Pottery: Art for Every Room
Signature Ideas from Frank Bielec

Excerpts from the May 2008 issue of Signature HomeStyles HeartBeat, Issue 5 Vol. 8
- Courtesy of Rhonda LoSchiavo and SHStoday.com.
 

      
I have a confession that I want to share with you. In this day of tell-all media, my time has come. Yes, dear friends, I am obsessed with pottery. The pottery items from Signature Homestyles are created individually. All in all they are alike, but each bears individual differences. That's what makes them special and unique.
 
 

Neutral Perfection
If traditional is your thing, look at the Tessa Embossed Vase. This cylinder vase would be perfect in just about any room. The neutral tones will perk up a bookshelf, and any basket in our line would go with it. If you need a quick centerpiece for a buffet table, go to your yard and cut an interesting leafed branch and add it to the vase. Don't forget to put fresh flowers in unexpected places. How about telling your daughter you love her by putting an arrangement in her room? It's an amazing statement for the price.

Oh baby baby! There is not one thing in the Serene Surroundings collection that I don't like. First, it is all brown and white. Neutral, elegant and natural. This collection is perfect with baskets and metal. I can see polished river rocks and a small floating blossom in the Natural Tri-Colored Serving Set. The Glenwood Bowl would be perfect filled with water and some floating candles. The entire collection makes me want to unplug the phone and have a seat in my favorite chair and read a book.

Kitchen Gifts
The Basketweave Collection is a gift-givers answer to a prayer. How about putting the ingredients to a favorite recipe in the crock, wrapping it in cellophane, and tie the recipe on a card to a bow. Fill one of the Souper Mugs with envelopes of dried soups and wrap with cellophane and a bow and ta-dah, the perfect teacher's gift--not to mention the low price!

All-Purpose Art
Sometimes a decorative accessory can become a sculpture. The Leaf Impressions Vase accomplishes this. It totally stands on its own. Add a few dried branches anchored with large leaves and you have a beautiful arrangement. Lay the vase on its side and have some branches shooting out in combination with a Golden Harvest Teardrop, and you have a long and low arrangement that would work well on any entry table. Fill the vase with small pebbles about five inches high. Put in a few Safe T Lights and you have a soft glow that appears to be coming from the vase.

When I look at the Shell Vase I can almost smell the ocean. It has a rustic quality that just makes me feel good. It's like going on vacation without leaving the room. Combine it with the shells you have collected. Put some dried weeds in the vase to give it height. If you are crafty, glue small shells to dried sticks, and put a few into the vase at different heights. If you like the seaside cottage look, this is your vase.

 

Romantic Touches
Everyone loves a little romance. Sometimes life gets in the way, and we are so wrapped up in just getting through the day that we forget to make time for us. A little "pretty" goes a long way. The Divine Tall Vase and Divine Covered Jar will give any area that soft romantic feel. Put them in your dressing area and fill the vase with flowers and the jar with make-up pads. While you are buying bread and milk, pick up a handful of flowers for yourself. If that special someone in your life sees the flowers, they might take the hint. The vase and jar would be perfect for the entry. Finally, a place to put the keys! Let us not forget the most important room in the house--the bedroom. That is a perfect room for a little romance. This ceramic duo was made for this area.

To end this love fest with pottery, we have the Everyday Vase. It is the ultimate container for a single bloom to brighten your space. Just like life, the simple things are the best. The graceful shape in a natural color makes the perfect home for any colored bloom. It is a vase that will always be in style, just like Signature HomeStyles.

Until I see you, be happy, be safe and live your dreams.

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Frank Bielec is a designer on The Learning Channel’s popular “Trading Spaces” show, and he is also a frequent guest speaker at Signature HomeStyles company meetings. Frank often shares his decorating advice and Ideas for Everyday Living with Signature HomeStyles representatives. To learn more about Signature HomeStyles and to view our catalog, visit my Web site at SHStoday.com.

   

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