week 56 - asian excursion

well mesh fans…it’s been a while since you heard from us and we apologize for that! but we have a good reason! other than the typical summer schedules, our lives took a bit of a turn with an impromptu trip to shanghai and hong kong in may. it wasn’t all sun and fun…there was work to be done…but i will admit there was a fair share of shopping. and when i say fair share, i might mean
daily.

as you know from previous blog posts, melissa has been traveling back and forth to shanghai for work. and when she invited me along this time I didn’t hesitate to be her designated body guard for 8 days. i’ve always wanted to go to china!...and it just so happened to be my birthday while we were there! so i jumped at the chance.

i must say the style of the chinese ladies was quite inspiring. the mix of patterns worn in one outfit are unexpected, to say the least. striped shirt with polka-dot skirt and mis-matched shoes is the norm. they know good taste for sure . . . as most duds are partnered with a high-end bag. gwen stefani is right on target with the styles displayed on her japanese inspired harajuka girls' perfume bottles.

so, nevermind the larger than life skyscrapers, roof-top infinity pool, and disastrous flight home (future blog entry perhaps). the big question is ‘did you bring back mesh goods’? of course! we are pretty pumped about the scarves we purchased. great color combinations and textures . . . and a different size than we’ve ever had. you can even get creative and wear some of these as a top.

we also bartered for beads . . . just enough to make some new mesh delights! our first mesh night back post-jet lag is tonight! we’ll be launching all these sensations from the orient at nici’s homeshow in less than 2 weeks!

-sherry

on the table #1 Chop Suey from across the street.

weeks 53 through 55 - r & d

i started this blog 3 weeks ago...before leaving for my spring break getaway...and i was apparently lacking inspiration...

'on this rainy evening in chicago, i am sitting in my sister's living room brainstorming blog topics with my dad - after the quick intro i gave him on what a 'blog' is...and then a brief seinfeld rant that he went into about one of peterman's urban sombrero blogs - we have now established that this week's blog will be on mesh's r&d...research and development that is

after further brainstorming while visiting the island of vieques off of puerto rico - where wild horses roam and white sand beaches flow seamlessly into crystal clear water - i realized that mesh is in constant r&d mode. we are always thinking of a bigger and better ideas, and while we have many dreams for mesh and our growing inventory of 'must haves', we have to pace ourselves.

so...now that i have lived through an inspired vacation filled with vibrant color schemes, bold textural combinations, and SUNSHINE; this week's mesh production night is sure to be flooded with new ideas, concepts, and strategies on how to retain our momentum and energy through 2011!

it is amazing what a simple plane ride, and a few days of reading design magazines while basking in the sun, really does to rejuvinate the creative soul. stay tuned for new and exciting mesh endeavours. it is only a matter of time until we really start concuring all of our wildest dreams!

-melissa

on the table | notes of inspiration for tuesday's production night

week 52 - art anyone?

so, i have this big dream to some day be fancy enough to own an artwork collection. i mean the big pieces of art that take up your entire living room wall fancy! the one that you think..."i couldn't spend that much, could i?" but you do!

my current problem is...that I've found the art. however, i'm not really in the right stage of life to be fancy yet! (translation: get me out of my one bedroom condo already!) there is an art gallery just a few blocks down from the church my husband and i attend. it is called the thomas masters gallery. occasionally, we stop in when something from the storefront catches our eye.

last year, there was an amazing painting in the front window by artist and french painter, david gista. it was spectacular...a library scene with a girl in an amazing blue dress staring at her books. he work is noticeable with just the right about of abstract. since that show, i've dreamt of hanging that piece in my living room someday. the day after i win the lotto, mind you.

well, i was thrilled to get an email last week that announced that the artist was featured again and that the opening night was last friday! perfect! our friends, mike and erin, were in town and we figured we would sneak in a quick peek before dinner at pizza art cafe in lincoln square (go there-get the bruchetta...now).

the work was spectacular...so much so, that now my slight intrigue has turned major obsession. this collection featured the typical library scenes and these new amazing stair shots.

i really would recommend a quick stop into the gallery. it's worth it. 245 w. north avenue in chicago.





-sherry

on the table| new spring necklaces!

p.s. hope to see everyone on thursday at spring bling!

week 51 - late night

after a late sunday night mandarin/english conference call with my shanghai project team; i just got off a monday night call with our latest design partner in hong kong. first, i am very disappointed in myself that i have never learned a second language, beyond my 7 years of spanish that i barely made it through in high school and college... second, it amazes me that someone on the other side of the world can accommodate my lack of motivation/brain capacity to learn a second language, by speaking to me in english. while there is always a slight barrier between our phrases and speech patterns...sometimes more than slight...i can only be thankful that my teammates speaking to me in their second or third laguage have taken the steps to accommodate their counterparts around the world. this makes me want to take up a language...what shall it be?!

aside from this worldly epiphany...mesh had a very productive evening tonight. six new necklaces ready to find a home, and a vacation afternoon scheduled next week for a buying trip! we can't wait to update you on our 2011 finds!

-melissa


on the table montage delights!

week 50 - go big or go home

so, you know the saying 'go big or go home'? well that pretty much sums up mesh for tonight!

one of our 2011 goals is to dedicate time to press and publicity. logically, the next natural action step is to send mesh goods to both oprah and michelle obama (would you expect anything less?).

michelle's necklace :: mrs. o is getting a lot of attention for the vintage broaches she has been sporting. therefore we've designed her piece around a 50s stunner we found at an antique booth last year. the teal accents on the broach will beautifully compliment her skin tone, and the necklace can be worn both with a jcrew cardigan or a cocktail dress.

oprah's necklace :: to celebrate her 25th year on television we knew we needed to do something BIG for oprah. we've created a longer piece for oprah; made with aquamarine, rock crystal, and a massive chunk of labradorite to tie it all together. rarely do we fashion a triple strand of beads...but for oprah there is no holding back.

so, wish us luck as we put these pieces in the

mail this week...and stay tuned for news! you will either see mesh on the entertainment tonight broadcast or....well, at our next home show. either way we'll be thrilled!

-melissa and sherry

on the table | gifts for oprah & michelle :)

week 49 - schedule

melissa and i have struggled the last few weeks with our schedules! you know how one day, you look at your calendar and realize you have scheduled something every night for the next 5 weeks? well, seems like that is what both of us did!

intervention is upon us! so, after a week off of mesh this week we are working on a little breathing room in our schedules! we've got to get our acts together before summer right?

enter stage left, my husband. the other night he was reading me the list of this summer's concerts in the park! i thought, wow...that is so far away! but it's not at all. (hallelujah!) june 15th is the first concert. ok...well, it's 100 days away...so, give me a pass here.

anyhow, it was a good reminder that I certainly do plan well in advance to relax and take in the sites of our great city. but, we need to act on this too! i'm definitely going to the july 13th concert...broadway tunes.

check out the schedule and plan to relax a little people! wear your favorite mesh necklace, grab a bottle of wine, and that salad from whole foods you only buy on special occasions...and hit the park!

-sherry

on the table | packaging for oprah and michelle's necklaces

week 48 - window inspiration

as i was scrolling through my facebook posts today, one of my all time most inspiring topics came up - anthropologie's windows. yes, their windows are nothing short of amazing; I could stand in front of them for days trying to figure our who's mind came up with the creations of reusing trinkets, treasures, paper, cardboard, and making them into something beautiful. similar to what mesh is all about with our reuse of ordinary things and making them extraordinary.

one recent example of a window i loved was in their nyc meat packing district shop last month. the window had fans blowing at a plethora of vintage price tags that had been made into a skirt. okay...this sounds like it could be a colossal mess, although it was so well done, that you actually envisioned the tags as a skirt, before looking at them as a slew of old price tags. this particular store also had a flowing glam skirt made out of tissue paper a few years ago...one that has been stuck in my head since i spotted it.

we have to use these sources of inspiration to move us forward with our creations...it is always the concepts that you think - 'i wish i could create something to that extreme' - that actually push you to eventually doing so.

we are pushing the envelope with mesh this year. watch for our 'window' creations in the months to come!

-melissa

on the table | custom creations to send out to oprah and michelle this week.