Blog

My first blog of the new year and it's April already! That just goes to show what a few months I've had, with the Las Vegas Market in January, New York Now and San Francisco International Gift Show in February, and the Chicago International Home and Housewares Show in March for my work with Keena, plus life in between. It's been a busy few months, but then I wouldn't want to have it any other way. The challenge is to keep in touch with all my artisan connections for 12 Small Things.

We all do it, it's part of the sales game, and some of us are better at it than others, but it comes with the territory. At the beginning of October I participated in the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center's 30th Anniversary gala at the City View on top of the Metreon. As an alumni of the Ren Center where wrote my business plan for 12 Small Things, I accepted the invitation to to sell my goods along with other recent graduates. 

San Francisco is such a great city, I always feel so lucky to live here. After such a busy summer traveling, it's particularly nice to be home and discover treasures just around the corner. This city is definitely booming with new companies, restaurants and shops, and it's near impossible to keep up on everything, so I appreciate when someone shows me their finds. After working at my computer for two weeks straight, I needed an excuse to get out, and asked my fellow Keena rep, Katie Gaertner, to show me her store Whistle out in the inner Sunset.

I made my annual summer pilgrimage to the New York gift show, now called New York NOW, for my work with Keena and 12 Small Things. Unfortunately I brought along a summer cold my husband gave me for our anniversary that I always miss because I'm at the gift show! I tried to make the best of it and kept politely to myself, but I'm sure I got my friend Darcy sick who hung out with me anyway, because friends do that. 

My family and I planned a trip to England to visit relatives and see the sights once school was out and before the summer took our girls in different directions. We had a wonderful week in London, staying in Chelsea, then a breathtaking beautiful stay in Devon by the sea, and finally a relaxing rest in the country in Nayland, near Colchester. We tried to see as many sights as we could manage in London, riding the hop on hop off buses, touring museums and visiting great neighborhoods with interesting shops and outdoor markets. We made the pilgrimage to Abbey Road and mugged for the obligatory photo.

I was just leaving the doctor's office a couple months ago, when my chef friend Terry Paetzold called me. Turns out her son Dean was about to get married and she offered to take him on a culinary tour in Mexico before the wedding, but he was too busy and would I like to come? The tour, leaving in three weeks, was being led by my former Esprit co-woker Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo fame and there were only two spots left. What could I say but yes? 

Just returned from a trip to Mexico with my friend and chef, Terry Paetzold who invited me on a culinary tour hosted by Steve Sando from Rancho Gordo in Napa. I've know Terry since before our kids were born, as our fathers were best friends living in Vista, California. And Steve and I used to work together at the corporate office for Esprit back in the 80s, and later I followed his career as the DJ Mr. Lucky in San Francisco. Who could refuse such an opportunity to spend a week cooking and drinking and reminiscing?

What a wonderful time I had in New York with my work for Keena attending the winter NY Now show. Flying out on Super Bowl Sunday I arrived at our Air B&B in Chelsea just in time to catch Bruno Mars during halftime and share a beer with the neighbors. The storm started with a light sprinkle just as the game was ending and turned into snow overnight to my delight waking up the next morning. I pulled on all my layers and big wool coat and hit the streets to walk to the Javits Center, which was no easy feat. 

Happy new year! I love my new winter collection of gifts for 12 Small Things, all handmade by fair trade artisans around the world. I am particularly happy to be featuring products from Tibet and Afghanistan, brought to my attention through a network of friends and colleagues, plus an unexpected great find just north of San Francisco.

One of my favorite vendors, Jasperdean Kobes from Bamboula Ltd, emailed me last month very excited to say, "Laurie, the angels have arrived!" She and I had just sold our first order to the Northern California Whole Foods regional office serving 40 stores from Monterey to Sacramento. Jasperdean and I have been working together since I first launched my website, 12 Small Things back in 2009. I sold the same, natural sisal fiber angel ornaments first on my site and later helped her sell to Red Envelope when I worked there and they were featured on the catalog cover.