This little piggy went to market....

when normally, she'd be home.  I spent the last few days at the America's Mart downtown, temping for a showroom specializing in home products: linens, throws, lighting...you get the idea.

I loved it. This is the 3rd time I've been able to do this and it's just awesome. It's like a little slice of heaven for me. Everything smells lovely, the beds are made up in a way that just screams "Nap Time" and it's a first hand look at what shops and boutiques from all over the country are considering to persuade you to come in and spend some money. It's just good clean fun.

So, I'm going to share a few of the looks that caught my eye while I was there and then you can decide if your money will be spent in acquiring or imitating any of them.

Look #1:  The 30"bed spread.  It's romantic and soft and a little dreamy. Pine Cone Hill has a lovely one however I didn't have any luck finding it on their website. It may be so new it's not posted yet. Either way, just imagine a bed skirt starting at the edge of the mattress and dropping 30 inches to the floor. Very dramatic, very pretty.

Look #2:  Bleached wood.  A good example can be seen here via Four Hands.  A woman I was working with raved about this showroom. No, I didn't get to make it up to see it in person. After looking at their website, that may have been a mistake.

Look #3: Lamps with inspiration from architectural pieces.  Know who's doing a good job with this and they sell to the public?  Pottery Barn.  Look at these:

image via potterybarn.com

These retail between $100 and $200 which is pretty good. Honestly, it's taken a while for me to really appreciate a statement like that. When we moved to Atlanta, I had never spent more than $30 on a lamp.  It wasn't until a good friend of mine made a comment about the care she takes any time she moved when it came to her lamps. Turns out she wasn't spending $30 for a lamp. She wasn't even spending $30 on a shade. Awareness, it's a funny thing.

Look #4:  The    W   I    D   E     stripe. It does make me happy.  Barrier Island Rug Collection is a great one as seen here.  The only catch is something like this in an 8x10 is gonna cost you around $1300.

image via 79thstreetrugshop.com

Another striped option is available from Dash and Albert and a bit more budget friendly.  Yacht stripe in green and white is just so stinking cute and an 8x10's gonna run you $364.  To note, they also have this wide stripe in indoor/outdoor rugs too.  If you have a screened in porch, you should just order this now. Love.

So, see what inspires you and keep a look out for the above coming to a store near you. Have a good night, all.