Vendor Highlight #3: Kirtz Shutters

The best shutters we've seen are those made in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Also called "The Shutter Mill", but known best as Kirtz Shutters. Tour their website for some great information, but also let us tell you about them in person. Better yet, look at the samples we have in the store. Then, if that's not enough, we know our customers would be more than happy to tell you how much they like their shutters.

It's difficult to get a good camera shot in a dining room without getting the chandelier in the picture, so this was the best we could do! The finish work on these shutters make them look like they were put in when the house was built. They really are like cabinetry. The shutters are completely trimmed out with a tiny piece of molding to hide any gaps and give such a finished look to the window, even across the arched top.


And since customer service is of utmost importance on a shutter, we are especially pleased with all the help we get from the people at Kirtz. Our "go to guy", Ted, will email or call as many times as it takes to get the details figured out. But we wouldn't sell shutters if we didn't have Jason for an installer. His attention to detail is just what every shutter job requires.

Don't rule out curtains just because you have shutters! If your style of decor needs fabric, then go ahead, add the drapes. We think both looks are great.

Visit the Kirtz Shutter webiste for some more awesome pictures and great examples of their work. We like to include them in our "proud to be made in the USA" category.

Green = Spring

A lot of colors can be associated with spring, but green is one of our favorites. The trees certainly are showing all the signs, and the weeds, I mean grass, is almost ready to mow. Now throw in a bird or two and spring has sprung!



There's even more pieces to go with the sugar and creamer set.

Do you remember reading about our finds at the Philadelphia Market? One of the nicest vendors we met there had these handcrafted switchplates. Here is a quick way to brighten up an otherwise boring spot on the wall. There are many different switchplates to choose from, and we have many of them in the shop. Browse the website, you'll enjoy it. Then browse the store, you'll like that even more.

The green vases are much prettier than the picture is showing. The light from the window really is distorting the green finish on this larger vase and the three smaller ones shown below. The leaf design is a ginkgo leaf. We have noticed it's use in everything from jewelry and fabrics, to paintings and pottery. It is said the fossils of the plant date back 270 millions years ago!
I guess you could say it never goes out of style.

Dragonflies never seem to go out of fashion, either.

The throw pillows have ribbon embroidery. There's even a table runner that matches the ivory pillow. The shams in the back are a much brighter green matelasse than this picture is showing. They really give a punch of color on the white coverlet.

It doesn't get much more cheerful than an Amy Butler fabric. We don't carry her fabric in the shop, but we'd be happy to order it for you. Most of her fabrics are a lighter weight cotton than what is normally used for window treatments. However, with the right style (and good lining) we think it makes a nice valance.
Don't forget Mother's Day is coming up and we have some great gift soaps and lotions. The one shown is a pear shaped soap.

Green is being used more and more in the nursery, especially the bright greens. Check out the polka dot piggy bank and matching blanket. Madison Lane has some great shower gifts, too!

Come in and see if Spring looks green to you!

Madison Lane Spa, shea butter products

A quick note just to introduce you to a line of shea butter products we'll be carrying in the shop. We've teamed up with a vendor who specializes in a product line of soaps, lotions, and candles. We will carry the candles and body butter with our own label! We have samples setting out for you to "try before you buy", so help yourself. The candles should be here by the time we are back from spring break, and there is something different about them! But . . . . you'll have to find that out for yourself.
See you in a week!

Jolly Folk are here for Easter!

They're baaackk, but in a new way. Remember the Jolly Folk we had at Christmas? Well take a look at the new group we've got for Easter.

Each one is a handmade, paper mache original. Mr. Ducky stands under his umbrella.




Miss Scarlett O'Hare looks festive in her Easter outfit.

Oh, how could you say "no" to this little floppy eared brown bunny. He's sitting on an Easter Egg, which can be opened and filled with treats.

Here are three of the four pieces that could be a little canister set, or purchased individually. The little lamb, chick and piglet all sit on top of covered boxes.

Miss Daisy looks like she knows something!

We've got a table full, but not for long. We've already sold some, and this is the first full day we had them displayed!

The little covered boxes would make a nice hiding place for that special little Easter goody.

Each piece also has it's own little envelope attached and a "To" and "From" card to be signed and placed inside. Or just keep the Jolly Folk for yourself and start your own collection.

Another finished project----more silk!

We love this fabric----a silk taffeta, embroidered down the leadng edge and across the bottom. Each panel is a width and a half and the embroidery was added after the fabric was seamed so not to interrupt the pattern. The drapes are interlined with flannel and lined with a napped sateen which all together gives a very luxurious look to the drapery. The hems are all hand sewn and the pleats are tacked by hand with silk embroidery thread.

It's hard to tell in the picture, but the painted ceiling and the fabric color is a dead-on match!




With a closer look, you can see the goblet pleats. The chairs are another unique feature to the dining room. We chose a total of three fabrics for these custom upholstered dining room chairs. That includes a gold, linen-like fabric on the backs, a small geometric fabric on the seats, and the woven medallion fabric on the fronts. The captain's chairs are upholstered in the medallion fabric, only. Hopefully we'll get a better picture of the chairs and the dining table on another day. We chose a trestle table with decorative iron supports, which coordinates well with the drapery hardware and light fixture.

Before

Don't ever let them tell you drapes DON"T make a difference!

Thanks to our rep Dave Robinson, he showed this silk fabric a few years ago as soon as it came out. We're so glad we had a perfect place to use it.

Finished projects!

Remember the posting a few weeks ago "Pump up the Silk"? Well, we think we accomplished just that. Below is the finished (and unfinished) dining room they now reside in.

You'll notice the faux painting on the dining room wall in the next couple of pictures. Above is the beginning of the project.

Here's a closeup of a finished window. The hardware is from Helser Brothers. The finials we chose were square to coordinate with the shapes in the stair rails and the square shapes in the fabric. If you notice there are only 4 pleats per panel----each pleat has more than the normal amount of fabric to give a very full look to the header. The perfectly coordinated tassel fringe is from catania silk.

The finished room! Wish you could see the entire room, but the early afternoon sun made it nearly impossible to get a good picture. We'll be showing you more pictures as we finish up this project.