Butternut Squash Soup Tomorrow!

You do not want to miss out on this delicious fall soup put together by Barefoot Contessa and some added help from the Burch Family! We will be serving this to our guests at the Fall Event tomorrow! YUM!

ingredients:
2 T olive oil
2 large onions
2 butternut squash
2 apples
1 T thyme (or seasoning of your choice)
salt and pepper, to taste
about 2-4 cups water (or chicken stock)
heavy cream or half and half
optional: honey, spinach, bacon, sour cream, lemon

A Preview...

*News Flash: Our Velvet Pumpkins are Back in for Tomorrow Night! New Colors and Fabrics that we've never had before!

Just to get all of you excited for our fall event tomorrow from 4pm-7pm - we thought we'd preview a couple of our hats that will be gifts-with-purchase! You don't want to miss out on these!

Call or stop by The Willows to order your own special hats! Our own Willowette, Krista, specializes in themed party hats including birthdays, baby showers, even cooking parties! Use your imagination!

It is funny how trends in dishware and linens change. I just inherited my great-grandmother's floral print china from Japan, and although I love it for it's sentiment and heirloom quality, I don't suspect I'll be rushing to set the table with it this Thanksgiving. While we once needed the complete, matching set of everything, it is now more appealing to collect vintage silverware and eclectic serving pieces for their charm and mystery. Table linens once pressed and perfect are now better left wrinkled if just a little stained and tattered. They show more signs of love and memories this way.

This is why we love the look of vintage linen. It is classic in style and gets better with age. No one does this look better than our newly-discovered company from Meulebeke, Belgium who use ecologically friendly practices to weave natural flax into superior-quality table linens. We currently stock their tableclothes, napkins and dishtowels - and plan for more to come!

That is why tomorrow's Wednesday Madness is all about table linens! All table linens in the store are 20% off! Thanksgiving will be here before we know it so stock up early, and be ready to impress your guests this year!

Don't forget Thursday night we will have a table-setting event with an expert in table-top design at our fall event from 4pm-7pm. You don't want to miss it!

Fall Festival This Thursday!

Blabla clothes!

For those of you with children to buy for, we have a big announcement. Blabla dolls now have changeable clothes and accessories. The blabla dolls have been hugely popular for years with their soft, knit construction and adorable animal and human characteristics. Where before the dolls had their clothes knit right on, there is now another option - dolls in their bloomers with removable cotton and knit dresses, shorts, sweaters, boots and hats to change in and out of! These make perfect gifts - also a great donation for our toy drive going on now at The Willows!

We absolutely loved Brooke's post on her Velvet and Linen blog today talking about what to do with all those empty bookshelves and built-in cabinets in your home!

We decided to use her advice, but with items from The Willows!

First, fill your bookshelves with books! Not a novel concept there we know, but the key is what type of books you choose!

We just received amazing old books tied together with twine that make a beautiful display when lumped in groups.Also, if you have an old encylopedia collection or some old children's books, you can also wrap an old leather belt around them to make a great display or find a neat korbel or other object for a fun bookend! If you have some old books, but they've seen better days - just wrap the covers in burlap, linen or old paper to get a great monochromatic look on your shelves.
Put the books on the shelf first, then work in your display pieces - Brooke's tips are to keep the color palatte simple, add some sparkle, and relax! These items can always be changed up and moved around - in fact, that's what makes it fun!

We love changing our displays seasonally and whenever something new and amazing catches our eye.

What will you come up with? Send us your bookshelf pictures and we'll post them on the blog!

First Day of Fall

It is officially the first day of Fall today, and as summer comes to a close, our thoughts wander to family, holidays and the comforts of home. This is the time to begin sprucing and decorating our homes in anticipation of the many guests who will be visiting soon. We at The Willows know that this has been a long year and want you to know how much we value you as clients and, more importantly, as friends.

For this Wednesday Madness - buy any pillow or pillow insert 20% off in the store. This includes Euros, shams, pillowcases and all decorative pillows. Pillows are the perfect way to refresh a room for the holidays!