Collector's Corner: Eileen Ruiz

Eileen Ruiz is from Houston, Texas and is a wife, a mother of two boys and a sweet puppy girl.  She has a background in Interior Design, Entertainment and Event Planning, which clearly shows in her wonderful holiday displays as well as any party she hosts.  You can take a look at some of her Instagram photos @lifeofeily and they just scream of bright, bold colors that stimulate the senses and completely gather your attention.  We enjoyed our chat and I loved learning how she started her love for Glitterville.  I can’t wait to see more from her decorating in the future!

My first introduction to you was when you sent me a picture of your Glitterville Halloween tree.  You had asked if Holiday Pizzazz would carry a particular item and when I saw your tree, I was like ‘Holy Cow’ (yep, that’s a good ole phrase from the 80’s).  That thing is AMAZING.  So tell me how you got introduced to Glitterville:

Eileen tells me of an adventure her family took in Estes Park in 2017.  They had gone to see the Stanley Hotel that is nestled in the mountains.  If you aren’t familiar with the Stanley, it is known for the filming of The Shining by Stephen King back in the 80’s.  What’s interesting about this story is that when Eileen and her family went through the gift shop, she noticed the Glitterville Reindeer.  She had to have it!  Her husband noticed how drawn she was to it, so like a good husband, he bought it for her. 

The following Christmas was night and day.  Where she was used to decorating in the traditional colors of red and green, it now went to looking and feeling like the ‘Elf’ movie.  You know the one with Will Ferrell!!  Now all she wanted was whimsical and fun and that was just what Glitterville provided.  FUN!  She found that Glitterville Christmas put a smile on her face and made her happy!

Looking at your Instagram, you are incredible at decorating.  Tell me about what you love about parties, themes and decorating in general.

Eileen explained to me that during Design School, it was impressed upon them that it is the presentation that matters.  For example, when you give a gift, what is the first thing that a person sees?  When a gift is wrapped up all nice and pretty and peppered with a beautiful bow, it far exceeds the expectation of just the ‘gift’.  It means that the person has spent time and effort in loving what they are giving you.  When she sets up for her events, it is the same concept:  “It has to make me smile and bring me joy”.  Any event is like that present and needs to be beautifully wrapped and topped with a beautiful bow!

I know you live in Houston and we don’t have true seasons around here, but what is your favorite season to decorate? What was your favorite holiday as a child? Can you tell me some fun memories?

Growing up as an 80’s baby, Eileen remembers going door to door trick-or-treating and the feeling of running free and spending time with her friends and family.  She remembers being giddy once she got her loads of candy home and having to refrain from breaking into it before it was inspected by her mom.  She loves the colors and the faces and the fact that Halloween is joyful and festive. 

Eileen was fortunate.  She lived close to her cousin, so they were always able to be together on events like Halloween.  When she was about 8 or 9, she remembers her mom and aunt getting together and making her and her cousin’s costumes for Halloween that year.  She and her cousin, dressed as clowns, went out trick or treating in the not so cool Houston weather.  She wasn’t too fond of the make up her mom had applied so she was willing to withstand the heat and hide behind the mask her mom had gotten as a backup plan.  Later that evening, while digging through their piles of candy, her cousin ripped off Eileen’s mask, only to find a marbled mess of make-up sliding down her face 😊

Do you have a favorite artist (I’m assuming Stephen Brown)?

Oh yes, it is Stephen Brown.  When he is live on Instagram, it is the highlight of her day!  She calls him ‘magical’ and raves on both his imagination as well as the execution of his creations.  Finding him was only the beginning.  Now she loves to see everything Glitterville and is inspired by his creativity.  His creations are used in every holiday display spanning from Halloween to Christmas!

Do you have a favorite piece or pieces in your collection?

It is always hard for a person to pick just one favorite piece.  Eileen is no different.  She had to think about the question and could not decide on a favorite.  Her first Glitterville Christmas piece, the reindeer she found in Estes Park, is definitely her first love and one she won’t forget.  But in further contemplation, she must bring up that she also loves the Glitterville Halloween – Itchy Witchy Cat.  She thinks it is so cute with its tail and stockings.  She cannot wait for the holidays to bring out all her favorites as well as add some additional pieces each year.

It looks like you decorate a large tree for every holiday???  How do you get inspired?

After Christmas, with the tree still up, Eileen decided she wanted to continue decorating since she found that it centers her and brings her joy.  She started hunting for more Glitterville Halloween ornaments and that itself became a game.  We tend to all get drawn in to the ‘game’ eventually. It was exciting when she found something new to add to the tree, either for Halloween or Christmas.  It grew from there and she then started decorating Valentine’s Day and Easter that she filled with flocked bunnies and eggs.

If you could sit down and talk to the artists, what would you want to see more of?

Since Stephen Brown of Glitterville is Eileen’s favorite artist, she tossed around the idea of china (porcelain) plates.  She envisions a line of whimsical, fun options and figures Stephen is just the person to create them.  Otherwise, she doesn’t mind waiting on Glitterville Studios to create their MAGIC! She will continue to add to her already glorious collection for her Christmas and Halloween displays.

What other things do you collect (if any) or do for fun (around your collections)?

We kind of giggled here because her other passion is around wrapping paper, ribbons and bows and cake stands.  Huh?  She collects wrapping paper?  But see, if makes sense.  If you go back to the beginning, it all goes back to presentation.  Presenting someone with a gift wrapped in lovely paper and tied with a bow ensures happiness from the moment the gift is received.  It is the same with a cake.  When you make a beautiful cake for a holiday or a party, the best thing is to present it on a cake stand.   A beautiful one. 

As we wrapped up our conversation, I was excited to see more pictures.  Be sure and check out her Instagram (give her a follow at @lifeofeily) and be prepared to be impressed with her Glitterville collection as well as her holiday displays.  At Holiday Pizzazz, we are proud to carry the Glitterville line and if there is something you can’t find, just reach out and we will do our best to get it for you!