"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"

"The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing, but I can weather the storm ...I've got my love to keep me warm". Kelli and I are in the store today! We have some excellent Valentines gifts and vignettes out, and we have some great sale items throughout the store so put on your coat and gloves and come on in!!

The cornerstone items from Juliska make wonderful gifts. The small square “Love Conquers All” tray that celebrates the splendor, artistry and romance of the season. Perfect for a special someone, with the heart on the front and inscribed with "Love Conquers All" on the back this ceramic tray will be sure to please lovers all year round. (It is also beautifully gift boxed!).

The Heartblessing wine stopper by Jan Barboglio is another wonderful Valentine gift! The iron tag says "In most wise and ancient cultures, it is customary for people to talk to their heart" and then it has a quote by Helen Keller "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched...but are felt in the heart". What a beautiful, romantic yet practical gift for him!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

What's Happening With The New Space?

So many folks have been requesting an update on our new space...So let's start here...Have you ever had those times when you wake up so excited that you can't sleep, like it is Christmas morning or your Birthday (when your were a kid)? and then you jump up to get going and it seems like, things don't turn out exactly as you planned and in disappointment you ask yourself..."What was I thinking?" And then just when you are ready to throw your hands in the air and give up, something wonderful happens and you are back to being thrilled and excited again? Well...welcome to our world. As with any renovation or build-out it has been a series of ups and downs. Fortunately there have been no biggies, it's more of a situation of a lack of patience for both of us. Most of the time (at least 99%) we are that excited kid, we are ready to get in and start decorating and putting our new merchandise out so we can have you over. Then there is the other 1% when we are tired, overwhelmed and ready to kill each other, when it feels like one of those days when nothing happens and we ask ourselves "what were we thinking?".

Truthfully one of our biggest drives comes from you! We can't thank you enough for your enthusiasm. A day hasn't passed when one of you hasn't said something like "oh I am so excited to see what you do with that space" or "I think your new location is going to be great, it will be so convenient" or our favorite "When are you going to open in that new space?...I can't wait!".

I am happy to report that we are making progress! We feel that as of today we are on schedule (uh oh...I said it out loud so knock wood, say prayers, etc.) Most importantly we can't wait to be finished so we can have you over! As always thank you, thank you, thank you for your support. We have included some "before" interior shots for those of you who have never been in the old post office.

In the meantime we are making way for our new stuff. We are continuing our sale, we've been calling the sales by many different names but we really should just tell the truth it's the "We don't want to move it sale". This weekend we have savings from 15% to 50% so come in and grab some really good deals!

Blog Reader Special: Print this post and bring it in today (01/23/2010) and take 20% off any regular priced, in-stock item of your choice!!

Pantone Unveils Color of The Year 2010

As part of our passion for for what we do we love to follow design and color trends, especially this time of year. This press release is very recent and names Turquoise as the 2010 color of the year. Typically after these type of announcements we in turn see tons of merchandise in this colorway...We just returned from the Atlanta Market and we saw some wonderful fabrics and great accessories utilizing the beautiful blue green tone but it really didn't seem overwhelming. Remember this unveiling also applies to fashion as well as home decorating. As with all trends you will always hear Shawn and I say "stay away from trendy"...that is unless Turquoise happens to be your favorite color then we say go for it! Our suggestion is that if you decide to tag onto a "trend" like this color, then use it as an accent. Believe us when we say a little Turquoise goes a long way when used appropriately. Start watching around to see how much of this color you start noticing. The other color to watch is Purple (in all different shades). We saw alot of purple at this last market. Happy decorating & enjoy the article!

Pantone Unveils Color of the Year for 2010:
PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise

Turquoise Transports Us to an Exciting, Tropical Paradise While Offering a Sense of Protection and Healing in Stressful Times

CARLSTADT, N.J -Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company (NASDAQ: XRIT), and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced PANTONE® 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue, as the color of the year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of well being.

“In many cultures, Turquoise occupies a very special position in the world of color,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that Turquoise represents an escape to many – taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting, even if only a fantasy.”

Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.

In fashion, Turquoise makes a statement that can look elegant and dressy in fine silk and gemstones, or casual and fun in cotton and athletic apparel. Because of its versatility, Turquoise is a great accent color in jewelry, purses, shoes, hair accessories and even nail polish for women, and ties, shirts and sportswear for men.

For brides wanting a flattering choice for attendant apparel and accessories on their big day, Turquoise is now one of the nearly 200 PANTONE WEDDING Colors available from Dessy, a leading manufacturer of bridesmaid, social occasion and flower girl dresses, as well as destination wedding gowns under the labels Dessy Collection, After Six, Alfred Sung, Lela Rose Bridesmaid and Sandals Destination Wedding Dresses. PANTONE WEDDING exclusively from Dessy provides a collection of color tools to make it easy for brides to achieve perfectly color-coordinated weddings – from inspiration to “I do.”

Additionally, Turquoise is one of 3,000 colors available in Pantone’s line of superior-quality, eco-friendly paint. PANTONE Paints combine the accuracy of PANTONE Colors with the beauty of high-performance Dutch paints. Perfect for a powder room or bedroom, Turquoise is an evocative, spa-like hue that adds an undertone of warmth and excitement to any cool space. In the kitchen, Turquoise adds a unique flare to tabletop and appliances.

CABIN FEVER SALE!

We hear you! The roads are finally passable, the temperature is above freezing, we even saw the sun peek out today...So we figured we need to have a sale because you need to get out. Please come see us this weekend we will be open Saturday and Sunday. And we will have some great specials on regular priced in stock merchandise: Pine Cone Hill PJ's up to 50% off, select Caldrea 50% off, some fabulous candles up to 5o% off, French Water L'eau 50% off, Natural Life 20% off, Cucina 20% off, Peacock Alley and Pine Cone Hill Bedding 20% off and select furniture is 20 - 30% off. There will be some other surprise savings too.

BLOG READER SPECIAL- Print this post and bring it with you to save 20% off one regular priced in stock item of your choice.

See you this weekend!

We Know The Feeling!

We know how she feels...oh boy are we worn out! Sorry we've been out of touch but it has been "Atlanta Market Time" and while we are exhausted, we had a great time and we are really excited about the fabulous new lines that we have found for you! With our new bigger location and the fact that some of our current lines have now been picked up by other stores in Blue Ridge we wanted to really spend some time searching for great new products...We found more than a dozen new lines!! We are also thrilled with the new items that some of our existing lines introduced. Caldrea fans you will love their new fragrance and the new Pine Cone Hill beds are beautiful! Keep checking our blog for more details. See you soon!

Happy New Year From Gatewood Hall!

Happy New Year to all of you from Gatewood Hall Gracious Home! We hope that this will be a wonderful year for you and your loved ones! We also want to take this opportunity to say thank you for a great year we sincerely appreciate you! We are looking forward to an exciting new year at our new location. We plan on bringing you the best, and most unique merchandise with the best service experience in Blue Ridge! Stop in this weekend for our NEW YEARS BLOW OUT SALE!! There will be some outrageous savings ranging from 20% to 60% off of the items you love!! See you soon!