What is a beautiful thing?

What is beauty, does it exist and why? 

 Shop for floral prints online

A florist finds beauty in a floral arrangement, a lover in a single rose, a naturalist in the smell, a child in a fresh picked daisy, the old find beauty in the daffodil as pokes its yellow head through the snow, the forlorn find beauty in the dainty violet pressed between the pages of a book, a cynic says its crazy, that we find beauty at all.

For beauty is not something we can not touch and must be something to behold.

I confess I love to walk in the park in early spring and if by chance I spy the tiniest violet in bloom along the side of the path I walk, I smile. It is a thing of beauty, to be appreciated for its own sake, and for no other reason.

'Twas John Keats who said, the sylvan historian, who can't express a flowery tale more sweetly than the rhyme knows, 'Truth is beauty, beauty truth,' and that is all we know on earth and all we need to know.

So ignore the cynic and the scientist who try to reduce it to mere words. Beauty is a thing we feel and know.

What Will the New Year Bring?

2018

The first week of the New Year has passed and it is time again to ask, What will the New Year bring?

Donna Fargo

Donna Fargo?

As I sit down to write, the words from Donna Fargo's 1975 hit of the same name prances through my memory, "This past year was good to us the one before just a little rough. The one before that was an awful thing what will the new year bring? The past year was good to us." Call me country, call me corny, but I love Donna Fargo. I love songs about mistakes and tomorrow and forever, and walks together through life with the one you love.*
 

Old friends, New friends

Here in Overland Park we saw the departure of two employees, Missy went home to Oklahoma to be near her family, Alex took a great position in another field. That was rough for us, but we managed to find three new employees who add their own special charm to our staff.

In a week they are off to Manlius, New York to brave the snow and attend the Stickley Dealer Training seminar. We hope they stay warm while they learn all about Stickley including its new Studio by Stickley Collection.

See it now.

Studio by Stickley

It is new to us. It is an eclectic mix of styles - Modern Loft, Shackleford, Feng Shui, Mid-Century,... , in mixed materials, oak, ash, walnut, and metal, with a great selection of new finishes.

 

2018 Stickley Collector's Piece

Stickley is calling the new year the Year of the Dragonfly in honor of its new 2018 collector's piece, a Harvey Ellis Drop Front Desk with dragonfly inlay. It is stunning, available in cherry and oak and with all the beautiful Stickley hand-rubbed finishes. Plus there is a slat-back upright chair to go with the desk, again with the remarkable dragonfy inlay.

See it now.

Stickley Road Show

I have to mention Mike Danial's return to Overland Park and Wichita for the Stickley Road Show in February. Always entertaining, always informative, Mike is our favorite speaker. The event is limited so call the store for details.

What will the New Year bring?

One doesn't really know what surprises are in store, but that is what makes life exciting and interesting. We hope you will join us.

And we wish you a healthy and prosperous New Year!

 

* Looking forward also means looking back. Donna Fargo was born in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, fictional home of Andy Griffith's Mayberry. She had an unlikely climb to stardom, but in the 1970's if you were alive, you were singing along to one of her many hits, including the Happiest Girl in the Whole USA, which launched her career.