One of our favorite customers

Just enjoy this photograph of a beautifully decorated sunroom. The decorating credit all goes to our customer, she put the whole look together. We do like to brag on the rug she bought from us and the custom drapery and hardware we added. The curtains remain open most of the time, but were fabricated as one panel per door so they could be drawn from either side. It works great to filter that sneaky morning sun that likes to shine in just when they want to read the paper. After that, they are pulled to the side and just become part of the wall, never interfering with the visual impact the rest of the room has. The hardware is powdercoated to match the tin style ceiling (not shown in the photo) and also to provide a smooth surface for the rings to glide across. The finials were made as a square shape to match the knobs on a decorative chest under the television. A 2-finger pleat in the drapes allows for a tighter stackback and a more tailored look. And that is just the details we were in on! Look closely and study all the other details that make this room such a success.

If you happen to enjoy decorating, come by the shop and let us help take care of some of the more boring details---but we want to see the finished product.

Here's what I learned on vacation

Some towns really do have a main street full of shops and shoppers!

It's not really unusual to see a lighting store inside a barn.

A simple home really can be special with a little TLC. Of course you need the rich soil and mild summer to get a yard like this. Believe it or not, I took this picture because it was representative of the majority of homes.

Simple symmetry is easy on the eyes. This style of home is everywhere, but I never tired of it.

Another example of a symmetrical building, but used for a church. It reminds me of a wedding cake with the best decoration on top! The clock and the bell tower are the finishing touches.

Can you guess the state these pictures are from?

P.S. My excuse for being absent from the blog for the past week.

It's a sidewalk sale, but it's not on the sidewalk!

OK, maybe if this was the sidewalk we had to work with, we would have a real sidewalk sale!

If you've been in or even driven by the store, you know our sidewalk would be a little limiting! Don't get us wrong, we are grateful for the drive-up parking, and the extra property next to the shop. But for your best interests (and for the candles' best interests), this years "sidewalk sale" is upstairs. The air conditioner will be turned up accordingly, and you won't have to sweat while you carry all your purchases to the counter!

It won't look like this on Saturday:

You won't even recognize our design area. There are three tables being set-up, all full of 50% off items. There is even a shelf with 75% off! Tables are being stacked with bedding, pictures, candles, lamps, planters, decorative plates, and other home decor items.

We will open the doors at 8:00 am on Saturday July 18, with a closing time of 3:00 pm.

Hope to see you this weekend!

Coming soon to our shop: Trapp Candles

If you've ever burned a Trapp candle, you already know they rank among the best for their ability to fill an entire room with their wonderful fragrance. The only thing that has changed is their packaging--you may remember the little "house" that was the original container. That has been updated to a sophisticated style, but still reminiscent of the "house".


At Trapp, “A bottle of perfume in every candle” is more than a tag line. It’s true. It takes just one experience with a Trapp candle to realize what every Trapp devotee knows: the amount of fragrance we use means we can keep our promise: “A Trapp candle or spray is guaranteed to fill a room with fragrance or we will replace it…even a votive."

The above paragraph was copy and pasted from Trapp's website. You know a company is passionate about their fragrances when they make start making promises!

We will start with eight fragrances in the shop, but if you want to try something we don't have in stock, or still want to test their promise, they are giving Madison Lane a case of votives to give away to any customer interested in trying Trapp! It's hard to say how long the samples will last, so don't wait too long to get yours. We suspect they'll be on the shelves first thing Monday, see you then!

Happy 4th of July!