West Elm + St. Jude

This is the heart I created for West Elm to help them build the world's longest heart paper chain! They'll donate the chain to St. Jude Children's Hospital for Valentine's Day. 

Want to create your own heart? Just drop by any US West Elm store on Feb. 11th between 6pm-8pm & make it there!  Mine was inspired by fashion & then I added some gold glitter to give it some sparkle! You can tweet or instagram yours with #shareyourhearts .

-image by jen ramos

West Elm DIY Event

Last week was the West Elm event I hosted & so many wonderful ladies showed up! It was such a blast to show the girls "how-to-create" the DIY painted mugs! It's simple, yet fun.

Firs,t we kicked off the event with some delicious mini-cakes by Sherry's Shortcakes - these are delicious Vegan mini-bites made up of organic ingredients. Then we served up some hot Chocolate - which was perfect for the chilly weather that evening! I then explained to the girls how to create their own painted mug & everyone loved it! So much talent - & perhaps even future artists?? I MINGLED with the girls & then we gave away 2 (framed) Cocoa & Hearts paintings, 20% off MADE BY GIRL + this gorgeous agate jewelry box!  I'm so grateful to have been able to collaborate with Wes Elm here in New York City - & super grateful to all the girls who came out to be part of this workshop!

The images were shot by photographer, Christine Han - all the way from Brooklyn. This girl was everywhere & shot all these amazing moments for us! She also has a cool food blog called 'Pantry Confidential' - which I think you food lovers will enjoy!

All in all, it was a packed house - (good news!) so hopefully I'll get to host something there again soon! If you see a pic you want to instagram - feel free to TAG it: #madebygirl & #westelm.

Where's Waldo?

Champagne time - thanks to my friends!

Images above by Christine Han

This last image is a quick shot my husband took of me & my friends who came out to share this moment with me! Love you all!

Don't forget to keep an eye out for NEW paintings being added to the Cocoa & Hearts gallery this month!!!

Did you attend the event? How did you like it?

How to: DIY Painted Mug

If you were curious what I spoke about at the DIY event at West Elm last week, here it is!

I explained how to create DIY Cocoa & Hearts style mugs. Some of the girls made their own designs, but many of them took a stab at the color series I usually do in the C & H gallery.  You can see the "how-to" tutorial here. We had a blast! In fact, you'll get to see PHOTOS of the event on my blog - stay tuned!

via Front & Main blog

See You at West Elm

Are you ready for tomorrow's West Elm event here in NYC?  I'll be hosting it! 

It's going to be a simple, yet fun DIY - plus there will be lots of sweet treats & hot chocolate on hand for you to enjoy! Great way to start off the Holiday season no??

The event will start at 6:30 at the West Elm Broadway store but will also be hosted at other stores like Scarsdale, Dumbo, Chelsea, Fenway & more.  Keep in mind - I will NOT be hosting those other events.  However, at the event tomorrow we're going to be giving away (2) framed Cocoa & Hearts paintings to (2) lucky winners!! So, don't miss out!

Speaking of 2....here is how I styled a hot chocolate & dessert table for 2.  I used all West Elm dinnerware on top of my beautiful marble oval coffee table.  One of my favorite pieces for the table styling, was the gold napkin ring set that West Elm has right now, you can see them below! Many of you were asking about the mugs I painted - they were inspired by my popular color series artwork via my Cocoa & Hearts gallery.
 

 I'm so grateful to be collaborating with West Elm - thank you so much W/E!

Maybe we'll see you at the event tomorrow??

-images & styling by jen ramos

West Elm + Me in NYC! You're Invited!!

Ready for the Holidays?

I'd love to INVITE you guys to join me at West Elm for a DIY project I'll be hosting! Come have fun, get creative & enjoy some sweet treats + a SURPRISE giveaway!  You don't want to miss it!  It will all go down on:

• Thursday, November 14th, 2013
• West Elm Broadway E. 62nd st. store here in NYC.
• Time: 6:30-8:00 pm
• RSVP at:  facebook.com/westelm/events

Here's the official invite below created by West Elm!

YOU CAN RSVP HERE

-images & styling by jen ramos

For The Home

Happy F-r-i-d-a-y!!!! I've got some exciting news coming soon about a few SUPER cool collaborations I'm working on! Can't wait to tell you guys! In the meanwhile, FALL IS def HERE & I've been thinking about changing a few things in my home & updating the space. Know what I mean??

Like most of you, I search the internet to see if anything would work well with my current decor. I figured some of you may be doing the same in your place.... SO, I put together a few home accessories I thought you'd love! Ok, I CHEATED & included my own black & white 5"x7" LOVE print.

I'd love to know....Which item could you see in your home???

arianna belle // hattan home // target // made by girl // zgallerie // live like you // west elm 

YOUR WEEKEND

-image by jen ramos

Changing Your Home & Style

Some days I wish MONEY was no object. I would totally change my entire wardrobe & home decor once a year. For those of you who like to change things up, wouldn't that be awesome? To be able to just snap your fingers & BAM! -  new wardrobe, new decor & if we could take it a bit further, we could even look like a specific person. Hmmmmm?

Again, this is not saying you should be UNHAPPY where you are, but like vacations, it would be a cool change of pace, a way to remove the same ol' - same ol' from our everyday lives, but still be able to come back to it! Of course, this is all FANTASY - but the thought intrigued me so much, I thought about how I would do it. So, how would I change things up?

Well, it would have to be a STYLE that is totally OPPOSITE (somewhat) of what I'm into now. With that said, I chose a Bohemian-Chic look. I also chose to go BLONDE & look a little like NICKY HILTON. Not super attractive, not too ugly, right??!!? 

Besides, I thought she looked fantastic in this Boho style outfit, which I plan to sport this summer, you, just, watch! Ok, my picks for Bohemian Style, My way home decor.... would look something like this:

 

1. navy lacquer desk - shopten25

2. spot pillow - barneys

3. horse art - shop candelabra

4. cobalt throw - jayson home

5. agate bookends - high street market

6. marc blackwell glass - barneys

7. nikko ceramics - barneys

8. gold ampersand - the cross

9. elya pillow - jayson home

10. paulaina reyes pilow - west elm

11. velvet ikat pillow - sukan

12. frank ottoman - jayson home

 

However, in the REAL WORLD I'm a tall brunette who loves glamorous living spaces & large scale abstract ART in my home.

If you could change your home decor & the way you look for 1 year, who would you be & what style would you choose??

-top image via purodeco
-nicky hilton image via w.e.n.n
-bottom 2 images by jen ramos