Certainly, besides the antiques, the best part about the Lauritzen Gardens Antique & Garden Show is the speakers. Especially this year. The line-up was truly amazing and I was in heaven with the opportunity to meet and spend time with such fabulous "tastemakers" and "trendsetters"... Surely the most overused descriptive words of the year. 

So here's a little taste of the tastemakers...

First up, Danielle Rollins... My new BFF! 

Isn't she the cutest? Her skin is like porcelain!

There's Kyle Robino in the center. Not sure why she's looking at me with hatred because I love her guts and she loves mine. 

Here's Danielle doing the most beautiful flower arranging demonstration!

Next up, Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochar...

Eddie and I at the Carolyne Roehm luncheon...

Eddie: I love Carolyne Roehm so much!

Jan: OMG so do I!

Eddie shared some great shots on Instagram...

I was shaking in my shoes to meet this woman... what a glamourous beauty! Carolyne Roehm was as extraordinary and perfect as you would expect her to be. And funny. And charming. And wonderful. An amazing speaker for certain...

For a good time, call Kathryn Ireland. Seriously, she has fun 24/7 and so does everyone around her. Here we are at a dinner on Friday night just after she arrived in Omaha...

After dinner, I went home exhausted... But not Kathryn! She rallied up a partner (aka Danielle Rollins!) and went looking for cowboys. Omaha's River City Roundup fell on the same weekend as the Show... Part rodeo, part livestock show, part exposition and part fair, the Roundup is a celebration of the Midwest's heritage, and there are cowboys everywhere! Kathryn loved it. 

After seeing her have so much fun the night before, an antique show committee member bought Kathryn a cowboy hat! Too cute!

A charming and funny speaker as expected, but also captivating and relevant, and very well-received by our audience. Perhaps the most delightful interaction for me was the opportunity to meet artist Harrison Howard and his darling wife ~ the sweetest couple anyone has ever met. So thrilled to have had them in Omaha for the weekend! 

Here's one of the spectacular pillows featuring Harrison Howard's design! A very special thank you to Sharon, Kyle's mom, who devoted her talents to FIVE needlepoint masterpieces for our Show. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Kyle and Sharon bring new life to the words dedicated volunteers.

A star-studded weekend for sure... 

On another note, I don't normally post photos of myself, but my excitement over the special guests overruled my normal hesitation.

Let's just say I'm not the most photogenic person in the world. 

It appears that the problem might be related to the fact that I'm very expressive and enthusiastic when talking. I'm not sure what in the world I am talking about below, but sweet Jesus, it sure seems like it would be memorable, doesn't it? 

Note to self: Don't look so crazy.