02 January 2007

Bonne Annee (Happy New Year)



Well, it's January 2nd and 50-something degrees in northeastern Ohio. We haven't had so much as a decent snowfall yet. I know that this is a fairly unpopular opinion around these parts, but our lack of winter weather is disappointing for someone like me. No, I'm not a skier, nor do I engage in any other winter sports--I just love snow! I love everything about it--the color, the weight, the texture of it against your exposed skin, even the smell of it. I love winter boots and wool coats and fantasies of horse-drawn carriage rides with the snow whirling up alongside you. I don't really even mind the shoveling and the car window-scraping. I know this will be hard for some people to understand, but I'll take temperatures of ten-below over 100 degree weather any day! I don't know--somewhere in the bloodline I must be hard-wired for cold weather. Maybe it's the Irish/Scottish blood in me.

Here's one for you: I was out in the parking lot in front of the shop this morning. Looking out into traffic, I saw a woman driving a minivan and wearing (God love her) a SANTA HAT! Sigh. For some people, I guess too much Noel just isn't enough.

In any case, our premiere holiday season in Jackson Township flew by and it was so much fun. The best thing about being open again was seeing so many customers from our first shop who came back to see us, and of course meeting so many new customers, many of whom we're already on a first name basis with (yes, I know I shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition, former English teacher that I am--no scolding!). You who are reading this blog, I want to thank you for helping to make our opening such a treat, a wonderful learning experience (already have so many ideas for next Christmas), and most of all, for giving us a warm welcome to this community. We feel incredibly blessed to be here, right here, on this very corner, and to have our doors open to you.

One reason for my starting this blog is so that wherever you are, you can stay updated on happenings at The Blissful Home. I'll try to post new photos as often as I can, too. One event I will be sure to post about is a sale--I haven't been in this business long, but long enough to know that everybody loves a sale.

So...while you're trying to pull your house back together following the holiday hoopla, I wanted to mention that all of our holiday merchandise is 70% off. This includes our retro Christmas houses, bottle brush trees, mercury glass ornaments, Cartes Postales, wreaths (yes, there are still some Multi Ball Encrusted ones left) and all of our holiday florals. In addition, there is some great winter-themed merchandise available at 50% off...and WE HAVEN'T EVEN HAD A GOOD SNOW YET! In addition, we have taken 20% off of our entire collection of La Vie Parisienne jewelry (antiqued gold and silver crafted from actual antique French jewelry molds) and David Aubrey (beaded, a bit funky, fresh colors), as well as 20% off of selected pieces from the Winter collection by These Flowers, This Moon. We just love this designer. She's new on the scene and handcrafts beautiful, delicate jewelry that is 90% vintage. Check out her website: http://www.theseflowersthismoon.com.

And for those of you who just can't look at another Christmas bulb, rest assured--we have already spun Spring a bit throughout each display. Stop in and see our homage to (slightly) warmer weather. There are a few new displays to behold and other displays have gotten a gentle zhuzh. It may not even be winter out there yet, but we're nodding hello to Spring in here.

Finally, we have a little Valentine's out, too. Those candy bars you loved and bought so many of over Christmas (you know, the ones wrapped with vintage images and adorned with German glitter glass and a ribbon) are here, this time bedecked with lovely little Valentine's images and sentiments. There are only a few left, if you can believe that, but we have more on the way. If you missed out on these candy bars over the holidays, you'll want to stop in and snatch these up. Almost everybody loves chocolate, so it's the perfect gift, and these are so uniquely cute AND cool (not the easiest combination to pull off, when you think about it), that your recipient is going to be unexpectedly delighted. At least I would be! Also arriving soon: vintage-style Valentines. Hallmark is great and all, but why not personalize your greeting and give something that has more of a one-of-a-kind feel to it?

Happy New Year, all. Hope to see all of your faces looking bright and rosy soon...maybe with a snow glow???

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