Furniture arrived this morning and now the retail booth is complete.

Nah, not really, because I will always be moving things around. Here’s the overall view.

TIP ONE:  Pillows are an easy, inexpensive way to update your decor without blowing the budget. 

I have even reused pillow inserts and put new fabric covers on top as another cost savings.

TIP TWO:  Amass things in bowls…things that you wouldn’t normally think to amass. 

Corks…why not?  They’re free and beautiful with an organic quality.  Colorful glass balls that are actually meant to float are pretty when amassed in this brass bowl (I also love shells, marbles, pebbles and I’ve even used old pool table balls).  Why buy prefab twig or moss balls from China when you’ve probably got stuff around your house.

TIP THREE:  Desks…we love ’em, we hate ’em because they collect our office junk. Why not corral stuff in pretty containers? 

Pens in a crystal vase, colorful cigar boxes for receipts, paperclips in relish trays, pencils in pottery. I often do this at a client’s home, searching around for “containers” for their office bits and bobs.

And finally,

TIP FOUR:  If big box retail stores can rip off covers of books and actually sell them, I can tie up books with twine (and spines intact) and call it a real book bundle.

Reminds me of the old-fashioned way of kids hauled books to school.

Come visit our retail side at Hunt and Gather!