I Love Follow-Ups!!

Remember the cute little cabinet makeover that I featured here on the blog and in the Artifacts Monthly Email Newsletter??? Wellllllllllll, here it is in the customer's home!
It looks terrific with a bold orchid on top and pretty botles and decanters inside. I think she has achieved a masterstroke of style by combining all of these slightly modern black/white/silver furniture pieces in a setting that is very traditional (wide-plank, dark hardwood floors, crisp white molding, and khaki-tone paint.)

These chairs are a nice solution for someone who wants that modern edge of black/white without going for the zebra print. It's the same chair frame, but even though it is bold, this graphic fabric still has a more traditional feel to it. LOVE IT!

This homeowner also selected a great little accent chest in apothecary style (I think that just means a lot of drawers! HA!) which worked great in a little off-set niche in her home. She has kept the mix of modern/traditional going by topping this piece with its strong graphic lines with traditional bottles and vases. Super work.

And now.... on to the bedroom! :) As soon as we get that sorted out, more photos!

As I said this morning....

... on Facebook, I spent the first half of the day cleaning, sweeping, rearranging and filling up holes left from things that sold earlier in the week. (And thankfully, I'm going to have more of that to do after today! YIPPPEEE!)



This is one of the last-minute things I did just before we left the store for the evening -- all black & white decor in the front window. I had grabbed it to move up there and was also going to put the last zebra chair back with it. BUT, the zebra chair had other ideas and left headed to Starkville (by way of Pontotoc) with one of its legs hanging out the window of an SUV!! We can fit practically anything in a car, I promise! HA!



Anyway, the zebra chair didn't make the front window, but these pretty black & white items did. What do you think??

Black stacking baskets on the left, a vintage milk glass "open lace" candy dish, a white ceramic tray, lamps with funky silver base and black/white flocked shades and silver candleholders. Would be sharp in a red or green room, I think. One of my customers has a black/white/lime kitchen that she has shared with me and it is gorgeous! I can also see these same accessories being cool and modern in a turquoise/blue-gray room. Let me know what you think. Everyone who posts a comment here on the blog will have a chance to win something!!

UPDATE July 24, 2009: And the winner is.............. (everyone who commented on this post, I wrote your name on slip of paper & drew for the winner......) TYMPEL!

Congrats! In honor of this black/white theme we had going here, Tympel wins a pretty milk glass bird figurine so she can go off & start her own black/white themed room!! You can pick it up any time, Tympel!! :)

Big Impact Pieces

A giant flat screen tv ... a huge tv armoire in the den... an armoire in the bedroom....

With some of the overscale furniture in our homes today, groups of small objects as accessories can just look cluttered & lost. I have a hard time overcoming this tendency myself, but sometimes one BIG piece makes more of a statement than many small ones.

These huge charger plates in stands (whether they are metal, ceramic, or glass) with maybe one other large scale accessory (a pot, a candleholder, or tray) may be all you need to beautifully accessorize that large piece.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, Sawmill Festival :)

I love Sawmill Festival Weekend. Why? Because I never have time to set foot on the square! It's always a super busy weekend for us and we also celebrate our anniversary during Sawmill weekend. We try to have plenty of new offerings in during this weekend and a two loads of furniture and home decor were due to arrive last week. Everything except one load of the furniture made it in time for the busy weekend, and it's a good thing it did because thanks to you, our customers, things really were flying out the door!

Check out the web page -- the furniture, home decor, and lighting pages have all been updated with new pieces that have arrived. Also check out the Sale page because our 4th Annivesary Sale Tags will stay up until the end of the month on any remaining items.

Congratulations to our doorprize winners -- Haley N. of Bruce for the $40 gift certificate, Debria P. of Calhoun City won the large clock, Jennifer R. of Bruce won the ceramic vase, and Ann H. of Springfield, IL (see why we love the Sawmill Festival -- you never know who will walk in!!) won the sugar mold.

THANKS everyone for keeping us hopping this weekend -- we're replenishing in order to be ready for your next onslaught! :)

Before & After

I am so glad I took time to photograph this curio before and after its transformation. It is now at home in the new condo of a customer and blends perfectly with her Hollywood Glam taste in decorating. She loved the look of it originally, but said the brown/gold tones would not work with the black/white/silver look in her living room.

Soooooo... I suggested I could paint over the gold swirly designs with silver and have a round mirror cut for the top (which is a removable tray) and for inside the cabinet. I also knew she had been lusting after some mirrored furniture from earlier conversations!

Here are the before/after shots and I'm waiting on one of it in her condo which I will add to the customer photos page of the website soon.





I put the crystal on it to show you how beautifully reflective the piece is now. I can't wait to see how the homeowner uses it with the graphic black and white chairs she purchased for her living room.

Note: I shared this "before and after" for this cute curio in my July Newsletter last week, but thought I'd add this story to the blog in case you don't subscribe (You can do that and make sure you get future newsletters containing decorating tips, bridal and gift registry information, and monthly recipes by going to this link: Artifacts Newsletter)