The Trends – May 2017

By Corby Carlin Winters

The month of May is often a wild and wacky time around our town. Children are preparing for the end of the school year, finals and school parties, and graduations, too. May can be full of happy times.Yet it can also stir up emotions of loss on Mother’s Day and graduating children leaving the nest. Life is full of seasons, and some are easier than others. I hope you see this month as a perfect time to love and cherish those in your life.

This May I am highlighting some classics as well as unique gifts and trends in our neck of the woods and I hope you enjoy!

Your Home’s First Impression
An interior decorator once said to me, “The entryway makes a huge first impression.” I totally agree, and I also believe the same about your front door. Our front door is a true investment and makes a statement about the home. It can provide that wow factor and it invites guests to anticipate what comes next in your home. Your door – whether fabulous or classic, extravagant or fun – reflects your style. I personally adore French doors. I always have loved them and flipped out last spring when I was blessed to find some old ones at Circa Antiques in a dark wood stain. Lucky me! We loaded them right there and then. I also love red doors, pink doors and black doors. In downtown, Newnan one little street alone there are five red doors alone. Needless to say, they look wonderful and cheery.

Friend and neighbor, Katie Anderson, has such inviting door and front porch it always makes me go home and try to spruce up my porch. Her door color is called Woodlawn Salsa by Valspar. It seems to me to be in the coral family, which is a perfect complement to her exterior house color. You rarely see her color combo, and it so works so beautifully. Urns, ferns, furniture and door decor can all make a lasting statement that you love. Live boldly and bravely, especially when it comes to your home, clothes and life!

Chicken Coops with Style and Class
Chicken Coops and raising chickens is trending all over our area. You can find chicken coops in all shapes and sizes, from fun to fabulous. But I must say, many of these chickens are living high on the hog. My friend Justeen Oess and her husband, Matt, moved to Coweta County about four years ago to a fabulous farmhouse they renovated. They have a chicken coop that is magazine worthy. Justeen is an architect by education but that is just one of her many talents. She is also a maverick, dumpster diva, and an inspiration. She started the Farmhouse Sale in her beautiful front yard with a fellow Maverick Lori Gillson Duncan of the Blue Fern Merchant.

When Justeen is not busy creating new ways to cook up great food, rescuing discarded furniture and painting, she finds time for some great projects. Last year she was designing and building a chicken coop with Matt. Her chicken coop is a sight to behold and meant to inspire and not make you jealous.

As of late, I have learned a great deal about chickens! I am the daughter of a veterinarian and grew up with all kinds of farm animals including chickens; but who knew I had so much to learn? Think you are ready to have fresh eggs every morning? Then here is the scoop you might need to get started. You may buy chickens from a friend or you can order chickens at Arnall Grocery Company in Downtown Newnan. If you have never been there, you are in for a treat. You will certainly feel as though you have been transcended back in time. It is a perfect place to meet new friends, pick up your chicken feed and purchase a chicken coop right on the spot. That is, unless you want to build one … I am amazed how many people in our area are cuckoo over chickens.

If you love free range fresh eggs, well then, you will have them. Chickens are fun and each has a personality all its own. There are many breeds. Think you need a rooster? Well, think again. That would be a big NO! Roosters can crow all day long and they are very territorial. These hens don’t need a rooster, since they are self sufficient, born to lay eggs.

Gifts for the Women in Your Life
Do you want something special for the women in your life? Then I have wonderful suggestions. First, check out Lee-King Pharmacy on Cavender Street near downtown Newnan. It is a perfect place to do your one-stop shopping. They carry perfect gifts and lines such as Scout and Trevelone … everything from carry bags, travel bags and even coin bags and travel trays. These special gifts can also be monogrammed for an extra special touch. You can fill your prescriptions and pick up wonderful gifts at the same time. One of my favorites is the Lampe BERGER Paris, which cleans the air, destroys odors and perfumes your home. This innovative idea was invented by a pharmaceutical chemist in 1898 to help the disinfection of hospitals. Then he introduced fragrances. Today with over 50 scents available, your home can smell incredible and be safer at the same time.

The “lamps” come in many shapes and sizes. Unlike a candle which burns for hours, the Lampe BERGER Paris burns only for a few minutes. First you fill the “lamp” with a fragrant oil, light the wick and let it burn several minutes. Then blow out the flames and enjoy the aromatic flow for several hours. Once the flame is out you will benefit from incredible aroma and its healing elements for up to six hours. But best yet, they sell starter gift sets, which are perfect. A friend gave me my first set, and now I am hooked.

Jeanette Jackson at Footpath Aromatic Reflexology in the Commercial House, is a certified Reflexologist. Why not give the gift of relaxation and the extra benefit of health and wellness to someone you love?

Gifts for Grads
Want to find just the right gift for the grads? Cards can be seen as a gift that keeps on giving as well. Typo in Downtown Newnan has a wonderful and expansive selection. If you receive cards, why not hang them in your home or office to enjoy them for years to come? They also have unforgettable stationery as well as thank-you notes. They have elegant and sophisticated yet affordable stationery on which our grads can write a classic, handwritten note.
Morgan Jewelers has great gift ideas for mom, grad and dad.

Don’t forget about Sugars Boutique, which carries so many beautiful gifts and Catherine’s Southern Sass Boutique and Christian Gift Shop. If you are looking for a gift for your mom, a grad or for yourself, you will love both these shops. They have one-of-a-kind special gifts for your favorite grads or your moms.

I am pretty certain that United Bank would also suggest starting a savings account or giving cold hard cash for your graduates. They can then invest the cash or help defray college costs. I do love compound interest. I mean it; I really do!

Pedometers Continue as a Top Health Aid
Summer is almost here! And yikes, you go to put on your favorite white jeans when, horrors of horrors, they don’t fit. No more coats to camouflage those extra few pounds gained over the past months. Don’t freak out and throw a fit! Rather, grab your pedometer, get your walking shoes on and get busy exercising. Yes, activity is critical to weight loss. Check out Dragonfly Running for your athletic gear, such as shoes and attire.

Those who don’t own an activity device may choose to use their phones. But as far a pedometers go, many brands and styles are available. Remembering to always be safe when walking and running outside is so important. Wearing light reflective gear can help ensure that people see you while exercising outside! In our neck of the woods, back roads can be narrow and have little lighting. That is a dangerous mix in a world with so many potentially distracted drivers. Dragonfly Running sells lifesaving reflective gear and called “light spurs” that attach to your shoes.  They are ingenious!