Last night we had the privilege of meeting former Miss Universe Chelsi Smith at an event right here in Delaware and of course, gifting her with a beautiful ring by WHIMSY.

Since retiring her crown and sash, Chelsi has embarked on a successful career in entertainment and modeling. Her acting debut in the independent feature film Playa’s Ball co-starred Alan Payne and Elise Neal; she co-hosted Beyonce’s hit special Beyonce: Family and Friends on Pay-Per-View; and she can also be seen on HBO in Saladin Patterson’s One Flight Stand.

As well, Chelsi has been a guest on such shows as Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, the Jon Stewart Show, the People’s Choice Awards, Jim Thorpe Sports Awards, and the Soul Train Awards.

Never one to rest on her laurels, this talented young woman is also backed by Music World Music/Sony and has a flourishing career as a dance/ pop recording artist. Chelsi co-wrote and recorded the single Dom Da Da with top producer Damon Elliott, which was featured in the motion picture The Sweetest Thing, starring Cameron Diaz.

Chelsi is pictured here with Craig Whitten, the designer of the WHIMSY jewelry line.

My husband Don and Mary Alice at Charm City Cakes. Mary Alice is wearing her brand new Audrey ring by WHIMSY!

On Wednesday we had a completely surreal experience. We took a short drive down to Baltimore to talk to the folks at Charm City Cakes about creating a special cake. If the name Charm City Cakes doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps you know the staff better as the cast of Food Network’s hilarious reality show Ace of Cakes. Led by the infamous Chef Duff, this is one crazy group of cake decorators! My family regularly watches their antics, as well as their creation of some of the most amazing cakes imaginable.

So, when we were greeted at the door by none other than Mary Alice, we were floored to say the least. In the back of my mind, I kind of thought we’d be shuffled to the side to meet with some random intern. Apparently, that’s not how they do things at Charm City Cakes! We sat smack dab in the middle of the bakery amidst the fantastic prop cakes we see each week on TV… like I said, it was surreal.

The meeting itself is hard to describe. Mary Alice is so incredibly nice and hilariously funny — by the end of the meeting, we had talked about everything from jewelry, to our last family vacation, to Charm City Cake’s new book and I felt like we’d made a real friend.

Plus I was able to give her one of the brand new Audrey rings by WHIMSY™. She absolutely loved it, especially the fact that the bead turns and she can “worry” it (yes, MA, those quotation marks are especially for you!). She chose a Red Energy bead by Chamilia, which was a perfect match for her upbeat personality.

When we got home, we had a fabulous cake tasting – the slices never made even it to a plate, we ate straight from the box — beyond delicious!

Susan McNeill is a wife, mother, author, fashion blogger

 and sales manager for the WHIMSY jewelry line. Susan

also writes for http://mcneilldesigns.wordpress.com and

http://successwontwaitinc.wordpress.com

Kelly Clarkson rounded out a wonderful week of food, fun and music at the Delaware State Fair in Harrington, Del. on Saturday. Her presence brought fans from all over to fill the Grandstand for a packed concert, where Kelly performed chart-topping hits like “Walk Away” and “My Life Would Suck Without You”. Crowds even gathered near the fences in front of the gates in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the former American Idol contestant.

The following Delaware-based companies “swagged” Kelly with great products:

WHIMSY™ Worldwide (www.WHIMSYWorldwide.com), Pike Creek Coffee (www.PikeCreekCoffee.com), Winterthur Museum & Gardens (www.Winterthur.org), You’ve been Sentenced! by McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds (www.McNeillBrighterMinds.com), Delaware Today (www.DelawareToday.com), Currie Salon & Day Spa (www.CurrieDaySpa.com), The Best of the Saratoga Special by Sean Clancy & Joe Clancy (available on Amazon.com)

The fair brought a variety of artists from different music genres to Delaware fans; pop, rock, country, hip-hop, and even a great comedian! We can only imagine what next year’s Delaware State Fair will bring–the performers, the music, the food, the fun!

-Keri

Flo-Rida and guest rappers, entertaining a hyped-up crowd

Last night was the Summer Jam concert at the Delaware State Fair, which brought rappers T-Pain and Flo-Rida to the fairgrounds. The event was standing-only, making it easy for crowds to get closer to the performers.

The show started around 8 p.m. with a DJ who helped get the crowd pumped before Flo-Rida came out to perform hits like “Low” and “Right Round”. He brought along a few fantastic, although slightly lesser-known rappers, who are sure to gain popularity after touring with him!

The “Delaware swag” was received enthusiastically — the night a huge success!

-Keri

Last night, one of country music’s biggest stars, Darius Rucker, performed at the Delaware State Fair. Rucker, formerly of Hootie and the Blowfish, brought the house down. As fellow performer Chuck Wicks said in a tweet that night — Delaware may be small, but we’re loud! 

Julianne Hough and Wicks opened the show for the enthusiastic audience. In addition to their tremendous success in the country music arena, you may also recognize them from Dancing With The Stars.

A shower didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of fair-goers, because as I looked out the windows of the Harrington Casino, the carnival rides were still running and the crowds had donned ponchos, determined not to let the rain put a stop to their fun.

I also dropped off swag baskets backstage for the performers — each containing fabulous luxury items and service from our great state. They included:

WHIMSY

Jewelry line created by nationally acclaimed, Delaware-based designer R. Craig Whitten. A Whimsy ring is an interchangeable bead ring crafted of reclaimed sterling silver. Also included were several Murano glass bead to transform the ring’s look. www.WhimsyWorldwide.com

Pike Creek Coffee

Without question, Delaware’s best coffee! Award-winning coffees included Pike Creek Coffee’s exclusive blends: Greenville Blend, Organic Bolivian, Jamaican Me Crazy, Bananas Foster, Morning Foglifter, Organic Mexican Decaf. www.pikecreekcoffee.com

Winterthur Museum and Gardens

Authorized story of the founding of America’s premiere museum and the country’s largest collection of American antiques by the DuPont family dynasty. Minimum of six passes (or more) to the annual Point-to-Point Steeplechase as well as six passes (or more) to the exclusive Jockey Club luncheon. http://www.winterthur.org/calendar/point_to_point.asp

Currie Salon and Day Spa

Four salons and spas of distinctive design, each staffed by professionals with an unwavering commitment to service and detail. For over 30 years in business, the name Randy Currie has been synonymous with professionalism, creativity, and leadership in the salon industry worldwide. Currie was named the “Beauty Entrepreneur of the Year Global Salon Business Awards” in both 2004-05 and 2006-07. Products included exclusive hair care products, and customized spa day for men or women. http://www.curriedayspa.com/

You’ve been Sentenced!

Featured on The Tonight Show, Today, and in numerous national publications, Delaware’s newest game is seriously hilarious. In addition to the original game, there were several “add-on” decks or specialty-themed decks (Sports, Sci-Fi, Cuisine, etc.) including a Pop Culture deck. www.McNeillDesigns.com

Autographed copy Saratoga Days: A Look Inside Racing’s Greatest Meet, by Sean Clancy

Local author Sean Clancy is a racing legend. During his career as a jockey he won a total of 152 races over the course of 13 years and a national championship in 1998. He was also the 10th highest winner of all time upon his retirement in 2000. In addition to his books, Sean is a contributor for the Daily Racing Form, The Blood-Horse, Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred and Newsweek among others. http://www.seanclancybloodstock.com/cms/

Delaware Today Magazine

2009-2010 Ultimate Guide to Delaware. Produced by Delaware Today, the definitive authority on the best that the state has to offer – from people to places to products and services. www.delawaretoday.com

-Keri

Jordan and Demi rocked the house on Tuesday night!

Tuesday night, Jordan Pruitt and Demi Lovato played at the Delaware State Fair to enthusiastic fans. 

Lovato, the headliner for the night, is best known for her role in the Disney movie “Camp Rock”, and is currently touring the U.S. to perform songs from her debut album, Don’t Forget, and current album, Here We Go Again.

Jordan Pruitt, a singer and songwriter known for her cameo musical appearances in Disney movies, was Lovato’s opening act and performed hits from her album Permission to Fly. 

I was lucky enough to be able to drop off swag baskets for the two young performers before the show. The energy from the crowd, which I could hear from behind the stage, was electric!

-Keri

This Saturday was a busy one for all of us at WHIMSY! While I was at the Delaware State Fair at a meet and greet with funny man Jeff Dunham, Zara Khatchadrian was in Atlantic City at the fabulous Hilton Resort and Casino for “The Kardashians – Up Close and Personal.”

Zara with Kris Jenner, who shows off a handful of her new WHIMSY rings.

The event was the first joint appearance by Kim Kardashian, Kourt Kardashian , Khloe Kardashian , Kris Jenner, and Olympic Gold Medalist Bruce Jenner, plus there was an intimate VIP party at the Beach Bar. Fun!

Left to Right: Ida krikorian, Kim Kardashian, Tamar Cekci, Zara Khatchadrian

The live show was hosted by David Spatz, host of the entertainment series “Curtain Call,” and included video highlights from “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” The family members also offered their candid and unscripted comments and answered audience questions.

Left to Right: Ida Krikorian, Olympic Gold Medalist Bruce Jenner, Zara Khatchadrian, and Tamar Cekci

For any of you who’ve been living under a rock for the past year, ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashian’s’ is one of today’s most famous reality television shows.  The series, which debuted in October 2007 airs on E! and documents the day to day life of Bruce and Kris Jenner and the Kardashian clan.  

Left to Right: Tamar Cekci, Khloe Kardashian, Zara Khatchadrian, and Ida Krikorian

And if that’s not enough, an exciting new spinoff series for Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian is in the works as they head to Miami to open a new clothing boutique. Ryan Seacrest is set to produce the series which will premiere in August on E!

Cindy, third from left, and David Cook, posing with the rest of the band!

David Cook is adorable. Like…I-want-to-pinch-his-cheeks adorable and SO FUNNY!

Last night, fellow WHIMSY™ staffer, Cindy, and I made the trek down to Harrington to the Delaware State Fair to do a meet-and-greet with David Cook and swag him with a great basket of goodies! All the products were from Delaware-based companies, and they included some great stuff for his next visit to the First State: a spa day at Currie Salon, tickets to the annual Point-to-Point Steeplechase from Winterthur and the Ultimate Guide to Delaware from Delaware Today.

David Cook onstage at the Delaware State Fair

Lucky us, David Cook has said that he likes word games, and also included in the basket was You’ve been Sentenced!, a popular word game known throughout the U.S. Of course, we swagged him with a WHIMSY™ ring and three Chamilia beads. Pike Creek Coffee made a special blend just for him, and local author and jockey Sean Clancy gave David a signed a copy of his book, “Saratoga Days”.

David was very nice and thankful for the swag basket and posed for a photo with Cindy and the rest of his band!

After the meet-and-greet, Cindy and I settled into our seats to watch the Gin Blossoms perform hits such as “Hey Jealousy” and “‘Til I Hear It From You”. I loved their performance because I’ve always been a fan of theirs!

Then David Cook and his band came onstage for a great show that brought the crowd to its feet and had all the ladies in the audience swooning.

The whole night was so much fun, and we can’t wait to go back later this week!

-Keri

Some of country’s brightest stars were out in force last night as Dierks Bentley, Jimmy Wayne and Grammy Award-winning artist Brad Paisley hit the stage in Harrington, Delaware to deliver a spectacular show! Paisley, best know for his chart topping singles like “Two People Fell in Love,” “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” “Wrapped Around” and “I Wish You’d Stay” has a unique style that crosses between traditional country and pop-rock, and his appealing lyrics are often laced with humor.

After the show, Brad, Jimmy and Dierks all received gift baskets filled with fabulous local products and services. I am personally hoping that Brad gives the Whimsy ring I included to his lovely wife Kimberly Williams. If you are reading Kimberly, I picked the colors out especially with you in mind!

–Susan