Looking inside oneself is never easy. We are often our own worst critics. Why is this? Maybe we all hold ourselves to impossibly high standards. Learning to let go is much easier said than done. Thankfully, there are people out there — even in our own lovely gift industry ­— who have figured out a way to do this and they are ready to help. I’m talking of course about Emily Ley, the founder and creative director of Emily Ley Paper & Gifts and the creator of the bestselling Simplified Planner, a daily agenda for what matters most. Emily has just written a delightful book that doesn’t just tell us to slow down and let go, she shows us how. Thomas Nelson will release her book, “Grace Not Perfection,” in October 2016. As we enter the busy summer trade show season, I hope we can all take heart in the lessons Emily teaches. These are just some of the chapter titles in her new book: “Productivity, Planning and Simplicity,” “Margin for What Matters” and “Gratitude Changes Everything.”

In this issue, we are presenting lots of information for you to use, and hopefully simplify your busy summer season. Knowing what is trending before you need to make buying decisions is one of our top goals. We have several features in this issue to help with that. Beginning with the Trend Report on page 75 by Trends Editor Sarah Schwartz, we’ll give you the low-down on all of the hot themes for summer. Sarah has also used her keen eye to curate a wonderful collection of products for the showcases in this issue.

When it comes to home décor, it’s up to shop keepers to find and present the latest goods and merchandise them in ways that make it effortless for customers to recreate the style in their homes. In this issue, we explore the hot Scandinavian Design trend. These Nordic-inspired styles are making an impact for retailers across the U.S. Learn about the fundamentals of this trend from industry leaders and designers.

Also for the home, our textiles feature on page 150 will show you how to dress the table and spruce up the kitchen with new offerings from several prominent textiles makers. And one can’t forget the walls when decorating. Wall art is reaching new heights with exciting new materials and mediums and we’ve got a roundup of best-sellers on page 142.

These are just a few highlights of what this issue has to offer. I sincerely hope it helps in the journey to simplify your summer.

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Julie McCallum

Julie McCallum is publisher of Gift Shop Magazine. She is formerly the editor-in-chief of the publication, as well as editor of Museums & More, and she has more than 25 years experience in publishing.