TrunkRIFIC

Recently found this in Country Living! How much do you love it! I mean really! How simple can it be! It simply goes back to the idea of putting anything in mass, makes them special!

I have one vintage old trunk....now I only have to find 10 more@!!!!

Old's the New Again

With our recent trip to market I couldn't help but be caught by this combination of "updated traditionalism fabulousness"! Now that's a mouth full! Seen here in this vignette is a company called Global Views, and to be honest with you, this company hands down gets it 100% right every year! Although, you won't find a single piece in our store. The true problem is price point, those incredible lamps (which were OMG huge) would have had to retail at over $1000. I love them, but not that that much. But it is without a doubt the coolest place to go to get inspired and to dream. This is one of the places where we go to drool!

But as with anything in the market, in 6 months, you'll see cheaper alternatives to these out there, and that's just fine with us! I mean, I understand that quality comes with a price tag, but there's a huge window of options out there in quality, and these are the top line Mercedes, when I would like the Honda, lol.

I can't help but love this setting. There's not a thing in this vignette that isn't updated. Now this is a little more formal than my taste, but it is fabu! I love the oversized scale to everything. The buffet came up almost to my chest (I'm 6'3) so you can only imagine the size of the lamps! What I also love is the nod between the buffet and the mirror, don't miss the silver ring showing up in both. The mirror reminds me of a pocket watch. TO DIE FOR.

I wanted to show this because I thought that it was a great example of taking old and redefining it to be new. There are still details of it that make it timeless and classic, but then the lines and finishes update it. While you may not be able to use all of this in your home. Be open to updating certain items. For when you mix these new with true old traditional pieces, it creates a whole new story.

Clean Hands and a Clean Conscience

So every buyers' dream at market is to find something that is truly incredible and something they've never seen before to offer their loyal following. Well guys...this year at market we hit the jackpot several times! Probably our most favorite thing we found was FURTHER Soap and Lotion.

Not only is it an incredible value, but it looks incredible, smells incredible, and has an incredible story! A triple threat of the giftware industry if you will!



The birth of these incredible items came from when Marshall and Megan (Pasadena, CA) decided to change their driving habits! Marshall decided to convert his car to run on used vegetable oil from surrounding restaurants. Over time he had acquired quite a bit of glycerin (its the byproduct of using this oil). His wife being somewhat of a "crafty cathy", knew that they could take this left over glycerin and create soap. When they added the perfect combination of scents, they got BINGO! It's incredible!

Here's what the back side of the labels says:

This product is derived from locally sourced depleted vegetable oil, refined and artfully converted into exceptional hand soap for clean hands and a clean conscience.

Our biofuel distillation process drives our vehicles, and the pure glycerin byproduct drives FURTHER. Essential oils of bergamot, olive and grasses are combined to create a products that is at once fresh, sustainable, and pleasingly aromatic. We hope you enjoy using FURTHER as much as we enjoy making it. Wash Responsibly.

We have FURTHER Soap, Lotion, and Candles. Make sure you see them on your next visit! I know what I'm getting myself for my birthday! :) Now I can wash responsibly! I wonder if I can use it wash out my mouth?

Smell My Finger!

You know those moments where someone walks in on a conversation and hears or sees something that out of context makes absolutely no sense or is obsene? Well that happened to me the other day in the store.


You see....I had just washed my hands with one of our new soaps that we just got in store . Upon exiting the restroom, I started a conversation with someone about how wonderful this soap smelled! Right about the time of I said "here, smell my finger".....another customer came around the corner. Ironically she was the embarrased one, not me, lol.



The soaps just smell so good! I have to admit that I think we hit the jackpot with great gift soaps! We just got in some hand made soaps from Moss Hill (pictured above). These soaps are made in Louisville, and we're the only place to get them in Lexington! We are featuring the Bourbon scented items right now! Now don't let the name fool you. You won't smell like Johnny or Maker's if you touch it! It also smells NOTHING like the bourbon candle we carry. It's something in it's own right, just incredible! You must smell it on your next visit.

It has this clean musk scent that is just divine. Before we actually thought about carrying it, Stuart had picked up a bar of it in Louisville, and we had it in the bathroom here at the store. Everyone who used it wanted to purchase it. Well, "mama didn't raise no fool" and the rest is history!


The next time you visit, you simply must smell it! An incredible Kentucky made product for a perfect gift! We currently have bars of soap, lotion, linen spray, and candle tins!


And please remember, if I happen to ask you to smell my finger the next time your in.....I'm not being crude! :)

We're Moving!

That's right! We've been looking for a new space for a while now, well way into the last part of last year, but had given up. It was amazing how many spaces were available, but the rent was still ridiculously high! So truthfully we had given up. But as we know...things are meant to happen, they just happen! Our new space is literally 116 feet from our current front door! We are taking over the front building of Cowgirl's Attic at 1535 Delaware! Same side of the street! It's going to over double the size of our store! PLUS...we have more vertical space...which you know what that means....YES....GO BIGGER OR GO HOME! The three of us are very excited! We are going to continue to stay open at our current location through the end of the February! And plan on opening March 1 or somewhere around there, more info will come your way for sure! We have a lot going on in the next bit including, our year anniversary, opening the new store, as well as the Spring Open House, all of which you will get more information for! For the best way to stay up to date, friend us on Facebook or join our email list(there's a button back on our website) READY SET HERE WE GO!

I ams what I ams

It's finally time that I can announce that I am Kentucky Monthly's new home design blogger! It's called "Homegrown Design". This has been in the works for sometime, but is finally going! I am so excited about all of the new adventures that are coming our way! It seems everytime I turn around there's a new something going on! It's never boring, I can tell you that!


The first introduction blog has only been up for like a couple of hours and I've already gotten questions of how we came up with the name "Homegrown Design." Well the truth is, when I met with Amanda (KY Monthly's Creative Director) about this, she was asking me about myself, and the phrase "homegrown" just came out. I am without a doubt my father's son (if you only knew), my mother's son (emotional at the drop of a hat), and my grandparents grandson! I see them in every part of me! With that said, I also believe that I am a product of my surrounding, not only how I was raised, but by the community, and ultimately the area that I lived in then and now where I live now currently. With more discussion I also realized that this was also how I viewed design. Where you live (your home), is ultimately reflected in you.

I've always said "I ams what I ams." When I was younger, I thought that I was a genius for coming up with that, but then at somepoint in elementary school I realized that I had heard it from Popeye. In 8th grade wrote an article about this philosophy that ended up getting published in some school magazine. I find it kind of ironic that sticking to that principal has now gotten me to this new adventure!

I'll be updating it weekly! So please check in whenever you think about it! And leave me a comment if you can and let me know what you think! Also look in the Kentucky Monthly magazine starting in March to see editorials/stories from Stuart, Dwayne, and myself!

Thankfully I have an editor who goes through and fixes grammar issues and all of that jazz. On here, you get the unedited version with typos and grammatical errors. I wonder why they thought that I needed an editor? ;) Oh well it is what it is!

You can view the first blog by clicking here

We're Plaid Proud!

Make your Black Friday... PLAID!

This year has been an exciting year of "firsts" and "new" things for Stuart, Dwayne and myself, that's for sure! A new business, a new way of thinking, new clients, and new challenges. But for me personally, a new thing has truthfully come to front of my mind without a second thought, buy locally.

Being a Local Business owner, my eyes have been opened to how really important it is to support local businesses. Before, I never really thought of going to a local shop for gifts, or for lunch, or for...well anything. It was too easy to just stop by a "Big Box Store" and get something "cheap", and truthfully, I use the word "cheap" loosely. As I've found, we're often less expensive than "large retailers" on the same exact items.

Something as simple as produce was just a quick trip to Wal-mart or Meijer. But when I experienced the Farmer's Market, I discovered a whole new world of true local celebration. The Farmers Market is a great example of how easy it is to buy locally grown foods, support local farmers and their families, and make a fun experience out of the whole thing!

As Black Friday approaches, and we're all thinking of the excellent "sales" the Big Box/Big Retailers are preparing, don't forget the local retailers who are also sharing in the excitement with discounts, deals, and sales! And this my friend's is what has become known as "PLAID FRIDAY". Actually thought of and celebrated widely in Oakland, California, this day is simply the fun and enjoyable alternative to the big box store "Black Friday," and is designed promote both local and independently owned businesses during the holidays. The actual name Plaid Friday celebrates the diversity and creativity of independent businesses, how we're all weaved together to make our own neighborhoods, cities, and towns. You can share in Plaid Friday by wearing Plaid, and by stopping by a local business. Whether it is our store, or someone elses, please make sure you stop by and let them know that you support them. We're all in this together!

See you Friday...and I'll be wearing my PLAID!