Monday, September 27, 2010

Affordable Accessories


photo from "Glamorous Rooms" by Jan Showers, 2009
*Note the matching fabric used for the pillow and lamp shade!
In financial times such as these (or really any time at all), we must be wise with our expenditures.Whether it be deciding upon your go-to boots for fall, overhauling your make-up or completing that room you have been stewing over, we all must choose how and when to spend our resources. With time as valuable a resource as money, we must protect the hours spent laboring over such decisions.I, for one, admit that my guilty pleasure is good, glamorous and expensive sunglasses. They protect my eyes, they keep my hair out of my face, they provide cover when I want to be anonymous, they add sophistication to my running clothes, and quite frankly, they make me feel grown-up.  I even justify their necessity by amortizing their cost over the course of a year.  (A $400 pair of Tom Ford's works out to be just over a $1 a day.  Little to pay for such a versatile tool.)  My husband is on to me, however, and has mandated that my days behind big buck lenses are over.  You see, I never carry my glasses a whole year.  In fact, it is usually short of 6 months.  The aforementioned TF's now live happy on the bottom on the Atlantic Ocean, somewhere, not on my head.
photo from  "Glamorous Rooms" by Jan Showers, 2009

       

Lucky for us all, there are things in the home that we can invest in that cost less than such sunglasses, pack the same punch, and rarely, if ever, end up left behind at Chick-fil-a.  Like the sunglasses, you use them daily, and  they provide the finishing touch.  Accessories (for the home or the head) are the details that say "complete".Such accessories are plentiful. A good lamp goes miles,  a small throw rug can be poignant (we have petite calf-skin hides that are great for bathrooms, etc.), and stunning stool can take center stage. And scented candles accessorize the very air! I adore these Manuel Canovas candles (below)! We just got them in, $19 for small.



But today, I am all about custom fabric accessories - namely lampshades, trashcans, picture frames and PILLOWS.  (I am especially drawn to color block pillows a la Jan Showers that pull in the color scheme of a room.  Or note the velvet ribbon trim pillow.  In the right color, your room now has expression.)  These items can be made from the scraps of your upholstered goods or with only a yard of got-to-have-it fabric.  Picture a living room with drapes, throw pillows, trashcan and picture frame all done in the same fabric.  Delicious!  In one quick and inexpensive punch, your room is completed, popping with color and accessorized. We have several sources on hand that can help. Just bring in your own fabric, pillow insert, trashcan or frame and we will help you change your basic items into beautiful, custom designs. (Approximate pricing: $90/pillow, $60/lampshade, trashcan, frame (labor only).  If you'd like us to provide the pillow insert and fabric, we'd be happy to price that out for you as well!

All for now!  Must go find my sunglasses.

Betty