Spring Forward

March 24, 2013 by ark_admin

Shane Westmoreland is no stranger to collections, historical artifacts or vintage pieces in general. In fact, it’s his livelihood. As owner of Andrew’s Antiques, which can be found in booths at numerous malls around the state including Jenifer’s Antiques, Crystal Hill Antique Mall and Mid-Towne Antique Mall, he spends his days tracking down rare, one-of-a-kind finds. “I specialize in vintage and antique pieces, including everything from bronzes and ivory to large industrial pieces,” says Westmoreland.

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In & Out

March 20, 2013 by ark_admin

Spruce up for Spring

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Get to Know…Paul Michael

January 17, 2013 by ark_admin

Reclaimed materials, classic Americana style and whitewash paint techniques may be showing up on your radar as current home trends. However, they aren’t a newfound love for Paul Michael. Instead, they are a lifelong passion. He has been a champion of handcrafted pieces, salvaged materials and the creative process in general since the early 1970s when he founded Paul Michael Company in Lake Village.

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Clutter Cure: Laundry Room

January 8, 2013 by ark_admin

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Clutter Cure: Closets

January 8, 2013 by ark_admin

Take everything out. Begin by emptying your closet completely. Things tend to migrate there that don’t belong—don’t let those things go back inside. Donate or toss anything you haven’t worn in two years. Hang items from the back of the rack as you replace everything. When you wear that item, turn the hanger back around to face the front. This makes it easy to keep up with what you do and don’t wear.

Go vertical. Look at the space in your closet with a new eye and see what isn’t being utilized. Store out-of-season clothing in containers on very high shelves or move them to another storage space, while keeping the items you wear the most in accessible spots.

Use like hangers. The quickest way to make a closet seem organized is to toss out all those mismatched hangers and replace them with one type of hanger. Suit jackets need wider hangers to support the shoulders, but a hanger with a slim profile is great for blouses, shirts and pants, and will save you lots of space.

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Pretty and Neat

January 8, 2013 by ark_admin

Clear clutter and save space with household helpers that are as attractive as they are functional.

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Handmade Holiday

December 19, 2012 by ark_admin

The holidays tend to bring out a bit of creativity from even the most reluctant crafter. This year we asked four skilled designers from the Northwest Arkansas chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers to share their top ideas for handmade holiday décor. Read on to see how they spruce up for a naturally gorgeous season.

Julie Wait Fryauf, ASID, is the owner of Julie Wait Designs in downtown Rogers. These handmade projects were a perfect opportunity to utilize all the corks she has collected from many great bottles of wine.
Sarah Savage Jaynes, ASID, of InsideOut Designs was inspired by vintage books and the appeal of a natural holiday rich in heritage. Her take on stockings, garland and gift wrap showcase this inspiration.
Angey Lyons, ASID, drew inspiration from her Southern surroundings. Her beautiful moss-covered wreath and floral spray can add a touch of evergreen beauty to any home.
Aubrey Mitchell Pate, ASID, is an adjunct professor with the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She worked with students in the school’s interior design program to produce a holiday tree from sheet music.

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Get to Know…Ashley Childers

December 19, 2012 by ark_admin

While her children were young, Ashley Childers spent years designing jewelry, furniture and home accessories in her spare moments. By the time her youngest child started school, Childers had a sketchbook full of ideas and a passion for home design that would become Emporium Home, a line of lighting, accent tables and accessories, each designed by Childers and handcrafted by traditional artisans, ensuring that each piece is one-of-a-kind.

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Celestial Brights

December 19, 2012 by ark_admin

Fresh, bold colors have never been more popular in fashion or home design. However, it wasn’t this vibrant contemporary trend that led Neil McConnell to his first piece of Moon and Star glassware. Rather, it was a childhood memory and a trip to an antique mall more than 17 years ago. “I saw a blue glass canister with that signature Moon-and-Star motif, and I remember thinking it was just like the ones my mother and grandmother had when I was growing up,” says McConnell. “My mom’s canisters were green and my grandmother had ruby ones,” he adds.

While the glassware, which was made in a variety of tabletop pieces, experienced great popularity in the 1950s and 60s, it has been produced since the late 1800s. The pattern was originally known as Palace glass; however, it soon earned the nickname Moon and Star due to its star-like impressions. Later productions of the pattern in the early 1900s made the nickname its official title.
The original color, crystal clear, also changed. Soon, a range of shades was developed in enough hues to make even the color wheel jealous of their vibrancy. “Originally, I was only going to collect blue, the shade of the first canisters I’d seen, but then I found a piece for just $5, and I started collecting every shade they offered,” laughs McConnell.

Today, he has a collection of more than 2,500 pieces of the iconic glassware. Tumblers, goblets, candy dishes and canisters are among the more popular pieces, and are therefore often easier to find. McConnell owns a set of tumblers and goblets in every color made. However, it is the rarer, hard-to-find items that he enjoys hunting for and collecting. Some of these pieces include decanters, epergnes, candlesticks and punch bowl sets. He is particularly fond of the large stein tankards or mugs. Only 12 of these exist in each color, and McConnell currently has two in his collection. He also likes the pattern’s lamps and tea-courting candlestick holders.
With a collection this large and varied, it may seem that McConnell has been on a near daily hunt over the past two decades. “I was fortunate to find a lot of my pieces in the 1990s when there were not a lot of people seeking it. Only more recently has it gained popularity and become harder to locate, and therefore more costly,” he explains. The pattern is also still produced today by Weishar Enterprises. Those on the hunt can recognize these pieces, which were all made in 1988 and after, by their Weishar signature.

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