Unique Side Tables

Barrel Chest (36w x 18d x 30h)

As Bettye, Jerry and I were doing research for a project we are currently working on, I opened a catalog from a new vendor we found in October at High Point Market. I love the casualness of their line so much I decided to write several blogs that will showcase many of their pieces.

This blog will show you a sampling of their side tables. If you see anything that interests you give us a call, we will be glad to help you find just the right spot for one of these pieces. I have included the name and dimensions of each piece. Isn't that Barrel Chest the cutest?

Several of these pieces are offered in other color options. Notice the 3 Drawer Chest in the gray color, this company has several pieces in this color. It is such a tranquil color and will work with so many paint colors.Ribbed Side Table (30w x 18d x 28h)

Tall Sideboard (40w x 12d x 42h)

Baroque Side Chest (18w x 18d x 26h)

3 Drawer Side Chest (19w x 16d x 25h)

Provence Drink Cabinet (28.5w x 19d x 30.75h)

Barley Twist Wine Rack (32w x 13d x 36h)

Apple's Big Announcement ~ Come See our Latest Creation!

For those of you that love technology, like me, you will want to know what exciting announcement will be divulged during the press conference Apple has scheduled. The press conference will take place in San Francisco on Wednesday, January 27th at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time.

Rumors are running wild about the "new creation." I have read several forums and most seem to agree it will be some type of tablet pc, with the majority of news and forum speculators guessing it will be 10-inch tablet. Apple has been working on a tablet for years. In fact, the iPhone was created during the development of the tablet. For now, Apple is keeping the announcement very hush hush. Some of the techies on the forums think that whenever Apple launches a new product it should be considered a holiday. I had to chuckle at that one.

Check these websites out for more information:

• Ubergizmo (Join them for live, up-to-the-minute blog postings with photos)
• Techradar (the rumor round-up)
• CNet (lots of comments)

Another rumor floating around is that Apple will announce that they will no longer be exclusive with AT&T and that Verizon could soon be selling the iPhone. Others disagree, saying that Apple will not want to dilute their exciting news about the tablet.

We can also look forward to a new release for the iPhone in the next couple of months. Who knows where Apple will take us in the future? One thing you can be sure of is that it will be exciting!

Our Trip to Atlanta's Mart - Part 3 (Holiday)

It never ceases to amaze me how many showroom specialize in only Holiday items. The market for Christmas items is huge! Some of the holiday accessories were beautiful and very creative.



Bettye and I loved the addition of the beads. You can add these beads to almost anything to add a little glitz for the holidays.




We loved the idea of these simply decorated Christmas trees. Each silver ball was individually glued to the tree.



This pumpkin arrangement was amazing. If you have been reading my blog you know I love decorating for Thanksgiving.

Our Trip to Atlanta's Mart - Part 2 (Accessories)

Of course, the citrus or acid green color is still very popular. I think every showroom had something in this color.


These silk mums looked so real, Bettye and I had to feel them. We are very picky about artificial arrangements.


These one stem mini pots are great to place in a guest room bedside table or to place at each place setting for a bridesmaid luncheon or a dinner party.

Our Trip to Atlanta's Mart - Part 1 (Furniture)

Bettye Zettergren, our new designer, and I just returned from Atlanta's Merchandise Mart. Bettye and I spent two 10-hour days walking the floors of "Building 1" and a few floors of "Building 2." To give you a feel for the size of this Market, "Building 1" has 20 floors and each floor has 30 - 50 showrooms. The showrooms in Building 1 have accessories, linens, holiday and furniture. The other buildings had showrooms that included housewares, gourmet, gift and apparel.

We found so many great showrooms! We love visiting market to see what's new. I took photographs of a few interesting things we found in the showrooms. (Note: The showroom floodlights made it really difficult to capture a good shot.)

Oatmeal colored furniture was prominent in a lot of showrooms, as well as upholstered furniture with oatmeal linen fabrics. Using such a neutral colored piece of furniture allows you to paint your walls almost any color and leaves you with lots of options for window treatments. I love the natural texture that linen adds to a space. Linen can also evoke both the feeling of formal and, at the same time, a touch of casual.


The king headboard above was gorgeous with its oatmeal colored linen fabric. I think it was the tallest sleigh headboard I have ever seen. Bettye and I estimated the height at 7'.


The photograph isn't great but it shows more of the oatmeal colored furniture.


Would you like to make a drastic change in your dining room without the cost of purchasing all new furniture? Consider changing your two end chairs to one of these chairs covered in a custom fabric. Adding two totally different end chairs to a dining room table can change the whole feel of the room.



We found these outdoor rugs that are made to withstand the outdoor elements. They even had a display with a sprinkler pouring water over a rug continuously. The best part, in my opinion, was their reasonable prices. They were available in multiple solid colors as well as a braided style. They even poured red wine on the rug and it didn't stain the rug!

The Adorable Fairy Doors!

I spend at least one to two hours reading every day. When you make it a practice to read on a daily basis, a whole new world is opened up to you. The amount of information available on the internet is staggering. Casey, my daughter-in-law and partner, reads as much as I do and several weeks ago she happened to read a blog that mentioned "Fairy Doors" and we both thought it was the cutest idea! As I began researching this unusual topic, I was surprised to find how many people have added "Fairy Doors" to their homes and businesses.

I think this craze began in Ann Arbor Michigan (click on the second door on the Ann Arbor page to view sightings). Visitors and children are enthralled with hunt. Check out the "Fairy Door" Google installed in one of their conference rooms; the title on the Fairy Door is "Giggle," how appropriate! Perform a search in Google for "Fairy Doors." There is a lot of information out there (resources and blogs) regarding this subject. Judy Santoni and her girls visited Ann Arbor, click HERE to read their story. You will see that the possibilities are limitless!

If you have small children or grandchildren, this is a perfect idea to add a bit of magic to your home or business. What child wouldn't would love having a "Fairy Door" to visit? There are so many creative and imaginative things you can do with these. Start a tradition by encouraging children to clean their room, then, if they don't clean their room, the cleaning fairy comes to tidy up the room and leave a note saying she is disappointed and will visit again later hoping the room will be clean next time or maybe every night the fairy is moved to a different spot and, of course, you might mention the fairy door is only magical when they don't touch it.

You can purchase "Fairy Doors" from Enchanted Fairy Doors Shop or Monkeytail and Wellington or purchase dollhouse doors and adorn them yourself.

'Tis the Season!

I love the Christmas season! Everyone seems extra friendly during the holiday season. This year (and I still can't believe it), I am not going all out with my usual Christmas decorating. Because I was out of town at the beginning of December, and also because Jerry and I are going to Casey & Owen's (my son & daughter-in-law and my two granddaughters) home to celebrate Christmas with them, I decided not to put up a tree this year. YIKES, this is a first for me and it feels strange! Next year, though, I am planning on decorating as usual and hosting a Christmas Open House.



This year Casey has been busy decorating her house with a little inspiration from Anthropologie. If you have visited the Green Hills store, you may have seen lots of stacked wood and their famous handmade snowballs. These snowballs are the cutest and are so easy to make. We asked our sales person if she knew how they were made and she spilled the beans. Jackpot!!!



Here is how to make indoor snowballs that "won't melt in your house!"

1. Crumple up white kraft paper to the desired size. (Be sure to vary the sizes)
   
2. Wrap the crumpled ball with plastic wrap at least 4 or 5 times.
3. Wrap outer layer in Glad "Press & Seal" with the sticky side out.
   
4. Roll sticky ball in artificial snow. (Artificial snow can be purchases at Target or any craft store.)
5. Voila' ... you have the cutest snowballs ever!
   

Who knew they would be so easy and inexpensive to make?



Look how cute these jars are with the white lights, silver ornaments, and snow.

I love decorating with live greenery. Not only does it look great, it smells even better! Take time to enjoy the sights, smells, and good eats of this holiday season!