HAVEN Conference is the place for designers and DIY-ers from all over the world to meet and receive inspiration so they can further unleash their creative potential. We tailor the conference environment to further encourage those goals, in both the venue and the look and feel of HAVEN itself.
The main hub of HAVEN is “The Living Room”: A grand ballroom that not only serves as the location for main events, but also serves to foster comfort and creativity. Located in and outside The Living Room are the many sponsor and vendor booths that are beacons of inspiration in themselves. Every year, our sponsors and vendors pour countless hours into creating truly spectacular booths that display, not only their awesome products, but also the creative potential that their products provide.
HAVEN 2019 also featured an exceptional example of creativity: The large flower backdrop. This gorgeous display was designed by Kristen Johnson of A Girl and Her Glitter. Read on to learn more about Kristen and the process behind creating this spectacular feature.
Kristen Johnson: Designer Extraordinaire
Kristen is an event planner from center Florida who loves to create and celebrate the everyday. From party inspiration to home renovation, Kristen loves to use her gifts to inspire those around her to make.
Kristen’s company, A Girl and Her Glitter, started in 2017 and she is a content creator for Cricut, the Paper Ambassador for Michaels, has a series on Bluprint and has been featured on Top Chef as well as most recently on the Today Show.
Kristen says: “We are all created with unique gifts that we were born to use. These gifts are what I call your glitter and is what makes us sparkle. Mine is different from yours and yours from the person next to you, I just want to encourage you to find it and then share it with the world!”
At home she raises three children and adores her husband of 12 years. She enjoys all kinds of coffee and has a mouth full of sweet teeth!
During the design process, the paper flower backdrop was developed by wanting to “wow” people at the HAVEN, and her paper flowers were just the thing!
The Flower Backdrop
Oversized paper flowers are what started A Girl and Her Glitter initially. There was a need with a wedding Kristen was decorating and that client needed something behind the cake that would fill the space on a budget.
Kristen is all about taking affordable materials and turning them into something grand. Since then, she brings out and creates paper flowers to start conversations and great photos. Kristen was inspired to create this backdrop because of the color scheme of HAVEN. Since HAVEN’s logo is a butterfly… what else do butterflies love more than flowers?
Construction
The actual backdrop is made out of screen enclosure aluminum (to help with the weight) that they custom fit into a frame. Using L brackets, they drilled into the aluminum, and to make it easily removable (and to use again), we used nutserts.
The frame was them built and they made a base out of wood and added casters so it could be moved around. They then screwed ply board into the aluminum creating a blank canvas. Kristen wanted to make sure the bold black and white strips made it onto the surface so what better paint than BEHR and Frog Tape to get those straight lines?
She was able to find all of those beautiful colors to match through Rust-Oleum spray paint. All of the building and paint supplies were from The Home Depot.
The paper flowers were made with poster board, styrofoam, Q Tips (yes – you read that right) and a ton of hot glue. Since the backdrop was plywood, Kristen then used her staple gun to attach the flowers. She used her Circut to create the vinyl logo.
Creating A Conversation Piece and Countless Memories
Kristen says that the process of building the backdrop was both difficult and totally fun.
“Figuring out how we would create, transport and build this structure was the “difficult” part. Creating the flowers, painting, installing… all such fun! This backdrop was a fabulous conversation starter which was great because I didn’t know a soul going into the Haven Conference. It was so great to tell the brands that I used them and see everyone posing and enjoying this one of a kind piece.”
Thank you, Kristen, for creating such a wonderful display for our Mavens to enjoy!
You can read more about the creative process of the flower backdrop here.
Join Our Facebook Group
Haven Mavens is a place for past and present attendees and those interested in Haven to stay connected. We limit this private group to bloggers and social media influencers only. Click here to send a join request. You’ll be prompted to answer three questions; be sure to submit your answers!