Happy Thanksgiving - Special Weekend Hours and Offers

Today kicks of two big things. The start of the holiday shopping and a time to reflect upon the many blessings we have in our lives. Hopefully for those reading this........there are many!

I am very grateful for the fact our store is thriving despite a slowed economy , that I have a wonderful supportive family, great friends, a beautiful home to enjoy and yes...that I'll have a nice bottle of "red" to enjoy tomorrow!

In an effort to share some love I'd like offer some special prices for your holiday shopping.

1.) All Faux greens, potted trees, wreaths and Ornaments will be 30% off

2.) All Redware pieces will be 25% off!

3.) All Large Candles 25% off!

This sale is good through Sunday!

Store Hours

Wed - 10:00 until 6:30

Thursday - Closed in observance of Thanksgiving but.........If I'm feeling it, you may catch the store open.

Friday - 10:00 until 6:00

Saturday -10:00 until 4:00

Sunday - 12:00 until 4:00

I want to also give a big Thanks for the wonderful weekend we had for the Holiday Home Tour Open House event. It was super and so great to see everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving !

Holiday Open House at 1820 House

It is that time of year once again , when the East Palestine Town & Country Garden Club hosts it's annual Christmas Home tour and like the past 5 years we will be joining in the celebration. This year will be different however, as we will be hosting our event at our new shop instead of our home.

You can expect it to be decorated in a manner that will inspire and put you in a festive mood! There will be fresh mixed pine / cedar/ boxwood wreaths, beautiful ornaments and collectible santas, some new handmade French grain sack inspired linens, 18th century script initial mugs (as featured in House Beautiful) a great selection of our candles , fragrance sprays and more.

Tickets to tour the homes on tour are available at our store (10.00 ea to view 5 different homes) and there are other merchants decorated and open for business as well. Two craft shows are being held at the Unity Grange and Heid Hall , so there is something for everyone and you can certainly make a day of it!

Hours of our open house will be Friday, Nov. 13th 10:00 until 7:00 and Saturday, Nov. 14th 10:00 until 5:00.

So.....get out and have some fun this weekend and visit East Palestine!

Check These Out!

I redesigned the label for the boxes to reflect the new logo we have added to the line. Yea...it was there before (in brown) but we were just testing it out! It is an 18th century tree graphic and it has a mysterious and natural simple look that I love. The house will still remain on the standard line but we think this new logo really fits nice.

As always...we put them on recycled boxes and bags and paper stock.

I also would love to do some letterpress with the line especially since I found the (not sure how I missed them before????) Cranky Pressman http://www.crankypressman.com/ in Salem,Ohio. They have a new website ..so check them out!

I have also decided to partake in the brainstorm that Candra Squire of "Salty not Sweet" had of offering a sweet Trunk Show . The idea is to bring handmade goods right to your door. She is booking holiday shows right now and will be offering some hip and very cool things such as handcrafted items from Terra Verde Soap Co, Cleveland Clothing Co, Candras awesome letterpressed fun as hell cards and many more. Check out her site for information on scheduled trunk shows or to schedule one for yourself!!! http://saltynotsweetcraft.wordpress.com/trunk-shows/

Heading to Oddmall - CHRISHANUKWANSMADAN

Ok - So.........I can hear you mumbling to yourself "Chrishanukwansmadan? Oddmall? What the?" It is more than just an ordinary craft show. It is a celebration of uniqueness, creativity, imagination, and wonder where artists , crafters and the like - minded sorts gather to offer their unusual creations for public comsumption and it's the next venue we will be showing off our candle line. . This is not your average "country craft show" but there will be wonderful handmades such as clothing, jewelry, fiber arts, letterpress, soaps, candles by your's truly, and more more more.

This creative compilation is set to take place:

Saturday, November 7th 10:00 am until 6:00 pm and will be at the

Clarion Hotel and Conference Center (Akron area)

240 East Hines Hills Road

Hudson, Ohio 44236

Here is the other great part! The admission is 100% free to the public!

What a great jump start to holiday shopping as well as a funky and fun thing to do on a Saturday.

Check it out!

Fall Table Setting

A Sweet Saturday!

Saturday's Grand Opening Fall event went off with great success! There was a steady flow of people in and out all day, even if the weather was a little dreary. Everything from candles, soap, linen sprays to artwork, textiles and pumpkins were the favorites of the day. I want to personally THANK the Chamber of Commerce for the lovely flowers and the ad space on the EP sign for the day, Flower's Straight From the Heart for the sweet roses, Chris Fuller from Fuller's Hardware for the outstanding mum, my mom and her co-workers for the fabulous mum's and cabbage flower and beautiful silver bracelet to wear! to Connie, Toni and Greg for the celebratory wine! and to my husband, kids and family for all their support and help. Sidney bought me beautiful roses and Jesse brought me in a Silver Cuff bracelet to wear that Grandma helped pick out. I also received a special visit from the great man I rent from. He and his wife Tish gave me a card and a gift that was especially generous and touching and it brought me to tears. You really..........made my day!

Lastly, I want to let all of you know how much it means to me to show all your support in this new endeavor. Your words of encouragement and smiling faces make it easy to keep a positive attitude and I appreciate all of you so much.

Thank you , Thank you, Thank you!!!!

OK...............Now on to the next chapter!!!

Grand Opening Fall Open House Sept 26th all Set!

If you haven't already heard, read or been told, our "official" Grand Opening is set to take place this Saturday - September 26th from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm.

The newest fragrances from the candle studio will be available in the aromatherapy line as well as Orange Clove, Evergreen & Citrus and Banana Walnut just to name a few. There are new linen & home parfum sprays in several fragrances that are just amazing and linger so nicely.

Select "ugly" pumpkins as well as some nice carvers will be out front for sale and just a few "Halloweenish" items. I tend to be a more natural decorator so there is very little "cute" items. I hoped to have some Bittersweet , I am heading into the woods tomorrow to see if it is ready to harvest, if it is....it will be available as well.

There will be something for your taste buds to savor too!

In addition to our event , there are several other happenings going on in our little town on the 26th as well.

The First Annual Harvest Festival at the East Palestine City Park will be hosting the Punt Pass and Kick event, Live Entertainment, Fireworks in the evening, Food and more.

Also, Sycamore Valley Alpaca Farm is hosting their 3rd annual alpaca days 10:00 am until 5:00 pm 51552 Chain School Road, East Palestine, Ohio 44413 Ph 330-426-1134.

They will have local fleece artisan demonstrations, kids crafts, free food and their small store will be open.

Lastly I will be performing with the band Chubscouts (everyone's local favorite band!) in the evening at the local Eagles Club. We are opening for the group Apple which is a Beatles Tribute Band. Sure to be a good time!

I'm excited to see everyone and hope it is a great weekend!

Great News!

Not only am I excited to have the Grand Opening next weekend but I am thrilled to learn that not only will I be exhibiting at The Butler Institute of American Art in December but was accepted to the Bazaar Bizarre Cleveland Hip Show in December too!

There will be funky, beautiful and eclectic handmade indie artisan items at both shows. The shows are juried and strive to set themselves apart.

More information about both shows will be updated on this blog but we also have information up on my facebook page which can be found on the blog as well. (bottom right hand side I have one for myself :) and under my personal page is a link to the business.)

Can't wait to meet all the new artists and hopefully see some of my regular out of town customers!

Creative Moment Today - Upcycling

With all the focus on economy and environment, I took a look at my old inventory and thought to myself , "Just what can I do to contribute this season?"

So, I went to the art supply store and picked up a few simple supplies and with some patience and a creative eye transformed some old chalkware/paper pulp bellsnickels into a chic new version. The originals were all different colors of green , mustard, navy and red. They had seen their day of popularity and were retired to a storage box for the past several years waiting to be reserrected.

One captures the look of antique pewter while the other has an old world almost romantic look to it. There are touches of real preserved moss (my favorite decorating medium this year) . I love them both and how they turned out!

The new "upcycled" bellsnickels will be available around the 1st of Nov.

Oh! Also , I'll share a photo with you as soon as I take it of the wonderful "OPEN" sign I created today using an antique picture frame, a 75 year old piece of a school chalkboard and some small touches. It looks great!

Just In!

Our New Aromatherapy Essential Oil Blend Natural candles 11 oz 14.95 ea

&

Elegant Monogramed Mugs 15.00 ea as seen in House Beautiful magazine's Sept. 2009 edition!

Gearing up for our official "Grand Opening"

September is a couple days away and we are in full swing gearing up for our official "Grand Opening" for the store. Shaker Woods was a great success and we so appreciated all of you coming out in that awful heat to pick up candles. The remants of the remaining candles are restocked and I am in the process of melting more and looking into creating some new fall fragrances.

The official date for the the grand opening event is Sat. Sept. 26 10 until 5. Our local chamber is also putting together a Harvest Festival at our park for the same day.

So mark your calenders, and more information will be posted in another week or two with more details. So check back often on the blog and don't forget to bookmark our other blog http://www.1820housearomachology.blogspot.com/ to keep up to date on our candle line.

Shaker Woods 2009

http://http//1820housearomachology.blogspot.com/2009/08/shaker-woods-2009.html

Here is a small snippet on our first weekend at Shaker Woods from the other blog I have. If you like, click the link to see the photos!

Storefront Finally Complete!

A photo update for the week to show you the completed storefront! I designed a sign that Sparografix (James Figley) helped create. He did such a wonderful job recreating it just exactly as I wanted it! I think it really ties everything together and lets those passing through just what might await inside!

Our Canvas Has Arrived!

Today something happened to make it feel more like we are "officially" open ! The canvas awning with 1820 HOUSE on it was installed by Bill Yansens of Canvas Corner today and it looks great! It really seems like things are coming together and the vision of what I had for the look of the store is starting to take shape.
Hopefully this will also signal to passer by's that we are "here" and "open" for business!

We Are Open

We officially opened the door to the new store yesterday and it went so wonderful. Thanks to everyone that showed up to share in the excitment. A special thank you to Jessica & Scott McCrea and Carol & Steve Belaney for the absolutley beautiful edible fruit arrangement. It was DELISH! My sister Liz and niece Payton ( cutie pittuti) brought a beautiful jar of wildflowers that had fresh picked cilantro that had gone to flower which really fit the theme of the soaps that were fragranced Cilantro Lime. Also, my kids Jesse, Sidney and Brianne helped out during the day and brought me lunch. How lucky am I !!!

Although our candle shelves won't be fully stocked until after Shaker Woods, I'll try to keep your favorites on hand! I have some great oils that you can use for refreshers or for oil burners and some new soaps that turned out really nice.

So..........stop in if you get a chance!

Opening Day

Just a note to let everyone know that the shop door will be open today - July 1st! A "Grand Opening" is being scheduled for after Shaker Woods but we want you to enjoy us sooner! Hope to see you!

Sneak Preview

The painting is done. Mike installed the ultra cool lights in the storefront window and we spent several days moving merchandise down to the new location. It all is coming together and is looking great! The only problem is...............I have no way of stocking our great new candle shelves. The lids for my jars have been backordered since April and am getting quite anxious about them arriving. With over 14oo candles to make for Shaker Woods, stocking the shelves will be next to impossible until Sept. but I'll try my best to make some available up until then. Not having the lids is a big issue as well, but hopefully they will be in very soon.

Things I hope to add to the shop in the fall will include, indie artisan made natural perfumes, initial pendant necklaces as well as cotton voile beautiful robes in elegant patterns by a super talented textile artist. I hope to bring an ecclectic mix of things that are elegant, tasteful and unique.

As of now I hope to be open as of July 1st, so keep a watchful eye out for the "open" sign.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Well, the shop update is in full swing and we are counting down to the opening day. Some fresh coats of paint, window treatments, lighting are some of the things we are working on to date. Mike will hopefully get the ultra cool lights hung in the front window this weekend.

Pictured is my oh so helpful painting crew. They helped to make the update go just a little bit quicker and I also enjoyed their company!

Our goal to open the store is currently July 1st - keep posted!

Evolution

EXCITING NEWS!

I am about to embark on a new chapter in the humble business that was created with a $500 loan to myself, some hand painted wooden bowls I took my best shot at to make look antique and some soy candles. Home tours, open houses, special appointments to our home and the acquisition of many fine early replica pieces and antiques have led to a sizable inventory but have left me unable to share my home with the public and the stock it houses any longer.

It is without any further adieu that I announce the "evolution" of my home / web business to a brick and mortar storefront. I am very excited about this future move as it will allow me more space and time to really dedicate to the business as well as introduce some very beautiful trendy gift items that will have a luxury feel , a European charm and fresh change. There will still be some of the old classic favorites and the soy candles will always be in stock. Although some of you will miss coming to the farm and to the house, it is a much needed change for the business to continue grow and for us to maintain a family life. It has been a wonderful experience sharing our historic home and sharing decorating ideas with everyone. I intend to keep the website and hopefully continue to share photographs documenting interior changes as well as holiday decor.

A lot of exciting things are in the works and this month will start out with a fresh coat of paint and some classy details that are sure to get your attention! I hope this will be a positive change for the patrons, the community, my family and the business. Keep posted for updates!

A Lost Art - Barter & Trade

There was a time when people and communities actively participated in something called barter and trade. You know, when you trade goods and services for something you or someone else might need. It was a "non-monetary" way of conducting business using the fairness, kindness and honesty policy whether if it was due to lack of money or just a good old fashioned trade off.

With all the hoopla about our economy it would seem that this just might be a great idea to revisit. This weekend was one of those such visitations back to a lost art for me. It started off with trading some of my handmade candles for a pickup load of gravel and a much needed hoof trimming for our pony Lilly. I also packaged up some of the winter stock of candles into a really nice gift basket for a Cancer Benefit which helped to contribute for raising cancer research funds for that ugly disease. (Super job by Alisha and TEAM JULIE) There was also a barter made on a handshake for my husband to do some construction duties for a new parking area to be added in next to our house. Not too shabby.

If you think about what you have to offer or what you can do for someone , sometimes you find that some great opportunities appear. Perhaps this might be a nice reminder to revisit or try out the lost art. It feels a little old fashioned in a good way and certainly makes everyone happy in the end.

Day of Giving

If you haven't already heard or participated before, East Palestine is getting ready for "DOG" days Saturday, May 9th, 2009. "DOG" days is a Day of Giving - in which the community rally's together to clean, paint, plant and donate to make EP a more beautiful place to live and be proud of. I have participated for several years and it is a rewarding feeling to know that you are contributing to your community, nature and taking pride in what EP has to offer now and in the future through the efforts of so many that are working hard to improve our town.

Whether you have a couple hours to offer or all day, any time you have to help in the effort will be so greatly appreciated and it will give you a "good feeling" knowing that you participated!

Registration forms can be picked up at the Municipal Building - 144 N. Market St, the Library or at the East Palestine School. Volunteers are asked to report and sign in at the Community Center at the EP park between 8:00 & 9:00 am, if you were not able to pick up a registration form, I am certain you can do so at the sign in on Sat. morning. Lunch will be provided for the volunteers at the Community Center as well.

In addition to the "DOG" day event, the East Palestine Volunteer Firemen will be having a BBQ Chicken dinner to benefit their local dept. This will be held from 4:00 until 7:00 pm at the cost of $8.50 per plate (includes 1/2 chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, roll, drink and dessert.) Sounds like a nice meal and an even better cause!

This is a great opportunity to work together, share laughs, create memories and show our younger generation how much we love our community and how to take care of it for the future! Hope to see you there!

These Little Lights are Earth -Friendly

I am very excited to have been chosen as a featured artisan in the Shaker Woods Times news publication. Gladys Blews Wilson wrote a delightful article about our natural candle end of the business and it will be published in the newspaper that will be circulated before the Shaker Woods Festival in August. Featured along with us is local photographer, Endia Wisser whom will be showcasing her framed photography name art and Robin Hood, a tinsmith whom I have had the priveledge of purchasing some of his fine work for my shop as well as Rocky Bosley and Patti Strohecker which create recycled vintage record album purses. Articles on both of them can be found on the Shaker Woods site.
Take a look at our article

www.shakerwoods.com/news/publish/cat_index_20.shtml

as well as the other featured artisans. I will keep you up to date on events and details the closer we get to the venue date!

CANDLE MAKING ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Photography by Cindy Parker / A Recollection Photography

Antiques and the Green Movement

With all the campaigns on "Green Living" in almost every type of media available, I found it interesting that I haven't seen much written about the use of antiques . It is such a wonderful way to bring character into a home. Patined wood and pewter lend themselves to so many decors with historic color schemes to light european airy countryside cottages. A used set of china or ironstone blended in with your favorite service brings thoughts of many family gatherings these pieces have been privy to. I have seen old feed sacks, flax linen yardage and lindsey woolsey antique worn bedding re-purposed into decorative pillows giving a lived in look to brand new upholstered pieces. Antique persian rugs scattered upon the floor or on a table top always seem to have a richness , knowing that it was considered a luxury to have. Vintage frames, artwork and old looking glasses gracing a freshly painted wall give a balance and beauty that ordinary plastic frames cannot.

Whenever I can, I love to bring new life to a well used piece and if possible find a story to go along with it to pass along to the next new owner. It seems there is something about the hunt for the perfect piece and the satisfaction that comes with knowing you are maintaining something that another craftsman or artisan took care and time to handcraft.

So, when you think about scouting out a "new" antique or wonder how much you really contribute to the "Green Movement" think about how you are saving trees, re-purposing treasures and preserving a piece of history at the same time.

A Bright Beginning

April 17, 2009

The long awaited arrival of the sun has finally burst some much needed brightness into our lives! This has also given me inspiration to start a blog , which seems to be all the rage now. So, with that said, look forward to future random topics about home, business & life in general.

So glad it was a beautiful day!