More new merch!

New things keep rolling in. For example, below, another style of card/photo holder (perched below a lovely wall rack featuring gilded birds...of course.)



Another new chandelier, below, with a sheer organza shade and acrylic crystals, affordably priced at $89.99.


Speaking of chandeliers, check out the tin plaques with various chandelier prints, below.


New sparkly frames:

And a two-sided wall clock with an antique map background:

Finally, French postcard linen pillows:

Au revoir for today, my friends.

Birds, birds, birds. . .

It would appear that I'm obsessed with birds this season. I seem to always be unpacking bird nests, eggs, bird prints, bird canvases, bird houses, bird coasters and bird memo boards.

Take a look:
Darling coasters painted with birds and nests. ($10)

Metal birdhouse candleholders. ($24)


Bird prints on canvas. ($16)


Bird prints on tin. ($16)



The memo board above is particularly cute -- it's padded with silky damask and includes a bird's nest with egg push pins. ($60)



And this card/photo holder is also pretty darn cute. It comes with "aged" clothes pins and old photos (not shown.) ($48)

And summer rolls in...

It may not officially be summer yet, but it sure feels like it ... and we're all decked out for the 4th!

In addition to our Americana offerings, we've gotten in all sorts of wonderful new merchandise:

Crowns, crowns and more crowns! The new issue of House Beautiful has an article on the "crown phenomenon." We're on top of the trend, with crown hooks, candle holders, boxes and statues.


Beautiful etched glass martini sets.


Every home needs a place to hang your hat ... even if it's a shoe! Just a sampling of the many wall hangers and hooks we have in right now. Love the painted bird hanger (we also have it with a red bird.)


Assorted sizes of globes on mahogany stands.


Cloches in various sizes, alongside a new collection of pewter trophies!


Naked ladies to open your bottles. Too cute.

AND ... we received a large shipment of new chandeliers. Stop by and take a look!

Officially Open

Woo hoo. We had our big ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration last night ... and it was wonderful! We had a great turnout, received lots of flowers and plants from our friends and neighbors, and met new friends. I'll try to get photos of the shindig from the Chamber so you can see some of the big event.

We have the very best neighbors we could possibly have. They all helped us with the opening, so a huge thanks to Kathryn from Kathryn's next door, to Lorrie and Sunday from the Pizza Bar, and John from the New Delhi across the street. Great folks all.

Have I mentioned I love this town? I do.

Trot out the dancing girls. . .

Yes, it's finally happening. Our "grand" grand opening is next Thursday, April 30 from 5 to 7 pm. If you happen to be in town, stop by!

In other news, the weather here went from cold and drizzly winter-type weather to hot and steamy summer-type weather overnight. Couldn't we just have a day or two of spring-like weather? Evidently not.

A little more in-store eye candy

We've had a wonderful weekend! It rained a bit, but we still had lots of traffic, and lots of customers that want to be able to shop our website. Unfortunately, we won't have an online store for awhile . . . but in the meantime, if you see anything you like on our website or our blog, give us a call. We're happy to ship!

Our chandeliers have been quite popular. Here's a glimpse of the ones we have left:

And just look at "the girls" that came in:

These gorgeous angels have movable arms and detachable wings (for those less than angelic days) ... and sell for only $142 each.

How about these to-die-for carved mirrors?

Lots of new items will come in soon, so be sure to check back in.

Life is good

It's so wonderful to be open. We're having such a good time meeting all our customers, whether they're from around here or halfway around the world. Everyone seems to really enjoy the store and our merchandise mix.

Zeke also seems to be having a good time...and has calmed down considerably. (Note the toile kerchief. It's an attempt to soften his image. And it matches the drapes.)

Spring is finally starting to hit the Ozarks, and the scene from our door is of bustling traffic, including our beautiful carriages. I love hearing the gentle "clip clop" of the horses. Just one more thing to love about this wonderful town.

Just a glimpse or two...

...of the store. We're still flying under the radar, as we still have a few details to finish before we're "done." (Will we ever really be done?) For instance, Rob's finishing up the front doorway surround, and I'm waiting to find plants for our big urns outside. (It's still too cold to plant anything.) And then there's the whole basement to price and open!

Arggh. That sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Oh, well. I just need to have the main floor finished by this weekend's shindig. It's Diversity Weekend in Eureka Springs, and the girls next door at Pizza Bar are hosting a party Friday night. They've been so wonderful about steering customers our way, and they promise to steer their whole party over here Friday night.

Anyway, I promised a glimpse of the store, so...

Above: as you enter the store

Above: the ubiquitous rabbit section (it IS almost Easter, after all)

Above: our counter...built out of old doors, of course

Above: our counter top, made of old French doors from a house we renovated in Dallas, filled with old photos, then coated with Envirotex to seal it all up

Above: the "deer" section, with lovely serving pieces, magnifying glasses, letter openers, bottle openers, etc. with silver deer heads...

Above: our spiritual section, filled with crosses and crowns of all shapes, sizes and materials

Above: the white shabby chic section, centered around an old Amish cart

There are a few more photos on our website: www.cottagecaboodle.com

Sssssh!

We opened our doors today for the first time...but it's a very quiet opening to work out the kinks and figure out all our new equipment (POS system, credit card machine, check machine, etc.)

And what a day for a quiet opening it was. First sleet, then rain, then a blizzard of snow! Nevertheless, we've had quite a few customers and many wonderful comments on the store.

I had to laugh as I was hanging the "spring" banner in the window this morning as snow was blowing across the sidewalk.

We're still plugging away!

Wow. Where has the time gone? It's been 2 months since I've posted, and...we're still not open! But we've made major progress. Let's see....we've re-wired, re-plumbed, built a bathroom, finished out the store's office (which Rob will inhabit), hung hundreds of doors and windows on the ceiling, torn down the old and built a new balcony and railings, and much more that I probably can't recall at the moment.

EXTERIOR

The original wood balcony and railings were rather rotten and unstable, so we ripped them all down and started over. We were going to redo them in wood, but then decided that iron would be more indestructible. Here's a visual:

For awhile, the building truly looked like Dogpatch. Witness:

But now it's finally almost done! We just have to get our awning built, the new lighting installed and the sign hung. Hallelujah! Here's the sign that will eventually hang over the door:

INTERIOR

It seems like we've been hanging doors on the ceiling forever. We had no idea how time consuming this particular idea would be. But the end is in sight -- they should all be up in a few days.

After we'd installed a few dozen doors, it became obvious that the weight of them all was not structurally ideal, to say the least. So....we had to add a giant beam the entire length of the store and install several posts. We used barnwood again....and a few trees for good measure.

As for the in-store bathroom, it turns out its floor was completely rotted. It's a miracle some poor soul hadn't fallen through to the basement. So, we completely ripped it out and rebuilt it, walls and all. During and after:


THIS AND THAT

So what have I been doing in my spare time? Making all kinds of goodies for the store.

I've been doing a lot with feathers. ;-)

More stuff:





That's all for today, folks. Onward and upward!