Clean and sleek or shabby chic?

My house is divided in many ways: politics, favorite sports teams, etc. We also stand on opposite sides of the line when it comes to decor. I'm a fan of rustic, shabby chic, weathered pieces that look like they have a story to tell. My husband prefers clean lines and 90 degree angles. We're learning to blend and bend our different tastes, but we both loved these new arrivals that just came into the store. Check out pictures below!

Spring Cleaning

Boutique Girl Ivana is also a student at SCAD. I love it when she brings her sketches into work with her. It gives me a new appreciation for the creative process that goes behind every single item of clothing. Her professor's notes are scrawled all over her designs (well, in a piece of wax paper so that the professor can correct the design without actually making a mark on it.) And when I first see Ivana's designs I am always simply blown away, and out of sheer defense of her I proclaim I can see nothing wrong and how dare her professor tell her anything differently and doesn't she understand that creativity is subjective?! And then I see the corrections and marvel at the difference the tiniest tweak here or there makes to the whole design.

Ivana is also in a merchandising class right now, so her job at Boutique suits her well, since she's often assigned projects involving displays and marketing. She had such an assignment last week. The store is in its hardest phase to display: the dreaded in-between-seasons: bulky winter stuff still puffs out between the lighter linens and silks of spring... a wool coat and a sundress sit side-by-side on the rack. (Side note: winter clearance begins NEXT WEEK!!) So she had her work cut out for her when she got an assignment to build a display portfolio. Here are a few of her pictures:

It's a mess!

"You can't take pictures now - it's a mess!" Linda told me when I pulled out my camera. My response: "Umm where?" Finders Keepers Furnishings looked as beautiful and inspiring as always, and I'd already eyed four or fives things I wanted to take home with me. I mean this girl KNOWS a mess - like last weekend when my husband helped me clean out my car, during which he unceremoniously unearthed a book called "Tips to Unclutter Your Home" from a pile of food wrappers, water bottles, a couple of jackets, a pair of rainboots, elastic cables, and moving blankets. Or my purse, which currently holds: my wallet, a smattering of wadded up receipts, a paint-can opener, a pack of bobby pins, a measuring tape, a camera charger, nine fun-sized starburst packs, and an empty box of gum. Linda relented - mostly because she was too busy rearranging ENORMOUS pieces of furniture in the lower level of the store to waste time arguing with a very stubborn me. I'll let you be the judge: do you see a mess? Because I sure don't!

COLOR

I'm always ready for fall and winter fashion to make its yearly debut. Of course here in Georgia patience is required as we wait through several rounds of temporary cool-downs before fall finally and permanently descends on our southern state (usually in time for Thanksgiving... although I do recall a Christmas morning in shorts some years back, but I digress.)

In the past I've only had one bone to pick with winter-wear: the unceremonious pallets of gray, black, navy, and other equally quiet neutrals. Don't get me wrong - neutral can be chic, interesting, and down-right daring. But sometimes I look back forlornly at the season before and reminisce about the jewel tones of spring and summer splendor. However, fashion trends from the past few turns of the calender seem to be with me on this colorful matter, and welcome with open, covered arms a bolder and brighter color pallet. Purples, pinks, (side note: I heard coral was the new "it" holiday color...) greens, teals, and more are just as much of a winter wardrobe staple as a khaki coat or a black pair of boots. Tis the season to decorate... yourself!

Color color everywhere

I'm always ready for fall and winter fashion to make its yearly debut. Of course here in Georgia patience is required as we wait through several rounds of temporary cool-downs before fall finally and permanently descends on our southern state (usually in time for Thanksgiving... although I do recall a Christmas morning in shorts some years back, but I digress.)

In the past I've only had one bone to pick with winter-wear: the unceremonious pallets of gray, black, navy, and other equally quiet neutrals. Don't get me wrong - neutral can be chic, interesting, and down-right daring. But sometimes I look back forlornly at the season before and reminisce about the jewel tones of spring and summer splendor. However, fashion trends from the past few turns of the calender seem to be with me on this colorful matter, and welcome with open, covered arms a bolder and brighter color pallet. Purples, pinks, (side note: I heard coral was the new "it" holiday color...) greens, teals, and more are just as much of a staple as a khaki coat or a black suit.

New Inventory = New Inspiration!

My favorite part of walking into Finders Keepers Furnishings are those first few steps. My eyes adjust from the bright sunlight to the soft track lighting and I have that "wow" moment as I take in a completely new scene - every single time. Turnover in our store is pretty fast, and even pieces that call us home for a little while longer than others get to take a turn in several new displays during their stay. So here's what I saw when I walked into the store this week: