sf girl by bay

OMG...sf girl by bay just posted about Savannah and was gracious enough to include my store. YEAH!

www.sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com

www.vintagegeneral.com

So...we went ahead and launched the new website even though the shopping cart portion is not ready. Hopefully that will be coming shortly. Many thanks to my web guru Devin for all his hard work and patience (with me). We would like to know if any of you experience any glitches as you view the site. Enjoy. 

www.vintagegeneral.com

the madness begins

If you follow my blog you may have read a few months ago that I was putting together a tour of homes fundraiser for the SCAD Alumni Association. It is hard to believe but the tour takes place next weekend, May 8th and 9th. As a part of the event I have also agreed to have my home on the tour the first day. If you can imagine the work that goes into prepping your home for such an event you can then picture the turmoil my house and garden is currently in.

My husband tilled our back yard today in preparation for new sod (being delivered tomorrow), there are no cushions on my side chairs in the living room (they are at Satchel being slip covered), there are no windows or doors on my recently constructed greenhouse (they are in my husband's imagination, hopefully) and the list goes on. In fact the punch list for the house is 4 pages long. Most of it involves cleaning and propping but there is a good bit of hard labor too. I only have 2 days free from the shop until then so there will be many late nights ahead. Night time gardening is not out of the question either.

And did I mention that I am also planning a wedding for dear friend and former @home shop girl Halligan Norris? Yes, she is getting married the very weekend of the tour. My family likes to point out that I seem to commit to big stuff simultaneously. And just to keep things really interesting I submitted the wedding to a national magazine and they are coming to shoot it. Madness indeed! I thrive under pressure or so it seems.

What does all of this mean? Well the posts might get slim for a while unless I need to vent or share something monumental. 

Stay tuned.

SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival

For the first time since I graduated from SCAD in 1998 I had the Saturday of the SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival off from the store.  How appropriate since this was such a big anniversary for the college. It was beautiful sunny and warm day.  We strolled through the park looking at the squares where students and alumni were drawing in chalk before the judging took place.  My son enjoyed some of the games they provided, we got a bite to eat in the shade, met up with friends and then headed home to gather our things for the movie in the park last night. 

The Sidewalk Arts Festival draws a large crowd and this year was no different.  My favorite part was a Cirque de Soleil like parade of people dressed in white puffy costumes prancing through the park. I was told that this group had a similar performance at the SCAD Lacoste campus. The SCAD 30th Years bean bag toss game was very clever too and my husband and son managed to spin several of the dots in between throwing bean bags at each other. 

d*s wedding

The lovely Grace Bonney is getting married today in Savannah.  I have had so many people ask me about Grace and the wedding that I have started to worry about random curiosity seekers. I hope that everyone is respectful and lets them enjoy their day alone with their family and friends. Grace is one of those really special people that is oblivious to her rock star status among design junkies. So I think it would surprise her to know all the wedding buzz out there. Fans of Grace & Design Sponge will be rewarded when their wedding appears on the pages of Martha Stewart Weddings so please avoid the temptation to hunt them down to see for yourself. 

Congratulations Grace and AC. 

 

SCAD

The Savannah College of Art and Design is celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year. Throughout the year, the college is showcasing people that have been impacted by the college in some way.  As an alum of the college and now business and community member I see the tremendous contribution the college has made in my life and in Savannah.  

Another honor was bestowed upon me yesterday.  I was given a 2009 SCAD Alumni of the Year Excellence in Service award for my work on the Alumni Executive Board and my contribution to fundraising events for the Alumni Scholarship, including the upcoming SCAD Alumni Tour of Homes May 8th and 9th.  

gardening

Spring brings many things to Savannah.  The city is alive with tourists and tour goers.  One of my favorite events in the Spring is the Savannah Garden Exposition.  In years past (7 years to be exact) I help plan the expo and I was also an exhibitor.  This year I decided to take a break. I was just an attendee and workshop participant. Because of my involvement I never really had the time to take it all in like a normal citizen.  It was really nice to leisurely roam around and look at the open air market, the exhibition gardens, the window boxes and container gardens.  

I attended a lecture and workshop with writer and horticulturalist Tovah Martin.  She was promoting her most recent book The New Terrarium.  I had emailed Tovah prior to the event with the hope that she would have time to visit my shop.  To my surprise and delight she found time in her schedule to stop by on Thursday.  I was so excited to meet Tovah in person and have one on one time with her. The lecture and workshop Friday was informative, funny and inspiring. I have been planting terrariums for many years, I even sold them in the store from time to time. I think it is always good to brush up on your skill set and get a different take on an old tradition.  It was also interesting to hear the origins and history of the process.  What I loved most was the variety of plants she suggested we experiment with.  I had always assumed you should use tropical, shade loving varieties. That is not the case.  I took lots mental notes and purchased a signed copy of her book for reference. If you live in a cold climate like Tovah terrariums are a nice way to introduce greenery into your home all year long. 

I would also like to mention a vendor that had really cool things. Farmhouse 1807. I had read about this couple in one of my old Country Living magazines but didn't realize it until we started to talk about shows. I was digging around in their booth and discovered a fantastic wire display piece from an old store. I envisioned it all planted up with flowers or filled with stationery in the store.  It is in my mobile storage unit (my truck) until I make a decision to keep it or sell it. 

yummy new rack cards

Thanks Meghan. 

where does the time go

Today is my store's ninth anniversary.  Thank you to my family, friends, staff (past and present) and loyal customers for sharing them with me.  

new cuteness

We have cute new business cards thanks to @home shop girl & aspiring SCAD Graphic Design student, Meghan Stein.  Look for our new rack cards coming soon.  

hope

Just when I thought all hope of ever having another feature published in a major magazine had been dashed forever, I got the amazing news that not one but two features I submitted last week are being picked up. Yeah!  One is a lovely house here in town and the other is Halligan and Adam's wedding in May.  I am keeping the details to myself until it is all set in stone.  I also spent the day with two photographers and their marketing person scouting locations for three produced wedding features for their portfolio.  I don't want to get ahead of myself but it sounds like my freelance career is starting up again.  Now if things could just pick up a little more at the shop....