Blog for Atlanta Market 2012 – January 12 – January 15
Day 1 – Thursday
We arrived, me and my mom, at the Atlanta Americasmart Thursday afternoon via the local Marta Train system, and had about an hour and a half before our first appointment, so we made our way to the Uttermost showroom; it’s always one of our favorites!
The first thing we noticed was all the big florals on canvas, but with a shiny finish, and all in very bright colors. They were very cheerful and great for Spring/Summer. Other notables; small furniture pieces in the reclaimed wood look (Restoration Hardware), a couple great trays, the tray table was one of our favorites (see picture below), a very versatile piece, and several more bird items – vases, mirrors, lamps were added to their line-up.
Coyne Tray Set by Uttermost
Included below are some pictures from the Uttermost show room and also sneak peek pictures of Uttermost’s new Lighting Line which launched in Dallas last week! Love, love them! We have many of them on order and they should be arriving in the store over the next couple months.
Toler Slipper Chair by Uttermost
Believe it or not our next stop was to order Christmas, 2012; hard to believe, however if you don’t do it early you don’t get the gorgeous decor and gift items. We met with my rep Shannon and she walked us through the showroom. Of course, they had many new Holiday Salt and Pepper shakers, so cute, however the bigger theme was outdoorsy. Animals of all kinds, especially polar bears were popular. We found beautiful water globes and animal ornaments, and fabulous tabletop items.
Snow Globes
Everyday Gift glasses, serving pieces, wine glasses and friend plaques were also discovered in this showroom. We reordered our fun Black and Pink Blingy wine glasses in various sayings! My favorite was definitely the Wine items; maybe it’s because I love wine so much! See the picture below of their new stemless wine glasses.
Stemless Wine Glasses
My mom loved the table runners – Lots of detail and well made, and at a great price too.
Our next stop was to meet my rep Beth over in the One Coast showroom. Beth walked us through the new Mud Pie line. Lots of really cute new baby girl and boy items. Our favorite though was all the new Bathing Suit Cover-ups. We don’t carry these, but we sure wish we did! They had beautiful patterns and colors. Maybe, we’ll just order a few??
Beth walked us across the hall to show us the new outdoor Lolita Collection and wouldn’t you know it Lolita was in the showroom; so exciting! Of course I had to get my yearly photograph with her. She added a whole new look to her her stemware – Strawberries, Floral and Fish, and added Margarita and Stemless Wine glasses along with trays and pitchers, and cool coffee cups! Lolita also made improvements to the Melamine, adding more thickness to the stems and lip of the glass. They looked really nice and very fun! These will be arriving in the store over the next two months. What a great girlfriend gift!
Me and Lolita
Unfortunately, our time had run out with the showrooms closing by 7:00pm this day, so we gathered our luggage and I went and checked in at my hotel. I’m definitely excited for day two!
Day 2 – Friday
I arrived at Building 2 by myself a little after 8:00am on the 8th floor where they were having Breakfast at 8 for us early birds. I discovered a great little showroom that carried winter knit headwraps, similar to what I had in over the holidays, but with a bling embellishment in the flower. They also had the cutest rubber cowboy boots, similar to the rain boots in all kinds of fun colors and patterns. Flower hair pins, headbands and really cute key chains filled the back of the showroom. I really liked what I saw, and will go back later to put in my order.
I moved on through the hall and stopped in a very unique showroom that had an array of items. My favorite though was the pewter wine bottle holders. If you remember the ones we had during the holidays; a skier, a fisherman, etc. The breadth on their designs were far greater. They had a bride and groom, waiters, a drunk guy, musicians, cowboys, and more! So cool, and what a great gift! I ordered many of these and they will ship in February!
Moved up to the 20th Floor for my first appt. of the day, and to continue my holiday shopping for 2012. Amy walked us through the K & K Showroom where each room is filled with a different theme. The first was very traditional, lots of glitter and snowflakes. I loved the theme, and added snowmen, canisters and wall plaques to my list.
Snowflake Plaques
Cute Glitter Snowmen
The second was more rustic, I chose several of their new plaid plaques and signs, and added the glittery deer plus lots of great sprays and garlands, which will be perfect for our mantel decorating sessions.
One of the new holiday trends too is more of the garlands and branches are incorporating the LED lighting. These were everywhere throughout market and we even saw them shaped into big snowflakes.
I added a few Halloween items; acorns, berry balls and glittery signs and moved on to our next showroom where everything looked like the old fashion Christmas; collectible ornaments, vintage wall art, cards and more.
Candy Witch Jar
Me, my mom and my sister-in-law, Karen spent quite a bit of time picking out just the right ornaments; collegiate, dogs, sports, music, beer, wine, dance, music and more! What’s really cool too is that they retire the ornaments so they truly are collectible! We loved the Cigars! Check them out.
Cigar Ornaments
Still on the hunt for more great holiday items, we went down to Floor 19 to one of our favorites. New, new, and more new was the theme. They added lots of new Santas and Snowmen; traditional and country, a brand new Kissing Ball Mistletoe that you will love (wonderful gift), wood advent calendars shaped like trees with little doors and snow covered bird houses that are just too cute! Check out the pics below.
Cute Country Birds
Snowmen Faces
Snow Covered Bird Houses
Holiday Door Plaques
Advent Calendar
Mistletoe Ball
We had lunch here and then moved down the hall to a new showroom, Sage & Co. The showroom had a very modern/transitional flair; the trees and garlands were fabulous, as well the glass mercury ornaments. The garlands we purchased were covered in a heavy white snow that will look gorgeous on a mantle with these beautiful snowflake glass hurricanes and votive holders. The glass mirrored trays were also a great buy!
Mom with Squirrel
Snowflake Votive Holders
Holiday Trays
After a couple more stops we landed at one of my favorite holiday showrooms; lots of glitz and glamor. They debuted several new collections, including Fifi on Fifth – a pink poodle with attitude with an assortment of pink complementing ornaments. They also had a elegant Harvest Wine Collection, and our favorite; lots of great high heel shoe ornaments!
Fifi on Fifth Collection
Pink High Heel Shoe Ornaments
Harvest Collection
Skeleton Mirror
A few more stops completed the day, and we discovered a relatively new artist that has created a wonderfully scented candle with an embellished candle holder – lots of bling; a great $20 gift for a girlfriend!
We stopped briefly at the Novo Bead showroom area as well and it was packed! Several new beads are coming out soon. I think everyone really loves that these beads are made and designed in the USA.
Had dinner at this showroom catered in by Varsity, famous for their chili dogs and some nice cold brewskies!
We headed out at 8:45pm, exhausted after a very productive day. Tomorrow we will concentrate on Home Decor and Gifts.
Day 3 – Saturday
Since my mom and sister-in-law, Karen, were staying at her house outside Atlanta about 30 miles I had a little extra time in the morning before they arrived so I headed over to Building 2 to start checking out gift items and grab a bit of breakfast. A showroom out of Utah caught my eye on the way to the Market Club, and I was pleasantly surprised at all the great holiday items they offered for all the holidays – many really different wood signs, blocks, frames, plates and glittery metal ribbons for decorating! We will be getting a few of their items in as early as next month for St. Patty’s Day and Spring! Yeah, what a fun find!
Merry Christmas Sign
Jesus Believes Plaque
Thanksgiving Plates
Fun Halloween Decor
St. Patty's Day Decor
I headed over to Demdaco where I purchase all my Kelly Rae Roberts Art and many gift items, and met up with my mom and Karen. Luckily my rep Tessa was available so she was able to take us through the entire showroom, and we were able to get all our holiday and gift ordering done!
The new Kelly Rae Roberts Collection is wonderful – I love the new wall plaques and they now have a brand new frame collection in three colors that you can pop the canvas art plaques in to, which gives them a totally different look. I will have these very soon! Kelly Rae also introduced a brand new line of small wood crosses, globes, canisters and magnet boards.
New Kelly Rae Roberts
Kelly Rae New Crosses
Two brand new lines in their showroom I thought were very design forward; something totally unique that no one else has. The first is called Dogs Rock and features retro looking artwork of dog breeds doing human style activities, such as listening to music through headphones and drinking coffee! They were really cool, and the piece we loved the best was the door stops and magnet boards. Can’t wait to get this in!
Dogs Rock Door Stops
Dogs Rock Coffee Mugs and Wall Plaques
The other was called the Lyricology Line, which consisted of wall art featuring catchy phrases from well known rock songs, such as “Yea, you really got me now” or “Here comes the sun”, or “I will survive”. These were super cool and great for a kids room, furnished basement; the “Man Cave”, really anywhere. They are very different and would appeal to men, women and older kids. Check out the photo below.
Merry Christmas Wine Glasses
Officially done with holiday shopping, we made our way over to India Handicraft to search out Wedding Gifts – They have the most beautiful and reasonable pewter serving pieces. We picked out a great assortment of platters, bowls, spreaders, and servers.
Fleur Di Lis continued to be a huge trend throughout the market, and was used across many items from accessories to jewelry, to glassware. We discovered a showroom that is from the south, and from the looks of their showroom about 60% of it had a Fleur Di Lis theme. I chose some very elegant wine glasses; a great wedding gift, frames, chargers, and even fashion accessories. It was a different kind of showroom, but well worth the visit.
Pineapple Welcome Charger and Stand
Fleur Di Lis and Crown Wine Glasses
So exciting was our next stop because we found the coolest collectible hand painted wine, martini and pilsner glasses; one glass and two views! Not only were they painted on the outside, they were also painted on the inside with a message. You could look into the glass through a little peak hole on the outside on many of the glasses, which we thought was so unique. They also were just beautiful and had many different themes, including wedding, anniversary, birthdays, sports, St. Patty’s Day and more! I can’t wait to get these in; unfortunately it won’t be until April 
.
New Painted Wine Glasses
New Painted Pilsners
Alexas Angels where we purchase our Positivity Bracelets, Stretch Rings and Gratitude Bracelets added some fun new fashion jewelry items. The Zoey Prayer Box Bracelets are one of my favorites; colorful clay beads with a prayer box charm attached. The artist, Darcie was in the showroom and she told me she named the bracelet after her daughter Zoey; so cute! The picture below is of me and Darcie!
Artist and Designer, Darcie from Alexas Angels
They also expanded their Positivity Bracelets, and they are available in 6 fun new colors. I also chose jeweled bead bracelets, cross necklaces and bracelets; great communion gifts.
Que Spaces, a newer showroom featured high end looking clocks that were reasonably priced. We really liked the designs. I purchased one of their clocks a short while ago and loved the distinctiveness of it. It was nice to see their showroom and all of the items they carry. Lots of grey and tangerine were also shown. Tangerine is the new trend color, and greys continue to be very popular. Another trend that continues to grow is wine corks and openers. Shown in art, coasters, glassware, tabletop, and linens.
If you like the canvas/burlap look we saw many new lamps and pillows with this texture, and they were embellished with fun flowers, fringe and tassels. One of these pieces would be a great accent for your home.
For sure, one of our favorite showrooms of the market; Park Hill. They showcased their lanterns beautifully, and they were very well priced for the size. The look was definitely the reclaimed “Restoration Hardware” look, but they added their own flair, which was nice to see. We’ve seen a lot of this look throughout market, but this is a little more unique, which is a nice change. I also loved their birdhouses, key boxes and small framed art of birds and other animals. Birds continue to be popular as we saw throughout the showrooms.
Park Hill Showroom
Bird Pictures
Bird Mirror
We switched focus and walked over the Gardens to check out what was different and new for the outdoors, and ended up in one of the showrooms that has been selling the “Real Flame” gel for the firelights for many years. The gentlemen we met gave us the run down on the latest status of the Gel. Their gel is different from Napa’s in that it does not contain ethanol alcohol, and their flame burns very bright (more yellow vs. blue). They are awaiting final government approval and hope to have gel for sale soon. Once we can order, I will let everyone know so those of you with Firelites can use them again.
Check out the pictures below of some new Garden Items we thought were fun.
Back over to Home Decor to do a quick run through of another one of our favorites. Following are some of the pictures from the showroom. Again, you can see that Birds are definitely in. In addition, they had some nice pottery choices and they also received licensing for Kelly Rae Roberts. They had unique pieces, such as clocks, book boxes and even pillows and furniture.
Wine Cork Bench - Wine Corks were prevalent throughout Market
Bird Themed Recipe Book Holder
Bird Pictures
Kelly Rae Book Boxes
Off to Cyan, which was one of our favorite showrooms last year as they are always ahead of trend and/or the trendsetter. I always seem to find several unique pieces, but unfortunately not this time. As we approached the showroom the entire front window had chickens all over the floor in green grass; very weird, and it just did not resonate with any of us. As we walked through the showroom we couldn’t understand why they designed some of the pieces they did. Cyan does have a modern style, however the new designs were terrible; nothing I would ever consider putting in the store or my home. We left very disappointed.
Guildmaster, however was a very different story. I fell in love with a few furniture pieces that were out of this world, and I can’t wait for the Highpoint Market in April because their showroom there (North Carolina) is so much bigger. My favorite piece was a grey cabinet with leaded bubble glass. Unfortunately, you are not going to be able to see the detail, but trust me this piece is beautiful and one that I am ordering for the store!
Guild Grey Cabinet
A couple more small stops (Baby and Gift) completed Day 3, and we were all ready to hit the hay! We had a productive day and did a ton of walking. Only one more day left.
New Red Nek Glasses
Day 4 – Sunday – Our Last Day!
Loved, loved Baggallini! They are launching two new collections from February thru July. I absolutely fell head over heels for the new Leather Trimmed Collection that will launch in July. The Elena Tote is my favorite (see picture below). This collection is all trimmed in leather and the material is a little different than the nylon you usually see on their bags. It’s hard to explain, but I loved the look. This entire collection is named after girls names (Audrey, Tessa, Kathryn Jessica and Maria), similar to Vera Bradley, and surprisingly enough their new catalog resembles the Vera Catalog and format quite a bit. I found this very interesting.
New Baggallini Elena Tote
The other new collection is called the Quilt Collection. The fabric has a quilt stitch design, but still in the light nylon fabric. My favorite bag is the Geneva, which is a crossbody that is similar in size to the Vera Mini Hipster. The best new feather in this collection is that several of the bags will hold an IPad/Tablet, which is fantastic.
Baggallini Quilt Collection
In their International Collection, I loved the new Dublin bag which featured a hand hold on the back for easy access, a convertible padded strap for shoulder or crossbody functionality, and it could hold an IPad. This bag will be available in February.
Baggallini New Dublin Bagg
I have to say Baggallini is on top of things. I really liked their new bags and think you will too! They are also introducing three new colors.
New Colors
On the same floor I stopped in a showroom that I had purchased holiday decor from a couple years back. Wow, had their showroom changed, and for the better. Not only did they pick up some great new artists, but some of their holiday designs were totally unique. Most notable, the Driftwood Angels, Trees, Manger and Wreath with Iron Accents. I started talking to a another store owner that was from Texas and she said she had purchased the Driftwood items this year, and she couldn’t keep them on the shelf. They are so beautiful and so different. Take a look for yourself!
Driftwood Angels
I met up with my Mom and Karen and we headed over to the 7th Floor Temporaries (small booths that artists/designers rent for this market only). We were hoping to find some unique home decor items, however everything was very old and outdated except for one booth that had some really cool French Country Jars that were partially covered in a burlap with a Paris motif.
Paris Burlap and Glass Jars
Later in the day we discovered another buildings temporaries floor, which was far better. Live and learn.
The Mart also features a High End Design Showroom, and we went there just for fun, since we really can’t afford anything on this floor, but it’s great to see what the trends are – Big round shades in burlap mixed with iron and glass, reclaimed wood in many different pieces, French Country design in all areas, including linens, pillows and purses. These also had on them many embellishments being added, flowers, metal keys, fringe, etc.
We then headed over to the all new “Made In America” Temporaries section in Building 3. This was added to highlight all the wonderful products that are made in the USA. One of our favorites was there, Mpressions. Mary Boling makes the personalized baby and wedding frames that I have been carrying since I opened. She walked me through all her new items, magnet boards, framed plaques, as well as new plaques with openings of 2 – 8. I ordered samples of many of these new items for your viewing pleasure!
Uniquely designed frames and crosses were the other items we found in this Made In America area. The frames are changing from just a frame to an actual piece of art.
Off to meet Shari, my rep that covers several Home Decor and Gift Lines. We were hoping for a small miracle because we just hadn’t had that total “Wow” moment in Home Accessories products. Well, Imax did that for us! There were so many unique items that we hadn’t seen in a variety of designs and textures; ceramics, glass, iron, mosaics, wood; you name it. They also had tangerine influenced pieces, however not overdone.
Tangerine Jars
Iron Wall Sconce
Metal Wall Rack
My favorites were the Vino Pottery Jars and Photo Frames, however it was hard to choose; so many great decor items!
Vino Jars
Embellished Frames
By far this was one of our favorite showrooms. Just too many good choices.
Mosaic Bottles
Wood Wine Plaques
We made stops at several smaller showrooms and then to Bauble Lulu Beads. Numerous new bead introductions and accessories. The new catalog is awesome, it’s all organized by color of the bead and the silver rhodium plated beads are broken down by category, which makes it very easy to pick beads out!
I purchased a much bigger display rack so now there will be only one vs. three and many of the new beads and new accessory items. The new catalogs will arrive in the next couple weeks so be sure to pick one up.
Our last great find of the day is for those Tweens and early Teens. We know how they love to accessorize. Now they can really have some fun when school starts up again this Fall decorating and personalizing their school locker. Pick a wallpaper, pick a carpet, a flower or mirror and add a chandelier – wa la , take a look! It all sticks on by magnets too. We thought this was so cool, and from the response from my 12 year old daughter, Emma, she thinks so too!
All in all it was a great market. We just had to dig a little deeper.
To summarize, following from my perspective, are the top Market Trends and my own personal Market Highlights.
Market Trends:
1. Lit Branches have expanded into many new designs and colors, including new snowflake and star designs. The downside of some of these is that they are made with a transformer vs. a battery pack so it’s very difficult to place within a home.
2. Battery powered candles were numerous and all seemed to have their own individual patent the flame or wick technology. They are also starting to show solar powered candles.
3. Cork Openers in the design sense was shown throughout the market and could be seen on pillows, benches, art, glassware, tabletop and home accessories.
4. French Country style still very prevalent.
5. Burlap and Linen being utilized in more products from lamps, pillows, furniture, fashion accessories, lighting and more.
6. Silvers continue to be shown in many tabletop items.
7. Made in America products are gaining momentum, which was showcased in the new Temporaries Section of the Market this year. Although there was quite a bit of duplication in product choices, I think this is very positive.
8. Pet accessories and wall art are getting more attention as shown in Demdaco’s new “Dogs Rock” line. We also saw many other showrooms showcasing pet items.
9. Fleur Di Lis Design continues to be popular across all product lines.
10. Frames are being embellished with ribbon, jewelry and personalization of all kind and various materials are being used layering woods, fabrics and jewelry to create an art piece.
11. In art Horses were shown in many showrooms as well as birds and owls.
12. Lanterns are on the rise. All sizes and materials and are being used in many different ways.
13. Tangerine is the new trend color, but was not overdone like the purple tones last year. This color was shown with greys, browns and greens.
Market Highlights:
1. New fun Glassware hand-painted on the inside and outside with messages on the inside of the glass. We loved the peek hole and really thought this should be a collectible glass, similar to the Lolita line.
2. Baggallini – new leather trimmed line was fabulous. They are mimicking Vera Bradley, however I liked the new styles and loved the fact that many of the new designs could hold the IPad/Tablet Sleeve.
3. Driftwood Items in Holiday Decor were unique and one that could be handed down. Great for the Rustic look.
4. Imax had a varied and extensive line of new home accessories all created differently.
5. Guildmaster’s new grey wash cabinet with the leaded bubble glass was one of a kind.
6. Sage and Co. showroom really showcased a transitional/modern look even though much of it was traditional. The flow and layout was fabulous.
7. Locker Accessories – so much fun, and what a great idea. I’ve seen bits and pieces, but never a entire package!
If you have read this far, congratulations! I know this blog is very lengthy, however I wanted to capture our trip. We have a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work, and picking just the right item is so important. We definitely are thinking about all of you as we shop.
As a special gift for you, mention you read my Atlanta Blog and receive 20% off Any 1 Item in the store (excludes all jewelry and cannot be combined with other sales or discounts). Valid thru this Saturday, January 28th!
