Saturday, November 15, 2008

Open House is Here

You know when you are expecting company and you run around getting the house straightened...and you never really finish getting ready. Your company arrives and they don't know that you had planned to tidy the hall closet or make a fancier dessert. They think everything looks great and enjoy the visit. Well that's how the shop is all the time. We clean , rearrange, prepare for customers, but most often we run out of time and say "that's good for now" and start the day. With the Holiday Open House this process is grander, I seem to get lost in the vision for shop that has been brewing in my head for the last few months and achieving visual perfection in each room engulfs me. I know I have invested in all the right merchandise to hit the mark, it's executing the goal with a dead line that pushes me past my normal level of obsessing about the shop. In four short days the shop has been transformed into a fantasy holiday shopping experience. I work fifteen hour days while my personal life is put on standby, I find motivation from the completion of each small vignette and celebrate every small victory, ( like a string of lights working on this first plug-in ). The greatest motivator are visitors excited about the transformation and progress throughout the week. Each year we contemplate closing the shop for a few days to work without interruption, the loss of income is always the reason given for not doing so....but I don't know how I would do without the "ooo's and aah's" each day. Throughout the week some things just find their place among the ciaos without a plan or a thought, it really is the best part of the creative process.I ran around tonight and took more shots of the shop now that things to be getting into a rhythm. I love the lighting... The outside of the shop is all lit up, thanks to my friend Bryan. We were both thankful for the warm weather. When entering the shop you are greeted with this traditional tree. Baskets of "Paper White" bulbs and festive boxes surround the base of the tree. Mittens are hung over an arrangement of holiday gifts, the vintage sled puts everyone in the spirit of Christmas.
STROLLER SOLD Finding fun items from the past that take on new life as Christmas decor is so rewarding.

Every year this Santa greets people at the check out counter.


Setting up a gathering of finials is a nice substitution for a tree.
Sometimes the magic just happens.

The snow owls are hard to resist, making a perfect present.

A rustic homespun Christmas still includes lots of lights.

Non traditional colors pop and make for just plain fun. There is nothing as charming as vintage Christmas. I am proud to say that HiHo looks better this year for the holidays then ever and I look forward to sharing it with you.