05-20-2015
Behind the Scenes of a Gift Build
FILED IN: Behind-the-Scenes, Client & Corporate Gifts, Wedding Welcome Gifts
Posted By: Jamie Kutchman
Posted by: Jamie Kutchman , Founder
So, this is usually what you see from me on my blog and social media. Gifts upon gifts, organized neatly and finished perfectly with ribbon and tags. I try and make it look effortless because, after all, that's what people want to receive. Beautiful, thoughtful, high-end welcome gifts where they haven't had to worry about a thing because Marigold & Grey is taking care of the design, assembly and delivery.
But to be honest, there is so much (SOOOO much) that goes on behind the scenes to get to the images you see on social media. Recently, I've had a few people ask to come and photograph me and my studio during a gift build. I'd bet a million dollars I started visibly sweating. See a gift build DURING the gift build?? Umm..no way! It's messy. It's chaotic. I probably didn't even take a shower that day. Yoga pants are the uniform and I usually have basket fill stuck to my butt. In other words, it isn't pretty. But after completing a MAJOR build this past weekend (the largest and most complicated in the history of my business!) and the house was turned completely upside down, I started thinking that maybe it would be fun to show the REAL before and after. I'm nervous about this. Downright scared actually.
Essentially, my friends, my foyer has become shipping and receiving. I mean, doesn't everyone want to climb over cardboard boxes to get into their living room?
But wait, it gets worse! If you're not feeling judgmental yet, you just might...
(And now time for a fun fact. I caught my husband taking these pictures to prove to our accountant that, yes, Jamie's "little gift bag business" has, in fact, taken over a huge percentage of the square footage of the house.)
Now let's move onto the prettier part, shall we? This project was for JBG Companies. They wanted to welcome some of their top clients to a 3-day retreat at the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, VA. They requested that the Salamander logo and JBG logo appear somewhere in the gift yet didn't want the gift to have a corporate feel. Ah, my favorite type of challenge!
I immediately got to work on the gift designs. Although I created one design for men and a separate gift design for women, each gift was presented in an unfinished pine crate along with unisex Turkish-T summer spa robes! Also consistent across both designs were a JBG logo cookie by Fresh Bakes, a California cabernet, Virginia Hunt-inspired chocolates, a Salamander Resort latte mug, and artisan caramels from a Charlottesville, VA creamery. And, of course, the gorgeous calligraphy tags done by Poppy and Scooter.
Specific to the ladies' design were artisan hand-poured candles, fragrant lavender bath salts and blush satin ribbon for a delicate finishing touch.
Specific to the mens' design were Pro V1 Titleist golf balls and Macanudo cigars. (Yup, I had to hide these from Jeff!) I finished them off with pale grey ribbon.
And, of course, my little sidekick was elated with how things turned out. As usual.
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