sweet, sweet bedding

If there is one thing I am really passionate about when it comes to decorating, it just might be bedding. Believe it or not, one of the very first things I ever sewed was a duvet. Brian and I were first married and he helped hold the sides so I could sew straight lines... kind of funny to think back to that. I have clearly passed on that love of bedding to all my kids. When we all go to the beach together, they joke about emptying out their suitcases and stealing away all the bedding from the room. Its one of those little things that makes their stay all the more amazing.

I feel like we should have that feeling all the time, however. After working hard all day, what could feel better than a nice shower and crawling into an amazing bed. I think we all deserve that. After all, think of the amount of time in life you spend in your bed.

You know when your favorite sheets are on your bed its like that breadth of fresh air in the room. They are pretty and they feel so wonderful. And if you're anything like me, you have that one sheet still in rotation, the one that crinkles when you crawl into bed and all you can think is "ugh... I have to sleep on this tonight..." I think its time to throw that sheet into the sewing pile and treat yourself right.

When someone comes to the store looking for new bedding my heart almost skips a beat. I jump at the opportunity to show them all the amazing different textiles and simply love helping people come up with the perfect bed for them. It makes me so very happy. To start with Bella Notte or Matteo (Have I gone on enough about Matteo yet? There is a reason all the top designers use only this... it is a.ma.zing. Trust me. Come see for yourself.), then add a couple fun pillows and you're done. I get giddy even just thinking about it. Come on, couldn't you just crawl right into this bed...

A little peek into my own bedroom...

And, yet I am already a little jealous of that bed at the store...

Call us or come visit the Willows for more information on all the amazing bedding we carry!

new wrap

We've been playing around with new wrapping ideas for all our gifts at the Willows. I am really loving corrugated cardboard right now... plus a little twill tape and a smidge of burlap and I am oh, so very happy. what do you think?

Rosanne, who won our Sea Bags' wine bag, sent us the sweetest little note about how much she loved the new wrap that came all tied up around her prize...

She loved it so much, she just had to keep it around...

Don't forget about our t-shirt giveaway! You know you would love to have this cozy shirt as your very own! (For those interested in ordering their own shirt, please call the store for details! (602)334-1345).

Anyone who wants to join our email list, please feel free to email the store at willowsdesign@gmail.com, we would love to add you!

And for any of you lovely folks who are plugged into all things social media, become a follower of the Willows on facebook, too! We would love you a little extra if you did... :)

Oh, and we're even on twitter... in case you were interested!

t-shirt giveaway!

So, we have these fabulous burnout shirts in the store that read, "girls just want to have wine" and they are literally flying off the shelves. We had to reorder them, they went so fast. And now that they are back by popular demand, we thought we would offer one up to one of our lucky readers! This is the perfect beach shirt, the perfect shirt to layer with your favorite Michael Stars, the very best shirt to cozy up in on your couch, perfect to throw in your bag when you go to the movies and they crank up the a.c. and you wonder why you are freezing in Phoenix in the middle of the summer, perfect to wear right on into fall and throw on during the holidays when you are up late wrapping presents... basically, its just generally perfect. And our customers seem to think so to, as we can't seem to keep them in stock for long.

All you have to do to be entered to win this No. 1 shirt is leave a comment on this post. That's it? Yup, that easy. And, just for fun (only if you are feeling like it), tell us what it would read if you had to fill-in-the-blank, "girls just want to have..." Cross your fingers and we will announce the winner next Monday afternoon! (Please post your comment before Saturday, July 3 to be entered!). Good luck!

If you can't wait to see if you win and absolutely must have this shirt before they are gone again, come to the Willows and buy yours today!

And, as a side note, have you noticed all the chunky vintage jewelry that is being worn (and reproduced) everywhere lately? Well, we noticed and we absolutely love it, so we thought we needed to bring in a few vintage pieces of our very own. We only have a handful and when their gone, their gone, so hurry in! Any one of these lovelies would look amazing with our "girls just want to have wine" shirt, don't you think? Which one is your favorite?

Don't forget to tell all your friends about our fun little summer giveaway!

oh, what a sale!

Wow. Our store was practically cleaned out over the weekend. All our shoppers went home with bundles of amazing little (and big!) prizes and amazing pieces for their homes. From bedding to apparel; big, stunning pieces to little accent pieces, everyone seemed to find just what they were looking for (and, at quite the price, I might add...). We even had to say goodbye to some of our very favorite pieces in the store, but we were happy to see them off to wonderful new homes. A few of the steals you may wish you hadn't missed...

like these chairs...

or this couch...

or this hutch...

or this buffet...

I apologize to anyone who didn't know of the sale earlier. Sometimes when I get into blogland, I don't remember every store detail... whoops on my part! If you want to be the first to know about anything and everything going on with the Willows, the best thing to do is get on our email list. (You can email or call the store, or even just add your email here and we will add you to our list). I promise I will try to be more on top of always mentioning things like this in the future, but just in case, our email list might be the way to go, as Jen never forgets to keep our email readers completely in the know.

And, don't forget, if you see something in our store that you must absolutely have as your very own, but you aren't local... just give us a call! We can ship anything and we would love to help you in any way we can!

If you made it in this week, I hope you are enjoying your goodies and we certainly missed you if you didn't make it!

Is anyone still reading way down here? For those of you who are, what do you think about another giveaway? Perhaps just a little one this time to squeeze it in before the 4th of July? Sound good? Oh, good, I am so glad you agree... Check back in tomorrow afternoon and see what cute little prize we have in store!

don't forget...

...about the Willows huge sale going on right now.

Who needs friday madness today, when the whole store is still 25% off!

But only for only 2 more days!

Our entire store sale ends tomorrow, Saturday, June 26th, so be sure to come in and see us and take advantage of this fantastic, one-time sale.

Absolutely everything in the store is on sale right now, even all apparel! So, if you have been eyeing a little something to add to your summer wardrobe... come in and see us!

Perhaps, you have really just been dreaming of my favorite sofa and longing to lounge indoors on it through the hot, hot summer. Well, today would be your day to come in...

So, grab an iced coffee and a little treat and come shop with us this morning!

a little something to read at the beach...

Or by the pool.

Or with your morning coffee.

Or cozied up on your couch.

Or in bed before dozing off.

Or... well, anywhere you are, really.

Jeanne d'Arc Living is fantastic reading and gorgeous pictures to enjoy this summer and inspire you in so many ways. You could literally flip through these pages over and over and over again. They are perfectly lovely in every way possible with ideas for your home, garden and even recipes for your kitchen. Pick one up and see for yourself. Personally, I cannot get enough. And, with peonies on the cover, how can you resist?

Oh, and did I mention we sell it at the Willows?

happy.

Sometimes its the little things that can just make your day.

Like finally (!) finding a typewriter that actually types (even if it took me some serious time and lots of ink on my hands). Then making something (with said typewriter) that turns out exactly like you imagined, so that every time you pull your little homemade envelope out of your wallet, it makes you smile.

Somedays I need to just focus on the little happy things, so that the big, overwhelming things in life don't seem quite so big and quite so overwhelming.

And, come on, doesn't zigzag stitching on paper make you happy in that simplest of ways?

kind of like disneyland for grown-ups...

At least, that's how I feel about going to the flea market. Walking up to the front gates, I just can't help but get that giddy, excited feeling. All the bright colors and the crowds of people (there were even guys riding unicycles out front this time). Wondering what I'll see, what I'll find, what I'll go home with. If going to the flea market could be an addiction, I would have it. I just can't get enough.

This dog in the jacket just made me giggle...

Another happy and successful day...

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a fantastic Father's Day!

Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe

Maddy showed up at The Willows this morning with a lovely surprise of a blueberry coffee cake she had "just whipped up" before work for our customers. Isn't she a wonderful 17 year old?! She used a recipe from our cookbook "The Ramos House Cafe". We picked these cookbooks up in San Juan, California from the actual Ramos House Cafe which was built in 1881. It has an amazing history, and even more amazing food. The nicest luxury is you can take these wonderful recipes home with you!

Stop in today to try Maddy's wonderful coffee cake, and bake some for family and friends this weekend! Enjoy!