Fred Claus

Fred Claus has lived his entire life in his brother's very large shadow. Fred tried, but could hardly live up to the example set by the younger Nicholas, who was just a perfect, well, saint. True to form, Nicholas grew up to be the model of giving, while Fred became the polar opposite: a fast-talking repo man who's run out of luck and money. Over Mrs. Claus' objections, Nicholas...

Ever wonder where film crews get all the cool stuff for sets? They shop at stores like ours. We're very excited about the release of Fred Claus Nov 9th! It was filmed here in Chicago last year and we've been looking forward to seeing our goods on the big screen! The cast includes Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks

Should be a great film!

Tab

Solar Decathlon

I caught the end of this on TV last night and checked out the website this morning. Some really interesting innovative ideas. The Solar Decathlon joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house.

Teams of college students design a solar house, knowing from the outset that it must be powered entirely by the sun. In a quest to stretch every last watt of electricity that's generated by the solar panels on their roofs, the students absorb the lesson that energy is a precious commodity. They strive to innovate, using high-tech materials and design elements in ingenious ways. Along the way, the students learn how to raise funds and communicate about team activities. They collect supplies and talk to contractors. They build their solar houses, learning as they go.

The U.S Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is the primary sponsor of the Solar Decathlon.

Get Hip Get Green Reusable Grocery Bags

Envirosax Delightfully Pretty Reusable Grocery Bags

Been swapping between paper and plastic for years. This would be much easier and nothing to throw away.

Flickr

Spell with Flickr

The Salvage Sisters' : Guide to Finding Style in the Street and Inspiration in the Attic

Duluth Trading Looking for Rosies

Candles always bring a warm glow to any room. We love the way votives look against some of our smaller shades. It is great and different way to light up a room.

Customer Creations

Here we have a set of French Doors after the installation.


Before and After photos of a buffet.

Customer Creations

We try to be creative with our merchandise but the time and ideas can sometimes escape us. What we do have is a wonderful customer base that has thier own ideas and DIY projects that involve things they have purchased at our store. The best part of this is that often they will send us pictures or even bring the items back to show us what they have done. Here is one of these items. The bench had been in the family for 50 some odd years and the fabric has evolved from blues to oranges and this is the latest rendition using vintage Eames Era barkclolth (from IGS) to reupholster it. (I am also making matching pillows for the room that this is in).

Funky Finds of the Day

These are rare Halophane Prismatic Glass Lights. Incredibly cool. One is 12" and the other is 18". Both have 12 points on them. One of the points opens to change the bulb.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

These are a few of the projects that we have been working on. We have lots of trim work that we have salvaged over the years and the detail on some is incredible but not always in the best shape or enough to trim out a room. So we were looking for ways to recycle and reinvent. The fabric is also vintage that I collect because I can't seem to help it. The second picture is an old sidelight window that we removed from a home the panes were broken so we cleaned it up and put in beveled mirrors we are working on a matching one that was on the other side of the front door

Funky Find of the Day

Joy to the home

When you get a chance check out this blog. Jeanette and I have been corresponding over the last year or so. She has fantastic ideas for the home and offers a wealth of experience flipping homes.

P. S. she mentions us in the post titled 'Fisher's Folly '.

Joy to the home

Tab