Our CEO, Tanya, went to university In Manchester with a Welshman called Ben. Although he may have sung Welsh rugby anthems in the shower, nothing prepared anyone for his success in the music world. Today, Ben Lewis is CE0 of Young Voices (YV), a remarkable all-inclusive organisation founded by his father which brings together over 2 million children from all over the world. In early January, Kit & Caboodle were VIP guests at the O2, for the launch of the 2020 YV concerts. Featuring a selection from 170,000 children drawn from 4,000 school choirs across the UK, their massed voices were joined by guest artists including Tony Hadley, The Shires, Ruti (2018 winner of The Voice, and a former YV participant) for a spine-tingling evening of singing starting with a rousing rendition of The Deadwood Stage, from Calamity Jane, that lifted the roof. A high point for Ben is “seeing the children have the best night of their lives, being filled with joy and amazement from singing in an arena that is usually reserved for musical royalty”. In fact, YV have done more shows at The O2 than any other artist- more than Adele, Ed Sheehan and Take That combined. Not only do the children and their teachers receive CDs with vocal tracks, DVDs of choreography, conductor notes etc. at least six months before The Big Show … but the logistics of marshalling so many small people and their enthusiastic teachers is all part of the YV project. “You try matching thousands of over-excited kids to 300 coaches outside the O2,” says Ben, reflectively and grins. “Luckily, that’s my brother’s job – logistics!” As event designers and producers, we all know that an event without music is like eating a boiled egg without salt … but for Ben it is “a massive part of my life. I literally don’t know what I’d do without it. The two best elements of music for me is its ability to connect people and also to express emotions.” So, we wondered how Ben and YV would survive lockdown … we should’ve known not to worry! “By the time you get to an event, our work is almost done,” says Ben. “ it’s the prep and creativity beforehand that is essential.” So, flipping their business online was not an issue. “We’ve pivoted into YV ‘at home’ resources – popular with schools because it’s so difficult to do this on Zoom remotely.  We’ve found teachers really grateful – singing along with artists, guitar lessons, fun, eclectic different styles of music, singing and dancing – all of it with the positive, fun personality of YV,” says Ben. In fact, people have engaged with online YV so much, that he reckons it’s here to stay. They will be developing even more online resources alongside teaching kits to support kids and parents at home. Ben’s hoping that children and parents will choose to do YV workshops at home over TV. The next projects will be the celebratory 25 years of YV concerts. YV are preparing for any eventuality in order to continue supporting the kids and schools with the work that they do. In September schools will receive their new music packs and it’s “the journey that the kids go through practising music, this is such an important part. We haven’t hung up our tools during this lockdown and we will continue supporting schools, kids and parents, we’ll keep educating and engaging – music is vitally important,” Says Ben. “Music unites us, and live performance is what we are all about,” Ben says. But for now, on Tuesday 2nd June, he’s planning to stage the World’s Largest Children’s Choir at Home for a Record Breaking #PowerInMe Singing Challenge for any families that want to participate and those unsung heroes: Teachers. “Singing together is a way of connecting us as human beings, so we just thought it’d be nice to do something for the kids to keep them connected. They can take part in something that’s international, and shows them that, wherever you are in the world, everybody’s going through the same emotions,” Ben says. So, let’s connect through music!. Families can register their involvement at youngvoices.co.uk/powerinme to access learning resources for the song and to log their location to create an online map showing where all the singers will be performing on the day of the event. YV supports teachers and their pupils, using music to develop communication, collaboration, creativity, mindfulness, innovation and confidence – as well as a lifelong love of music. We’ll be singing along too!

At Kit & Caboodle, we like to look at serving ALL the senses. This reflects in how keen we are to incorporate a scent or specific fragrance into the event experiences we develop for clients. Understanding that complex emotion and memory can be triggered by a simple sensory cue, or smell, is something that we all know, but not enough creatives in our sector incorporate strategically. From a retail perspective, Middlesex University lecturer Neil Martin explains how people spend longer looking at a product when they shop in the presence of chocolate aroma. Good news for Hotel Chocolat stores? We had fun when asked to create a multi-sensory experience for Baileys, the popular liqueur drink. Part exhibition, part theatre and part exclusive supper club, the primary essence of cacao was the fragrance at Bar Chocolat, setting the scene. Not only does the scent of chocolate help learners to recall what they’ve learned more easily, but it even improves the performance of athletes. Cyclists cycle 49% - 51% longer after eating chocolate – another good reason to slip a bar of Galaxy into your gym bag. Theatre is an intrinsic part of some experiential events but performances often neglect the sense of smell. In the 1960s, the Mermaid Theatre in London’s performance of Edward II had audiences fainting in the aisles when a particularly unpleasant scene of a red hot poker being plunged into the monarch’s anus was supplemented by the sound and smell of a steak being thrown onto a sizzling griddle backstage. Now there’s talk of incorporating sensory experience into Virtual Reality events or gaming, in recognition of the significance of smells triggering strong emotions and memories. How and why?  The olfactory bulb i.e. your nose has direct connections to two key areas of the brain  that are strongly implicated in emotion and memory: the amygdala and hippocampus. Interestingly, visual, auditory (sound), and tactile (touch) information do not pass through these brain areas. This may be why olfaction, more than any other sense, is so successful at triggering emotions and memories. Whilst our own human sense of smell lags behind that of animals – we have 5 million receptor cells in our nose compared to 200 million in a dog’s nose (or 238 million if you happen to be a Beagle) … smell is still critical to influencing not only memory but current behaviour. For example, peppermint, strawberry and lavender have all been found to help with concentration. Spraying the scent of lavender during factory tea breaks in Japan has been shown to improve post-break production. Athletes who sniffed peppermint ran faster and had better concentration than those who had no smell, while children performed better at tests when exposed to the aroma of fresh strawberries. At Kit & Caboodle, we ensure our offices keep smelling fragrant with scented candles created cruelty-free, palm-oil free and environmentally friendly from ethically-sourced providers, a favourite being Potters Crouch farm in St Albans and the hand scented and filled porcelain vessels from Ana Bridgewater @abalonuk. Anyone visiting our offices will inhale the sweet scent of vanilla, rose or French lilac which we hope will trigger their memory in a good way. One of our projects, for the Bahrain Royal Family, required us to perfume the oriental carpets at a “majlis” or presentation installation that we created so that a newborn member of their family could be introduced to relations and retainers. Every leading Gulf family prides themselves on perfuming their home environment with a bespoke perfume from a world-class parfumier, that is unique to their tribe or clan. Sense relates to identity and emotion in ways that we don’t fully understand. But we are losing this most sensitive of our senses. Research suggests that this loss probably stems from brain development giving greater emphasis to human vision, the ability to distinguish colours and identify individuals by facial appearance rather than by smell.  Although we have around 1,000 genes for smell detection, as in other primates, in humans more than half of these no longer function. In these days of lockdown, those who contract Covid-19 often mention the loss of smell and taste as one of the most disconcerting of potential symptoms. Far from the sweet smell of success, we find ourselves working remotely inhaling the comforting chemical smells of Dettol or Clorox, as if this means safety. But while we are all planning for the time when experiential events will once again be on the social agenda, there has never been a better opportunity to incorporate a consideration of fragrance to create greater impact at your next event.  Make sure that you harness the power of fragrance to create a comfortable, welcoming ambiance for your guests, even though, or perhaps even more importantly BECAUSE  they might still be socially distancing. The sweet smell of success is only a phone call away … Whilst we were discussing this topic this week and the impact that it can have on your day to day, the team shared some of their 'Scents At Home'...

Our Creative Director and team were engaged to introduce a little-known brand to key influential audiences across Western Europe. Ciroc is now a market-leading eau-de-vie vodka. Produced and distributed by the British-based multinational Diageo, it is distilled from the finest French grapes. Our successful event design took the brand on the road by creating a bespoke, show-stopping “Jet Set Tour.” The aim of this approach was to raise awareness through an outstanding immersive event experience. Starting in Ibiza at the Blue Marlin and Ibiza Polo – the idea took off. We proposed experiential marketing through creating a “Club” environment based on the original blue orb design on the Ciroc bottle. We asked ourselves “If Ciroc were a club, how would it be?” The creative team designed and manufactured a full-service touring kit of parts – including the bar, glassware and DJ booth. Designed to work in any combination, it achieved a luxury, bespoke Ciroc environment, unmistakeably branded, and able to be up-scaled as necessary. We were responsible for concept, proposals, event design, product manufacture and full delivery and implementation of the “Jet Set Tour”. By producing all asset components of the set and props, we guaranteed production in suitably high resistance, high quality materials. We took on production management of the European tour. This included all staffing, lighting, sound, event build and product sampling.We held the confidence of the client and successfully developed the reputation of the up-and-coming brand, going on to work with Diageo on numerous projects.

Easter 2020 is here and by all accounts it’s not going to have the usual bank holiday fun and routine of previous Easter breaks. Firstly, it’s going to be warm and sunny, is there a bank holiday in living memory that was? Secondly and most importantly, due to the Covid-19 crisis, there won’t be the annual pilgrimage to sunnier climes, family visits, or just escaping the city for a couple of days. What won’t change though is our love affair of chocolate whether egg shaped or not, and that got us at Kit & Caboodle thinking about that most ambrosial of sweet treats, the way it’s intertwined with Easter, the cornucopia of ways to indulge and the myriad of events that have stemmed from the love affair of this delectable confectionary. In the UK in 2019, over 80 million eggs were sold with the average child consuming 8 eggs over 4 days with an intake of around 8,000 calories. 78% of parents buy Easter eggs for their children at an average spend of £56 per child (really?!) and 24% of those parents admit to eating their children’s Easter treats (the other 76% are too ashamed to admit they do). Another interesting stat is that 65% of people think of chocolate when Easter is mentioned and only 12% think of Jesus. With this in mind, it was only right to delve a little deeper and find out why chocolate and Easter are so symbiotic. According to the History Channel, many Easter symbols have evolved over time, just like Christmas. Funnily enough there is no mention of a long eared, short tailed, creature, battery powered or not, delivering decorated eggs to children. Rabbits are however prolific procreators and are an ancient symbol of fertility and new life. Just like Flopsy, eggs are a symbol for new life and originate from paganism and the celebration of Spring arriving. Decorating them however goes back to around the 13th century, with one explanation being that eggs were forbidden to be eaten during Lent. They were instead decorated and when the period of fasting came to an end, they were eaten as part of the Easter celebrations. Chocolate eggs date back to the early 19th century from France and Germany. These were invariably solid chocolate as the technique to mass-produce moulded confectionary had yet to be invented. In 1828 the Dutch invented a press to separate the cocoa butter from the bean and then in 1866 Cadbury introduced pure cocoa. Thanks to these developments, moulding was possible and the modern Easter egg was born. Our love of chocolate consumption however is not limited to four days in Spring. A fermented drink using cacao can be dated back as far as 1750 BC. Cacao was so valuable it was used as a currency; a valuable trading commodity, it was believed to have medicinal properties and gave one power over women. Cacao didn’t reach European shores until Christopher Columbus brought back some beans in 1502, however they made no impact until much later when Spanish Friars introduced chocolate to the Royal Spanish Court. This was still however a drink, except rather than a bitter taste as before, sugar and honey were introduced to sweeten it. Fast forward to 1842 and the chocolate bar came to be. So, as you can see the love affair of chocolate spans almost 4,000 years and in Europe for over 500. Its popularity increased with added sweeteners and further still due to colonisation, the industrial revolution and several innovators which are still to this day household names. Fry, Nestlé, Cadbury and Lindt. New products are continually launched whether they’re nothing but chocolate, inspired by it or to be paired with it. Kit & Caboodle have been fortunate enough to work on some of these launches including Bailey’s Chocolat Lux which was a multi-sensory experience, which is of course just what chocolate offers us in every bite or sip and Zacapa, producing the Discovery Board so that the rum can be paired with petit fours and other chocolatey delights. We’ve seen a full-size edible chocolate house, you could stay in €60 a night in France back in 2018, an art installation made purely from dark chocolate, dedicated fairs and festivals around the world, there’s even a chocolate week! Our love of chocolate has no signs of slowing down and this Easter, whilst we can’t run around as much to burn off all of those calories. We can take pleasure in every bite and look forward to more chocolate inspired events in the not too distant future which will delight all of our senses.

Bars and restaurants are closed and we’ve been advised that these may be the last businesses to reopen post Covid-19.  This hasn’t stopped the drinkers amongst us from getting our cocktail fix at home.  Whilst we may not be at a level to recreate cocktails from our favourite bars quite yet, despite the deluge of online tutorials, most of us are giving it a good go. Thanks to having the Mad Hatters’ activation live for seven months and the Cheshire Cat bar attached to the activation, selling much more than the gin cocktails seen as part of the event, we have some experience in making and of course “sampling” some great tasting drinks. Supermarkets, local shops and global online retailers are all selling our favourite tipples and other ingredients needed for our cocktails of choice. Using Hangouts, Zoom, Teams (other online chat platforms are available), we don’t have to drink them alone either. We’ve seen lots of bars and mixologists pivot from the real world to online, whether through masterclasses or being able to purchase premixed drinks via Deliveroo.  Time Out have lots of options for us all to continue to get our fix as and when required.  Their top ten bars in London now delivering straight to your door can be seen here. Our friends at Bacardi have started a new campaign #RaiseYourSpirits to help support the bar industry, with all profits going to the teams listed on the menu each week.  Deliveries are being fulfilled by Deliveroo.  You can check out what they’re doing right here. Meanwhile companies such as Bacardi, Diageo and Pernod Ricard are all contributing in the fight against Covid-19 and producing hand sanitiser across their global distilleries. The more adventurous of us may want to create our own cocktails, whether that’s reproducing tried and tested classics or making something completely new using what we have in the cupboard, fridge and drinks cabinet.  You won’t go far wrong following Difford’s Guide and Drink Up London on Instagram for inspiration.  Difford’s website has every cocktail you can think of listed and how to make it too. Drink Up London has loads of really useful information, blogs and recipes throughout their site.  Who knows, after lockdown is complete we may see you hosting your own bar at London Cocktail Week in the autumn. Here are some of the teams #CocktailsAtHome for you to enjoy over the weekend! Matt Favourite cocktails: Old Fashioned, Tommy’s Margarita Cocktail Recipe: Old Fashioned Ingredients: 2tsp simple syrup or 1tsp of sugar (brown is better), 2-3 dashes of bitter (Angostura is fine, I’m lucky enough to have Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Bitters and their Chocolate Bitters at home which I use depending on my mood), Splash of water, 60ml of Bourbon (my go to is Woodford Reserve), 12.5ml Cointreau (optional and not in a traditional Old fashioned. It adds a little orange kick to compliment the garnish), Orange peel to garnish. Method: Sugar, bitters and water in a tumbler, mix until the sugar dissolves if using otherwise combine well if using syrup. Fill glass with ice Add the bourbon Add the Cointreau (optional) Stir well (apparently a good Old Fashioned takes 10 minute of stirring) Fill a new tumbler with ice and pour liquid in (not the old ice too) Garnish Suzi Favourite cocktails: Key West Dark and Stormy, Key Lime Margarita Cocktail Recipe: Rob Roy Ingredients: ¾ oz (half a standard jigger) Italian sweet vermouth 1-2 dashes of bitter (Angostura is the best) 1 ½ oz (full jigger) Scotch whisky (don’t use Single Malt – it’s too good) Cracked ice Twist of lemon peel Method: Combine vermouth, bitters and Scotch in a tumbler Stir in cracked ice, then strain into glass Add the twist of lemon peel Enjoy – try singing as many Scottish folks songs as you can remember When you’ve downed several (responsibly) … dig out the bagpipes Jess Favourite cocktails: Espresso Martini, Dark and Stormy, Bloody Mary Cocktail Recipe: Bloody Mary Ingredients: large handful of ice 100ml vodka 500ml tomato juice 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus 2 slices to serve few shakes Worcestershire sauce few shakes Tabasco (smoked Tabasco is nice) pinch celery salt pinch black pepper 2 celery sticks, to serve Method: Place the ice in a large jug. Measure the vodka, tomato juice and lemon juice and pour it straight onto the ice. Add 3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco (or more if you like it very spicy) and a pinch of celery salt and pepper. Stir until the outside of the jug feels cold, then strain the cocktail into 2 tall glasses. Top up with fresh ice, add a celery stick and lemon slice to both glasses and enjoy! Sian Favourite Cocktails: Espresso Martini, Dark & Smokey Cocktail recipe: Dark and stormy Ingredients Lots and lots of ice! 100ml of Smoked/ Dark Rum Half a Lime Ginger Beer Dashes of Angostura Method: Fill your glass with ice and squeeze the juice of half a lime into the glass. Pour the ginger beer in, so it is ⅔ full Slowly pour the Smoked or Dark Rum into the glass 2 Dashes of Angostura on top! Give it a good mix! Tanya Favourite Cocktails: Picante, Espresso Martini, G&T Ingredients: 1 part Kalhua 1 part Absolut or Grey Goose Vodka (some prefer 2 parts strength) 1 part cooled espresso strength coffee Method: Put your glasses in the freezer All 3 parts in a shaker with ice (scale-up measurements according to number of drinks - I passed one over the fence to my neighbour Tim)! Give it an enthusiastic shake for a few minutes so as to cool the liquid and create a nice foam then strain into chilled glasses If you have any whole coffee beans you can place a couple in the centre nestling on the foam as a garnish… some people like to dust with a fine layer of powdered Cacao but not necessary Kick back and enjoy Word of warning - don’t drink these too late unless you want to be up all night… it’s rocket fuel in a glass! Larissa Favourite cocktails: Old fashioned and dry gin martini with an olive! Drinks recipe: Kombucha Ingredients: 7 cups (1.6 L) clean water ½ cup (100 g) white sugar 4 bags black tea (or 1 Tbsp loose tea) 1 cup (235 mL) unpasteurized, unflavored store bought kombucha A large glass or ceramic container (two jars holding at least ½ gallon (1.9 L) each, or one jug holding at least 1 gallon (3.7 L)). Alternatively, use a glass jug with a built in spigot to make pouring the kombucha out easier! Tightly woven cloth (coffee filters, paper towels, napkins, cheese cloth) Rubberbands Method Bring water to a boil in a clean pot. Remove from heat and dissolve sugar into it. Add the tea and allow to steep while water cools to room temperature (a few hours). Only when water is at room temperature is it ready to work with (test by drawing out some water with a paper straw, using your finger to keep the ‘buch in the straw). Pour the sweetened tea into your jar(s), then pour store-bought kombucha in (if you’re using two jars, pour ½ of the store bought kombucha into each), making sure to include any little gunkies that may be at the bottom. These are good! Cover with a few layers of the tightly woven cloth (keeps out bugs and debris) and secure with a rubber band. Set somewhere dark, still, and room temperature (70-75 degrees F, 21-24 C), like a cupboard, for 1 to 4 weeks, until a ¼ inch (½ cm) SCOBY has formed. Keep SCOBY in its original tea until you’re ready to brew your first batch. The SCOBY should live and grow for years if treated with love. The tea you used to make the SCOBY, however, is very vinegary and should be tossed. Don’t use this tea as the starter to your first fermentation!

Who doesn’t enjoy a colourful experience? We’ve been experimenting here at Kit and Caboodle, researching into different ways people interact and engage in colour as part of their everyday existence. What greater proof of our need for colour do we need to look for beyond the windows displaying the hand-coloured rainbows, crayoned by schoolchildren on lockdown as a result of the Corona Virus quarantine? As a team, we are learning more about the principles behind colour theory and convention. But can colour actually affect a person’s mood or wellbeing? Papyrus scrolls dating back to 1550BC suggest that the ancient Egyptians used colour to cure ailments. Ancient Chinese texts also record colour therapies. Looking into it, we discovered that colour therapy became more popular during the 20th century, when Swiss psychologist Dr Max Lüscher developed the Lüscher-Colour-Diagnostic test. An individual places eight coloured bottles in order of preference and apparently this not only reveals worries but even offers solutions. It’s also called chromotherapy. We soon found out that it has passionate advocates as well as detractors who brush it aside as a “pseudo-science” and say there is no scientific evidence or research to validate the belief that the certain colours have “vibrational qualities” which can support wellbeing and generate positive moods. This is distinct from the use of light frequencies in certain medical procedures such as neonatal jaundice treatment – a scientifically accepted medical treatment, for example. Supporters believe that by immersing an individual in one of the seven colours of the spectrum that particularly resonates with themn, it creates a moment of relaxation, reflection and rejuvenation. They believe that each of the seven colours - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet- each relates to one of the seven chakras or energetic centres of the human body, first mentioned in early Hindu traditions. Accompany a colour specific environment with sounds, tastes and aromas to engage the five senses in a complementary way, and it’s claimed that people will leave a treatment or even immersion in a “colour-based” experiential event feeling more balanced, rejuvenated and harmonious. Benefits of colour immersion are claimed to be: Help with insomnia Counteract the effects of jetlag Promote concentration Increase energy levels Reduce stress Wanting to learn more to appreciate the importance and effect of colour in life, we worked on the concept of bringing the power of colour energy into events with Valerie and Dominique of Co-nekt Colour Experts. They have a background that combines art, interior design and fashion. Their own passion for colour really ignited when they initiated PANTONE UNIVERSE brand, a world-renowned authority on colour and colour systems using leading technology at the time. From PANTONE, they moved to Brazil to incubate sustainable creative projects with women in education. Noticing how people there maintain a balanced and harmonious life by reconnecting with nature, they wanted to explore combining the beauty of colour with the healing power of nature but in an urban setting. “When you are connected with nature, you are at one, you are at peace, it heals you on an emotional, psychological and spiritual level,” they say. There is anecdotal evidence that colour affects our mood and general wellbeing. In 1958, US scientist Robert Gerard conducted a study that claimed red stimulates and makes us anxious, while blue promotes calm. He also demonstrated how colour could affect appetite, blood pressure and aggression. Prisons in Texas have begun to dress inmates in pink, partly to humiliate them, and partly because pink is said to reduce aggression, according to The Observer newspaper in 2008. As event designers, planners and producers – we are aware of the importance of colour in developing an experience. This informs and inspires our work, whether sticking to brand guidelines for a clients BVI or Pantone when creating promotional collateral for a launch, or immersing ourselves in the cultural conventions of a particular time or place that has inspired a contemporary event, such as the award-winning Chowpatty Beach experience we designed and installed for the cutting-edge Indian restaurant chain, Dishoom. As befits a creative team, we enjoy bringing colour into our office life and since working remotely, it’s been fun to see who takes a sense of colour into their home life – in the form of their favourite coffee mug or an eye-catching print on the wall behind them. Some might stick to serious black or grey – preferring to bring neutrality to the creative process to allow the colour to emerge from the process itself. Others will dress up for the Google hang-out morning team meeting, wearing a bright hairband or even a tie, to add a cheerful touch to their on-screen persona. Let’s face it … we’re living life in full colour, each in our own way. Oh yes - and we are barmy. It’s official. So if you’d like us to develop a colourful installation for you this summer, once everything’s back to some kind of normal – give us a call. “It was brilliant working with Creative Director, Tanya Clark and team. They took our (slightly barmy) thoughts, and came up with equally barmy, but coherent and wonderfully creative concepts. They then took these concepts and turned them into amazing designs and finally brought this all to life with resourcefulness and discipline. The pop-up on the South Bank was a crazy, colourful, beautiful summer-long party, and re-defined pop-up’s. Would be delighted to work with them again. SHAMIL THAKRAR, FOUNDER, DISHOOM”

The recent days of glorious April sunshine have been a welcome relief during these uncertain times, allowing many of us to enjoy a sun filled social-distanced stroll around local neighbourhoods and for those fortunate enough to have their own outdoor space, an opportunity to extend isolation into back-gardens! Good weather aside, April is one of the best months for getting Green-Fingered and planting Perennials (plants that live for more than two years) or sowing seeds for sensational summer blooms! And for those that prefer to enjoy the rewards of mother nature without the labour, April brings into bud some of the nation’s favourites from bluebells to tulips peppering flower beds, parks and streets with a wash of colour and glorious nectar scent. Russian poet, Yevgeny Yevtushenko once wrote, “If i had two pennies to spend, I would spend a penny on bread, so that I might live. And a penny on flowers, so that I might have a reason for living.” We couldn’t agree more! This quote inspired us to team up with the talented Venetia Harpin, an experiential creative based in LA who recently upskilled @flowerschool to perfect the art of flower design. Venetia is an ex-Caboodler that relocated from London to Los Angeles in 2018. She usually specializes in immersive and multi sensory events and has produced highly interactive large scale productions for Facebook, DC Comics, Popsugar, Netflix and Asics among many more. When her last project was cancelled due to Coronavirus she decided to seize the opportunity to try a long held enthusiasm for floral styling and, just before  lockdown was imposed, managed to squeeze in a floristry course at the prestigious Flower School LA. We asked Venetia to share some of her top tips and tricks for creating your own ‘at-home’ flower arrangement to bring beauty and delight into your home. 5 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR AT-HOME FLOWER ARRANGEMENT 1) Greenery & foliage make a huge difference to help fill out an arrangement - if you don't have a garden, check what the rules are where you live (don't steal!) and see if there are any opportunities to forage a few extra sprigs to supplement your flowers. Herbs like sage and can thyme will also give your bouquet a lovely aromatic quality. When foraging, it's best to go early morning before the sun gets too warm. Put cut stems straight into a bucket of cold water to let them drink.” This is when flowers are at their most hydrated, a cooling bucket of cold water will keep them refreshed and ensure glossier leaves and blooms. 2) Invest in a good vase. I prefer opaque vases to clear glass ones as they have the advantage of hiding messy looking stems. Even the simplest of arrangements can be instantly elevated by a quality ceramic or metal container. 3) Trim the end tips of all your stems to ensure they are clean, and remove any leaves or greenery that will sit below the water line. This helps avoid bacterial build up in the water and keeps everything fresher for longer 4) Only got a few stems? Don't worry, just keep your arrangement compact. Don't be afraid to trim your stems down and fit them more closely together in a smaller vase. Better to have your flowers and foliage sitting cosily together than have them too long and splayed all over the place with gaps in between. 5) Now, how to keep your arrangement looking fresh for longer? Change the water every other day! The simplest way is hold your vase under the tap and let the new water flush out the old. This helps keep your arrangement blooming for longer.

At Kit and Caboodle, we are incredibly proud of our fantastic and dynamic team led by Creative Director, Tanya Clark. The team are passionate about enriching brand stories whilst curating and communicating the values that brands are built on by being true to our own: Creativity, innovation, loyalty, teamwork, sustainability, collaboration, wellness and work-life balance, to inspire and to be inspired every day. The women in our team are important to us every day of the year, and we want to shine a light on how brilliant we think they are! We thought you might like to get to know them a little better, so here are some fun facts about each of them.

In the aftermath of World War 1, the unbearable reality and carnage of trench warfare led to unprecedented social behaviours. The “Roaring Twenties” smacked of luxury and anarchy, survivors throwing themselves into having a good time to blot out the memory of what they had lived through. People rebelled against the Prohibition of alcohol – and defied convention by wearing outrageous clothes, driving fast cars, smoking and enjoying jazz music. In art, pre-war Dadaism protested against growing militant nationalism by expressing themselves through absurdity and non-sense. This grew into the Surrealist cultural movement after the war. Artists relied on positioning the unexpected images of dreams into a landscape of reality to create a super-reality or surreality, which would challenge, shock and disturb the onlooker. Juxtaposing the ridiculous alongside the ordinary – whether a lobster telephone handset or the melting clock by the artist Salvador Dali – created a sensation. Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Rene Magritte and Marc Chagall all passed their artistic work through the filter of Surrealism. Following the Second World War, supporters of Surrealism led revolutionary movements, radical political groups who rebelled against the old regimes which had brought about such tragedy. Wanting to free the imagination and introduce dreams into reality is a vision that continues into today’s event planning and development. Here at Kit & Caboodle we like to call our team the “#purveyors of WoW!” and we like nothing better than to take a client’s dream and help bring it into reality. Sometimes the dreamlike feel of an event experience is critical to its ultimate success. Other times, corporate clients want to emphasise their brand or new product in a more conventional way. We work with them to free up their imagination so that together we can explore the Art of the Possible, allowing for budgets, environmental and planning concerns, and venue limitations. We enjoy presenting unusual, novel ways of creating memorable moments that will have guests talking for days, months and even years after an event has been and gone. That’s the magic that emerges from our expertise and creativity. Occasionally, we are asked to use the theme of “Surrealism” for a dinner party. That’s when we can really go to town in artistic terms. It’s a fine line between taking someone’s breath away, or actually putting them off their first course! We like to think we get it right. Gruesome juxtaposition of headless dolls pierced by skewers might be acceptable for a Halloween Night experience for adults, but it’s not necessarily right for High-End Surreal, where we combine conventional beauty and class with humorous ridicule. From the Bubblegum Clouds at a party for #Snapdragon to the dancing #humanimals in the Bavarian forest we created at a top hotel for the #RuntoMonaco – expect the unexpected or what we, in the events sector, call “the reveal.” We draw on a palette employing bizarre props, strange furnishings, atmospheric lighting and attention-grabbing entertainment acts where strange hybrid creatures emerge from the shadows to howl at the moon –  to create a work of art that is unique to each and every client, engineering events from 20 people to 2,000 in order to create a novel, unusual but enjoyable experience. Sometimes it takes just a small shift from the familiar to slightly-off centre, to catch the imagination. In the words of #René Magritte, the Belgian adman-cum-forger-cum-artist popularly applauded as one of the founding fathers of the Surrealist movement “ … always be on the look-out for what has never been.” In these days of lockdown, our creativity is running riot. Like Magritte, who lived in the same apartment for 24 years and allowed his imagination to travel instead – we are holding our breath and waiting for the first commissions of “the new norm” and may they be as unexpected  as the current crisis – but in a good way.

Twitter UK commissioned K&C to curate a festive holiday celebration like no other. We curated an environment with varying themes for Larry the bird's tweeples. Snow falling entrance, with giant bespoke aerial installations. Leading the gorgeous glitter pink themed snug, perfect for end of year catch ups! Mirrorball installations, up-lighters, glitter curtains and projectors beamed across the stage and walls creating 'wow' moments throughout the night. Complimenting the decor we installed a wondrous retro gaming arcade - hours of fun! All of this combined with the highest levels of live entertainment various cocktails and gourmet bowl food and canapes. In the basement we created an unforgettable light show, complimented with K&C's tailor made link walling to ensure guests enjoyed a true club like experience. Our services included: A bespoke festive staff celebration Create, design, produce Snow falling entrance, giant aerial installations Mirror ball installations and glitter curtains Technical production including up-lighters and projectors Specially curated live entertainment Retro gaming arcade Bespoke photobooth Bespoke snug Bespoke nightclub, featuring link walling 'Ain't No Party Like @TwitterUK Party' “The creative that Kit and Caboodle put together was so personal and so unique, it was exactly what I had imagined in my head! The project from start to finish was seamless, the team were in complete control at all times throughout, the communication was fantastic and I felt like I was in great hands the whole time. Our attendees said that this was the best event they had been to by far. Our favourite elements were the arcade game corner, it was a brilliant touch and also the band – It was the first time we had ever had a band at one of our parties, it really helped to break up the evening and provide an extra bit of fun. I would 100% recommend Kit and Caboodle and I am going to use them forever!” - REBECCA WELLEY, EVENTS TWITTER