Living Beautifully in the Red Hills

We then traipsed across the street, under drapes of Spanish moss, glasses of wine or sparkling water in hand, to the second lovely home, where we were welcomed into the cozy kitchen and admired artwork by the owner’s sister on the walls.

 

Time certainly does fly when you are having fun! We were six years old for all of the past year, and now... we are SEVEN (even beyond A.A. Milne's iconic poem)! We absolutely cannot believe this weekend marks seven years since we opened our door on Broad Street in Thomasville...

 

When I am asked my favorite places to shop in London, it's so hard to answer: There are the little shops in Belgravia, Chelsea, and Pimlico. There are the fancy arcades, and Old Bond Street, and Portobello Road. And so much more! But my very favorite store to explore is Liberty...

 

Last Sunday, Chris made me “the happiest creature in the world” by going with me to experience Pride and Prejudice on the big screen. It was nostalgic to be back in a movie theatre, from watching previews to indulging in a large popcorn...

We could not have asked for a better instructor for us as a Chalk Paint® stockist, and now we are thrilled to offer the same experience to you ~ right in the four walls of our beloved shop...

Both Wolf Hall and Lucy Worsley Investigates elevate what may have first been presented to you from a dusty history book to an art form that depicts the humanity, drama, and lesser-known influences behind some of the most-trodden episodes in history. Sometimes, truth is indeed stranger than fiction!

I wish I could run to my younger self, greet her at the coffee shop door, sit her down (I’m still trying to figure out what she’d order because coffee shops weren’t a “thing” in the 90s!), and tell her about her future shop in a beautiful, historic building in a beautiful, historic town.

Decades later, those lessons for routines, puttering, gathering inspiration, authenticity, and being creative have stayed with me. And decades later, in 2025, I’m returning to those roots by reading the updated version of Simple Abundance.

So, imagine my delight when I turned the page to February 2nd the topic was Beginning to See the Light, and the daily reading began with Candlemas and its meaning!

As I pause to take a breath this morning, I am remembering the cozy, lovely townhouse hotel we used as our "home from home" in London. Tucked into a side street in the leafy Pimlico neighborhood, which is a neighbor to both Belgravia and Chelsea, The Artist Residence was in the perfect location to walk in any direction to where we wanted to be!

This year marks the 35th anniversary of Annie's invention of Chalk Paint,so 2025 will be exciting with LOTS of news and events that we all get to participate in!

Highlights of the training included Annie's tutorial on colour theory (yes, I feel the need to spell it the way she does, as she's from one of our favorite cities: Oxford, England!) and the joy of perusing Annie's personal art journals with her.

And home for almost 7 years now is Thomasville – this adorable, historic little town tucked into the Red Hills of south Georgia. There were sparks of “this reminds me of Thomasville” all around as we walked (and walked, and walked, as I noted earlier) through the boroughs of London. Yes, London reminds me of Thomasville – not, as you would think, the other way around!

If I had to pick the best part of our time together, it would be that by the time they left, it felt like Karen and Hadley were Thomasvillians. It got to where people were greeting them by name when they saw them! The people of Thomasville are so friendly and so welcoming that they just make you feel at home and like you never want to leave.