Adventures at The Atlanta Market

Friday started bright and early at 6:00 a.m., when we left Birmingham and headed to the Market in Atlanta. I was really tagging along with Lynn and Jane, who were looking for new things for their monogram business. I decided to get registered too with my new business and I had to take a pic of my badge showing me as a Buyer for The Restyled Room. I doubt I'll go over there a lot, since Market is mostly for stores stocking their floors and many of the wholesalers require a minimim order to get started, but it sure was fun looking around at all the new and exciting things in design. It's nice to know that I can go back anytime I'd like now and who knows, when things get busier for me, I may try to do some buying there. The only thing I brought home this time was a lucky sample find of a University of Alabama metal trashcan that made my hubby oh so happy.

It's been at least 10 years since I've been to the Market. My Aunt Mary used to have a dress shop in Florida and she'd come up here at least once a year to the Market and buy clothes for her shop. Me, my sister, and my cousin would tag along and check things out, so it was a lot of fun to go in there and see the magnitude of it all. Everything from furniture, accessories, rugs, art, fine jewelry, costume jewelry, sports stuff, and of course clothes...it's all at the Market. I had only been to the Gift mart one time, so it was fun for me to take all of that in again. Oh, and I met a fun HGTV celebrity and got my picture taken with him, which I'll show you later. That was a hoot!
So, we walked and walked and walked, looking at booth after booth of fun things. Imagine 3 buildings with at least 12 floors each. That's how much there is to take in. It's impossible to look at everything in two or three days, much less one, but we sure tried. They were looking for some particular vendors who carry linens, towels, kid's clothes, etc. for stocking their business and of course, I wanted to hit the furniture, accessories and decorating area. Here are a few pics that I took at some furniture booths that we went by.

Isn't this distressed green hutch pretty? Love the color.
And this red one with cherries, I can see being right at home in several cottage homes I can think of.
Pretty pottery.
Picture frames
A garden vignette in one of the windows.

There's an International section with importers from around the world. This was a booth of fine Italian leather goods from Florence, Italy. Yummy, yummy!
And Jane and Lynn stopped to talk to a nice Italian young man who was manning a booth of fine Italian linens. Those Italians know how to make some exquisite things. I had to tell him how much I love Italy. Bellisimo!
Unfortunately, the price points were too much for them, since they are just getting started in their business. This is Lynn chatting with the guy.
Mary Carol Garrity was represented at the Market and I found a really nice display all set up with her beautiful things. I had not seen much of it in person before and would love to see Nell Hill's store one day, so this was the next best thing. They wouldn't let me take pics in the booth space, but this is a window display I passed. Gorgeous!
Fine linens and silverware.

And it's time to order for Christmas, so there were tons of Christmas displays around. Yikes, I don't even want to think about Christmas right now! They stopped in some kid's booths and looked around.
And checked out these bags for monogramming.
This booth had kid's furniture so very prettily displayed. I hung out with them until lunch, then they went on to look at more things for their business and I hit the building with all the fun decorative accessories. Oh, was that a fun 2 hours!
I adored this black and white booth with some beautiful things in there. Love this bench, as well as the fabric and those mirrored chests were stunning.

As was this ginormous clock! It was huge and I loved it.
This white table and chairs was really pretty too.
This seashell artwork caught my eye. I saw lots of this I would have loved to bring home. Maybe next time.
One of my favorite places to shop, House Parts, had a very pretty booth display.
And this booth had all sorts of lamps and chandeliers displayed so nicely. Loved the bunny lamp.

So, back to the HGTV celebrity. Do you recognize him? After I went and looked at all the design things I could take in and my legs were about to collapse, I was waiting to meet up with my friends and I looked up and right in front of me was Sparkle Josh from last season's HGTV Design Star. He was getting in line for something to drink, so being the shy person I am, I went over and asked him if I could take a picture. He was very gracious, was happy to oblige and asked me if I'd like to be in it too, so of course, I said yeah! His friend took our pic and it was such a hoot running into him. He was there from Nashville with some of his designer friends shopping at the Market. I asked him what he was doing since the show and he said he's still working with HGTV and has something coming out in August, so stay tuned for more from Sparkle Josh. I love watching that show and have kept up with this season's cast too. It's filled with drama and excitement, so give it a try if you haven't seen it (Sunday nights). There's no way on God's green earth, I'd subject myself to that show. Way too much pressure for me!

OK, so back to the design building. These lampshades were very cool.
As well as these dog pillows. I think there's a dog for every dog lover out there. Needlepoints and they were done so well.
This monogrammed bed caught my eye.
And I loved this garden display.

Christmas, anyone?
Take a look at this gorgeous bed, with the monogrammed headboard, black and white linens and the yummy aqua wall behind it. Gaaaawgus! I was drooling.
More monogrammed pillows on this sumptious bed.
I absolutely fell in love with this zebra black/cream bench. Now I could kick myself for not getting a brochure from this company. I don't even know who makes it. It would look so great in my den under my botanical pics, as extra seating. I may have to make a point to go back and check this out again and save my pennies. I'd have to see if they'd let me order just one.

So, after a full day of shopping, walking, eating, shopping, walking and more walking, it was time to go home. Pittypat's Porch is an Atlanta landmark and one place I have never eaten in Atlanta. We parked right next to it in a parking garage, so I snapped a couple of pics of the entrance.
It's been around as long as I can remember. Has anyone ever eaten there? After all that shopping and walking, we worked up an appetite and decided to hit another great Atlanta landmark.....
The Varsity! Now, this place I love. I've been going here since I was a kid. You ain't had nothin' til you've had onion rings and a frosted orange from the Varsity. I know they are known for their chili dogs, but I don't ever get those or the hamburgers.
The world famous counter at The Varsity...whattayahave, whattayahave?? They really do yell that out all the time.
I got my usual of a chicken salad sandwich on toasted wheat, onion rings, a frosted orange (which is like an orange milkshake), and finished it off with a peach pie for dessert. I have been eating this combo for years. I got my allotment of grease for at least a month, but I'm tellin' ya'll, this is some good food. Lots of people won't go in the Varsity, because of the grease factor, but I love this stuff! Good eatin'...really. It's a treat and no, you definitely couldn't eat this every day! Even though those Georgia Tech boys might give it a try, since it's so close to campus. We enjoyed our food in the car and headed back to the Magic City where I plopped into bed and got the best sleep I've had in ages. Hope you enjoyed our trip to The Market!

It's Sunday and I have an exiting week ahead of me. I'm heading down to Florida with my designer friend for 3 days and we are going to be working on a beachhouse in Watercolor (near Seaside). What a fun gig that is gonna be! I'm very excited and hope to take some pics to share when I get back. And I have a consultation next week with a new client of my own, so things are really starting to hop for me. Of course, I'll be sure to share it with all of you as I'm starting to do what I've always dreamed of doing, decorating and creating! I've got a post ready to go while I'm gone and I'll come back probably tired, but charged up and ready to share.

Enjoy your week!

Design Show Alert: Mail Order Makeover

Host Stephanie Dunne: Mail Order Makeover

There's a new show that I've just discovered recently on the Fine Living Network, called Mail Order Makeover. Have you heard about it? I have no idea how long it's been on, but I love this show! Reminds me of some of the good old shows from HGTV, which sadly are now missing in action. The rooms are done very nicely and there's none of this throw it together with painted plywood and see how cheap we can make it look. It's just good, down to earth design sense.

Here's the format of the show direct from Fine Living's website:

Coming up with the right combination of furniture and accessories to satisfy the homeowners can be very difficult, and these designers are put to the test. Each designer orders their favorite furniture and accessories from mail order catalogs. When the items are delivered, the designers take turns furnishing the room in a way that they hope will satisfy the homeowner's needs and desires.

The designer whose furnishings please the homeowner's the most walks away with the satisfaction of a job well done. The real winners are the homeowners, who get to keep the furniture and accessories of the room design they like best! Watch the transformation on FINE LIVING's Mail Order Makeover!

If you get this network, you have to check out this show. I have thoroughly enjoyed every episode I've watched. They use 2 different designers for each show and they have a ball ordering from all sorts of catalog companies and the internet, stores like Ballards, Home Decorators, Wisteria, Grandin Road, Horchow, and many more. Both designers come up with unique looks for the room and sometimes it's really hard to decide which one to keep. The husband and wife have to make a quick decision on which one it will be. They don't give the dollars spent and that would be fun to know.

Fun show! Give it a whirl if you get a chance to catch it. I've been recording the eipsodes, so I can watch them at my leisure.

So, I don't think many of you will be trying the home hair color method, but thought you'd enjoy that book if you get a chance to browse through it.

Design in Alabama: Alabama Chanin

Always up for learning new things, our local Birmingham paper sometimes has very interesting articles and this one caught my attention one recent Saturday. It's about Florence, Alabama native Natalie Chanin's company, Alabama Chanin. I had never heard of this company or Natalie, but found the article extremely enlightening on what is going on right here in Alabama with regards to design. She even has a blog called Alabama Studio Style!

From the paper, "Natalie Chanin didn't set out to be a trailblazer. The laid-back, internationally known Florence designer is considered a pioneer in the "slow" design movement, which emphasizes quality and social and ecological responsibility over speed and low cost."

That was a new one on me, "slow" design, but apparently it's all about hand-made, fair-trade practices and is an off-shoot of the "slow movement" which began in the 1980's. She's an increasingly popular speaker on the slow design lecture circuit, including upcoming events at Florida State University and the NC State University College of Design. Somewhere along the way, she realized that traditions, such as hand-sewing and quilting, using recycled and organic fabrics are good for communities and good for the planet. Last year, when her partners decided to shift production to India, she re-invented her company as Alabama Chanin, so she could continue to support jobs in her community and stay true to her ideals, she says.

She's expanded her line to include jewelry, fabrics and home furnishings, which she creates in collaboration with another native AL artist, Butch Anthony. An old farm chair (above), is upholstered with cast-off neckties and an aged chandelier is re-invented with cow bones and sticks from river beds. Her latest book Alabama Stitch Book, is for people who want to wear her clothes, which retail for $300 to $11,000, but can't afford them. The book includes step-by-step instructions, including a stencil and reusable patterns, for T-shirts, skirts & corsets sold in chic shops around the world. Her clothing is made from recycled or organic cotton. Chanin started her Project Alabama line, made by Muscle Shoals-area artisans about seven years ago. Her signature look is a double-layered garment, made from recycled T-shirts or organic cotton, featuring cut-outs outlined with exaggerated quilting stitches. You can see some of these on the website.

Says Chanin, "Everybody in the world is outsourcing, so yes, we're like salmon swimming upstream, bless our hearts."

Spoken like a true Southern woman. Hope you found all of these ideas from Ms. Chanin as interesting as I did. I thought it was very refreshing, as outsourcing continues to be a common, but detrimental practice in our country.

I'll be home soon and have LOTS of pics to download! Hope you enjoyed this post about design in Alabama. It's been a fun-filled week, in spite of being by myself most of the time during the day, I managed to keep pretty busy and have some really great things to share with you next week. The first half of the Jazz concert was fantastic Friday night and we can't wait until Saturday for the rest of it, but the morning calls for some beach time. I've taken so many pics that I'm going to post every day next week and share something different about my Florida trip, so come back on Monday for the first topic!