Heather Bullard

On The Road Again

I'm heading up the coast for a few days to shoot a beautiful California location and my car is loaded up with sunshiney props. One thing I do to prep for a shoot is pull my prop inventory according to each shot. Organizing it this way helps me keep track of everything and ensure I have all the props needed. It also enables me to take notes of items I'll need to purchase once I arrive at the location. Usually, this would be fresh produce, food, plants and more flowers.

Of course, there's absolutely no order to shoving it all in my car except....no clanking. I can't drive with the clanking so everything is wrapped up nice and tight. The only noise I want to hear is the stereo blasting some great tunes.
I'll be popping in over on my FB Page if you care to tag along. See you in a few!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! Here's a few things that have caught my eye this week...

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and Shanna Murray makes the most adorable illustrated decals. This one would be perfect on a mirror!

Mignon Kitchen Co has some delightful packaging supplies. I'm especially fond of these kraft Mini Boxes. They would be great for party favors. Check out their site for lots of wonderful kitchen and pantry wares.


And my dear friend Pam Garrison's amazing artwork. If you're looking for the sweetest gift for your loved one, her You Are Loved print would make the perfect Valentine. The colors are so beautiful her art just makes you smile!

Have a great weekend everyone! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your week with me. xo, H

Let's Recycle Ikea Stuff

I enjoy recycling. Paper goods, cardboard boxes, aluminum cans...I do my part to save the planet one piece of rubbish at a time. Sometimes I come across a product I LOVE to recycle. In this case, it's Ikea Tindra Candles. I buy them 6 at a time in the apple green color/scent (because the white smells like cookies or frosting, yuck). They're $1.99 each. I know what you're thinking. This blog has turned completely thrifty. First the dollar store, now this.

Stay with me here for just a minute. After I burn them, I put them in the freezer for a day or more if I forget. When I take them out, the wax residue easily pops out.
Then I scrub the stuck on bits and put them in the dishwasher.

They're a nice heavy weight glass tumbler and are perfect for morning lattes because they keep your coffee nice and warm. I also use them for ice cream, fruit & yogurt breakfast parfaits and the occasional glass of wine. And because I have plenty of them, I can use them for parties without worrying about someone breaking them....or the bank!  

Editor's Desk: Help Me, Help You

This topic has been on my mind lately. As an editor, I do a LOT of research. This involves homes to scout and feature, shops and restaurants to visit, products, props, locations, current trends and forecasts. The list goes on and on but suffice it to say...I'm always researching something.

My thought is that there are probably many of you out there waiting to be discovered by an editor. And whether it's a food magazine, shelter publication or other related forms of media there are indeed editors out there looking for you too!

To help you, I thought I'd share my Twelve Tips aimed towards bloggers, homeowners, shopkeepers and product manufacturers looking to get noticed! 

1. Have a Search widget installed on your blog. I can't tell you how many times I've given up on a blog because I can't find what I'm looking for. You can find Google search widgets here. Or check with your blog or website hosting service to find out if they have one available for you.

2. Organize your posts. This is very important. Create both Categories and Archives and make sure they are easily displayed on your sidebar or at the top of your blog. This makes it easy for editors to look for specific topics.

3. Highlight your best work. Examples: Top Posts, Projects or Products should be featured or highlighted on your blog or website.

4. Have Email or Contact information displayed prominently. Keep it near the top of your blog or site. Don't make it difficult for someone to reach you.

5. Have links to your social media. Examples: Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Editors will search all forms of media to see who you are and what you're about.

6. Create a Pinterest Board of your work. Fill it only with photos of your home, products, etc. Be sure to label the board MY home or MY products. Do not add anything but your work to this board.

7. Direct Contact. Send an email to the editor with a brief message. Be sure to include all website, blog and media links and a few (1-4) photos of your home or product. Do NOT add the editors email address to your ongoing product, event or store email campaign list without prior approval. This is extremely annoying. Sorry, no better way to put that. 

8. Make sure you're a good fit. Be target specific, for example, don't send photos of your stark modern home or amazing dog shampoo to just any publication. Find one that fits your design asthetic or product. Do you homework in regards to the publication. Look through back issues...have they featured a product like yours recently? Do they regularly feature DIY projects? Find out before you cast your net. You want to catch the right fish.

9. Make friends with the magazine or editor. Whomever you're trying to reach out to, find them on Facebook or Twitter, engage in conversation, share useful information with them. They read every comment, trust me. As an editor, I've found lots of story leads this way. You can find me on FB here. I enjoy visiting with you there because the conversation threads are quick and easy to respond to. 

10. Publish original content. No one is going to be "famous" for sharing photos of DaVinci's artwork. Editors are looking for fresh, new content and the only way to get that is to create it yourself. I can't stress how important this is enough.

11. Be clever. Pitch your product in a new way. I've heard of cupcakes being delivered, fun videos created, books wrapped in unique packaging. Think outside the box which is not to be confused with "over the top extravagant". Nobody wants an elephant delivering soy candles to their office door.

12. Don't give up. Things take time and in our industry we work nearly a year in advance. If you pitch a spring type product in the spring, chances are we're working on Christmas. Timing can be crucial. Something to keep in mind. Also, just because they're isn't an answer immediately, doesn't always mean "no". It could mean... it's not the right fit, right now or it doesn't work for a specific issue...something along those lines. I've waited a year or more for certain homes to get the green light on a story. Be patient.

I hope you find these tips helpful and that most importantly, it will connect fantastic, amazing homes, shops, blogs and products with the editors and publications looking for exactly that!

The Lamps

I've gotten quite a few comments and emails about the lamps from this post. Seems a few of you might be in the market for a new lamp or two yourself. I found them at Marshalls for $39.99 each! To make a long story short, I actually bought 5 lamps from 2 different Marshalls and ended up liking this pair the best. Sometimes you have to see them in the room to decide. Scale means everything and these were the perfect size for my sofa table.

I had my eye on the Etched Fern Mercury Glass Lamps from PB and was almost ready to take the plunge. Now I'm glad I waited and because I have an extra $438 to spend on something else. I think I'll take my wad of cash to the flea market!

One Amazing Kitchen

I cannot get this kitchen out of my mind. Seriously. Can it be any better? I think not. The interior designer is Joan Nemirow and it happens to be her kitchen. 
The greenhouse style ceiling was inspired by the soaring glass ceilings at the British Museum in London. Stunning to say the least!

We could talk for hours about the cabinetry, the hardware, the walnut island with teak top, the La Cornue range and custom hood. Every detail is incredible.

 
I've been pondering starting a collection of copper pots and now, thanks to Joan, the deal has been sealed. I'm on the lookout! If I can't have her kitchen I can at least have her pots. For more kitchen details visit here. Photos by John Bessler.

PS. Isn't this a funny post to follow up my Dollar Store one from yesterday? Just trying to balance the high end with the low end and keep you on your toes!
Have a great weekend friends!

Deal of the Day

One of the unexpected surprises of having a daughter in college and living in her own apartment, is her reintroducing you to the Dollar Store. Or the .99 Only store. Which is really .99999999 cents. Truth be told I hadn't been to either of them in ages and it was high time she got me reaquainted with some of their virtues.

That's where I came across these amazing heavy cotton napkins. They have a thick, nubby texture and I love the single blue linen stripe woven through. Had to have them! So I snatched up a dozen from the .99 Only chain store. If you're heading out the door right now to grab yourself a stack, don't look for them in the most obvious of places because I found them in the car/hardware section. Probably because some weirdo decided to put this tag on them.....

Don't know many people looking for a 21" x 21" Floor Cloth. Maybe it's for teeny, tiny rooms? Maybe it's for only for cleaning floors? Anyhoo, if you're in the market for some great, durable cotton napkins...these would be perfect.

When was the last time you went to the Dollar Store and what did you buy? 

They're Back in Business!

Finally! Two of our girls, Butter and Marshmallow have decided it's time to start laying again. We've been having sunny days in the 70's for weeks so I think they've been tricked into thinking its spring. Thank goodness.
I was tired of paying for eggs at the store.
Here's hoping the other 3 will soon follow suit. Will keep you posted! 

Paris Paintings

Top on my list of things to buy while we were in Paris were oil paintings. I was determined to bring at least one home. Fortunately we found the most amazing shop, where I came across this oil painting of a woman. The shop owner said she was his most beautiful phantom (ghost in French). When I found her she was unframed and I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep it that way or have it mounted on a stretcher bar. I decided to do the later. But, when I went to the frame shop they refused to do the job because they were afraid they might damage the painting.

Not being one to give up so easily, I decided to share my dilema with The Man.
I showed him the frame on the other smaller landscape painting I bought at the Paris flea market and he went to work making me one...

We didn't have any antique, flat head trim nails so he cut longer ones down and filed the points to the right length. They worked perfectly and we proceeded to nail them in the existing holes in the canvas.

Notice they are uneven and not properly spaced? That's exactly where the old ones were and it made me think of this quote....
"It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful" -- The Nester.

I just love my new lady! I'm not sure if I should name her or not. Any suggestions?
How about Belle Phantom?

Happy Weekend!

I've been clearing out my cell phone photos in hopes it will run faster. Boy, they sure do add up. I noticed I take a lot of photos of price tags, measurements and sku numbers. Do any of you do this too?
In any case, here's a few that were a teeny bit more interesting... 
1. I had a fun day shopping Anthro with my sister. And got to use my gift cards!

2. We've been adding lots of shrubs to our garden. I love gardening in January.

3. I was at a friends yard sale and her neighbor had a huge collection of gathered rocks lining the porch steps. I thought it was a unique way to display them.

4. Shared a .99 cent breakfast at Ikea with my Sweet Girl. Their coffee is sooo delicious. Our ticket total for 1 breakfast, 1 cinnamon bun and 2 coffees...$2.07.

5. Daddys home. Our favorite time of day. 

Hope you all have a great weekend! What are your plans?
We're heading to the ocean for a little R&R!