The seasons....they are a'changin!

It's been quite a while since our last blog - and in this time - many changes have happened. Here's a quick run-down of what's been going on at The Source Collection!

Although the weather outside is frightful...we've been busy working on our Spring 2011 catalog!

Two weeks ago, we went on location in southern Connecticut for our latest photoshoot where our Design Director, Barry Webber, created a "great room," two bedrooms, and a tablescape featuring our "Lakeside Camp China." Our new rooms & collections are so lovely, and his design concepts are so great - we can't wait to share!

We can't give away all the surprises, but here is a sneek peek:

This is our NEW Octo-labra atop our NEW Blue Coral Linens (second photo) and NEW Octagonal Tapers - in blue, of course!

Some other exciting items to look for come Spring: Lido Demi-Lune, Grotto Sconces, and La Mer Cabinet Plates.

Our catalog is expected to be in homes for Easter. Did you receive our last catalog? If not, send an email to: customerservice@sourcecollection.com and be sure to let us know you read our blog and you want to sign up!

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Last week, we had an office holiday party, catered by

Rose's Kitchen, in Riverton,CT. The lasagna was fabulous!

Here's a little dance number Bobbie, Chris, Amy, Barry and I put together for the occasion:

(Maybe we should quit our day jobs, eh?)

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In any case, lots more to do until our catalogs are mailed - we will keep you up-to-date on the release and, in the meantime, send out sneek peeks and pre-order deals for our new items!

Until then, stay warm, stay dry, and THINK SPRING! ~ERB

Sister Company!

Did you know we have siblings?

One of our sister companies, Berkshire Stone, recently received credit for crafting and supplying all the marble and stonework for David Scott Parker Architect's Georgian Revival Retreat in western Massachusetts, not far from The Source Collection's headquarters. For this project, the firm won a prestigious Palladio Award, 2010.

As featured in the July issue of Period Homes, Parker explains the significance of the marble and stonework project:

"Local marble from Berkshire Stone, LLC, of Winsted, CT, ties the pool house and ancillary structures together, and connects them to the main house. 'The existing house had a marble water table and marble sills, quarried locally when the house was built,' says Parker. 'We went to the quarry from which the home's marble had originally come and were able to engage the people there to provide matching stone for this complex: the balustrades, the parapet plinths, the quoining on the pool house and the loggia, and the columns and keystones – they are from the local source.'

All photos: Durston Saylor unless otherwise noted. Story in Period Homes

"David Scott Parker Architects of Southport, CT, added a new leisure retreat to a 27-acre property in western Massachusetts. The pool, pool house, cabana, terrace, tennis court and mechanical support systems are situated downhill from the Georgian Revival-style main house, capitalizing on the site’s steep grade and expansive views."

"Changing rooms for the nearby tennis court are discreetly accommodated beneath the semi-circular exedra."

"The loggia serves as a pool cabana and a venue for formal entertaining and dining; its proportions recall the Georgian Revival-style main house."

"Forged-iron gates provide code-required perimeter pool enclosure. Marble for the columns, balusters and quoining was quarried from the original local source used for the 1908 residence."

"The pool house features pieces from the owner’s collections of art and sculpture. Pictured is an 18th-century limestone mantelpiece."

"The changing room rotunda contains a discreet folly, which houses a 17th-century marble statue of Minerva. A pool surrounding the statue collects rainwater."

"By utilizing the change in grade, the firm was able to regulate the mass and scale of the pool complex. The result respects the main house and its main axis, which terminates at the pool-house fireplace." Photo: Steve Turner


We're so proud!

What will they create next? ~ERB

Green Initiative, cont'd!

CL&P helped us replace our old lights in our warehouse, office and WCs with new, more efficient bulbs, reflectors and ballasts.

They contracted New England Energy Management, Inc. to handle the removal and install of all the lights. They were great!

For each light - four bulbs and their ballasts were removed...

A reflector was installed, along with new ballasts...

And where four bulbs were located...now there are only two!

We expect to see savings of at least 50% on our energy bill, and we love the positive effect on the environment. CL&P implemented this program to lessen businesses like ours straining the power grid - it's a win-win!

Here are some before and after shots of our warehouse:

Before

After! We noticed the warehouse is a lot brighter...although it is not so obvious from these pics!

Our WCs were fitted with sensors, so the light will turn off and on upon entrance and exit. (I still can't seem to grasp this and when I reach for the light I am surprised - every time!)

(Hey look, our catalog storyboard and a Regency Library Globe is in the background!)

As part of the plan, our old bulbs were recycled, and these new bulbs have a low mercury content - we like this!!

We are excited about this latest small step to become an even "greener" small business. Stay tuned for more green initiatives. Think Global ~ Act Local! ~ERB

New European Bakerware ~ Barry's Autumn Chicken Casserole

We're Loving ~ Our new European Bakeware!

Handmade in Hungary, our bakeware is so beautiful -

you may not want to bake with it!

Barry whipped up a special chicken casserole in our large European Oval Baker, and a banana bread in our small European Oval Baker to use in our latest photo shoot. Lucky us - we enjoyed both for lunch! So delicious, we thought we'd share a recipe with you ~

By the way, here's a sneak peek at our new "Woodland Picnic" (you see it here first!)

Here is the casserole at the lunch table: post-photo shoot.

It didn't look like this for too much longer - we all had some!

Autumn Chicken Casserole

1 ½ to 2 cups cooked chicken, chunked
3 cups Bechamel sauce (white sauce)
2 cups shredded cheese, like Jarlsberg & Gouda
1 cup chunky homemade tomato sauce (Barry likes a quick cook type with lots of garlic and fresh basil)
1 onion or leek sauteed in butter
¾ cup fresh bread crumbs, fine
3 tablespoons butter
grated Parmesan cheese for topping
1 package of your favorite tube-shaped pasta, cooked

Butter large European oval baker. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare chunky tomato sauce. In separate skillet, sautee onion or leek.

Cook pasta and drain well. In a separate bowl, toss pasta with a little olive oil and some of the tomato sauce to prevent from sticking.

Make the Bechamel sauce in medium saucepan and fold in the cheeses.

Fold the cooked chicken, onion or leek, and the white cheese sauce into the pasta, season to taste with salt & pepper.

Place mixture into the buttered baker. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and the grated Parmesan cheese.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and toss with the fine bread crumbs. Sprinkle mixture on top of the casserole and bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown and bubbling around edges. About 30 minutes.

We find our beautiful bakeware holds the heat well so you have plenty of time to bring this to the picnic or pot-luck dinner!

Bon appétit!

Fall Photo Shoots!

We had a couple photo shoots this season ~~ Check out our behind the scenes pics!

Our first photo shoot was held at a private horse farm in Connecticut. The setting was most apropos for our new collection!

The weather was just lovely! Tally thought so too!


Here are some early shots of the Bridle Tailgate coming together ~

This is mid-staging... we originally had a saddle in the background - however, the hot sun was not cooperating and we ended up moving the entire scene toward the stable for some much-needed shade!

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Our next photo shoot took place at a private residence in Connecticut. We fell in love with the private pond, hammock and woody background.

A perfect place for a Woodland Picnic!

Barry makes sure the setting is just right for the shot.

We pack our picnic basket with cheese, wine, fruit, and bread ~ staples for a proper Source Collection picnic!

Our NEW, FAVORITE items around the office, are, by far... Mama Bear and Baby Bear! Like our Gentle Ewe, she can hold up to 250lbs and she looks so real! We keep her by the front door when she is not out stealing picnic baskets with her baby bear (left).

Check her out - how cute!!

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Check our website often to see our new "rooms" and all the new items! ~ ERB

Kyle's Last Lunch...

We regret to inform you all ...Kyle is leaving The Source Collection...he's moving on to greener pastures. (Really!) He has accepted a position at another company - one where he will be utlizing his horticultural talents on a daily basis - and so - we had a little "going away" lunch.

Kyle

Kyle and Amy

Pizza-Pie from ABC Pizza here in Winsted





Chris (note - she is working through lunch!)

Josh - caught mid-bite...

We are sorry to see him leave the company - and we wish him the best of luck!

~ERB

Outlaw ~ a new show on NBC!

We're in the process of shipping out an order for a new television series: Outlaw. Here is a little information about the show, taken from NBC.com:

"Starring Emmy Award winner Jimmy Smits ("NYPD Blue," "The West Wing"), "Outlaw" is a new drama from creator and executive producer John Eisendrath ("Alias," "Felicity").

Few jobs are guaranteed for a lifetime, and a Supreme Court appointment is a position that no one ever quits - unless he is Cyrus Garza (Smits). A playboy and a gambler, Justice Garza always adhered to a strict interpretation of the law until he realized the system he believed in was flawed. Now, he's quit the bench and returned to private practice.

Using his inside knowledge of the justice system, Garza and his team will travel across the country taking on today's biggest and most controversial legal cases.

Garza's team includes his best friend since childhood, Al Druzinsky (David Ramsey), a brilliant defense attorney with liberal beliefs; Mereta Stockman (Ellen Woglom), a hopeless romantic who is Garza's loyal law clerk; Lucinda Pearl (Carly Pope), a wildly unorthodox private investigator who uses her sex appeal and wit to gather information for Garza; and Eddie Franks (Jesse Bradford), a tightly wound, rabidly ambitious Yale-educated attorney, recently hired as Garza's law clerk.

Outlaw is a Universal Media Studios production along with Conaco productions. John Eisendrath ("Alias," "Felicity," "Playmakers"), Richard Schwartz ("Andy Barker, P.I.") and David Kissinger ("Andy Barker, P.I.")"

Here are a few of the items we sent - (wouldn't want to give it all away!)

Crocodile Embossed Notebook

Eagle Quill Paperweight

Hawthorne Desk Accessories

We are so excited! (Who doesn't love Jimmy Smits?) ~ ERB

We're just sayin'...

In May 2009 we opened up this Indochine Room Diffuser for our first photo shoot. We've moved it around quite a bit - from the front office to the back office - and it has always maintained a light fragrance - never too strong, but always present.


As I mentioned earlier, we opened it up well over a year ago... and look how much is missing ... practically none!

For you math types...I'd say so far we have used about a 1/4 - that's about $24 worth over the past 15 months - $1.60 each month - or hey... about 5 cents a day!

Now isn't your home worth it?

We're just sayin....

NCIS Called....

One of our favorite TV shows called this week and asked that we overnight a set of our Nordic Drinking Horns to them - guess who? NCIS!

Because we are fans, they sent us a SIGNED script, autographed photo and a very nice thank you note - How cool!!

Autographed photo


Front page of script - it's the "Make Up" copy

Episode Cast List

Our Nordic Drinking Horns

Flowers for a Cause!

We are in the process of developing a new product for our collection and donating the proceeds to a national charity.

Although our company is small, we have a diverse group of people working under this one roof! Our warehouse manager/shipping & receiving specialist/florist-in-residence is Kyle. (You may remember him from our last post?) And our Creative Director, Barry C. Webber also has a background in horticulture.

With this in mind, it seems only natural that we create a limited-run arrangement for the holiday season and GIVE BACK to our community. We are experimenting with arrangement, color, types of flowers, materials...and this is our first attempt. What do you think so far?

Here are the photos, in sequence, of Kyle putting together two arrangements.

First, the (Faux) Flowers ...

#1 Gold Coventry Compote Arrangement:

The Arrangement Develops...

Almost complete...

Close up...

And, voila!

#2 Green Coventry Compote Arrangement:

The careful cutting & planning...

Add a splash of red...

Here it is!

We are excited to utilize our creative staff and our means to support our community! Next experiment - a preserved floral arrangement made to our specifications by one of our creative manufacturers. Stay tuned! ~ERB