A Little Inspiration

I opened my email this morning and found a blog post from one of my regulars that I follow.  The title was "What I Do When I Feel Like Giving Up".   How did he know how I was feeling today?  It never fails, when I am struggling with my creativity, I come across some article, post, something that puts it all back into perspective.

I just returned from an amazing trip to Spain for two weeks with my husband, I haven't been so inspired in years.  Learning about the history of that country and seeing some of the finest works of art in the world and eating the most delicious food.  Everyday I woke up in Spain I said to myself, "I can't wait to get back and share my experience with my friends!".  Well I'm back and as I sat in front of my computer Saturday, Sunday and Monday, I struggled to write a post about my time in Barcelona.  My pictures aren't good enough, everyone else probably already knows enough about Gaudi, they don't care what I think.  You've seen one door knocker you've seen them all.

I think my frown has been turned upside down after reading this article so I thought I would share with all of you.  If you are having writer's block or are looking for a spark of inspiration maybe this will help.

Click here to read "What I Do When I Feel Like Giving Up" written by James Clear and soon I will publish a post on the first part of my trip spent in Barcelona!

Have a wonderful, productive, creative week!!!!

Surrounded By Talent

Paige Albright Orientals located in Mountain Brook Village

As many of you know, if you follow me on social media, I spent two amazing days in Birmingham, Alabama at my friend's rug shop, Paige Albright Orientals.  Paige was gracious enough to host a trunk show for me and my jewelry as well as the artwork from the talented Gina Hurry.  I can safely say that Paige has one of the most reputable businesses in the United States.  Not only is she is a rug expert but also a talented interior designer too.  Post college we shared a duplex, she was on the left, and I was on the right, but we had a communal back porch that was THE gathering place for the entire cul-de-sac.  It was the 90's and all of the tenants referred to it as Melrose Place.  Her apartment, even then, was a curated dwelling filled with wonderful furniture and rugs and interesting collectibles, books, and art. 

A standing iron easel with a piece of Gina Hurry's art greets guests as they enter the shop.  The easel is designed by Chris Holt of Noah J. & Co. here in Atlanta.  You too can have one of these for your artwork, we have more in production as we speak.

I was overwhelmed by the show of support from so many of my friends from my home town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama as well as great friends from college.  My friend Buffy Calvert, featured above, now writes a fashion blog called The Style Gathering, which shows her great fashion sense and the photography of Jennifer Hagler Photography.

Gina Hurry's art created a beautiful backdrop for my jewelry.

After 48 hours of seeing friends, meeting new ones, eating great food and drinking lots of great wine, I headed back to Atlanta to a trunk show at Rumson Gifts and Home Furnishings.  Owner, Catherine McGahan was showcasing the work of Gigi Burris Millinery.  

Rumson Gifts and Home Furnishings is a very curated shop featuring unexpected items like Gigi Burris' hats and headbands and is currently the only place in Georgia where you can buy them.  Catherine is also currently representing artist, Hutton Snellings.  Be sure to read Catherine's blog to learn more about her business.

Cuff bracelets designed by Cary Calhoun.

I woke up on Sunday morning to see that my friend Cary had launched her new website, Cary Calhoun Designs.  Cary has been designing jewelry for years and is a household name here in Atlanta.  She is a true metalsmith who fabricates her jewelry by sawing, filing, soldering, sanding and polishing.  She also crafts pieces by creating wax models cast in sterling silver and bronze.  Please check out her new site filled with eye candy!!!!  I want one of the above cuffs.

It took me a week to recover from my whirlwind trip but it was worth every second.  I am so proud to call these talented people my friends.

Hutton Snellings Exhibit at Neiman Marcus Atlanta

Hutton Snellings had a showing of her art on Thursday night April 16th. Neiman Marcus was the venue that proved a great backdrop for the artists abstract art. If you are unfamiliar with Hutton's work, might I suggest you take a look. While her career is ascending quickly, you can still purchase one of her pieces for $5800, like my favorite, titled “Character” 54 x 54, and less. Hutton's pieces are substantial in size and content; she uses a soothing color palette, and her use of the brush leads the eye all over the canvas.

What I find most refreshing about the artist as I get to know her is that she is very humble about her work. She surrounds herself with family, she is one of eight children, and a group of loyal friends. Her manager, Catherine McGahan, of Rumson Gifts and Home Furnishings, has the same philosophy and has been crucial to Hutton's recent boost in her career.

I recently spoke with a couple who commissioned Hutton to paint a personal piece for their home, and they said the experience was enjoyable. She can convert to canvas, the client's vision.

Take a look at some of the photos from the event.

A painting from Snellings' "Instinct" series

"Character" also from the "Instinct" series

Snellings with her family

The artist with her sister

With friends

Snellings' Grandfather

Catherine McGahan, Snellings' manager

Attendees learn more about the pieces

Snellings with another work from the "Instinct" series

For more information about acquiring one of Snellings' pieces 

call Catherine McGahan at 404-441-3599.

To see more of her work visit:

huttonsnellings.com

Renovation of the Month

If you haven't seen the May issue of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles its not too late but I am going to give you a sneak peak.  Featured in this month's issue is the kitchen renovation completed by Ryan Duffey, of J Ryan Duffey Architect, Nancy Duffey of Scout For The Home Interiors and Cameron Thurman of Phoenix Millworks for a Brookhaven family.

 A view of the dining area in the kitchen/keeping room.  The iron doors were fabricated by Dave Quinlan, the walls throughout are stucco applied by Vali Lazar.

All wood in the kitchen is lime washed including the kitchen island with a marble top, the same marble was used for the counter tops.  The lime wash is from ROMA.

I was able to visit the project myself when it was completed and want to share some of the photos I took.  I am not a professional photographer so my images will look nothing like Lauren Rubenstein's in the above article.

A close up of the kitchen island.

A close up of the marble back splash and the stucco range hood.

The view looking from the kitchen to the dining and keeping room.

You can really see the texture of the stucco walls and ceiling.

View to kitchen from keeping room.  The arched opening leads to the wet bar and the living area.  Straight ahead behind the closed pocket doors is a spacious mudroom and ladies office.

Another view through the arched opening.  The use of iron windows and doors throughout provides plenty of natural light.

The living area off the kitchen/dining keeping room.

Wooden beams were added for interest, they were sourced from Willis Everett at Vintage Lumber in Gay, Georgia.

Detail of stucco and wooden beam.

The wet bar connects the living room and the dining room.

The builder on this project was Mike Hammersmith.

Stay tuned for the next installment where I talk more about the extensive work performed by Cameron Thurman of Phoenix Millworks.

Thanks for reading!!

"Pinterest is the new Google"

I came across an article on Social Media Examiner today that said "Pinterest is the new Google".  That got my attention!  My clients don't all use the same social media platforms, but I have encouraged adding Pinterest into the mix for years now because of the exposure.

This article was a recap of the recent "Social Media Marketing World" event, and the article goes on to say "more people are turning to Pinterest as their primary search engine, combining the power of search with visual content."  We all know plenty of people who turn to Pinterest, whether they have a Pinterest profile or not, for party planning ideas, etc.  Now a lot of businesses are using Pinterest because of its power.  In your free time, go to Pinterest and type anything in the search bar and see what you find.  You will probably be amazed.

Another very important point the author of this article made was about the longevity of a pin.  "What you pin today may turn up in a search a day, month, year or many years from now."  That is powerful!!

I can't help but agree with another piece of advice given in the article, "Be wary of using hashtags". I have been the hashtag police for a while now because of the widespread improper use of the hashtag.  According to MCNG Marketing, a Pinterest Marketing Agency, "Just because you put a hashtag in a pin’s description doesn’t automatically mean that it will show up in search results for that hashtag. Pinterest operates very different from Twitter."  Read more about using hashtags on Pinterest in their article, "Best Ways To Use Hashtags on Pinterest".

Get busy pinning!!!

To learn more about the important takeaways from the Social Media World event, read their article.  Click Here!