Don't forget Mother's Day on Sunday. My lavender sachets made from vintage handkerchiefs and buttons, like the one shown here, make sweet gifts. The scent of these lasts and lasts so Mom will be able to enjoy them for years to come.
5.09.2013
celebrate Mom
I hope you'll join us on Saturday, May 11th, from 11 am to 1 pm for an Open House Party at Willow Tree Shop in Clarks Summit. This event will celebrate my becoming a vendor at the shop and give customers the chance to meet me and to become more familiar with my designs. I'll be bringing additional merchandise just for the day and you'll receive 20% off any Primrose Design purchase during the event. Oh, yes, and there will be snacks! Baked by yours truly :)
Don't forget Mother's Day on Sunday. My lavender sachets made from vintage handkerchiefs and buttons, like the one shown here, make sweet gifts. The scent of these lasts and lasts so Mom will be able to enjoy them for years to come.
Don't forget Mother's Day on Sunday. My lavender sachets made from vintage handkerchiefs and buttons, like the one shown here, make sweet gifts. The scent of these lasts and lasts so Mom will be able to enjoy them for years to come.
4.11.2013
Willow Tree Shop
I know, I haven't posted for ages. But I really do have an excuse. I've been sewing my fingers to the bone getting ready to fill my space at a local shop. And, now that I'm officially in and my space is set up and ready to go, consider this the official announcement!
You can now buy most Primrose Design products at the Willow Tree Shop, 14001 Church Hill Road, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. It's actually about 4 miles outside of town in an area called Newton-Ransom, and the shop is in an old church that the owners renovated, so it's got tons of cool details. Think stained glass windows and Victorian light fixtures, both of which you can see in the photo that follows.
Harry Potter-like, aren't they? Any minute the owls will swoop in to deliver the mail.
My space is in the back corner in an area they call "the bedroom" and there is a bed piled with some of my pillows.
The rest of my things are displayed in a pretty vintage painted hutch. That's for sale, too, but please don't buy it or my things will be on the floor :)
After my training is complete, I'll be volunteering in the store on Thursday afternoons so stop by and say hello. They're also planning an open house/welcome event some time in May—I'll let you know the details when that's official. There will be cookies!
Yes, Willow Tree has two locations—you might be more familiar with the original store on Scranton's west side (1107 Oram Street, near Cathedral Cemetery). If things go well, I'd eventually like to be in both shops. If you happen to be in Scranton on Saturday April 14, stop by from 10 am-4:30 pm for their 7th Anniversary celebration. Everything in the shop is 15% off and, if you get there early enough to be one of the first 40 customers to spend $25 or more, you'll receive a special gift!
You can now buy most Primrose Design products at the Willow Tree Shop, 14001 Church Hill Road, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. It's actually about 4 miles outside of town in an area called Newton-Ransom, and the shop is in an old church that the owners renovated, so it's got tons of cool details. Think stained glass windows and Victorian light fixtures, both of which you can see in the photo that follows.
Harry Potter-like, aren't they? Any minute the owls will swoop in to deliver the mail.
My space is in the back corner in an area they call "the bedroom" and there is a bed piled with some of my pillows.
The rest of my things are displayed in a pretty vintage painted hutch. That's for sale, too, but please don't buy it or my things will be on the floor :)
After my training is complete, I'll be volunteering in the store on Thursday afternoons so stop by and say hello. They're also planning an open house/welcome event some time in May—I'll let you know the details when that's official. There will be cookies!
Yes, Willow Tree has two locations—you might be more familiar with the original store on Scranton's west side (1107 Oram Street, near Cathedral Cemetery). If things go well, I'd eventually like to be in both shops. If you happen to be in Scranton on Saturday April 14, stop by from 10 am-4:30 pm for their 7th Anniversary celebration. Everything in the shop is 15% off and, if you get there early enough to be one of the first 40 customers to spend $25 or more, you'll receive a special gift!
2.13.2013
Happy Valentine's Day!
A vintage Valentine's Day card from my collection. And one with a cat - how cute is that?
2.05.2013
cats and elephants and bears, oh my
These are easily the cutest thing I've ever purchased on Ebay. And can you believe that I was the only person bidding? It's a set of 18 animals printed on fabric (pretty sure they're 1930s) and designed to be appliqued onto quilt blocks, then embroidered, then everything put together to make a baby quilt. There were no instructions included but I've seen enough of these kits to make a good guess.
There are three each of a cat, elephant, rabbit, puppy, pig, and bear. Some of the fabrics are prettier than others but they all coordinate well together and there are a lot of blues so it won't be too girly when finished. I really love the yellow floral and polka dot print, although there are only two animals with that pattern—the cat shown above is one.
I'm going to scan and trace these so I can share the pattern. I think they'll be really cute with more modern fabrics. Not sure if people will be turned off by the applique part (maybe that's why no one bid on them?) but they could just be used for embroidery patterns, too.
A calico cat
There are three each of a cat, elephant, rabbit, puppy, pig, and bear. Some of the fabrics are prettier than others but they all coordinate well together and there are a lot of blues so it won't be too girly when finished. I really love the yellow floral and polka dot print, although there are only two animals with that pattern—the cat shown above is one.
And a pink gingham elephant
I'm going to scan and trace these so I can share the pattern. I think they'll be really cute with more modern fabrics. Not sure if people will be turned off by the applique part (maybe that's why no one bid on them?) but they could just be used for embroidery patterns, too.
2.04.2013
just in time
For Valentine's Day, that is. A new batch of Primrose Design heart-shaped lavender sachets. I usually make these with vintage eyelet but I decided to use handkerchiefs this time. It's not a bad thing to change things up once in a while.
And to celebrate the holiday, take 20% off any heart sachet from now until Valentine's Day. Just enter HEARTS in the discount code box when you check out. If you're paying by credit card I'll deduct the discount before processing your card; by Paypal I'll issue a refund for the difference. That's it.
These make sweet Valentine's gifts, of course, but they'd also be nice for birthdays or get-well gifts—any time you want to show a little love!
And to celebrate the holiday, take 20% off any heart sachet from now until Valentine's Day. Just enter HEARTS in the discount code box when you check out. If you're paying by credit card I'll deduct the discount before processing your card; by Paypal I'll issue a refund for the difference. That's it.
These make sweet Valentine's gifts, of course, but they'd also be nice for birthdays or get-well gifts—any time you want to show a little love!
1.31.2013
thanks USPS
The new postal rates went into effect this week and wow, they've really gone up in some cases. Like for international shipping. Prices are at least twice what they were and I'm afraid no one is going to be willing to pay them. I sell a lot of vintage buttons and fabric to buyers in Europe, Japan, and Australia and shipping prices are now more than the cost of the items!
I've heard that some shops and sellers are no longer going to ship internationally. I'm not quite there yet. I'm all about options and, if a customer is willing to pay the higher rates, then I'm not going to stop them from buying. Even though filling out customs forms really sucks and I have to drive to the post office to mail their packages.
But, until I've properly figured out the new prices, I've removed the international shipping option from my Etsy listings (except for the embroidery patterns which are emailed PDFs). If you want to make a purchase, convo me first with your location and I'll get you an accurate price and update the listing for you. Sorry for the inconvenience.
The post office complains that they're losing money. I just wish they didn't have to take measures that hurt the companies that use their services the most. If I lose customers because they aren't willing to pay the higher prices then I'm not shipping as many packages; how is that helping?
1.07.2013
macarons
A delicious, melt-in-your-mouth novel featuring the sweet pleasures of French pastries and the exotic scents and sights of China, The Color of Tea is a scrumptious story of love, friendship and renewal. (Amazon.com)
I recently finished reading this book by Hannah Tunnicliffe and loved it. It's about a woman who relocates to China with her husband, finds out she isn't able to have children, learns to bake macarons, and opens a tea shop. Of course, there's more to the story than just food, but the descriptions of the macaron flavors and fillings that the author uses to open each chapter (like gunpowder green tea with sweet mandarin buttercream or provençal lavender with sweet fig buttercream) left me craving macarons.
The history of macarons is a bit hazy—some say they're French, some that they were originally developed by Florentine pastry chefs and brought to France by Catherine de Medici. Who knows for sure.
Basically, they're two crunchy shells baked from an egg white, almond, and powdered sugar meringue sandwiched together with a creamy flavored filling. The shells are usually brightly-colored and often have flavors added. I've never tried them before.
I saw a small notice in Vogue that Ladurée, the Parisian patisserie famous for their macarons (they've been making them for 150 years), recently opened a branch in New York City (864 Madison Avenue). If I'm in the neighborhood, maybe I'll stop in and try a few. I probably should have just started with the best.
Have any of you made these yourselves? What do you think? Am I missing something?
Basically, they're two crunchy shells baked from an egg white, almond, and powdered sugar meringue sandwiched together with a creamy flavored filling. The shells are usually brightly-colored and often have flavors added. I've never tried them before.
And maybe they're best when freshly-baked? I picked up a small sampler box of them at a local gourmet food shop—pistache, citron, and fraise—and I wasn't all that impressed. Not bad, but not worth swooning over either.
I saw a small notice in Vogue that Ladurée, the Parisian patisserie famous for their macarons (they've been making them for 150 years), recently opened a branch in New York City (864 Madison Avenue). If I'm in the neighborhood, maybe I'll stop in and try a few. I probably should have just started with the best.Have any of you made these yourselves? What do you think? Am I missing something?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
