Genevieve's Home & Handmade

There's a new shop in town ~ that is, if you live in the Kansas City area!   
Genevieve's Home & Handmade is a lovely new store (opened this August) offering an eclectic mix of vintage, handmade & newly produced goods for you & your home. Located in Blue Springs, just south of I-70, the shop is a wonderful surprise to find nestled in the strip mall where it resides. Make sure to read entire post as there is info about this weekend's Fall Open House AND a coupon!

Pam Wheeler, friend and previous coworker of mine, is the owner and operator of Genevieve's. This past year she decided to follow her dreams and left her full time job to pursue them. Genevieve's has a great variety of unique paper goods, vintage items, wearables & jewelry, home decor and a nice selection of handmade items created by local artists ~ including yours truly!  Here are a few photos to give you a taste of what to look forward to:

 {great mix of old & new}

{handmade customizable coasters}

{love these vintage letter storage files displayed in a commercial baking pan!}

 {handmade jewelry}

{windmill blade ~ would make a great statement in someone's home!}

Best of all, this weekend Genevieve's has its' first Fall Open House, so if you are in the area, make sure to stop in.  Email me if you would like the details along with a coupon for $5 off purchase of $40 or more ~ good through the end of the year.

Winter at Terrain

While on our holiday travels back to Pennsylvania, we also managed a stop at Terrain in Glen Mills ~ what a great store! I wish I had gotten there before Christmas ~ I wonder what it was like at the beginning of the holiday?! I did a post on Terrain this summer, but this was my first visit ~ it did not disappoint. Lunch at the cafe was healthy and tasty as well as casual and relaxing ~ I wish I had taken more pictures! I got a few photos outside even though it was pretty chilly ~ I couldn't wait to go inside and look around.

{loved the turquoise columns with the globes of greenery}

{outdoor vignette with topiary}

{rustic fencing and outbuilding with evergreen boughs}

Inside, plenty to admire at every turn like the simple display of greenery behind the cash register ~ I had to satisfy my urge to buy by taking a few photos instead as I had no room in my luggage ~ actually I have no room in my house either!

{gorgeous perforated silver globes ~ even more beautiful when lit}

{Attractive displays of wares made of simple materials: glass, wire, galvanized metal, twigs}

{bright spot of color ~ brushed colored glass}

{spa product displays}

{lovely slab of tree trunk used as a backdrop}

{permanent (aka artificial or plastic!) flowers ~ displayed in this way, you would never know!}

{permanent on left, real on right}

{my favorite ~ colored twine ~ I am still regretting not getting any!}

Lovely Stores ~ Tombees du Camion

{store front and interior}

After visiting the Tombees du Camion website, I feel a desperate need to visit the brick and mortar shop ~ guess I better start planning a trip to France! For now, I will have to console myself with a peek here and there ~ it does look like one could order via email ~ the shop photos lead me to believe there is much more there than on the website ~ maybe they will continue to add more as time goes on ~ I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Look at this great stuff ~ a store of my dreams! I wonder how they can bear to part with it?! I love the way they have displayed the items ~ whether in a type tray or in the wonderful vignettes above. Looks like there is something for everyone! On their site, if you hover over the different objects, a close up appears, along with pricing and information about the object ~ I've shown a few closeups below.

{all images via Tombees du Camion}

As I do not speak or read French, I looked up what Tombees du Camion means ~ all I could come up with was "tombees of the truck" ~ anyone know what "tombees" means?

Lovely Stores ~ Curious Sofa

If you are in Kansas City or live close enough to make a road trip, you should definitely put Curious Sofa on your list of places to visit. I am lucky enough to live a short drive from Curious Sofa, so I try to visit often.

Curious Sofa is one of the most unique retail environments I have shopped in ~ always a gorgeous array of unique goods ~ an eclectic mix of old and new ~ everything displayed in clever and beautiful ways. Debbie Dusenberry is the owner and creative force behind Curious Sofa ~ she and her staff always make you feel welcome when you walk in the door ~ if you are lucky you may also get to meet Pearl, the shop's pretty canine mascot.

You can see more of the shop at the curious sofa website or at the blog, curious sofa diaries ~ Debbie also writes a blog about being a shop owner ~ all worth a visit! Below are a few shots I've taken while visiting.....

{the entrance ~ many times the doors are open}

{gorgeous display of shells this summer}

{relaxing & beautiful bedroom vignette}

{eclectic assortment of prints, frames and planters}

{need a key? ~ how can you resist?}

{lovely spring garden display}

{jewelry displayed in vintage muffin tin and type tray}

{shots above from the 'estate sale' this summer ~ I missed the opening as I had to work!}

{Halloween open house invitation}

This past weekend was the Halloween open house ~ which I was not able to get to ~ curses! I will have to make a trip there this weekend instead ~ if you want a sneak peek, go here. Halloween is at its best at Curious Sofa!

Lovely Stores ~ Anthropologie

Another of my favorite stores to visit is Anthropologie ~ I'm sure almost everyone has either visited an Anthropologie or is at least familiar with their catalog. What you might not know though, is that each store is designed according to the space it occupies. Usually a vacant building is refurbished according to the Anthropologie aesthetic, utilizing and adding to already existing elements ~ creating a unique shopping experience at each store. So although I can shop at my local Anthropologie anytime, I still think it is worth visiting their stores in other cities because the shopping experience and the displays are always unique. Below are photos from the Anthropologie in Soho this spring.

{wonderful window displays ~ bug themed cut paper patterns}

{more paper cut creations throughout the store}

{chandelier made of folded book pages}

{clever use of screen as a sculptural material}

{great cabinet ~ love the mix of greenery!}

{unique way to display a variety of knobs}

{my favorite ~ gorgeous felt flower bench}

Lovely Stores ~ Terrain

{photo via oh joy}

A couple of weeks ago I saw a posting on oh joy about a new garden theme store called Terrain, located near Philadelphia. Joy posted many photos here and here ~ additional photos from her visit to the store are here. This is the 4th brand from Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie/Free People and from what I can tell it looks like a place where I could spend hours {and dollars}. If only I lived closer to Philadelphia!

Lovely Stores ~ ABC Carpet & Home

{gorgeous displays of home & garden wares}

{unique store decorations}

{beautiful handmade paper crown}

{lovely handmade wedding cake topper via tinsel trading}

{michal negrin jewelry}

Visited ABC Carpet & Home a couple weeks ago ~ as usual, it did not disappoint! ABC is one of my favorite places to go ~ it is filled with gorgeous and unique things to buy ~ lovely housewares, garden items, jewelry, furniture, rugs, even a floor filled with items for children. Whenever I am in NYC I try to make a stop here since the product offering and the displays are like nowhere else.