Market Favorites - An Insiders view of the Atlanta Gift Show #1

While two-stepping out of a snow storm on route to the first "market" of the year, my mother / biz partner and I wondered what the show would be like as it was stuck between a burned up stock market and the Obama inauguration. Well, it was good...darn good and everyone seemed optimistic and upbeat and as several exhibitors said, "we aren't participating in this recession."

I love the upbeat and vibrant colors that filled the market....it's like a huge bizarre with a million products, thousands of scents and sounds and a multitude of languages...it's a place where you can walk for 10 hours a day for 3 days and still need more time to see it all. Here are a few of the colorful shots from the exhibitors that let me take pictures.

This should be called, KA-POW Orange.

Just huge!

Great needlepoint club-head covers.

These are great wool rugs. Ordered several for my summer / beach vignettes. Barclay Buterra uses them too. They come in dozens of other patterns and colors....I'll have a post on these later.

A cool cow skin side table with 3 drawers.

Fabulous hand painted trash cans, letter holders, tissue boxes and pencil boxes.

Liked the colorful rattan.

A view between Market buildings.

Awesome chest of drawers...I've never seen a pyramid crowned one - it was about 7.5 feet high.

John Wind, the super talented and charming jewelry designer hams it up with my mother.

Bah ah ah at first sight!

But we love these planters...they look great, weigh almost nothing and will not crack or split! How cool and perfect? Oh yhea, Martha Stewart orders them by the dozen. I'll have a post on more of these later this week...and how they can be ordered.

Yep, she's getting tired!

John Wind poses again with my Mother and Opera's favorite bracelet.

Another current trend is the glass Absinthe Fountains / Paris Decanters.

One market theme was Eastern Gods and Dieties from India.

The white Fiddlehead lights were très cool....they have an underwater feel to them.

I really liked the faux bois and faux gator metalware this company made.

These fellows from Finland made their debut this market and I bought a slew for next Christmas.

The iron and galvanized tin gardners table is sweet.

If you have question, please ask.