Happy New Year from Gatewood Hall Gracious Home!

I always love the start of a new year! While I am not big on "resolutions" I feel it is important to reflect back on the previous year, make plans and set goals for the new year. What a year this has been!! This time last year we were planning and organizing our move, so it's hard to believe that we have already been in our new location for nearly nine months.

Shawn and I want to take this time to give some thanks for what has been a very great year for our beloved little store.

First, we want to thank our families! Especially our parents who have been some of our biggest believers, they saw the Gatewood Hall Gracious Home that we dreamed of and they helped us with physical, and loving, emotional support to get us open in our new location. Another part of our family that we are extremely thankful for is our GH Team, Becky, Brenda and our honorary team member Layne Prather who have worked so hard in making GH2.0 successful.

We also have had great support from some vendors and vendors representatives. While we have a few great reps there are two that have been with us since the very beginning, who have protected us, and helped us so much along the way that we have come to think of them as dear friends...Jill Collson and Anne Jarboe thank you for being AWESOME Reps and wonderful friends too! We appreciate you more than you know!

Finally, we owe thanks to you, our loyal customers. Thank you for following us to our new location, thank you for telling your families and friends about us, and thank you for buying from us. We never forget that you always have the opportunity to shop at other stores, or even online yet, you choose to visit us and buy from us and for that we are very, very grateful. Because of you not only are we able to follow our passion and have our store but we have won awards, been recognized by our peers and been able to make local charitable contributions to Paws in the Park/Blue Ridge Humane Society, Light Up Blue Ridge, Project Open Arms, the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association, and The Sunny D Children's theater.

We look forward to what 2011 brings. We are excited and committed to be the first to bring you new and unique product lines that you will not find anywhere else in our market. We promise to continue to look at trends and for new ways to inspire you in your decor and gracious lifestyle. We will continue to look for great quality and well priced items for you and your home. And we will make sure to have more fun events like block parties, trunk shows and celebrations...really just any reason for us to gather together and enjoy ourselves in beautiful Blue Ridge, Georgia!

HAPPY NEW YEAR & THANK YOU!

Sincerely,

Corky & Shawn

New Furniture This Week at Gatewood Hall Gracious Home

We received a shipment of furniture this week that you are going to LOVE! These pieces are not only great looking but they have many practical options. Check out the media easel above, unusual and versatile too! The finish is so great it is called "whiskey barrel"!

This console with casters could be used in almost any room. You could use it as a sofa table, sideboard, or entertainment center.

This sideboard looks vintage but has some great convenient, modern and practical storage areas!

The photo just doesn't do this desk justice. It is so good looking and the little details are unbelievable!

Some great new chairs, we have mixed them at a tasting table and it is a great look. Come in this weekend to see all of our new arrivals. We can't wait to see you!

Gatewood Hall Gracious Home Featured in Home Accents Today Magazine

Gatewood Hall Gracious Home is in the press again! We are very honored to have been featured in the November 2010 issue of Home Accents Today Magazine. Yes, that is our Autumn table on the cover!!

The article from the magazine is above (not sure if it will be legible from the jpeg file, but once it is posted in their online magazine I'll include the link). The beautiful photo images were created by Chris Hefferen owner of Foundry Digital (Chris is so awesome, what that man can do with light is unbelievable! Thank you Chris for making us look so good!)

Gatewood Hall Gracious Home Presents Trunk Shows and Specials This Weekend!

To help you get you ready for the Holidays we will be adding even more fun to Light Up Blue Ridge this Saturday November 27, 2010!!

We will be hosting Trunk Shows and special friends from some of our favorite lines like Beloise, Waxing Poetic, Pure Sanctuary, and Lenny & Eva Jewelry. Steve the owner/designer from True Riches will be here with some of his wonderful new one-of-a-kind crosses and we will be showing some cool belt buckles from a great line called Princess & Butch.

We are the place for Gracious Gifts and we can't wait to see you this weekend!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Join Gatewood Hall for Blue Friday & Light Up Blue Ridge!!

The most wonderful time of the year is upon us and we are celebrating in Beautiful Downtown Blue Ridge!! The fun starts early on Friday November 26th. You've heard of "Black Friday"...well, we will be celebrating "Blue Friday". It will be old-fashioned shopping at its best! Stores will be opening early, and staying open late!! There will be early bird specials and strolling holiday entertainment!

The fun continues into Saturday, November 27th, for Light Up Blue Ridge!! Santa and Mrs. Clause will arrive by train, there will be entertainment by Bartlee Norton and 64 Highway, and Maxwell Taylor. (Maxwell is WONDERFUL! We discovered him a few years ago when he performed at our friend Marlis' birthday party in Atlanta and we have enjoyed him ever since!). At dusk the lighting of the great tree is always loads of fun!! Please be sure to come downtown and see us! Remember our customers are welcome to park in our private GH lot behind our building!! (Please be sure to come in and get a parking pass)

We can't wait to see you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Gatewood Hall The Place For Gracious Gifts & Holiday Decor

We've been busy elves this week finalizing our all of our Christmas decor and goodies for you! This year we are telling three holiday stories!

The first is "Shiny, Silver & Bright", our main tree is decorated in silver, platinum and mercury glass. I love the silver, glitter and bejeweled butterflies & dragonflies. What really makes this tree pop is the way Shawn layers everything. The silver glitter fern fronds, berries and leaves just add that dramatic, sparkling touch!

The second story is "Vintage Christmas". Think vintage look chocolate molds, cloaked Santa's, glitter snowmen, ornate holiday cards and beautiful canvas holiday journals! Don't you love the cloche ornaments above? In the Victorian days industrious mothers used old jars and would make similar ornaments using bottle brush trees and holiday toys.

The third story is "Redefined Rustic" in our Lodge Lounge we have decked the tree with beautiful mercury glass fish, acorn and pine cone ornaments. We have some beautiful bird ornaments and great looking bird nests to hide in the tree! Add in some hand blown and painted hunting (complete with the ATV), boating and fishing Santa's and as usual we have redefined Blue Ridge rustic! We also have some great looking deer statues, and stag heads that are in a natural finish. I love the artificial magnolia leaf wreaths, they look so real!!

Just arrived new Swedish "good boy & girl soaps" that are so fun and they smell like gingerbread cookies! They will love to wash their hands when it is with Gingerbread Soap! "When the kids are good and wash their hands, they deserve a treat, and one that's really neat! Like a warm bath to give them dreams of yummy gingerbread cookies and mugs of cocoa and cream". They make GREAT STOCKING STUFFERS!! We also just received some fun PEACE and JOY soaps for the older kids!

You will love the new Juliska Wreath and Boxwood pattern for the holidays. They also have some beautiful new gift-boxed items that are well-priced. The cheese platter and knife is sure to be a favorite gift year round!

Finally, just in time for getting your home ready for the holidays, we have received some furniture from our recent High Point market trip. This leather and one of a kind vintage prayer rug chair above is wonderful!

We have four new styles of dining chairs that can be covered in many different fabrics. All of them are very comfortable which we felt important so that you and your guests can linger longer after a special meal! Right now we are offering a 30% discount on these styles!

Come in today and see us!

Cucina Rustica Is Always A Treat!

This past Saturday night we enjoyed dinner at Cucina Rustica and as always it was OUTSTANDING! Cucina is always consistent, since they opened we have never had anything but excellent meals there. I have tried most of the items on the menu and you can't go wrong with anything. It is always a perfect choice to take your visitors.

Cucina features Italian country cuisine with definite highlights of chef Isabella's northern Italian heritage (her father is a well known chef also). The emphasis is on light, flavorful but not overpowering sauces and fresh ingredients. To add a special touch, a wood-fired oven is used to prepare baked dishes. The main entrees and pastas include favorites such as: Crespelle al Forno, Baked Spinach and Ricotta Crepes (heavenly!), Fillet Mignon with Porcini sauce (Shawn's Favorite), Tortellini All Nonna which is Meat-filled tortellini tossed in a rich cream sauce with prosciutto, peas and parmigiano (my favorite!) or even a traditional Pizza Margherita. They usually have daily specials that are out of this world. The dessert choices include several wonderful delights including the Tiramisu Della Mamma (it is absolutely the best Tiramisu that I've ever had). The separate dining areas allow for seating of private parties. For those who enjoy a glass of wine or a cold beer with their dinner, Cucina Rustica is one of the first restaurants in Fannin County to receive a pouring license.

If you haven't been to Cucina Rustica you really are missing out! I promise you will love it. Owners John and Isabella along with their excellent, well-trained team will take great care of you, and you will leave in happy bliss! Located only about five minutes from downtown Blue Ridge at 76 Forge Mill Crossing in Morganton. It is best to make a reservation by calling 706-374-7474. Go treat yourself and tell them we sent you!!