Christmas Shopkeeping Update!

After a week of looking at my last depressing post about rainy days and Mondays (ugh), I am happy to finally be able to share some cheery Christmas photos from our space at Whispering Willow! Throughout November I had featured a shabby pink tablescape at the front of our shop space, which I loved, but early in December we switched over to a more traditional Christmas palette featuring our Moss Rose china set (which had been in the china cabinet) set on a deep red plaid tablecloth with touches of cranberry and burgundy. I love this look too and had a lot of fun pulling it all together. Here are some of the details...(click any image to enlarge)

The cranberry chargers are from Hobby Lobby...and the roses are from Big Lots. I love how all the pinks and reds work together, as well as the plaid and floral...

I used a small wooden shelf and made a riser in the middle of the table, covered it with black velvet, and added a tiered glass platter, greenery and ribbon, and a trio of glass pedestal-jars filled with small ornaments. I made the pedestal-jars by gluing inexpensive tree-shaped jars ($.25 each at a garage sale) and a regular candy jar I already had to glass candlesticks of varying heights...

Likewise, I made some simple candleholders using more inexpensive jars glued to varying height glass candlesticks...then I added fake glittery snow, candles, berries, and a burgandy bow as a finishing touch...

I made this tall candleholder from a metal stand I bought at a garage sale - it was painted silver and covered with white silk flowers and greenery stuck into a piece of floral foam at the top (I assume it had been used at a wedding). I removed all the greenery and flowers, spray-painted it black, glued a floral saucer to the top, added Christmas greenery, pinecones and berries, a burgandy ribbon, and a cranberry candle...

We topped it all off with this steal of a deal...a gorgeous chandelier that we got for $25.00 at a garage sale!!  I can't believe the prices some people sell things for...but I'm glad they do!

To the right of the table I added a hand-painted sign I made to my cupboard - it was was a custom order for the shop owner ("Thyme began in a Garden"). She let me keep it displayed until Spring so I can take special orders. Thanks to my Daddy for cutting and routing the wood for the sign! I also had a "Merry Chritmas" sign I had made displayed on the plaid table, but I wasn't able to take a photo of it before it sold. It was painted black with cream script lettering and painted holly and berries...it was pretty, but you'll have to trust me on that  :o)  I have lots of plans for many more hand-painted signs to add to the shop after Christmas - I think they add a nice touch...people love reading signs and having something handmade...

To the left of the plaid table is a tea-cart covered with the vintage red and white Christmas merchandse that had previously been displayed on a cute vintage white drop-leaf table...well, the table is now gone and we had to employ the tea-cart as well as a corner shelf we had to hold all the merchandise. (since taking this photo the tea-cart has sold and we replaced it with a drop-leaf Duncan Phyfe table...more on that incredible find in an upcoming post!).

When we changed from the pink table setting to the current red plaid one, we also swapped the china from the table to the china cabinet and vice-versa...now this sweet rose china and all the pink decor is featured in the cabinet, plus we added some yummy etched glass tumblers, plates, and a tiny etched cloche...LOVE the etched floral detail on each!

After selling the vintage white table and chairs, we replaced them with this really nice solid wood round table and chair set that my parents found at a garage sale ($45.00 for all!). I covered it with a green tablecloth topped with a round hand-crocheted cream colored tablecloth. On top we featured my Mom's beautiful amber glass and marigold iris herringbone carnival glass collections...

Finally, here's another handcrafted sign I made. Using another sign blank my Dad made, I painted it black, hand lettered the "Paris Cafe" wording, glued on a cut-in half-teacup (bought as part of a large lot of various  half-teacups I got at a garage sale...the owners had cut a variety of styles of teacups in half and made nightlights out of them), added a vintage ceramic drawer knob, then topped it off with a black gingham ribbon hanger. I have lots of plans in mind for various ways to use the half-teacups...they are so very cute!

I hope you enjoyed this little Christmas tour of our shop space! I wish those of you that live far away could come by and visit...we would have fun, no doubt! If any of you live in the Houston area, I invite you to head over to Tomball and see us here at the Whispering Willow (click here for directions: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=305+market+street,+Tomball,+TX&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=42.224734,78.662109&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=305+Market+St,+Tomball,+Harris,+Texas+77375&z=16)

It is a really wonderful shop and most all of our wonderful dealers are having sales. All the merchandise you see here in our space is currently 20% off through the end of the year!!

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I hope you have a stress-free, Christ-centered Christmas week this week. We had one Christmas celebration with sweet Hubby's kids in Louisiana 2 weeks ago, a Christmas celebration with my immediate family this past Saturday, and one still to come on Christmas Day with Hubby's brother and family, sister and Mom!! Whew!!  After each of the two celebrations we already had I kept thinking that Christmas was already over :o(  But, hurray, it's not!!  Still 5 days to go...well, 4 and 1/2 now...  All the best to you and yours during this most special time of the year. I will be back with Christmas greetings on Christmas eve or before...until then, take care and God Bless!!! And thank you so much for stopping by!!!