A GOODE LITTLE WITCH....

her name is "Maryanne"....isn't she the sweetest. Mommy brings her to THE CINNAMON STICK quite often AND she knows just where the "candy sticks" are....oh they get so smart so quick!

This is a Shout out....to Grandmom in South Carolina...Maryanne says "HI"... and we hope you stop at THE CINNAMON STICK when you visit at Thanksgiving...

I am just itching to get into "high gear" and rid the store of orange and black and decorate for CHRISTMAS....one more day....one more day.....TODAY was the LAST day to listen to "Martha Stewart's Scary Halloween Sounds"......can't say I am sorry since they have been playing every day since September 3rd...I am ready to play Christmas Carols.....I have been singing them for the past week and a half....trying not to be too noticeable....Tomorrow (Saturday) Tony is decorating the porch post as it is suppose to be a "beautiful Autumn day"...and if we are not busy I will have him put up the tree - When I get my mind made up to do something and HAVE to wait because you just HAVE to wait, I get a bit jumpy and have a hard time getting out of high gear....That's because I never have a game plan...I wing it.....and never know what is going to end up where when I decorate. I am a doer...not a planner. We have some big display pieces in the store that HAVE to stay put and I must work around them and the antique items change from one day to the next so it is always an "unknown"....oh well....soon we shall see what the final results are....I can't wait to start the game.....

FREEZING THIS MORNING...

WOOHOO!! I did get all that work done....BOOHOO!! That means I wasn't busy in the store....How come I can't have it both ways??? (big smile)!! All the puddles from the past two days of rain are frozen solid....even the birdbath. I am not ready for this cold weather just yet...too much outside work to get done not to mention the heat bills~~~ Today the sun is shining and that is a good thing.
Our snowglobe class is filled to the brim....we thought we would take six and then eight and now we have ten....so after open house the attic is going to have a "makeover"....I love that we can fill our classes - and we are planning a full schedule starting in January. AND thank goodness I have a hubby who (even though I get some eye rolls) goes along with me....
Maybe I can get a picture or two of what the basement looks like with all the Christmas items waiting to be displayed....it is a crazy site and hopefully it is AS organized as I THINK it is....(bigger smile)... Hope everyone is enjoying a sunfilled day.

A WORK IN PROGRESS....

As you can see by my new heading and colors - It's beginning to look alot like Christmas !! I have to learn how to do some of that fancy stuff.....just too busy to fill my head with anything NEW right now - so this will have to do!
Today it is back to work and I will spend the day packing up some of the fall "accessories" and "props" that I use to make the store feel all Autumny and Halloweenish ! Our witch Hagatha, who lives on the front porch, and Cornball our scarecrow, who lives on the back porch, will go to rest for another year. The tiny hay bales going up the steps to our second floor will be bundled and bagged till next year too. Garlands of fall leaves and pumpkins will be untwined from tiny white lights, harvest welcome signs and the "dead" hanging sunflowers all will be put away. The biggest job will be taking the REAL dead tree down - what a conversation piece this tree has been. I am wondering.....no....it must be destroyed it would never make another year...but it was fun - and talk about being "GREEN"....LOL!! For those that don't know - our Christmas tree - a Frasier fir - from last year did not get thrown away and started to turn "ORANGE"...we kept it in the back yard under some tall pine trees and it kept it's needles and we were able to use it for our Halloween Tree - a picture follows....it was fun to decorate over and over again! The store will look very bare and unfriendly all week...BUT it will be so much fun to move the furniture around to make room for the fake Christmas tree and decorate for the holiday season....This is going to be a very busy week - I will keep you posted on my progress !!

A Dreary Monday....

It is not cold...just damp - and no sunshine today. A Halloween type day! Thirty-six years ago it was the same....only a Wednesday when my son Anthony A. Doyle, Jr. - (only known as TAD by everyone) was born. He was trouble from the get go.....hard delivery all 9 lbs. 3 oz. of him. Got into every kind of mischief he could find. A climber - WOULD NOT SLEEP - yi yi yi.....BUT he has grown up to be quite a man and a son that I am so very proud of. He and his wife Wendy have given us FOUR beautiful grandchildren...I love them to pieces! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAD....!!!
Tonight he and Wendy are going to the World Series...where if all goes right the Phillies will win the World Series and they will be there to witness it ! If not, I am sure they will be excited just to be there. Tony and I are babysitting - it most likely will be a long night but my grandchildren are fun and very well behaved!

My day has consisted of getting copies made for the November & December events at the store - Making chicken salad for Tad's birthday dinner....(a favorite of his) - and printing out some transfers for tags and pillows for Christmas. BOOKWORK which I always dread and procrastinate with and doing some laundry....all mundane things to do on this "dreary Monday".

~~Pictures are Tad at 6 years olde and Tad at his son's birthday last week who was 7 years olde and Grayden his son....Happy Birthday boys!!!

TA-DA..............!!!!!

It is still raining here in PA....all day long...with a very brisky wind. The cornstalks tied to the porchposts have seen better days I am afraid. Thinking Tony will most likely take them down tomorrow - the Christmas greens and candy canes go up the end of next week so......no sense in letting it look so messy out there.
I got the "girls" some jackets to wear as it has gotten very chilly some days here - they are use to the "elements" but I don't want them to catch cold. I will take a picture of them tomorrow in their new "duds" !!

And now the snowglobe!! I think this one was the most fun to create (of course I said that about the fairy jar and witch jar)....but I am SO filled with Christmas spirit it was just plain fun to do...This class will be on November 15th - $26.00 with all supplies included ! Sharon and I give the class while Tony tends the store. Sign up if you can I guarantee you a fun time !! I take the worse pictures - it is so so so more wonderful in person.....stop by and see!

"SNOWGLOBE" in the making....

Oh my goodness...I can't wait to post pictures of our "Snowglobe" !! Sharon and I worked till late last evening creating him and I am so excited....I need to add the snowflakes and find myself home here without the right materials....stinks...I so wanted to post his picture this morning. Oh well, tonight for sure! That is the problem with working in two different places....I have tons and tons of "stuff" here at home .....and tons and tons of "stuff" at the store - just seems whatever I need in one place is at the other. A very hard way to create. Organization would help - but why would I make it easy on myself !!!!!
It is raining today - much needed so they say....sometimes that brings lots of customers into the store...fingers crossed! Have a funfilled Saturday...

COMING TO AN END....

I stood behind the counter today and looked up at the calendar - my heart did a flip-flop!! CHRISTMAS open house is less than two weeks away....LESS THAN !!! I am humming Christmas Carols when no one can hear....ironing Christmas fabric to spread thru-out the store...BUT less than two weeks away....YIKES!!! So much to do....what goodies will we serve, where will I put the tree...do I dare get a REAL one..?? Write an email...get the advertising for the paper ready, pull out the faux greens and candy canes for the porches....are all the twinkle lights working?? Do I have enough treasures...do I have too many? Do they want snowmen, Santas, Angels...??? Vintage? Primitive? Glitzy?
OKAY - I smacked myself across the head and have calmed down...one thing at a time...take a deep breath....I still have 13 days !!!

You know fall is just about over (for us shopkeepers) when you are left with this !!!

MY WEEKEND...

Monday and Tuesday the store is closed and these days are what I consider my "weekend" ! Sometimes I just do the mundane things like clean, grocery shop, the wash....you get the idea...and sometimes I take a day of sheer fun with a girlfriend - and some weekends I get all involved with creating items for the store. That is what the pictures are above....lots of sacks that will be filled with fresh Christmas greens, holly and maybe a handmade candy cane or two. They still need the strings cut and wire goes thru the seam to hang - which I will do today if I get a chance...(hoping to be way to busy with customers...(big smile) I transferred pictures of vintage Christmas postcards on each - they make a cool place to store all those Christmas cards you get too.

The turkey is a print I found and copied - Thanksgiving items are hard to find that are "country" enough for our customers (and me)! Every once in awhile I will find a vintage turkey platter but the price of those has really risen. One of the gals who makes things for the store, Connie Steinbeck, made two pillows with a wool turkey handstitched to the front....in penny rug style. I should get a picture and share....only one is left. I love this pillow - lots of beautiful handwork.

Wishing everyone a beautiful Autumn day....

A NEW FRIEND...

I am so humbled that a new found friend wrote to me today BECAUSE I haven't written on my blog for a couple days.... !!! !!! Wanted to be sure all was okay in my world......how flattering is that!!! Truly my friend I AM HUMBLED!!! Truth is - my world has been a bit boring - the store is right at the edge of "inbetween" seasons....coming to the end of fall and Halloween and the beginning of the Christmas "parties" (we do alot of partying at The Cinnamon Stick!) ...Not much has been exciting - other than some babysitting with my grandsons ( that is ALWAYS an adventure) ~~
I have been busy trying to get items priced as they come in....also stuffing red wooly stars and brown wooley gingerboys - There are a lot of things in NEED to be done but also need to wait till it is time - going from one season to the other in a matter of two days can be very "trying" to say the least and "timing" is everything. (You will be reading lots of griping soon I am afraid to admit) So I busy myself these days with the preparation of an "instant makeover" from black and orange to red and green! I have this thing about covering everything (almost) with a doily of some sort.....(really just pieces of torn fabric to set under items)...I change with the seasons - all of it...every window (the first floor has 7 - 18" windowsills )table, cupboard shelf etc. and even my bathroom....dear me can't forget the bathroom! I have to laugh...but it has become a "curiosity" to some. Located on the back porch in alittle building all of it's own - right at the back entrance - it is made of wood (to look like a log cabin -sort of...that was the intention I think) Two walls are of stone making it impossible to have a roll of toilet tissue hanging from it....so Tony found me alittle table type thingy and fastened a 9 " Paper Cutter on it to hold the tissue. A pedestal sink was added and a few do-dads of mine - it ALWAYS smells wonderful with a basket of potpourri and a diffuser adding sweet scents. I decorate it with the seasons - there is a window that a valance of candy corn and a pumpkin angel, a tin pumpkin and a black cat hang from a rod made from a birch branch. Most all steady customers know where it is.....show it off to their friends - and always thank me !!!
So my friend.....now I have gotten to be so boring that I am posting about my bathroom.....LOL!! Soon things will be hopping around here and I will share everything as I am a talker and will go on and on to anyone who wants to listen....best thing about blogging you can always turn me off....Sending good wishes to everyone this chilly evening....

(picture is of slateboard behind the counter )

DRUM ROLL PLEASE........

(aren't they just the sweetest!!)

AND THE WINNERS ARE.....

1. Evan (8)- the birthday boy picked.......Jean M.

2. Breck (5) - picked ......Pamela (Beehind Thyme)

3. Cullen (4) - picked ......Carole

Not wanting to be left out.....Crew (2) had to pick a name too.....just might have to send a present to the lucky gal...!!!

Congratulations girls.....now you must send me your physical addresses and I will get your prizes off to you ASAP !!!

This was lots of fun and now I can't wait for my 200th post...

I hope you all like your treasures....I want to thank you for all your good comments and it is fun getting to know all of you! Hugs, Judy

WINNERS - email me with your address at cinnamonstick@comcast.net !!! :)

MY OLDE TIN BOX....

The names have all been written down and added to my box....tonight I will have my grandsons pick the names.....I want to thank everyone for your nice comments and joining in the fun. This is my 99th post....so NOW I have to post the winners when I come home tonight...how fitting as it will be my 100th POST !! It will be most likely after 9 pm as my daughter lives about 1/2 hour from us - I am so excited...aren't I a silly....!!! Wishing all of you lots of luck.

Enjoy this Autumny day - Judy

LAST CHANCE...

The give-aways are all boxed up and ready to put an address label on.....want it to be your address?? Just leave a comment even if just to say HI....!
Wednesday evening I will be at my daughter's celebrating a grandson's 8TH birthday - Evan !! She has four little boys and I will have the three oldest 8, 5, and 4 pick a name from my olde tin box. THURSDAY morning I will announce the winners and do my best to get them in the mail as soon as the winners give me their addresses....Oh this is fun!
I have ANOTHER grandson's birthday party on Thursday evening...my son's little boy Grayden will be 7 !! I will check in for the addresses that evening when I get home and do my best to get them in the mail Friday.
I found a punch for my Christmas price tags...it is a snowflake like Lisa suggested. I found some cool ones but they were all too big for my tag punch....I like the snowflake and I will sprinkle some white glitter (Martha makes the best) on a piece of white card stock and glue it on the red tag....or maybe I can make some green tags too. I have tons to price so I need to get busy with all that this week. I will take a picture when one is done and post it on the Christmas blog...for your opinions...
Now I am going blog surfing to visit all you interesting gals...

PRICE TAGS...

I think every storekeeper has her/his own little pet peeves when they go shopping.....mine is price tags that you can't read....or ones that stick to the item and leave a mark....there is another one but afraid I might offend...so I will keep it to myself. I have this need to make my price tags different. Now I know they are just price tags....and believe me I don't think I am that great....I just like mine. I coffee stain them (dry in microwave)....the paper and sticky ones....and then hand stamp the name of the item or something similar with my little alphabet stamps... the price usually goes on the back of the tag with a sticky tag hand stamped with the price or one from aged paper with my handwritten description and price. Silly? Probably.....time consuming...oh yes....very - but like I said some storekeepers have their "thing" and that is mine. I have MANY sets of stamps....new and antique - with gidgets and gadgets to go with them. AND stamps.....lots of stamps for everyday and every holiday. I love to play...I also LOVE stickers...yeppers....I have lots of old ones...(geez you even have to lick them)....and some new ones too. My friend Miss Prudence(knowing how I love stickers and glitter) bought me a wonderful package of Halloween stickers ...all with glitter. AND I use them....love sticking stickers on everything - maybe I will never grow up!
For Halloween I used a tag punch ( thank you Brunie Mae for this sweet gift) to cut out a tag from aged orange construction paper....punched a star hole in it...and then, from dear sweet Martha, purchased a punch of a witch on a broom. I punched out the witch from black construction paper and glued each witch on the tag....Pinned the price tag on with a rusty pin and I was happy. Now I am trying to find something for the Christmas items...have to do it in a hurry so I can get this pricing done...will keep you up-to-date on what I choose. Any ideas??? ANd hey what is your thing???

GIVE-AWAY TREASURES....

The first name drawn will get this wonderful Halloween Memory Box....the second picture is of the inside....the second name drawn will get this vintage wooden measure filled with Halloween rag balls...and the third name drawn will receive the "Witches Brew" cup filled with Halloween ephemera! ( couldn't get great pictures as today was very sunny) So keep making those comments and for each comment your name will be added to that olde tin box.....woohoo!!

BLOGGING WITH A DUMMY....

That is what all of you are doing....Let me explain! I have constantly wondered how anyone knows how many posts they have made. Do they go back and count them?? WELL...just now....just this minute I saw where it tells you how many posts I have posted.....oh my...I talk alot - This will be my 94th post....that means soon it will be 100 AND aren't you REQUIRED by "Bloggers Law" to have a give-away for reaching that goal !!!!

Well I will work on that pronto....so start now and leave a comment on any of the next week's post and I will put your name in an olde tin box! If you don't have a blog be sure to give me your email address. Oh I am excited to do this....How about I take names up until October 15th (I am bound to have 100 posts by then)...Tomorrow I will figure out the drawing prize (s) and post them....gotta to....................

Whew....(I just came back from doing alittle "jig" around the computer room).....I am that excited!!

It was cold here in PA today.....38 degrees - the cold is making the trees turn their beautiful shades of red, gold and orange....the walnuts are falling from the tall olde black walnut tree in our backyard - hitting the roof and making alot of noise....what a mess that is. Tony keeps raking them up and the next day there are twice as many!! This tree is olde - very olde and stills bears tons of fruit! Messy!

Don't forget to leave a comment....if just to say "Hi" !!!

OCTOBER CHRISTMAS CREEP....

That is what the news called it....all the major stores decorating for Christmas....giving Christmas sales! (dear me Christmas??) - UNBELIEVABLE!! Yes.....I am working on Christmas....as you can see by the candy canes I posted - BUT I will not be fooled into buying early - I know the season is going to be rough - and I am BANKING on all my loyal and wonderful, smart, savvy customers to know where to buy the best holiday merchandise! I am speaking for ALL the small businesses out there that depend solely on your purchases. Yes we have to sell some "Made in China" items cause there are not ENOUGH "Made in USA" items to pay our bills - but I can say THE CINNAMON STICK will provide you with the best handmade and unique items that we can find! I will not let the newscasters and gloom and doom reports take away my "CHRISTMAS SPIRIT" - I love every bit of Christmas....the birth of Jesus....and the gift giving of St. Nicolas....to our present day Santa Claus. A most wondrous celebration that brings joy to all who live the reason BUT enjoy the season too.

Gift giving doesn't have to be a chore or headache...nor expensive - we will have wonderful handmade items and antiques in everyone's price range. Handmade gifts are great too...come to one of our "classes" and learn to make some of your Christmas presents! Gifts from the heart are the most wonderful. We hope you can find lots of treasures at our store...the store with the "CHRISTMAS SPIRIT"....okay I am off my soapbox....just had to get that out of me this morning!!

****and I love getting "kissed" under the mistletoe too...!!!

WITCH IN A JAR CLASS......WHAT FUN!

Oh my...these gals know how to have fun !! It was glitter and glue - glitter and glue! The creativity was bouncing off the walls and flying thru-out the room! Glitter and glue...glitter and glue! There is no doubt in my mind that they all had a great time...including the two instuctors!

When doing this class there is alot of prep work....and a lot of patience for glue drying time....( this is when we take a break for some warm orange tea and brownies) ...everything must be done in order and you think you will never be able to make it look like the sample. But when they start to put it all together.....eyes light up...chests puff out...and you can just see the satisfaction and pride the girls have in their finished project! That is a tingling feeling I get when you see those smiling faces and they realize they did it ALL BY THEMSELVES!!!! We posted those smiling faces on our picturetrail - take a peek.

It was a chilly day here in PA....and we had to turn on the heat.....I wasn't going to do that until I could see my breath! Yeah right!!! That neat olde plant stand is gone....oh well..that is what I am suppose to do..sell sell sell.....sometimes I have to really convince myself of that. LOL!!

Hope you are warm and toasty wherever you are.....

DECISIONS...

I have decided to close my website - and just keep my picturetrail. I am so lazy keeping up with the website cause the picturetrail is so so so much easier and faster. This was a big decision but finally it is made. So updates and new items for sale and all the newsy store gossip can be found here www.picturetrail.com/thecinnamonstick I did some updates to it this evening. I love writing here on The Spice Cupboard and my Cinnamon Thymes newsletter much more than keeping up the website - to be on our email list just email us at cinnamonstick@comcast.net - I do send frequent emails with store news and pictures of new items.
Tomorrow is our second "Witch in a Jar" class.....I am excited as we had so much fun in the first class. Six gals are signed up and it should be a good group. I will post pictures tomorrow.
The store was quiet today as it is usually after a big event like last Saturday....however we are hoping for a big weekend -the leaves are starting to turn and it should be a good day for a drive in the country - especially to THE CINNAMON STICK.....!!! (big smile) !! AND gas prices seem to be going down.....keeping our fingers crossed they keep going in that direction!
My sweet friend Barb called yesterday and was on her way westward....making many stops along the way and having a grand time. I think Christmas is on her mind though as she was coming up with these wonderful creative ideas before she left.... got me all excited!! Go home Barb and SEW !!!
Now....I must start my Christmas flyer....readying it to hand out this weekend.....

Brrrrrrrrrrrr- OCTOBER IS HERE!

I loved the weather today....it was a wonderful fall day! Chilly but crisp and windy....the summer flowers are turning brown and I am no longer dead heading them....and they look sad. Soon they will need to be pulled out and thrown away and the perennials will need to be cut back - Tony's job! I don't garden....I pick flowers and herbs!

It is getting darker earlier and not sure I am up with that...soon I will be driving home from the store in the dark and that really makes my days short.

The store looks so festive and Halloweenish...it always looks quite awesome in the dark....candles glow in every window welcoming customers - and in my home too. I understand people say this is a "Pennsylvania" thing ????? I think it started many years ago when the houses along the coast line would light candles in their windows to guide the fishing ships home. We have 16 windows and 16 candlelights.....it again, is Tony's job to keep them shining and replace any bulbs that burn out. Sometimes a neighbor will say "hey your candle in the second floor back window is out" !! We are lucky that there is an outlet at each window....before we moved here there wasn't any electric or water, heat or bathrooms....Built in 1828 this olde house has some charm to it - small but a happy home. A builder bought the home and the surrounding acreage putting new homes all around us. I like my neighbors and wouldn't want to be in the middle of nowhere - we are friendly, talkative and Tony has the workshop - so there is always someone around to chat with or do something for! We have lived here for 37 years.....that makes us laugh as we remember people saying they lived somewhere for 20 years and we would be amazed. Gosh we are getting olde - and hopefully wiser!

This is our month of birthdays too.....October 7th is Kennedy's our grandaughter who will be 8, and October 15th a grandson Evan who will be 8 (one is my son's and one is my daughter's - my children always did do things together) Another grandson, Grayden will be 7 on the 16th and Tad, my son, 36 on the 27th....lots of cake, ice cream and presents....and then Halloween! I love October!!!

Isn't that iron plant stand wonderful (picture at top) - one of the treasures I found on Tuesday....