New Years Resolutions - Making Life Beautiful

It is a new year at Traditions and we resolve to make it a little more beautiful.

Stickley Living

Our personal goals include the obvious ones of staying in shape, eating better, and maybe cutting back a little on the drinking, if that is a problem. Tackling bad habits is always up there on the list of new years resolutions, but we think it better to be positive.

So, our top vote getter is to spend more time with family and friends. Enjoy life.

Stickley Traditional Dining

And what better way to do that than, to dust off  the table top off, let in the light, and spruce up the house. Traditions has just the right designer to show you the way to a better living or dining room. Whether you are traditional or modern, rustic or relaxed, Traditions interior designers can turn your house into a home. After all, we've been making life a little more beautiful since 1984.

And, you will be ready to relax and enjoy life with the ones you care about.

Stickley Fingerlakes

 And at the end of the day, after the dinner, the friends, the conversation, and the fun, there will be a bed waiting for you - a bed fit for a king or a queen.

Stickley Marietta

And as my sainted mother used to say, "Good night, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite."

Life is a Gift

Life is a gift to be used every day,
Not to be smothered and hidden away;
It isn't a thing to be stored in the chest 

Where you gather your keepsakes and treasure your best;
It isn't a joy to be sipped now and then
And promptly put back in a dark place again.

Life is a gift that the humblest may boast of
And one that the humblest may well make the most of.
Get out and live it each hour of the day, 

Wear it and use it as much as you may;
Don't keep it in niches and corners and grooves,
You'll find that in service its beauty improves.

Edgar Albert Guest

Santa's Coming to Town

Undoubtedly, America's favorite tradition is the giving of gifts at Christmas time. Inspiration for this tradition comes from the celebration of the Epiphany, when the Three Magi appeared before Mary and Joseph bearing gifts for the infant Jesus.

In the 4th Century, Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra on the southern coast of present day Turkey, became famous for his generous gifts to the poor, including his presents of dowries to the three daughters of a pious but poor Christian. Today this spirit of gift giving is embodied in the person of Santa Claus, a jolly figure who is often dressed in a red suit and cap lined with fur. Santa lives at the North Pole and year-long with the help of his elves makes toys for good boys and girls. Then, each Christmas Eve he travels across the globe in a sleigh driven by eight reindeer. Santa lands on the roof of each house, slides down the chimney, and leaves gifts. Before parting, he enjoys a cookie and a cup of warm milk and utters a merry, "Ho, ho, ho."

In addition to Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus has many names - Father Christmas, Pere Noel,  Belsnikle, Kris Kringle, and Sinterklaas.

This beloved figure has been adopted by many cultures, each of which has its own unique customs and traditions. In Scandinavia, Kris Kringle appears in white and the celebration with food and gifts begins on Christmas Eve. In the 1800's, German immigrants to the US from the Palatinate Region brought with them the character of Belsnickle, a sterner version of Santa, who scared children with threats of whippings but always came through with a gift. In the Black Forest of southern Germany, Santa is often depicted as a rustic figure carved from the pine trees of the region. And, it was in Bavaria that the Christmas tree was born.

In England, Santa Claus is usually shown in a long green coat lined with white fur. A Christmas Story, is Charles Dickens' memorable holiday tale of a rich but unhappy man and a poor but happy family. Christmas, Dickens wrote, is a time for family and friends to share laughter and good humor. We should remember that giving is better than giving, and that we are blessed for that which we have.

And in the spirit of Christmas, let us all keep in our hearts the words of Ebeneezer Scrooge, who learned the true meaning of Christmas.

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”

Luminara Flameless Candles

Luminara Flameless Candles

You won't believe your eyes. The Luminara flameless candle uses a patented technology that recreates the look of a burning candle. You have probably seen these candles at major theme parks. The candle is real with a lightly vanilla scented wax. An LED light shines through a prism and rotating magnets create the effect of a flickering candle.

Luminara Ivory Candle - Small (5 inches tall) Price - $46.00 Shipping Included	Luminara Ivory Small	QTY
Luminara Ivory Candle - Large (7 inches tall) Price - $49.00 Shipping Included	Luminara Ivory Tall	QTY
Luminara Red Candle - Small (5 inches tall) Price - $46.00 Shipping Included	Luminara Red Large	QTY
Luminara Red Candle - Large (7 inches tall) Price - $49.00 Shipping Included	Luminara Red Large	QTY

Table Dressings

Table Dressings 2012, Holiday Tables November 7 – 10, at the Wichita Center for the Arts.

The annual Holiday Tables at the Wichita Center of the Arts features over 30 beautifully decorated holiday tables. This year’s unique themes include the whimsical and classic movie, A Christmas Story. Ralphie, the Red Ryder BB gun, and the amazing lamp shade are there. But there are 30 beautifully unique themes, ranging from the elegant, to the blessed, to the primitive, with stops everywhere in between. Visit Wichita’s Sister Cities in China, Mexico, and France and enjoy a foreign flavor. Experience some of Wichita’s finest design teams from such stores as Traditions Home, Fairchild Interiors, Pea Pod, Invio & J. K. Design, The Uncommon Market, Accent Interiors, The Red Nest, The Plaid Giraffe, and many, many more. 

While you stroll among the tables enjoy live entertainment. Visit the gift boutique and select from the many fine gifts. Enjoy a repast at the kitchen before you leave. And as always have a great time.

The Holiday Tables end Saturday, November 10, 2012, so hurry before the this year’s tables become just another Holiday Memory.

Compendium

Mark Watts has come full circle in his 20-some-odd years as an interior designer - growing up in Wichita, and then moving to Dallas, Texas, and then Scottsdale, Arizona, before coming home again to Wichita to be near family and friends. While in Dallas, Mark worked with Country Hall of Fame singer Charley Pride and his wife Rozene on their Dallas home. In Scottsdale, Mark lived and worked in what has been described as a desert version of Miami's South Beach.




Wichita is a far cry from big city life, but to Mark, his family and friends, it is home. Dorthy couldn't have said it better.

Mark describes himself as a Modern Traditionalist. While this might seem a contradiction in terms, to Mark, it simply means that he appreciates a broad range of classical influences with an eye on comfort. To achieve this end, Mark works with Vanguard's Compendium Collection designed by John Black. A compendium can be defined as a short concise summary of all that is known. This collection strikes a balance between crisp and clean simplicity and traditional roots. To Mark, this epitomizes today's life style.

Style

The Compendium Collection by Vanguard Furniture.

Eva Sofa by Vanguard Furniture

The Compendium collection balances traditional styling with crisp and clean simplicity.

Color

Color in design is personal. What evokes a reaction in one person may evoke a very different reaction in somone else.

Mark works extensively with earth tones -  colors that draw from browns, tans, greys, greens, oranges, whites, blues and some reds. Colors are muted and flat, emulating the colors of nature. These tones help create a warm, aesthetic feeling.

Mark complements soft colors with the use of simple geometric designs.

Accents 

Pictures

Lamps

Accents

"Less is more," Mark believes. Accents should be used sparingly to set the mood, always retaining the same color scheme as the furniture. A classic sculpture, a book to read, and a coffee table on which to rest your feet can fit the bill. The room is polished off with lighting that both warms and provides adequate lighting.

Mood

Close your eyes and imagine a sandy beach, blue skies and palm trees waving in a balmy breeze.

"Dorthy, you are not in Kansas anymore."

Blue skies and the Eva Sofa

Compendium

Click the heels of your shoes together three times and open your eyes. You are home again.

Eva Sofa, part of the Compendium Collection by Vanguard

View the entire Compendium Collection in a PDF format.

The stuff of which dreams are made on

Prospero:
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
The Tempest Act 4, scene 1, 148–158

The Traditions gang has just returned from Atlantis, the Bahamian resort and mystical namesake of the island mentioned by Plato. Like Prospero of Shakespeare's The Tempest, the writer knows that the any trip is but short entertainment that soon melts "into thin air". The palm trees, the golden sun and white sand, the gentle stir of a balmy breeze all fade in time. Life's quickening pace calls us back too soon.

Yet, we can still dream on in a Stressless recliner. Our dreams magically transport us to Atlantis and those sweet memories of sun and sand. At a younger age, the writer would hum himself to sleep with the words of his childhood, "Merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream."