BHG StyleMaker Event 2019

The annual BHG StyleMaker event in New York is always a highlight of my year. Posting about the event here on my blog makes me feel slightly self-absorbed because there are so many photographs of me. I guess once a year that’s ok to do, right? I just love attending. This year I did something different though and shared an Airbnb (this one HERE) with 7 blog friends of mine. This way we all saved money and got to stay a couple of extra days for the same price that I usually pay for one or two days in a hotel.

Our loft was 3500 square feet big which is bigger than my own home and rare in NYC. It was also located right where Little Italy meets Chinatown which provided a huge selection of great places to eat. I live for Asian food… you could call me obsessed, especially with Vietnamese food. As a result, I gained 5 pounds during my stay but I starved them off again as soon as I got home.

When I arrived in front of the Airbnb, I was the first one out of our group and couldn’t check in yet and to my surprise, it was the week of The Feast of San Gennaro right outside of our door. What’s a girl going to do if she has to wait in a busy festival with a large suitcase? Well sit down and have a drink, right?

The craziest things occur in NYC. I had Italian ice with a goat. The below folks were next to me and I, of course, had to ask them if they were going to eat her one day which they thankfully insured me that they were not because they loved her.

Here is a photo of when some of my roomies finally arrived:

I got to share a king-size bed with my friend Aniko of Place of my Taste.

Above from left to right: Aniko (Place of my Taste), Katie (Bower Power), Beth (Home Stories A to Z), Bre (BrePurposed), Ashley (Bigger Than The Three Of Us), Ursula Carmona, me and Jen Woodhouse

Those are all my roomies except Beth from Home Stories A to Z.

BHG StyleMaker Event 2019

This was actually my 5th year attending (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022)!!! Can you believe it? I actually can’t 🙂

{Most of the photos are courtesy of David Keith Photography}

After arriving, we get to enjoy breakfast and some chats with friends.

For someone like me who actually doesn’t get in front of the camera much, especially not in front of professional photographers it was great to get some nice usable shots. I tend to dislike all the photos that I take of myself at home.

Above: Sarah (Life on Virginia Street) and Kelly Elko.

We got to paint the Behr bear and I could have done that all day actually. It was fun!

Above: Kris (Driven by Decor) and Kachét (The Kachet Life)

And we always get to listen to and meet inspiring speakers in 3 sessions. This year it was with Patty Morrissey (Instagram HERE and HERE) who’s a master certified KonMari consultant and I loved her message of applying the KonMari method in your personal life too.

Marian McEvoy former editor in chief of Elle Decor. Below she is being interviewed by Stephen Orr who’s the editor in chief of Better Homes & Gardens.

…and the amazing Bobby Berk of Queer Eye being interviewed by Jennifer Stagg

A shot of me trying to take photos for my Instagram stories. I’m sitting with Katie and Aniko.

From left to right: Jenni of I spy DIY, Heather Dempsey of LAB, me, Ashley, Erin of Francois Et Moi, Aniko, and Bre

We also receive a nice goodie bag to take home. That gorgeous copper bag will definitely be joining me on my Aldi shopping trips 😉

And at the end, it’s time for happy hour on the rooftop terrace. Always a great time when you can see the sun go down over the city with a great cocktail or glass of wine.

Guys that clutch is on sale for $20 right now and I love it so so much. (you can find the dress HERE and HERE, the sandals HERE, earrings HERE and similar jacket HERE)

I thought I’d also tell you what we did the rest of our stay in NYC…

One of the things Aniko and I wanted to do is head to one of the large Free People stores. I’m a huge fan of the brand and Aniko had a gift certificate. She ended up buying the beautiful dress that she is wearing in some of the below photos.

I always love the decor at Free People too. Look at that wreath behind me!!!

We headed to some other little shops like Argosy Book Store which was recommended by Jenny Komenda where several of the ladies bought some unique prints for their home. Then we headed to the Upper East Side in Manhatten to take some more photos in front of the beautiful row homes in a typical annoying way only bloggers can do LOL. It’s not like we didn’t take enough photos yet 😉

We even had our “Sex and the City” Moment

And I was wearing one of my all-time favorite dresses (HERE) I bought this summer which is perfect for carrying over into fall because of the longer arms. Those wedge sandals are also my favorite. I’ve had them for several years and own them in different colors. I can walk in them as if I was wearing sneakers. Not kidding!

When I was sitting on the stairs in the first photo, a guy walked by and told me that I was sitting in front of Woody Allen’s home. I’m not a fan and had no idea but there you got it. I always love to know what a home looks like in the inside and this one I could actually look at it thanks to google. You can check it out HERE and I’m definitely not impressed.

Here is our girl band cover photo. Album to come soon. Just kidding even though Jen Woodhouse can sing like nobody’s business. She used to actually be a singer living in NYC.

Shopping in Brooklyn

We headed to the Brooklyn Flea Williamsburg and some other cool shops on Saturday morning after having mimosas and brunch at Le Barricou. Highly recommend that place. It was incredibly yummy!

One of my favorite vendors who I have purchased from before had an African shield which I have wanted for a long time and it came home with me. This HERE is his Instagram account and I told him he should open an Etsy store.

See I’m wearing the same sandals again but this time in black and the dress is a really old but good one from American Eagle.

Below you can see the amazing selection of textiles this vendor carries.

We went to Feng Sway who has an amazing selection of potted plants and other vintage odds and ends.

One of my favorite planters they had was a handmade brass beauty (HERE) and I regretted not taking it home. To my delight and surprise, you can buy them online and it’s on my list of things to buy. A hanging planter is perfect for my house so the cats can’t get to the plant.

And the below little clip glass vases that can be used for little flower clippings or propagation. If I had the funds, I’d buy a ton of these and clip them on a Christmas tree to put fresh flowers all over it but I’d also just love to have one or two of them to clip in an unexpected place away from my kitties. I was afraid to buy them since they are fragile but now that I saw that they are available online I might get them anyways.

We also went to the Dobbin Street Coup which is a vintage furniture store right next to Feng Sway.

My favorite store was by far Dyphor on 146 Wythe Avenue. You can read some more about the store HERE. My jaw literally hit the floor when we entered the store and I wish I had some more photos but I storied most of it on Instagram.

See the above huge vase in the photo? It reminded me that I actually have one sitting in the attic and I prompted my husband to get it down for me again. Love when I get reminded of a forgotten treasure.

Although I couldn’t afford most of the pieces in the store, I left filled with inspiration. Everything in the store was high quality and so unique.

In the evening, Aniko and I ventured out to Brooklyn again to see Madonna at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for her Madame X Tour. Yes, we had to lock our phones away and I wish I had brought binoculars so I could see her better. We had a really fun time though and sported matching outfits.

We also ate at Macao, where the decor was better than the food and a tad bit too pricey. By accident we discovered the best gnocchis any of us ever had and we ordered seconds at Jane Restaurant. I got to enjoy some phenomenal Vietnamese at a tiny hole-in-the-wall called Nha Trang One restaurant for lunch which was right around the corner from our Airbnb.

And you are a champ if you made it all the way to the end of this post.

Tschüß,