HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AMERICA!

Editor's Note: I was going to post this a couple weeks ago but was afraid ABC (the big one in New York) would make me yank it. I think we're close enough to the time of release now that I'm safe. If this post is gone in the next day or two, please send a search party for me. Also... Good Morning America is in KC on Wednesday, so I'm thinking that might be the day of the big reveal. Stay tuned... -Bess

Thanks to the creative talents of our Trend Expert, Scott Butterfield, and a collaborative Hallmark team, Kansas City will be wishing America happy holidays this December.

ABC’s Good Morning America will transform its ground-level studio windows at Times Square into three holiday display windows, each featuring a different city. Throughout the season, the two-sided displays will be visible from inside the GMA studios and by foot traffic on Broadway and 44th street. Nine cities were invited to compete for a window, and through the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association, Kansas City’s invitation ended up in Scott’s hands.

With his background in visual merchandising and store design, Scott was a great choice to lead a collaborative team to work on the entry. Illustrators, designers, and lettering artists all helped to develop the concept. Partners in retail and our model shop helped with the initial renderings. The Union Hill Photo Studio contributed through the efforts of photographers and photo retouchers bringing the photos to life. In Scott’s words, “they’ve all brought unique and valuable perspectives and talent to this project.”

Needless to say, their resulting design and presentation blew the judges away, making Kansas City GMA’s first choice! The winning concept will be unveiled on Good Morning America during the week of December 3-5. It features ornament vignettes, inspired by the magical light innovation of our own Keepsakes ornaments.

I'd share a sketch of what the window is going to look like, but I've been informed that you'll have to wait until GMA unveils it. So be sure to tune in to Good Morning America the week of December 3-5!

Read more here.

COLOR WEEK 2008

Hallmark's very own trends officianto Scott Butterfield kicked off COLOR WEEK with his 2010 Color Forcast.

2010 is one of the vibrant color forcasts.

Reds include colors like redrum, merry gold and sweetness.

Blues include soap bubble and blue slate.

Greens include turf.

My favorite is a purple color called juicebox (hey, can that possibly be the new Hallmark purple?).

And yellows include olympic and lemony lickit.

Blue is the new green, chocolate brown is now carmel, and silver is pewter and brassy gold.

Handwork is the trend and anything with a glossy/wet look adds to the power of these colors.