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HAVE SOME FUN TODAY - We all need inspiration. Creating inspirational spaces in your home that can be designed to met the needs of your life is the perfect balance of form and function. Today on our new vlog HSFT episode, HSFT Founder and CEO Stephanie Taormina visits some places in New York City that give her inspiration. As a designer of both interior space and fashion, she looks to fine art, architecture and even fabric to spark her creativity. Color and texture, simple or intricate design.
Stephanie believes in making your living space an inspiring place to be. It's easy to refresh and revive the places you spend most of your time with a few simple changes and additions. Start with your living room. Pillows are a simple way to have an immediate impact. Our HAVE SOME FUN TODAY luxe message pillow is bold and graphic and fun reminder to seize the day! We love it paired with other patterned and textured pillows on a crisp white couch in the living room.
As an fashion designer, Stephanie's creativity has brought to life our HSFT luxe tees, totes, and other goodies as part of her vision for the brand. She believes in classic, clean lines and decadent comfort. She loves a bold graphic pattern and mixing textures.
"Texture is a great way to refresh a space. Layering a faux animal hide rug over a main focal area in the room creates a chic effect that works with traditional to modern interiors," Steph says. She also recommends replacing a coffee table with a natural textured ottoman, in a fresh neutral upholstered linen, and accenting with a cool tray, like the ones you can find from your local Homegoods. "It's easy to add accessories like a great looking candle, an orchid from the grocery store, and a pretty coffee table book." Instant transformation!
Inspiration is all around us, if we look hard enough. Creating spaces in your home that spark a sensory experience or perfectly meets our demands and needs is a sanctuary we always retreat to. What inspires you?
Written and contributed by HSFT writer and blogger Rebecca Doubek
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HAVE SOME FUN TODAY - You know that innate feeling you get that if you push a little harder or dig a little deeper, you just know you're going to do "it"? "It" could be nailing that interview, or pushing that extra mile during your morning run or sealing up that job promotion. You've worked hard. You know it's going to happen. You're determined and fierce. That is powerful stuff. And that is powerful enough to propel a rocket into space, launch big ideas into bigger realities, and help inspire one woman to start a "mindset" brand in a small town of PA.
Show 'Em What You're Made Of
It's grit, and guts and tenacity. And that, we know, is one of the biggest influential factors in succeeding at anything. A recent article in Inc. magazine, "How Grit and Determination Exceed Talent and Intelligence Every Time" exposes the idea that working hard and being persistent are powerful forces in our success.
Have Some Fun Today was started on those same principles of grit and determination. HFST Founder Stephanie Rado Taormina is a do-it-all kind of entrepreneur. She's set her sights on being a global brand. A global "mindset" brand with a positive message and a community who follows.
"No matter what success means to the individual, studies actually show that those who exhibit more "grit" and persistence have a better chance of reaching milestones and exceeding personal goals. And guess what? Grit, like many other competencies, is something that can be developed with practice." -Brent Gleeson, Inc Magazine
One Brick At A Time
It's not always easy being a one-woman-show. On any given day, she's packing up her car with HSFT gear for an event, looking over the books, writing checks, implementing new designs, checking emails, creating looks for her social media accounts, and hand-packing orders from her website. She often squeezes all that in before noon. Sometimes it's overwhelming. And she's the first to admit, it doesn't always all get done.
"A lot of stuff falls through the cracks, because it's just me," Stephanie says in the upcoming YouTube episode of HSFT: Building a Brand With Soul. In this episode, we see her spending a much-needed afternoon in her PA studio, getting caught up with the many tasks required to run a company.
It's All About The Details
She still sees clients with her interior design business, is a single mom raising two daughters, and tries to find time to work out and keep healthy. She likes keeping her hand in all details of HSFT, big or small, because after all, it is her vision. And it's a vision she fiercely protects as she builds her brand.
"I actually write a little thank you note on most of the orders....," Stephanie says in the upcoming vlog. "....I really try to add a personal touch to everything that we do, to make people feel special for buying Have Some Fun Today."
Catch Episode 5 of HSFT: Building A Brand With Soul - "A Day in The Studio" on HSFT's YouTube Channel tomorrow!
Written and contributed by HSFT writer and blogger Rebecca J Doubek
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HAVE SOME FUN TODAY - We decided to start a vlog series and a HSFT YouTube Channel a few months ago without any idea what we'd end up with. We granted fillmmaker Patrick Corcoran full access to the ins and outs of our everyday, building our brand, Have Some Fun Today.
The best part about telling our story is getting to spread the message about our humble beginnings, where we began on this journey, and the inspiration for our founder, Stephanie Rado Taormina.
Our vlog series is cataloging the journey we're taking to build a brand with soul. Every event, pop-up shop, studio open house, and home party. And everything we do to keep our focus and keep having Some Fun Today.
In this episode, "That Time We Went to Facebook", Stephanie talks about what it takes to build her brand every day and seeing the reaction to her designs and products in a new setting. She sews labels, packs up her inventory and hits the road for a pop-up shop event at Facebook headquarters in New York City.
We watch her take each experience and learn about how her brand is received.
"These events to me, they're market research as the designer and the founder. I'm so curious to know what people think of the product, how they respond to it. You know when they first look at something, are they looking at it and like "eh" or are they looking at it going, 'That's cool'."
The brand "with soul" grows each day and as HSFT documents the process, we watch the victories and the grit and grind from grassroots to global.
The one thing that's clear is the uniqueness of the Have Some Fun Today in any marketplace. And that comes through in every t-shirt, tote, trucker hat and hoodie.
"I like a little wit in the design. The fact that there's a little wit and there's little soul..." - Stephanie Rado Taormina, founder and CEO of Have Some Fun Today.
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Here’s a little story we’ve got to tell….
So we've been working up a little something at the HSFT studios that we're beyond excited to share with the world. Today we officially launched the trailer for our new vlog series, Have Some Fun Today: Building a Brand With Soul. We wanted to share the story of HSFT, because it’s a good one. Have Some Fun Today is so much more than luxury goods with a positive message. It’s the legacy of a father’s love, it’s the mission of one woman to change the world, it’s a “kick-your-ass-claw-your-way-to-success” kind of story.
We hired a killer video guy, (Patrick Corcoran) to follow us around, and help capture the essence of what Have Some Fun Today is all about. We couldn’t imagine why sewing labels on t-shirts and packing up the car for HSFT events was something people wanted to see, but what we realized along the way is that it’s all part of our story, building our brand and making something good.
It All Started With a Vision
"I met with a young, talented film maker that has really good sense of story telling," said HSFT founder Stephanie Rado Taormina. His talent and passion were very clear from the beginning. He told me how we could pull together a vlog series about my brand. And I really think it works."
There’s always more to the story than you think, and we think it’s worth sharing the trials, triumphs and tribulations as Have Some Fun Today grows into something more each and every day. It isn't always picture perfect but it's not supposed to be. It's real life, on the way to building a brand with soul.
Our HSFT vlog series is about the grit and grind of one woman building her brand, brick by brick and piece by piece. And all along the way, she is definitely going to Have Some Fun Today.
Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Making Something That Matters
In Have Some Fun Today: Building a Brand With Soul, you’ll see the blood, sweat, and tears of manifesting an idea, with a fire in our gut and sheer determination. You'll see that time we hosted a Happy Hour at Facebook. Or the time we got lost in Philly on our way to an event. Real life. Real heart. A real brand, with soul.
Check out and subscribe to our HSFT YouTube Channel to see our weekly video episodes of Have Some Fun Today: The Making of a Lifestyle Brand.
Life is what you make it, so make it fun....
Written and contributed by Rebecca J Doubek who loves to tell a good story...
