Posts Tagged ‘decor’

Tara Biek has created a fun working environment that appeals to her team (two- and four-legged) and their clients.  In business for ten years, Tara Biek Creative has grown to six employees and moved to their new location in August.  Before the move, Tara went shopping for eye-catching accessories and Laura’s Emporium was one of her stops.  After their grand opening Sept. 30th, I visited and she was kind enough to give me the grand tour.

High ceilings with shorter dividing walls make a great display area, and everywhere I turned there was something to catch my interest.  Gumball machine, antique cash register, vintage typewriter, I Love Lucy TV lamp, window panes, Twister!  And it all came together beautifully.  I was ready to ask if she’d consider interior decorating for me!

And apparently the knack for design isn’t limited to decor – a wall of commendations and awards attests to the talent of Tara and her team.  Not satisfied to just be really great at what they do, they’re also an active part of the community, giving back whenever they can – Boys & Girls Club, American Cancer Society, MusicFest, Historic Preservation, and the list goes on.

Check out their website at: http://tarabiekcreative.com/index.html.  You’ll love it!  Thanks for sharing with us, Tara!

Tara Biek Creative is located in the Sawgrass Business Center at 1237 SE Indian Street, Unit 101, Stuart, FL 34994, Phone 772-283-0019.

Any excuse will do, and who doesn’t love a party?  But to make it special, why not pick a theme?  A decade, celebrity, event, sports, movie, lifestyle, cuisine, season – the possibilities are endless.  If you’re celebrating someone’s birthday or anniversary, the year can take on a life of its own.

Invitations!
You can buy ready made invitations, but where’s the fun in that?  Using your computer you can make your own.  Photos and clip art can be found online for free (sxc.hu or rgbstock.com come to mind).

Or go for unique.  Postcards with flamingos, parrots, hula girls for a tropical theme.  Having a poker party?  Write your invite on the back of old Monopoly money.  Even if your gathering is by word-of-mouth, put the address and phone number on something unusual and less likely to be misplaced.

Decorate!
Going Western?  Use an old cowboy boot with a glass inside to hold fresh flowers, stick up some John Wayne posters, drape a bullwhip over your hutch, print out a sheet of cattle brands and use a removable glue to attach to drink glasses.

Anniversary or Birthday Party?  Hang up the year’s popular movie posters/celebrities/cars, whether Tommy Dorsey or The Who – album covers really create a time warp, toss around a few magazines like Saturday Evening Post or Life, use dinnerware serving pieces from the era.

Having a Tea Party?  Who says the china has to match?  A different cup/saucer set for each guest is a sure conversation starter.  Doilies and vintage cake plates set a refined and cozy mood.

Game Day?  It’s only one day, so take down the lovely landscape watercolor and hang up a beer sign.  Gather a collection of labeled beer glasses so each guest has a different one.  Find an old helmet, line with aluminum foil and you’ve got your chip bowl.  Recycle a trophy as a prize for the one guessing closest to the final score.  Substitute baseballs in the potpourri bowl.

Have fun and be sure to send us an invite!

When Andi came shopping for primitive pieces, she told us they were for her salon/spa/boutique, which opened June 2009.  Curious as to how she’d used them, as the roving photographer I was sent to find out.  Field trip!  Located on the ‘almost hidden’ Atlantic Avenue off Second Street in downtown Fort Pierce, it was well worth the search.  Small, unique, indiviualized rooms cater to all your beauty needs.  Not a stack-em-up and push-em-thru salon, but a relaxing, personalized experience.

Andi graciously took the time to show me around while I snapped some pictures.  Keeping to the primitive look, she’d painted the widow frame cabinets in colors coordinated with the rooms in which they were hung.  Holding various supplies and potions, they’re easy to get to, yet out of the way.  I loved what she’d done with the free-standing white cabinet.  Combining a sleek modern computer with wood and chicken wire was an eye-catching inspiration.

Studio 207 is an intimate salon and spa including a boutique with an artist’s touch.  Besides hair, nail and skin care, Andi carries beautiful handmade gifts by talented local artists.  Thank you, Andi, for sharing your creativity with Laura’s Emporium and our website visitors.

[ed. note:  Studio 207 is located at 207 Atlantic Avenue in historical downtown Fort Pierce.  772.468.3005]

If you’ve created a great display for your collectibles, or used an item in an imaginative way ~ we’d like to not only see it, but to share it with visitors to our website.  We want everyone to know what we already do – how amazing our customers are.  So take a few minutes to show off what you’ve created and inspire others!

It’s easy to participate – simply compose an email with the subject:  SHOW OFF.  Write a description of the item you purchased, how you’ve used it and don’t forget to add a little bit about yourself.  Attach a photo or two and send to newsletter@lauras-emporium.com.

And we’re goingto need your help!

At Laura’s Emporium, we know our customers are the most important part of the business.  The interactions we have with shoppers have taught us that not only are you the foundation for our success, but that you’re fun and friendly people.  That’s why we’d like to take the time to get to know you better.

Many times a customer has left the Emporium with a special item that has earned a spot in our hearts, and we often wonder where those items end up.  Since we believe that our clients are talented and creative, we decided to learn more about both you and those wonderful items you bought in one fell swoop.

So we’re inviting you to show off your creativity.  When you took home an item from Laura’s Emporium – what did you do with it?  Did it earn a place in your interior decor?  Is it a new garden feature?  Have you added it to an existing collection?

If you’ve created a great display for your collectibles, or used an item in an imaginative way ~ we’d like to not only see it, but to share it with visitors to our website.  We want everyone to know what we already do – how amazing our customers are.  So take a few minutes to show off what you’ve created and inspire others!

Its easy to participate- simply compose an email with the subject:  SHOW OFF.  Write a description of the item you purchased, how you’ve used it and don’t forget to add a little bit about yourself.  Attach a photo or two and send to newsletter@lauras-emporium.com.

We’d like to remind you that no matter what information you put in your email, we would NEVER make public your last name, email or mailing address, or phone number.  Your information is safe with us!

Eco-friendly and reminiscent of childhood holidays, making your own garland can be a rewarding experience – with or without the kids to help. Short on patience or time? A garland doesn’t have to go round and round and round the tree. Shorter ones can be used over doors and windows, around lampshades, on the mantel, along shelves, etc. Here’s a list of just a few (some otherwise destined for the trash) of the many items that can be used.

• Fruit – apples, cranberries, citrus, apricots
• Cinnamon sticks
• Pinecones or bundled pine needles
• Popcorn
• Tree leaves, bay leaves or rosemary
• Nuts – chestnuts, acorns
• Thread spools
• Large beads
• Buttons
• Wine corks

 Use a large needle to thread onto wire. A rotary tool or regular drill with a small bit can drill holes in nuts. Small fruits can be threaded whole; slice and dry larger fruits like apples or citrus. Thread buttons in one hole and out the other so they show better and take up more space. Finish off the ends with a bow or ornament.

Limit each garland to perishable or non-perishable items. Non-perishable garland, save and use again. Write a date on it and who made it, and you can add a new garland each year. Perishable garland can be draped on trees and bushes for winter food for our snowbirds (the feathered kind).