I’ve seen alot of merchandise over the years and I have to say it takes alot to impress me! But when i walk into the Katherine’s Collection showroom in Atlanta- my jaw drops! She has the most amazing and creative things anywhere! See items from her collection at Neiman-Marcus, Frontgate… and Mary & Martha Home Accents!

Because our customers LOVE Aroma Decor and Greenleaf candles and potpourri, we are proud to be the #1 Greenleaf retailer in Indiana! I was recently invited to tour the plant in  Scarborough, SC. I was amazed at the size of the factory, but also so impressed at how well the company cared for all the people that worked there. They produce all their scented products on-site and ship them all over the world. (They actually sell more scented sachets each year in Ireland than there are people living in Ireland!) Everything in the plant is automated except for the potpourri. Potpourri is hand-packed for each order, they are not made ahead of time. We always wondered how they got all those great smelling goodies in the bag so perfectly and now we know how! There is a “recipe” for each type of potpourri. We watched them packing “Rasberry Lemonade”, which is one of our favorites- love the little ice cubes in it! the picture on the right shows newly poured candles on the conveyor belt. After the hot wax is poured into the glass, they insert the wicks and then wait for the candles to cool just enough so that they can stand the wicks up by hand, so that they’ll sit perfectly in the center of the candle. We spent some time in the laboratory where new fragrances are born, share our thoughts and suggestions, and smelled the gorgeous fragrances coming out for the upcoming fall and holiday seasons.  Ladies, you are going to LOVE them!

- Honeysuckle is the Pantone Color Of  The Year. I LOVE pink and I’m glad to finally see my customers taking an interest in adding pink to their home color pallet.

Vintage but not Victorian, Roses coming back into style (yes, even flowers come in and out of style!), felt, keys, equestrian themes- also lions! Lanterns are very big for this spring/summer. If you’ve been out shopping for furniture, no doubt you noticed lots of wood finishes that have gray undertones or gray washes. This new look for wood can be tricky to add to homes with lots of wood with gold undertones- but it can be done! Come talk to us in the store for help solving YOUR decorating dilemmas!

Our Valerie, on opening new product- "It's like Christmas Morning!"

Tons of snow on the ground, 7 degrees outside but here are 3 reasons I’m excited- for Spring!
1. All the exciting new things that have been pouring in! Lots of spring cuties like bunnies, eggs and birds- can’t get enough of the latest designs: metallic eggs, bunnies in pots, bunnies made from petals, poppies are HUGE this season! Beautiful, hand-crafted wood boxes with painted ceramic drawers- LOVE THESE! Lots of small gift items like unique spreaders, wine bottle tops and some really fun wine bottle collars that can be ordered with personal greetings- really great, UNIQUE gifts!
2. My Floral Department Team- I’ve hired the areas best floral designers and the collective creativity and uniqueness of their work makes my heart beat faster! I can’t wait to show our customers some of the beautiful new floral concepts we’ve been working on!
3. Spring Open House! We just put the finishing touches on our mini-catalog which our customers will get in the mail at the end of the month.  If you’re not on our mailing list- stop by and sign up. We’ve been working hard to make it our best Spring Open House ever! We put up 3 chandeliers (to show off exciting ways to decorate them!), added a fireplace so we can demonstrate how to make your mantel SING and of course, ordered lots of great new art, lamps and accent pieces!   

4. Ok, I said 3 things but I can’t help it- I’m excited about my 2nd Grandchild, due in August!!!

I love this time of year! The holiday decorations are packed and put away and our customers are in looking for something new for their fireplaces and walls. What was there before Christmas decorations took over just doesn’t seem excting enough. We’re bored with our homes and its way too early to think about spring. What to do? Enjoy your home in its everyday, “seasonless” state! A good way to think of new ways to use the objects you already have is to take down all the accessories in a couple of your rooms. Put them all on the floor or your dining room table and then START PLAYING! Move them around and group them in ways you haven’t done before. You’ll get inspired if you start looking at your pieces in a different room, in different light and with a new eye. Vow to not put everything back where it was! If you just can’t come up with anything you like- maybe you need a few new pieces! Take a few pictures and bring them in! We’ll clear a tablle and demonstrate how to effectively group random objects to make them look great together. Add a punch of color by picking up a fresh bouquet from your local grocery store or with a colorful pillow. Put a log on the fire (or just light a pretty candle!) and enjoy your quiet, beautiful everyday home.