Creative Ways to Remember Your Vacation

Vacations are important, just ask Terri. She really needed to get away and just returned from a wonderful jaunt to Mexico where she saw sail fish, whales, dolphins, and turtles. She also visited a location boasting more than 400 species of birds! And she has the tan to prove it. Quite the trip, one she won’t soon forget.

But sometimes that’s just what happens, you forget. Real life hits you full force and the memories begin to fade. We thought of some great ways to help preserve some of the memories. Hope these ideas inspire you too!

•  Journaling each day documenting breakfast at cafes, stunning art at world-class museums, and foreign words mastered is great. Train tickets and postcards can be tucked inside the pages. Write down names of people and how you met, favorite shopping excursions, and quirky customs you observe while away.
•  Create a yearly calendar of your travel history as a gift to share with family and friends.
•  Small boxes or pottery purchased at your travel destination can become mini treasure chests filled with favorite keepsakes from your vacation.
•  Mount a menu or tear sheet from your favorite restaurant as art for your kitchen.
•  Use labels peeled from beer and wine bottles native to your destination to create a collage on canvas.
•  Old-fashioned scrapbooking is fun too. Creating a vacation album is a great way to bring other family members together. Have everyone design their own page and relive the moments.

And on a simpler note, the tried and true photograph inside a great frame is also a way to keep your vacation at the forefront of your memory. The Willows has a great selection of frames. Stop by!

The Artistry of Glass Beads

Once upon a time I was very crafty. Everything from decoupage to embroidery to the time Rhonda and I cut, measured and sewed four jean quilts for the cabin bunkhouse in a mere weekend. Those quilts are still on the bunkbeds and still look great!

Well, times have changed and so have schedules. Crafts do not make it onto my top 10 to do list any longer. But that momentarily changed when I was offered safety goggles and a blow torch. The crafter in me resurfaced.

During a three hour introductory bead making course at Bavin Glassworks in Invermere BC, my sisters and I donned our fashionable safety gear. We were instructed in the basics of glass bead making; how to wave the glass rod of our choice back and forth through the flame of the torch to begin the melting process. We learned how to catch the glass onto a madrel and how to twist the mandrel creating a circular bead. We also learned how to add different colors, even texture, using the same techniques and different colored glass.

Our finished beads didn't look half bad, and after stringing them along with some pretty silver spacers onto jewelry wire, they were worn with pride and gave us some pretty interesting dinner conversation. My love affair with jewelry continues. At The Willows we have an excellent selection of jewelry from Thomas Sabo and Troll Beads.

Many Troll Beads are glass beads and although manufactured on a much larger scale, the principles of glass bead making apply. Enjoy this video of a very skilled glass bead artist.

We encourage many of our jewelry clients to start a wish list in store. From there, anyone wanting to buy a gift for them can pick out exactly the right bead, and still make it a surprise. It is also a great way to build on a family keepsake.

This video shares a keepsake Troll Bead bracelet being created over the years. Enjoy!

Entrance Exam

Photo by Ryan Veldkamp

This is the front of The Willows Casual Home ~ our little shop in Calgary. We are always changing up what we put outside hoping to catch peoples' eye and inspire them to come in for a browse. When the seasons change, so do the items displayed outside.

The front entrance of a home is much the same. It sets the stage to welcome friends and family, says come in (or not) and speaks something about those behind the door.


It's also about welcoming yourself home. Does your door or entry way feel inviting after a long day or a trip away? If not, it's time to add some zest.

Here are a few easy ways to inject some personality to your front door, porch, gateway or walkway.

• Wreathes add color and can change with the seasons.
• Potted plants add life and color, and can be switched throughout the year.
• A fresh coat of paint on the front door is always a great idea. Try a bold, new color.
• New hardware or a mailbox also add personality to your doorway.
• Clean and tidy is always welcoming. Keep the walk swept and the papers off the steps.
• A chair or two invites people to sit down and stay awhile.
• Solar lights help brighten a walkway.

Here are some welcoming entry ways, walk ways and garden paths to inspire you.

Photo by sonjalovas

Love Is An Action

How do you define love?

We all often proclaim, I just ‘love’ my new shoes or that great new wall clock I picked up at The Willows! But true, deep profoundly passionate and tender affection for another… well, how often is that true?

Dictionary.com says love is:  

[luhv]

–noun

1.

a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

2.

a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

In 1942 on the shores of Dieppe, our grandfather, Richard Wallace, lived out the meaning of love. On August 19th his Regiment took part in Operation Jubilee, the Dieppe Raid. He was with his troops on the beaches of Dieppe. A brutal attack from the Germans left many dead, many more wounded and suffering. Grandpa Dick stayed on the beach to help his wounded comrades rather than leaving them to escape. He didn’t have to. No one asked him to. Only love compelled him to. His tender affection for the men he served with and his affection for doing the right thing ~ helping when it was so desperately needed ~ caused him to stay and tend the wounded.

In an article by Jacqueline Chartier is a statement about the photograph above. "A dominant image featured at the Calgary museum of the regiments is a touching, larger than life-size photo of Lieutenant Richard "Dick" Wallace rendering first aid on the beach. Wallace was with the Calgary Tanks on that fateful day in 1942. The Germans photographed him bent over tending to an injured comrade -- a soldier lying face down and helpless on the rocks."

For us, this is a picture of love in action. And this is our legacy of love.
To so many men and women who serve the cause of freedom,
in whatever capacity, we extend our gratitude.

You can read all of Jacqueline's article here.

Spring Fling

We Love Thomas Sabo ~ and that love has earned us top spot for another year in a row!

Katy Perry is the first ever ambassador for the brand and is coming on board 

just as Thomas Sabo is releasing their 2011 Spring POP Collection.

Notice some of the fun new charms

And Pendants

It's really hard to choose ~ so we help you build a wishlist. 

Anyone who stops in wanting to add to your bracelet can choose the charms that are still on your list!

Pop by soon!!