Creating a Beautiful Displays with Debi Ward Kennedy

Hello Friends! Do you harbor a little dream in your heart? Maybe it's a secret wish to take the things you lovingly create and sell them at a fabulous antique show or flea market.

Or maybe you're just looking for ideas to take your home decor displays to the next level and you're not sure how to do it.

Retreat Booth at the the Farm Chicks Show

 Meet your fairy godmother! Deb Kennedy from Retreat is sharing her some tips from her free guide on creating a Successful Booth Design for Antique Shows. 

Deb has been a retail stylist and designer for over 35 years, with many articles and trade show seminars to her credit.

Here's just a little taste of the amazing info Deb shares:

Deb’s Top Five ‘Fast, Cheap, & Easy’™ Display Tips:

Paint! Buy it cheap at home supply stores from the ‘oops’ rack and play to your hearts’ content. Mix, match, create vibrant combinations and use color to your advantage. Paint canvas or lightweight wood panels for your walls, paint shelving and props…..a different color every season 

Architectural Salvage: Window Frames, Trellises, and Ladders. Hang ‘em on the wall, from the ceiling like a pot rack, use them as shelves, turn fan trellises upside down and they are Christmas trees, or paint them black and you have the Eiffel tower!

Fabric: Use large panels of fabric to cover upright supports, drape tables, or swag from ladders or trellises. Adds texture and softness to the hard lines of furniture – just drape a tablecloth over a third of a table (leave some folds in it – fabric should flow like water, not be flat) to make it more inviting.

Light: From twinkle Christmas lights to chandeliers to paper lanterns, getting warm light into your displays will work magic to draw customers in and make your products look their best.

Tomato Cages: Yes, I said tomato cages! The metal cones sold for just two bucks or less at your hardware store can be SO much more… First, flip them upside down and sit them on the large rim. Take those three ‘legs’ and bend them with a vise grip or needle nose pliers – curl them, spiral them, or bend them into a hanger shape.

Spray paint them if you want, then use them to display just about anything. You can dress them in aprons, hats, jewelry, t shirts, petticoats, and more. Hang ‘em up, sit them on top of cabinets and tables, use them as lampshades on post lamps. You can hang a slew of products ON them, too: holiday ornaments, kitchen tools, woodworking tools, more jewelry, purses, gift tags, bookmarks…. It’s all about creative ideas.  

There's much more information in Deb's Guide. Check it out.

All Rights Reserved; excerpts used by permission. 

Plus, visit Deb's Retail Design Blog for more creative, inspiring and practical information!

AND on her website Debi Ward Kennedy, you catch watch some videos Deb did with some of the nations other TOP designers/sellers/artists/creative types… like Serena from the Farm Chicks and Heather Bullard from Flea Market Style Magazine!

ONE MORE THING…

If you live in the Seattle area, you can see Deb's design prowess in action (hubby Bob's too!) at the Petite Retreat Boutique Store, open Friday & Saturday of Mother's Day Weekend only. (May 6th and 7th).

Hours are 9 AM – 3 PM. Also of note: The Camano Island Artist Studio Tour is on that weekend, too.

Content of this document is original to Debi Ward Kennedy, 2009

Thank you to the always gorgeous, gracious and generous Deb!