Sparkle for Spring

Who says sparkle and glitz is just for the holidays?  Why not have a little SPARKLE during the spring?  I think that the fashion legend and icon Elizabeth Taylor would agree.  After all what looks better with a great white shirt, your favorite pair of jeans, and strappy sandals than a necklace encrusted with RHINESTONES and PEARLS?  Instant outfit.  Now if it was just that easy all the time.  It seems lately that everywhere I shop has fabulous jewelry-Cotswold Marketplace included.  The hard part is deciding what the must-haves for this season are that you cannot live without!

Rhinestone and Pearl Necklace $95
Rhinestone Quatrafoil Necklace $35



Turquoise Beaded Earrings $25

Pink Stone Bracelet $35
Set of Wire Bracelets $20

Turquoise Necklace $125
Gold & Turquoise Earrings $22
Rhinestone Drop Earrings $20



Flower Power

With this perfect spring weather rolling into the Charlotte area, how can you not catch spring fever? 

I was fortunate enough to spend this past Thursday sprawled out on a blanket with my husband and pup at Freedom Park soaking up the sun and beautiful blue skies.  Everything is fresh and green...  The flowers are blooming bright, vibrant colors...  And the sky is CAROLINA BLUE! But the flowers...!  I cannot get over the flowers this time of the year!  The pale pinks contrasted against kelly green leaves.  Sunny yellows of tulips and daffodils sprinkling landscapes with cheerfulness.  I cannot help but see the color of flowers everywhere I look.  As I flip through magazines and read my favorite blogs, there it is...

C O L O R ! 

See if the color is as contagious as I seem to think it is.

 


 




Elouise & Georgia's Silk Mandarin Fuchsia Pillows, $200/pair







Original Oil





Letter Perfect Monogram Shop located in Cotswold Marketplace





Headboards, Sofas, and Chairs... Oh My!

Mod wingback chairs,
EMW Designs

 Upholstery. 

This is a quintessential must-have for all living areas of a home. 

The hard part is choosing what direction you want to go in and the tone you want to set for the room. 

The sofa and chairs in family rooms are the invitations for you to come sit down, snuggle in.  But do you keep your upholstery subdued and neutral, bringing in your COLOR through your pillows, drapes, and walls?  Or do you make a statement with a striking Ikat fabric on your headboard in your bedroom thus following up with crisp, white bed linens?  All tough questions, and yet, an even harder decision seeing as though most of us view upholstery as a long term investment. 

 In the mean time, as you settle on your look and decide on your fabrics, find some inspiration with us!



Velvet tufted sofa, House Beautiful

 

Linen tufted slipper chair,
Karen Keffer Collections





English arm greek key sofa,
Laura Park Interiors



Floral slubby chair,
Mary Jane Shoppes



Upholstered headboard, House Beautiful





Caroline Simas: Multiple Blessings

"Hindsight is 20/20"

Charlotte artist, Caroline Simas, knew from an early age that she had a passion to create.  She always had her hand in something art related, whether it was taking a watercolor class or hammering out hand-made jewelry.  Simas continued to have a PASSION for art as she made her way through college to end up as a first grade teacher.  As a teacher, she did as much as she could to incorporate art into her classroom curriculum and spent her summers teaching children's art lessons and running a custom painting business. 

Once Caroline started her family, which include TWO BOYS AND TWIN GIRLS, she found herself unable to devote as much time to her love for art as she had once been able to.  But she did manage to carve out enough time to CREATE a collection of greeting cards that were picked up by more than 250 stores in 20 states.  That was all it took to get her back into the swing of things.  Simas continued to add more products and designs to her line and found herself exhibiting her art in Atlanta and New York.  

Currently, Caroline helps companies, such as TINY PRINTS and MAYFAIR LANE, think of new inspirational products, unique packaging, and, of course, paint and design the art for these products.  Her early hunger to create prepared Caroline for what she does today.  And if you ask her what she'd change, she says, "I wish that I had put the paint brush down long enough to learn to sew! And wish that I had majored or at least minored in art."

Cotswold Marketplace is pleased to introduce CAROLINE SIMAS.  Her colorful, layered, inspirational work has already found a following here in a few short weeks. 

Visit Caroline Simas' website and blog

 www.multipleblessings.net and http://carolinesimas.blogspot.com