Thinking Vinyl  .  . . Outside the Box . . . Vinyl

 Hello All!  Can you believe this weather?  First it teases us with thoughts of Spring and now we are getting dumped on again with SNOW?  Aye yi yi.  Hope everyone is staying warm and dry!

I have been noticing some fun trends in blogland.  I am loving how people are using vinyl lettering for a great, inexpensive way to add a little pizzaz to a space; but what's even greater is some of the nontraditional spaces used.  There are some great ideas floating around!  I am excited to show you some of the pictures I have found on their blogs.

The great thing is that you can order custom vinyl lettering through the store.  Catalogs are available to browse through and you can see the different fonts, sizes, and quotes available. (or you can bring in your own ideas  and Shawna can definitely let you know if it's doable) 

Here are the pictures I was talking about earlier!  Lots and Lots of eye candy!  Such fun ways to use vinyl words.



polkadotthoughts



wallstamps.net

Such a great way to dress up office or play room cabinets!  Adds a bit of whimsy.

Notes From A Cottage Industry




Notes from a Cottage Industry



Large walls especially with vaulted ceilings can be hard to decorate!  With wall art you can make it the size that best accommodates the area in your home.  You could even go a step further and put pictures around the word art!

wallstamps.net

Love how each child has his/her own labeled cubbie box!  Great organization that can be carried through all areas of the house!

theartofselfexpression.net






 This set is my fave, who doesn't love a great pantry- let alone a labeled and organized one!!  She has done an incredible job!  Loving how she put the wording on the wood box for baking supplies and how she has labeled most of her baking ingredients!





 House of Smiths blog



 House of Smiths blog





House of Smiths blog 






Talk about a unique space to dress up!  Our garage doors don't have to look homely.  Just A Girl blog used vinyl lettering and paint to spruce up her garage door.  I love how it turned out.  Very welcoming.



 Just A Girl Blog





 Just A Girl Blog






This is also a fun one!  Look how great the wording looks around the sky light!  I love it! 




 My Sweet Savannah Blog


My Sweet Savannah Blog 




Well I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures! I really enjoy visiting different blogs- such a great way to get fresh ideas for our own homes! What's great is now if you do find something you love, Shawna can order it for you!   Remember skies the limit!  Have fun and let us know if there is any vinyl lettering formats you would like!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Shawna went to market . . . .

And it's all arriving at the store - come check it out!!! 

Great Spring arrivals - Something for everyone!

Valentine's Day Yumminess . . .


 

Monday is the big day.  How is the Valentine's Day planning going?  Do you have any surprises up your sleeve?  Well we have a great recipe that would be the PERFECT breakfast to make for all the special valentines in your life! 

Chocolate . .  Chip . .  Scones . . .

Shawna has made it twice this week and she said it is so easy and a big hit with her family. She has also tried different variations, you'll have to ask her about them!  You can find the recipe here!  I think our families are going to love us for this!  What a fun tradition to start! YUMMY!  If ya don't have time in the morning - it would be a nice snack for the kiddos for after school or a surprise to sneak into either the kids' or the hubby's lunch.  It would also make a great treat for a special friend, family member, or a neighbor!

We can't let a fun day pass by without celebrating it with a fun SALE!  So our way of saying Happy Valentine's Day to all of our wonderful customers is offering 14% off your entire purchase. (Monday, February 14th Only)  We hope you have a very fun and special Valentine's Day!

Good morning all!  This is going to be a fabulous day!  The sun is shining and the weekend is here!!!!  The store is starting to bloom into Spring.  Bright flowers, splashes of green, and all the fixin's to freshen up our homes. 

To make room for all of the new merchandise arriving, we are running a 40% off sale on all remaining handbags and purses!  Make sure you mention the blog for savings.  If you have a chance stop by and see the fun things happening at the store.

Thanks for stopping by . . . See you next Friday!!

 

A Variety of Rugs . . . .  

Welcome to our Simple Treasure's Feature Friday.  I want to introduce you to the great selection of rugs available at the store! 

These rugs are very durable, affordable, come in great colors, and can be ordered  in a variety of shapes and sizes.   Sizes range from 20 x 30 inches up to 8 x 10 feet.   These rugs are offered in rectangle, oval, and some in circle. 

Here is a little peek at some of the rugs:

There are catalogs and sample rugs available at the store.  We also want to let everyone know that all of the small rugs at the store can be ordered in different sizes and colors. 

For "Feature Friday" all rugs (even cotton)  in the store and special orders will be 20% off!  This sale is exclusive to our bloggy friends, so please mention the blog at checkout to receive your discount!

This sale will run today until next Friday, February 4th.



I thought you would enjoy some pictures I found on the internet.  Some great ideas to get our "RUG" decorating juices flowing.  (Please note; exact colors and  rugs in pictures may not be available at the store)

  Stair Treads are a great alternative to full carpet on stairways.

 

Love the oval rugs used in these pictures- Great for under the dining table and a wonderful option to create an inviting entryway.

Here is a fun idea- use the smaller braided rug for table settings. I like the splash of color and chunky texture it adds.  Rather than doing place settings, you could also put a small sized rug in the center of the table, complimenting your existing center piece. 

Here are a few other ideas:

1.  Great to put in a nursery or bedroom- can be used to cover existing carpet, adds great color, and looks nice over wood flooring

2.  I don't know about you but my feet love me when I put a soft rug in front of my sink or my washer and dryer.  It makes our daily tasks a little more enjoyable :)

3.  In a toyroom- that is where the durablity comes in and it also will add softness and warmth

4.  The stair treads can be used to decorate shelves (whether in a hutch or a book shelf)- this adds great color and texture and compliments your display

5.  If  you have a bench a rug is a great alternative to a cushion

6. Rather than having two small bathroom rugs (one in front of the sink, one in front of the tub), you could have a nice long runner 

I hope these pictures and ideas have been helpful! 

Have a wonderful week! 

We'll see you at next weeks "Feature Friday." 

Please let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything we can help you with.

Final Touches . . .

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!  I am just amazed at how fast time flys. I am glad you took time to be here with us.

I often wonder how many of us are in the beginning, middle, or ending stages of a home improvement project? (or in my case a never ending project:)

I love the part of the project when all of the construction is done, the clean up has begun, and the fun part is right around the corner.  Some love the part of picking the paint color.  I love accessorizing; finding UNIQUE treasures and accents that bring together the theme I am going for, the final touch. 

The final touch brings me to today's "Feature Friday" - window treatments.  Whether you are decorating at the end of a project in a freshly finished room or you just want to change out the existing window treatments to get an updated look- curtains are a great, affordable way to get that look yet not have to remodel or redecorate the whole room.

There are catalogs available at the store to special order a variety of different styles and  sizes of window treatments. There are great options: valances, tiers, swags, and even shower curtains!  Here comes the fun part; you can custom order not only the size but also pick out the color/pattern that will work for your home!

Here are some of the fabric swatches available.  Fun patterns, (I love mixing florals with plaid) and great colors.  If you are going for a more bold statement, there is bold, or if you want a more subtle look there is a great selection of earth tones! This is a nice line of window treatments with great quality!

Here is a sneak peek of some different styles that are available:

 Here is a few displays at the store:



So for "Feature Friday" you are invited to come and browse through the catalogs and take a look at the wonderful assortment of fabric swatches on display at the store.  

You can  now save 20% off special orders on window treatments and receive FREE SHIPPING.  This sale will run today until Friday, January 28th!  Such a great deal.  Please feel free to bring any paint swatches or other items that you are trying to match up with your window treatments.  We would love to help!

Have a great weekend and Happy Decorating!

Bubble Pendants . . . .

Happy Friday friends!  We hope you have had a fabulous week!  I am so excited for our feature today. Do you ever have those mornings where you feel like you wear the same thing all the time only on a different day?  I  have the perfect, fun  "Accessory" to help.  Bubble Pendants!

Have you seen the bubble pendants that Shawna carries?  SOOO cute!!  What I love is they can go with dressy, casual, or seasonal attire.  They compliment just about any outfit.  So even though right now we all can't run out and buy a whole new wardrobe, these pendants really do the trick in changing things up a bit.  They give such a new, fresh look.

If the store doesn't carry the letter you want, you can special order it!  Shawna carries different chains depending on the chunkiness you like in your jewelry. The uniqueness really stands out!

So for our "Feature Friday"  You can either special order or buy an existing bubble pendant at the store and receive 20% off your pendant, just mention the blog for your savings. 

 Promotion ends Friday, January 21st.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year  . . . . .

We are hoping the first week of the new year has been a great one for you!  We are so grateful for you and your support.  Thank you!  Doesn't it feel good to feel a sense of renewal?   An exciting time to make New Year's resolutions?  A time to freshen things up a bit?  A time to make personal goals as well as goals for our home.  I would challenge all of us to start with baby steps rather than try and overachieve.  That way it is so much more obtainable; we aren't defeating ourselves before we even start!

I don't know about you but these gloomy January days sure make me look around my home and give me the decorating blah's.  I think one of the first steps is decluttering; parting with the things we may not love, or the things that we just pile up and never really use. When we get rid of those eye sores, we then have room to add new accents. When we do it little by little, we don't feel so overwhelmed and it is amazing how something new really can add punch to a room.

Here is a sneak peak of some of the merchandise that has been coming in. These are some wonderful pieces that again, can change things up a bit; changing one thing out of a room at a time. 

 I LOVE Chalkboards!  They can be a fun and inexpensive way to display messages to the family throughout the day.  I also love the functional part of staying organized and being able to remind the family of important events. 

It is such a cute piece- it can be hung in the kitchen, by the door coming in from the garage,in a bedroom displaying a favorite inspirational quote, in a kid's room (they really have fun with this), or over an office desk. Really, the skies the limit!

 Aren't these amazing?  Pillows are such an easy way to change up a look. 

We can add it to mix up our existing bedding or throw it on a bench to add some coziness. Another idea is to trade a few pillows off of our couch or chairs.  Remember the fun part is it doesn't have to match perfectly  -all that matters is that you love it! 

Wreaths are a wonderful way to add a little color or texture to a plain wall.  When repainting isn't an option, you can hang a wreath with a cluster of pictures or even by itself.  As long as it is proportionate to the space, it will add a nice change without having to do too much.  It is great to also hang over old screens or window frames on a wall for a nice primitive touch. Lastly, it always looks fabulous hanging on the front door!  Oh the many fun, fun things that can be done with wreathes. 

This wreathe is used as a backdrop, adding a nice texture to this wall.

Here is another option for a message board.  I personally think these are great ways to hang important papers that- yes confession time- get so lost on my desk I never find them again.

 (please tell me I am not the only one with a desk paper eating monster?)

I also think a neat idea is to let this be a "specials" display.  Allow our children's art to take center stage and then just change it out as new pieces come in.  It makes them feel pretty special. 

We were talking about decluttering earlier, this piece looks beautiful with only a few accents, sometimes I think we forget that more isn't always better.  I think this piece would look great with fresh linens or rolled towels.  It would also be a great display of family pictures, but remember not too many.


 

Word art is wonderful.  It adds a nice touch to any part of the home, not to mention the window frame is pretty adorable.  This could really be hung in any part of the home.  In the kitchen, over a mantle, over a headboard.  So many options!  Lots of neat sayings as well.

 This one is a cutie!  Don't ya just love the unique shape?  I think this is a wonderful way to display pictures, but you really could display anything. It could also serve as a reminder board, just clip the reminder for everyone to see. 



 Well I hope you have enjoyed the little tour 'de store.  It is always fun to get our decorating juices flowing. Hopefully some of these ideas will be able to work in freshening  up some of the spaces in our home!  Good luck and we would love to see any changes you make!  Email us pictures and you could be one of our next blog features!

So for our "Feature Friday", this Friday and Saturday, January 7th & 8th, Shawna is making all remaining Christmas and Holiday Decorations 60% off, exclusively for you, our online friends.  Please make sure you mention this at check out to receive your savings.  We'll see ya next week!  Thanks for coming to "Feature Friday."  

Wishing each of you a magical Christmas filled with memories made and memories remembered.  May you have a joyous holiday, and may we all remember the reason for this beautiful season.  We hope if you are traveling you will travel with great care!  Have a wonderful holiday.

Merry Christmas from all your friends at Simple Treasures

  Starting Monday, December 27th,

All Holiday and Christmas merchandise will be 40% off  

   Wrapping It Up. . . . .

Good Morning!  Can you believe that Christmas is just around the corner? Doesn't the fresh blanket of snow add to the season?   Is everyone staying warm and wrapping up last minute Christmas shopping?  I just wanted to let all you know that if you are stumped on finding that "perfect" gift, make sure you stop by!  We would love to help ya!  There are new shipments arriving almost daily and you know Shawna; her selection is wonderful and includes something for everyone!  If by chance you don't know what that special person would like there are always gift certificates available as well, so please let us know if we can help in anyway!

I'm sure everyone's busy baking away and getting all of their Christmas goodies done?  Oh the calorie consumption during the holidays, don't ya love it!  Actually let's just not think about it :)  Speaking of holiday tastiness, make sure you check out the gourmet hot chocolates at the store!  They are amazing!  There is an assortment of flavors and they are packaged individually (great for stocking stuffers or to arrange in a mug to give as a gift) or you can buy them in a set with different yummy flavors. ( in cute, cute containers of course!)

For "Feature Friday"  Shawna is running a sale on her Pepper Jelly, such an easy, great appetizer for any holiday table.  From now until Christmas you can save a $1 per jar by just mentioning the blog.  This would be a wonderful addition to a gift basket or even just the Jelly itself is a great gift. To serve, pour over fresh cream cheese and serve it on your favorite cracker.  That's It!  You will definitely get rave reviews.

Well we hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season.  If there is anything we can do to help, please let us know!  We always enjoy seeing you at the store.  May you all have a safe and Merry Christmas!!

Your Holiday Traditions. . .

We wanted to start off by thanking everyone that participated in our drawing!  It was a great success and we really appreciate the time you took to share your special family traditions.  It was nice to see what families do to keep the true meaning of the season in their hearts.  So again- Thank you! 

We do have a winner!  Our lucky friend will be receiving an email today with instructions on how to redeem their $25 gift certificate.  Congratulations.  So exciting!

As we mentioned last week, we are going to post a handful of our readers traditions.  There were so many great ideas and warm memories to choose from.  So grab a cup of warm something, kick up your feet and enjoy!

1.      One of my absolute favorite holiday traditions is letting the kids pick out their own Christmas ornament each year. It makes decorating the tree so much fun, reminiscing about each ornament that goes on the tree. I can only imagine when all 3 of our kids are older, how many ornaments and memories will be on that tree.

2.      My favorite childhood Christmas tradition was the Christmas program at our small little church.  We all dressed up like people in the Christmas story.  I was usually an angel with gold tinsel wrapped around a wire coathanger perched on my head.  We would all receive a brown paper lunch sack full of ribbon candy, peanuts in the shell and a big apple or orange.  We loved those bags of treats! 

3.     My favorite tradition is when I put the tree up, I get to hide the ornament, the "Christmas Pickle".   Hard to find in all the green of the tree.  My husband and kids all have a contest to see who can find it first, and that person gets some sort of special treat for the day.  (a back rub, their favorite meal that night, etc etc....nothing materialistic, just a simple gesture of their picking).  I started this when the kids were 3 & 5.   Now they are 16 & 18 and STILL love the tradition!!!!

4.     To start our holiday traditions we watch the Oskaloosa Christmas Parade together as a family all bundled up sipping coffee & cocoa. Family dinners, sledding and baking cookies so when the kids come in they have fresh warm cookies and hot cocoa is a tradition that we've had since I was a kid. Sledding at my dad's house again like I did as a little girl-he even made us snow boats with a rudder on the back which steered which direction you wanted to go. As a child my dad and I would get up really early about 2 weeks before xmas and drive the gravel roads near friends farmland and picked out our tree and cut it down ourselves and then my brothers and I would decorate the tree. No matter what traditions a family makes are very important in the bond of family. Special times that warm the heart and will be held as wonderful memories during ones life are priceless.

5.     One thing I do with my girls is shopping very early the day after Thanksgiving,this year we started at 11:oo PM,waiting in line OUTSIDE for 3hrs in the cold!! also we do some holiday baking the first weekend in Dec. ,its a all day project.

6.     My husband and I have been married for 5 years now.  Because it is still just the two of us, it usually isn't very exciting to have "our own" Christmas.  But we would like to be able to open up gifts from each other in our own home - gifts from under our tree.  So, before we pack up and go over to both of our parents homes, we choose one present to open up at OUR home.  This way we have a "Christmas" with just the two of us, but we also get to bring some presents to open up and share with our families too.

7.     My favorite Christmas activity, ohh there are so many.  I enjoy all the beautiful services our church offers during this joyous season; attending children's Christmas programs; touring the Christmas lights; sending anonymous gifts and SNOW!!!  God has blessed my life in many ways and I am so grateful.   May your holidays be joyous and filled with wonder. 

8.     My favorite tradition is that I have ALWAYS gone into my daughters  bedroom on Christmas morning to tell her "SANTA WAS HERE!!!!!". she is 31 years old and I still do it!!!!!!!!!! I think she thinks I am nuts :)

9.     Every Christmas day my mother's side of the family gets together. That evening is what I look forward to. The whole family sits around playing games and chatting about anything and everything we can. Sometimes our games get so intense that we all end up crying from laughter. I really enjoy these bonding times as I sit back and take a moment of appreciation for everything in my life.

10.  My mom made the most awesome cut-out cookies, like ever. Seriously. The best. She passed away almost 6 years ago but my family counts on me to continue that tradition. A few years back I made all sorts of Christmas shapes and really decorated them up but we all decided that just the plain old oval shape that my mom did was really the best. They just somehow tasted different :)

The recipe:
1c margarine (soft)
1 1/2c white sugar
2 eggs
2T milk
1t vanilla
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t cream of tartar
pinch of salt
4c flour
Cream oleo and sugar first, add remainder of ingredients except flour, then slowly add flour. Put in the fridge for a while, this makes it easier to roll out. Roll out on floured surface. Cut out shapes. Place on greased cookie sheet (found that solid vegetable shortening works the best) bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on rack. Top with the following icing.

Icing: (I make a double batch of this for a single batch of cookies)
3oz cream cheese (can use regular or 1/3 less fat, fat free will not work)
1T margarine
1t vanilla
2c powdered sugar
Cream first three ingredients, then slowly add powdered sugar. Can tint with food coloring too. After icing, leave out on counter to allow the icing to set up. ENJOY!!!

11.  One of my favorite holiday traditions is going out to the farm to gather fresh greenery & berries to decorate my window boxes and outdoor planters. It is so fun making outdoor arrangements—almost as fun as planting flowers in the spring!

12.  My favorite holiday tradition is placing our baby Jesus in the manager setting (animals, Mary and Joseph are put out when I decorate after Thanksgiving) on Christmas eve after kids are in bed. They see that he is in it when they come down the stairs Christmas morning signifying that he was born and the reason for the season of celebration.

13.  My favorite holiday tradition - we always have decorated birthday cake (or cupcakes) with candles for baby Jesus.  We sing Happy Birthday then the little kids blow out the candles before we share this special dessert.

I knew you wouldn't be dissappointed.  Hopefully you found one that would be fun to do in your own families. 

 Well my friends we will see you next Friday! 

Thanks for stopping by.

A Holiday Drawing . . .

Happy "Feature Friday" everyone!  Did everyone have a great Thanksgiving?  Can you believe that Christmas is just around the corner?  We have some fun, fun posts lined up for the month! 

To celebrate the beginning of this festive month we are having a drawing.  We are, of course, only keeping it exclusive to you, our great blog friends.  So here is the scoop . . . . .

1. Send an email to mysimpletreasures@hotmail.com  with your favorite Holiday tradition, whether it be an activity, recipe, or decorating. (it can really be anything!!) 

2.  We will put all of the names in a bucket and pick a winner.  Then we will feature some of the fun Christmas traditions here on the blog.  That will help all of us generate some fresh seasonal ideas to incorporate into our own homes.

3.  The winner will be notified via email by December 8.  You are probably wondering what the winner will get?  Shawna is giving away a $25 gift certificate to the store.  You can use it for yourself (insert fun evil laugh) or you can give it to a friend for a gift. 

We are excited to see all of your wonderful ideas and hope that you will take part in this fun drawing!!  The drawing will start today and run till Wednesday, December 8th.  We will post the winner next Friday.  Oh, and please remember only one email and entry per person is allowed.

Thanks so much!  Let the Holiday festivities begin!!

A Thank You & Store Hours . . .

Hi All!  Another end to a fantastic week, can you believe we are already half way through November.  Busy, Busy, but hasn't the weather been incredible?!?  Shawna and I were just commenting that we actually think we are ready for first snow fall. (only after our trips are done to see our families:)  Then the whiteness can begin!

Shawna wanted to start off by expressing her gratitude to all that made her Open House such a huge success.   Thank you!  Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to stop by and say hi!  She really enjoys seeing and chatting with everyone.  She also wanted to apologize for not getting the recipes up last week, so we promise before the end of this post you will have the yummy recipes for the refreshments that were served at the Open House.  They are simply divine!

Here are the store hours for the week of Thanksgiving:

Monday, November 22, will be the tour of stores in Pella, so we will be open until 8:00 p.m.  Stop by and see what specials Shawna has for the evening!!

Tuesday & Wednesday -Regular Store hours 10:00-5:00

We will be closed Thanksgiving Day!

We will be open on Black Friday from 10:00-4:00

We will also be opened Saturday November 27 from 10:00-4:00.

Please call or email if you have any questions, we always love to hear from you!


Here are the recipes we promised! 

Graham Cracker Cookies

Cut graham crackers on perforated line and place in jelly roll pan.

Cook the following in a saucepan for 10 minutes until somewhat thick:

1 stick oleo

1 stick butter

½ cup sugar

Pour over the graham crackers and place sliced almonds on top.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes. With a spatula carefully place crackers on

Saran wrap or a hard surface to cool.  Put in refrigerator to set up.  

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

41/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cloves

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup molasses

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter

3 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine flour, soda, salt and spices. In large mixing bowl beat butter on low speed for 1 minute to soften. Gradually add the 2 cups of sugar; beat until fluffy. Add eggs and molasses; beat well. Stir dry ingredients into mixture.

Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet. They don't spread much.

Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes until light and still puffed. Do not overcook. Let stand 2 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Have a Happy & Safe Thanksgiving!



image courtesy of Country Home



Simple Settings . . . .

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of the year!  We get to be around a table full of fabulous food, around people we admire and love, and it is a perfect time to reflect on the bounty that we have been blessed with.  I also love Thanksgiving because it is a time to make our surroundings extra special.  Whether it be the special dinnerware we use for the occasion, special linens or extra traditional accents that trigger wonderful memories of Thanksgivings past. 

I thought a fun "Feature Friday" post would be highlighting some simple place settings.  So many times we think we have to have extravagant place settings. We feel that more is better.  I think that simplicity is the key to not only avoiding holiday stress, but I think it actually creates more of a calm feeling when the centerpieces don't overtake the table. 

Here are some great examples of some simple decorations that could easily be pulled together and adorn any size table.  It is perfect because it adds that subtle hint of fall, yet also welcomes and entices one to the comfort of the table.

I hope that these will help generate some fun centerpiece ideas.  The sky is the limit.  No matter our taste and no matter our budget we can create a centerpiece that reflects the ambiance we aspire to have.  If there isn't any room in the budget,  this is a great time to look around our home and pull together unexpected things to make a beautiful centerpiece that we envision.  We can also look outdoors and utilize nature's beauty.  You are more than welcome to come to the store and we can help you pull something together, if you are still needing some sort of arrangement to make dinner extra special.  We hope this was helpful!  It is so fun to fancy our tables up a little, don't ya think? 

Because of the holiday we won't see you next week in blog land, but don't worry dear bloggie friends, we will be back the following week.  We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  See you soon!