New in the Shop!

Finally, they're here! I ordered these gorgeous new rose canvas prints, tubs and frames 5 months ago. I just received them yesterday and couldn't wait to get them photographed and listed. You can find them HERE in my shop!

Home Accent Trends

While at the NY Gift Show this weekend, I picked up a Home Accents Today trade magazine and they had an article on What's In and What's Out. This list was based on retailers best and least selling items, polled in mid-December. Not all of you may follow trends in home decor, but there were some interesting things on the list, so I thought I'd share it here.

What's In:
Monograms,Mirrors-Venetian, etched or printed with graphics, Traditional prints in larger scales and bolder colors, Geometrics, Document-printed linen fabrics, Bohemian look (thought of you Debbie), Ikats, Over-the-top wallpaper patterns, The updated wingback chair, Cheeseboards, platters, bowls, Spectacular serving pieces, Natural edge cutting boards, Small tables with branch legs, Wooden twisted stools, Twisted wooden lamps, Metal serverware, Decorative bathroom rugs, Reversible Soumak rugs, Bigger lamps, interesting shades and bases, Window treatments, Art with interesting mats, Vintage look in large distressed wood or iron accessories, Walnut finishes, Leather, Mercury glass, Recycled glass, Animal prints, Owls (thought of you Roxie), Penguins, Monkeys, Buddhas, Scent diffusers, Soy and beeswax candles, Eames-era modern design, Old-fashioned board games, Rustic glamour, Mixing styles and periods, Modern nostalgia, Spare, simple design, punctuated with touches of luxury, The eclectic urban loft look, Living rooms as lounges, All shades of green, Black/white/gray/silver, Gray/charcoal/pewter paired with clear bright colors, Copper and bronze, Jewel tones, Rusty reds, tangerines, Pinks, violets, and lavenders, Nature themes, Permanent botanicals, Unique side tables, Antiques and found objects, Chinese antiques, Decorative down pillows, Velvets, linens, cottons, silk and bamboo fabrics, Anything eco- or environmentally-friendly, Charity, cause-related shopping, Made in the USA, made locally, Fair trade products, Handmade/Artisan items, Eco-friendly packaging, Salvaging, reclaiming, repurposing, recycled anything, Organic materials, natural fibers, Comfort, Useful, thoughtful gifting, Frugality, Value, Understated elegance, Customer appreciation.

What's out:
High maintenance furniture, High maintenance anything, Manufacturers without eco-friendly and ethically responsible practices, Luxury niche products, Unnecessary extravagance, Muddy earth tones, Shiny gold, Outdated product packaging, The Victorian Vintage look, Too many flowers in floral arrangements, Faux flowers, Case good painted with floral motifs, Resin accessories, Boring lamps, Boring lampshades, Super-traditional fabrics, Floral fabric prints, Small picture frames, Nautical and shell themes, Cheap imports, cheap imitations, Excessively large artwork, Excessive consumption, Country, Primitive, Shabby, Collectibles, Entire name imprints, Rooms saturated with mirrored furniture pieces, Deep cherry finishes, Matchy-matchy, Keeping up with the Joneses, Over-priced anything, Negativity.

Remember, this list does not reflect the views of Home Accents Today's editors. It reflects the views and experiences of their retail readers which cover a variety of different geographic areas, price point ranges, product styles and economic climates.

Love to hear your opinions on the above!

*EDITED TO ADD:
I received a comment from the editor of the Home Accents Today publication and she would love to hear more from you. If you would like to be on her list of retailers for next year's poll, just let her know. Here is what she had to say:

"Dawn, I'm so envious of your feedback! This is exactly what I'd hoped our readers would do once I posted the In-Out list on our website! I have to tell you that once we got to Atlanta, we saw a lot of new "Ins" that indicate we'll see more Victorian vintage, coastal themes and traditional styles in stores in a few months... If any of your readers would like to be added to the list of retailers polled for next January's In/Out list, please drop me an email with your contact info to: susan.dickenson@reedbusiness.com "
Thanks!
Susan Dickenson
Retail Editor, Home Accents Today

Tent Sale Tuesday

Great for organizing the office. I have one of these Hydrangea Wall Baskets left and it's just been placed under the TENT!

A Beautiful Life - Hooked on Tassels!

Melissa over at the Inspired Room is doing a great series of posts on living a Beautiful Life. Click on the link above or on my sidebar to hear all about it! This week's post is about feeling overwhelmed, and finding balance when your lacking the inspiration. My best therapy is painting. I find something to occupy my little one, turn on my painting music, (Enya, Il Divo, or Yanni). And I go to work. I go off into my own little world when I'm painting. Even if the house is upside down, it's all ok, because I painted something pretty! I recently started to get back into making tassels, hand painted ones too. And I'm hooked! Here are a few of my recent creations. Visit Hooked on Houses to see what everyone else is hooked on today!

Pink Friday "Romantic Roses"

Who doesn't love Roses and Romance?! This is a fun theme at Make Mine Pink's shopping event.

And there are lots of participating boutiques - Click Here to see what they are offering.

And Click Here for my Pink Friday page.

Tent Sale Tuesday!

I have only a couple of these Red and Gold planters left and have just place them on sale under the TENT!

Pink Friday - "In With the New"

“In With the New” With the the New Year well underway; many of our resolutions neatly tucked away. Were your plans to add a new color to brighten even the dullest of January days, or perhaps organizing your desk just to clear things away a bit? Was it resolve for time spent alone in thought with a fresh new tea and new decorating book, maybe candles to brighten even the darkest of winter evenings, or a special bubble bath for a relaxing spa night? Which ever way you celebrate “In with the New” the boutiques at Make Mine Pink are ready and able to help with a glimpse of new trends, colors and designs for a fresh start to your new year.

"Joyce Lucas, owner Make Mine Pink"

Please join the boutiques at Make Mine Pink Friday January 16th for shopping with a twist.

See my Pink Friday offerings Here!

New Creations ~ Coming Soon!

I was just looking at my site, which is looking kind of bare after the holidays. I have marked many things down to make room for lots of new designs this Spring. You can look for new canvas art I have been working on, new florals, and lots of new tassels. I am having so much fun with these. I made tassels many years ago and then stopped. But they definitely seem to be getting popular again. They are each like little works of art. So fun! My Treasury of Tassels is coming soon!

Tent Sale Tuesday!

These French-style Wire Floral cones have just been place under the TENT! Add some pretty spring flowers to these for a new floral focal point in your room.

"Making Way for the New"

We're so happy to be back in this wonderful new year and offering you the same PINK FRIDAY events at Make Mine Pink!

The year 2009 promises to be full of fun and exciting themes for your shopping pleasure. Won't you join us each Friday as Make Mine Pink presents Shopping with a Twist?

Don’t you just love the first week of January? All the holiday trimmings are stored away, the gifts are in use or proudly displayed, our houses are freshly cleaned and organized, and all the proper pillows are back on the sofa.

But wait—there is something, just a little something, nagging at us. Yes, time for a quick change here or there. Maybe new pillows will make that sofa more inviting, a new rug to give the room a quick pick-me-up, some different everyday dishes would perk up the kitchen, or the fresh sent of a new potpourri will welcome us home each day. Well, that is it... the wonder of the New Year—we see everything anew.

The Boutiques at Make Mine Pink are experiencing the same thing. We love everything we offer in our boutiques (our merchandise is gorgeous), but it is time for us to straighten up the shelves a bit, look at everything with new eyes, and refresh our stock. So, we are celebrating this Pink Friday with a special “Making Way for the New” shopping event. Don’t be fooled by our fabulous sales, this is not old, dusty, unwanted stock. It is our usual, beautiful and unique merchandise! We just need it to go to a new home so that we can stock our shelves with new and even more exciting merchandise for the new year.

Don’t miss this once a year event! Friday, January 9th at Make Mine Pink!

Click on the highlighted link above for the list of MMP boutiques.

Click HERE for my Pink Friday offerings.

Tent Sale Tuesday!

This set of 3 metal pots and tray have just been placed under the TENT! Think of your home office, craft studio or just filling with flowers and placing on your window sill.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Tent Sale Tuesday!

These just placed under the TENT! Making room for new Spring products!

A Year in Review 2008

Cindy at My Romantic Home is hosting a Year in Review party. Let's celebrate the end of 2008 with photos from this year's highlights. I really enjoyed going through all of my posts from the year and have put together a few mosaics of some of my favorites. Don't forget to visit Cindy's blog for more party goers posting their Year in Review!

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

Winter/Spring '08 - A bday cake I made for my daughter, Spring flowers, some new products, pretty storage, and May flower jar tutorial.Summer/Fall '08 - Beach pics, product photos, fall cooking and Make Mine Pink Retreat memories.
Christmas '08 - can't believe it's all over! All of that prep and work but it was fun.

Thanks for visiting - and don't forget to stop back at Cindy's for more!

Wishing you and your families a very Happy and Healthy 2009!

One More Christmas Post

I just wanted to share a few more Christmas "things" with you. One of my decorated trees. This one is in my living room/work studio. I decorate this one with lots of flowers, this year I used cream glittered hydrangeas. I also display all of my pretty ornaments in pastels, cream, white and gold and silver. I tried to get some closeups of my favorite sparkly Swarovski snowflake ornaments. They just weren't coming out very well. Each year, my husband gives me the newest ornament for the year. It's an annual trip he makes to the mall with my daughter to purchase them.

A cute little Christmas sign - a favorite gift from my mom.

Here is a great gift idea. I needed so many little gifts this year, for teachers, mail carriers, student teachers, dance teachers, secretaries, etc. These chocolate dipped peppermint sticks are so easy to make and pretty too! I dipped close to 300 of these this year and packaged them in pretty little tins wrapped in cello and ribbon. Chocolate and peppermint - a yummy combination! By the way, I ordered the candy sticks from Blair Candy in Pennsylvania. They have tons of great stuff!

After Christmas Sale!

Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays!

I would have done this sooner, but I was crazy enough to be out shopping all day! There were things to be returned at the mall and of course my daughter wanted to do this today. I think the mall was more crowded than before Christmas. The last place we hit was Fortunoff's Christmas store. It was a mad house and there was hardly anything left. We couldn't believe it. So I wanted to be a part of the markdown craze. Everything left under Christmas has been marked 30% off my already pretty reasonable prices, so check it out HERE.

Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and

Healthy New Year!

I appreciate all of my readers and the time they take to read and comment on my blog. See you in 2009!

Tent Sale Tuesday

Pretty purple berry rings just placed under the TENT!

Weekend in NYC

Last weekend, my husband and I spent some time in NYC. We went to his company Christmas party, spent the night at a nearby hotel and did some shopping the next day. We had to see "the tree" of course. So I put together some photo collages of pics I took while we were there.

This was a really cool tree in the hotel lobby.
The tree at Rockefeller. I was trying to find a link to the story behind this year's tree. Basically, it was a couple's (who are no longer alive) very first Christmas tree together. And the wife used to say that one day this tree would be in Rockefeller Center. I wish she were here to see it made it there!

Look at those crowds! And the pretty angels and huge snowflakes on the building.

A necessary visit to Anthropologie at Rockefeller Plaza. Love that store and their really cool displays. I could spend hours in there! But we didn't, we had too many other stops to make. We also spent some time in Bryant Park. There was a great Holiday Fair going on with some really cool and artistic vendors. I didn't get any pics, but they were all set up around the ice skating rink and another beautiful tree. We also walked past the windows on 5th Ave, really cool but another very crowded spot! Our weekend was a lot of fun but it went too fast. Before we knew it, it was time to pick up the kids. We make run back in after Christmas with the kids. We'll see if we have the energy!

Tent Sale Tuesday!

I have a couple more of these cute little stands left! Makes a great tablescape/buffet lift. Check out the Tent!

Pink Friday - Gift Wrap and Holiday Decorating Ideas

Christmas comes but once a year. Anticipation is part of the season. But to see the most gloriously wrapped gifts under the tree makes the anticipation nearly unbearable.
Wrapping the gift is where you get to have some real fun. Even plain paper can be so pretty when decorated with vintage ribbon bows and millinery flowers. A broken costume pin can add some sparkle. If you have pretty holiday fabrics, you can have your own unique source for wrapping gifts. A Vintage table runner can be a great wrap for a bottle of wine or sparkling apple cider. A hand-crafted gift tag personalized for the recipient shows your thoughtfulness. Add a personal touch here or there, it is an opportunity to express both yourself and how much the recipient means to you.
Join the Boutiques at Make Mine Pink this Friday, December 12, as we present some of our favorite gift wrapping ideas and hints because we believe opening a beautifully wrapped gift brings as much pleasure as the gift itself.

Happy Holidays!
The Girls at Make Mine Pink

Click Here for some of my past Gift Wrap Ideas.

Click Here for some of my Holiday Decorating Posts

Click Here for some more of the Make Mine Pink Holiday Gift Wrap ideas and Decorating!

Floral Cone Favors

I just wanted to share a pic of these floral cones I just finished. A customer just ordered them to give as party favors for a celebration of her baby's blessing. I wish I had taken a pic of them all together. They looked so pretty and festive all wrapped up. I used textured wallpaper to form the cone, filled them with berry roses and glittered cream hydrangeas. I added a piece of berry plaid ribbon to the bottom and embellished the cone with an old button and gold thread from grandma's collection. I love to include pieces from her collection in things that I create, especially for something like this, a beautiful little babie's celebration!

Tent Sale Tuesday!

It's time to move another item under the TENT. I really want to clean up inventory to make room for some new lines in the new year. So keep checking back for some great deals! This week it's a beautiful twiggy wreath that I've made. I only have one left.

Pink Friday - Last Minute Gifts

Do you need last minutes gifts? How can we help you?
The boutique owners at Make Mine Pink understand, because, you see, we are not only boutique owners, we are wives, mothers, daughters, and friends too. We know what it means to find the perfect gift for that special person. We too shop at last minute, at odd hours, or in our jammies—so ask! We are willing to help you find the perfect gift, wrap it, and send it on the way. It is our pleasure.

Happy Holidays!

The Girls at Make Mine Pink

Visit the boutiques HERE.

My special offer for today only: Free Gift Wrap on all orders placed today! I just love making packages pretty. Visit my website HERE.

Tent Sale Tuesday is Back!

It's been a while, but starting today I will add a new item to the Tent Sale category of my website every Tuesday. It means great sales for you and cleaning out inventory for me to make room for some new treasures to sell. Today I am putting these great floral arrangers under the tent. I thought I sold out of these over the summer, so I was happy to have found just a few more. They look like little toothbrush holders, but the little holes are for flower stems and make small bouquets look just perfect!

Holiday Open House Pics

Since I am not a black friday/Thanksgiving weekend shopper, I stay home and open my house to my local customers for holiday shopping. My entry, dining room and living room are filled with pretty things to buy. I have Christmas music playing, a candle burning, and coffee and goodies. I love this weekend because I get to play store. This time, my kids were all involved in the process, unpacking boxes, pricing and displaying. We all had fun working together and they were thrilled to receive some $$ for their hard work. Even my youngest helped hang the ornaments on the tree. Here are some pics of my displays and some new products too!

A table top tree in the dining room with burgandy hydrangeas and white feather birds.

A corner of the living room. The aqua oval frames are new and will be listed this week.

Another corner of the living room.

A pink and silver display.

Love this color combo of bronze, cream and aqua.

Some sweet little bird's nest ornaments I made this weekend.

I would also love to tell you about a new and exciting online Holiday Catalog created by

Make Mine Pink.

Click on the pic below!

And for more inspiring holiday home pics and ideas, visit Melissa's blog at The Inspired Room!

Christmas at Make Mine Pink - Pink Friday!

We are still going strong will Christmas listings at Make Mine Pink. So if you're like me, not choosing to fight the Black Friday crowds. Check out the boutiques' Pink Friday offerings here.

Today I have marked all larger Christmas wreaths and arrangements 10% Off! Check out my listings here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to wish all of my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving! I am looking forward to tomorrow, all I have to be thankful for, and the food, the family, and rest. I am not hosting Thanksgiving so it won't be a ton of work for me. I will be making the Mashed Turnips with Crispy Shallots, see HERE for recipe. And Pilgrim Hats for the kids, see the recipe HERE.

Photo from Family Fun

I am also thankful for the friends that have nominated me for the Marie Antoinette award, that I have taken forever to post. I am horrible at doing what I'm supposed to do with these awards, but appreciate it very much!

Thank you for the nominations from:

Janet - She makes such fun and beautifully creative pillows!

Georgia - Home of "Big Bottom Bags" and vintage linens.

Melissa - Owner of the beautiful new website the Casual Cameo.

Katie - What a beautiful selection of home decor and gifts!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It's Pink Friday Again!

Wow, this week really flew. I haven't posted since last Friday and it feels like yesterday. Come visit the participating shops at Make Mine Pink for their Christmas offerings for Pink Friday.

In honor of the event, I am giving away a Free Bottle Brush Wreath Ornament with each purchase from my site on Friday November 21st while supplies last. Browse my Pink Friday items here.

Christmas at Make Mine Pink

There's something so magical about the holidays. As you walk past a neighbor's home and catch a glimpse of a tree lit through their window, or the faint glow of a candle through the frosted glass, you can only imagine what lies beyond. Images from our own holidays are readily available to fill in the blanks. It's mysterious, it's magical, it's toasty warm fires and mulled cider. This month, the members of Make Mine Pink will share glimpses into their homes and shops with you. From favorite finds, to treasured recipes and special gift wrap how ideas, we'll have something for everyone. Please come join us each Friday as we open our hearts and homes to you.

Quoted by Joyce Lucas, Make Mine Pink

New Christmas Pretties!

I was busy this weekend creating, photographing and listing. Hope you like the new Christmas decor on my site. I am working on pieces in all colors. So if you like traditional burgandy and green, or cream and pink with lots of sparkle, there is something for everyone! I'm on a roll so check in often for the best selection.

It's also Show and Tell Monday at Make Mine Pink! Be sure to visit their blogs to see what they have been up to.