Sometimes people create things that I love and just have to share.   My latest obsession are these great letterpress neighborhood cards created by the girl wonders at Two Paper Dolls.   I LOVE THESE.   But I need them to do one of Northern Liberties, yes?

You can get these from Two Paper Dolls at the place in Wayne or Pressed55 right here in the Piazza.   Or from their cool Etsy shop.

Last weekend, Eclatante was honored to play a role in planning one of the sweetest proposals we have ever heard of.

The story goes like this:   We were contacted by Tamar, the sister of Tali, the unsuspecting bride-to-be to help pull off an incredibly romantic surprise proposal.   Yoni, the ever-so-handsome young man doing the proposing was far away, in Israel, where he had been for quite some time.   Yani, the beautiful bride-to-be, didn’t expect to see him until next month.

But Yoni had gone to great lengths to surprise the love of his life.   Unbeknownst to Tali, Yoni created a wonderful photo montage to be shown on the Piazza’s 30′ screen. sent it here, then boarded a plane to Philadelphia.

Yoni arrived from Israel just in time to build a wonderful snowman on the Piazza stage then make himself scarce for the big reveal.   Under a great pretext, Tamar brought her sister to the Piazza where Tali saw the montage and believed that her amazingly romantic boyfriend had arranged for the best Valentine’s Day gift ever – the display of that montage.    Here it is:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJFXvo8L6iA

Man!  Tali was stunned beyond words when her Yoni stepped before her and got down on one knee   Honestly, I don’t think there has ever been anyone so surprised in the history of proposals!   Of course, she said YES!

We arranged to have the wonderful Heather Fowler on board to shoot the scene as it unfolded.   It really doesn’t get any more romantic than this!

The Philadelphia Inquirer picked right up on this story, as did 6ABC.

I can’t wait to see this wedding happen!

Eclatante Boutique and some of the other very cool shops here on Liberties Walk have joined up to give you a Valentine’s Day shopping experience like none other. Every day from February 8th through Valentine’s Day (which is Sunday, February 14th), each of our friends is offering you something a little different.

This postcard and poster will give you the details about what we’re all doing!

For our part, Eclatante Boutique will be offering free, beautiful Valentine’s Day cards and wrapping paper with every $15 purchase made every day during the Romancing The Walk event.  Plus, we’ll be offering fun chocolate stuff and yummy bubbly all along the way.

And a really great part of this is that every participating shop will offering you the opportunity to enter a great raffle to benefit the American Heart Association’s GO RED FOR WOMEN CAMPAIGN.  (it is HEART month y, know!)

Your raffle ticket only costs $5 (which you can get that back when you shop at Eclatante Boutique or at any of our friend’s shops).   You will not only be contributing to the American Heart Association – a great organization that has done so much to educate women about taking care of themselves and protecting their hearts – you will have a chance to win a grand prize which includes some pretty incredible gifts from our friends’ shops AND a romantic night’s stay at the very very chic new boutique hotel,  the Hotel Palomar in Philadelphia. All for $5 which you can get back!   How amazing is that?

If you haven’t made it down to Liberties Walk yet, this is the perfect reason to come down.   Talk about falling in love!!!!

Even a nor’easter can’t quiet the spirits of a great party, when Eclatante and Beautiful Blooms put their hearts and minds to creating the first holiday party of the season.

Holday Party photo Collage by Mike Kehr Photography

Donna and I decided long ago to create a “fire & ice” themed holiday party — and use red & white as our colors.  And it totally worked.    Take a look at these amazing photos from the the cream of Philadelphia photographers who came with their cameras to help us celebrate — Marie Labbancz and Mike Kehr.   We love them both very much  – they are incredibly talented people who always make us look our very best.

Even though the weather forecasters were predicting heavy rains and 35 mph winds, our friends, families and colleagues were not deterred.  Over 200 people came to our little piece of the planet on Liberties Walk and celebrated the kickoff of the 2009 Holiday Season. And, as if on cue, just before the party started, the winds died down and the rain, for the most part, went away.

My favorite  comment came from a friend the next day:  “It rained at your party?  Wow, I didn’t notice!”

We were prepared, though — We had patio heaters and fireplaces and, at the last minute, installed large market umbrellas into the center of our round banquettes that we had placed outside.  And we had to put a couple of the bars and food stations inside that were originally going outside.   That’s it — by 6:00 pm, we were ready to great our guests.

See the little fleece blankets on the banquets.   They were so cozy — kept everyone warm.   After the party, we donated them to a homeless shelter.

Leila came up with the absolutely brilliant idea of having a “hot santa” as part of the photobooth and it tuned out great.

There’s Sandy — from Creative Juice Group — painting the shirt and suspenders on our Santa

Santa and the ladies from Eclatante (from L to R): Taylor, Kendall, Leila, Lorraine, Alyssa and Sarah

The food was to die for. Truly. Feast Your Eyes Catering totally brought their A Game with a hot, Brazilian spread in our office and a phenomenal cold raw bar, expertly displayed on a gorgeous ice creation in our Boutique.

Plus, a scruptious hot chocolate bar, red velvet cupcakes and WONDERFUL s’mores we toasted over patio fireplaces on the Walk.

Our guests ADORED the bars.

Especially the one with the “adult” milkshakes – they were laced with yummy liquors that warmed us from the inside out.

Since we have  six individual spaces (including Tu Belleza Studio) and we couldn’t have a sound system outside (because of the weather) Elan Artists brought us two of amazing bands that kept everyone delighted.  People were dancing and enjoying those great musicians all evening long.  They were incredible!

Last, but NOT LEAST, Claudia Seyler of Claudia Seyler Hair and Makeup and Tu Belleza Studio created a fun “fashion show” down the Walk featuring her  fabulous new makeup line called “Tu” (which we absolutely LOVE, by the way!)

So, we had a little bit of everything for everyone.

And we have so many people to thank

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!

Everyone here at Eclatante has a thing for entertaining.  That passion is what brought each and every one of us here!

And Thanksgiving is the mother of all entertaining days. Those of you who are fortunate enough to be hosting friends and family in your home for this great American feast, allow us to to provide you with just a few lovely ideas to add some unexpected charm to your table (without eating up to much room (or money))!

First up, our beautiful Eclatante table runners.   These are new additions to our shop and we just love them.   They come in a multitude of colors and patterns, but we thought these worked well for this particular Thanksgiving Day table. They’re $35 each.

I’m in love with these bronze rose tea light holders. We have them in white, too, but the bronze candle holders worked perfectly here.  And they’re only $16.00 — they are really beautiful!!

These oak leaf napkin rings created by Michael Michaud are absolutely perfect. We also have other gorgeous napkins rings that would work beautifully.   These napkin rings are $50 for a set of four.  Our other napkin rings are at different prices.

Salt cellars are making a comeback.  Our glass salt cellar with a  seashell spoon (they’re prettier than the silver plated spoons pictured below) are among my favorite things in the Eclatante Boutique.  I just LOVE them.   They are so easy, inexpensive and people just love them – a great conversation starter at your dinner table.    It’s a great little gift to give your guests — if you’re so inclined.  The price for both the salt cellar and the seashell spoon is only $6.50.

The  dripless single pique candles are so beautiful and unusual — they are flying out the door at  $11.50 each (or a pair for $20.00).   Again, they make your table really unique and are extremely well-priced.

You can call the Eclatante Boutique any time to find out how you can order over the phone. Our phone number is 215.925.9911.  Or, of course, we’d love it if you came by our shop and took a look at all the really amazing entertaining items we have.   We’re at 1031 North 3rd Street in Northern Liberties.  We’re open from 11:00 until 6:00 from Sunday – Thursday and on Saturday; on Fridays we’re open until 8:00 pm.

The dream child of three amazing women who individually have spent years and years in the beauty industry, Tu Belleza Studio gives women a place to come where walking in the door is a relaxing experience.  Claudia, Tiffany and Kim have created a truly unique environment where it feels more like you’re drinking wine in your best friend’s living room than having an appointment at a salon. Together, they share an artistry, passion and talent for bringing out the beauty in each woman that walks in their very warm and entreating studio.

You’ll be happy to know Tu Belleza carries  Cass Luxury Shapewear, Aveda, and Sebastian and an amazing array of accessories you won’t find anywhere else.

And here are the ladies of Tu Belleza: Tiffany Lahn (hair extension maven), Kim Lancashire (Eye Lash Extension Diva) and Claudia Seyler (a magician with hair and makeup)

And lucky us!  They are right across the Walk from us in our own little block of Liberties Walk.   We couldn’t be happier.   More and more and more, I’m really happy we moved here!

We need to make room for our incredible holiday stuff in our little boutique.  So, we’re giving everyone a great discount on our amazing items that are now gracing our shelves.   This is a great opportunity that you shouldn’t miss to get some beautiful items for your home and dinner parties at an extraordinarily low price!

For our first Halloween on the Walk, we thought it would fun to do it up right.  As it turns out, other shops on the Walk are doing the same thing.   You should come down.   The treats will be crawling out of the woodwork.

Philly Mag asked Donna (from Beautiful Blooms) and me to open our Liberties Walk studios and boutiques to host the launch of the latest issue of Philadelphia Weddings. So this past Tuesday, we did just that and it was great.   Laura Eaton (Laura Eaton Photography) took these great photos.

The colors for the event were plum and platinum, so with flowers from Beautiful Blooms, we created a dining table in our studio to suit the mood

Donna and I love to host parties at our studios on Liberties Walk where people can mingle inside and out.   It is just such a fun place to have a party!

Leon from All Around Entertainment was absolutely HOT that night.   He and his percussionist were fantastic.  Everyone really enjoyed what they put together for us.

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Here's Donna with a few of our Northern Liberties friends (two of whom are brides-to-be!)

Del Friscos (the awesome Center city restaurant) provided all the delicious appetizers!

So, now for some really fun photos!   We set up a great new take on the always-adored photo booth.  Donna’s teaching space has a great green wall — so with brightly painted frames and super attitudes, the guests gave Laura so much to work with!

Here's Randi at Philly mag

And saving the best for last, these final photos weren’t taken by Laura.  Laura and her wonderful husband and business partner, Paul Eaton, are the subject of these absolutely adorable photos.

We are really excited to be part of this great new adventure with a team of truly talented and super-fun people.    On October 8th, we’re going to be helping to create a “progressive cocktail party” here in our neck of the woods.   Take a look at this invitation (thank you Alyssa!) to find out the particulars.  I PROMISE you that if you come to this amazing thing, you will be so glad you did!

RSVP quickly –this event is wildly popular!

Those of you who have  attended an Eclatante event knows that we know how to draw a crowd. 

Well the same holds true for our home on Liberties walk.  Our die-cut curtains have caught the attention of our entire neighborhood.  As the sole veil between the outside world and the Eclatante magic we can’t seem to shed the gawkers.  

We’d like to think it’s us, but let’s be honest, these curtains are astounding!  They are extremely unusual, chic and fun, but the strange part is that the people with their noses pressed against the window to our office gawking at these amazing curtains either don’t or can’t see past the curtain into our office.   We’re always shaking our heads about that!

Add this delightfully unexpected element to your home and it is sure to be a conversation (and compliment) starter.  Take it one step further and make it the center of attention at your next dinner party.  you can use a single panel as a room separator or screen.   Or here’s an idea — turn the curtain into a wide table runner (if you have a table wider than 42″).  Pair it with a gorgeous wood table and play up a nature theme or layer it over a brightly colored tablecloth for a little whimsy.  

Made of Tyvek (the same stuff the USPS priority and express mail envelopes are made of) these curtains are tear, temperature, and water resistant.  One side of the 42″ x 96″ curtain is white but you have the option of black, white, lilac or green for the other.  Hanging them is a breeze!  The little velcroed loops can slip right over a string of fishing line – no need for curtain rods!  Amazing!

Come down to the Eclatante boutique and stare for yourself!  Or, give us a call at 215.925.9911 and we can have them sent right over.  We just hope you are prepared for the onslaught of curious passersby.

Here in lovely Liberties Walk, it is not uncommon to spot a canine out for a stroll. In fact, dare I say, they are all the rage. TJ, Donna’s playful Bernese Mountain pup has even been known to make the occasional appearance in our boutique and we just love it when he does! 

As a testament to our doggie devotion we are always on the look out for a good home for Lumi, our stylish purebred Greyhound that majestically greets each visitor when they come into the boutique. Sitting 15” tall with her luminous Aluminum coat and bashful stance she’s a great addition to any home. Did I mention she’s well trained and hypoallergenic to boot? 

Please come by the Eclatante Boutique and visit her, I guarantee you’ll find her temperament to your liking. Or, if you already know she’s just right for you, give us a call at 215.925.9911 and we’ll have her sent right over! Not to worry, the UPS deliver guy adores her!

So, it’s not a big secret to those who know me — I’m a bit of a skeptic.  So, when some people (whom I trust, actually) suggested the use of “angel cards,” I sneered. For those skeptics among you who, like me, have no idea what an “angel card” is, it’s an affirmation card – something like a fortune cookie, except bigger and more directed towards making you feel really good about yourself.   

Would you know it, in spite of all my skepticism, angel cards found me — sort of.

Way back (two months ago) when I was trying to figure out what paint color went where in our new home, I decided to have some fun and paint the employee bathroom in our new home with blackboard paint and keep a cup of colored chalk in there. The original idea was that Leila, Taylor, our interns and I could write secret notes to each other that would never been seen by the outside world. (The bathroom reserved for clients and customers in the boutique is in completely different room.)  But when our industry friends, our personal friends (many of whom overlap), our family (and some random other people we know) wandered back into our office, they came upon our blackboard painted bathroom and wrote wonderful notes to us!   

Here are my favorite walls EVER — a never-ending source of inspiration!

As I type this blog entry, the rain is letting up (kinda) and a horse is walking by.   

Come down and see for yourselves why we are so happy to be here!