Happy Monday! I wanted to share a recap of my behind-the-scenes visit to HSN in Tampa last week for an HP launch. I traveled with Rachel from Handmade Charlotte and Erin from Design for Mankind to document the backstage activity as HP rolled out an exclusive HSN offer on the Windows 10–equipped HP Pavilion 17″ notebook. The Girls With Glasses joined as special guest hosts, and my project—created on the laptop—actually made it on air. It was thrilling to see my hats on the hosts and to witness the massive operation required to keep HSN running around the clock. Here are some highlights from the visit.
My hats appeared on air—can you spot them? I was so excited I didn’t even break out my good camera, so these phone shots are the best I have. I shared live clips on Snapchat during the segment, and if you missed the broadcast you can still find the HP deals on HSN while supplies last.
On our first day we toured the studios and sets. I loved the colorful photos lining the hallways—bright, playful, and perfectly at home next to that rainbow spaghetti piece. July happened to be Margaritaville Month, so the outdoor sets were fully themed, complete with a pool and tropical decor.
Unrelated dining note: we ate dinner at Noble Crust that night and it was outstanding—definitely worth a mention.
On the day of HP’s launch we watched a live taping of the Wendy Williams Show for her new HSN collection. They dressed our group in pieces from the collection, which was a fun touch. If you’ve ever attended a live taping, you know the warm-up host gets the crowd hyped with a big dance party—mine perfectly suited me. For those wondering about footwear, the shoes I wore were Jessica Simpson.
Between Wendy tapings we caught the Girls With Glasses live on air with HP. A memorable behind-the-scenes detail: HSN’s campus is so expansive that hosts sometimes need to move quickly between distant studios. To save time, a host may hop into a wheelchair and be rolled to the next set in under a minute—often while still talking on air. It sounds hectic, but the whole process was incredibly smooth; the HSN team handled every transition calmly and professionally.
Photos by Kelly Mindell
I love seeing how things work behind the scenes, so this visit was a real treat. Watching the pieces come together and seeing the HP Pavilion sell out so quickly underscored how strong the offer was—HSN often posts highly competitive prices, and they move a surprising volume of items across categories.
If you’d like to recreate my project, you can find my sprinkle party printables that I designed using the HP Pavilion on my site. And you can still check HSN for available HP deals.
This post was created in partnership with HP. All content and opinions are my own—thank you for supporting the sponsors that help keep the Studio DIY party going. Read more about my editorial policies in the site’s policy section.