SingleBubblePop // Art + Design Inspiration Blog

happy friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:14:00 +0000

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I hope you have a wonderful weekend! My sister is visiting me from NC & I'm so happy to have her here for a few days. This week I've been reminded several times of how fragile life is. I try to be grateful everyday but I'm going to make it even more a priority to say thank you for LIFE; hope you do too!

See you next week!

roman holiday + the next cool event

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:05:00 +0000

I'm so bummed that I missed the Next Cool Event last weekend here in Atlanta! From the photos and rave reviews of my friends that attended, it was nothing short of spectacular! Check out this gorgeous booth from SMITHBOYDinteriors. Can you spot the Roman Holiday theme references?

Photos by Christina Wedge

My jaw dropped when I saw these photos! Can you believe this is inside an old warehouse building? I will NOT miss the next one! See the rest of the Micheal Boyd designed booth here.

sonya winner rugs

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:47:00 +0000

Love these beautiful bright rugs from designer Sonya Winner!

See them all at sonyawinner.com

tea time

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:30:00 +0000

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending a royal tea with some lovely ladies here in Atlanta. Yes, a legit tea party, with big hats, gloves, elaborate table decor, 3 tiered serving trays... everything you pretended to have a little girl. It was absolutely fabulous! Some of you may be reading and thinking, she can't be serious! But as a girl who grew up coveting all things girlie & southern, I loved it.

Me, super geeked to be at a tea party in my extra large hat!

Maxine, of In A Fabulous World, and I.

The ladies at our table, including the chair of the event, Mrs. Kendra Hatcher King.

After the tea I was convinced that I need to have a tea party of my own, and soon! Here are a a few essentials I'd include in my tea time.

1.2.3.4

Who wants to come over for tea next weekend?

design talk webisode 3

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:32:00 +0000

Happy Monday Guys! As promised, I just uploaded a new webisode of Design Talk! Tricea and I had so much fun making this one. We wanted to have a little chat with the FELLAS this time, because we've noticed a few bad habits that seem to stick with them.

*Disclaimer: No gentlemen were harmed in the making of this video! ;)

Here are a few examples of GREAT man spaces:

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For more examples of great spaces, check out our Design Talk Webisodes board on Pinterest.

Hope you enjoyed the video! Please share, comment and feel free to repost!

happy friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:58:00 +0000

After a whirlwind time in NY last week, I played catch up for most of this one! The week flew by, but I am happy to say that I'm FINALLY editing new webisodes of Design Talk, so look for a new one on Monday! Tricea and I had so much fun making this one... can't wait to share!

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend.

tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:25:00 +0000

Come out and celebrate the opening of the KAWS exhibit at the High Museum!
I'll be there, make sure to say hi if you see me.

malibu tightrope

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:34:00 +0000

This video, and the cover of this song in this video, are AMAZING. Kelly did an amazing job capturing sexy California style. I'm inspired by it, are you?

via The Glamourai

first and best trip of the year

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:25:00 +0000

As you know last week I was in NYC as a guest of Brizo to learn about their amazing brand and experience Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. The Brizo team did a fantastic job making all the designers feel so welcomed & special and I had an amazing time. I wish I'd taken more pictures, but I was too busy taking it all in!

Right after I took this photo, I realized that Susan L. Taylor, formerly of Essence Magazine was sitting across the aisle from me. This was such a full circle moment for me because I grew up LOVING her magazine, and I'd had the chance to hear her speak at a conference I attended in high school. We chatted for a bit on the plane and it certainly was an amazing start to my trip!

We arrived in the big city and were delivered to the fabulous Eventi Hotel just a few blocks from Times Square by a car service.

The "living room" in the lobby of the Eventi...

....absolutely gorgeous! The entire hotel was designed impeccably. I wonder who designed it?
The first night we had a cocktail party to meet & greet all the other designers. Everyone came from all over the country but some of us "knew" each other via Twitter and had never met in person. Everyone was super sweet!

The next morning I got dressed up in my brightest colors for our day of Brizo brand training. :)

The team educated us on the entire line of products, including Jason Wu's upcoming line. It was so amazing to see how they draw inspiration, come of up ideas, and the process of putting them into production. Brizo truly does approach their product as a fashion line!

We got to see prototypes and give feedback on brand new designs & finishes. It was really cool to see the ideas, as well as here the design process of the industrial designers.

After class we took a short break before we were whisked away to the Hearst building to take a cooking class at the brand new Sur La Table located on the first floor. *Side Note* This was a "Mary Tyler Moore" moment for me! When I hopped out of that limo and saw this beautiful building in front of me, I wanted to do a cartwheel and squeal with joy! Haha

We made handmade pasta & pesto and ate everything we made. SO delicious!! And fun.

The next day (Friday) we had a champagne brunch before heading out to Jason Wu's show!

On the way in a big Lexus came rushing in and out hopped Anna Wintour. Just like The Devil Wears Prada. I could not make these stories up y'all!! I snapped this photo before I almost lost it; I was too excited!!

The show was AMAZING! I was in the first section, on the 3rd row. His inspiration story was so clear, the clothes were amazing and the music was phenomenal. I kinda want the soundtrack! You can see the entire collection here.

Lastly, we attended a cocktail reception at this penthouse with gorgeous views of the city. Jason Wu came, watched his show with us (this is the first time he got to see it!) and had a few drinks. It was a great ending to a fabulous trip! The entire trip was a DREAM. Thank you so much to the Brizo team for including me and I'm so proud to be a part of the Blogger 19 group now!

I hope you enjoyed the photos!

happy friday

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:57:00 +0000

This week has been amazing for me! I'm sitting here in my hotel room with a view of the Empire State building preparing to attend Jason Wu's fashion show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. <----- Look at that sentence. Six months ago, I would have never imagined that coming out of my mouth. Although I'm always a hopeful & open minded person, I often find myself working so hard that I don't really anticipate the results of said work. My colleagues here at this event are all older, more established designers, some have very popular blogs & thousands of Twitter followers. The labels being carried around vary from Gucci to Prada to Louis Vuitton. I'm not there yet! But what I do know is that I've been writing this little blog for over 4 years now, I've made some amazing accomplishments within my short career in design & it finally hit me today that hard work DOES pay off! Even when you can't see how the pieces are coming together, if you work hard, are genuinely nice & believe in yourself, great things happen!

So whatever you're working on this week or weekend, keep it up!!

hello from NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:16:00 +0000

Hey guys! I'm in New York today having a ball learning about the Brizo product line with a great group of designers & bloggers. I feel so blessed & humbled to be here! The hotel is amazing, the people are so kind & the information I'm getting is so inspiring.

You can follow my trip on Twitter & Instagram. Have a great day!

kenzo spring 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Two things you should know about me: One, I rarely "match". Ever since I was little I've had a more is more approach to color. I can't help it! And two, I'm obsessed with playing with volume. I love long skirts with fitted menswear shirts, or big voluminous tops with skinny pants or a pencil skirt. So this collection from Kenzo screams to me!

See the rest of the lookbook here.

flavor paper

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:51:00 +0000

Check out these AMAZING wallpaper designs from Brooklyn based company Flavor Paper. I dream about installing wallpaper like this for a client! They even have 'scratch & sniff' prints... Pretty cool.

Lenny Kravitz is a fan; he used one of their prints in his home music lounge as seen here. Look at that lucite baby grand!!

And here is the owner giving a tour of the studio in Brooklyn:

Visit their beautiful website to see more awesome designs.

eventi hotel

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:31:00 +0000

I'm so excited that I'll be staying right in the heart of Chelsea at the beautiful Eventi Hotel as a guest of Brizo later this week! The other designers and I have been emailing back and forth making plans for a meet & greet in the gorgeous bar for a cocktail (or two!) on Wednesday night. Can't wait!

Here are a few pics of this gorgeous contemporary hotel.

The exterior at night...

...Bar Basque inside...

...one of the guest rooms...

...another gorgeous suite. Love that sofa!

And lastly, this is the awesome courtyard area outside the hotel. I'm hoping it's warm enough for us to enjoy it! It features "food trucks" and specialty beer vendors. Yum!

I'm counting down till Wednesday!

Disclaimer: As a guest of Brizo, my airfare & travel expenses have been comped.

happy friday! + design wars update

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:06:00 +0000

totally unrelated, but awesome, image found here.

Man! I worked hard and played hard this week. How about you? I know I'm happy to see Friday because that means a little bit more fun with friends, and that I'm even closer to my trip to NYC next week for Brizo Fashion week! Don't worry, I've got posts lined up for the days that I'm away, and you can follow my entire trip via Twitter

We also got the awesome news that Design Wars will FINALLY begin airing on HGTV this month, beginning next Friday, February 10 at 1PM. Set your DVRs and see some of Atlanta's best designer battle it out. No word on my episode date yet, but you know I'll share as soon as I know.

Have a great weekend!

what I'm reading: commander in chic

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:42:00 +0000

I'm starting a new series here on the blog where I share what books I'm reading! I don't always have time to sit and enjoy a novel, but I'm always reading SOMETHING. Last month, I read through Mikki Taylor's Commander in Chic. This book is a how-to-guide for any woman who aspires to put her best look forward just like our First Lady Michelle Obama does so (seemingly) effortlessly!

Mikki uses Michelle as an example throughout the book with step by step instructions and sources on how to keep everything from your hair to your shoes on point. It's a really fun read full of "Mikkisms" - rules according to Mikki - about beauty, fashion and more. I love that she suggests embracing color, making sure you have a foundation of great hair and nails and ALWAYS rocking fabulous shoes. She gives great sources to fit any budget, from the Target fashionista right on up to Neiman's. The entire book is written in a really approachable way that will appeal to a 20-something year old just starting out as well as a 50+ woman who just wants to revamp their style.

The book is probably about 30% photos of Mrs. Obama, so it's definitely a great coffee table book. I sat down with Rosalynn of Chic Boutique Tour and got to hear what some other ladies thought about the book too!

Have you read this book? If so, let me know what you thought! If not, be sure to pick up a copy.

Full Disclosure: This book was gifted to me by Chic Boutique Tour. All opinions expressed are my own.

hello february!

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:55:00 +0000

It's a new month! I, for one, am happy with the way 2012 is going, and I hope you are too! This month I'm looking forward to so many things.

Next week, I'm headed to NYC for Brizo Fashion Week and I still don't know what I'm wearing. Anyone want to come help me pack? Ha! I'm so excited to me some fabulous bloggers & learn about the Brizo brand though.

Registration for Blogfest 2012 opens TODAY at noon and I'm determined to be there this year! Especially since it falls on my birthday....

Tricea & I are filming a new Design Talk video THIS WEEK, so you'll have a new one very soon! In case you missed the first two, they are posted in the sidebar for you to catch up.

I'm working on a new Facebook page customization project for a local yoga studio which is going to be really fun... I'll be sure to share the finished project!

These new February Photo A Day challenges should be really fun too:

Lastly, this is my 965 post on SBP, so I'm getting so close to my 1000th post! I want to do something to celebrate, so a little shindig here in Atlanta is in the works.

What are you excited about for February!? Do share!

black & white chic

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:15:00 +0000

There's something about the sharp contrast of black & white that always looks so chic. Whether in a stripe, floral, key pattern, whatever, it never fails to make a fresh impression.

all image sources can found here

win! see 'the vow' before it hits theaters

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:06:00 +0000

*This is a sponsored post from Chic Boutique Tour*

Think it's time for a Movie and Cocktails? Well, here's your chance to enjoy it on us!

Chic Boutique Tour and StudioWed Atlanta are teaming up to give you a chance to view the hottest movie this year before anyone else! Win 2 tickets to the pre-screening of "The Vow" featureing Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum. Also gain access to our cocktail party sponsored by Godiva Liquer!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Cocktail Party 5pm at StudioWed
Movie Screening 7:30pm

If you've been under a rock, here's the preview......

STEPS TO WINNING:

Go to the Chic Boutique Tour or StudioWed's Facebook Page and tell us who is your Valentine (husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, mom, friend, etc) and why. Then subscribe to our mailing list (find links below).
Winners will be randomly chosen and announced on Friday, February 3rd. Double your chances of winning by entering on BOTH Chic Boutique Tour and StudioWed's facebook page.
Good Luck!

Chic Boutique Tour- Facebook & Newsletter
StudioWed- Facebook & Newsletter

heidi merrick spring 2012 collection

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:08:00 +0000

Love this collection of bright separates!

And I can't wait for it to be warm enough to wear sundresses again! In the meantime, I'm a little over a week before heading to NY for fashion week. Aaah! I haven't even thought about what I'm wearing....

images via c'est la vie

happy friday

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

image found here

Hope your weekend is filled with fun & COLOR! For those that are wondering, we have a new Design Talk video coming soon! Tricea & I have both been sick this month in addition to getting back into the swing of things after the holidays, which has delayed us from filming. Hang tight!

Have a great weekend,

putting myself back into the blog

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:04:00 +0000

Hey y'all. How are you? Lately I've been feeling like I took myself out of SBP a bit. Remember when I used to share peeks into my life? I would give you my goals & progress on those goals. I practiced my drawing while showing you what I wore. I've been writing this blog for nearly 5 years; can you believe it? And it started out with just me speaking to an anonymous, invisible audience. As time went by and the blog grew, I've found myself holding back a lot. My daily posts have little to no reflection of my daily life. And that's not how I want the blog to be!

So let me reintroduce myself for 2012, because so much has changed! I'm Niki, a blogger, designer, music teacher & fashion lover. I'm still in the building phase of my company, hence, I work a part-time job to make ends meet. I teach piano AND guitar lessons now to 10 students and I adore them. Helping them discover music let's me fall in love with it even more. In between all of that, I work with web & graphic design clients from my tiny studio. I'm not working with any interior design clients right now, but I'm looking forward to new ones!

Are you tired just reading all of that? Ha! Some days I ask myself, "What are you thinking Niki? This is just too much!" But you know what? Through it all I still find the time to keep blogging. Because I love it! I'm not perfect. I miss deadlines, I sometimes do just enough to get by, and sometimes I don't do what I need to do at all. Thanks for bearing with me & I really appreciate each and every one of you. I'm vowing to put myself back into the blog, so look for more of me in the posts!

trends: do you watch them?

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

As an interior designer, it's my job to stay on top of what's hot in terms of color, pattern, shape; everything that makes decor well designed. I'm curious to know, as a consumer, do you pay attention to trends? Just like you make sure you're not wearing out of style clothes, do you take care about the trends in your home?

I just registered for High Point Market Week, so I was excited to see this video of some of my favorite designers talking about trends at the Fall 2011 market. Can't wait to be in the mix in April!

loving lace

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Get yourself some lace!

Anthropologie Lace Dolly Rug

Rebecca Minkoff Lace Shorts

SABO Skirt Lace Skirt

having a red moment

noreply@blogger.com (Niki McNeill) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

What is it about red that is so mesmerizing?

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