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....  

SCAD Alumni Tour of Homes

This is the promo piece for the SCAD Alumni Tour of Homes that I have been working on.  I hope everyone in the area can make and for those that can not I will be posting images afterwards for you to see.  My home will be on tour May 8.  Yikes!  

If you click on the image you will be able to read the copy or you can visit www.scadstyle.com  to read about the tour and all the very special events happening at the Savannah and SCAD Atlanta campus.  

boho magazine

I optimistically hit the news stand today and saw something I had never seen before. It was a new magazine (ok, it launched in August but it was new to me). Lately magazines have been folding left and right so it was a welcome sight. Boho Magazine is both beautiful and inspiring. The issue I purchased is their third so I plan to track down the first two soon. Their aesthetic fits the store perfectly so I am also going to figure out how to get them for the shop.

Their definition of a boho girl really hit home with me and I have no doubt it will hit home with many of you.

Boho Girl

Free. Radical. Independent. Her style is her own. It's personal, existential. Her only fear is convention. Her weakness, shoes. The bump on her nose adds character, the scar on her shoulder adds strength, the curl in her hair adds attitude. There is no such thing as imperfection, just originality. Unmovable, unshakable, unstoppable, she is America's next top role model. Someone both inspired and inspiring. She embraces her spirituality, aspires to her dreams, lives through her passions. She is a world changer. She is bohemian. She is a boho girl.

martha stewart weddings blog mention

Grace Bonney, of Design*Sponge was gracious enough to mention my shop in a recent post about her upcoming Savannah wedding.  She posted images of vintage bits and pieces she plans to include during her special day.  I look forward to seeing how she uses all the items she has selected.  

click here to read her post

more spring goodies have arrived

Hope you can hop on by, we have been unpacking loads of new things for the shop including these sweet felt bunnies.

they're back

I am happy to report we are no longer out of the All Out Of grocery lists. We also received voucher booklets for friends, coworkers, lovers and new parents as well as, new sticky notes, the pro/con pad and slang flashcards.  

welcome spring?

The weatherman is reporting that our temperatures will fall to the low 30s tonight. I know it sounds like balmy weather to anyone over the Mason Dixon line but we live in the south for a reason. WARMTH! Even though the temperatures are falling Savannah is preparing for the hoards of tourists that descend on the city in late February and continue coming through the summer. Spring merchandise is already arriving at the shop and we have been rearranging the store in the hopes that this season will prove better than the last. Here is a peek at some of the new products. (Please excuse the cheesy styling, the photos came from one of my vendors not me.)

say it isn't so

Just two-weeks after installing a new publisher in a last-ditch effort to save the magzaine, Conde Nast informed staffers Wednesday morning that the beloved shelter title Domino will fold.

Huffington Press Jan. 28,2009

my tiny greenhouse

Over the weekend my husband and son poured the footings for my new (old) greenhouse in the garden.  I found the roof in Statesboro, GA.  It is a recycled sky light from an old building so the dimensions are quite small but just enough for our little courtyard.  We needed a place to store garden tools and plants when it gets cold (yes, on occasion it gets that cold).  Our house is on tour in May and this is one of many little projects we are working on to get it spiffy in time.  

another one bites the dust

HC announced that their December issue was their last.  I hope this all ends soon.  It is getting really depressing.  

amazing

getty images ap

HELLO HANDSOME

photo courtesy of Essence Magazine

goodbye country home

After a long day buying for the store at the Atlanta Gift Show I was checking my emails when I read in the subject line of one "Country Home Folds." The email was from a fellow freelancer letting me know that Country Home magazine was closing it's doors after 30 years. It all came as a big surprise to me and the staff. I had just received my field editor's newsletter. I was gearing up for a new year of projects and house scouting. At first I was in shock. I had been a reader of this magazine for close to 20 years myself so as a fan I was devastated. As a friend and colleague of some many at Meredith Publishing I was heart broken. What would all these people do? There were 40 people laid off at Country Home and an additional 210 throughout Meredith Publishing. The publishing world has taken quite a hit during these slow economic times. Cottage Living folded last month and Country Living is being re-organized so I don't think we have seen the last of it.

And what of the void in my life? I had the good forturne to have projects published in Country Home and they photographed my home last year for a feature. I can only hope it will end up in another Meredith publication. I will hold on to the contacts I still have at in the hope that some work may come my way this year.

It is a sad day for those of us that were faithful followers of the magazine. I looked to it for constant inspiration and ideas for my home and shop. Matthew Mead, stylist supreme, was a source of delight for me in each issue. Maybe when all the dust settles and the economy makes a turn for the better we will see some new comers to the publishing world. I can only hope to see some familiar faces when it does.

serious business card envy

As I was getting caught up on recent posts on the Farm Chicks blog I was overcome with envy. A few photos down I noticed their unbelievably clever business cards.  As you can tell from the picture above, they are perforated and when assembled stand up like a vintage game piece.  YUM, YUM, YUM.  

to market, to market

Even though the financial forecast for 2009 does not look much better than the latter part of 2008, I am trying to be optimistic about the coming year. Catalogs and postcards for new product came flooding in to the store as the holidays were coming to a close. I reviewed each one with a discerning eye and wrote many notes. My goal? Focus on the products and categories that keep my customers coming in time after time. Stick to the origins of the shop - a mix of hand selected vintage goods and new products that compliment those vintage goods. It has been a winning combination for almost 9 years now so hopefully our special equation will set us apart from the big box stores.

With computer print outs, notes and wish lists in hand I am off to market later in the week to order items for spring and fall of this year. I expect our spring orders from the July market to start shipping in a couple of weeks so I am looking for any additional items that complete the overall look. Call me crazy, I am really looking forward to seeing the new Christmas goodies for 2009. You would think I would be over the whole season right about now, but if you know me well you know how much I love it. Wish me luck.

The bags above are part of our spring tote collection. They are our new feel-good, do-good totes. The manufacturer purchased 265,750 meals for hungry children in India through the United Nations World Food Program with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these bags. So if you make one a part of your life your contribution will be a part of the cycle.

Sale

We are having a 50% off sale on all our holiday decorations & 25% of our vintage ornaments. Hope you can stop by.

Savannah Magazine Feature

For my far away friends...here is the feature I did for Savannah Magazine. If you click on each page it will blow up really big and you can read the copy. I hope you all like it.

On News Stands Now

Last month I was approached by the style editor of Savannah Magazine about my collection of vintage Christmas decorations.  To my delight they wanted to do a feature about the way I decorate for the holidays and they wanted me to style it as well.  It came out today and I got the cover!  Quite an honor.  I hope you pick up your own copy when you see it on news stands.    

Holiday Open House

Your are invited to celebrate the season @home Thursday, 

December 11 at 6 o'clock.  If you are on our mailing list, check your mail boxes later this week for our postcard.  There is a special discount for those of you that bring in your postcard the night of the party.  We will be serving our popular punch, homemade goodies and yummies from Back in the Day Bakery.  

See you there.

chubby snowmen & women

I finally finished my Christmas windows and had planned to post some of my own pictures when I got an email from the talented photographer Juliet from Charleston.  She visited my shop last week and shared some pictures she had taken while here.  I was so pleased because I have the hardest time capturing good photos of the windows.  I guess that is why she is the pro. Visit her site www.julietelizabeth.com to see her work.  If you want to see the rest of the pictures she took of my shop visit www.julietelizabeth.blogspot.com 

I do

Halligan and Adam are gettin hitched.  Many of you remember Halli as one of my long time shop girls.  She broke my heart when she moved to Philly a little over a year ago to pursue a career and live near her long time bo, Adam.  I love all my girls so much it is hard to let them go and be grown ups. The news of Halli's engagement is so wonderful I wanted to share it with the world.  I am so honored that she has asked me to help her mother with some of the planning.  I got her inspiration board yesterday and it is going to be magical.  I think you can see from the picture this duo is quite creative.  

photos by Josh Goleman

Holiday Sampler

I know I promised lots pictures when I got my new mac-daddy camera but I had no idea how much I would have to learn before I actually got pictures loaded on the laptop.  So, here is the first batch of the store for the holidays.  More to come later in the week, including pictures of my super cute chubby snowmen I made for the store window display.  

40 something

Today is my 40th birthday. Where did the time go. I don't feel 40. But what exactly is 40 supposed to feel like? I have never really been rattled by birthdays. It is just a number after all. I feel older when my child has a birthday not me.

This one... comes with a little sentimentality. I am sad to be leaving my 30s. So many good things happened in the last ten years that I worry about the next 10 not being as exciting. In my 30s I graduated from college, bought & restored an old house, opened a store, got married, expanded the store, had a child, started a magazine career, expanded the store again, made some incredible friends and loved every bit of it.

When I was in high school I would watch the tv show Thirty Something and they all seemed so old to me. They had grown up problems: relationships, kids, businesses etc. It seemed so far off and definitely not "real." It couldn't be. I thought for sure that would never be me. Well it was (is) me. I totally relate to all they were going through. I on the other hand I look back in wonder at all that was accomplished in spite of the struggle. You are no longer young enough to be excused for silly mistakes and not old enough to appreciate that, in time, you could work through it.

So to all of you 20 and 30 somethings, enjoy...and to you 40 somethings here I come.

The Farm Chicks

I had the great pleasure of meeting 1/2 of The Farm Chicks franchise. Teri Edwards and her husband were visiting Savannah and popped in the store yesterday.  It was a real treat for me.  I have been a fan of the Farm Chicks for a while now and I certainly share their mantra:

Country Home loves Liz Koomler

I just got news that my friend and shop girl Liz Koomler was included in the Country Home website "Things we Love" section.  We were expecting to see it on the pages of the magazine this month but alas the editorial staff had other plans.  Either way it is a nice endorsement of Liz's talent.  

web feature

We were splashed all over Apartment Therapy D.C. today.  YIPPEE!

Check it out > Apartment Therapy D.C. 

Thank you Colleen.

back in business

Many of you may have noticed that my posts lately have not included any photos that I have taken. I managed to break my second little (but adequate) point and shoot camera a month ago. After a bunch of research and advice from fancy photographers I found the next generation camera for me. I wanted something more advanced than the old ones but not so advanced that I couldn't figure it out. The result...my new Canon G10.  So I will be experimenting around the store today and hopefully get some pictures up soon.  We rearranged the entire store 3 weeks ago and we have lots of new merchandise which means I have a lot to share.  

cupcakes for a cause

I saw a poster in the window of my friend's bakery, Back in the Day, advertising Cupcakes for a Cause.  The national event is scheduled for October 20-26.  Part of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the CancerCare for Kids program which provides free support services to children affected by cancer and their families.  

One of my dearest customers is battling thyroid cancer.  She has been shopping with her mother in my store since she was 5.  Her first purchase was a little wooden barn for her kitten. Her mother was trying to teach her the value of money so she paid me for it but told her daughter it was on layaway.  Every week she would come in with a payment.  I have never forgotten how sweet the entire experience was. It has been a joy watching that amazing little girl grow into a beautiful, creative and inspiring young lady.  I will be heading down to Back in the Day next week to support the cause.  

Visit www.cupcakesforacause.org site to find a participating bakery in your area.  

birthday adventures

I am going to attempt to make these little cupcake pops I saw on Martha a couple of months ago. It looks relatively simple and I think they will be cute favors for my son's 4th birthday party on Saturday. Stay tuned.

Apartment Therapy in Savannah

I just got news that Apartment Therapy is heading to Savannah.  I was so flattered to see my shop listed on the recommended must sees. Fingers crossed...I would love the publicity.