Our gourd's are covergirls for the Country Sampler

We're so excited! Our Gourds are covergirls! Yep, Furniture Gourmet's fall 6-piece artificial gourd set appear on the cover of the September 2010 issue of the fabulous Country Sampler Magazine! I know, it is a little hard to see our gourds, but, we promise, we're there! You can also check out the complete magazine online! There is so much to enjoy!
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Wonderful Summer Colors for Salad!

I went to an amazing farmer's market this morning, and came home with the true colors of late July! At one booth, I got a big bowl full of tender lettuce leaves and some crisp snow peas. The deep red of freshly picked tomatoes will be awesome against the lettuce in my special, broad, bowl. I will add the Snow Peas, just quickly steamed and cooled, and slices of small, tender cucumber.

Then for fun, the interesting gold of tiny Patty-Pan squash! At the last minute, I will toss with a fresh balsamic-lemon vinaigrette dressing, and top off with croutons made from an amazing Rosemary-Olive Oil bread that I found at a local Artisan Bakery.

Won't it be a wonderful salad!

I will be taking it to dinner at a friends. The best way to socialize! I plan to entertain more this fall, and I am looking for easy but exquisite main dish ideas! So, please send me any you have! I just can't do the same old thing any more!

It's "OK" to love the Color Blue!

I was thrilled to receive my March issue of House Beautiful! It is the spring Color issue, and it is "All About Blue"! If you have secretly loved blue, you now have permission to use it! You may just want one vibrant lamp, or you may really want a room dancing with different hues of blues!

Even Stephen Drucker, Editor in Chief of House Beautiful writes that if he were to do an issue about only one color, it would have to be blue..."the most popular of all colors, a color full of good feelings and often prone to obsession." I say, Thank you, Mr. Drucker, for this fabulous issue! If you don't subscribe to House Beautiful, the magazine, there are wonderful resources online at http://www.housebeautiful.com/ including "50 Blue Fabrics", "70 Years of Blue Rooms", and a great paint color tool that lets you try out an entire spectrum of paint colors in sample rooms!

The pictures shown above are from their online collection of "70 Years of Blue Rooms." Enjoy!

Celebrating Mother's Birthday

Mother was always my best cheerleader. She thought I could do anything, and always encouraged my every attempt. She was a great Mom. She knew all my faults and shortcomings, but always focused on the good that she could see through her Mommy eyes.

Today would have been her 95th birthday, but she died last March. She always said "she left" about a loved one, rather than "died" or " passed away". I think I will say that from now on.

You may wonder what musing about my Mother has to do with my blog about all things Home.

I guess, because she made our home Home with her warm love, the yummy aroma of dinner cooking when we walked in the front door and her very special support of our dreams.

When I started my business, Furniture Gourmet, she was excited and positive about it, and had great advice, too.

As I think about her today, on her birthday, I know in my heart of hearts, that the most important thing to have for happiness at home, is Love. So, I will admit, that without the warmth of acceptance and love, the most special blue & white candlesticks, or the perfect color of paint or a pretty tray made in Italy, will not fill in the spaces in the heart that yearn for love.

But in defense of the importance of those "things", they can be expressions of love, and can help create a place of comfort, belonging and self-expression, and can add even more to the marvelous gift we give our family each day, that is all wrapped up in that one special word, LOVE.

New Look for Holiday Decor

Here's a glimpse of what we're working on this week! We're finishing up an installation using our products to decorate an attorney's office as she prepares for a Holiday Tour for charity and a Christmas Open House to follow. The single wreath is one of two matching wreaths hung on the tall French entry doors to her office.

The idea that looks so new and fresh is created with fruits, flowers and surprising color! Our designers have pulled together our lovely demi pears in yellow-green and golden yellow, along with smaller pears and small green apples. Snowball blossoms and a fresh-looking green ivy are tucked around the artificial boxwood wreath to create a surprising introduction to the office!

Inside, visitors are treated to variations on the theme, as additional wreaths on tall patio doors are placed one over the other, almost like a Topiary, and on those, bright red berries are added along with small fruits in reds and sheer red ribbon bows. A touch of gold on ribbon and fruit creates a subtle sheen perfect for the season.

If you are wanting a new idea for your holiday decorating, visit our Artificial Fruit collection or email me at kparry@furnituregourmet.com. Large quantities of our larger 4" yellow-green pears, along with our light red pomegranates were used for Christmas Decorations at the White House a few years ago!

Room Arrangements make me feel peaceful

Here is the room arrangement that makes me feel "at peace" We have a long family room, with fireplace at one end. However, we have chosen to place the TV (large) in the "first third" of the room - as you come in the door, on the left, with the fireplace ahead of you. In decorating magazines, the fireplace is always the focal point, with no TV in sight. But, our room had both the fireplace and the TV. This arrangement, with two wing chairs, at either side of the fireplace, and (this is the difference) with the love seat angled at the left beside the wing chair, and the movable ottoman rounding out the circle, centered on the generous coffee table, we have a conversation area that finally works!

A Feeling About Home

I love to walk through a room in my home, and think "yes, I like it here." It makes me feel "at home" as though, little by little, I am making it MINE. It was a house, 5 years ago we bought it, I guess we saw the potential. Almost like an attraction, in which we only saw the best of the other person...we sensed the good that the future could bring. We didn't make a list of all the things we wanted to change. Things sort of pop up, asking for a little help. When I respond, then it settles us all back down for awhile, happy and content. Most recently, it has been furniture placement. Who knew that could be so unsettling, or so calming when it is right. I will tell you first about our great room. For 5 years, the room was never right. How to make a fireplace and a big screen tv happy in the same room? How to have two focal points? A question never answered - till now. I will take a picture for you when the sun shines again, and tell you more. Meanwhile, think about what your rooms are saying to you.