Get To Know: Donny Slater

"Perfect Attendance" by Donny Slater.

 

At twenty, Donny Slater is prime to set off a cultural and artistic revolution in Savannah. He firmly believes, as you will see in his deep, thoughtful answers below, in the power of art, and the power of people (especially young people) to communicate through art. When Slater's not capturing the world on his array of cameras, he's blogging for The Creative Coast, or promoting parties downtown, or teaming up with the future (and current) powerhouse, Juwan Platt, to build their legacies. We are proud to feature this exciting young man, and even more excited to see all of the things that he has yet to do. Please, Get To Know Mr. Donny Slater....
 
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Clutter Furnishings & Interiors: Who gave you your first camera? Do you remember what it felt like to hold the equipment for the first time? To capture life on film for the first time?
Donny Slater: I got my first camcorder in 2003 from my sister. It was a JVC - GR something. It took tapes and I would just use the same tape over.
     The first time I held that camcorder I knew I liked documenting the world and playing back footage of things that just happened around me, but I put it down for like 6 years.

CF&I: Stills or movies? Which excites you more? Which medium do you prefer to speak through?
DS: I think I’m equally excited by both mediums. Stills are the magic of freezing one moment of time and to me that is AMAZING! Movies are storytelling, movies can be passed down from generation to generation and dictate so much from dialect, style all the way to spiritual beliefs. Both very powerful mediums and I love running back and forth between both!

CF&I: What filmmakers inspire you?
DS: Michael Mann, his writing ability is insane! He is a true master at the craft of filmmaking with character development. He writes biographies on almost every character in his films so that his actors have an understanding of their characters' childhood, traumatic moments and just so much!
     Melvin Van Peebles, I respect him so much for being able to make some of the first films that depicted the life of African Americans in the 60’s and 70’s from a true perspective. I think he is one of the prime examples of storytelling in movies that can change a culture and make a culture proud to be who they are!
     Wes Anderson, he has a style that can never be duplicated! Every shot in his films is like a great still photo. Aside from that, is it even possible to not love a director who uses Bill Murray so often!?

CF&I: When is Donny Slater taking home the Oscar for Best Director? What does your acceptance speech sound like (we know you’ve practiced…LOL)?
DS: I’m thinking 2020 is when my breakthrough coming of age movie changes the history books of our generation.
     It will probably be very short and powerful. Something like, “Thank you mom and dad! Thank you Velma (my sister) and thank you Savannah,Ga for raising me to know anything is possible.”

CF&I: What local artists are you drawn to? Is there a sense of positive competition between young artists to always make bigger/better products?
DS: Well of course I’m a huge fan of the legends of the culture like Katherine Sandoz, Matt Hebermehl, Chuck Hamilton and Steve Schuman. But I really love the new wave of artists in the city, Evan Walker, Tim Almodovar, Juwan Platt, Keith Morgan, Ellese Garvin and Lana DiCostanzo! It’s a ton more but I just really feel like that group of maybe 100 kids is going to make some awesome things in the near future for our city and the world!
     The level of competition that young artists in this city from Savannah and not from Savannah is insane! We all encourage each other, support, retweet, share and all of that great stuff but then we all are secretly working on something awesome to push the culture forward! Like from my personal circle it’s me, Juwan Platt, Keith and Tim. We hang out pretty often discuss everything going on in pop culture, education and our local community. Share different ideas we have for projects and then are at each other’s necks constantly on making something better.

CF&I: If budget was no option, what dream film would you make? Who would you love to cast? Documentary or feature film?
DS: Feature film! Denzel Washington,James Franco, Lindsay Lohan, ASAP Rocky, Johnny Depp and Shia LaBeouf! The best coming of age and generational gap movie ever! Produced by Scorsese.

CF&I: What music do you listen to while editing film? Who would be on your dream soundtrack?
DS: Right now I listen to Happy from Pharrell all day and an absurd amount of Jamiroquai, Dom Kennedy, Curren$y , Toro Y Moi and James Brown.
 

CF&I: We know community outreach is something that's important to you. What projects are you working on right now?
DS:  Currently I'm in the last stage of organizing and designing a series of everyday events to add some youth culture to our city! I think that we should have more things to do in our city. Places and events to just have great conversations. Places for the under 21 crowd to party and have a good time without so much scrutiny. We're doing a New Years Eve celebration and then following that up with some more laid back experiences like morning conversations, and a few other cool things that might spice the city up and up the ante for our city leaders!

CF&I: How do we, and others, get involved in your community enriching programs?
DS: We get involved by giving the youth a voice! We have thousands of kids in our city and I'm pretty sure nobody knows what the young people like and don't like in the city. Having a chance to work in the school system gave me a chance to see that these kids are creative, ambitious and determined. They just don't know where the opportunities are, it's for our local publications, media (SavannahMagazine, Connect Savannah,WSAV , etc. ) and community groups to allow the youth culture a chance to express themselves in any way they see fit that will move the entire culture of our city forward and keep our Chathamites in Chatham county!ha

CF&I: Where do you see Savannah in terms of art and community, and the two worlds coming together, in five years? In ten years?
DS: In five years I think The City of Savannah will have agreed to
modernize the other 21 squares to finally merge preservation and
innovation properly in our city. I have a strong belief that if we
begin to innovate our city we will start seeing changes in education, crime and economy. I mean, can you imagine the aerial view of downtown if every square was lit like Ellis Square and surrounded by so much energy! I think The Savannah Chatham County Public School System will adopt a new set of standards, guidelines and regulations to follow that allow for our kids to be the leading innovators in technology and the arts and not make these kids be stuck in the system of the Industrial Revolution. Not every child is going to get a post secondary education, not every child is going to join the military. We have to let these kids understand passion, perseverance and purpose are always going to be the leading factors in long term happiness.
     In ten years I think Savannah will be the leading creative community in America and will set the template for other small towns to develop themselves where young tech heads, entrepreneurs and artists can live in affordable housing, have tons of resources to put out amazing work and thrive in whatever endeavors they wish to indulge in!

CF&I: Describe your films in five words. 
DS: Accurate depiction of our generation.

Find more of Donny:

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Get To Know: Shawndra Russell

Photo courtesy of ShawndraRussell.com.

Self-described Savannah advocate, Shawndra Russell is a social media maverick and author of one of our favorite reads, Couple Friends. She's got some great advice for aspiring authors in her brand new e-guide, How to Become a Freelance Writer in 30 Days, and is a craft brew expert if you need a new beer suggestion.  Shawndra is pretty awesome...and we'll forgive her for being a Cleveland Browns fan...Get To Know a little bit about Shawndra Russell below:

SHAWNDRA RUSSELL
Founder, Shawndra Russell Communications
Author of Couple Friends
Freelance Writer, Researcher, Social Media Expert

CLUTTER FURNISHINGS AND INTERIORS: What drew you to the world of social media relations?
SHAWNDRA RUSSELL: 2 years ago, I took a leap of faith and quit my job teaching so I could become a full-time freelance writer. To do so, I quickly learned that I needed to be active on social media to promote myself and my work as well as connect with editors and media outlets that might hire me. I also spent two years as a marketing director for an international travel company right out of grad school, so I had that background and realized that social media is just a condensed form of storytelling. It's not supposed to be sales-y, but so many businesses use it basically as another advertising platform, when really it's a conversation. I knew I knew I could help business do better jobs at sharing their stories, and I love helping small business owners -- particularly Savannah and lifestyle-related businesses -- grow their audiences and teach them how to adapt to the changing online world.

CF&I: What is your favorite social media medium?
SR: I love Twitter. It's my go-to source when it comes to finding out what people around the world think about a particular topic. And so many people that I follow share amazing content that I might not have discovered myself. It's my newspaper. Plus, it's so easy to use and affords me the chance to interact with people that I might never have been able to reach through other platforms -- I was ecstatic when Candace Bushnell (Sex and the City) followed me back!

We're also big Cleveland Browns Fans -- I'm from Ohio -- and it's hilarious reading other fans' real-time reactions to plays and coaching decisions when a game is on.  I feel like I'm watching the game with a million friends. Twitter is awesome for events; I've actually live-tweeted several such as Savannah Stopover, Geekend, TedxCC, etc. and would be thrilled to see more businesses utilize the power of hiring someone like me to cover special events, conferences, openings, etc.

CF&I: As a writer, who are your influences?
SR: I gravitate to stories about human relationships of all kinds -- familial, love, friendship, self, etc. For my fiction (Couple Friends, my first published novel, was released last year and has a Savannah setting), I'm influenced by Nora Ephron, Lauren Weisberger, Emily Giffin, Jane Green, Claire Cook, Candace Bushnell. For nonfiction, I've really been getting into business books as I grow my business so I read Alexis Grant, Michael Port, and Jay Baer for guidance. But I learn from all genres and types of writers that are just plain masters at what they do, like Jack Kerouac, Markus Zusak, J.R. Moehringer, and Suzanne Collins. 

CF&I: What is your go-to, read over and over, recommend-to-friends book?
SR: I don't read books more than once because there are too many good books out there! But for anyone coming to Savannah for the first time, I always recommend Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I didn't read it until I'd already moved here, but it gives such a great glimpse into our city. I also used to teach One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, On the Road, and The Book Thief, all must-reads. But for fun, I recommend anything by Nora Ephron. She's hilarious and has such spot-on social commentary; I watch When Harry Met Sally at least a couple of times every year.

CF&I: When can we expect your next novel to hit the shelves?
SR: Actually I have two e-guides that will come out before my second novel, Keepsakes, is published (also about love and friendship like Couple Friends). The two e-guides are career-related: Become a Freelance Writer in 30 Days will be out in July, and the other is a crash course in social media for small business. All three should be released before the end of the year, and I'm hoping to squeeze in a fourth -- it will be a nonfiction title, which was inspired by Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In and will celebrate inspiring career women.

CF&I: What is your guilty pleasure?
SR: Craft beer. My husband and I love to try and all craft beers, and we are the beer geeks who basically only order beers we've never tried even if the bar of restaurant we're at has our favorite brew on hand.

CF&I: Describe yourself in five words.
SR: Optimistic, adventurous, travel-obsessed, Savannah advocate.

Find Shawndra Russell on Twitter and check out her blog for even more SR.  

Get To Know: Juwan Platt

JUWAN PLATT
Photographer, Inspirational Speaker, Lover of Well-fitting Pants

CLUTTER FURNISHINGS AND INTERIORS: When did you receive your first camera?

JUWAN PLATT: I received my first camera about 34 years ago. Actually, it was my mother's camera that I borrowed and began shooting on. Hopefully, she's not looking for it.

CF&I: What has been your favorite subject to capture on film?
JP: My favorite subject to capture on film has to be the people in my immediate creative circle. The cool, "artsy" folks that create and live right here in Savannah. Nothing is more fulfilling than shooting lifestyle pieces on these individuals.

CF&I: What is your weapon camera of choice?
JP: My camera of choice is the iPhone, haha. But seriously it's so lightweight and convenient. Not only that, I can also handle post production and publish it online right there. Plus, it's just beautifully designed. For my more commercial and freelance work though I use the t2i, t3i, and occasionally Mark II. I try to keep
my equipment relatively simple.

CF&I: If you could photograph any subject (person/place/thing), past or present, who/what/where would it be and why?

JP: I'm fascinated with the Ancient World's Seven Wonders of the World, so I definitely would like to photograph the Colossus of Rhodes. Also, I'd love to capture all the people that I admire like John F. Kennedy (such an impactful leader with a smooth persona... besides his noted philandering, I admire everything about this man), Marvin Gaye (anytime I’m stumped creatively, I listen to “Sexual Healing” and a new idea is conceived in my mind.), Malcolm Gladwell (His book “Outliers” changed my life and his ideas never cease to amaze me.), Eleanor Roosevelt (She’s the originator of the First Lady position. I love that she took the initiative to aide her husband by being a personality herself.), and JayZ (I’d love to get a shot of Jay cooking. I really think he could craft an amazing pasta. I want to be the first to capture that.).

CF&I: What is TEDx and how do people get involved?
JP: TEDx is a conference to provide a platform for thinkers, creators, innovators, etc. to display their "ideas worth spreading." It gives communities, organizations and individuals a stage to create dialogue amongst it’s attendees. I got involved with it last year as a volunteer. I am friends with the good people at the Creative Coast so being around them had got me interested into the event. I was fortunate, alongside with my partner, to speak at this year’s talk. Follow The Creative Coast on various social media platforms and join in on the fun. It’s such a great event!

CF&I: What music do you have on your playlist while photo editing?
JP: I don't want to give such a cliche answer, but my music choices varies. It really depends on my mood or the mood of the photos that I want to reflect. Since I haven't been shooting edgy subjects most of my music is pretty happy like Michael Jackson, SBTRKT, Kid Cudi, Little Dragon, Justin Timberlake, etc. Kid Cudi’s latest, Indicud, is glorious. I just want to pause my photo editing and go dance in Ellis Square with a pretty young lady after listening to it.

CF&I: What is your guilty pleasure?
JP: My guilty pleasure is eating at cool restaurants. Whether they are chain restaurants or the neighborhood hole in the wall. I spend large sums of money every month on eating out. I rarely cook for myself. I feel like you can get pretty much anything off the internet, except food so I gain a lot of pleasure out of eating. Problem is most of the time its not the healthiest.....except for cheeseburgers. I’m pretty sure those are pretty nutritious.

CF&I: Describe Juwan Platt, the man & the photography, in five words.
JP: A young man living happily.


Find Juwan on Twitter @JuwanPlatt.

Twitter Tidbits, vol. four

There is a lot going on in the Twitter-verse.  And in order to help you navigate, we pulled out the tippy-top Twitter Tidbits of the week from experts, comedians, and regular joes that will absolutely, positively make your lives easier. Check 'em out:

Dog Illustrations by Rona Green feedproxy.google.com/~r/dog-milk/~3…
— lovelane designs (@lovelanedesigns) June 6, 2013

Love this video from the @blingringmovie premiere. Loved hearing what the cast had to say about my house. #sweet popsugar.com/Paris-Hilton-B…
— Paris Hilton (@ParisHilton) June 7, 2013

So, the best case scenario is you fall in love forever and watch the other person die? Cool! #dementia
— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) June 7, 2013

Today, our @tumblr turned 2!! To celebrate- we've been updating all day long: ruemag.tumblr.com
— Rue Magazine (@RueMagazine) June 6, 2013

#DRINKING&TWEETING twitter.com/BrandiGlanvill…
— Brandi Glanville (@BrandiGlanville) June 5, 2013

Get To Know: Erik Reagan

Photo courtesy of Erik's Twitter @ErikReagan.

Something great about Savannah is that even though it's thriving and inspired and oh-so-creative, it is still a small town. Business owners grew up next to each other, or went to school together, and can support each other in this "grown-up" phase of our lives. I had the pleasure of going to middle school (wow!!) with Focus Lab's, Erik Reagan. He was an inspired young man then, and (an undisclosed amount of) years later he's busy changing the face of branding in Savannah and beyond. Please get to know my old friend, Erik:

ERIK REAGAN
Partner & Technical Director, FOCUS LAB, LLC

CLUTTER FURNISHINGS AND INTERIORS: What drew you to the world of web development?
ERIK REAGAN: My dad was the computer teacher at my school when I was in 6^th grade. At the time he was teaching his classes a bit of HTML, the language that is the building blocks of all webpages. From what I remember my first little website in his class had to do with Greek Mythology and doubled as a project for another class. I enjoyed building these digital pages of information so I continued to play with it throughout middle and high school.

It was in high school where I started learning more of the “dynamic” parts of building websites. At 16 I completed my first paid job building a website with the guidance of my dad. From there it remained a hobby. A few years later it became a source of income. Not long after that, I decided I wanted to run a  business doing this web stuff. 

CF&I: For us technological Neanderthals, how does Focus Lab work?
ER: Focus Lab isn’t just web development. Much of what we do is very simple.

It all starts with us finding a good client fit. We spend a lot of time in our sales process vetting clients and having them vet us. It’s very important to us that we’re a good fit for them and that they’re a good fit for our team. This is the foundation of a good project together, which in turn keeps energy and excitement high amongst the Focus Lab team. This is really important to me.

Most of our projects involve more than just development, so it will probably be easy to grasp what we do. We spend a lot of our time and energy creating visual brands (logos, color palettes etc.) for new and renewed businesses that want to best represent what they are and what they do. We have a really talented team of graphic designers who do wonderful work. (They’ve won awards and their work has been printed in multiple publications. It’s an honor to work with them.)

Sometimes our work involves designing a new website as well. At that point our development team, which I lead, enters the picture. We take the designs and turn them into functioning websites. It’s somewhat equivalent to a homebuilder taking blueprints and designs and actually building the real house. I’ll spare you the details, because that’s where it does get pretty nerdy.

Regardless of the context of our projects, our ultimate goal is to help organizations reach their goals. Most often that involves some type of revenue increase, donations increase or more communication with their audience. We keep these goals at the forefront of each project we do, which helps us maintain a consistent rate of success across projects.

CF&I: Where is the future of web development taking us? Will there be robots there?
ER: Everything is going mobile right now. If your website doesn’t load quickly and optimally on a mobile device there is a really good chance you’re missing some of your key audience. Mobile isn’t just about websites anymore though. It’s also about native apps for iPhone and Android devices. There are many businesses that benefit from having applications for these phones. The “now” of web development is very mobile-focused and that will only increase over the next couple of years.

Beyond mobile, my prediction is that “the web” will continue to show up all around us, more than it already is. Can you imagine that? It’s starting to show up in TV’s and will likely be in other devices that we wouldn’t expect. Web development as an industry is a rapidly evolving world. The market demands for innovation make it a place that’s very difficult to stay up to speed. It will be interested to see what the next 5 or 10 years bring.

CF&I: What is your social media medium of choice?
ER: On the personal side I use a few of them for a variety of purposes so I don’t have a favorite. Many of my peers are on Twitter and I’ve been using that for 5 years. Over that time many of these peers have become friends, so it’s more personal than it used to be for me. I used to tweet dozens of times a day. These days I’m a little busier so I’m on it a little less.

I also use Instagram to share photos of family and random stuff. I keep Instagram to just friends and family (locked account). I use Facebook to keep other friends and family in the loop with work stuff and other random family stuff. I don’t have much overlap between my Twitter followers and my Facebook friends.

For Focus Lab we use Twitter mostly. My business partner and I are the faces of the company so most of our business tweeting still occurs from our person accounts, in spite of our @focuslabllc account existing.

CF&I: What is your favorite thing about being a business owner in Savannah?
ER: Honestly, those two things are very separate to me. I love being a business owner and I love being in Savannah. I’m sure I could be a business owner in any other city though. My industry in particular is highly digital so we can do our work from anywhere. There’s nothing about Savannah that necessarily helps or hurts our business. That said, I certainly love living here!

CF&I: What is your guilty pleasure?
ER: Disney music. Especially from the past few decades. I really love music and Disney has worked with some fantastic musicians. My favorite is probably Alan Menken. Don’t be surprised if you catch me listening to a soundtrack from a Disney movie. I don’t even try to use my 4-yr-old as an excuse. I happily own this guilty pleasure.

CF&I: Describe Focus Lab in five words.
ER: Fun.
       Open.
       Inspired.
       Intentional.
       Determined.

Go Green: Art (3)

We're a little obsessed with art, and, hey, that's a pretty healthy obsession, we'd say.  But, we're also obsessed with this little thing called, Planet Earth.  This piece of art is sewn-together scraps from various home decor projects, framed and hung elegantly on our gallery wall.  It adds a great textural piece to our home, AND it was born of recycled materials (including the canvas' stretching bars!).

Don't think you can't make beautiful art? Everyone has some artistic flair, and if you're having fun making it, who cares what it looks like in the end as long as you love it! 

Get To Know: Sam Bryer

We Facebook stalked local artist, Sam Bryer, for awhile.   Nothing crazy...no Single White Female moments...but we drooled over her art, fawned over her beautiful website (SamBryerPaints), and saved up until we could own an amazing SB original (see "The Patriot's Wife" below).  Now, she has graced Clutter with three (THREE!) original works and we are happy to have her in store and to highlight her here.  Please, get to know a little bit about the ultra talented Sam Bryer:

Sam Bryer

Owner, SamBryerPaints.com

Artist, Creator, Poultry Enthusiast

CLUTTER FURNISHINGS AND INTERIORS: When did you first start painting?  What inspired you to make art?
SAM BRYER: I really can’t remember a time when I didn’t make some kind of art. I was lucky to have a mom who indulged my creative impulses no matter how messy or involved they got. She kept a whole cupboard filled with cheap art and craft supplies and let me go to town whenever I felt inclined. We didn’t have a TV, so I spent most of my free time reading and exploring the neighborhood, and then turning the things I read and experienced into art projects. I didn’t do much painting until college –  the huge variety of mediums and techniques was kind of overwhelming before I took a class that showed me what you could do with them.

CF&I: What draws you to the world of elegantly painted chicken portraits?
SB: People have a lot more in common with chickens than you’d think. I discovered this when I moved into a house here in Savannah that came with its own batch of hens. They are proud, curious critters with unique personalities and complex social structures. They are also hilarious and sweet. Since much of my work right now uses humor to comment on how people perceive themselves and each other, it wasn’t much of a leap to use chickens as stand-ins. Using animals to depict the characters I observe around me allows for both a broader audience and broader interpretation of the images and symbolism layered into the portraits. There is also something really fun about juxtaposing classical techniques with absurd and unexpected subjects.

CF&I: What is your favorite medium to work with?
SB: It varies depending on the type of art or image that I am making, and if I am completely honest, my mood swings as well. I regularly fall in and out of love with entire aisles at the art store that are specific to one medium or another. At the moment, I really dig the immediacy and versatility of acrylic, as well as the challenge of using it in a way normally relegated to oil painting. 

CF&I: Who are your artistic influences?
SB: I think the narrative component to my work has been highly influenced by the old-school illustrators and painters that I was exposed to as a young artist. Arthur Rackham, N.C. Wyeth, Thomas Hart Benton - I spent many many hours immersed in the worlds they were able to create with a couple of well placed lines and brushstrokes. More recently I have found Claes Oldenburg to be inspiring on many levels. He’s never been afraid to make art that is both smart and fun.

CF&I: What artist, past or present, would be your dream professor?
SB: I would have loved to have Georgia O’Keefe as a mentor. One of the very first documentaries I ever saw was about her life and art, and it made a huge impression on me. Not only did she know her way around a paintbrush, she was incredibly intelligent, articulate and ambitious, and she managed to stay true to herself throughout her career. Plus, I suspect her classes would include a lot of spontaneous field trips into the desert.

CF&I: What is the best thing about going to school at SCAD?

SB: That would definitely have to be the folks I have met. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from and work with some pretty amazing artists.

CF&I: What is your guilty pleasure?

SB: Watching dance competitions ­­­– especially anything involving hip-hop or break dancing. As far as I’m concerned, people who can dance well are magical beings sent to make the planet more interesting.

CF&I: Describe your work in five words.
SB: More than meets the eye.

Styled By Lynn: Think Outside The Box

We can all admit storage of anything is always a good idea. There are just a multitude of items we don’t want to see, want to share, or want to remind ourselves of on a daily basis. For those items, baskets always make sense. Boxes are also practical and come in many colors, shapes and sizes…

However, there are some items that serve as storage for some of our most precious items we would like to share but prefer they not be too accessible for touching….

I prefer using items that would be used for something other than what they were intended.   For instance, I used an old hanging light fixture, probably made in the 80’s, and repurposed it as a display shelf on a table in our reading room.  The items I place it in rotate depending on how I feel, what the occasion is or what new goody I find that I have to purchase.  It’s a statement piece not just because of what it was originally intended to be but also because of what it creates in a new way.

So the next time you see a great architectural item, don't forget to look past what it was and find what it can be...

Product Placement: Katherine Sandoz Art

Our Katherine Sandoz is not large.  She's petite.  But boy, does she pack a punch!  A great way to spice up a small nook/cranny is to feature a great piece of art.  Make sure it fits the space...not too big and not too small...and it will set off the room. Center it or purposefully left/right justify it for a little added funk!

Check out more of Mrs. Sandoz's work on her blog and now on You're Welcome Savannah's Shop.

Gone But Not Forgotten...SIX

Auf wiedersehen to some great pieces!

Check out some new pieces in store daily at: https://www.facebook.com/ClutterFurnishingsAndInteriors

OR

in store!!!  1100 Eisenhower Drive, Savannah, GA 31406.

Obsessions of the Week: 05MAY to 11MAY13

Some things we're obsessed with this week:

• This trailer for The Great Gatsby. The clothes, the style, etc. Also, with Lana Del Rey. Combination obsession.
• Style's Jerseylicious. Jersey minus all the drama from the Guidice's and Gorga's and bigger hair, bigger personalities, and bigger (likely faked) arguments.  Season finale is TONIGHT!
• Katherine Sandoz on You're Welcome Savannah's shop. One of our favorite local artist's is teaming up with our fave lifestyle blog and doing it with such style.  This online boutique is so fun to "window shop" in.
• Color combinations:
• Dark grey and hot pink.  The contrast makes for a striking look and brings a little funk to any space. Really digging pink since having a little girl, but make sure you do it tastefully and in moderation.
• Deep purple and light blue. A twist on the ombre trend, purple and blue together make a great, fun and modern look. Bring it into a space with pillows (purple with blue piping or vice versa) or maybe a great wing chair!
• Emerald, emerald, and more emerald. About to paint our whole house green. It's beautiful, it's on trend, and it just looks so rich/sophisticated.

Clutter Book Club: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

This week's book club selection is Jonathan Safran Foer's amazingly touching, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close".  Read the book, then see the movie.  You'll love both.  But make sure you're stocked up on tissues...this one is a tear jerker.

AdWatch002

Just because it's not a furniture ad, doesn't mean you can't draw inspiration for your home from it. This beautiful DSW ad in the APR13 issue of GQ gives us full on style excitement.

Imagine a white walled room, light-stained wood flooring, beachy vibe with a chic little white area rug...maybe faux fur, or a shag. Throw in a refined violet sofa...we're thinking violet on white toile reupholstered midcentury sofa...add a lucite waterfall coffee table with some stunning coffee table books (Dior, Basquiat, Cedric Smith's future book) and a yellow vase and call it a day.  We're thinking a lovely Cole Whitworth print on the wall to complete the look.  What do y'all think?!

Design is everywhere!

Get To Know: Amy Brock

Visit Savannah's, Amy Brock, is part journalist, part social media maven, and full time Savannah guru. You can find Amy on a plethora of social media platforms and, on everyone, she's espousing her love for and knowledge of our beautiful little city, its inhabitants, and its local businesses. She is truly a beacon of local support, and we love dishing about reality TV with her on Twitter. Please, take a minute, to get to know a little bit about Amy:

CLUTTER FURNISHINGS & INTERIORS: What is it like to be the voice of Savannah?
AMY BROCK: It is something that is truly different every day. Mostly, it is a lot of fun because I get to interact with so many people, but it has its challenges. So many travelers are turning to Twitter and Facebook in search of “insider” information as they plan their trips so it’s cool to share my knowledge of Savannah with someone excited to visit. The challenging part is when someone will Tweet me and say “I’m coming to Savannah for 3 days, what should I do?” This is where the “social” part of social media comes in…sure I could say go take a trolley tour, go eat at Mrs. Wilkes and don’t forget to stop for a praline on River Street. But that’s not why they’re Tweeting me. Once I begin asking questions about what types of things a visitor hopes to experience here, if they’re a foodie or into Civil War history, looking for a good craft beer or to hit the beach, I can help them plot their “to do” list. I am thankful Savannah has a strong network on the various social media channels of objective locals who will chime in with their suggestions.
    There is a high level of responsibility involved at all times. What I say is reflective of our organization, Visit Savannah (and the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce). Over the years, I’ve learned not to post ANYTHING that I wouldn’t have been comfortable saying to my mother.
     I would probably take a bullet for my iPhone. It is like a limb. I’m that girl who can’t ever put her phone down. I’m the one shouting “WAIT! Don’t eat that yet!” when dining out with my husband or with friends so I can take a photo to use for Visit Savannah. 
    I am only as good as my team. (If you don’t know them, they are here: http://www.visitsavannah.com/About/Our-Team.html#market) Most people don’t realize that I work with an amazing team who help me to be in 5 places at once. (Ok, I’m going to divulge some secrets here.) Our Marketing Team at Visit Savannah divides and conquers. I’ve had people ask me how did you get from Tybee Island to Forsyth Park and then to Local 11 Ten and Rocks on the Roof all in one day? It’s called teamwork. We’re all snapping photos and the team texts them to me with captions. From there, I will Facebook, Tweet…etc. We are a powerful machine and we’re on it every single day and night.
   Admittedly, there are times when I want to respond to someone with http://lmgtfy.com/ but that’s when I know it’s time to step away from the computer and let one of our team members take over for a bit. I’m human. I get burned out sometimes.

CF&I: What has been your favorite piece to cover for Visit Savannah?

AB: I loved riding the back of the Pace Truck the first year of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Savannah Marathon and ½ Marathon. Live Tweeting/shooting Video of the crowds of Savannahians lining the streets cheering on the runners was exhilarating! And cold. It was very cold that first year.  
   It’s no secret that I love a celebrity sighting in Savannah, so covering the Savannah Film Festival is always a great time for me!

Favorite Twitter Moment: When @KathyGriffin name checked @VisitSavannah. I know, I know, she’s mouthy and crass, but I think she’s hilarious and mostly harmless and she does a lot of good for the GLBT community! https://twitter.com/VisitSavannah/status/73539369012699136

CF&I: If you could interview one person for Visit Savannah, past or present, who would it be and why?

AB: Past: Juliette Gordon Low. I would love to see the look on her face and hear her thoughts on these ladies in 5 inch platforms navigating the Savannah cobblestone streets. (Don’t get me wrong, I love a good platform heel, but you only slip them on when you get to where you’re going!) I would love to hear her opinions on how Savannah has changed.

CF&I: What are your top, must-see places in Savannah for visitors?

AB:  I have a few personal favorites:

1.Take the Ferry over to Hutchinson Island from River Street one evening or early morning…the view of River Street and our pretty Savannah skyline is breathtaking from there. If you’re into photography or an Instagrammer, you’ll love it! I’m sure not the first Mom to take my child on the free boat for entertainment, either.

2.Walk south from Johnson Square all the way to Forsyth Park on Bull Street. (My favorite stops: Gallery Espresso and shopSCAD)

3.Favorite Restaurants: the Southern lunch at Sunrise on Chatham Parkway, A.lureLowcountry Cuisine, Leoci’s Trattoria, Sage and Wiley’s BBQ.

4. Davenport House Museum and Owens-Thomas House.

5. Architectural Tour with Jonathan Stalcup.

6. Savannah History Museum – that’s where you’ll find Forrest Gump’s bench!

7. See the local art! Good Lord we have a lot of talent in Savannah. From the SCAD galleries to the photography on the wall in the coffee shops, there is an abundance here.

CF&I: What is your guilty pleasure?

AB: BravoTV, champagne, the bacon at the bar at Andaz and being able to “work” from my courtyard pool in downtown Savannah.

CF&I: Describe the "voice" of Amy Brock in five words.

AB: Honest, witty, thoughtful, polite --- I was once publically referred to as “that eternally perky girl from Visit Savannah” so I guess, perky.

For more on Amy Brock...find her on Twitter here.