Mirror, mirror on the wall...

One of our vendors is having a mirror sale, and we thought you might like to know! The mirrors are whimsical and fun - perfect for a child's room or first apartment! And at these discounts, you'll actually be able to look yourself in the mirror the next day (did you get my mirror joke there?).

Cloud Mirror (other finishes available)
40"x53"

Originally: $509

Now: $405

Star Mirror (other finishes available)

32"x45"

Originally: $597 Now: $479

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Black Friday

We don't know about you, but we're stuffed! We rolled, literally rolled, out of bed this morning, put on our "big girl" jeans and made it to the store to work off some of those extra pounds. We are happy to see a lot of you avoided the mall chaos today and decided to do some relaxing boutique shopping instead. Our holiday stuff just keeps going so come quick!

We thought it might be fun to share some of our favorite holiday recipes with all of you to try for Christmas. We will be posting various recipes to try in the coming weeks. This amazing dessert was one of the culprits of yesterday's food coma. Bev even enjoys sneaking a piece of this to bed for a midnight snack!

Rum Cake:

Ingredients:

1 box yellow or butter pecan cake mix

1 box 3 1/2 oz instant vanilla pudding

(Note: if using cake mix with pudding already in the mix, omit instant pudding, use 3 eggs instead of 4, 1/2 cup oil instead of 1/2 cup oil.)

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup dark rum

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients (except pecans). Beat for 2-3 minutes. Place chopped pecans in bottom of a well greased and floured Bundt Pan. Pour batter over nuts, bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sauce:

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup rum

Boil above ingredients together for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour cooked mixture over cake when cake has cooled for 5 minutes, while cake still in the Bundt pan. Let stand for 1 hour. Turn over on cake plate.

Enjoy!!

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Family, Friends and a Feast...

Thanksgiving Celebration. The food? Wonderful. The table arrangements? Fabulous. My favorite part? Everyone who gathers around that very special table. I love to listen to their stories. I like to think of all of the Thanksgiving Dinners each person has been a part of since they were young.


Collectively when each of us sits down for the big dinner we bring our own traditions and memories with us.



I think of how many folks are no longer with us and the love and camaraderie we have shared with so many friends, family and neighbors over the decades. Time moves quickly and it brings tears of joy and a bittersweet note to my memories of this special day of sharing, breaking of bread and just being. I was blessed to be able to have a dinner made by my Mother, she loves to get up early and make the stuffing and cook the Turkey. My darling sister hosted this years celebration. It was lovely, of course. We set the table, cut a few boughs of Magnolia Leaves, such a glossy green with that fabulous copper underside, we then mixed in a sprigs of variegated euyonomous and added a bit of ribbon for color and for good measure added a few antique Czech birds. We had the pleasure of a sunny almost 70 degree day and some wonderful moments hanging out on the sun-drenched veranda. Lovely. I hope your day was as beautiful.

PS:Prayers to dear Niki who passed away today, she is my brother-in-laws mother and grandmother to my nephews, Geoff and Zachary. We received the news at supper. Warren was surrounded by a table of family and friends who love him. Life is a circle.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends! We hope tomorrow finds you all in the company of those you love the most. We hope your feasts are bountiful, your hearts are warm and your homes are bustling. Most of all, we hope you look past all that has yet to be accomplished and just be thankful for all that you have.

We at The Willows are thankful for all of you - our loyal customers for so many years. Thank you and have a safe and happy holiday!

Stop by Friday (we open at 11am!) for our Holiday Sale!! 20% off Holiday and 60% off Fall!

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Feel like a hobo?

Hobo bags are amazing - we couldn't live without their wallets with 5 million compartments and their clutches that hold more than just a lipgloss. However, have you checked out their amazing purses? Order yours now for the holidays! Need a travel tote, a going-to-holiday-parties clutch, or even a throw-everything-in-it-and-go bag? They have them, and they have them with style!

Come see what we have in store, and if we don't have it, we'll happily order it for you in time for Christmas! Even Santa doesn't work that fast!

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Serving 100

If you are planning on having lots of family over for Thanksgiving like we are, you will want to replenish your serving pieces. Why not make your table beautiful with Vietri's Incanto collection filled with stripes, olive leaves, lace and baroque? All pieces are hand-crafted Italian pieces that are dishwasher and microwave safe*. Best of all, this white collection looks fabulous mixed with any existing colors you may have lying around in your cupboards. Why not make the presentation of your meal just as memorable as the meal itself? Maybe this way they won't hold it against you if you overcook the turkey.

*careful loading and energy cycle recommended for dishwasher. Dishware may be hot when taken out of microwave.

Why not even go out on a limb and spruce up that guest bathroom of yours? Your loved ones will thank you! Preview Vietri's exquisite bathrooom Incanto pieces.

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Just something cute...

I was at Lisa's house a couple of weeks ago, and was trying to take a picture of her little angel Zoe. I accidently took a little video instead, and it was just so cute I had to share it with all of you. Enjoy - I hope it brightens up your morning!

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I think of you whenever you're not around

Well we can't keep track of what day it is because our doors were open this past Sunday for the first annual Indian School block party! We had a lot of fun, and it was great meeting a lot of new locals who were not familiar with our store! It was fun as always to have our friends from Olive Annie and Raph to hang out with us outside on a beautiful day!

Just because we love Olive Annie so, it is important that we mention they are staying open late tonight (till 8pm) just because! They will have a palm reader there which should be lots of fun! We will be there, and we hope to see you too!

On a side note, Happy Birthday to our web designer Tiff! Another year older, smarter and more beautiful inside and out.

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Thanksgiving Traditions ...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It is filled with camaraderie, beautiful table settings and the some of the most lovingly prepared food of the year. I have always loved the annual ritual of catching up with friends and family.

When I was a girl, my Mother hosted legendary Thanksgiving dinners. Relatives from both sides of the family regularly attended. The list of guests always included great grandmothers, ancient aunts, grandparents, uncles, cousins, babies and friends as well as assorted orphans who had nowhere else to go. A truly memorable and predictable scene was an elderly Uncle who showed up with a pie carrier, which he designed and built himself. His tradition was to spend the several days before Thanksgiving making pies. Oh, they were yummy. Ahhh, I sigh when I remember the feeling of goodness associated with this magic day.

When I became an adult I continued the Thanksgiving tradition. For years my husband and I hosted dinners of up to 50 people. It was fun, fun , fun. I know it sounds like a set up for everything to go wrong and be a disaster, but it never was, it was always a four day, joyful, weekend adventure. We relived this tradition for over a decade at our farm in Malibu, California. We usually had our dinner at tables set up under a 500-year-old oak tree that shaded the back patio. The day was always golden. Lovely sunshine with a few puffy clouds and the sound of chickens clucking in the distance mixed with laughter and the clinking of wine glasses.
Yes, Thanksgiving perfection.

Last year I had an even dozen at the table, it was indoors, lovely and fun. Maine does not offer the outdoor dining experience as late into the year as Malibu. This year my sister in North Carolina is hosting the big celebration. I believe there will be a dozen folks, all coming together for shared laughter, storytelling and an amazing meal.

Since I am a guest this year I started thinking about bringing a side dish that is elegant and does not require oven space. The kitchen activity is always at a breakneck pace for the last 20 minutes before the meal is served. With this in mind I have decided I will bring a fresh, organic and interesting salad. I will take it out of the fridge 1 hour before the meal to bring it up to room temperature and add the dressing just before it is ready to be served.
I am a fan of simple greens such as Arugula, Baby Romaine or even an Herb Salad mix. I will toss in some almonds, a bit of dried blueberries, some sliced mushrooms, and some homemade croutons. Later when I dress the salad I will use a light homemade vinaigrette composed of olive oil, herb vinegar, (my special stash) some fresh cut basil and a bit of fresh parsley, some pepper with a generous amount of ground garlic. This dressing is simple, fresh and a perfect addition to all of the other traditional dishes.


Enjoy this special holiday and take a moment to remember what you are thankful for. At our family table we always have each person stand up and share with the group what they are thankful for during this past year. It is a wonderful tradition. Bon Appetite.

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Open House and Playhouse

Thank you to all of our friends who came to our holiday open house last night - it was such a success! We are glad so many of you could take a little of The Willows home with you! We had so much fun decorating the store for our open house, and we're so happy it was well received. It's amazing, isn't it, what a small thing like an ornament or a holly candle can do to lift the spirit. There is something about twinkling lights on a tree, the background Christmas music, and lots of greens, reds and whites that just put smiles on our faces.

For those of you with little ones, Raph infant & child at 4747 E Thomas Suites A&B Phoenix 85008 is having their holiday open house this Saturday the 15th from 10am-9pm. Happyjack Photography will be there as well - set up your Christmas photos early this year so you're not running around Mid-december looking for matching outfits for the kids to wear when everything is sold out! Call Raph at 602-956-3077 for more details!

Last Saturday, we felt the spirit of giving when we joined other volunteers and sponsors for an amazing project for The Foundation for Blind Children. Read on to see what we accomplished.

What can you do with 200 friends?

Build a village...

This past Saturday The Willows joined several other groups and organizations who volunteered their time and money to build playhouses for the Foundation for Blind Children.

Here is our house!

Starting out the day.

We had so much fun choosing colors, fabrics, and even musical instruments that were most appealing to the children! Did you know that children who are classified as blind can tell the distinction between black, white, yellow and red the best? Did they say black and white? How fitting for The Willows!
The Willows worked diligently until it was so dark we couldn't see - hours after everyone else had already left. Bev even came back and worked Sunday to make sure all the details were in place.

What do you think of the details?

Go to http://www.seeitourway.org/getInvolved.html to find out how you can get involved with this amazing organization!

Happy Holidays!

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Open House!

The Willows will be having our annual holiday open house this Thursday the 13th all day. We will be staying open late until 8pm for this special occasion! If you haven't seen the store yet, you are in for a surprise! For those of you who have seen our Christmas wonderland, I'm sure you already have your wishlist ready!

20% off all holiday items on Thursday! So check what you have packed up in those closets and garages now so you can add to your already stunning collection!

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Kids need something to do?

We had the pleasure of meeting up with Kathy Hubbard of Hubbard Family Swim School this past week. She has an amazing swim school right off the 202 about 3 minutes from ASU! I will post her class swim hours below, but she is flexible! Just tell her what you need, and she'll work with you! Best of all, no payment due till January! Call her at 602-971-4044.

Classes start January 2009 - register now!

Tuesday 3:30 - 8:30pm

Wednesday 9am-1pm and 3:30-8:30pm

Thursday 9am-1pm and 3:30-7:30pm

Friday 3pm-8pm

Saturday 8am-noon

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Christmas on Tuesday!

This picture was so fitting for our transition from Halloween to Christmas. We will be closed Monday to set up the store! We're so excited! We'll see you Tuesday! We won't have any Father Christmas pumpkins, but we will have so many more amazing items for you to decorate your winter wonderland!

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