MAZE Home Store is going to the Oscars!

We were offered the opportunity to feature an item in nominee and celebrity gift bags for the 2011 Academy Awards! A portion of the proceeds goes to charities in L.A. and the national Red Cross, which is wonderful.

But what to give a Hollywood star? What would best represent the quality and style of MAZE Home? Further, what could the celebs really use (and keep and love) from MAZE Home that would fit in a gift bag, is gender neutral, and doesn’t have to match their sofa?

Well, celebrities are busy people – just like you and me - with families and jobs and meetings, juggling a lot of things at once.

Hmm, what about the best selling item in our store every month since we opened? What about a Maggie Wilson Style leather bracelet key ring?



We'll have our MAZE logo stamped on one side of the leather tag so they'll know where to go for more!

(Check out the beautiful stitching detail on the back)


They all drive - it is L.A. after all.

Form follows function
What I love about these bracelet key rings is their function combined with great design. Everyone runs out of the house with a wallet and keys and these rings are sure to follow. When I carry one it catches everyone's eye and they ask where I got it. The colors make it easy to find in your purse, backpack or messenger bag, and I love the equestrian aesthetic with the white top stitching. Easy to see why it's such a popular item!

I love Maggie, too! How wonderful to introduce her fabulous bags to a new market!

Maggie is a Chicago and southwest Michigan-based designer and long time friend of mine (we raised our families together). Once her three boys were grown and out of the house, she went looking for a new challenge. And a new handbag. But she couldn't find just the bag she wanted. After searching online, scouring every Chicago-land and Michigan resort-town shop she could find, and talking with dozens of friends facing the same dilemma, she decided to make her own bag.

So she tracked down leather tanneries and bag manufacturers and made prototypes. And more prototypes. And finally created a line of bags and accessories exuding an understated elegance that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.

The icing on the cake? Maggie's bags are completely sourced and manufactured to the highest standards right here in the United States. That really sets them apart!

How do I pick a color for movie stars?
For the Oscars, red (carpet) was the obvious choice – so obviously not the choice for us! Though we do love Maggie’s red key chains and bags, we wanted something different. Something exclusive to MAZE Home. So I selected a soft gray-blue leather we’re calling Oscar Blue and commissioned a limited edition of Maggie’s key rings for the gift bags -- and the store.

ETA: The key rings are now available online and soon in the store. Click on the image below to order!



To celebrate here at home, we’re hosting a trunk show on Tuesday, March 1, from 4 to 7pm, featuring Maggie Wilson bags and accessories and an Oscars Gift Bag Giveaway.

As an exclusive for our trunk show, Maggie is making a very limited number of her leather bags in this special blue. Along with the key rings they’ll be available at the trunk show and online only at MazeHome.com.

For the first time ever, Maggie is offering her bags by custom order in spring’s hottest color – orange! – in the leather and fabric configurations of your choice. So you can make Maggie Wilson Style your own!

She bought an orange hide just for this show. It's different from the gorgeous orange in the photo above. This orange has more blue in it and dare I say looks a touch more like the Hermes boxes I love.

Thank you, Maggie, I know our customers will love this!

Put me down for a large Classic Bag in burlap with orange trim!

(Here's a photo of the burlap bag in red.)


And, yes, we’re giving away the same gift bag the stars will receive – including an Oscar Blue key ring, a  $100 gift certificate for MAZE Home, our famous chocolate rocks candy, and other goodies.

You can enter on Facebook (just post a comment under our post about the giveaway) or at the store. The winner will be chosen by random drawing at the end of the trunk show. We’ll post the winner here on my blog and on Facebook.

Now back to the Oscars . . .
Cari, operations manager for Bardes Interiors and MAZE , and Kelly, MAZE store manager, will be rubbing shoulders with the stars and reporting back from the red carpet via Facebook. Can’t wait to see the pictures of celebs wearing our key rings!

Stop by the trunk show for a glass of bubbly and visit us on Facebook to enter the giveaway, and for photos with celebs and reports from the red carpet.

Get your acceptance speech ready. This Oscar (gift bag) could go to you!

Giveaway winner will be chosen in a random drawing. Trunk show attendees may enter as well. No purchase necessary.