An Interview With Australian Artist Renee Treml...

Limited Edition Print - Sweetly Sleeping Barn Owl by Renee Treml.

Renee Treml is a woman after my own heart..... she loves owls!

Renee also loves other Australian native animals and features many of them in her cute, beautiful, and intricate artwork.

I first featured Renee's work when I discovered her delightful 'Great Horned Owl in a tea cup', and I'm excited to talk with her in more depth today.

Renee primarily works with 3 media: scratchboard, acrylic mixed media, and watercolour.

For the mixed media paintings, Renee creates collaged backgrounds using pages from retired books and handmade papers. She paints directly on top of the collage allowing some of the background to show through the paint.

Renee also paints with watercolors on textured clayboard and watercolor canvas, enjoying the varied and often unexpected effects achieved when the paints move on the uneven surfaces.

Original Artwork 'Nesting' by Renee Treml.

I asked Renee to share some thoughts about her art, her Secret Room, and what she's 'gotta thing' for...

*****

H.A.H. (Heartfire At Home): What 5 words best describe you?

Renee: Creative, conscientious, kind, and clever (sorry, it's only four words!)

H.A.H: Why does your art mean so much to you? What is it that creating achieves for you?

Renee: I love putting my ideas on paper, canvas or clay -- something about creating art makes me feel whole. I love sneaking environmental themes into my work too... but subtle so the messages are not blaring and they can just be beautiful work.

It 's a great feeling when a piece turns out better than I was expecting, but I also enjoy the challenge (and eventual satisfaction) of working on a difficult piece.

Whether I am feeling happy or sad, I almost always try to paint things that make me smile.

'Tea Cozy: Little Blue Penguin' Limited Edition Print by Renee Treml.

H.A.H: If you had a Secret Room that you could decorate/design just for you, what would it look like?

Renee: I have to admit my secret room would be a brand new studio space, with lots of natural light and windows, but also gallery lighting and a hanging system to highlight the paintings and sculptures of my favorite artists and friends that would adorn the room.

I would need at least one lemon tree -- not only do I love the fragrance of blooming flowers and lemons, but the tree itself is gorgeous -- and several orchids.

I would have several large working tables, cubbies to store my bits and pieces, and a comfy sofa with reading lamp for sketching and reading. My walls would be white so they would not compete with the beautiful artwork and the floors would be wood for easy cleaning.

'The Diva' - Limited Edition Print by Renee Treml.

H.A.H: Have you gotta 'thing' for anything? ie. Like I have for owls as mentioned in my owl post. And do you know why you have a 'thing' for it.

Renee: I have to admit, I have such a thing for birds! My artwork has always featured owls and songbirds. Here in Australia I have been entranced by the frogmouth.

I also have a life long love for the American chickadee -- a tiny seed-eating songbird with a big personality. I used to volunteer at a wildlife hospital when I lived in the US, and my favorite job was feeding the baby birds and owls.

'The Many Faces Of Kookaburras'

Set Of 5 Notecards By Renee Treml.

H.A.H: Do you have any memories that influence your art.... these can be from early childhood or later?

Renee: Most of the influences for my work come from the world right around me. The idea of relocated owls has really stuck with me as a major influence in my work.

Today I finished a series of three frogmouths nesting on egg-cups -- it is the same idea -- where will the birds build nests if their aren't any trees?

I also recently attended a talk about the fate of koala's in southern Queensland... it left me with numerous ideas for a series featuring these threatened animals.

H.A.H: What do you hope to do/achieve next?

Renee: I would love to write and illustrate a book with my very tired wombats or another crazy animal... I feel like I have the illustration part down, but the writing part always throws me for a loop. Someday I will figure it out!

'A Very Tired Wombat And Three Kookaburras'

Limited Edition Print by Renee Treml.

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Thanks Renee for giving us a glimpse into your artistic life and your thoughts!

You can browse and purchase Renee's delightful work at:

Udessi
Renee's Art Work

And here's my favourite 'Great Horned Owl' in a tea cup - couldn't resist!

'Tea Cozy - Great Horned Owl'

Limited Edition Print by Renee Treml.

Doesn't he look very witty and charming!!

Cheers,

Linda.

******
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Wall Light For Expose Bedroom Furniture Series

And this is a wall light called 'Moon Light' crafted in natural shaped teak wood planks for Expose Bedroom Furniture Series a round light look-like a moon with LED and Fiber-Optic light give you another atmosphere to your bedroom at night.
With rough shape for natural look. What do you think about it?

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Expose Bedside In Rotten Teak With LED Light

This is a deep closer view of expose bedside in Expose Bedroom Furniture Series. Crafted from rotten teak wood planks, naturally wood cavities filled with LED light and glued with clear epoxy for 'cool' light effect and finished with non-toxic oil finish 'Rubio Monocoat' make this series completely green furniture collection. Any comment?

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Introducing... 'Blog Of The Moment' - Inside Out.

Today I'm starting a new category on Heartfire At Home which will get added to when I find fabulous blogs that just have to be shared!

So I'm excited to introduce my very first 'Blog Of The Moment'...

Inside Out.

Have you seen the Inside Out Blog?

Whilst it's only been going since March this year, it's a wonderful addition to reading the Inside Out magazine off the shelf!

Always something to be eagerly anticipated and delightfully devoured, I can now get a dose in blog form as well.

Their tag line 'Inspiring Homes With Heart' cuts right to the core of my design philosophy!

Our homes are not stagnant entities.... I see them as living, breathing characters with heart and soul. A heart and soul that should align with your heart and soul.

Vibrate on your wavelength!

The Inside Out crew do an insightful job of collating delights, surprises, visual feasts, intriguing information, design ideas, beautiful interiors, shopping must haves, stunning artists and crafters, and general Inside Out desirables.

Artist Profile Pic

Look at these amazing works of art that are actually office memo blocks! They can be individually 'sliced apart' and used as post it notes.... gorgeous, colourful, and useful!

Featured on the Inside Out Blog, they're stocked by Third Drawer Down in Melbourne.

I'm constantly astounded by the beautiful things and innovative designs people like the Inside Out team reveal to us all. Thanks guys!

To discover more, visit the Inside Out blog today!

Cheers,

Linda.

******
♥ Let's talk on Twitter!
♥ Straight from me to YOU - subscribe!
♥ New to Heartfire At Home? Start here.
♥ And if, perchance, you BELIEVE.... join here.

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Dining In The Presence Of Books...

Image from Jamie Meares via Design Sponge.

I love to eat, and I love being surrounded by books, so these dining rooms represent the perfect comfortable eating experience for me! What a delicious atmosphere to dine in!

The top one with the yellow chairs is my favourite!

All images from Jamie Meares (flickr).

Cheers,

Linda.

******
♥ Let's talk on Twitter!
♥ Straight from me to YOU - subscribe!
♥ New to Heartfire At Home? Start here.
♥ And if, perchance, you BELIEVE.... join here.

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Grapes, pumpkins and tomatoes over taking my dreams.

I have made so many grape pies in the past week, I swear my fingers will be stained until Spring. From deep dish grape pies to these wonderful muffin pan size mini pies. I even have my own secret recipe after messing around with a few I found online. Tweaked and played around until I come out with my own much less sugar recipe- about 1/4 cup to 5 1/2 cups pure unadulterated Grape juice and a few other little things.Shhh..

Our stove has been used nonstop for days now. After getting the great hook up on grapes last week I fell into another. While chatting about the upcoming Northeast Ohio Solar home tour with a friend (whose home is on the tour & I was invited to set up my breads and such at their place during the 2 day event), We spoke of grapes and she mentioned she had grape vines which no one picks or tends to. Organic grape score DEUCE! So I ventured out and discovered some bigger then the last grapes growing high into a choke cherry tree. I walked away with around 60pounds or more.
Between the Long Pie Pumpkins and these grapes, my Oven has been put into overtime:

While I was there, I picked a decent amount of Grape leaves for winter time Dolmas- I know the normal grape leaf picking is in the June July time frame so they are more tender but I am the only one besides Frog who enjoys a good Dolma. In the top left corner you can see the jar of about 50 leaves fermenting before they go in the fridge for a month before use. I posted the recipes and the link source for the method I used over on my Luna Gardens Blog.

And with all those delectable long pie's (also known as Nantucket pie pumpkins), I found myself with more pumpkin seeds then one can eat. So I decided to whip up some seed packets of my own and put a minimum of 10 seeds in them(average about 13 but put extra in the case of any non sprouting). Heirloom variety pie pumpkins and of course grown "Naked" in our garden.

I thought these would be cool to sell next to my Pumpkin empanada's which are made from scratch right down to the, of course, Long pie pumpkin filling.

I have been working on a few aprons, plan to do some of those local school craft shows and such.

I have San Marzano tomatoes (the sun dried type) in my dehydrator and need to switch the trays with fresh tomatoes. I have about 45-50 lbs of San Marzano's total for drying. Not bad at all for plants started well into growing season and will from now on be the ONLY red tomato I grow.mmmmm. Sun dried tomato Italian bread and flavored oils...

I ADORE Sun dried tomatoes and will enjoy this harvest bounty very much.

So much to do and so much going on right now. Looks like the fest I planned for tomorrow will not be happening due to family personal issues. Not sure if I will ever go into it, but know I have taken control and making sure everything will be O.K. I am still pretty numb at this moment and wonder where the reverse and fast forward button is on this thing....

Sweet dreams,

~Tammie

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grape stomping and vintage chicken feeders

I LOVE it when the husband comes home and say's "Honey I got you the hook up!"

A co worker of his has a home which was built by his wife's grandfather and has been in the family since 1901. There were 3 rows of grape vines planted there and are now 100 yrs old- they have it dated according to a picture showing the one vine at 3 feet tall dated around 1910.

He had to remove 2 of the rows and left 1 which is 25 feet long. I was welcome to come "play farmer" and tend his grapes in exchange for all the grapes I want. They are just happy someone can use them instead of going to waste while preserving the family vines. In just 1 1/2 hours of picking I got about 40 or so pounds in concord grapes. That was maybe a 1/4 of what is there.

I will be making juice for the kids and a few more grape wines but the rest are being utilized for my upcoming market in Randolph. There is a festival going on and their farmers market is having an all day event which I will be selling at. Found a great recipe for Grape pie so 6 pies will be whipped up. My neighbor and good friend Jeannie will be making grape jelly and pumpkin woopie pies to sell with me at the stand.(I am so excited how I have influenced her with the gardening and canning. How awesome it is to see the pride she had when showing her full pantry of jars filled from her garden bounty.) I will be adding Ciabetta bread and beer yeast rolls to the goods I normally sell along with 5 or so of my Farm Chic aprons.

After that I was invited to sell my breads at a home on the Ohio Solar home tour here in town the following weekend then after that the Township Harvest Festival. So my weekends are booked until mid October. YAY!

We had our first house showing which I scoured the house for 2 days in preparation, following the kids around with a dust buster and baby wipes...Not fun! All that work and then I disover something one of the kids "left" before I shipped them off to the neighbors while the people viewd our house. Of course I do not discover it until AFTER the viewing which means the people were given the same view as I did when I flipped the bathroom light on. The toilet lid was open with a big Deuce floating.....ARGH! I could not help but stare and think Oh my God,all that work and they still manage to leave a mess where I never thought to look AFTER they leave for a few hours.

I found some vintage chicken feeders which the woman bought from an auction 20 yrs ago at the old Seiberling Farm not far from here. I got 18 since the price was awesome. Why 18? I want 5 for our animals. I like having a few in the house so I can fill up the feeder either with their grains or food scraps to take out and replace the empty ones- no need to go out retrieve the the empty ones then come back inside to fill them. Also gives me extra for back up. The others I am cleaning up to resell at the markets I do with my aprons and such. These are the first feeders my animals have not been able to tip over, spilling their grain out. I LOVE them. They also make for a cute bird feeder hanging from the tree. I have decided to start attending Farm auctions and picking more vintage farm stuff up to sell at a few festival/craft markets. We will see how that goes.

The turkeys are doing great. I still love hearing their peeps and they love going into the garden which is mid process of being put to sleep for the winter. I let the poultry free range during the day and already they know the property lines and stay in them. As the sun goes down, they make their way back to their pen, waiting for me to close up the gate with their night time scratch.

I also love the fact I can call out "Turkey turkey turkey....come on babies...come on" and they come running to me and eat from our hands.

I still have lots of apples to work on into cider and more applesauce (which I add other fruits like blueberries, peaches or strawberries* see my recipe at this link** which I now omit the sugar). Plus some blemished pears I picked from Stotlers orchard on the cheap for more spiced Pear butter. So I best be off before those nasty fruit flies take over my kitchen.

Sweet Dreams,

Tammie

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New Modern Dining Room Furniture Sets by Modloft Added at Wholesale Furniture Brokers

Wholesale Furniture Brokers has just added three new modern dining room furniture sets by Modloft. Each dining set includes leather upholstered chairs for premium comfort and style. If you order one of the new dining room sets, you can get free shipping and inside placement.



Your new dining set will be delivered right to your home, up two flights of stairs, and unpacked for free.



Customize your set by adding or removing chairs in the available options.



Save more when you order online at GoWFB.com since you will not have to pay for sales tax. Click on the images below to find out more about these new items!

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Update Your Living Room with the Latest Sectional Sofa Designs by True Contemporary

Design your living room with a fashionable flair with our newest designs of sectional sofas by True Contemporary. They are now available to order at Wholesale Furniture Brokers at prices that are much lower than what your local retail stores offer.



True Contemporary's sectional sofas are available in different colors and designs. Their designs can be used for modern and contemporary home interiors. You also have a choice between leather or microfiber upholstery. Each item is constructed with either a solid wood or stainless steel frame.



Order your new sectional at GoWFB.com today and be entitled to huge discounts! You will get more savings when you shop online because you don't have to pay any sales tax. Visit our True Contemporary page and look for more great options.

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Stanley Furniture’s Shares Drop on 3rd Quarter Outlook

Shares of Stanley Furniture Co. Inc. plummeted during the early afternoon trading on Wednesday. The company has predicted a day before that the third-quarter results would be more severe than its recorded loss during the second quarter.



Its shares were reduced to $11.15, falling 74 cents or 6.2 percent.



During the second quarter, the San Francisco-based wood furniture manufacturer reported a pretax operating loss of $4.1 after its sales plummeted to 28 percent every year to a $42.3 million. At the end of the second quarter, managers had stated that they considered hitting the bottom on their sales.



Budd Bugatch, an analyst from Raymond James had lowered profit estimates for the third quarter, but still maintained a “market perform” rating on the shares last Wednesday. He expected a loss of 33 cents per share from a loss of 16 cents per share. His estimate for 2009 also dropped down to a loss of $1.13 per share from an 87 cent per share loss.



Thomson Reuters polled analysts and predicted a loss of 18 cents per share during the third quarter and a loss of 84 cents per share in 2009.



Source: Forbes.com

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Price Drop on Stanley Chair Leather Recliners at Wholesale Furniture Brokers!

If you're looking forward to experience luxury without spending too much, getting a leather recliner is your perfect option. Shop at Wholesale Furniture Brokers and get big discounts and FREE Shipping on selected recliners by Stanley Chair.



The Mario R-028 and Mario R-262 Series Leather Swivel and Ottoman Sets are our current featured products. Both designs are upholstered in top grain leather and leather match vinyl on the sides and back. These ergonomic recliners are cushioned with 2.0lb high density Dacron wrapped foam and provide correct lumbar and head support in all positions. They also have easy patented latch release mechanism that allows the recliner chair to recline back with infinitive positive locking positions. The style of both designs are likened to Ekorness Stressless Recliners, but a lot cheaper.



You can get the Mario R-028 Series in khaki, black, ivory, and chestnut colors. The Mario R-262 Series is available in scarlet, black, brown, and yellow. Check out our Stanley Chair page for more options. You can click the images below to get details on the prices and delivery options.

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Driftwood Dining Table, A Green Design Furniture Collection

Take another deep breath as this is wow furniture we just made as well.
A large driftwood dining table with 4 meters length, 120 cm width and 78 cm height.

As always LED light is the main part to make it much more beautiful with cool effect of clear epoxy and inside it are chop pieces of erosion wood to give another beautiful effect on this massive dining table.

This large dining table is knock-down so no need to worry about packing and take much container space when shipped.

Let us know what you think about this beautiful pieces of green design furniture collection.

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Rotten Wood Massive Buffet With RGB Light

Well... another wow furniture just created! It's large buffet almost 4 meters length and crafted in rotten teak planks.
We recycled these throw-away wood into planks and make them as frame of this buffet.
See the buffet's doors and drawers closer, it has light and these are RGB light which every second turning into red, green and blue color automatically.
Is it very interesting, isn't it?

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Driftwood Lamp, A Newest Table Lamp and Wall Lighting Series

These are newest shape and model of our driftwood lighting collection. LED is the main part to these lamps with cool effect of clear epoxy. Booth suit in any room. A driftwood has modern look with it. What do you think?

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Modern Bedroom Furniture

Modern Bedroom

Modern furniture constantly wins new and new fans, making people stick to this style. Indeed, if you get your dining or living room done in modern style, most probably you’ll find yourself searching for proper modern furniture for your kitchen or kids room.

Bedroom is usually not something we want to spend huge money on, but it doesn’t mean you should sleep surrounded by old and not very comfortable furniture. Even though this is the area of your home that is rarely visited by guests, you owe it yourself. Moreover, modern bedroom furniture can be very affordable but still quality.

Modern bedroom decor usually implies following several simple rules. Using them you can get an attractive room without any designer help.

First you should prepare your room. If your walls have cute and lovely pattern, for example, flower ornament, it’s better to replace it with something more neutral.

The next step is furniture. The main idea of modern furniture is simplicity and lack of details, so plain surfaces of preferably dark color are recommended. Dark furnishings give your room a feel of elegance and stylishness. However, this can also make it look boring and too dark, that is the reason why contrast colors should be added. White, green or even red accents are welcome.

Modern bedroom decor, as a rule, has lamps, photo frames or a TV stand made of steel and glass. These materials look great with dark wood and virtually make the room more spacious.

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Modern Furniture

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Modern Bedroom Designs

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Modern Bedroom Ideas

The first step in creating your own modern bedroom is… looking at what others have. Watch a couple of home design related programs on TV, get a decorator magazine or browse pictures of bedrooms online. On this stage you should get an idea of your future bedroom in your head. Do not try to copy the variants you may see as they’ve been made by professional designers and exact replication is simply impossible. Instead of copying try to get your own ideas that will suit your particular room.

While creating your modern bedroom it’s recommended to follow several principles that are basic for modern design. The first one is color. Pastel colors are essential for traditional bedroom, not modern one. Modern bedrooms often are created from bright and lively colors that can also be mixed in order to get that stylish modern look. Black and white, brown and white or chocolate tints are very popular for modern bedrooms today. As you make bedroom, it’s recommended to choose warm shades of these colors.

Don’t hesitate to mix textures, but avoid fancy ones like flowers, animals, etc. Geometric or abstract textures look great in modern design.

As you have used bright colors or color combinations and patterns, your furniture should have simple lines without unnecessary details. Avoid lovely furniture with rounded shapes as it won’t fit your style.

Finally, when you have furniture and your bedroom seems to be finished, add some accessories. That doesn’t mean you should invade your bedroom with nice and romantic details. Accessories will underline you have a modern bedroom, but at the same time they can spoil overall look. Think of stylish long-lined vase with single flower, artistic photo in frame or an abstract drawing. If your bedroom is primary dark, choose bright accessory and in case your bedroom has bright colors or color combinations, black and white photo will suit it the most.

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Modern Bedrooms

In true, many people neglect bedrooms. This is a private area and so we put many efforts in decorating public places like dining room, kitchen or living room. At the same time you owe yourself to decorate your bedroom! This is an area of your home where you relax and gain power for tomorrow and you simply won’t be able to perform your tasks effectively in case you have slept badly at night. Headaches, insomnia, nervousness, low energy and even aggression can be “cured” by simple bedroom replacement.

If you have decided to change that old bedroom unit you have, you can choose the new one from multiple styles available on the market. Traditional, antique, high tech or modern – the variety of bedroom furniture is endless. Nowadays modern bedroom furniture is considered an optimal choice as it is functional, stylish and it won’t look outdated for a long time. In addition modern bedroom is a real opportunity to save comparing to traditional style analogues. Quite often we do not have much space in the bedroom and so traditional heavy wooden bedroom furniture is simply too huge. Modern bedroom style is perfect for both large and tiny bedrooms.

So you are ready to get band new modern bedroom, but have no enough money for this kind of purchase. Then try to make small changes instead of one huge change. Shopping for bedroom furniture is an expensive task and sacrificing quality for affordability is not the best idea. That is why modern bedroom furniture is so popular - you can replace bed and then purchase matching bureau, shelves or night table. Finally, a stand lamp and other accessories will make your bedroom look solid.

Prior to choosing a modern bedroom think what you would like to get. Don’t be upset if your local furniture store has a limited number of styles. It’s high time to use the power of Internet as numerous online stores offer high quality furniture from best manufacturers on discounted rates. Also think of the desirable color of your bedroom. Even though modern bedroom furniture is space saving, dark colors may visually scale down your room. Also do not make hasty choices in favor of extravagant furniture. Think, will you be able to relax in a room with such furniture and won’t you get tired of it soon. Simple shapes and neutral or pastel colors are often recommended for this part of your home. In case you prefer dark furniture, you should add some stark colors as well to gain the modern bedroom look. Green, red or white colors will neglect the domination of dark color.

Note modern bedroom means simplicity. Do not add endless small details and plan the accessories carefully. Several photos in simple frames, an abstract picture or a steel high tech lamp will be a good accent. Do not throw pillows, blankets and exclude any patchwork for your modern bedroom as they do not fit this style.

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Free Shipping & Inside Placement for Select Platform Beds by Modloft at Wholesale Furniture Brokers!

Update your bedroom with a modern European touch with Modloft's newest collection of platform beds at Wholesale Furniture Brokers!



The Ludlow II collection features three platform beds with comfortable and sophisticated leatherette upholstery. They are available in white, black, and chocolate colors. You can also opt for a queen or king sized platform bed in the available options. Matching nightstands and dressers are also available.



You can order them right away at very low prices when you shop at Wholesale Furniture Brokers. We are currently providing FREE Shipping and Inside Placement for all items in the collection. Shopping online at GoWFB.com lets you save more money since you won't have to pay any sales tax for your order.



Click on each image below for more details on the prices and delivery options.

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Libby Langdon to Host 21st American Furniture Hall of Fame Induction Banguet

Designer and HGTV personality Libby Langdon is commissioned to host the 21st American Furniture Hall of Fame Induction Banquet on October 18, 2009, Sunday. Langdon is a commentator and lead designer for HGTV’s “Small Space, Big Style” TV program.



According to Don Belgrad, president of the American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, they chose Langdon because of her passion about home furnishings and furniture and preserving its history.



Langdon said in a press release, “As a fellow member of this industry, I have a deep appreciation for its rich history and I am thrilled to play a key role in this special evening."



According to Belgrad, Langdon instantly agreed when they approached her about headlining the banquet. “We know she will bring much enthusiasm and life to our event because that is what Libby Langdon is all about,” he exclaimed.



The candidates for this year are the following: Manuel Capo, founder of El Dorado Furniture, Miami Gardens, Fla.; Joseph F. Caroll, publisher of Furniture Today; M. Farooq Kathwari, chairman and CEO of Ethan Allen; Steven M. Kincaid, president of Kincaid Furniture; J. Ralph Stump, chairman emeritus of Stump Corp. and Stump and Co.; and Richard J. Udouj, longtime Riverside Furniture and industry association leader.



The banquet will take place at the International Home Furnishings Center ballroom. It will start with cocktails at 6 p.m. and followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are sold at $95 each. The deadline for reservation is on October 2, 2009.



Interested parties can call (336) 882-5900 or email banquet@furniturehalloffame.com.



Source: Furniture Today

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