http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php ]]> Copyright 2010, Susan Stowe Susan Stowe en-US SPHPBLOG 0.4.8 http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100301-135502


Our first mantel was very simple; a clock in the middle with a picture on each side. To give it a little more oomph we added antique books stacked in the center with two ceramic blue birds on top. Finally, we added two large metal candleholders on each side with blue candles to pull in the blue from the pictures and complement the birds.



Sticking with the Clock theme our 2nd Mantel - "Metals" was lots of metals, but also with glass, greenery and ceramics mixed in. Featured on the mantel from left to right:

-- Boxwood Greens
-- Butterfly Lantern in metal and glass
-- Red Ceramic Birds, which really added color and warmth
-- Boxwood Greens
-- Butterfly Lantern




Ivy was then weaved through the middle. Other beaded garland or twigs would also look great.

The gals then suggested we remove the ivy and add other touches of green. We added Ceramics; candle holder and bird, along with green wood chip balls, and then finally finished it off with a metal butterfly.






Birds are it this spring! You may have seen the latest Pottery Barn catalog; even Ballards Design. They are adorable and really bring the outdoors inside. This mantel encompasses "Spring". Lots of birds, topiaries and the ultimate centerpiece, the metal twig like candle holders with crystals.





Our smart designer girls also caught our mishap - they didn't think our picture fit the theme, and several wanted us to switch out the box and artichoke. We finally all settled on the revised mantel with Hydrangea in a green ceramic pitcher and added the bird clock. This is now called "Leslie's Mantel"! She took it home.



Transitional and fun, and again outdoorsy was our last mantel theme. The floral picture really pulled you into this one along with the large metal lantern. From left to right we featured:

- Artichoke Stem
- Lg. Metal Regal Lantern
- Red Ceramic Bird
- Metal Basket filled with Green Seed Balls
- Artichoke Stem
- Green Ceramic Candleholders
- Agave Votive Holder
- Metal Bird Clock

Weaved through the mantel - fern like stems







In all of the themes different textures are predominant. The more textures the better. Shoot for at least 5 different textures. They add interest, and in the majority of cases your mantel is the centerpiece; focal point of your room.

We also briefly discussed the hearth. It's important not to forget this area of your fireplace. Candle holders, lanterns, small ottomans, baskets are great items for this space.

Thanks Gals for the great night! Hope you all enjoyed.


]]> http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100301-135502 Susan Stowe Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:55:02 GMT http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=03&entry=entry100301-135502 http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100126-194525
If you have been in the store within the last month you may have seen her photos of England, Mexico and other countries. I only have a couple left, but I have ordered more of her new pieces. She always signs all of her prints and photos too. She is planning a trip to Spain this spring, traveling to Malaga, Seville, Barcelona, etc. Can't wait to see what she comes back with.

I feel very special carrying her work as I have known Terry for approximately 13 years. I discovered Terry through my girlfriend's sister, and began taking my children to be photographed by her when they were very young. She has a studio in Whitmore Lake. They are absolutely my favorite pictures, and if my house were to burn down, that's the first thing I would grab besides my kids and pets.

Below is a picture of Terry and me on Saturday showing off her art! I love it!


]]> http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100126-194525 Susan Stowe Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:45:25 GMT http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=01&entry=entry100126-194525 http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100125-195708
Please be patient over the next week so we can get everything straightened out and hopefully recovered. ]]> http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100125-195708 Susan Stowe Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:57:08 GMT http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=01&entry=entry100125-195708 http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100117-202503
Back to Building 2 where we went directly to one of my favorite girlfriend plaque vendors, Mary Boling. She was celebrating her 25th Anniversary, and had many new style plaques, including a new one called “Welcome to Group Therapy” with all the gals sipping their wine atop a wine glass. Very cute!

Aprons are it! A new line of “Girlfriend Apron” plaques were introduced - one saying “put on your party apron”!

Also displayed, Girlfriend and Guys personalized plaques just like the Baby and Wedding ones I carry now. I have samples coming for you to see! These make a very special gift for bachelor or bachelorette parties, or even for a birthday.

We hit a few more gift showrooms and placed orders for fun and very wearable aprons for gals and guys, new Kooky Pens for the kids, and all new cards and magnets from Blue Mountain Arts. They also had wonderful books for teenagers, and even one titled “ a girl’s guide to college”. Wish I would of had that when I went to college!

Off to our 11:00am appointment with my rep. Christine, who reps a fabulous holiday line. Yes, more holiday buying for 2010! They had the best products and priced right, and completely different from Silvestri who I visited on day 1. Cute snowmen and santas, beautiful holiday pottery and servingware, candleholders, and lots of holiday birds. See my sneak peek photos below!






















A quick loop through the TAG showroom, and then he headed over to the Uttermost showroom to see their new introductions. Their showroom was absolutely packed! I found out later that they were up 78% over last January. For those that don’t know Uttermost, they carry beautiful home decor including accent furniture, lamps, mirrors, art, florals and accessories. Michelle Postma, my Uttermost representative walked us through their showroom, and even going quickly it still took us an hour. Their showroom is like none other. I ordered some great pieces including mirrors, statues, lamps and furniture.








From Uttermost we decided to stay in Building 1, where they house most of the Home Decor showrooms. We hit Cyan quickly where we picked up a few wine accessories, mirrors, trays and bookends, and then headed over the Douglas Showroom. We went to look at lamps, but instead found the best decorative leather books. These are really old books that they printed too many copies of. Some of them even have the library stamped on them, and others have very old newspaper articles tucked inside. They are like none other that I have seen before. Yes, I do carry the book boxes, but I think these are so much more interesting. I took several pictures - see below! Can’t wait to get these in!







On our way over to Imax, we passed by an art showroom that immediately caught our eye. All the art was canvas wrapped (no frames), and just breathtaking. My mom fell in love with a piece that she said looked just like one featured in Architectural Digest, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off a girl canvas called En Soiree. Needless to say all four of us wanted something from this showroom. I also chose a couple pieces for the store.






Back on track and over to Imax to view their new collection of accessories. Shari, my sales rep walked us through their showroom. I was very impressed with the number of new accessories they introduced, and in very different styles too to suit various tastes. My favorites were the roosters, sconces and pottery. Look for these to arrive in store next month, just in time for Valentines!


















We made our way through a few more home decor showrooms, and even to Pebblehill Designs, who make fabric covered headboards. My mom couldn’t resist and ordered one for her guest room!

Our last stop for the day, one that we had been trying to go back to since day one was an exquisite holiday showroom out of Ohio. The attention to detail and design of each item is amazing! They are a husband and wife team with years of design experience. Wait until you see the holiday ornaments for 2010! Unfortunately, they did not allow photos in their showroom. I managed to take a couple, but they don’t do it justice. Some of the pieces I chose are a red mesh stiletto ornament, a vintage ballet shoe and a diamond belly fluffle (bird) to name a few.




My girlfriend Karen also fell in love with this amazing scarf. We had picked it out for her on day one knowing she would like it. She talked very nicely to their head designer who agreed to sell it to her on the spot so she could wear it to the Lady Gaga concert.



All of us were very sad that our time at market ended, but we are extremely pleased with the new items that we chose for all of you! This was by far one of the best markets that we attended, and everyone was very energetic and positive for a much better 2010 for retailers and consumers.

]]> http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100117-202503 Susan Stowe Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:25:03 GMT http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=01&entry=entry100117-202503 http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100113-093940
Up to the Building 2, 18th Floor is where we started bright and early on Friday. Our first stop after finding a cup of coffee was one of my favorites, Carrie & Co. who make the adorable wine coasters for wine glasses. They introduced several new colors and patterns; one being “Hautie Pink Animal” It’s the same look as the “Bling” coaster, but in Pink. Another is a “green” alternative, which is very neutral, and finally the last one I purchased was called “Divine Damask”. Take a sneak peek below. Can’t wait to get these in the store!

From Carrie & Co. we headed over to One Coast to search out new gift items for Baby, Tweens, Weddings, Friends, and Mother’s Day. Lolita Aprons, Oven Mitts and Towels were our first great find! For those of you who love the Lolita Glassware, you are sure to love these as well! Aprons were all the rage at market, little did we know when we started. These will make wonderful girlfriend or bunco gifts!



Hautie Pink Animal Wine Coasters



Green Recycled Wine Coasters



Divine Damask Wine Coasters





Off to baby; Scene Weaver out of South Carolina had beautiful cuddly baby blankets and “banky’s”, the little ones that babies like to hang on to, and toddlers like to carry around with them, all trimmed in silk. Some of them were even with the little animal heads. We purchased a good variety, including white for baptisms and special gifts.



Banky's




Across the showroom we saw the cutest banks, booties and hair clips, which completed our baby purchases.

Wedding gifts are the more difficult one; sure you can buy frames, but we were looking for unique items. It must have been our day because we found the best Bride and Groom Champagne Flute set, along with Toasting Glasses, and yes the bachelorette martini glass in pink that says “Last Fling”. So fun, and cute.



Toasting Flutes



Fling Martini Glass


Tweens were our next gifts to find. We have a lot of younger girls that come into the store with their moms looking for birthday gifts, and we want to add a bigger selection for them.



The day before we had spotted a showroom with very cool and trendy jewelry and handbags that we thought would fill the gap so we ventured back to get a complete presentation about their products and background. Pleasantly surprised by the inspiration of the artist and what she puts into each piece she develops, we ordered several new bracelets including the Positivity Bracelet and Friendship Token Necklace.





Token Necklaces


The Positivity bracelet began as a small goodwill initiative to encourage family and friends to stay positive in the face of everyday challenges. To date, Alexas Angels have given away over 10,000 of these bracelets. As the bracelets and message spread they decided to make them available to everyone. They also come with a little inspirational card. Look for these in the store very soon!




We also purchased the trendiest Hobo Bags in very cool patterns and colors. Not only will the younger girls love them, but I love them as well. And, the best thing is they are very light and have matching sashes! Check them out below!




Venturing across the hall we finally found a quality keychain/purse hook. Customers have been asking for these for a while, but I hadn’t been able to find a good high quality one. They are the hooks that you clip into your purse on one end and put your keys on the other. I purchased five styles and they will priced the same as the purse holders; another great gift idea!

Lolita also introduced brand new acrylic wine glass sets with matching melamine plates and cocktail napkins! Perfect for summer entertaining. You can still drink out of a fabulous glass outdoors without having to worry about breaking it. As always, the packaging of the product is awesome too!



New Lolita Wine Bags



Ok, the absolute best part of the show - meeting “Lolita” herself. She is absolutely adorable. I asked her how she came up with her idea. She said she was out on a girls night out drinking a martini. She looked up at her glass and said “this glass looks naked”. The next day she grabbed a bunch of glasses and started painting! Amazing.



Lolita, Creator and Designer for the hottest gift brand, "Lolita" Glassware, and me.

Finally, we left the 18th floor and headed over the temporary booths in Building 3 (these are only here during market). Father’s Day gifts were our mission. We found the best gifts - wait till you see them. One is a cut-out grilling spatula and tong set with the cut-outs saying “DAD”, “MSU”, “U of M”. We also picked up some great men’s aprons to go with the spatula and tong set. You know how men love their grills! The other item is a golf item that is sure to be a huge hit. I’ve included pictures below. It’s brand new and definitely sparks up conversation.



One our way back to Building 2 we found some really nice flameless candles and votives they come with a timer so you can set them once and they will come on and turn off as you program them each day. How nice!

You all know Jim Shore! Well he was at market too and I had the privledge of meeting him. He is such a nice man. He was there introducing new products including some really great recipe boxes.



Award winning artist, Jim Shore who produces unique pieces for Enesco, Dept. 56 and several others along side Me and my Mom.


I met up with my rep from Kristine Accessories who showed us the brand new Spring line-up of purses, wallets, jewelry and more, and while we were there Kristine herself just happened to be there too! We met her and she talked about her new line and the colors; pulling in the silvers, purples and even raspberry. Great gifts for friends, moms and more!



Fashion Designer, Kristine, CEO & Designer for Kristine Accessories and me




We wrapped up the late afternoon in a showroom that was serving appetizers and wine. We were drawn in by these really unique magnetic calendars. The company, Lone Elm Studios just introduced a new coordinated gift collection of nature inspired and functional products, many made of environmentally friendly materials. I purchased the Perpetual Calendars and Magnets.






In the same showroom we also picked up the best new outdoor or indoor garden item. I’ve included pictures below.







End of Day 2 - a long, but very productive and fun day!]]> http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100113-093940 Susan Stowe Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:39:40 GMT http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=01&entry=entry100113-093940 http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100112-070523
Since it was so busy, I decided to start my shopping journey on the other (West) side of Building 2 at Silvestri. I thought why not start out with Holiday buying for December 2010 since it was still fresh in my mind. Needless to say I spent three hours purchasing amazing ornaments, holiday decor, platters and more! I chose fun decorations for the younger girls as well as us wine drinkers. There were so many to choose from, and even better I had the opportunity to meet two wonderful artists from Silvestri; Lisa Frost who creates and designs banners, ornaments and more (she is the one that made the big ice skate ornament I had in the store), and Lori Siebert, who designs and paints the Fusion Glass. She offers tabletop platters, dishes, bowls and spreaders along with many ornaments and even jewelry. They both were adorable. Lisa started as a school art teacher and just loved drawing and creating, and Lori studied art from a very young age, and continued with her passion. Check out the pictures below of some of their products and pictures.









Artist & Designer for Silvestri, Lisa Frost and Me



Me & Lori Siebert, Artist for Silvestri who designs unique Fusion Glass pieces







Glitter Nut Crackers


Girly Fun Tree














One of my favorite parts of the market was meeting Kelly Rae. She is very young and so passionate about her work. For those of you that may not know, Kelly was a social worker who decided to follow her passion for art. Kelly spent most of her life in the company of women, and the pieces she produces grow out of the kindred support she has felt for many of them throughout her life. I know many of you have purchased her wall plaques and boxes and love them, as do I. Wait until you see her new magnets, ornaments, new wall plaques and more! Here’s a few pictures to get you all excited. I can’t wait to receive them!










Me & Kelly Rae, former Social Worker who followed her passion for art. She is now a Artist and Designer for Demdaco.



My mom arrived tired and excited about 12:30 pm on Thursday to shop with me. Yes, she stayed out too late the evening before, having the opportunity to see the Jersey Boys (by the way she said they were unbelievable)!

We made our way over the main section in Building 2 and spent the rest of the afternoon seeking out gifts. We came across a new showroom featuring home decor and holiday and picked up some wonderful large glitter trees (2 ft - 5 ft) in various colors. These will be perfect for the mantel or hearth or even outside on a porch. They also had outdoorsy deer made of twigs, skinny santa figurines and much more.







One of the trends that continues to be hot, even more so this market is the Fleur Di Lis; found in art, ornaments, bookends, lamps, furniture and more! I also noted many purples, greys and bronzes for color trends. This was also prevalent at the High Point market in October, 2009. The purple is not a bright purple, rather a silvery brown purple; very elegant.

The last stop of the day was to take in all the new Home Decor items at Creative Coop. The showroom was mobbed! Lots of new clocks, mirrored wall plaques, candle holders and great tabletop items. Can’t wait to get this order! Here’s a sneak peek at a few items I purchased!













The end of Day 1 exhausted, but excited to start Day 2!

]]> http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100112-070523 Susan Stowe Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:05:23 GMT http://www.grandetrunkehome.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=01&entry=entry100112-070523