Summer or Fall?

Did you feel it this morning — the way the air was a little crisper and cooler, and not so hot and humid? Maybe not where you live, but where we live the summer, such as it was, feels like it is soon to be over and that's in spite of the Autumnal Equinox not occurring until September 22, 2209 at 5:18 EDT. Oh, don't get me wrong. It's hotter than you-know-what during the day. It's only the mornings that give you a little taste as to what's soon to be in store.

So what does all this talk of fall mean? To us it means it's time to start getting ready for the holidays. I'll 'betcha' right now your blood pressure is on the rise just because I've mentioned the dreaded H word- Holidays. 

Ironically, I used to feel the same way and I would get so mad when I would walk into a store and see Halloween items for sale in August, or Christmas in September or October and now here I am following suit.

The truth is, I do understand the sales cycle better now than when I was only a consumer. I've come to realize there are people out there that have it way more together than I ever did because their Christmas shopping is finished by June.

I'm sorry, but in the past I had a hard time wrapping my arms around Christmas shopping earlier than December. Now, I see where those people are so much smarter than me. When we can pick things up here and there and not feel the pinch to our wallets as bad, or when we see something on sale that we've  been wanting to give to someone, why in the world would we wait?

With that being said, why would we wait to debut our holiday items during the month of the holiday when we know there are shoppers ready for what we have to offer right now-in August?

We sure hope our early shoppers are ready for Halloween decorations!

Holidays

How cute are these Department 56 -Good and Evil Twin balls. There are two faces on each ball: Turn the ball to one side and show everyone you're in a good mood because it's turned to the good twin. Turn the ball on the other side and they'll know to stay away because the evil twin out. Each 'face' is in costume, which in this case the good twin is a Ghost and the evil twin is a Skeleton-Great gift idea for a co- worker.  There are a total of seven different 'faces' to choose from and all for the low, low price of $3.00. Did I mention these were new, in plastic boxes?

The Department 56 Halloween decorations doesn't end with the Twin balls. We have new votive candles with scary faces as well as Krinkles figurines and other candles. If you're a Department 56 collector, you'll notice our prices are so low we doubt you could find new items like these on eBay at our prices.

We also have Christmas ornaments from Department 56, as well as other decorations. What's really cool about some of the Department 56 ornaments is that they're themed:  We have a couple that are sport themed, one fireman and even a Patriotic Snowman just in case you're married to a senator or live at the White House. The themed ornaments always make a great gift for a friend or someone in your life who can relate to the theme. Again, these items are reasonably priced and are all new with tags.

Quilting History

In the olden days most of the women did not make quilts for pleasure, but they made handmade quilts out of necessity. Handmade quilts that originally began as being serviceable much later ended up being works of art. These handmade quilts were dutifully passed down through generations with a sense of pride attached to each quilt. Handmade quilts are not easy to make and were even harder to make in earlier days when the women did not have the use of a sewing machine for assistance. Usually, the handmade quilts were made from patches, or small squares of different types and colors of cloth pieced together with a backing.

Handmade quilts prove to be sturdy and warm on cold winter nights. Patches, in early days, were made not from new fabric bought specifically for this purpose, but rather pieces of worn clothing that were no longer serviceable for wearing.

Most of the women began using imagination when making these handmade quilts and different patterns and designs originated from the hands of honest women working to keep their families warm.

Now that we know where quilts came from, we can appreciate the  two handmade quilts we've taken in on consignment. The photo above is a quilt called Pretty Dresses and is  56"x48", made of quality fabrics, machine pieced, appliquéd, and quilted. It's also pre-washed for quality assurance. The other quilt we have is holiday themed and just as gorgeous! email us

Jewelry

As promised, our jewelry category got an infusion of new items, such as the necklace shown at right. Not only that, but we were also contacted by an earring designer who is sending us a few items from her collection to add to our jewelry category. The earrings are sight unseen, so we're really waiting and hoping for something good. 

Bridesmaid or Party Dress

We have Bill Levkoff-Classics Design bridesmaid or party dress just added. This dress is in Pink, with an A-line skirt and is a European Satin Strapless design. This dress can easily do double duty as a cocktail dress at another fete. A contrasting band borders the top, and a sash accents the natural waist, size 2, worn once, no alterations. Priced to sell at $45.00

Customer Request

We have a customer looking for the following item: "Hello I am looking for Cracker Barrel Old country store Paden City Artworks jugs. They have the store name on. It can be salt and pepper shaker or other knick knack. Thank you"

If you have one you're willing to sell or know where she could find one, please email us with the information.

Shipping

I almost forgot to mention again about our reduced shipping prices! So here's the deal; due to the state of the economy we have reduced our shipping charges to $4.95 on every package to everywhere in the Continental United States of America. We're doing our best to help out our fellow man/woman and child where ever possible.