Writing these recaps is always so dang hard. When you have more than one attendee approach you at the end of a workshop to tell you through tears that the week was “life changing,” it puts a little pressure on sharing the story of the week!

If you’ve been around here for a while, you probably know the drill of what we do. The timeline looks similar from workshop to workshop, but the content and the women who fill the four walls are extremely unique every school. 

Instead of just telling you what we did, I want to pull back the veil and tell you why we do it. Everything – and I mean everything – at The School of Styling is intentional and carefully chosen. So, let’s peek inside TSOS Texas at One Eleven East 🙂

First, I can’t go a minute longer without mentioning our amazing sponsors. They make each TSOS experience what it is. I’ll sprinkle shout outs throughout these blog posts and on social media, and next week I’ll do a full blown sponsor highlight, but I want to go ahead and give a BIG thank you to our day one sponsors: Adorn Company, Ally & Bobby Photography, Belvoir USA, Bristol Lane, Cosmedicine, For the Host, La Tavola, Lucky Lab Coffee Co, May Designs, Plum Pretty Sugar, Quinn Luu Creative Studio, Roost & Co Decor, Sage Paper Co, She Plus Him Bartending, Ten Acre Paper Co, and Verde Studio.

The TSOS classroom design is one of my favorite parts to plan! It’s so fun creating an inspiring and beautiful setting for the week. My goal is to create a space that makes each attendee feel so special and spoiled. Judging by their reactions when they saw the space, I’d say we accomplished just that.

How gorgeous are all of the pieces from Roost & Co? What’s so fun is that Blaire, owner of Roost & Co, was an attendee at TSOS Chapel Hill! I love getting to work with past attendees. I’m also kind of obsessed with all of La Tavola’s linens and Bristol Lane’s beautiful florals. Absolutely transformative for this space.

I think one of my favorite custom pieces at TSOS Texas was the beautiful bar! Roost & Co had removable bar fronts, so Alexa of Sage Paper Co created a large version of the custom pattern from the invitation that was then printed on vinyl! 

Nerves are always a little high when we meet new people! Because of that, I tried to loosen us up right off the bat. During my intro talk, I had everyone share the biggest fear or lie they are believing about themselves going into the week. Maybe they don’t feel worthy or good enough or they are worried they will be judged by their work. Whatever they were afraid of or self conscious about, I didn’t want that to be the thing that held them back from fully investing this week! 

I carefully choose the speakers. The women who spoke at TSOS Texas are all amazing business women, yes, but they are the real deal in their personal life, too. These ladies are kind and the best cheerleaders for our attendees. True open books and I’m so thankful for their generous hearts!

After a few great sessions, our attendees got a nice little caffeinated treat from Lucky Lab Coffee 🙂 Thanks, ladies, for treating our attendees!

I always include a hands-on styling session day one. It not only helps loosen everyone up to move and create, but it sets the tone for the week – a little classroom learning, a little hands-on creating. After discussing the fundamentals of design and doing a quick demo, I set the attendees free to style their own Sage Paper Co suite! (How beautiful are the Adorn Company ribbons and Verde Studio stamps our attendees styled with?)

The cocktail party is another one of my favorite parts of the week! After many workshops, I have created a schedule that cohesively builds on itself throughout the week. Eating good food, drinking yummy drinks (especially the Prickly Peach Margs She Plus Him Bartending made for us!), and having time to chat with new friends is just the momentum we needed going into the rest of the week. Did I mention speed dating? (It’s not creepy, promise.) We give the ladies a fun question and one minute to discuss with another attendee before moving on to talking to the next! It’s the best (and least awkward) ice breaker I’ve found! My hope is that people will find connections – even if they are small! – with other attendees that they can come back to throughout the week. 

I love to sprinkle unexpected surprises and gifts in throughout the workshop. Our attendees are loved and we want them to know it! We gifted them Cosmedicine moisturizer and Plum Pretty Sugar eye masks. Great reminder for self care!

Thank you for reading about our first day at TSOS Texas! Day two and three are coming this week, with a full sponsor highlight next week!

Photography: Ally & Bobby Photography