Beating the winter blues at home and in the shop

Oh my. 

So tired of the huge snowbanks and cold weather

and all that comes with it....

that is my yard and you can see the tips of my blue metal

chairs finally starting to reappear.  There is no passage

back to that area of the yard at this present time.

Dillon surveys the snowy scene from our front steps.

This snow cannot melt fast enough for both of us!

To escape the winter chill I have been using 

fresh flowers and pretty fabrics

and cheerful colors around the house.  I am not a tablecloth kind of girl

but I found this pretty French Provencal style cloth in great colors at 

HomeGoods and I am so glad I bought it.  Its cheerful and saucy and 

adds a happiness to the room.  The flowers are leftover 

from the photo shoot last week.  They really have been a saving grace 

and I plan to keep on buying more until spring!

 I have also been buying decorating and gardening magazines

to take quicky mental vacations imaging the things I will do when 

spring and summer finally arrive. Its been the longest winter ever, it feels like.

The snowdrifts and snowfall have taken their toll on our sales at the shop.

Its tough being a shop keeper and its even tougher when you have poor

weather which keeps our shoppers at bay. When its zero degrees and the wind

is blowing, who wants to leave the house?

At least our Reading store has a private parking lot so you can find a spot.

But our Boston shop is on street parking and the sidewalks have not

been cleared until recently. Look at the snow banks in the photo below.

This sidewalk chalkboard made by our fellow Boston shopkeeper, 

Olives and Grace, made me smile.

Truly our universe is made up of us, and the choices we make....

the way things are going  (if we don't support our own town and city shops)

we will be a world of big box stores and online shopping only.

Our grandchildren will ask us to tell the stories of the "old days"

when there were little shops and neighborhood enclaves

made up of one unique shop after another.  Even the malls will

have a hard time staying in business. 

 Amazon and Walmart will soon rule the world it appears.

So make a difference and pop into a little shop you may have

noticed in your town but haven't stopped at yet.

Look what another small business person has succeeded in doing!

He has gotten his own magazine published and its out on new stands now.

So run....don't walk! 

Buy it!

 Help another small business succeed by

purchasing his magazine.  Small businesses are people. 

People who have to pay bills and buy food and heat their homes.

Small businesses pay other people to work at their small businesses.

Small businesses pay taxes and work really hard.

Buying magazines and cans of paint and vintage decorative items do make a difference.

It really does help.  

Anyway, Matthew Meads magazine is a thick publication.

Its loaded with content, not ads.  I hate how many ads are in 

magazines these days, but I guess its hard to get them published without

the revenue from the advertisers.  At any rate, this is one great magazine

created by one amazing guy.  And next month my home will be featured

so that makes it even more exciting!! 

 I headed out to Barnes and Noble to see if I could find it...

and I was just about to leave when I thought maybe I should 

check the other areas to see if it was put on the wrong rack.  

And sure enough I spotted it hiding behind some travel magazines

 that were also miscast in the Games/Humor section. Huh? 

 How is anyone supposed to find this magazine to buy it?  

So I helped out by moving it over to the Home and Garden section.

So there you go~if you are looking for this in your 

Barnes and Noble or Publix 

make sure you hunt around, because it could be hiding...

and what a shame it would be for both you and Matthew if you missed it.

I am hoping to have it in my Reading store and my online shop soon,

as I fear it will run out and many will still be looking for it. 

I will post when it arrives in case you have been looking for it unsuccessfully.

On a last note, I am excited to say I am getting somewhere on the blog

redesign with a brand new look.  Hope to unveil in a week or two...

For other upcoming events on the blog 

I plan to write a few posts on how to use Pearl Plaster and some

of the other interesting decorative paint products we sell for those 

of you who read my blog for the helpful and inspiring hints on 

Chalk Paint® and other good stuff.

Until then, have a good one!