12.11.07
Posted in Events!, Fun Stuff, Main, business-a-go-go at 2:21 am by carrie
I feel like I’ve been in the jungle and I’m writing on an ancient typewriter, face smeared with dirt, wearing weather-beaten khakis, a pith helmet while surrounded by man-eating plants and various monkeys. The past week has been such a blur of gift wrapping, hors d’œuvre making, coffee brewing, tagging and find-the-last-ornament-on-the-tree playing that I have neglected so many other things! yeesh! :) But, I’m so very grateful that we have been busy & the Holidays are finally in full swing… I was worried there for a moment :)
Quick side note, before I forget… we are out of pooping sheep & penguin candy dispenser things. All the pretty hand-dipped chocolate goodies… still here… pooping plastic animals… “Ewww, that’s disgusting! I’ll take three!” Seriously. Please tell me who you are buying these things for. I want reactions.
Holiday open house… check. Cathi Milligan’s demo days and bead sale… check. I can’t believe they are wrapped up! Pics below:
close quarters!
The backside of water… I mean of the counter :)
we made 100’s of tags…
And now… Cathi Milligan on the torch!
I love those pictures!
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Gratuitous Meg-a-moo picture :)
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11.29.07
Posted in Events!, Main, business-a-go-go at 3:23 pm by carrie
When rushing… you tend to agonize on things that don’t need agonizing then forget that you used the word “recently” more than once in less than a 2 sentence radius. But the postcard looks cute!
Saturday December 8 is our open house from 10 am – 7 pm… if you come up to the store you get the above card which gives you directions to Babs’ Historical Home. You get to wander over and get a tour of her beautiful home! (
The one that was in Cottage Style Magazine) We’re going to have a few artists up at the shop for the open house, Tracee Falkow of
Classic Vintage Treasures will be up here with her jewelry and we’ll have a few other surprises :)
On Sunday, December 9 from 12 pm – 3 pm, you can see artist Cathi Milligan work magic with fire and glass! Her beads are awesome and she’s been making cupcake BUTTONS and other new things that are squeal-worthy!!!! Come check it out! It’s very rare that we sell her beads loose, so you won’t want to miss this!
In other news… I have new purses, tons of jewelry, scarves and more… we’re bursting at the seams with stuff!!! Also, our website is slowly being stocked with new things… please check it out!
More pictures, news, my attempt at an advent calendar and more, coming soon!
Sandy!!! (Author of this amazing blog) Where are you?? Come up and visit again! :)
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11.23.07
Posted in Events!, Main, Sale!, business-a-go-go, calling all crafters at 5:27 am by carrie
Today, Saturday and Sunday we’re having a SALE at the store!!! :)
Lots of buy one get one free items including Colonial Candles, Christmas Ornaments and Webkinz… come on up, shop, have a cup of coffee and say hello!
I’m a tad behind on updating the website… along with that I’ll be adding lots of new things to the physical store and the interweb store :)
*New fashion jewelry
*Awesome new soy candles
*Cupcake moisturizing bath fizzies (I can’t tell you how excited I am about these!)
*Purses
*Paper lanterns… lots and lots of new paper lanterns (more by popular demand!)
*Bath Salts!!! They’ll be done by Saturday morning! (yay! finally!)
*More paper products by FG & Co.
*Handmade semi-precious stone jewelry… lots made by me :)
*Cathi Milligan glass jewelry
*Finders Key-purse things plus their new purse hooks to keep your investment off the ground! (sidenote… I’m not an investor in brand-name purses, but if I had a $300 purse, I would surely keep it off the smelly stinky ground at the restaurant or dangling off the back of my chair… eek!)
Also… Cathi Milligan, glass goddess, is going to do another famous glass/fire/torch/melting demonstration on December 9th!!! I’ll make a formal announcement soon :)
Bon Voyage to Babs as she goes across the pond to jolly ol’ England for a week (Perhaps Apolo will be there for some reason??)!!! Have fun and we’ll miss you!!! Also, a Bon Voyage is overdue for Nathan’s folks who are in Mexico on their first cruise… Tiffany is on her first visit to Italy. All these World travelers… goodness!
Oh! I may ask for a few local vendors to participate in a trunk show on the 8th… wait… no… I DO need artists for the 8th of December. So… if you make stuff (sorry, we’re overflowing with Jewelry, so anything but jewelry… but you can send pics of that, too I suppose! hehe!), leave a comment on this entry with where I can see pictures of your stuff :) You have to be local… you have to have a small set up and you have to understand about my last minute-ness ;)
Lastly… does anyone need a kitty??? Check out Graycee’s blog to see Miss Trixie. Also… Cathi Milligan has her hands full with another litter of kittens… I may be posting pics of them for her, soon!!
And… GoodNIGHT… ugh, these 4am nights are getting old ;)
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11.18.07
Posted in Main, Mind Wanderings, Sale!, business-a-go-go at 3:13 am by carrie
I actually am the proud owner of some CDs made from obscure, awesome old records with songs such as “Jingle Bones” and the Partridge family singing “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree”. Thank you Susan… helping to make the holiday season less dull for those in the thick of it… with needle popping and scratching, too! yay!
I’m beat. These last few weeks have been trying for this entrepreneur ;) Our 5th Christmas. Wow. Fast. I don’t have any pictures of our first Christmas, for some reason. I vaguely remember the tree in the window, but pictures? They have to be somewhere.
A third person asked me about franchising again today… my first instinct is to quizzically ask “how come?” I tend to lump owning a store into “working”. You know, a job. I guess the only difference is my coffee breaks are a bit spaced out but I still dislike my boss ;) hehe.
So, I turned in the Holiday postcard at 4:35 am the other day… fingers crossed I’ll get them on Monday or Tuesday, but no guarantees. So, I’ll make the announcement here and in some emails later on…
Click on each image to see a larger image… so you can actually read it :)
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And more pictures of the store :) Here’s our mantle window… It looks great at night!
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These colors are so happy!
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The happy little Christmas chandelier… everyone should do this at home! As of this evening, all those ornaments have been sold! Glad I got a picture when I did!
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That’s what half of the store looks like when I run out into traffic!
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A blurry shot of the turquoise you-wouldn’t-normally-have-this-at-home tree!
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The pink and red pig tree and friends…
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Happy little snowmen made of, what looks like, old sweaters and socks!
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Jennifer Murphy’s little mousey in a stocking… “There’s no coal in YOUR stocking!” Too cute!
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The Nicol Sayre corner…
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Pastel wonderland…
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Wow, that’s a lot of stuff
Christmas 2005
I can sort of see how the holidays are getting more and more overwhelming… the above was my “main” Christmas area in 2005… a little sparce compared to the way I smash it in these days :) I couldn’t imagine it any other way, though.
I keep promising a giveaway. It keeps getting away from me, I apologize. Also, my website is all Halloween-ed out. I’ll get to changing that, too.
In the world of crafting and creating… I got the bug to make soap and bath goodies today. I haven’t wanted to make bath stuff in years… I mean, had the desire to make stuff. It was quite strange. I feel like Goldilocks and the three cosmetic companies… this one is too expensive, this one has terrible packaging and this one is just right… but they won’t email me back! So… guess I’ll whip it up myself! ;) We’ll see… so many things a-brewin’!
What are you all up to next week? Turkey? Shopping? Crafting? Rocking back and forth in a corner wishing it was still June? ;) I don’t know anyone who absolutely hates the holidays, but I know that I really wish my Arbor Day celebration idea would catch on… I rarely show up for Thanksgiving anymore and Christmas is a sleepy blur… Arbor Day… April 27th… would be perfect!! Who’s with me??!?
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11.14.07
Posted in Main, business-a-go-go at 2:19 am by carrie
So… technically this is the pre-after before I get the real after put together, but you’ll get the idea…
It’s the unveiling of the super-duper new and slightly improved… Violets are Blue now with “Holiday Merriment”!
There is a story about that hidden clock…
Now here is the mess in progress…
Half of the boxes that showed up in the middle of the chaos…
Ah, a retail Holiday-centric gift store in November. It should be put together and finished but that would be too easy ;) Three of my 22 trees systematically decided to not light… so, that required taking all of the ornaments off the trees and putting on new lights. Awesome. Then the 20 boxes of lamps etc and so on. The cherry on the retail sundae is the whole credit card merchant processing fiasco. Upon reaching out to others, I guess there is a trend in crappy credit card processing companies… who knew! So, I’m doing a ton of research and sending more certified letters than I care to mention. Doing business… I wish they made a Fisher Price “My first Business” play set when I was a kid… complete with overwhelming UPS shipments, roof leaks, customers who are disturbed by messes and odd little men who like to steal bells. With such a play set, I could have been problem solving all this at an earlier age ;) Are you reading this Fisher Price? :)
Yes, I’m whining. But I’m also at a point that is SO much easier to deal with than last year’s mess of boxes etc. This is nothing compared to last year.
I completely spaced on sending out a postcard on the after-Thanksgiving Sale. Ugh. How did the 14th of November creep up and why isn’t Thanksgiving on the 25th like every other year? Thank you Aztec Calendar (is that what we use? duh… someone correct me). How come every single year we plan on being prepared for the next holiday season and that never happens? I need some Jolly-ing :)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch… I’ve been doing a lot of jewelry with turquoise and smokey quartz. I like :)
Lastly…
I only have the “before” of the door/window… but I put a mantle in the window with a light up fire log and it look SO neat! I’ll post finished pics of this next…
A glass cupcake ornament…
and a mocking snowman… :) He seems to be making fun of me. See, things DO come alive in the store when it’s late ;) hehe.
(I just typed “mcCenter” as a center close tag… must…. sleep! You have to see a picture of the store window at night! I must pull a frogger!)
Oh, oh! And in the process of trying to find a recipe for Pumpkin Cake, I found Sandra Lee’s Kwanzaa Cake. She used acorns on the cake, but the recipe calls for corn nuts. Yes… you read that right… corn nuts. Now… if you are more interested… google Kwanzaa Cake and read what people have to say. It’s quite horrifying AND delightful AND entertaining! Wheeee! I never had a real opinion of Sandra Lee, but this… this has given new meaning to “taking the cake”. Seriously… she’s just a tad much. Any thoughts? ;)
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11.01.07
Posted in Main, Sale!, business-a-go-go at 7:32 pm by carrie
So, I’ve got some stuff on sale… I don’t have time to get each item up at this very moment, but here are a few pieces… more to come!
Penny McAllister Bride and Groom – Normally $56.99 – Now $39.99
House behind the couple – Normally $64.99 – Now $39.99
Penny McAllister Witch with dress (in the pic above on the left) – Normally $26.50 – Now $18.50
Penny McAllister Pumpkin girl with tutu (in the pic above on the right) – Normally $26.50 – Now $18.50
Penny McAllister Large pumpkin box (sort of hard to see… pumpkin head is on a black and white hat box) – Normally $46.99 – Now $30.00
Penny McAllister Kitty – Normally $22.99 – Now $16.00
Penny McAllister smaller pumpkin cat – Normally $16.50 – Now $9.00
Penny McAllister Clown – Normally $22.99 – Now $14.99 (This is a bad pic, but he has a little pointy party hat on)
Penny McAllister assorted ornaments – with faces – Normally $6.99 – Now $3.49
Round Ornaments – Normally $5.99 – Now $3.00
I’ll add the Nicol Sayre items either tomorrow or Saturday.
Please call me or send me an email to inquire about these items! :)
(818) 541-1115 or sale@violetsareblue.net
Thanks everyone!!! :)
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10.24.07
Posted in Fun Stuff, Main, business-a-go-go, coupons at 11:54 pm by carrie
…was a smashing success :)
Cathi Milligan (glass bead guru) came up to visit & left with a scarf in her trademark turquoise and lime colors…
Miss Lou-hoo and I spent the entire evening making these cupcakes… at #42 I was like a small impatient child on a road trip… “Are we there yet?!?!” Isn’t it awesome to have a meticulous friend who is a whiz in the kitchen? Not to mention… her oven works ;) Mine’s on the fritz… Many many thanks to Graycee’s Kitchen!!!
Although in a cast going on 15 weeks or something, Raegan was a HUGE help!!! The most polite teenager you’ve ever met! (And very sweet brothers, too… but she may disagree! hehe) She cleaned up my messes, greeted customers with a huge smile and sprinkled pixie dust on the party to make it more magical. Thanks again Rae, you’re my favorite sarcasm buddy ;) (She’ll know what that means!)
Transmission to the world:
We have too much candy. (stop)
Please send help. (stop)
I made all those labels by hand. I’m insane (stop)
Remember how in the movies, they’d send a telegram and they would say “stop” a lot?
nevermind… my memories of old movies tend to have dancing food, Shirley Temple in every scene and well, things that just aren’t there :) Rose-colored character phantoms! Yay!
I digress… but…The above is just a sampling of the over 50 pounds of TAFFY I purchased. Caramel apple, banana cream pie, neapolitan, assorted, licorice, halloween mix… my teeth hurt now. Free tooth brush with every pound you buy! (kidding)
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For being a Spooky Tea party, we sure didn’t go through much tea. Out of the 50-something people that attended the party, 40 of them had a cupcake, most had candy… ONE had hot tea. I got special swizzle sticks and everything but *sigh* our October has been in the 90’s… not very good tea weather. But I did have an awesome tea set out surrounded by flicker lights:
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Besides the cupcakes and one cup of tea available… we had pumpkin bread, shortbread cookies and other snick-snacks. Oh, and iced tea, too. I made little “spooky” labels for each item. For example… “Peanut butter pretzels – to appease angry charging elephants”, “Garlic pretzels – anti-vampire formula”, “Hot water – For your tea and assorted spells”. Etc etc etc… I had them on the candy jars, too… and it turned people off to some of the flavors. “Twisted Root Beer Beans” is really just Root Beer Jelly Bellies… no need to fear. And “Rotten orange seedlings”, just Orange Sherbet Jelly Bellies. I could go on and on ;) (Have I mentioned that I LOVE puns and pun-like things?!???? We should trademark Nathan’s *groan* and eyeroll that he performs after I reveal a pun that I think is brilliant. It’s THAT good.)
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I did mention I have a ton of candy, right? Come ‘n’ get it! (Is there a 12 step program for over buying? There has to be… as I remember the mount Purse-uvius incident and hang my head in shame… BUT… we only have about 10 of those puppies left… so HA!)
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Also… speaking of over-buying… guys… I got like… 50 tons of candles. They are great candles, don’t get me wrong… but my nose made me buy most of their scents. Bad nose! So, mention my “run-a-way nose” and buy three get one free until the end of November. See, a hidden Coupon… right over there!!! Go find it ;) I ship too, call me! (dang it… to clarify… buy three Colonial Candles and get one of equal or lesser value for free through November 30. Can’t be combined with any other coupons, specials or acts of nature). Colonial Candles… awesome candles and I got Potpourri, too. In Christmas scents (holiday cheer, holiday sparkle, fresh fallen snow and mistletoe). Also, pumpkin Pie, Indian Summer (my fave), ocean scents, florals, fresh cotton scents, papaya, honeydew… too many to mention.
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Okay… so my cousin Allison emailed me and said… “I want a scarf (from your blog), how much… pick the coolest one.” I think Cathi picked the coolest one ;) So, Al, I know you don’t like purple, but what is your second favorite color? :) And do you want more serious or girly foo-foo? Is it cold in NC already??? (I’m turning my blog into myspace now, sorry… comments have their place! hehe).
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And finally… we put these Doggles on Meg… we thought she’d spend the entire time trying to get them off her little head, but she really enjoyed them. And goodness, can you stand the cuteness??? We recommend these dog-goggles to protect your pup’s eyes… and you too, can swoon at the cuteness that is accessorizing your dog. (I’d whip out the head bows, sweaters, little shoes and tiaras with sparkles but Nathan won’t have it. I had to sneak a pink collar on my GIRL dog. So, Meg gets to wear jewelry when he’s not looking! hehe!)
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10.19.07
Posted in Main, Mind Wanderings, business-a-go-go at 3:01 am by carrie
Ahh… candy. Once again I went a little cah-razy at a wholesale warehouse but I really love the look. The day of the party I added little labels to each jar.
The progression… First, you see Babs’ dainty little fingers getting a piece of candy…
Then she slapped on a beanie hat and mimicked some of the vintage ads you see where the kids are just koo-koo for sugar…
And another… She takes her job seriously. (Sidenote… this was ALL her idea… now I know where I get it from)
Lovely halloween Decor…
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I love this little black chandelier… just adding a little Halloween ornament turned it into a statement!
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I hung thick ribbons from the ceiling… it adds a “cave” element… so it feels more safe and homey. I started hanging ribbons, streamers and lanterns from the ceilings all over the shop… it really jazzes up the place and even if you don’t notice it all, you know it’s there :)
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These three pumpkins are in the window and they blink in intervals. The “magic” sign is made by Bethany Lowe. (This is the last one I have! eek!)
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I risked life and limb to get this shot ;) I ran out into the street, frogger style, to snap this picture. This is the outside of our window at night… hard to see since I didn’t bring a tripod and it got a bit blurry.
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We have an old TV case in the window and I play vintage movies all night long. Currently showing is “It came from Outer Space!” from the early 1950’s. The scary alien ships are really pie tins hanging on strings with lights and smoke. Awesome.
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Here are a few small pictures of our Christmas items. Didn’t we just put up these trees??
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Wendy Addison out-did herself this year… more glittery stars, snowflakes and even Eiffel towers this year! I can’t wait to get it all unpacked!
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I got SO much new jewelry….
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It’s spilling over every display :)
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Although the weather has been teasing us all month… I got new scarves. Let the cold begin!
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Our logo, backlit by the Christmas trees! :)
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I’ve got some fun new ideas on the horizon! A Violet’s frequent shopper card, a new tell-a-friend promotion and other events for the Holidays! I’m super excited!! Must get to work… and I’m putting the finishing touches on our Halloween costumes. Be afraid… be very afraid ;)
Have a wonderful Monday!
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