All That Glitters

Tis the season for sparkle and glitter! We love anything shiny this time of year, almost like a Magpie for her nest. We've decorated the store as we had our Holiday Open House last weekend. It was fun, and the store was full of people getting ideas and buying gifts for their loved ones. Of course they were also buying the glittery, eye catching decorations for their nests.

Next, I'll move on the my own house. We'll get the tree this weekend, and I've been thinking (okay, maybe obsessing is the right word) about the other decorations for this season. Every year I try to add something new, or change something so it's not exactly the same as the previous year. This causes angst for my grown children however, who seem to think everything has to be the same for their whole life! Tradition and all that. They just don't realize yet that when you are a decorator at heart, things have to change all the time. . .

Also, Paperwhites and Amarylis are everywhere, along with fresh greens. Every container I can get my hands on will be filled with something appropriate, along with a "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree at the front door to welcome guests.

It's a month of sights, smells and excitement; mull some cider, bake some cookies, have fun shopping, and enjoy all that is merry and bright.

Happy Holidays!

"Our Favorite Things"

We are surprised and thrilled to be included in the December issue of DownEast Magazine's Our Favorite Things article. They have listed approximately twenty-five stores across Maine that they consider unique, and where you can buy a piece of Maine to put under the tree this holiday season. WOW, pardon my enthusiasm, but this is very exciting for us to be included. I consider that we are in very good company with the others listed, too.

By the way, it wasn't just positive for Ornament, but for the town of Bath as well. The article about us starts "As if you needed another reason to get off Route 1 and stroll Bath's delightful brick sidewalks . . ." Yes, please do stroll Bath's sidewalks ~ celebrate the season with us!

Fabulous Fall Fun

Yes, it's fall - that time of year that can be magnificent if you let it. I'm one of those hold outs for summer though. Meaning, I wear flip flops until October and resist Mums until late September. Just can't seem to let go as easily as some people can. We have had an absolutely wonderful September, and now that the leaves are almost at their peak, I've put on closed toe shoes and am starting to nest. Oh, the other change is the way we cook; macaroni & cheese, soups and stews, and more heavy dinners. Are we like the birds and squirrels, storing up for the long winter?

Think about bringing these fall nesting necessities into your home:

-Candles - yes we light more this time of year!

-Rich colored placemats and napkins. . .

-Indoor herbs to cook with all through the season.

-Wool hooked rugs in beautiful colors.

Do you need to have a few hostess gifts on hand? We have pear and gourd candles that make great give aways, and don't forget that Halloween is coming. Decorate your pumpkin with Pumpkin Bling (oooh, fun), and our Spirited Coasters would be fun for your party!

Have fun this fall. . .

Back From Brimfield, Again. . .

We've just returned from another great trip to the acres and acres of fields full of antiques in Brimfield, MA. If you've never been, it is one of those places that can be a little overwhelming if you let it, but is absolutely one of the best places to find anything your heart desires! This time we wanted to get into a specific field that opens on Wednesday, so we spent two nights and days filling up the big truck that we took. The chair that you see in this photo was the cause of the second day. . . Yes, I spied two of them from the road - but was barred from entering until the next morning. As the line forms at 5:30 a.m. for this particular field, we were there before dawn. Once the gate opened, we literally raced to this fabulous pair of reupholstered vintage club chairs and made the purchase on the spot. Don't they go great with the Zebra Dash and Albert rug?

The truck was full with wonderful finds for the store, and for a couple of customers who were looking for specific items. Another great trip.

Summer Fun at Ornament

Last week we held our 2nd successful Girl's Night Out. A portion of all sales for the day goes to breast cancer research, so not only do we have fun, eat sushi, and drink wine, it's also a very worthwhile event.

Thanks to all the customers who attended, and to Erin and Casey!

Cheese, crackers, fruit, artichoke tapenade with baguette, sushi, saki, and wine!

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer. . .

Oh these August days and nights. You can almost feel a slight change in the evening air as it gets a little cooler - and oh those beautiful, perfect days. The beaches are finally full of people, the sailboats are out with full sails, the lobster docks are busy, and town is hopping with tourists! We're in those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

Summer decorating is best when it is laid back and comfortable. We continue to have beautiful seasonal merchandise; pillows with lobsters, anchors, shells and starfish, iron mermaids, hurricanes and candles, summer inspired linens in bright funky colors, and some new soaps for that guest bath. Add a new Dash & Albert rug that is full of color in front of your sink for a little change. We have several in stock, or we can order one for you.

Enjoy the next few weeks, and we hope to see you soon!

Brimfield or Bust!

We are just about half way through July now (Erin's birthday is the 15th, which is always the indicator), hoping that we'll see a lot more sunny weather here in Maine. We really need it as do the flowers and vegetables. I'm not sure that we'll see any tomatoes on our home plants this year. . . Heritage Days in Bath were great, and brought crowds of people to town, and we are seeing a lot of vacationing families. The merchants are happy.

The middle of July also means another trip to Brimfield. Yippee, a road trip! Our vintage furniture pieces have flown out of the shop to cottages and summer homes. They have so much character, history and are a great value. It's also nice to recycle and reuse. We're taking a truck with trailer, which is always a challenge (especially for Erin, as she drives). We'll be back with merchandise in 'hand' on Wednesday, so come and see what we find.

Ahhh, Summer in Maine. . .

Okay, I am pushing it just a little. Summer doesn't officially arrive until June 21st, which is also Father's Day this year, but I always feel as though it's summer once June is here. The gardens are starting to look beautiful, lupine starts to appear, the lilacs are in full bloom, and the lawn has been mowed several times by now! Oh yes, I did forget those little flying bugs.

We are lucky indeed to live on the coast of Maine.

Here are some of our favorite things this summer . . .

• Flip-flops (get that pedicure and let your toes sing). We'll be carrying OKAb flip-flops; pretty styles and colors.
• Colorful Bangles on bare arms.
• Seals sunning themselves on the rocks between Georgetown and Southport.
• Strawberry Rhubarb pie (I've made two).
• Colorful Dash & Albert rugs underfoot.
• Displaying shells in pretty jars.
• Vance Kittera candles in lovely pastel shades.
• Cut flowers from the garden in vases.
• A pretty pashmina over my shoulders in the evening (arriving soon).
• New summer pillows on the deck chairs.
• And of course, Lobster on the dock at Five Islands!
  

Thank goodness we live in Maine.

Brimfield Shopping Trip

We've just returned from a wonderful time in Brimfield. For those of you who haven't been, there are about 5000 dealers on field after field for a one mile stretch. You can find almost anything there, and certainly a lot of things that you've never seen before! Erin and I started our trip by picking up a 16 foot rental truck on Monday afternoon, and making our way to Brimfield that evening. We wanted to get there on Monday so that we could get up at the crack of dawn the next morning and start shopping. Fun, fun, fun. . . It's tiring, and a long day but we filled the truck and arrived back in Bath by 11:00 p.m.

We bought mostly "cottagy" type furniture and decoratives since summer is almost here and customers will be opening up their cottages. It's all in the shop and ready for Memorial Day weekend. Let the season begin!

Girl's Night Out

Wow, our first Girl's Night Out was a success! We got the store ready for 'company', put out the food and wine, and entertained our friends and customers. Erin took the day to make sushi which was beautifully presented (forgot to take photos) and was a great hit, and paired it with Saki. . . Oh yes, sushi, saki, wine, cheese, fruit kabobs, and chocolate mini cupcakes (what's a party for women if there's no chocolate?). It was fun. A portion of each sale was to be donated to the Susan G. Komen For the Cure fund, and there were even some additional personal donations added to it. Thanks for coming.

I think we've decided to do it again sometime during the summer, so stay tuned. . .

Saving our Brick and Mortars!

It's no secret to any of you that times are tough! We've all been listening to the media tell us for months just how bad things are. In fact, some of the words often used are "crisis, bleeding, crash", and others of equal bleakness. This isn't to say that we don't have some big issues in this country, but is this really the way we should be dealing with them, by constantly telling everyone that will listen "just how bleak the outlook really is"? No, I don't think so.

I've just read about The 3/50 Project and am very excited about it. Basically, The 3/50 Project is built on a simple concept - consumer loyalty to independent storefront businesses equals stronger local economies.

Pick 3. Spend 50. Save your local economy:

1. Pick three locally owned stores you'd miss if they disappeared, then return to them. Say hello. Pick up a little something that will make someone smile. Those purchases are what keeps those businesses around.

2. If just half the employed US population committed to spending $50 in locally owned stores each month, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. Imagine what would happen if 3/4 of them did that.

3. For every $100 spent in locally owned stores, $68 returns to the local economy through payroll taxes, property taxes, sales tax, payroll, and other business related expendatures. When purchasing from a chain or franchise, that amount drops to $42; if it's spent online, nothing comes home.

I grew up in Bath, and remember when there wasn't much here to choose from for shopping. We've come along way in the past fifteen or so years, and I think we'd all like to keep it that way. If you can, spend a minimum of $50 a month between your favorite three stores...you'll be surprised how far it goes in your community!

Thank you for supporting Bath businesses! We all appreciate it.

Spring Has Arrived

The sun is shining and spring is in the air! The first day of spring brings the anticipation of flowers and hopefully, not too many showers! Although the snow is not completely gone, it's almost time to think about our gardens. In the upcoming weeks we are expecting to have some fun new gardening items and potted flowers as medicine for our spring fever!!

One way to bring the smell of spring into your home is with our fabulous Seda France candles. In addition to our already popular scents we decided to bring in a few more to tantalize your senses! As seen on the "O" list in Oprah's Magazine, these beautifully packaged candles make great gifts for anyone in need of a charming and heaven-scented lift... oooh la la....



Another way to bring the new season into your home is to add some new, brightly colored pillows to your sofa or sun room. What a difference they can make.

As promised, our spring shipments have started to arrive.

The Urge to Nest

I have a tendency to be drawn to beautiful things, and for most of us the urge to nest is strong - especially in times of uncertainty. We may have decided to stay home more of the time, or eat in instead of going out tonight. Whatever the reason, we feel a little better when our homes are more comfortable.

It is very easy to change your "nest" to suit a season or an urge. You can always buy something new, but most of us have pieces both small and large, that have been collected over the years and may be put away for one reason or another. If you are ready for a change, it may be time to go to your stash and be inspired.

This time of year it is easy to be inspired by something that helps you feel like Spring. It's not that far away, less than a month so bring in some color with new pillows or a throw, or a flowering plant like Primrose, and make sure to replace that holiday wreath on the door with a Maine Made Alder Wreath. We just had some delivered by a Maine craftsman.

As we dig out from the last snow storm and the electricity returns I find that I need the feeling of Spring so much we've decided to close for a week so I can visit my Mom in Florida. But when we return, there will be new pillows and other Spring and garden related pieces arriving. We'd love to see you.

Valentine's Day ~ February 14th

Ah, the day of Love. Celebrated in several countries with romantic gifts, flowers or confection, it seems that most of us do have a romantic side and want to give and/or receive something on Valentine's Day. Traditional symbols of this day include hearts, doves, cupid and love notes. Over the years I have collected vintage cards, and framed them. Happily I found some beautiful postcards for the store that were created to look like postcards from the early 1900's - they have glitter highlights. I'm sending one to my mother, and hopefully it will evoke wonderful memories from earlier days. Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages. Send them to anyone, it's sure to make them smile.

We also have pretty teapots, jute pillows with Love or Amour embroidered on them, napkins, dishtowels, and little herb gardens for your windowsill. Check out our accessories and gifts for yourself, and enjoy this special day!

Winter Doldrums

It's almost the end of January and it seems as though we all have the Winter Doldrums! Even though the snow is beautiful, especially when it's fresh, we feel as though we've seen enough. The gardeners among us (me included) are just itching to be outside and get our hands in the dirt, but for now, we will have to settle with bringing plants and flowers inside the house.

If you want to plant something that you can watch for several weeks think about paperwhites. They aren't just for the holiday season. Plant them in dirt, or lay them on top of small stones in water and you will be happy seeing them grow and bloom. I have planted several in a vintage birdbath. Yes, most of us have birdbaths that have been put away for the winter. All you need to do for the look in this photo is bring it inside and put the bulbs in some dirt - voila, in a few weeks you'll have a burst of flowers and fragrance. These are in the store window, and I notice that everyone walking by stops to look and enjoy. If paperwhites aren't your thing, buy some tulips or other cut flowers and delight in their beauty.

Happy winter gardening. . .

Wow, It's Been A Year!

Yes, we've been open over a year now and it's been great! I finally feel like I can say that I have some experience as a shopkeeper. It's been great fun meeting new people that come into the shop, taking buying trips, displaying and merchandising the products that we find. My daughter Erin helps alot, and we've just returned from a trip to America's Mart, the huge Market in Atlanta. I'm not sure that I'll go back to NY after seeing this show. We saw, and bought some really beautiful things for the upcoming season. Can't wait to start getting those deliveries! Stay tuned. . .