TO MEET · 05/03/2013
Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day
“When I first started my blog, it was the wild west,” Jordan Ferney told us of the blogging world when she launched Oh Happy Day nearly seven years ago. “It was just a thing I did,” she explained.
Jordan started her career in San Francisco as an event planner for city mayor Willie Brown. All events were political in nature, but gave her an inside look at how things could be executed when money was no object—think $300,000 budget for a kids birthday party.
When another job opportunity fell through, Jordan launched her blog. “At first, it was like ‘oh, that’s cute,'” she told us of original blog strategies and formats. “Now all content has to be original,” she explained of the content she posts. Almost every piece that goes up on her blog is original content, and is perfectly presented so readers can execute her DIY ideas on their own. Plus, all of her content is produced in house—the crafting (reserved for one full day each week), photography and posting.
The need for original content means that Jordan constantly has to generate new ideas. Amazingly, she doesn’t turn to her computer to find them—it would be too risky to come up with a project that may even slightly resemble something else.
In San Francisco, she often turns to thrift stores for new ideas—she’ll find inspiration in the clothing, the window displays and vintage magazines.
Plus, she just spent a year in Paris with her family—an inspiring trip in itself. After just having a baby, her family had grown out of their apartment so it was the perfect time to pick up and go. “A trip like that makes you feel childlike,” Jordan told us of the experience, “you’re fresh and discovering new things.”
It was in Paris that she first started making piñatas. “I thought, ‘I’m just so happy. This is what I want to do,'” Jordan told us. So, upon her return to San Francisco, the piñatas became a regular item in her rotation of craft projects. She just recently featured her ice cream cone piñatas. They’re adorable, summer party perfect favors or decorations.
For inspiration for our next summer soiree, we’re turning to Jordan!
Jordan is wearing the Ainsworth in Walnut Tortoise.
Photos by Collin Hughes