Happy Halloween!

The Willows want to wish all our friends a safe and happy Halloween filled with more treats than tricks!

Moms and Dads - print out the picture below, let your little ones color and paste these on their trick or treat bags! Have fun!

[Continue reading...]

An Apple a Day...

Apples and Autumn are two words that define a season. Whether you are picking your own apples in an orchard or buying them at a local farmstand or your grocery store, apples are always yummiest this time of year. I am a year round fan of apples and eat two a every day. They have the full spectrum of fiber and nutrition and I think they do contribute to overall good health. My personal favorites are Fuji Apples, they are sweet and juicy. For baking I like to use the orchard grown Macintosh, Braeburn and a variety of heirlooms.
There is nothing like a pot of peeled and cubed apples simmering on the stove, filling the air with a sweet aroma and steaming up the windows. I always throw in some cinnamon and a bit of grated nutmeg to give the apples a bit of spice, then I smash the heck out of them and am able to enjoy many days of homemade applesauce. It is the perfect side dish to a Pork Roast.

Apple Crisp is another favorite, easy to make and rarely are there any leftovers. Martha Stewart has a great recipe, I have modified it to make it dairy free.
Recipe…
Ingredients
Serves 8
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
* 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 8 tablespoons Margarine, cold, cut into small cubes
* 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
* 3 pounds apples, such as Empire, Gala, or Braeburn, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cut margarine into flour, using a pastry blender or two knives, until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Add oats, and use your hands to toss and squeeze mixture until large, moist clumps form. Transfer to freezer to chill while you prepare apples.
2. In another large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, cinnamon, and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Transfer to a shallow 2-quart, well-oiled baking dish, and sprinkle with topping mixture. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until golden and bubbling, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
This is a perfect dish after a long and beautiful day spent in your local apple orchard.

If you are on the go, consider an Apple fast food. You can keep them almost anywhere for easy crunchy access! Storing them is even easier. They ripen less quickly if you leave them in the crisper of your refrigerator. I make sure I have several on the counter that are the perfect ripeness and ready to grab as I walk out the door. I always bring a few Apples with me while traveling. When I am on a plane, they help hydrate my skin and keep me from snacking on junk food.

Top Ten Apple Facts...
1.The apple tree originated in an area between the Caspian and the Black Sea.
2.Apples were the favorite fruit of ancient Greeks and Romans.
3.Apples are a member of the rose family.
4.A medium apples is about 80 calories.
5.Apples are a great source of the fiber pectin. One apple has five grams of fiber.
6.The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
7.The science of apple growing is called pomology.
8.Newton Pippin apples were the first apples exported from America in 1768, some were sent to Benjamin Franklin in London.
9.The old saying, “ an apple a day, keeps the doctor away ”. This saying comes from am old English adage, “ To eat an apple before going to bed, will make the doctor beg his bread.”
10.In 2005 United States consumers ate an average of 46.1 pounds of fresh apples and processed apple products. That's a lot of applesauce!

If you have not added apples to your daily diet start today, you will be surprised at how different each variety tastes.

[Continue reading...]

HUGE SALE!

We feel like a cleanse. As the holidays draw closer, we find ourselves wanting to purge the old and make room for new! We have stuffed our sale room full of great merchandise all at 50% off!

[Continue reading...]

Old becomes New

Finally we have the first picture from Bev's craft room. This is an old chicken hatchery that she bought to make into a ribbon and supplies holder. Ingenius! Although we don't have any hatcheries in the store, come take a look at our "vintage" supply holders we just received! We have everything from glass holders for your paperclips and small supplies to spinning greeting card holders to display all your lovely Christmas cards!

[Continue reading...]

Save 20% this week!

Care card has started! Quit cat-napping and come by! If you don't have a care card, we still have more to sell! We have also marked down our Halloween items 30% off!

[Continue reading...]

Barstools on Sale!

One of our vendors is discontinuing these beautiful bar/counter stools available in 24" and 30" heights - save 20%! There are a lot of great finishes to choose from as well so stop in to place your order! Hurry though - quantities are very limited! Also, bring in your care card and we'll give you an additional 20% off!!!

Chair with arms is now $576! Originally $720

Chair without arms is now $549! Originally $687

Again bring in your care cards this week and save an additional 20%!!

[Continue reading...]

Willow at The Willows!

Bev brought her darling girl yorkie Willow to the store today. Willow had fun exploring the store!

[Continue reading...]

Bev's Relaxing Weekend

Well, it was time for me to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city this weekend. I decided to escape to my beach house for a little rest and relaxation.

The front of my cozy beach home! My son Alex hand-painted the wooden flag hanging from our gate door.

My hang-out room. The sofa is so amazing - I just curl up in it for hours to watch movies, read magazines and take naps. If it had a fridge, I might never get up!

Going upstairs....

My bedroom.

Up to the third floor....

And outside to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend. It was simply breath-taking!

I hope your weekend was as refreshing as mine!

[Continue reading...]

Too Much Basil? Time For Pesto...

This has been a fantastic year for Basil. It must have been a combination of heat and rain. Making Pesto is a yearly tradition, when I lived at the farm we would make a freezer full, now it is a bit more tame and manageable! This year making Pesto was a family affair. It was grown at my sisters house in Charlotte and Mother and I spent a quick hour cutting, cleaning, making and freezing about 5 cups worth of Pesto.
I will tell you that five cups is enough for lots of Minestrone, Grilled Fish and Pasta throughout the winter months. When I make Pasta for Pesto, I like to use Fussilli, it seems to hold the delicate flavors best. The big trick is to freeze the Pesto in small baggies pressed flat, which creates the perfect serving size for any dish serving 4 people.It also stacks well in freezer and is quick and easy to defrost. A little Pesto goes along way!

So here is my easy recipe.
* 4 cups fresh basil leaves (fill a measuring cup to full and press them down with your hand;add more and repeat until packed.)
* 1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese (grated)
* 1/2 cup pine nuts
* 6-8 garlic cloves, finely minced (or 1 tablespoon of prepared minced garlic)
* 1 tablespoon of lemon juice ( this prevents the pesto from turning brown when it is exposed to the air.)
* 1/2 cup Olive oil. It should be the "extra virgin" variety.

The Process:
Use a Food Chopper or Food Processor.
Toss the Garlic in, chop.
Toss the Pine Nuts in, chop.
Add The Basil, chop.
Throw in the Cheese, chop.
Now slowly add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil
until it is a smooth paste.
Makes about 2 cups of Pesto!
All done! Time to bag up and pop into the freezer.
You are now ready to enjoy the taste of summer all winter long.

[Continue reading...]

We Heart Vintage

There is something so charming about something vintage. Whether you know the history of the piece or not, it's always a neat feeling to make something work in your home that worked in someone else's home twenty, fifty or even one hundred years ago! We love watching how old and new pieces cohabitate in a space so beautifully.

[Continue reading...]

Photoshoot

We were lucky enough to be invited by Jaimee Rose to do a Christmas photoshoot for the Style section of AZ Republic. We will let you all know when that amazing picture debuts; however, we were able to snap a different shot of a beautiful Christmas basket that Lisa put together for us yesterday full of pine needle and glitter sprays. We are so ready for the holidays now!

[Continue reading...]

Images of Fall

"In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November."

- Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden

October

November

December

[Continue reading...]

Care Cards are Here!

Hi All!

Care Cards are here! Help raise money for the Ryan House and other community organizations! Care cards are only $50 each, and get you fabulous discounts from retailers like us! They will be valid October 17-26 for 20% off your purchases those 10 days. You can use them as many times as you like!

As an added bonus, we are going to give you 20% off your first in-store purchase if you come purchase a card BEFORE the 17th! Offer is only valid through the 16th on full-price merchandise. Not applicable with any other discounts. Just mention that you saw this blog!

Happy shopping!

[Continue reading...]

Color Your Home...

I love color, all color. Whether it is on a wall or a brightly colored accent in a neutral toned home.
The days are getting shorter and with winter around the corner those bright sunny autumn days will turn themselves over to cloudy, rainy and snowy.
The light is changing and reaching deeper into our homes. SO what are we to do? ADD COLOR. Simple solution. If you have time, money and ability, it would be a great time to think about turning up your color palette. How? Easy, you can paint a room or splash a beautiful shade of red or blue to 'happy up" your door. Pop on over to Sherwin Williams or log onto their site. I love there paints. The finishes are wonderful and color selections and saturation's could not be better. S.W. even has a new series of Enviro-friendly paints. MMMM love it. It is easy to get inspired on their site or in their store.
The second big tip is take a waltz through The Z Gallery, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn or even West Elm. I love to walk through all of these those stores. The layout and presentation is always top notch and the color palettes are cohesive and make sense.You can also browse online which is second to walking through there store environments.


So whether you have a big imagination, or not much of one you will find some good sparky color choices and come home with a feeling of "I can make it through the gloomy season by hunkering down in my home". Set a stage for entertaining your friends and family in style, now is the season.

[Continue reading...]

Come one, come all!

Tonight is the "Festivale de Octobre" at Palatte on 4th ave and Filmore.


The festivities start at 6pm with wine, beer and snacks. The Willows will be there selling pumpkins and other goodies along with our friends from Raph, Olive Annie, and more. Also come enjoy the performances by Matt Thornton and Brendon Catrell. It is a fun time to be had for sure! If you can't make it tonight, Palatte always hosts a wonderful event for First Friday. And of course, they always welcome you for brunch.

[Continue reading...]

Word Puzzle

We just got this huge piece of metal hand-painted artwork in. This picture is not cut off.

What do you think it says?

[Continue reading...]