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.  

beautiful flowers

At a recent meeting with my web tutor I got a peek at a website he had been working on for my friend Gaye Drummond.  I met Gaye soon after her family moved from England to Savannah when her husband Allan became Chair of Illustration at SCAD.  Our first conversations were filled with a shared love of English delicacies and products (my mom is English too).  I liked her from the very start.  Over the years I have seen her amazing arrangements and installations at weddings, cocktail parties, businesses and local homes.  I am happy to share some images from her website with you but I hope you will visit and see for yourself how talented she is.  

bloomsbury loft

After a recent visit with Judith from Bloomsbury Loft I thought it would be nice to write a little post about her store. I know Judith because her daughter attends SCAD and she comes in several times a year when she is either dropping her daughter off or visiting her. Every time we see each other our conversations about the highs and lows of retail come easy. It is so nice to have such a great network of supportive friends doing the same thing as me all across the country. When you actually get to see them in person (versus email) it is a real treat. She and partners, Karla and Beth (whom I have never met but know I would love as well) call themselves "janes of all trades." What a great description. I think you can see from these images why they caught my eye. One day I am going to get back to Ohio and see everything in person.
photo credits Amy Parish

georgia aquarium

We just returned from a much needed visit with my sister and aunt in Atlanta.   My sister took our son to the zoo on Saturday and we all went to the Georgia Aquarium on Sunday.  We toured all of the exhibits and the traveling Titanic exhibition. By far my favorite event of the day was a behind the scenes tour of the aquarium that my very connected sister arranged.   We saw all sorts of sharks, manta rays, beluga whales etc.  from up above their tanks.  The aquarium staff member graciously answered all of our questions.   The entire operation is very impressive.  I recommend a visit, with or without children.  It is such a treat.  

refueled

My friend Cedric Smith stopped by the shop this morning and shared a recent discovery he made while blogging. An online magazine/blog called Refueled. It is all about country design with a modernized twist. For a long time I have called this style industrial country but I think their tag line captures the essence of the style - alternative country. Alternative because it incorporates many things that would have not been considered "country" by most country afficianados. It is far from mainstream and really interesting. One of my favorite books, Found Style, touched on this subject years ago but still remained fairly mainstream.

Look for the next issue of Refueled to come out in November.

hard hearted hanna

Oh no! I am off to buy hurricane supplies today. Things aren't looking too good for us. I hope it makes a turn toward the north and misses us entirely but I want to be prepared anyway. I found a handy list of recommended items to have on hand at wsav.com. As a Florida girl, I am sort of used to hurricanes but I must admit when I was little my mom always took care of the necessities while I packed important things like my stuffed animals and my favorite blanky. When you are little kid these things seemed so important. Taking that into consideration I have already asked my son what toys he wants to pack up if we have to evacuate. The list is still growing. So, between the toys, kitties, personal papers and necessities we might require a small moving truck just to tote all of it. Maybe we will just stay put.

oatland island adventure

Our weekend family adventure took us to Oatland Island Wildlife Center only ten minutes from downtown Savannah. The island plays host to animals both big and small; panthers, bobcats, bears, alligators, turtles, bison, deer, wolves, owls, hawks, eagles, etc. The nature trail is a long and winding path into the woods and over the wetlands with stops along the way that feature different animals in their habitats. It was the last official day of tropical storm Fay so it was a surprisingly breezy day. Translation: the mosquitos were not too bad (four bites instead of 50). If you go on a not so breezy day plan to bath yourself in repellent. We ended the day on the Wetlands Observation Pier with dipping dots, a strange ice cream like item developed by a scientist/ice cream aficionado. I was not a fan but my son devoured them in seconds.

music

I hate to admit some of my most recent musical discoveries have come in the form of TV commericals. In the last couple of months I discovered Joe Purdy(from the Kia commercial) and Noah and the Whale(from the Saturn commercial). I had been listening to Feist and Cold Play long before ipod used them in their ads. I am beginning to wonder if these ad people have really good taste in music or if they are sent the stuff by record companies.

Roll over them to get to their links. Happy listening.

miniature splendor

A long time customer and fellow creative shared these pictures of her modern doll house with me and I couln't resist passing them along.  I could move right in, couldn't you?

liz k

Exciting news.  Liz Koomler, stitch master and @home shop girl has added new goodies to her etsy.  It is just in the nick of time because she is going to be featured in Country Home magazine in the fall. I submitted images of her creations for an article and instead of being in that feature they photographed her work for another feature on new American craft.  I am so proud and excited to see her pieces in a magazine.  I am especially happy to know that Country Home saw what I saw in her work.