While waiting for this new site to get up and running, I’ve fallen a little bit behind on my content updates! So this post about the Better Home and Gardens Stylemaker event I attended in NYC a few weeks ago is coming delayed, but felt so worth recapping — better late than never, right? BHG invited a group of awesome bloggers together to meet editors and style makers at this amazing event. One of the best sessions I attended was a look behind the scenes at how food stylists work on BHG’s recipe and food spreads. Libbie Summers was one of the food stylists and taught us how to get perfect ‘dollop’ for whipped cream (take the back of a spoon and run it across the surface of the whipped cream about 3 times to create some streaks, and then use the front side of the spoon to scoop the opposite direction to preserve those lines — brilliant!). Another food stylist said he used an old paint stripper in lieu of a kitchen torch to brown up and tighten food after it has been sitting for a while on a shoot — so smart!
And *the* highlight of the event for me was meeting Eddie Ross, letting him know what a super-fan I was and how much I’ve enjoyed his new book Modern Mix (seriously, it’s amazing, you must read it), and getting to hear some of his tips and tricks for styling tables. His session was full of helpful hints, like using saran wrap inside candlestick holders to help candlesticks stand up strand, or using patterned sheets in lieu of traditional tablecloths for more interesting textile patterns. And the session was also chock-full of hilarious “Eddie-isms” like “Do what you want! Make it casual! Break the rules! But don’t put your spoon on the wrong side. That’s not casual, that’s wrong.” Or advice like: “Bitch it up and make that table less precious. It shouldn’t look like you’re eating on the Titanic!” One of the greatest things about the event was meeting editors like Eddie, editor in chief Stephen Orr, and so many more from the BHG team that were incredibly down to earth, approachable, and genuinely interested and engaged with the bloggers that attended. It was an amazing event and I’m so grateful I was able to attend!
