I feel like the next pieces of furniture I invest in are going to be more on the refined side. For a while now, I’ve been wanting to incorporate some traditional refined wood pieces into my home. I adore the contrast between modern, minimalist white and delicate, intricate antiques. This is sort of what I’m talking about:
I’m on the lookout for great deals (obviously), so this design plan may take some time…
I know, I know, we haven’t even reached Halloween, and I’m already talking about Christmas! I realize that this is too early for some of you, and honestly, it’s a touch too early for me, too.
But…
When it comes to Christmas/holiday/New Year’s cards, it’s a good idea to plan ahead. It takes time to choose, write, and address cards, so why not start early? Who’s with me? I’ve just placed my order through Minted (this seems to have become my new holiday tradition…and it’s a good one if you ask me!), and the collection this year is a good one.
This year, Minted artists seem to be offering quite a few watercolour-inspired designs in mint and pale pink. Traditional green and red cards are plentiful, too, as are beautiful golden ones. And, as always, there are several black and white designs that catch the attention of people like me.
Lettered Thanks by Dawn Jasper
Paperclip Snowflake by Hooray Creative
Modern Angles by Peony Papeterie
 If you’re looking to send out very personal cards, you may opt to turn your child’s drawing into a card or if you’d rather send online cards, Minted will offer this service soon as well. I’ve enjoyed watching this company expand its services, and its growing community of artists continues to impress me. I’m thrilled with my card selection this year, and I know you will be too if you head on over to Minted to place your order!
Thanks to Minted for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
My apologies for the lack of posts over the last few days. I didn’t mean to step away from my blog, but life has been hectic, and I couldn’t find even a minute to write. I have loads to share, but I’m not quite sure how quickly my news will come. My week is absolutely hectic (MBA life and work life are completely overwhelming this week!), but I’ll do my best to keep on writing!
Last week I had the pleasure of attending High Point Market in North Carolina. Oh man, was it ever interesting! I was only there for one day, so there was absolutely no way to see everything. That said, I had a fully productive High Point adventure, and I’m happy to share my recap with you.
I found High Point Market to be a very well-run operation. Getting to Market was completely effortless as was the parking and shuttle situation (side note: my TomTom came in handy once again and I discovered even more features that I like). After we parked our car in the free parking lot organized by the market, my sister and I hopped on the shuttle trolley which took us directly to the centre of Market. Effort-less.
I have quite a bit to share, but for this post, I’ll begin with what I discovered as I walked through the showrooms at the International Home Furnishings Center.
The furniture and accessories at Noir were cool, modern, and had a rock-n-roll vibe. Some of the accessories reminded me of Kelly Wearstler designs. I was smitten with the bookshelves and some of the side tables.
Selamat was chock-full of bamboo pieces, and the quality of the metal bamboo pieces really surprised me.
I wanted just about everything at Europe2You. As soon as I stepped in the showroom, I felt like I had traveled to France. The displays and styling were absolutely gorgeous, and the showroom staff was friendly. In this showroom, I was drawn to a lot of the art installations. I think the cameos (see photo below) are especially interesting and unique.
Speaking of all things French, Eloquence had a bed and a daybed that I adore! (and I realized only recently that I already featured the bed here). It was such a pretty and feminine space.
The acrylic pieces at B. Pila Design were unexpected, unusual, and definitely hip. They were unlike anything else I saw in my short time at the market.
Finally, Currey & Co. was full of so many beautiful items. Their selection of lighting fixtures was sort of overwhelming, but I was drawn to all the pieces that had shells on them. I think I need a beach house. As an added bonus, Currey & Co. generously offered food, so we were able to enjoy delicious bread pudding (among other things) while we were browsing the showroom goodies.
As you can observe, High Point Market includes items from across the design spectrum. Traditional, French, delicate, modern, rock and roll, refined, quirky…there was something for everyone!
To wrap-up today’s High Point post, I thought I’d share six trends that I spotted at High Point Market (regardless of the design focus). They are:
1. books without covers on them
2. navy
3. gold
4. shells (including oyster shells) on mirrors, furniture, lighting, etc.
5. bamboo
6. acrylic
Later this week (I hope!), I’ll share news about Visual Comfort & Co. and Jaipur, which ended up becoming my two favourite stops on my High Point tour.
Note: High Point Market takes place twice each year. The spring market is scheduled for April 16-20, 2016. Will you attend?
Photos by me.
While I admit that Halloween doesn’t top my favourite holiday list, I do like particular aspects of it. It’s common to see more wise ol’ owls in homes at this time of year, but their popularity definitely extends beyond October 31st.
Woodland owl by Jellycat, $22.50, Chapters Indigo
Watercolour owl pillow, $39.50, Chapters Indigo
owl notebook, $16, Minted
My Halloween (and fall decor for that matter) consists of a lone pumpkin by my front door. It’s simple, classic, and easy. This year, I’ve doubled up on my decor; I’ve added a boo-boo-boo garland to my door to welcome the trick-or-treaters. Wild, I know! I picked it up from Michaels for only a couple of dollars. I was actually impressed (and slightly overwhelmed) by the selection of Halloween decorations at the store. Everything was 50% when I was there last week, and if I really loved Halloween, I would have bought quite a bit. (I was sort of close to buying a skull cake pan mold…I thought it might look neat drenched in white icing.)
skull cameo stickers, $1.99 (on sale), Michaels
How do you decorate for Halloween?
