Fresh Face for the New Year

Hello everyone! Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. Now it is time to reflect on the past year and plan for the new. I'll leave all the New Year's resolutions to you...I'm just going to pick up a scrub brush and clean out the old the "old fashioned" way!

We will be doing inventory, cleaning, painting , and bringing in NEW product during this next week. So..we will be closed on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We will reopen on Friday, January 5. Make sure you stop in during the month of January...we will be receiving lots of great accessories and "greens" to get us through the last couple of months of winter. So keep in touch...I'll keep you posted. Talk to you soon. Sue

You probably have most of your home decorated for Christmas by now....or maybe not! Sometimes you need just one more centerpiece for that empty spot on your coffee table, or hutch. or even the dining table. Many times we don't realize that we may have everything we need to put together a quick arrangement. Look around for a nice sized pot, basket or bowl. Next, gather some greens...you may use some ivy from spring/summer arrangements, a couple of sprigs of artificial evergreens, or some real greens clipped from your trees or bushes out in front of your home. Now look for Christmas ornaments that you can borrow from your tree... vary their size and shape. The only other thing you may need are some silk flowers...roses, hydrangeas, artificial or real fruit, etc...

Begin creating by layering some styrofoam or wadded up paper in the bottom of your container. Now stick in the base layer of greens, letting them fall over the sides of container. Place your other items in the container in a pleasing manner. You really don't need to secure everything in to the arrangement. Next time you need some greens you will be able to reuse them. Don't "overthink" the arrangement. Sometimes the more we "work" a project the harder it seems to get it "right".


The same ideas can be used to rework a tired wreath, the swag over the mantle, or the garland cascading down the stairs. Rework them innnertwining fresh ribbon or some ornaments that you can snitch from the back of your tree! Sometimes we all get into a rut, putting the same arrangement on the foyer table and the same wreath on the door. Just take a little time to "play" with these decorations and it will give you and your house a lift this Holiday season.

This may be my last entry until after Christmas....I hope all of you have a blessed Christmas and take time to really "feel" Christmas. Talk to you soon. Sue

Gingerbread Houses

Merry Christmas everyone! Tis the season to be jolly and sticky with icing and candy canes! On Sunday, four of my grandchildren, Zack, Jeremy, Isabella, and Kyle all created the most fantastic gingerbread houses...No two sides of the roofs matched, or the windows, or the doors for that matter. If they ran out of one color of gum drop they switched to another and the final creation was a lot more fun than if everything had "matched". Maybe you see where I am going with this?? Again, a great lesson to be learned from children... It is easy to be creative if you are having fun, you go with the flow, and are not worried what everyone else is doing or thinking about your project.

Have fun decorating your home for the Holidays...your door, tree, or table...try putting together things that are related but don't "match". Don't worry about what someone else will think about your creation...if it makes you happy, then it works. Lighten up..have fun, just remember to clean the icing off the chair seats before dinner!! Talk to you soon, Sue

Hello everyone......this is truly a wonderful time of the year. We just need to slow down enough to take the time to realize this. I am so blessed to have seven grandchildren who help me to slow down and destress. Their perspective is so simple and clear. Enjoy the moment...I have two grandchildren in Florida and my son Josh and his wife Emily. I couldn't, wouldn't, take some time off to go with my husband this past week to visit them. I talked with McKenna yesterday and told her I missed her, and she simply said, "then why didn't you just come see me?" I replied that I couldn't leave the store. She asked, "don't you have other people that work there?" Pretty smart for a five year old. I guess I need a reality check once in a while. I know I can leave the store, I have great help that can handle anything....it is just hard to walk away when you think you are needed ......but she needed me there too! Okay...enough of that, I know that all of you have to make choices that are difficult and riddled with guilt. It just seems at this time of the year we reflect a little bit more on feelings and relationships...which definitely is not a bad thing!

For the past couple of days I have been trying to work the floor at the store....I miss seeing my customers, my friends. I so appreciate all of my loyal customers!!! This past year has been wonderful. Many of you have embraced new products that I have personally been excited about.....this hasn't happened all the time in past years. So, we had to reorder lots of items that just "flew" out the door. Unfortunately, some items I just couldn't get back in or were a "one time" order. We received our third order of Frasier Fir candles today. The striped Ana Christmas candles sold out last week, but are in stock again. Lots, I mean LOTS, of new artwork, in all sizes, and colors arrived a couple of days ago. We alos received a new shipment of furniture: a black and white houndstooth sectional (with a chaise!), another leather recliner, numerous end tables and coffee tables, and a sofa table. There is still time to find the perfect furniture for your Holiday entertaining and family get-togethers.

Remember, we are open til 8 on Thursday evenings and from 12-4 on Sunday until Christmas. Come on in and see us! Sue