Crumby Marketing or Salty Wit?

AirTran serves gourmet pretzels that taste and look exactly like regular pretzels. And on the blue foil pretzel bag they have squeezed in some lighthearted marketing.

The tone is meant to be humorous, but my response was more of a phony "ha ha" then a sincere appreciative chuckle. Was I just too exhausted from the Atlanta gift show to see the good humor? Am I jaded and hard to please? Or does their ploy just miss the mark. Please help me figure out if I am a savvy judge or a whiny bitch.

Rozelle's Linen Legacy

It was another long day at the Atlanta Gift Show. I think I have seen enough for one day. My back-up camera's battery is about to die. I am considering skipping the last two aisles.

The trade show tyrant in me awakens, and uses guilt to keep me on track. "You are here to cover the show. You haven't been here in a year and a half. I can't believe you are thinking of going back to the hotel and reading a book!!" The triumphant tyrant walks all the way to the end of Aisle J on Floor 8. There I discover a new company that makes me very very happy in a bittersweet way.

Sisters Gay (left) and Dinah started Shades of Grey when they bought out the remaining inventory of luscious linen from David Lentjes. David's wife, Rozelle Lentjes, an amazing designer who passes away from esophageal cancer 2 years ago.

Gay, a Birmingham-based designer and Dinah, a Nashville mom with great taste, already owned plenty of Rozelle's pillows. They were fans who are continuing her linen legacy.

This was a wonderful way to end my day.

Let's make like eggs and scramble!

I have one more day with my beautiful sister. Therefore, I don't want to sit at my computer and work. My mind isn't on writing, it's on being out and about and talking with sis. We can never get enough time. We are going to the beach. It is a warm sunny day in Florida, and she needs to go back to Seattle with a hint of tan. So we are off and running after breakfast. She made her signature dish: scrambled eggs with salsa and feta over toast.

Simply FONTastic

For me, letters spell "h a p p i n e s s." Here are a few joy spreaders from the Atlanta Gift Market.

Tee hee hee...I see "SeX" in Design Ideas' display

I left my mark in the Vagabond Vintage showroom.

A friendly and welcoming display at Eastern Accents' Studio 773 exhibit

Guests who sleep on your sofa can now put French Laundry's throw pillows back on in order.

Last year the boss gave personalized mugs to the secretary pool. This year it'll be these colorful pots from Peddlers Home Design. Great for holding pens, clips, and the afternoon candy fix.

This fab rug was in the Assouline booth.

Fred Grandy cuts these letters by hand. His favorite one to make is Q.

Don't Look Dead

This is what happens.

I am inspired.
I feel the urge to write.
Words pop into my head.
Sentences start to form.
I mentally compose a great introduction.
Then I do my laundry and clean the house.
Another great idea sabotaged, drowned, suffocated in layers of bleach and Windex.

BUT........
I just got back from the Atlanta Gift Show. Besides sleeping too little, coveting objects, and seeing friends whom I admire and relish, I attended an hour seminar on "The Power of Blogging." The overriding message was that when it comes to blogging, the most important thing is not to appear dead.

And so I am determined to make time to write, post pictures and not seem uninterested, apathetic, or dead. Because I am very much NOT uninterested. In fact, the trip to Atlanta has, in some ways, caused many of the random ideas that once ricocheted off the white matter in my brain to take root.

If I can just relegate certain times for cleaning, I'll be off and writing.

I DUNNO... I'M JUST DRAWN TO HIM

Julien Lavigne and I met for coffee last week. I drank regular; he had decaf. It was a clear sunny day, and we sat on his back porch as he toured me through his sketchbook.

In many ways 9 year old Julien is like any other 4th grader. He plays soccer on Saturday mornings and kicks the ball around the house long after his mother requests that he stop. He's fascinated by lizards, frogs, and bugs, and hopes to be voted in as student council president so that he can pass a motion for in-classroom lunches on Fridays.

In many other ways, Julien is extraordinarily unique. He is fluent in French and English, keeps his room neater than mine, and aspires to be an architect. He tends an herb garden and has created a website that reflects his passion for the environment. He can also spend hours on end drawing…and doing it well.

Julien's mom started saving her son’s artwork when he was three. They were living in Paris back then, visiting all the museums, and freely absorbing the artfulness of the city. She showed me a scan of Julien’s “Giraffe.” I couldn’t really see the spotted animal per se, but I did notice a thoughtful sense of artistic control and color that some people don’t ever attain.

These days, Julien totes around a not-so-little black book, and he’s been filling it up with sketches he’s done since August.

Julien draws from his imagination and also from pictures.


He has a knack for portraiture and also for cartoons. He tells me that it takes about 30 minutes or so to draw a face, like Young Abe Lincoln’s. About Albert Einstein, Julien says, “The hair was the most fun part and that went pretty quickly.”

I am not the only adult, besides mom, to recognize his ability. He was awarded a scholarship to art camp at Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale’s Creative Summer Art Academy. Initially, after completing a four hour challenge, he earned a two week scholarship. Then it was extended, and then extended some more. Julien spent the entire summer there on a full scholarship, and exhibited more work, than any other camper, in the final show.

I planned on staying just an hour, but I stayed for two. Beyond the art, Julien revealed his plan for a car that can recycle gasoline, and demonstrated a pulley system he had rigged in the garage enabling him to open the door from many feet away. He pulled out a piece “300 year old petrified wood that I found at the root level of his garden,” and he granted me access to detailed spying maps he uses to startle his mother. And then after all that, he beat me in Foosball.


I am already looking forward to my next visit.

A Business That's Sticking

Entrepreneurship is a turn on. It combines all good things -- creativity, ambition, skill, and yes...MONEY. When this business sense is discovered in a particularly young person, it is fascinating and of course ridiculously cute.


I have my eye on entrepreneur Benjamin Posner. Ben, an eleven year old sixth grader, was given a duct tape wallet as a present. He thought it was so cool that he made it his business to find out how it was constructed. He went no farther than You Tube, and Ben is a fast learner.


He bought a stash of tape at Walgreens and replenishes rolls as needed. His well-edited collections of tape includes zebra, a dreamy tie dye, red, turquoise, and of course classic black and white. He manufactures by hand at the dining room table. Jeremie, his nine year old bro, can apprentice as needed.

If Ben works uninterrupted, he can make a billfold in under an hour. There are 4 basic styles in his line and prices range from $1-$4. One dollar gets you a solid coin purse and $4 gets a 3 color, 4 pocket billfold. Shipping is extra.

I found that the $3 three-pocket style suited my needs. Slim enough to fit into a pants pocket and sleek enough to tuck into an evening clutch, Ben's duct tape wallets are as sporty as they are chic. And speaking of sports, once Ben gets his hands on some more neon orange tape, he'll be cranking out wallets in that killa Miami Dolphins color combo in no time.


Like any responsible entrepreneur, Ben is tracking his expenses and earnings. He keeps records on a computerized spreadsheet and also in a pink composition book. To date he has spent $43 on duct tape. He has filled many orders and has 12 waiting. Ben's first goal is to net $50.

He is intent on reaching that goal by the end of the year. On a recent phone interview Ben confided that lots of people frame their goals in yearly units, so it seems like a good idea. Ben has a five year plan which includes a car. And if his business takes off, he'd like to start banking some funds for college too.

Da buck don't stop there! "I'm a big guy on helping," Ben adds, disclosing the charitable component to his plan. "I have a soft spot for oceans, animals, the sky -- earth charities." Ben has always shown great compassion where it is needed. On his recent launch, the places he is aiming for, and on who he has always been,his mom puts it simply. "Beyond proud!"


Interested shoppers can inquire through me.