a valentine bistro

tablescape thursday.

it’s a little early, but not for retail. i’ve already set the valentine table for the shop. it’s subtly suggestive of valentine’s day—not overtly.

a table for two.

set with the plates from comptoir de famille—a charger from the mary carol collection.

a petite fondue set in the center for dessert.

plates at the ready for the fondue and coffee.

another angle on the table . . .

the tablecloth is actually a throw.

the linen blend napkins are a generous 20x20 in size.

note the cute tomato salt and pepper.

love this la brasserie flatware.

so there you have my bistro table set for two.

i've set-up a new site where you can buy many of the items I feature on my blog. if you're interested click here.

thanks for your indulgence.

home again, home again

jiggidy, jig!

we’re back from the market and what a time we had!   as usual, we stayed with my cousin and had a wonderful time catching-up with her.

the highlight of this market trip, however, was spending some quality alone time with my husband.  since his return from iraq in nov, 2009, we’ve only had one night {alone} together.  we had some great meals, spent long hours together and visited with dear friends and family.  he was so supportive and helpful throughout the regular ordeal of the market, i  wouldn’t trade his company for anything else!  plus, he actually spotted a few items we made add to our inventory in the coming year. 

now, for the purpose of the weekend . . . shopping!

it took a while for me to get in the shopping groove—too much fun thursday night, meant a slow start on friday.  guess what?  the market and all of the vendors were still there and we were able to accomplish all four floors of the temporary vendors in bldg 3.  here are a couple things I found:

baby gifts:

crocheted wire jewelry:

saints:

 

velvet pumpkins:

I found a few potential vendors for handbags, but I’m not sure I should move back into that market.  this is a cute little carry-all (slightly larger than a wallet—hold cards, phone, change and more)your thoughts?

 

 

I only wrote a few orders.  I’ve already ordered Christmas décor for 2011.  You’re not going to believe the beautiful new collection from Midwest—Seasons of Canon Falls!

Unless you’ve been to one of these markets, you can’t imagine how overwhelming this event can be.  The pictures about show just one of the thousands of vignettes which assault the senses while at market.  The folks are the best of the best when it comes to design and display.  It takes days to come down.

So rather than write a bunch of impulse orders--I decided I want to reflect on all I saw.

In addition to the gift and personal items, I found some bed linens, accent furniture, throw pillows and large furnishings (sofas, dining chairs and more).

What are your thoughts?  What are you looking for?  Especially if you are in Clarksville—I’d like to hear from you.  What do you wish you could find at Hodgepodge?

It would be helpful . . .

Thanks for your indulgence!

A Market First

Coolness!  I’m on my way to the Americasmart in Atlanta—yet I’m typing on my laptop!  Usually, this is a solo trip.  Ever since we opened ARTifacts Emporium, my sister Kendall has been unable to join me for these trips.  So, for the past three years I get to Atlanta in time to visit with my cousin, Stacy, awhile—then I hit the sack to prepare for my big day.

This time, I have company!  My husband agreed to join me.  I asked him to go with me to the market last July, but we were in a bit of an upheaval then.  He had just decided he was going to submit his paperwork for retirement and was working 17- 18 hour days as the S3 for an Attack Aviation unit.  Plus, he couldn’t, in good conscience ask for four days off as his unit was preparing fo r the training mission that would take them to Ft. Irwin, CA—especially since planning those sorts of operations was his job.

To bring you up-to speed—paperwork has been filed, retirement ceremony is complete and he’s in job searching mode.  We haven’t had time away together since his return from Iraq (Nov 2009).  So, at the diner table the other night I say, “I think Dad should go with me to Atlanta.” 

He immediately protests, “I can’t go—I have to find a job.” 

I was ready.  I hit him with, “Your job searching consists of sitting in front of the computer, perusing websites for job opportunities, submitting online resumes and cover letters.  All of that can be done in Atlanta—they have internet there, too.”  (We’re kind of snobs about Clarksville, TN—it is hard to believe other cities have such amenities, but they do!)

That’s why I am sitting here typing my blog!  I LOVE having my driver with me—and he’s good looking, too.

I think I was inspired to try again after reading my friend Tanya’s blog the other day.  She talked about taking a day trip with her husband—how they reconnected and all that good stuff.  I’m hoping for some of the same stuff, but this is a working trip, too.

So here’s a list of some of the things I’m looking for:  throw pillows, bedding, light fixtures, baby gifts, occasional furniture and   . . . oh, I’m sure it will come to me when I see it.

I am anxious to see how we do together—shopping for 10 – 12 hours a day has never been high on our “to do” list, but I think it’ll be fun.  I’ll let you know!

Thanks for your indulgence.

what to do with 2011

A new year—full of possibilities!  I can’t even figure-out what to post on my blog.  Ever had one of those—okay, three of those weeks?  So I ventured into blogland for some inspiration.

I’ve felt kind of funky since my folks and sister, brother-in-law and their kids returned to Virginia.  I don’t know if it’s the lack of anything really big to plan for or look forward to (ie.: Christmas) or what, but I need to shake it. 

So, after finding a few blogs where folks are posting their “to do” lists, I’ve decided that I need to do the same.  (Perhaps making a list of potential projects will help me feel motivated.)  One blog author in particular decided to post her list on the sidebar, so she could see it every time she sat down to work on her blog.  If I can figure out how—I’ll do the same.

As I started brainstorming, I realized I can’t fit everything into one compartment.  I’ve got to break my Grand List into several mini lists.  I’ve got personal goals; goals for my household; and, goals for my business.  So, here goes . . .

household goals:

1.  finish our bedroom (Since our fire nearly a year ago, we’ve put the room back together, but I haven’t added the final touches.  I need to do that.)

2.  finish my creative space (I referenced “my space” in this post.  We finally cleared-out some of the stuff and moved-in my new work desk and shelves.  I need to add a heater, chair and a few other items.  I hope to make this my area to create.)

3.  the kitchen  (I just added a new chalkboard surface to outside of our pantry door—love it!  Still looking forward to some new appliances and countertops, but feel sure this will carry-over into 2012/13.  Still, I had to put it on the list.)

4.  H3’s room  (She wants to paint it.  We finally relented and allowed her to trade-in her gorgeous antique twin beds we purchased in Germany for a “big girl bed”—her words, not mine.  Now she has a an antique iron bed, full size.  I probably need to replace the curtains, too.)

5.  Speaking of curtains—the living room curtains need to be replaced.  The curtains we have came back from the cleaners about four inches too short.  This was after the fire—they cleaned everything!  Unfortunately, they laundered the dry clean only curtains.  It’s one of those things I just didn’t have the energy to follow-up on.  There may still be time—I should call our adjuster—she was wonderful!

6.  Back to the kitchen (While killing time in between H3 on the beam and her floor exercise, I was perusing home décor magazines and I had an epiphany!  I’ve noticed on many occasions that I haven’t made optimal use of my kitchen cabinets.  They are pretty much arranged in the same manner in which they landed while unpacking our household goods nearly 9 years ago.  Perhaps I should do some evaluating and rearranging.  If I do, I may be able to justify eliminating the current spice cabinet and junk drawers in order to make room for the  gourmet gas range I’m dreaming of.)

 

hodgepodge goals:

1. All I want for my shop is to be successful.  (My definition of success: to be able to help provide for the family.)

personal goals:

1.  see my goal for hodgepodge  ( I take it very personally.)

2.  to be the wife my husband deserves

3.  to be the mom my kids deserve

4.  to be the daughter my parents deserve

5.  to be the sister my sisters deserve

6.  to be the friend my friends deserve

7.  to be the faithful servant my God deserves

(Not necessarily in that order.)

So there you have it.  If I am able to accomplish the list above, 2011 will be a great year!  I’m thinking I need to start at the bottom and the rest will be cake . . .

Thanks for your indulgence!

Better Late?

Well, I fully intended to get these pictures posted prior to Christmas—they were taken well before..

This is the new wreath I put together.  It’s actually a blend of my old wreath with some new stuff.  First, I took off all of the red stuff—the berries and the poinsettias.   Then I started adding the new stuff . . .

I decided to use a bird theme—I love them and I had an ample supply of resources at the shop!

I recycled the grapevine form,the pine, the mistletoe branches and the bow.

I added the frost-speckled nest and the bird.

The had to work-in these frosted, green rosehips and pheasant feathers.  The feathers are faux and wired, therefore much easier to manipulate than the real thing.  They’re one of my favorite elements.

 

Here’s the pile of leftovers.  They’re now stored away for a resurrection in a future arrangement.

Sorry I didn’t get this posted in a more timely manner, but I hope it provides you with some inspiration for your own arrangements or wreaths.

Did you recycle any arrangements at your house this Christmas?   I’d love to see them—share a link in the comments forms!

Thanks for your indulgence!

some last minute table ideas

If you haven’t figured out what to you’ll use to set your holiday table, please allow me to offer the following suggestions:

These are great appetizer plates or they work well to set the table as a salad plate layer.

You can mix them with your everyday dishes—like these green dishes, made in Portugal (don’t you love the simple detail on the rim?) and/or the gold tone dishes.  The placemats and napkins are a great –Christmas-y in color, but they also have that bird theme we love so much.

The bundle of vintage flatware helps to capture the glimmer of the gold-toned plate.

Here I show my personal favorite black and cream winter theme plate on a square embossed dish—also trimmed in black.  A nice simple look which could carry you from Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day.  The dinner plate has an embossed bird pattern—very subtle.

There are three others in this collection—I couldn’t possibly limit myself to just one!  You’ll also find an elk, wild hares and a squirrel.  The flatware offers enough elegance for your finest china, but can be used for casual settings as well.

Here I’ve started with a basic brown and cream transferware pattern from Mary Carol Garrity.  The dinner plate has a farm scene, while the salad plate has a gardeners scene—again, there are four different patterns.  The flatware has brown handles.   These are perfect for everyday, but I wanted to show how I would dress them up for the holidays.

I thought I’d go with a red charger, to really make things pop.  Don’t you love red with chocolate brown?

Then I added another layer using the gold toned plate I used in the earlier settings.  Notice how it really brings out the browns, though.  Instant elegance with your everyday dishes!

Then I took it one step further with this simple pine and berry wreath.  We’ve used these things everywhere in the the store—on the back of dining chairs and looped three together in a vertical row.  The ideas for this basic accessory are limitless!

Well, the ideas could go on and on, but I’ve got to get this posted and get on with my own preparations for Christmas.  I’m going to post this on Tablescape Thursday, so be sure to peruse the other posts there for more inspiration.

I wish you the Merriest Christmas and hope you spend it with those you love!

Thanks for your indulgence!

Our New Staircase Decor

I mentioned in my article for The Leaf Chronicle today that we had to throw-away all of the stuff I had accumulated and used to decorate the staircase in the past.  (It was smoke damaged after our fire last January.)

So, since I had to start from scratch again, I thought I’d share the process of putting together our new look.

First, it started with basic faux pine garland.  As you get ready to use it, you need to fluff it.  Then, once it’s in place—fluff it again!

I knew a single garland would not be enough, so I bought enough to double-up the entire length of the banister.  (I ended-up using a total of twelve garlands for this banister.)  You’ll note I worked a rather deep “swag” in the garland.  Don’t wrap tightly around the hand-rail—first, it looks  chinsy and this stuff is relatively cheap; second, it allows spaces where your guests can grab the much needed rail!

Then I added lights—this way the tulle and ribbon will help soften the look.  (I used 600 lights.)

Nest I added the tulle—it’s actually closer to “netting.”

I chose the netting over tulle because it was more substantial next to my burlap ribbon.  I ended-up cutting it lengthwise—I started with eight yards.

Here you see the addition of burlap.

The burlap ornaments I shared in an earlier blog post—as promised I brought them home for myself!  LOVE them!

See!  Wonderful!

Then I added the blue ornaments in groups of three.

Lights off . . .

A lose-up of the favored burlap ornaments . . .

So next year, I might add some natural elements—pinecones, maybe  some magnolia pods and leaves. . . ooh, and some berries—white ones.  Actually, I may have to do that this year . . .

Any suggestions?  I’m open—just leave them here.

Thanks for your indulgence!