom designed, eco-friendly and made locally. Shop around, dig a little deeper and you can find unique, one of a kind items that no one else will have. The handmade movement celebrates the individual and I love that!

What is your favorite gift you've given and/or received?

The best gift I have ever received was my dear Yellow Labrador, Lulu! The little butterball arrived with accessories too: a crate, bowls and several books on how to care for a puppy! Seriously, it was a group effort between my parents, my future husband and in-laws to make this surprise gift happen! I love that they all worked together. Lulu is thirteen and a half years old and such a sweetie. Talk about a gift that keeps giving!

Last year we decide not to shop for the holidays. We baked cookies. Exquisite cookies. Hazelnut Checkerboards, Peppermint bark, Venetians, Gingerbread Men, Linzers and Speculaas – just to name a few. I discovered springerle wooden cookie molds from House on the Hill. They make the most amazing, intricate molds, and the cookies are spectacular. I started my collection with a little walnut mold. Two walnut cookies sandwiched with a chocolate ganache …yummy! Needless to say, we made a few extra batches!

At an event you've been involved in, hosted or attended, what was your favorite guest gift?

My little sister was married in Cape May last summer. She welcomed all of her guests with a beach themed tote bag. The tote matched the colors of the seaside cabanas. It was filled with all kinds of goodies: personalized water bottles, a tin of saltwater taffy, popcorn, sun block, a CD of summertime music and a great to do list for the area, rolled and tied with a little sailing knot. A little tag with a note from the bride and groom thanked guests for attending the wedding!

Do you have a gift-giving philosophy?

I am not sure if it is a philosophy per se, but I think it is absolutely necessary to remember to say thank you and express gratitude, if only in a hand written note. To simply acknowledge a person is the greatest gift you can give. I like to give heartfelt gifts, things that are handmade - only when the mood inspires me or I find something that is perfect for someone. I don’t necessarily follow the calendar. The pressure of the calendar agitates me slightly. Weddings are an exception and proper etiquette is a must. If I shop from a registry, I like to look at china patterns. No surprise here, I like a collection of little things that tell a story as opposed to a grand gesture.