She She Impressions is a Toronto-based company that sells a variety of stamp designs, note cards, and a selection of coloured inks through its online store. The company, launched earlier this year by longtime friends Martha Digby Boyle and Leslie White, designs personalized name and address stamps and has just begun offering a new product called My Logo Stamp, which is suitable for corporate clients. With a black and white copy of a logo—in either a jpeg or pdf format—the company can create a custom self-inking stamp to be used as a seal on envelopes or featured on one of its 15 note card designs. The front of each card has a circular cut-out to accommodate the stamped design. The stamps, which can be shipped throughout North America, retail for $49.99 and will last for as many as 10,000 impressions.
To add some modern style to kiddie-centric events, there is now a child-size version of Philippe Starck's popular Louis Ghost chair. Like the original, the Lou Lou Ghost chair emulates the shape of a Louis XV armchair and is made of durable polycarbonate material, making it scratch- and weatherproof, as well as tough enough to withstand the rowdy antics of pint-size guests. Resource One currently rents transparent and pink chairs nationwide for $25 each. Other colors may become available for rent, depending on demand.
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR From her college years spent as a hostess at Tavern on the Green or her stints in New York working for prominent caterers, Elsylee Colon has been involved in culinary arts for a long time. Her experience as an event planner and working in the hospitality industry helped her fine-tune her knowledge of food presentation and styling techniques. Colon began experimenting with flavors and textures as a child. Her grandmother, also a chef, encouraged her to play around and create new dishes and recipes for family gatherings. With those newly discovered dishes, Colon would later make gifts for her family and friends that were always created by hand and especially for them, a quality on which Colon's business, Elsylee Galetes Artesanals, centers. "I think that this personalized element is usually taken for granted today by most catering and food companies," she says. "Giving someone a handmade gift that was made specifically for them at the time of the order makes them feel ultra-special and unique."
These fashionable furniture pieces make stylish spots for serving cocktails.
Hubbard Street 2, which recently became available as entertainers for private events, is a troupe of dancers associated with the contemporary dance company Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. The company's seven performers range in age from 17 to 25 and maintain a repertoire focused on new works from young choreographers. The group's moves include hip-hop and improvisation, as well as intimate duets. HS2 performances can be tailored to a particular event, venue, or audience. The group is available for local, national, and international engagements and recently entertained guests at the Wilmette Women's Associate Tea and the Pacific Symphony Gala in Orange County, California.
A Party at the Office Good Eats: Satisfy staffers with a taco buffet from Southern California-based La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill. For $10.95 a head (plus a set-up fee), the chain will deliver all the fixings for chicken and steak tacos, plus salad, rice and beans, guacamole, and chips and salsa. Memorable Moment: A game hosted by Atlanta-based Team Trivia can break up office cliques and get everyone interacting. Pricing starts at $350 for an hour with a quizmaster. Supplies are included (except prizes) and the company can tailor questions to the group. Parting Gift: Colorful bulk candy from New York’s Economy Candy in glass jars or scattered around the conference room does double-duty as decor and take-home favors at the end of the night.
Glass artist Ann Morhauser's company, Annieglass, crafts fine tableware out of its Watsonville, California, foundry. The new line of goods includes golden-maple- and oak-leaf-shaped dishes that feature clear glass veins running through the surface. Oak leaves measure nine by six inches, and maple leaves are 10 by nine inches and are suitable for desks or office coffee tables. Each style retails for $50; platinum-colored dishes area also available.
A tray of stale Danish is a sad way to kick off a morning meeting. Here are upgrades to the standard a.m. fare.
Honoring a retiring exec or an award winner with a video about their life’s work is a great idea, but only if the piece doesn’t move guests to check their BlackBerries or sneak off to the restroom. Here are three companies that specialize in these types of films and, if asked, will travel to make it happen. With more than 20 years of combined film and television industry experience, Lifefilm Productions co-founders Peilin Chou and John Brancaccio use the same production professionals they worked with at companies such as Walt Disney Studios, MTV Networks, ESPN, and Bravo to craft their celebratory docs. The firm prides itself on delivering broadcast-quality, story-driven films that are truly entertaining. Past clients include C-level execs from Hasbro and real estate developer S.R. Weiner. Rates start at $5,000, with longer and more intensive projects ranging from $10,000 to $20,000.
Decor company Air Dimensional Design has just launched Tentations, a line of tents with a sculptural look. The structures (which do not require power) are made of stretch fabric that is rigged overhead, and designed primarily for indoor use—on a trade show floor, or to create lounge areas within a venue, for example. Although other sizes and colors are available for purchase only, a 13-foot-wide, 8 1/2-foot-high white tent can be rented for $1,550 per week.
