If you have an iPhone or iPad and would like to know the RGB or CMYK color schemes or help match a paint color in a room, download the PalettePro app today it’s FREE until June 30th. This app is hot off the press, it was just released yesterday.

Thanks Dian Garbarini for sharing on DraperyPro. I read the DraperyPro digest every day. Click on one of the links to find out how to become a member.

Wow, April was a busy month for us. Since High Point Market and Vision12 overlapped, we had to split the Minutes Matter team up. On Monday, I left High Point and flew to Chicago for the Vision12 Expo. We were super busy at both places. I strolled around early in the morning at High Point to take a few photos. I cheated this year, since there is still so much to do after the show, I uploaded most of the images in gallery format. Scroll down and click on any photo to enlarge. I took most of the photos with my iPad. The iPad did an amazing job. The one thing I noticed with the iPad is you have to stand back further than normal to get the shot you want. Strange!! I loved how large the photos were, it allowed me to instantly decide if the photo was going to be a keeper or not. Next post will include videos from Vision12 in Chicago.

I highlighted a couple of my finds at High Point.

I love those sheep!

These had to be the most comfortable chairs in High Point. My back instantly felt relief.

So much personality in one little chair!

This company had some incredible pieces. The axe lamp had to be the most unusual find.

I think most of these people went to sleep. Who doesn’t love resting their feet after walking for miles at High Point.

Here’s the Gallery of photos from High Point. Click on each photo to enlarge.

Hard to believe High Point Furniture Market begins next week. In fact, Saturday April 21st is opening day for High Point. There are lots of social and educational events scheduled. And, of course, there is always plenty of free food. If this your first time to visit market, watch this video.

 

While at market, come by and visit us in the Suites of Market Square on the ground floor in space G-4029. You can’t miss us we’re the only one with bright pink and white space. Jackie Von Tobel will be there signing copies of her two books. The Directory of Window Treatments and The Design Directory of Bedding are absolutely the most inspiring and beautifully illustrated books for custom window treatments and bedding. Jackie is a very talented artist and designer from Las Vegas. Stop by and purchase your copies.

Monday, April 23rd at 10:00am in the High Point Theater, I’ll be speaking along with Tobi Fairley, Lisa Ferguson on branding. This is just one of many educational seminars that High Point offers. Did I mention they’re FREE, that’s right they are all FREE. Be sure to check out the entire seminar schedule. Below are the details on Monday’s seminar.

Branded! Make a Name for Yourself and Increase Your Business

• When: Monday, April 23rd at 10 AM – 11:30 AM
• Where: 220 E. Commerce Ave, High Point Theater (at Transportation Terminal)

Summary: In this economy, the strongest brands win. You need to make a name for yourself and these design industry experts can tell you how as they examine branding from all sides: Tobi Fairley, Tobi Fairley Designs – Extending Your Brand; Lisa Ferguson, Decor Mentor – Branding Yourself Through Social Media; Debbie Green, Minutes Matter – Branding Yourself Through Design Technology

 

High Point Market is again providing everyone with a powerful tool called MyMarket to help you connect with fellow attendee, exhibitors, schedule meetings, find events. It is easy to add vendors, seminars, and any events you want to attend. You can access this information right from your iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, etc. If you have a smart phone you must sign up for this fabulous tool.

Next stop Chicago!

If you can’t make it to High Point then maybe I’ll see you in Chicago at IWCE Vision12. Attending this show also gives you access to the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). You can find us at booth 245. Anna & Johnny Davis will also be in Chicago to help answer any questions you may have regarding Studio or any of our other products.

After the shows, I’ll be sharing photos of some of my favorite market finds from my iPhone 4S or my new iPad. The new 8 megapixel camera allows me to be more mobile at market. I usually have to wag around my Nikon SLR camera with the external flash. My new iPad has an app that will allow me to take a photo and make notes right on the photo. Can’t wait to test it out at the shows.

Thursday, I conducted a live seminar for the WCAA Atlanta Chapter “Learning to Work in the Clouds.” Almost everyone was surprised at the new opportunities that are available for businesses. Working with cloud based software can be extremely efficient and very cost effective. Google Apps is one of my biggest recommendations for a business owner. We discussed in detail the pros and cons. There’s not too many cons.

Here are some of the topics that were discussed during the seminar on Thursday:

• Google Apps
• Google Docs
• Wisestamp
• Rapportive
• Xmarks
• LastPass
• Evernote
• Skitch
• Clearly
• WordPress
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Eye-Fi

Look for an announcement soon regarding our Technology Trilogy Webinars. There will be three separate webinars in March:

Marketing with Today’s Technology

The Amazing iPad

Learning to Work in the Clouds

 

We are excited to announce Studio’s newest collection, the Storyboard Module. The Storyboard Module includes 43 storyboards as well as over 80 individual components. You can simply begin with one of the pre-designed templates and then totally customize it for you and your clients. Add your logo and company information then save your personalized storyboards to your Custom index in Studio.

In this in update a new Marketing Tab will be added to the side tab as well as the bottom tab. The Marketing tab on the side will contain the Storyboard Module. The Marketing tab at the bottom includes a new pre-set scale 1 to 1 which is perfect for marketing pieces you create with Studio.

Haven’t purchased the Storyboard Module yet? Click on the button below to add this module to your Studio software.

 

Purchase Now

Check out these Storyboards:

To view the complete collection visit The Lounge, Studio’s forum.

 

 

I love Valentine’s Day, everyone seems to be more loving on this day. Love can cure almost anything. Share your love with someone special maybe someone that might be a little lonely today. Listen to this song by the Beatles, Love is All You Need.

All You Need is Love!

I have to share my Valentine card, from Jerry, that was on my desk this morning. Believe it or not he doesn’t like to write. It is the sweetest card ever! We have been really busy in the office with the release and sale of the Storyboard Module and me preparing for two webinar presentations for WCAA chapters, which has left him with a lot more to do, but he took time to write this card. It’s a Valentine Day I won’t forget!

 

I was definitely intrigued by the Postcard Home showroom. I was familiar with the name because Jackie Von Tobel had told me that her fabrics were shown there. I absolutely love the name of the company. I introduced myself and meet Donna Johnson and Suzanne Guy the owners. If you have never visited this showroom, it is a MUST! They are working on their website so stay tuned. There is something about these fish that keeps me gazing at this piece of art. It appears, they have no direction. Its like your mind is trying to solve a puzzle in fun and non-competing way.

Lady in red. I wonder what she is thinking? With her head tilted down and her hand on her shoulder I’m thinking she feels weight of the world on her shoulders.

So much cuteness!! You have to smile when you look at these two. They don’t have a care in the world.

 

All You Need is Love, you know the song by the Beatles. These swans instantly brought to mind that song. That is what the two swans have is LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Donna reminded me that swans mate for life. How sweet is that? Click on the link to listen this song by the Beatles in YouTube.

The different colored trees caught my eye almost as soon as I walked into the showroom. This entire wall of art invokes happiness, fun and clean. You would definitely expect to see these in a clean and organized room.

 

Donna told me I had to come back to the showroom in the afternoon because they put out these homemade sugar cookies. Every market, Susie Dye of 2DyE4 makes these fabulously delicious sugar cookies. One more thing that made this showroom a MUST SEE every market.

Donna and I visited two other art showrooms; Prestige Arts and Art Trends.

Ladies in red are definitely in this year. I love the big poofy red dress and how carefree they appear. Don’t you think feet would have ruined these prints?

These chess prints would compliment almost any study, family room or game room. I wish I knew how to play chess. My granddaughters and I played chess a couple of weeks ago, but they cheated and won. They don’t really care about the rules they were out to win and beat “DG” that’s me! The horse scene was also a favorite of mine.

Donna said this swan print was one of their best sellers.

 

Another lady that looks like she has lot on her mind.

 

Can you count all the birds?

I think I need to get dressed up to even look at this piece. Formal rooms only please.

Red roses! Perfect for a small space.

 

Last but not least, I visited Peninsula. Notice the foot board, very unique. You would need to be careful walking around the bed in the dark.

I love the stone colored velvet on this chair. Looks so comfy!

Loved the gray and mirrored bed. Look to the right at the giant lamp, don’t even think about putting anything else on that table. The lamp takes up the whole table.

That’s it for my highlights at Las Vegas Market this year. Hope you enjoyed visiting the showrooms with me.

 

I was drawn into the Aura Designs showroom because of their unique lamps and statues. This ballerina was my favorite. How cute is she? Makes you feel like stretching. TIP: You can double click to enlarge any image.

 

She is pretty cute too. Ballerinas are so sweet, I think just the sight of them has a calming effect.

 

These would are perfect for a study or dining room. A great addition to a family that loves music.

 

Do you love to dance, than this statue is for you.

 

Cute floor lamp! All of their statues are definite conversational pieces. It’s funny how each of these pieces invokes a totally different feeling.

 

I had to stop in at the Dovetail showroom. Still lovin’ the old worn look; the patchwork of wood in this headboard was gorgeous.

 

Great chair and so colorful. The tapestry type fabric would wear so well.

 

Cyan Designs always has such great displays. Great plant stands and vases in this vignette.

More vases, lamps and a large beautiful mirror.

 

Now this is an eye catching display. Who would think of hanging lamps freestyle with a large horse? I guess large horses are the new hot item this year.

I love framed prints and art, so I stopped in Visser to browse and found a few interesting pieces.

 

Very cute evening dress prints all in pink.

 

I loved this cross.

More crosses. Many of the showrooms had framed crosses.

Finally, after getting through registration, I began my journey down the halls and into the showrooms.

I stopped in at Authentic Models and noticed this unique desk and chair. This showroom was very unique and carries a comprehensive collection of historical reproductions and home decor. I should have taken more photos.

 

Next stop was Classic Home, loved the sheer drum shade on this lighting fixture.

 

These wicker shades looked fabulous! I loved how you could see the light through the shade.

 

Great chair.

 

I still love the tables with that look used. Families can actually enjoy a meal without worry that they might damage the table. Upholstered chairs add softness to the space.

 

Next stop was Priscilla Presley Home. You can see a touch of  “Over the Top” in some of her design.

 

 

Very unusual chairs with very high backs and tufting with jewels.

 

This horse is definitely over the top.  I am trying think of an application where I could use this. Any thoughts? If this black and white horse is too much they also had a solid white and solid black horse.

More photos coming in the next post.

This past weekend I attended the IDS 2012 National Conference as well as the Las Vegas Market.

The Las Vegas Market had great outdoor seating. Monday was a beautiful day to sit on those comfy seats and rest my feet in between showroom visits. Many designers were inside registering when I shot this photo.

I spent most of the day Monday at market. My first 45 minutes was spent in line at registration. Note to self: Pre-register and bring your printed barcode. That line is very short. 🙁 I did pre-register but it didn’t do me much good since it was packed in my suitcase.

I was so surprised to see a pizza vendor setup making homemade pizzas in a brick oven. I noticed them when I was leaving. I love homemade pizza!

IDS hosted their conference in conjunction with the market allowing the designers to get more bang for their buck. The sessions and the networking made the conference so informative and worthwhile. Saturday, I presented “Marketing with Today’s Technology. We covered a huge amount of information in a very short amount of time. I think I received more compliments on this presentation than any other presentation I have given. I guess I would say it was a lively event from the comments I received.

During lunch Monica Pedersen from HGTV spoke and allowed everyone to do a photo shoot with her. Of course, I knew this was a great blog opportunity so I jumped in line. She even taught us modeling advice while being photographed. She is so energetic, genuine and delightful. Who doesn’t love her smile?

 

I was also able to dine at the Eiffel Tower with Gail Doby of Design Success University. It was my first time to meet Gail in person. We have worked together for years and have never had the chance to officially meet. We had a great time catching up.

 

If you’re ever in Vegas and want to have a memorable dinner make your reservations for sunset at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. Furthermore, try to get a table facing the Bellagio Fountains. Speaking of amazing, I have to tell you what happened after I Tweeted that I was going to the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. In a matter of about 30 minutes after Tweeting, I received a reply to my Tweet from the manager asking me to email him with the details of my reservation, and that he wanted to look after us. I replied, and he responded back to me with a photo of what I would see at 5:00PM and he reserved a table for Gail and I with a great view of the Bellagio Fountains. WOW, that is customer service at its best . . . Social Media WORKS!

 

After our Grand Marnier Souffle dessert, which was scrumptious, our server brought us the “After Dinner Treats” tray with at least seven different treats to choose from. What a great evening!

Look for more photos from Las Vegas Market in upcoming posts.