I'm still alive really...............

Well my lovelies I have been working so very hard trying to build enough capital to re-open my little shop. I've gone back to my corporate life of glamor and luxury in Atlanta and I am commuting to Oregon. Needless to say I have some miles on my card 111,758 MQM's . I miss my quiet life in Oregon and look forward to staying home with my ex-boyfriend (my hubby) and son. It looks like I'll start coming home in February. I am leaving this Friday for a fabulous 10 day trip home for our annual Halloween Party. We've only been here 3 years but the tradition goes way back.

I just love Halloween, for me its all about the dress up and candy. I remember how excited I would get every year just waiting for the big day when I could go to Nahas department store with my mom and dad. I don't think they will ever know (well ok maybe now they know) how much I loved getting to do that. As a matter of fact I just bought a wonderful new website to go along with evebarry.com it is hobgoblinsgift.com and Alice W. is building it for me. I don't have time to put anything up yet but when I get home, boy are we going to have some fun with all of that. So tonite when I get back to my suite I think I will be dreaming of pumpkin pie and whipped cream, orange and black crepe paper and the smell of fall.......................

I know I should be keeping up with this blog better but honestly I have been working a lot and it is so hard for me to be my real self which is what I am here and then try to be my regular corporate self. I can however say that I miss all of you and hope to be back in full swing soon.

Smooches

home again, home again, jiggety jig!

Well darlings I am home and so happy to be here!

Unfortuneately for me this is what I had to leave behind in Atlanta. This is the condo my dear friend Judy has in Buckhead and I must say as fantastic as her homes are and her beautiful things are she is even more amazing to have as a friend and confident. As you can see from the photo she left her christmas decor up so I could enjoy it as I didn't decorate this year.

Now for the show..........Oh my Goodness Gracious! What a wonderful experience. three office buildings 20 floors each and each one more fabulous than the last. I got lost in the luxury of it all. The needlpoint pillows were crazy beautiful the pottery the rugs the giftwear and of course the Christmas decor. I spent a wonderful afternoon with a very lovely man/designer. He walked me through his fabulous showroom and we discussed design and trends for next year it was without a doubt a perfect afternoon. So for the news........It is still all about that celery green but emerald is starting to make its apperance and should present itself in full force as soon as the warehouses empty. The color to avoid it that awful bluish green that has been hanging on since the late eighties. Finnally it is no longer with us. Now enough about green!! I have decided that I am going to push for are you ready??????????? sitting down????????????? ok here goes......My prediction for the hottest colors for next christmas will be Red & Chocolate with gold accents. Ok no surprise there, but what if we did it with Silver or another wonderful metal like bronze? Ummmmmmmmmmmm the possibilities are endless.

Ok so now for my new finds that I thought were so clever for the traditional formal style (which I tend to gravitate toward). The chair cover was such a whimsical choice paired with a Roccoco dining set that Judy had faux finished in black and bronze (the set actually came from Italy) Then she bought medallions and faux finished them in both the dining and living area to tie it all together (so smart). I was so thrilled with these drapes of dupioni silk she was inspired by and old Prom dress. My photos do not do these justice. I am so going to learn to sew so I can make these babies...............or not, I think maybe I will get the fabric and pay an expert. Truly these window treatments were stunning. I have been looking for something more modern that would still look great in my 101 year old home.

So there it is the first installment of my amazing journey back Atlanta. Next time I will try share with the class what it was like having a facial at Sandra Gane's and Lunch at the OK Cafe!

Now it is back to my real life where we are still scraping the old glue from our beloved floors and getting ready to restore them. Of course I also have a ton of new furniture to paint and I am going to have a sale at the house the first weekend in February. Tons of wonderful things and I will hopefully have the website up and running soon as well.

Stay kind to yourselves.

E

Off to Atlanta

Well my store is almost empty (Irwin and Paris will finish tomorrow) I am off to Atlanta for the Gift and Home Decor show. My flight leaves at 6:30 am. I am so excited because I am going to see my friend Judy. We haven't seen each other in too long and I am looking forward to girl-talk and shopping. I am bringing my camera so I can send photos of all the new things. I went to the Portland garage sale I mean gift show with my neighbor Jean. We always have a great time buying crap I mean stuff that we will never use or sell. It is fun though. We saw our friend Sue Kirby who I have to say is the only reason for going in the first place and my friend En May from May Arts, she was so kind to me when I opened my store (of course being the ribbon junky I am I ordered a ton of ribbon) so all in all it was a fun weekend. Now I have to get my packing done so I can take a long bath and get ready for what looks like a very busy 10 days (extra time included for girlfriends). Then when I get home it will be a whirlwind as I have to get my house ready for a Valentines sale and spring preview and also buy a building!!! I'll give you more on that later.

So just when you think you can't get it going at all, there you go all over again. author unknown but sound like Yogi Bearra

Christmas Eve

What a wonderful sparkly day. It rained all night and now we have some sun. It is cold and sparkly. I just talked to my dear friend Judy. I used to work for her and many of my most outrageously fun adventures have been with her (of course I will elaborate another day). I am going to Atlanta for the Gift and Home decor show and I am going to take her with me. We have so much to catch up on. I love my friends and I love Christmas because it is at this time of year that we have the courage to call people we haven't talked to for awhile because its Christmas, we tell people we love them more often because it's Christmas, we are nicer to each other because it's Christmas, everything seems so much more special now because it's Christmas. I finally understand what people mean when they respond with "Everyday is Christmas"

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, as for me I already am having a wonderful time.

Just a couple days left

Well the Christmas rush is winding down and I still haven't found a place for my store I filled up a van load of fixtures today to try to get things moving. I looked at two more spaces today but so far nothing is really looking very good. Some people from Corvallis came in to see if I would be interested in moving there but that so defeats my dream of being able to live and work in the same neighborhood. I hope God lets me know what the heck I'm supposed to be doing soon.

The construction crew has been out front of the shop all day glaring at me because they want to start tearing apart my beautiful dream I just feel like a dying carcass with buzzards flying overhead. I will however keep trying with as much dignity and grace as I can muster. I do dislike rude developers. Great just when I'm ready to be ugly to everybody some very nice archetect comes in and not only tells me what a great shop I have but buys a very expensive item. God's funny that way, so for today again, Thank God!

It's Almost Christmas

Well I'm trying as hard as I can to be happy but my darling little store is closing Christmas. Some "Creep" came along and bought my building and now I have to move out. I used to think I had the cutest store ever but I have been reading some of the blogs on blogspot and I have to say I am not the only talent out there. You women are amazing with your darling shops. I found one yesterday in Oklahoma owned by a Mother Daughter team with stars on the floor just adorable. Then there is Karla with the beautiful grandbaby "Sugarwings" I want a grandaughter to call sugarwings too.

So I have to admit I have never kept a diary before nor have I ever spent time writing my thoughts on paper or PC but my Great Grandmother always said I should be a writer so here goes.

I''m listening to my favorite french Christmas CD (its been playing in the store most of the season) its Cest Noel and Tino Rossi is singing White Christmas in French Ahhhh Cest Bon!

Eugenie Juilette Farmezell or Franezelle (we aren't completely clear) was born in Paris she was raised in a convent, her mother died in chilbirth, and she came to this country through Canada to Butte Montana she met John Coughlin and they married had two kids and moved to Burbank. It is that bit of Paris that my shop is dedicated to.

Thats about all I know,

she was a great gram.

As I said earlier I am not a blogger yet so if you would like to kibbitz feel free. I am just testing this thing out. I tried to add some photos of the store so you could try to see the little shop. Its just 370 sq ft of sweetness. One of my favorite customers just came in with some chocolates from Paris "La Maison Du Chocolat" and she gave me the nicest compliment, she said my store was very much like the little shops in Paris. I'm glad I did the store the way I did with the black walls and crammed with a little bit of everything fabulous. Ok so I added photos and I tried to say a few things and of course I appreciate you letting me be part of the blogspot. Merry Christmas.