December Edition

Is it Christmas yet? It is at Nest Feathers! We have lots of lovely vintage and antique things for your home, as well as beautiful handmade ornaments and gifts. We also offer some unique services. Did you know that you can have anything paintable, no matter where you bought it, personalized? Dawn-Marie used to be a sign painter, so she'll gladly hand letter a name monogram or phrase on just about anything. Need something special made? Ask!!! Many of our artists accept commissions, and there is still time, if you order early in December, to get most things done. Dawn-Marie also does gift certificates for painted furniture and custom decorating services, like those featured on theartofthehome.blogspot.com.

We will be open the first three Thursday weekends in December. Our hours are Thursday and Friday, 10-5 and Saturday 9-4. We will also be open Sunday, December 6th from 2-7, for the downtown tree lighting festivities. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be visiting with kids (of all ages) in some of the local establishments, and many of these will have fun activities or photo ops for your family.

If you are coming from a distance, you might want to make a day of it, and pick up fliers here for other antique and unique shops in Henderson, Carver, Chaska, Jordan and Shakopee. Remember, you can grab coffee and lunch four doors down at Duets, or further down the street at Annie's Cafe, and you are welcome to bring it with you and come browse or hang out.

As always, we will have something yummy for you to sample, with the recipe available, if you like. We will also have fun make-&-take projects for you to try at little or no cost. Because we will be offering free gift wrapping, we won't do any bigger classes on Saturdays in December, but check back in January. Chip China Mosaic and Living the Artists Way have both been requested, and as soon as we wrap up our final December sale, we will decide when to schedule these.

We hope to see you here, but if you can't make it out, know that we wish you the brightest, merriest, Holiday season!

This Just In!!! 30% OFF Lisa Spencer!

My loss is everyone else's gain. My dear friend, artist Lisa Spencer has just called to tell me her great news: her home in Tonka Bay has sold, and closes January 14th. She'll be moving to Palm Springs, and she's not taking all this stuff with her. While I adjust to the idea of letting a friend travel on and away, you can snap up some gorgeous art at crazy low prices.

Lisa is not only the creator of enchanted pumpkin fairy houses, as featured last month, she is also the artist behind the watercolors and oils you have been admiring on our walls. All originals, prints, fairy houses and fairy gardens are on sale at 30% off. Not only will you be getting someone the perfect gift at an unbeatable price, you will be joining us in celebrating Lisa's new adventure!

November Edition...starts Thursday!

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? If not, check in here. We can't help you with the Turkey, but we can help you serve it all up in style! In the mix of cool vintage stuff, we have two sets of china, a solid wood bread board, and a whole collection of hand-wrought aluminum serving pieces (okay, not quite a whole selection, as our vendors keep buying pieces almost as fast as Sherry can unpack them).

Tom Meger, our local jeweler brought over the sample place settings of china from the days he sold Mikasa, and I turned each into tiered serving trays for appetizers or sweets. We just might have one that matches your pattern! We also have new arrivals from Marci Halfmann and Melody Villars, if you want to do some early Christmas shopping.

Unlike other retailers, we won't bombard you with Christmas this week. Let's savor Thanksgiving, and enjoy each season to the fullest. Not that we won't have a little bit. We'll give you a sneak peek at what's to come for our THREE December weekends, and our Make & Take project this month is Christmas Cards. I thought you might like to try a few here, and then while everyone else hits the mega sales on Black Friday, you can sit at your kitchen table with a few girlfriends and teach them how to make them. No charge for this one!

I'm not sure what recipe we'll be sampling this month, but it's bound to be yummy, as I'm putting in a call to Mom, the professional chef, first thing in the morning. I'm stumped for ideas for something that can be served at room temperature, isn't a cookie (we're bound to have lots of those in December), isn't cheese or cornbread, doesn't take a ton of effort or weird ingredients, and isn't something everyone makes. I'm counting on her to have an appetizer recipe that can be thrown together well in advance, so you can pull it out to keep the vultures from circling the stove while you are trying to time the lump-free gravy and mashed potatoes to arrive on the table piping hot. It'll probably even be good for you. She's that talented!

Our Saturday demo is also a freebie. Are we some fun or what? At 11 a.m., we'll show you how to create holiday tablescapes. Do you want to add charm to your buffet, using pieces you already own, or recreate those amazing, unusual centerpiece arrangements of collectibles you've seen in magazines? I used to work in the event industry, and learned the ropes from some of the best. I'll give you designer secrets for turning your vintage treasures, maybe even the ones you find here, into displays that will enchant your guests and set the perfect holiday mood.

We're open 10-5 Thursday Nov. 19th, 10-9 Friday Nov. 20th, and 9-4 on Saturday the 21st. You'll find us at 128 Main Street W. in Belle Plaine, 30 minutes south of 494 on Hwy 169. Take the Main Street exit, turning left onto Main, come through the second stop sign at Meridian, and then watch for us on the right, at the end of the row of commercial buildings.

Also in Belle Plaine this weekend: Belle Plaine Holiday Boutique is half a block from us. It takes place on Friday from 5pm until 9pm, and Saturday from 9 until 5. All your favorite home-based businesses, the ones you usually have to attend parties to purchase from, will be there: Shaklee, Partylite, Pampered Chef, etc., as well as some independents. We'll stay open late on Friday, to make it easy for shoppers to attend both.

Mystic Journey is open on Saturday. Jim's Apple Barn, on the way here is advertising apple smoked turkeys and hams, and as usual great pies. Remember, too that you are welcome to stop at Duets coffee shop, just a few doors down and grab a cup of something warm and wonderful on your way here. We invite you to bring it in and enjoy while you hang out and visit.

Saturday Afternoons

Sherry is on her way over to help set this month's sale, so we'll have all the updated info posted on here by the end of the day tomorrow. For now, check out our youngest artist at Nest Feathers.

Jensen comes for private art lessons on alternate Saturdays. We sample all different kinds of art, with a focus on things she might not do at school, or at home with Mom. When I teach older students, we work on learning to see, often using Betty Edwards text, drawing on the right side of the brain. It's a little looser with Jensen, since she's six, and her attention span isn't quite that long. Still, we try working from pictures or looking at real life things, to notice size, color, texture, and shape.

This is her polymer clay sculpture of McKinley, my best friend, an Alaskan Malemute. I think she did an amazing job of capturing the pose, and the details of the face. She also learned some claying techniques, like using a foil armature, instead of solid clay for more even baking. She's still working on remembering that word, but she's got the technique down pat.

Today we gave realism a rest and painted with Peebeo ceramic paints on tiles. We mixed dozens of colors, and created quite a few tiles that will make fine coasters. Perhaps those will post on here one day. Jensen doesn't yet sell her work, but we'll keep you posted when she makes the transition from showing to selling. Check back here tomorrow for details on this month's sale!