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!

We'll see you at the Fair . . .

Hello Friends, we hope everyone is having a fabulous week!  With chilliness coming our way, we have a great place for you to stay WARM!  We wanted to make sure that everyone knows that Simple Treasures will have an exhibit at the annual Pella Fall Craft and 100+ Vendor Fair. The fair is located at the:

Pella Community High School Gym

 212 University Street

Pella, IA  50219

We will be there from 9a.m. to 3p.m. on November 13th.  We have a special coupon for savings at the store, for all of our friends that stop by.  We look forward to seeing you and drive safe! 

Happy Feature Friday!



Winter Wonderland . . .

The white lights are sparkling, the dressed trees are shimmering, and the ornaments are reflecting the season that is soon to be upon us.  The candles are flickering, casting a warm glow; the wreaths adorn the windows, welcoming the passer by.  Lighted trees help illuminate the warmth of the store.  The scent of the season lingers in the air, while fresh holiday potpourri, scented candles and melts help to introduce the new flavors of the holiday. 

This is our little "Winter Wonderland" at Simple Treasures. Shawna has unpacked all of the Christmas and Seasonal decor.  It is beautiful.  It is breathtaking.  Snowflakes hang throughout the store, worded ornaments remind us to enjoy the simple things during the holidays.  A variety of figurines and garlands are perfect to add whimsy to the season.  Snowman figurines excite us for the activities of the first snow fall.  Gourmet hot chocolate with a variety of flavors are destined to warm the soul regardless of the dropping temperatures.  So many fun decorating and gift ideas.

We hope you will feel our warm country welcome to the holidays.  We would love for you to come and enjoy a taste of  the seasonal magic at the Christmas Open House!  Shawna has baked some goodies and she will also have her specialty Pepper Jelly available for the sampling. 

The Open House will be Friday November 5 from 10:00-5:00 and Saturday November 6 from 10:00 -4:00.  We would sure enjoy your company! 

Thanks for visiting us on Feature Friday,  and all fall decor is still 25% off !

A Fall Sale is in the air . . . .

It's that time again, isn't it great?  Another week has passed us by, meaning "Feature Friday" is upon us.  The time when fun, fun things start happening at the store! 

The first exciting news we have for you is:  starting today you can save 25% off all remaining Fall merchandise!  This sale goes until November 5, so this is definitily a great time to take advantage of all the cute fall decor!

The other exciting news is the annual Christmas Open House is approaching!  The Open House will be November 5 & 6.  We will have more juicy details soon. . . .so stay tuned.

We are really excited for you to see all of the changes taking place at the store.  Have a wonderful weekend!

A Wonderful Fragrance . . .

Hello Blog friends!  Can you believe another week has already flown by?  Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit us today!

We thought it would be fun for "Feature Friday" to showcase some of the great fragrances available at the store. 

There is a  nice selection of candles with a great variety ot scents to choose from.  For instance, if you prefer to keep Summer & Spring close at hand, there is line of wonderful fresh country scents.  If you want to add cozy (with a wonderful baking aroma) there is a very tempting selection of yummy home baked good candles. Just a great variety!

  If for some reason you are unable to use burning candles; the wax melts, diffusers, and room scent sprays are wonderful options to get that "certain feel" to your home.  There is a wonderful selection of very tempting, yummy (I know you can't eat it, but oh it smells so good, ya wish ya could!) fragrances. 

Definitely something for everyone!



To showcase all of the wonderful fragrances in the store, Shawna is having a one day sale.

Saturday, October 23.

You can save 15% off all candles, room sprays, wax melts, and diffusers.

Any Size, Color, or Brand!  

Be sure to check out the new seasonal scents that have arrived, they smell wonderful!



 Numbers & Letters & Decorating, Oh My . . . .

Hi All!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.  Thanks for visiting our "Feature Friday."  We have really enjoyed all of the feedback and appreciate the time you take to follow our blog and visit us at the store.

Today for "Feature Friday" we are going to give you a fun snapshot of some of the new merchandise Shawna has been getting in.  We really hope you love it.  Great items with a lot of versatility.  

One of the trends that have been really popping up in blogland and home decor magazines is the use of different sizes, prints, and colors of numbers and lettering. 

Sometimes we limit the potential of things by only using them for what they are made for. Take these sweet little galvanized pots (notice the cute numbers?  Aren't they great!) They would be wonderful to plant some fresh herbs in, but why not take it a step further?  When entertaining, why not put the silverware in these cuties as the centerpiece of your table?  They would be great to hold napkins on your counter, seasonal candy, crayons, pencils, and would be great to use as a gift basket.

Sometimes you don't even have the fill the container, just placing it on a stack of books looks really good -great to fill in those awkard empty spaces on bookshelves too.

Isn't this message board great?  It has mini clothespin's attached to hold pictures, recipes, messages, or even a vintage Bingo card (we had to get the numbers in the photo- Right?).  This would look great in a mudroom or fun for family to leave notes for each other.  I think it would be wonderful in a kitchen.  Sometimes cooking can be daunting enough. . . if we have our week's worth of recipe cards clipped to our board, it could help with adding some organization for the week. I also think it would be a great way to display family pictures or to give as a gift.

This clock is just gorgeous!  It could be hung anywhere and really make a statement! There are so many different sizes, shapes and styles in the store.

These stackable trunks are one of our favorites!   The decorating possibilities are endless and you can use the inside for storage.  The bigger trunk would be a great bedside table.  You could also add a cute lamp, some stacked books, and a little vase of flowers.  The little trunks could be propped up on a table or in an entertainment center to hold videos and cd's. The possiblities are endless!  



I love,love  this calendar.  Bubble number magnets and interchangeable tiles with the different months.

These signs are really fun to decorate with.  They have really sweet messages.  There are a lot of different sizes, shapes, colors; each with a different saying. 

Hope you have enjoyed our little glimpse into the store. There is new merchandise arriving almost daily.

Thanks again for stopping by!  See you next Friday!