LoCal CrAftSmAn

These lighted houses are brand new and I LOVE them. Three prim houses in rustic colors all together with a star and wreath. BUT.. I got the last two, they are not going to make any more.. and I am really wanting one for myself. Knowing  how well these will sell for us I put out my lip and pouted a bit.. but they told me they didn’t love me that much. So, if you like them as well as I do, get in here and take one home before they are gone.. or I take one.

These wood wall sconces are also a brand new item from these crafters. We have them paired with coordinating candle rings and a Grungy Battery Operated Taper. We  have already sold several of these and they only came in Wednesday. If you are not familiar with our tapers, we hand dip each one three times in beeswax and roll them in a special grubby mix to get the unique texture we have. They will last about 700 hours on 2 AA batteries and we carry them in several country prim colors.

Another new item they are introducing are these wood trenchers. We have them in several colors and they look great with seasonal potpourri and fixins in them. They are also large enough to make a nice centerpiece on a table.

NeW iTemS for ThE HoliDaYs

Gift Card Holder

We are starting to put out our Christmas items that have been arriving the last few months. We have several ornaments and  these little guys are not only cute on a tree, they are an adorable way to give a gift card, especially one of ours, to your Country or Primitive loving friends and family.

Snowman Ornaments

Another Primitive Snowman ornament are these two. They come as a pair and have a wonderful grungy look that will complement any tree, especially the German Twig Trees so popular in Country homes.

Even Santa has a nice grungy Prim look with these ornaments. Our Santas are a good size and I can see them hanging  in several places around a home as well as your tree. I am looking for unique places for them around the shop and will get some more pictures when I start putting things together.

Gold Flecked Tree

These pictures do not do these little trees justice! Instead of a bright green typically found in Christmas trees, they are a neat olive color and are dusted with a gold glitter that just makes them something you HAVE to have this year. I bought the last three of these and am seriously considering keeping one for myself. They are about 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall and have little pinecones on the branches and are nestled in a primitive finished pot.

A close look at the branches and you can barely see the sparkle of the glitter. These trees look fine on their own  or add a few small prim ornaments or a small strand of rice lights for even more impact.

 

Buckets and Bunnies

Well, we have quite a few new items. I have taken some pictures as I am pricing things so they are not displayed like they will be when I have  a few minutes to put them out in the displays in the shop.

Since I love rusty buckets, I picked up some new shapes. This bucket is squat and the handles add a nice touch. I may add a rustic candle and candle ring or some greenery.. will see when I start putting things out.

It’s odd how things can sit at the shop for a while then start flying out the door. We had several nice Treen pieces that I enjoyed putting in displays and suddenly, they all disappeared. So, I picked up several more new pieces. This is a pantry bowl. We also have some other nice bowls, trays and troughs. These pieces are nice for displaying grubby candles, potpourri and fixins.

I know we were out of town and missed Easter. But these bunnies are real cute. We will have them out probably till the end of the month then put them away for next year.

Road Trip

Today we made a road trip to the Cash and Carry. As you can see.. we got a BUNCH of new stuff! I wasn’t sure I’d have room for everything.. and I could only get a 48″ star instead of the 52″ I wanted.. but there are lots of goodies in there.

I love twig wreaths and I picked up three new ones. Really rustic and great on their own.. they also can have picks of color inserted to change with the seasons.

I also picked up a few bunnies and lots of variegated ivies. Ivy picks and garlands do a nice job of adding  soft touch to areas in your decor. This ivy hanging over the edge of the hutch brings a warmth and softness that the other decor items do not. We have a nice muted ivy and another that has green, gold and burgundy mixed throughout the leaves. Both are real favorites at the shop and this time I found a deeper green colored ivy that will bring a different color and depth to decorating. When we get everything received in and start putting things out.. I will get some pictures of this new ivy.

We also got some nice pottery pieces. They will look great with some floral picks or greenery.. maybe some rusty stars added in too. Another item we stocked back up on are baskets. They too look nice with greenery or some berry picks. We got some for hanging on the wall as a few for just sitting around. I also got a few rustic Easter baskets that I’m going to put some greenery and eggs in.

There are lots more I can tell youi about but I’m going to get some sleep and get some pictures so I can show you too.

Under the Weather

After pouring candles Monday, my throat was scratchy. Not unusual when dealing with fragrances. However, woke up the next day with a sore throat and stuffy nose. Now, today, I just flat out don’t feel well. I am getting around to go to the shop, but will be a bit late. Being sick when you are the only one working is not good.

On a good note, the Thompson Candle Pillars are here and going out. Those should all be out today. Yesterday I ordered some more lighting. We sold the last double pack of silicone bulbs and were out of the 50 light strands on brown cords. Both of these should be back in the shop mid next week. Many of the signs and prints we got in in January are also gone. I will look into reordering or possibly going to market again to get more.

We will be closed next Tuesday. My son will be flying to Texas to spend some time with his Dad. Home schooling has really been a blessing in this area. Before, Reno only got a few days here and there around the holidays, then summer break with his Dad. Now, he gets to go for longer periods of time, and never has to go longer than 2.5 months before seeing him again. It also has made his Dad responsible for his education. He had to stop being just a good time and be part of raising his son. The entire situation has been beneficial for everyone.

This trip we added an extra week to the time he stays in Texas. My parents are about 6 hours South of my ex-husband. With my father having a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, we are looking to get some extra time with them as well. They will be able to get some time with their Grandson with out taking time away from the father. Again, regular schooling would not allow this type of freedom. I too am planning more time with my parents. We usually take a vacation in June, but will possibly put that off until July. We will also be making a trip to Nebraska at the end of August to celebrate my Grandmothers 90th birthday. It will be a surprise.. good thing she has a good heart.

Technical Difficulties

Ya just got to love technology! I have spent most of today trying to get some pictures uploaded so I can send out the March newsletter. Grrr! Not sure what the problem is [do we ever??] but photos keep returning an error. I’ve reset my router and my modem. Trouble must be on their web site or servers. At least one can hope. The newsletter is ready except for the pictures. Sorry for the delay.. it will be sent as soon as I get the pictures uploaded. If you are not currently a Newsletter Subscriber you can join HERE.

Friday I got a call from Thompson Candles. They are set to ship and we are expecting to get our grubby pillars this week. Look for delicious fragrances like Snickerdoodle, Pumpkin Pie and Apple Dumpling. While at Market this past January, I spent a lot of time checking out and sniffing the candles offered for shops. We wanted a nice, cake type pillar that would look great sitting around the house, but we also wanted a candle that would burn well if you chose to light it. We were very happy to find these and sooo look forward to getting these in the shop. The Candle Room is coming together. On the horizon for new candle scents this month are Glazed Baklava, Cinnamon Frosting, Sugar Cookie [finally] and Lemon Pound Cake. We are about half way through testing these and they all are really good. My favorites so far is the Glazed Baklava. Have it burning here in the living room at home where I’m working. One I am looking forward to testing is the Fruit Loops. It really smells nice.. refreshing after all the Cinnamons we tested coming into the holidays.

 We are still dipping tapers. We have the Brown, Mustard, Burgundy and Gold done and out in the shop. Still to do are the Red, Country Blue, Sage and maybe the Cream. These tapers will be featured in an ad in the June/July issue of Country Sampler. We look forward to these being as big a hit Nationally as they are here locally. I know I have to get pictures of these, as well as many other things, posted on Our Web Site. We have a new camera coming so that should make the job a bit easier. My current camera is old enough to be a bit difficult when taking the types of shots I need for products. Got to get a light table set up in the back and just spend an afternoon taking pictures. After that comes the fun part of resizing the pics for use on the web. Also on my to do list this month is get a header on the web site. With the national ad coming out, there will be a web snapshot done and that front page needs to be finished. Speaking of pictures.. need to try and get those pictures uploaded to the newsletter.

Curing Winter Blahs

OK, it is once again snowing. There are Winter Storm Warnings for the area.. sweet 😦 . If you read the previous post, you saw the Battery Operated Tapers are in. I have wax melting in the back and will be back there soon to get some of these Tapers everybody has been waiting on done. So, while I’m waiting I took some pictures around the shop and am going to share some pics to take your mind off that ugly Winter stuff going on outside. 

This muted Ivy was new last year. Instead of a sharp contrast of dark green and white, these muted colors of cream and a more sage green go with sooo much more here around the shop. Last Fall I stuck some bright orange pip berries and mini pumpkins in these Ivys and the color combo really popped! You can see they look pretty nice with the pastels as well.  The arrangement is stuck in a rusty watering pitcher and a cute little sign as been added for fun. These little signs are really fun to add to floral arrangements, hang over the edge of a basket or even bend the hanger back so you can set them out as a little sign with an easel.

How about these really cute shelves?? Each one hand made here in Kenton, they are all unique. Painted a nice aged Cream, they come with barn red or navy blue stars. They are about 29.5″ long across the shelf and about 3.5″ deep. You can see they are great for displaying a few odd and ends on the top and make a statement all by themselves.

Been busy in the candle room. We finally redid the tops of the cabinets and it is a lot more homey in there. We have also removed the double display of our candles [2 of each fragrance side by side] and are only showing a single row of each. We are steadily working to have these cabinets full of unique fragrances to give us 156 different scents. Where else are you going to be able to go with that kind of selection! We already have over 90.. so we are well on our way of achieving our goal. If you have never experienced one of our candles.. you are missing a treat. Designed to burn all day, rather than a few hours at a time, these candles will throw their scent strongly from top to bottom. Each one burns an average of 115 hours. Any time you walk in the shop you are experiencing our testers. I get so many comments it is easy to decide which fragrances to add. Plus, if they can throw scent in this place.. they can sure fill your home.

Happy Valentines Day

I hope everyone is having a special day today!! The shop has been busy with men.. doing some last minute shopping for their Sweethearts. Of course, I am still getting new items out and rearranging things.

The March/April issue of Early American Life is in. With more articles than advertising, this magazine is a real treat if you love prim and colonial decor.

We also are finally getting out the floral stuff we got at Market back in January. Nice candle rings with the mixed berries and rusty stars, they have some brighter colors than what I have seen in the past. Sage green, various shades of brown and a nice antique red. these will look especially nice around the Thompson Candles we are expecting in next month.

The Candle Room is still undergoing change. We are adding several more Reed Diffuser fragrance oils as many of you have asked for more selection. At any time, if you don’t see a fragrance in the diffuser oils that we have in the melts or candle.. just ask and we will make it up for you. It takes seconds to make them so we can easily accommodate these requests.

Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter!! You will receive a thank you coupon to get one of our candles for only $10.00. These candles burn approx 115 hours and regularly sell for $16.00. Then, you will receive our February newsletter to get 10% off any of our Hearthside Plates. After that, every month you will receive a newsletter only special. Pass the signup info to your friends so they can take advantage of the sweet deals too.

Gotta Love it

It’s been two weeks since market and we are still putting things out. We did a Candle Fundraiser for Ridgemont and had to stop putting out the new stuff to get the candles made. Now that they are almost done, we are back to putting out the things we got from Market.

The battery operated Grubby Tapers that we have are big sellers. They can be put in candle pans, candle trays and our candelabras. At Market we picked up some 2 and 4 Arm Chandeliers that have a nice twist to the  arms.  Add some nice berry candle rings and you have an awesome decor piece in your home. Right now we are waiting for the tapers to come in. They have been back ordered since before the holidays. I have over 1,000 due to come the end of February. As soon as they hit the shop we will get busy dipping them. Currently we offer these tapers in Barn Red, Burgundy, Brown, Mustard, Gold, Sage, Country Blue, Cream and Brown. Each one is dipped three times in Beeswax and rolled in our special Grubby Mix. You will not find tapers like these anywhere  else. The lights will run 600-700 hours on two AA batteries. In the works are dipping the battery operated t-lights in our Grubby Mixture. Check out our complete selection of Chandeliers.

Also going out today are some nice new florals. In pretty pastels, they are a refreshing change from the foot of snow outside. We got some wreaths, small and medium candle rings and some cute, rustic watering cans. After the shop closed I spent some time on the candle ring display. I have three wire peg racks that used to be in the shape of a triangle in the candle room. Since we moved some new bins into the candle room to hold more melts, the racks came out and I put them in a relatively straight line. That allows me to use both sides for displaying the candle rings. Originally, I had them all by size.. smalls on one rack, mediums on another and so forth. After I got the new stuff put out, I decided it would be much nicer to arrange every thing by color. That way if you need something burgundy.. it is all there in one area.

We have also added two new fragrances to our candles. The Sandalwood Vanilla is a big hit in anything Bath and Body we put it in. Lotions, Body Butters and Parfaits all fly out the door in this fragrance. Now you can get this Best Selling favorite fragrance in our 18 ounce Antique Jar candles. And, in a few days, we will have the melts in this scent available too. Another addition is Hazelnut Coffee. We have had this fragrance in the past but have needed to replace an inconsistent supplier. So we looked around for a replacement and found this one. It burns strong and has been a favorite around our house.

New fragrances poured last week to be tested are Bamboo Grass and Snicker-doodle. More along the lines of Spring is Peony. All of these fragrances were burned at the shop today and they are looking to be strong scent throwers. We also got in about 40 new samples to test and more are on the way. I  have been looking , it seems like forever, for a good sugar cookie. I have two that have come highly recommended and can’t wait to get them in wax. Other testers  to look forward to are: Amish Harvest, Lemon Pound Cake, Green Tea, Botanical Orchard, Sandalwood and MORE!! You want a good addiction..try fragrances. They’re as good as caffeine and won’t make you jittery.  🙂

As much as we have added there is still more in the back. And, with February around the corner, more new items are scheduled to arrive. Man I love this job!

New Arrivials

Another delivery today! My plates from Hearthside came  and we got them all priced and put out. Some favorites are back in stock and we have a few brand new ones. Many of these plates have nice inspirational messages like these from designer Barbara Lloyd  “Once you chose HOPE, everything is possible.”  “Some days there won’t be a song in your heart… SING anyway.” and “Do not be afraid of tomorrow, for GOD is already there.” We also got some fun ones for coffee addicts.

Another delivery received this week that we got put out today are wax warmers. We got some of our regular Revere warmers and also some of the Village Warmers. We have been waiting for months to get the Schoolhouse and Church warmers in. Beautiful as an accent in any home, the light bulbs in these warmers quickly melt wax tarts to fragrance your home. If you need wax melts for these or any other warmer, check out our selection Here.

Another item that has been back-ordered and finally in are the Saltbox Night Lights. We recently got our other night lights like the Outhouse, Federal Star, Paul Revere Lamp and Tent Top night lights. To see all our night lights see Here.