Illuminated Centerpieces Obama 2012

We were so happy when we were asked to provide illuminated centerpieces for First Lady Michelle Obama at the Taste of Boston on October 30 at Boston’s Park Plaza Castle.
We worked up a few different shapes and sizes featuring the 2012 logo as well as the newer "Forward" logo. We were looking forward to participating in the energy to re-elect President Obama, and to have a chance to listen to Michelle's encouraging words.
Then Sandy barreled his/her way up the coast and put an end to this and many other scheduled fundraisers leaving us with the now homeless centerpieces.
We have been lighting them here in the studio and will have them all out tomorrow for election day.

Fingers crossed.

Luminary Stroll

Last night we participated in Needham's first Luminary Stroll to benefit our Community Center.
It was a beautiful start to what we hope will be an annual tradition here in Needham and one we feel particularly attached to visually!
It was delightful to see so many twinkling lights placed in front of homes and along driveways, and we loved the flicker of the candles in the night.

An example from the Luminary Stroll website

We had a few wineglass shades in our studio and couldn't resist adding them to the mix!

Our Obama 2012 Wineglass shades!

 The Luminary Stroll website provided a history of Luminaries that we thought was interesting:

The original luminaria was a series of small bonfires lining the roads. Luminarias are associated throughout history to ancient traditions of communicating and celebrating through connected bonfires. In the early 1800's, US settlers in the Southwest brought beautiful Chinese lanterns to hang from their doorways instead of building bonfires. But the Chinese lanterns were too fragile. In the 1820’s, when Yankee traders brought brown paper sacks down the Santa Fe Trail people began to make small paper lanterns out of paper sacks as an alternative to bonfires. Today they are used to line sidewalks, driveways and walkways as a way as a way to be open and welcoming to neighbors and community.

 We try to create a similar sense of warm personal communication with our internally lit decorative pieces.

Thank you Needham for the inspirational evening!

Halloween... by Illuminaria

We were so busy this last week, what with Sandy and preparing for a festive Halloween, that we neglected to post this year's card featuring our pumpkin wineglass shade.
Here it is!

Light Up "App" centerpieces

With so many kids carrying iPhones, it is not surprising to have the graphic images of "apps" define the decor for a Bar Mitzvah.Using the custom apps designed for the event we created these cube shaped centerpiece toppers for a client in Florida.

Read more about the event as featured on the great blog site Mitzvah Market:
http://www.mitzvahmarket.com/mitzvah-ideas/misc/mitzvah-inspire-apps/

Great event decor!

 

We sized the Illuminaria to fit perfectly atop the lit bases

Custom Designed "App"

Smaller table top Illuminaria featuring the celebrant's name

Light up Illuminaria placed on a lit base

We think the event design was fabulous, and we loved having the chance to add our unique centerpieces to the overall decor.

Custom Cut bases for LuLu Palooza!

We just received these great photos from C.A. Smith Photography in Kennebunk, Maine and they reminded us how much we loved working on this Bat Mitzvah!
The logo and colors popped, and we had the chance to design a custom cut base in a fun and new way.
Taking the silhouette of Lulu herself, we created a dancing figure with arms up stretched that held the internally lit shades up above the guests heads. The height of the shade allowed them to see accross the table, and helped to fill the large room graphically.
The matching wineglass shades featured the great logo on a smaller more intimate scale reminding the guests of the star of the evening.

 

The layout and design of the event decor was stunning. The linens and seat cushions added a sophisticated and modern feel to the room and the scale of the centerpieces filled the large room perfectly. 

 

Working with Karen Philip, Lulu's mom, and her designer Carolyn Snider was a great experience. They offered us the chance to add our unique custom light up decor to their event, and we loved the end result!

Wedding Decor in Rural France

Drum Shades with custom printed lids and mats

 Our lit centerpieces were recently featured at a June wedding in rural France. We designed the centerpiece to coordinate with the brown and teal colors of the wedding decor, and sent over all the shade parts and mats to be assembled in France. The base chosen was an IKEA vase, available in their France stores, and our shades fit perfectly! The local event planner did a marvelous job of transforming an ugly basketball stadium into a romantic setting for an elegant wedding celebration.

The internal LED fixture illuminated the couples initials printed on the mat placed under the vase

Place cards and menus were lovely accents along the table.

Accent details were whimsical compliments to the centerpieces, and the overall effect was charming. We were so happy to have been a part of this romantic event, even if sadly we were far away!

Colorful Decor for PFLAG Event in Boston

Last month we created colorfully branded lamps and wineglass shades for the annual benefit for Greater Boston Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
Held at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, the event raised a record-breaking amount of money to bring the anti-bullying and family support programs of Greater Boston PFLAG into high schools and middle schools across the state. We are very proud to have participated in the evening's rainbow-hued festivities!

Our custom lamps accented the lounge area

Additional lamps added interest to the bars

Wineglass shades were lit with color changing LEDs for an interesting effect.

 Take a look at additional photos and information regarding this event on BizBash:
http://www.bizbash.com/nonprofit-benefit-successfully-fights-bullying-overcomes-unusual-venue-challenge/gallery/91411