Since I have another Hostess show next week, I think it’s probably time that I caught up on my previous two (from March and November!)

Many of my readers will have heard me talk, on occasion about Super Sal, my friend from Australia who has reinvented herself since she moved here to Houston.  Sally is my absolute favourite Body Attack instructor, she was the gal who got me into exercising (and enjoying exercise) through the Les Mills classes.

Sally has recently (not so recently any more, this post was started months ago!) become a Stella and Dot stylist, so, when she asked me to host a Stella and Dot trunk show, I thought it was the least I could do to host a trunk show to help kick-start her new career in a small way.

So, “what is Stella and Dot?” I hear you ask!  Well, let me tell you! LOL!

“Stella and Dot, is a San Francisco based social selling company that creates flexible entrepreneurial opportunities for women. Our boutique-style jewelry and accessories line is available exclusively through in-home Trunk Shows by Independent Stylists and online. Our one of a kind collections are designed by celebrated New York designers and featured on the wrists and necklines of today’s hottest celebrities.”

Not only that, but they have affordable jewellery, with many, many, many pieces under $50, in their ‘chic and under $50‘ range.

“When I get back to the US,” I’d tell her, however, I got done waiting (and afraid that other friends would host a trunk show and knick all my potential guests!)  So, we decided less than two weeks before my trunk show, to go for it.  I was sick of putting it off and putting it off, because of our never ending wait for our visa paperwork.

We picked a date that fit with both of us (April 11th), and, I have to say, I was a little nervous.  I’m not a big jewellery person, not by any means.  Aside from my wedding ring and engagement ring, I have one ‘good’ pair of earrings and one or two good necklaces.  Beyond that, I have costume jewellery, stuff from Accessorize or Target and I am not really in the least stylish or fashionable.

This was technically my third ‘hostess’-type party, though the first, the Passion Party for my bachelorette party was organised and executed by my bridesmaid, Amber.  The next, in February, was a Norwex cleaning products party for the same bridesmaid, turned sales-woman, Amber.

Neither were about fashion, but I had faith that all I’d have to do, was throw together some food and Sally would take care of the rest.

I was right! Sally mailed me some gorgeous paper Stella and Dot snail-mail invites that I sent to a few people who aren’t on Facebook or don’t use email much, she put together a lovely evite for me to send to people and I created a Facebook group to invite the non-local people – as you can see, I tried to cover all of my bases and all of my peeps.  My evite had fifty people alone on it, because I have no idea which of my friends are big in to jewellery, and which aren’t, I invited everyone, near and far!

Sally, my lovely stylist, gave me a few pointers for my trunk show,

• Wear a plain top/shirt.  Why? Simple the jewellery speaks for itself, don’t out-shine it with complex patterns or stunning clothes.  Go plain.
•  Don’t make too much food.  Why? People are too busy playing with the jewellery to eat.  You don’t want left with a pile of uneaten food at the end of the day.
• Keep the food and the bling in the same room.  Why? You don’t want people congregating around the food table and ignoring all the pretty jewellery.
• Don’t over complicate things.  Why? The jewellery sells itself.  Sally’s exact words were, put a group of ladies and some stunning jewellery in the same room and they’ll know what to do with it.  Like I said, the jewellery sells itself, don’t spend a lot of money on a big shindig, the jewellery is the superstar of this show!

My personal tips would be:

• Be flexible.  We set my trunk show time for 10am to noon and I’d set a lunch with some of my guests for 1pm.  However, people started arriving around 9.30am and so many people didn’t arrive until 11am or later, when they were here, trying things on, chatting, eating and having fun, I wasn’t hustling anyone out the door.  I think we had lunch around 2pm or something, but no one really cared.
• Relax! Even if you’re not fashionable, like me, you can have fun! From the moment Sally showed up, she was, as we say at home, ‘on the ball’.  She looked at what I was wearing, she picked me out a necklace, a bracelet and after a while she changed them up.  Trust your stylist.  It’s their job to know how to ‘dress you’.
• Try things you wouldn’t normally try.  Sally picked out things I’d never have picked up in a store, or off a website, for not only me, but for many of my friends and she was spot on almost every time.  The things I ended up with on my wish list, were things I kinda scrolled past on the website.  Things look different ‘in the flesh’ than how they look on the website.

The food I made at the party was simple, tasty and finger food that people could carry around the room while they browsed the bling:

• Man Candy (lil smokies, wrapped in bacon and sprinkled with brown sugar)
• Nancy’s frozen mini quiche
• Fruit plate
• Salad
• Pita chips and hummus
• Carrot cake cupcakes (cause we all need a sweet treat!)

As for my rewards, it took almost six months to spend, and aside from a few gifts that I can’t post here, I came out with three ‘signature’ pieces.

The silver Nahla necklace, comes in at $69 (+tax,+shipping).  I fell in LOVE with this piece, I had it around my neck for most of the trunk show and I kept stroking it (it felt nice in my hand).  It’s not something I ever would have picked up off a shelf, or would have picked out on a website, however, I totally loved it from the minute I saw it and it had to be mine.

The luna wrap bracelet, this is something I thought I’d hate.  I have never been a huge fan of mixed metals, but this spoke to me.  It’s lighter than it looks and it’s flexible – I’m also told you can turn it in to a necklace with a simple adjustment, but I’ve not yet tried.

My final purchase, was the Chelsea necklace which another friend of mine also bought too, it’s simple and gorgeous.  I love it!

As for my ‘wish list’, I have one item on it that I just can’t shake and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t try harder to carve out the cash, somehow, to use one of my 50% reward credits on this necklace and pay the $100 (+tax).  But, at the time, I just couldn’t make it happen (and still can’t! LOL!)

It’s the Serenity Necklace, it’s stunning, even nicer than the picture suggests, and again, not something I’d have picked up, but it spoke to me.  Maybe some day I’ll own this beauty, for now, I’ll just drool!

If you’re a Stella and Dot hostess looking for a blog to host a giveaway, you know where to come 😉