Target Tuesday.

I must say that this has been the rainiest year I can remember since living in TN. I'm already engulfed in a torrid affair with my beloved vodka, and oh so delicious oreo's. If there is any hope of me surviving this gloomy grey covered sky from lack of motivation, laziness, and sleepiness, the sun must come out. Otherwise, I am going to continue down a path of a 17 year old teenager with no direction, driving determination or enthusiasm. My biggest spurt of energy these days comes from the motivating force of walking to the fridge or the slightest chance of grabbing a cat nap. Oh those are good days! What is it about the rain and gloom that sucks all the life out of us? I really do need to invest in a comfy sofa for the office so I can slip in a quick nap or two.

(Nothing like a good old fashion CAT NAP!)

In an effort to boost my spirits, and ambition (did I ever admit to having any? I mean really, is it required or necessary to run a business...??) my target tuesday is going to be on candles. I have been lighting candles as big as a forest fire in my office and home, to TRY and kick start an ounce of inspiration and gusto into my everyday routine. Although I would rather make a trip to the fridge, and take a quick nap. In pursuit of this so called "motivation" (who really needs it anyway?) I have awakened a passionate, obsessive monster that prefers the recreation of doing NOTHING. So lets light some candles! Makes perfect sense.

I realize that there is every kind of candle known to mankind in our existence. Everything that can or could be added or subtracted has been done. The right ingredients the wrong ingredients, what ever necessary to sell that candle has been done. So why take on an industry that can easily run circles around me with precise execution? Well, it's simple really. Because I can! No good accessories line is complete without candles. And with Target as my driving force of support (they can be my motivation, ambition, enthusiastic cheerleaders) I can produce the BEST candles, at the BEST price.

My candles will burn for 80 hours or more. They will be soy based and have the best quality wax. Each candle will come with a wick trimmer to remind ALL of us that a trimmed candle is a better performing candle! They will have subtle but aromatic scents that eliminate everyday odors without knocking our socks off with over perfumed fragrances. There is nothing worse than bacon smelling freesia. And yes there are thousands of choices to choose from when selecting and buying candles. But I promise you this. These will be the prettiest, most fragrant and best quality candles you can buy for the money. So light up a candle, grab a bag of oreo's, and snuggle into your favorite Target blanket for a rainy day afternoon of movie watching.

Target TUESDAY!

So once again I am behind on getting this TT up in a timely manner. Sorry to disappoint. I have been busy stuffing my face with deep fried, fun lovin, butter balls, with a side of sweet, sweet sugar. Maybe later I will have some mac and cheese to get my daily dose of vitamin something or other. I have also been enjoying a daily dose of my guiltiest pleasure, True Blood. Bill and Sookie are just icky sticky sweet to the point of compulsive dry heaves. And yet I still watch. I do admire her enthusiastic sass and Bill's ridiculous, over keen and methodical devotion. EH! And that crazy Maryann creature! Holy cow. Those eyeballs that she enforced on everyone gave me nightmares. Couldn't get them out of my head. YIKES!!

So today I need a prescription of pleasing and enchanting to get theses unpleasant heebie jeebies out of my mind. That prescription comes in the form of one of my favorite cooking essentials. Aprons. Not those long over the head stupid aprons. Im talking about the cute, 1950's gingham and ruffles, around the waste with HUGE pockets, aprons. I love this style of apron. Fun, flirty and oh so sexy in the kitchen with a side kissed honey.

This apron is compliments of Annie G's. Her website is bagsbyannieg.com My aprons will be similar to this but with more fabric and bigger pockets!

My aprons will consist of several fabrics. Almost like a quilt, but better. They will have gingham checks, florals, plaids, and strips all combined together in perfect harmony. They will have ruffles. Some will have them on the sides some on the bottom. And some will have ruffles on both the side and bottom. The materials will all be 100% cotton so they will be easy to clean and gain that worn-in, used vintage look. The tie around the waist will be approximately 2" thick and will be long enough to wrap entirely around your waist and back to the front to make the perfect, delightful bow. There will be pockets in the front large enough for comfort, utensils and any objects you will need close at hand. One size will fit all but there will be so many choices to choose from in style and colors you may need to buy two or three!

TARGET TUESDAY!

So Im a little behind with my Target Tuesday today. I have been in the midst of a design crisis! Oh my! I received a call from a client last Wednesday. She needed accessories for her home for a big party on Saturday. Typically I don't rush to the demands of a "party". But she is a very good client. Despite being submerged in inventory, 35 other active clients, and a new contract with Comfort Inn suites, I made it happen. To my great disappointment and shock she emailed me this morning saying that she was returning SOME of the items. Typically on an accessories installation a client will return one or two items. She returned 80%!!

Accessories are the jewelry of the home. They make it complete. But in spite of the results they bring, installs are time consuming, hectic, costly, and they require man power. When a client decides to return items they have a heart attack when they get charged for TIME. I cannot do this for FREE. So alas I have been in the midst of a design crisis today. Not to mention the fact that 4 of the items returned were damaged. SO I charged a small fee to cover the fact that these items now have to be discounted. HEART ATTACK!! Holy jesus hit the brakes! You mean I have to PAY you to shop, pick, wrap, load, unload, unwrap, and place the items?! And I have to be RESPONSIBLE to get them back to you in pristine condition. Preposterous! Target takes my returns! So on with the SHOW!

In honor of my lovely, cranky, worn out bloggy friend Kristin (from cup of chaos) we are going to focus on accessories for the kitchen island. What does this have to do with my crisis? Absolutely nothing. What does this have to do with Kristen? Absolutely nothing. But she asked me nicely with a "pretty please" and a "cherry on top". With the kind of day I have had a "please" with a side of "cherries" will get you about anything today. So our kitchen island accessory of choice, Glass canisters. I love, love, love glass canisters. They add sparkle and sophistication to your counter, especially when they have lids! They are spectacular containers for coffee, fruit bars, snack bars, pasta, snack packs, fruit, candy (it has SUGAR in it!!) and crackers. It is a great way to "contain" everyday items in an up to date, stylish way. And when snacks look this good it makes them fun to display, fill and eat! YUM!

So my dear friends I apologize for the delay in our beloved Target Tuesday. But as you have read, Ive been busy, frustrated and irritated (with a side of chaffing on the rear.) Thinking of my lovely canisters makes me happy. Actually, thinking of my lovely and dear friend, Kristen, hiding in a ditch under a bush with a martini, makes me even happier. Start counting up those quarters my love, mamas coming to join you for a drink and a pick me up! ( I have been throwing quarters at her all day in fear of ruining my heels. But those suckers are coming off and I am making the hike down the hill for a drink!) Happy target tuesday!

TARGET TUESDAY!

I swear if it wasn't for this weekly Target Tuesday commitment I would forget to come on here! As my friend and fellow Band of Barbies blogger Kristen says, Im a psycho blogger! But since business has picked up I have found it harder to get on here. Typically Im a psycho, stalking blogger with a big D on my chest (stands for DESIGNER for the new kids on the block.) I have insomnia, and I tend to have a little of the A.D.D, which makes a winning combination for the multitasking, lunatic designing blogger that I am. Or shall I say WAS. I still have the A.D.D, and I still have the insomnia but for some reason my desire and excitement has drifted. I know it is absolutely preposterous! How could someone possibly lose the interest, the desire to blog? It could be the A.D.D. I do tend to get bored quickly. Bouncing off the walls Im jumping from fabric, phone calls, emails, accessory selection and in an instant, like a tunnel visioned puppy, SQUIRREL!!!! I drop the ball and run like a foolish inefficient wacko to the grey chipmunk up the tree. Wait, what was I doing? I think I was in the middle of an email, or was it fabric? I don't have a clue, but aren't squirrels cute? I love how they play and run in the trees like a jungle gym, or is that chipmunks? I love Alvin. He is so funny. Who ever thought to make a cartoon out of them is a genius.......(So you catch the drift of how my typical day transpires.)

It never seems to amaze me that by the end of the day I am whirling in the aftermath of my days tornado. What on gods green earth did I do today? I have been busy as a mad hatter and yet nothing is done. Guess that will go to tomorrows to-do list. It may be kooky and I do have a tendency to be a high energy fruitcake but that's what keeps them coming back for more. I never loose my cool, and somehow someway my girls come through for me and make me look like a designer hero! With a big D on my chest. So for todays Target Tuesday Im going to focus on designer day planners. I usually have three or four of these suckers going on at one time. Why you ask do I need three or four...well that is because they tend to disappear for a day or two so I just start with a fresh one, until the old one pops up, makes perfect, efficient, organized sense.

I may sound like an undomesticated horse that needs training. ( And if you asked my husband he would probably agree) I may even sound a tad disheveled. But once I write something down, it is permanently carved into my brain. I don't know how it works, but I manage to remember everything. I always know what's ordered, when it is expected, who needs what, and whats to come. As long as I write it down once. So my fancy little designer planners won't be little at all. They will be at least 9x12 in size. Makes it easier to find. They will be in BRIGHT colors, also easy to find. They will have fun patterns on them and enclosed you will find lined paper and blank paper. Designers don't like restrictions or to be confined by rules so two kinds of paper gives us options. They will have pockets on the inside sleeves for additional notes, IMPORTANT posty notes, and business cards. And just to fancy it up in designer fashion I will gold and silver leaf the edges of paper. That just may discourage me from loosing it. Doubtful, but I can always make a lousy attempt with a smile on my face PROMISING my girls that I will do it.....or maybe or wont! Happy Target Tuesday!!

TARGET TUESDAY!

Well the good news is, no bar fight activity this week. But I have been very very busy. This week for Target Tuesday I am going to focus on small decorative dishes. I love little dishes. They are ideal little creatures that can be placed anywhere as a catch-all. Making your disorganization look collected, and planned.

Little porcelain dishes, with sweet what-not details, colorful edges, and fun artsy motifs are perfect for a side table, console, nightstand, end table, on their own or in a collection. They gather up keys, coins, and little stuff with ease. And when not in use consuming such little details of life, they serve as wonderful little decorative accessories. Little dishes are also quite functional as soap dishes, jewelry holders, and make wonderful gifts.

My dishes at Target will be colorful. They will have fun details, and fun pictures such as parrots, zebras, leaf motifs, old cars, and terrific raised edges with trellis or geometric patterns. My dishes will come in spiffy shapes like rectangles, ovals, squares and quatrefoils. My dishes will be made in porcelain and in acrylic. And as always they will be tailored, simple, fun and coordinate together with ease. Look forward to your comments, and thanks for visiting us on Target Tuesday!!

TARGET TUESDAY!

Ok so Im being told that this blogging thing is a winter sport. Can this really be considered a sport? I mean really, Im sipping a toddy with just a splash of vodka,(....the size of a tsunami) and shoving a donut in my mouth; and dare I say I just finished an entire bowl of mac and cheese ( it's considered a vegetable here in the south, I don't make the rules, I simple enjoy them.) So as we enter into our 5th?, 6th? Target Tuesday I can't help but wonder if I am missing the boat of enlightenment. It may take a fork lift to get me to that boat, but could it be possible that Target is on vacation? Oh MY!

My journey today will be focusing on lamps. I love lamps. I know, I know, I LOVE every thing home decor. I suppose that is why I do what I do. But lamps make doing it easier! Lamps are the quintessential accessory. They do so many things. A home decor work horse if you will. They bring proportion and scale to a room. They are decorative with ceramic, brass, glass, painted or wood bases. And the shades! Oh they can just add that little pop of surprise or be subtle and sleek.

Lamps add light. But they also add warmth to a room. No fluorescent bulbs here. I practice many green things, but I draw the line at fluorescent bulbs. They are too blue and cold. They make everyone look blue, and dead. And while the dead need to look good too, their lighting is not nearly as important as other things are.

Target has a decent selection of lamps, but they are quite generic. Nothing overly fun, and as usual Im not keen on the sizes available. In a designers world size is EVERYTHING. If it isn't the right size everything around it will be off. My lamps will offer several different mediums. Glass, ceramic, wood, iron and metal. My favorite is ceramic. I love glazed ceramic lamps with color. I will have different shade options, but my favorite shade is a drum shade. It offers the most versatility, it is sleek in design and it puts out the most light. I will have shades in solids, and textures but specialize in drum shades. All my lamps will be easily mixed and matched and as always they will be classic, easy on the eyes, and tailored in style.

Well hopefully Target is not on vacation. Although Im finding that EVERYONE is on vacation except me! Hopefully while on that cruise, excursion, or adventure you have a moment to open that laptop and give AB HOME a little peek, so when you return we can get to work! Thanks for visiting us on TARGET TUESDAY!!

It's TARGET TUESDAY!!

Welcome and thank-you for joining us on our 5th (where does the time go?) Target Tuesday!! Today's special feature will be on area rugs. For those of you not familiar with my blog, type in Target Tuesday in the upper left search button. The goal is simple, the purpose straightforward. Get a line at TARGET.

One of my hallmarks as a designer is to use repeating elements. The BASICS. Baskets, pillows, artwork and rugs. Check! The items that really make a home, a home. Area rugs are just that. They create comfort, luxury and texture in a room. They are the key ingredient in making a furniture grouping a perfect society. Rugs are a sorority of sorts teamed together to organize conversation and help your furniture band in cohesive gatherings. Sounds like a potluck!

Many clients don't realize the importance that a rug brings to a furniture grouping. Im currently working on a project where the homeowner just doesn't understand why her room feels unfinished. She has added numerous accessories, case goods, and more accessories and it still feels incomplete. Her room does not house an area rug. With 15 foot ceilings and furniture swimming without a life preserver, the furniture simply drowns! Simple solution, add a rug.

TARGET has a good selection of area rugs. But the sizes are all wrong. My line will focus more on the needs of a designer's focus. How we utilize a room, and how we decorate or repurpose that room changes the needs of the rug we use. For instance, I love big area rugs in a kitchen. But a 2' wide rug in a 4' kitchen doesn't fit the bill. Im also disappointed with their out door selection. Once again the rug sizes are all wrong.

My rugs will be classic, tailored and easy to decorate around. The sizes will follow a different ideal or focus; a designer's focus! They will be easy to clean and have colors that work with any decor. My rugs will not have an oriental or highly patterned look. They will be simple in design, with larger over scaled patterns. I may even use repetitive patterns such as damasks. They will coordinate easily so that each room can have a different look that isn't cookie cutter and overly matchy.

Area rugs complete the furniture ensemble. And as much as I have seen clients reject the idea of having a rug because it is too much "hassle to clean, or walk on, or I love my wood floors" once they see the results of what a difference it makes, like christianity is to Sunday, they are born again!

Thanks for visiting us again on TT day. I look forward to your comments, and TARGET Im ready and waiting for your call!!

TARGET Tuesday!!!!!!

Sorry everyone for being absent for the last couple of days. I decided to go to moms for a few days to enjoy the fireworks, and festivities. Good Fun! I can't believe it is already TARGET Tuesday again! As usual, for those of you new to the blog, scroll down and get up to speed. I have Target Tuesday's every week, I encourage you to comment and leave thoughts, and if you are from TARGET I look forward to hearing from you on my new accessories line!!!

This week my focus will be on artwork. I love artwork. And while the really good expensive stuff, that is original, (from the eclectic twig who wears uber cool glasses, and dons black ALL the time, and super important intense personality) makes for a great story and price tag, it doesn't need to be overly expensive and can be affordable. In the past I feel Target has really lacked in this department. They have a few peices hanging near their lamps but the selection is random and subject matter substandard. I also feel the artwork scale or size could be better.

Artwork, like any accessory, adds style, personality and color to a room. Many of my clients underestimate the punch a piece of artwork can add to a room, hall, entrance, or bathroom. So often clients will overdecorate using as many objects as they can stuff in a corner or wall to call it "decorated". But they overdue it, resulting in a decorating tornado of catastropic debris of crap. For those of you who read my posts you are familiar with my philosophy on overdecorating, and my thoughts on crap. Simple, understated, and tailered. That is a beautiful room.

Take a piece of artwork, that has the correct scale, and add it to a wall, any wall and like magic with nothing else it starts to complete a room. Combine it with baskets, pillows and other accessories and you have yourself a well decorated room.

My TARGET artwork will be natural. 95% of all artwork I select is botantical or natural in media. I like art that is timeless, classic and goes with any decor. If you change styles or move into another home the artwork still works anywhere. It won't scream "I bought this metallic gold and purple abstract in the 80's!" My artwork with TARGET will consist of colors found in nature. The subject matter will be natural and serene. The scenery draws you within the picture. And all the pieces can be mixed and matched with ease, so there will be no hesitation for the consumer if one works with the other. The frames will be chunky but simple. Not over detailed. And there will be various sizes to suit the needs of every buyers needs. Thanks everyone for visiting us on TARGET Tuesday.

As always give me your thoughts. What do you crave? What accessory can you not live without? What item do you wish TARGET carried?

TARGET TUESDAY!

Well here it is folks. I am proud to announce the first and OFFICIAL:

TARGET Tuesday!!

(clapping , clapping, whistling, shouts of joy, YAY!!!) If this is your first time here I encourage you to read through my blog to get up to speed. You miss school, you miss out, and so be the case here today! I want to thank everyone for stopping by and leaving their words of wisdom, encouragement and if you feel the need to throw an occasional tomato at me, just make sure you miss the teeth. Two things mom wanted for me. College and good teeth. (thanks MOM!)

Ok so lets get down to business. Thats why we are here right? Have to have some reason for rolling out of bed. I have put some serious thought into why I should have my own line at TARGET.( Im sure Miley keeps herself up at night with thoughts like these) But I cannot divulge all the juicy details. I will reiterate the facts attentively and methodically. MEANING you must tune in each week to acquire the all important, profound and significant arguments. People, we are dealing with VERY important issues here!!

Today we will start with the kind of designer I am, and what type of accessory I generally crave. I thirst for clean and simple design. I don't like a lot of clutter and when I accessorize I use a FEW choice accessories to give personality and pop to the room. I like items that provide comfort AND indulgence. The principals I follow when choosing the objects I love: they must be tailored with ease, deliver gracefulness, be generous in functionality and last but not least, AFFORDABLE!

My first order of business in designing my accessory line. BASKETS. I love baskets. They add texture, depth, and most importantly they manage clutter. They are elegant but unpretentious. True classics to any home decor methodology. They have a common vernacular to any design approach, whether it be traditional or contemporary.

So you say, why the hell would I buy my basket from you? ( I don't know, maybe because they are awesome and designed by me? DUH!) LOL! That's not good enough reason? Well how about this. My baskets will offer different shapes and sizes. They will be unique and creative. They will work as decorative art or simply function as storage. I will weave lighter and darker colors throughout to create depth that will offer more versatility in it's use. Like all my accessories I choose they will offer a fashionable approach with the added benefit of another function or use. And the best part? They will be original, fresh, and affordable. Thanks for visiting us on TARGET Tuesday!!