Mint Juleps for Mama

when:  May 10th

time:  all day (see below for specific activities)

Everyone’s invited—this event is for Mamas

and anyone who has one!

It’s time to celebrate the time honored traditions of the Run for the Roses and Mother’s Day. As far as I know, we are the only boutique that combines the two into a celebration known as

“Mint Juleps for Mama.”

This year we’re adding a little more to our celebration to include informative seminars, demonstrations and activities throughout the day.

For some participatory activities, you may wish to try our mini-workshops we’re calling:

“Make and Take”

Our first project opportunity will be to make Bird House Wall Art with Ryan and Travis. The project only takes a few minutes and will lend itself to many decorative uses in your home. They will offer this Make and Take at 11 AM and again at 5:30 PM. A small fee of $5 will be charged and pre-registration is encouraged as space is limited.

 

bird house wall frame

We will offer mini-workshops to learn a basic application for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ and waxes. There is a fee associated with this class, but for this special event, the cost is only $5—one-sixth of the regular cost of $30. These projects will be available at 11 AM, noon and 1 PM. Sign-up when you get to the shop and we will assign you a time to start.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Make and Take

At 6:15 PM we will have Nancy Telford, RN, MSN, here to talk to us about flower essences and essential oils for the home. Nancy’s nursing experience spans more than 30 years, but for the past 23 years she has extensively studied mind-body health, energy therapies, and natural therapies that promote balance and health. You can find her at holistic health care practice, Radiance, on Jefferson Street downtown.

Nancy Telford

Jennifer Stewart is also going to talk with us about Mindful Housekeeping. Jennifer is the owner of Jen’s Housekeeping. She is an advocate for the environment and chemical-free alternatives for safely cleaning your home. She can be found at Jen’s Housekeeping Service on Facebook every day and at Hodgepodge at 6:45 PM during this event!

Jennifer Stewart with her daughters

We will also be hosting Elizabeth Vaughn of Artistic Works by Lu. Elizabeth reps this beautiful line of handcrafted jewelry in the Ft. Campbell/Clarksville area. She will have her entire selection of gorgeous jewelry available for purchase at Hodgepodge from 5 – 8 PM.

Artistic Works by Lu

Refreshments will be available throughout the day, but—in an attempt to appear civilized—the Julep punch won’t be offered until after five.

So tell them family it’s “fend for yourself night” and join us!

only 18 days . . .

I know the holidays are behind us, but I finally have time to catch-up.  This was my article for the Leaf Chronicle on Dec 11th  As it is Dec 30th, I will be posting the remainder of the December articles in “rapid fire successions.”  I think I feel a New Year’s resolutions forming.

The countdown is on the chalkboard. The other day it occurred to me that we’re less than twenty days out from Christmas! YIKES! So, I wrote this on my chalkboard, “Only 18 days left to decorate, shop, bake, clean and . . .”

Just for the record, it still reads “18” days. (You do the math.) Raise your hand if you’re in denial, as well. If I don’t change it, maybe the days will magically remain. What happened to “the gift of time” I waxed on about two weeks ago? Where’d it go?

I’ll tell you where—to work. I have been so busy at the shop and with clients that I haven’t had time to do any of the necessary preparations for our household. Throw-in a backed-up sewer line, a few volunteer commitments, and a few loads of laundry and you have a really full schedule.

I’m sure each and every one of you can relate to this dilemma. Remember, misery loves company.

But wait, is that a fully decorated Christmas tree I see through your picture window? And those lights on your house, I know they haven’t been there all year. And, thank you, thank you for the lovely Christmas Greeting with the well-coordinated-in-red-attire photo of your family. When did you find the time to get all of that done? I mean, the family photo alone would be an impossible feat of scheduling for our crew.

Yet, I promised myself I wouldn’t stress out this year.

Then, the phone call that alerts me my daughter’s MRI for her wrist has to be rescheduled due to a problem with the machine. Dad was going to take her on Friday; now Mom has to take her—to Nashville—on Wednesday (a day previously set aside for some shopping and decorating). That means another week of no gymnastics—she is not going to like that. (I begged and pleaded, but I couldn’t get the MRI scheduling tech to call my daughter for me.) Another day—lost—and it hasn’t even happened yet! I’m mourning the loss of a future day.

Still not stressing.

It will all be fine. Once I submit this article, then run home to take and send the lovely photo accompanying it, I’ll then have a few hours before I return to downtown to join dear friends for a toast to the season. I can use that time to add lights to the tree we must get decorated this weekend. That’s how it will happen—in stages.

As you are running around trying to accomplish it all—think about the decorating you can do in stages. For instance, all of my trees are up. Tonight I’ll decorate the aluminum tinsel tree and return the boxes to storage. Tomorrow, I’ll aim for decorations on a different tree and in the kitchen.

You’ve got the general idea. I do make use of the teenagers in the house. They bring down and return the storage boxes as directed. I’m responsible for most of the decorating, but the youngest is anxious for it to happen, so she may start setting-up the nutcrackers or Santa Claus figures.

Her first chore however is to vacuum the floors so the fur balls will stop chasing me as I frenetically spin through the house, wondering what to do next. They just mock my futility and I will not stand for that—it stresses me out!

Thanks for your indulgence!

getting ready to get ready!

My article for The Leaf Chronicle for Sep 4th—sorry for the delay.
Now that everyone has their home adorned with branches and sticks, as put forth in last week’s column, I guess it is time to offer up a few other ideas.
Perhaps you’re ready to introduce a touch of fall into other areas of your home. Again, no need to go all out in one decorating frenzy, your transitional decorating should be exactly that—transitional. If you’re like me, you probably need to start with a good, thorough cleaning of the house. I think it’s time to prove that my base boards are, in fact, white. I’m also going to perform a serious assessment of the contents of my wardrobe; it’s time to make some donations to Goodwill! These actions will allow me to feel more comfortable about adding my fall decorations to the mantels and other surfaces. I’ll also be able to starting adding my fall clothing to our wardrobe—which is really our closet, as our “closets” aren’t deep enough to accommodate a standard hanger and are only as wide as the door. (Yeah, I’ll go toe-to-toe with someone lamenting their lack of closet space!)
Okay, so what I usually end up doing is cleaning as I decorate. I decide which room I’m going to tackle and I start cleaning as I put away anything I won’t be using for the new vignette. Many basics remain, but some things are set aside for the season. I use books all over the house—their titles are often related to the season, but sometimes they’re chosen for their color and size.
You’ll also find candlesticks and pillar stands throughout the house, but the colors of the candles will change. I have a plate stand that holds four tea cups and saucers—I change the china I display with the season.

Here you see my tea cup stand, an unpainted ceramic pumpkin and several other accents for the mantel.

Here is a tight shot of the of the amber bottles and an orange book entitled, coincidentally, “Hodgepodge,” (a gift from my dear friend, Taylor)—so it meets the title AND colors  requirements.  In the right hand corner you see and old Ferry Morris Seed ad I had framed.

During the summer I don’t use tablecloths, but beginning in the fall, I’ll usually drape something across the table. I also tend to leave the table top empty during the summer, but now I’ll add a centerpiece. I’ll start with our sugar mold candle holder, but I’ll elevate the display as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach.

You can see from this pic—

the only thing I’ve left on my table this time is my beer!

Part of the cleaning process is shaking the dust off of the silk and dried flowers. This is when I have to really evaluate how much life is left in these items—especially the dried flowers. I prefer to dry without preservatives, but that really limits their display life.

My all-time-favorite display—the perfect example of dried hydrangeas that have given their all and will be retired this year.

This is also a good time to take inventory of my glassware and dinnerware. As I prefer to use vintage items for my table settings, the search for replacements isn’t always a quick one. If I’m going to need a new turkey platter or gravy boat for my holiday table, I need to start looking now.
I like to make notes about those needs on index cards and stick them in my purse/wallet, that way I have it with me whenever I happen upon some possibilities. Notebooks are good, too, but they take-up a lot of room and I tend to get frustrated and toss them out of my purse. Chandelier prisms are another thing I am constantly replacing, so I trace them on the index card, so there’s no confusion about the style and size.
I figure, with my typical approach to cleaning/decorating and the amount of “free time” I’ve enjoyed lately, I’ll have my pumpkins out in time for the Easter Bunny to hide some eggs behind them! I hope your decorating efforts are quick and easy.
I wrote this weeks ago—the decorations made it to these locations . . . yesterday!  Just slightly before the Easter Bunny!
Thanks for your indulgence!

http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/10/vintage-inspiration-friday-60-vintage.html

vintage black friday

Found this new blog--frankly, I can't remember how--but of all of the colorful weekday inspiration ideas I've come across (white Wednesdays, and the like)--this is one that I thought I could commit to for several reasons:

(1) I love black--I wear it; I decorate with it.

(2) I'm a business owner--I'd LOVE to be in "the black" (any day of the week!)

(3) I love vintage

So, I thought, what could I do for my first post?

It didn't take long. Thanks to our recent house fire, everything in the bedroom of our 130 year old (vintage) is covered in soot (black). I was discussing the appearance of my bedroom with a friend yesterday. I'm obsessed with the look of my walls right now. The places where all of my vintage florals used to hang have created an eerie kind of art gallery.

So, here you go, my first submission for

Vintage Black Friday floral in acrylic over German village scene with over-flowing window boxes in oil

almost-a-yard-long floral over the three-door headboard

three florals over a vintage french mirror

restored photo of my grandparents over a charcoal drawing of me as a child

a beautiful floral in oil in a stunning frame

yard-long-floral over the door



Some additional "Vintage Black."

once-white vintage Italian chandelier with porcelain roses

no view through a bedroom window

the vintage summer cover for our fireplace

(no damage to that--but vintage and black!)

Now, scoot on over to The French Cupboard blog and take a gander at other Vintage Black Friday submission. Let me know if you decide to join in so I can promote your blog here, too!

Thanks for your indulgence!

Protect Your Pumpkin!

Two days 'til turkey. More importantly, two days 'til Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

I'm not completely unprepared, but I am feeling a little anxious about it. I need a few more ingredients to make the day happen--still need cranberries, cabbage for the slaw, and bread for the pudding.

I understand there may be a shortage of canned pumpkin in the Clarksville area. This may be a completely unfounded rumor, but regardless, I have no worries as it seems I have stock-piled canned pumpkin! If you've been paying attention, you'll have noticed the Mayan Cooking Calendar shows no recipes requiring pumpkin in the years 2009 - 2012. Coincidence? I think not! That why I'm prepared for the "Great Pumpkin Crisis of 2009." I'm glad to see, however, the crisis is bringing people together. There was a big exchange on facebook--friends offering their excess cans of pumpkin for the recipe needs of others. It was beautiful. On a final, hopeful note, I understand that Sarah Palin suggests we start drilling for pumpkin.

Okay--enough political commentary.

There are a few other things that need to get done during my "day off." I need to do some baking for our late night of shopping on Friday. Yup, the biggest shopping day of the year is three days away. Strangely enough--it's usually not the biggest shopping day at Hodgepodge. I don't' sell GPS gadgets, or big screen TVs or video games--all the things that will make your life complete. I do, however, sell wonderful accessories for you home, gift items for your friends and family, as well as unique options for you table settings. We can custom frame your art--including the work of little hands.

I also plan on opening at our regular time--10 AM. I will not open at midnight, nor will I open at 6 AM. We will, however, stay open until 8 PM--my contention being, after you've been "malled" you can come downtown, shop Hodgepodge, ARTifacts, Rogate's Boutique, Ingredients and others.

This weekend (Fri and Sat) only, I'll offer seasonal Caldrea items at 20% off. I love both of these fragrances and have been burning the candles alternately in the shop.





































Okay, I'll also offer all clearance items at 50% or more off. Including items we're adding tomorrow! So if it's marked 20, 30 or 40% off--it's 50% off this weekend!

And, as if all of that isn't enough . . . we'll have some refreshments for you to enjoy while shopping.

Be sure to tell me about all of your fun you have chasing after your great deals on Friday--I'll be waiting!

Thanks for your indulgence.

An Anniversary

There they go . . . five years. It's been five years since I opened Hodgepodge. I can't believe I've been doing this for five years! A lot has changed in a short time. We moved from an about 800 sq ft of showroom space to 2000 sq ft--that happened at the end of the first year. Since then, I've been "growing" into the space. I purchased a frame shop and incorporated it into Hodgepodge--adding another 1000 sq ft. My inventory has changed considerably--there sure is a lot of it! I really expected to stay focused on home accents, but the inventory has take several turns. We opened ARTifacts last year. There have been challenges: the recession, Darren's deployment and the thousands of little hurdles I've jumped. But, all-in-all, it's been great. I love going to work! I love working with the customers--merchandising our inventory--my co-workers--downtown Clarksville--the other business owners. I'm so lucky.

A retrospective in photos:

Then--in the middle of all of the preparations for this years' holiday open house event--my sister and friends made sure I celebrated our success. Everyone says that if I survived this year I've got to be doing something right . . . well, I know one thing I've done right . . .




I've surrounded myself with some amazing people!


I recommend you do the same--you'll be a success!

Any success I can claim is all due to these great ladies, plus several more, and the continued extraordinary support and love shown to me by my family--my husband, kids, sisters and parents--and friends.

With great thanks for your continued indulgence!

The Incident of the Mirror

Any day now. I received his email this afternoon advising that he'll be arriving as early as Wednesday evening. Oh my goodness! So, like any good wife, preparing to see her husband for the first time in months, I immediately leapt into action.

Patty was at the shop with me, so I told her--as I was unable to focus after receiving the news--that I was going to head home to get some "cleaning" done. So when I got here, what did I do? Started painting the sink cabinet in my bathroom. Oh so necessary the day before my husband returns home from Iraq.

I don't think I shared the recent mirror incident with you, so I'll do that now. It'll provide a little insight as to why I'd tackle such an obscure project when there is so much else to do. (I mean other than the obvious excuse . . . I avoid the work I dread with any viable alternative.)

The bathroom mirror incident . . .

I was at work when I received the call, "Mom," said my youngest, "I've got something to tell you and . . . it's not good." After a little more drawn-out drama, I am able to expunge the following information: they (the kids) heard something in the house fall, but after a cursory recon of the house ("cursory" being a generous), they determined they were just hearing things and went on about their business. Until, someone had the need to enter my bathroom, where they found broken mirror and a bathroom filled with water. It would appear that, as the mirror freed itself from the wall, it hit the spigot and the water proceeded to flow into the sink--into the perpetually clogged sink. Broken glass in water . . . delightful.

What was truly delightful, however, was the fact that Hunter had most of it cleaned-up by the time I got home.

So, the broken mirror necessitated the purchase of a new set of mirrors for the bathroom. No, I could not reuse the homemade contraptions--they should have never been hung, but they were the mirrors that came with the house. Who would think to take them down and check their construction? Certainly, not I. As it turned out, they were made from basic trim moulding and hung with eye screws and a wire more appropriate for a 5x7 family photo than a 15 pound mirror.

I have been planning to paint this thing for years. Until now, the sink base in question has been another of those unfortunately stained that orange-y oak stain I dislike--as referenced in an early blog. I have considered the same blue used on the wardrobe in that same earlier blog, but didn't want to take away from the unique look of the wardrobe. I decided to venture to Lowe's for some paint swatches, but left with a gallon of the ideal color for the sink base. Another "oops" paint find! Good fortune.

The painting is done and almost all of the new hardware is attached. One new mirror is hung. I need another mirror to insert in the frame I chose. I'll tell you, having the ability to choose any frame I like for my projects is liberating, yet cumbersome. So many choices makes the decision process a little daunting.Decision made, I ordered two custom frames and one beveled mirror. I didn't realize the mirror I already had--the one that didn't fall--had only a half-inch bevel. The new mirror has a beautiful, impressive one-inch bevel. What a difference a quality mirror makes! This new mirror makes the other look like a fun house mirrors.

I'll post a picture when it's complete.

Thanks for your indulgence