2011 Design House Review

It's hard to believe 2011 is closing in on us.  We can't believe that in 12 short months, we've held our biggest annual sale {Groundhog Sale} in February, organized and held the Lucketts Spring Market on our property  since the community center was closed this year, and held 10 awesome Design House Events, each showcasing great new furniture and items from some of our newest sources!

Here are some Design House pictures to remind us how far we've come in the past year... 

Industrial design is still a hot trend.  Throughout the year, Suzanne & Amy used lots of metal in the Design House, everything from metal bins {great for storage}, oversize clocks, locker cabinets, and awesome industrial light fixtures.

Lighting came in all shapes any styles this year, from the industrial style in the earlier pictures, to chandeliers dripping with crystals in the spring and summer to natural burlap textures in the fall, and shiny blues for the holidays.

For the holidays, Amy & Suzanne used teal to add a punch of color.  Owls were popular accessories this year and our white and gold "room" on the porch made quite a statement in December.

Other trends featured in the Design House this year, included yellow with charcoal grey, decorating with shades of light blue & tans, equestrian style, and the comeback of the starburst mirror.

 

 

 

New shipments of cabinets, beds, tables, chairs, and accessories, kept the rooms of the Design House fresh and everyone wondering what new looks were in the next room.

 

Thanks for taking a look at some of the Lucketts Store Design House looks of 2011. There are a few more pictures posted on our website, and of course, we have several folders on our Facebook pages {here} and {here} for you to look through.  Thank you for supporting the 2011 Design House!

There is a great post on trends {here} if you're interested in what was hot in 2011 and what some style-makers feel is here to stay for 2012.

2011 Christmas holiday hours

Our holiday hours are:

• Christmas Eve 10am-3pm. 
• Christmas Day we are CLOSED. 
• We will reopen on Monday, December 26th at 10am.
• All other days are 10am-5pm.

Thank you for shopping with us this year!

Season's Greetings Everyone!

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Last minute recipe - peppermint bark

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Peppermint Bark Recipe

Ingredients
16 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
12 ounces high quality white chocolate, chopped
6 candy canes, coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Instructions
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Melt bittersweet chocolate in double boiler until it is melted and smooth. Stir in peppermint extract. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture onto cookie sheet. Using a spatula, spread the chocolate so that it is about 1/4 inch thick. Chill for about 15 minutes or until it is set.

Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler until it is melted and smooth. Cool until it is barely lukewarm (about 5 minutes). Pour the white chocolate onto the cooled bittersweet chocolate, using a spatula to spread out the chocolate to cover the first layer evenly.

Immediately sprinkle top layer with crushed candy canes. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and then chill just until firm, about 20 minutes. It can be broken apart or cut into rectangles. Store in an airtight container in a cool place or freeze. Allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

You can pack the bark in glass jars that are decorated with red ribbon and candy canes for a sweet touch.

The same website has instructions for making a Candy Cane Sugar Scrub as well, so stop by the Crunchy Chicken blog for that recipe!

I've picked up the ingredients and I'm makin' this one today!

Through the lens...

In early December we had a local photographer out of Winchester,Virginia, G Richard Anderson, stop by and shoot some photos of our Design House.  We wanted to share a few pictures he took.  Enjoy!

You can find G Richard Anderson photography on Facebook {here}.  Please be sure to visit and "Like" his page.  He has a lot of interesting abstract closeup photos of unusual subjects like wood and rust that are simply gorgeous!  I've posted a few favorites below.

"Embers"

"Aquarium"

"Green Eye Shadow"

"Untitled"

"The Climb"

*All photos property of G Richard Anderson photography.

What the...What? (#8)

We have a special phrase around the store when we find things in our travels that are particularly unusual, odd, confusing, or sometimes hideous.  When we come across one of these items, we like to use one of our favorite Lucketts-isms, "What the... What?"  Here is one of those items from the store.

See if you can guess what this is and leave us a comment if you think you know!  We'll reveal the item's true identity and purpose later this week.

Can you identify this item from The Old Lucketts Store and tell us what it was once used for?  We're not so sure ourselves!  The mystery item is about 1 foot high or long.  We're not even sure how to display it. 

 

What the... What?

Leave a comment if you know!

 

Displaying vintage ornaments

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Aside from decorating an entire Christmas tree with vintage ornaments, there are several other ways you can display your pretties.

Maybe you don't have enough ornaments to fill and entire tree.  Maybe your vintage ornaments don't really mix well with your pipe cleaner and candy cane reindeer ornaments.

If you don't have enough ornaments to fill a beautiful tree like the one at the left, scroll down to see some pretty pictures and clever ideas for displaying your vintage ornament collection.

Also please read through the bottom of this post, I put a message from the shop --- lots of Christmas and holiday decor at great prices, so stop on by this week!

 

Vintage ornaments can  be really beautiful when displayed in a decorative bowl.  This glass bowl allows all of the color and textures to peek out.  Pretty!

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If you only have a few ornaments, you can group them by color and make small vignettes like the one shown here in pink.

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Making a vintage ornament wreath one day is on a lot of bucket lists.  Warning, if you're going to attempt this, you'll need A LOT of ornaments in A LOT of different sizes.  We love these at the shop and will make them from time to time, but it can get very time consuming and pricey.  You may want to mix vintage with newer ornaments to save money.  Either way, the result is well worth it!

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Another good idea if you just have a few special ornaments.  You can display each on a candlestick and show off both collections.

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 If you have an antique drying rack, why not bring it out for the holidays to display your vintage ornament collection?  You could probably easily make a similar rack with some dowels and scrap wood.

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 I personally like the minimalist approach.  Just open up the box and display all of the beauties in their original box on a side table. That way you can pick them up, inspect them, admire their colors, shapes, and variety.

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***********CHECK YOUR LIST TWICE!***********

Looking for a last minute gift?  Need a stocking stuffer?  Want to get a jump on holiday decorating for next year?

There are tons of holiday items marked down throughout The Old Lucketts Store.  The amounts vary by dealer and are up to 50% off.  We also have individual holiday merchandise markdowns throughout the store.

Yes, we still gave decorations, gifts, soap, candles, and ornaments for the holidays!  Stop by this week!

Where it went

A while ago, we posted a few stories here, here, and here talking about where our items end up when they leave the shop.  Here are a few more recent stories and the new homes they went to.

This oversize dough bowl will be filled with holiday greenery and ornaments on a dinner table in Frederick, Maryland for the holidays.

Pete scored it big when he found a huge lot of vintage olive baskets last week.  A few customers will be taking them home to store birch wood or kindling by the fireplace, and one lucky gardener will receive a few for Christmas to use around the house when he's weeding and working in the garden.

This GIANT table has some very neat carved details on its sides.  One very cool mom purchased this table for her daughter's playroom downstairs.  Up against the wall of chalk paint, this table is going to be the homework, crafts, and art table for two very lucky little girls.

One of my favorite stuffed animals at The Design House this year!  This huge black bear is a holiday gift for a couple who owns a cabin in the woods.  He'll be right at home!

Terri saw a picture of Diana's buffet on our weekly Fresh Off the Wagon feature and had to have it!  She called, then stopped by the store and picked it up that day.

Terri shared a picture of her buffet in its new home on our Facebook business page. 

We love to see the "after" pictures.  So if you have a piece you purchased from the shop or The Design House, please drop us an email or send us a message on Facebook and we'll be sure to share with everyone!

Have a wonderful week!

Fresh Off the Wagon This Week

Lots of great new items fell Fresh Off the Wagon this week.  Here is a sneak peek of some of the new items that just arrived for the weekend.  More pictures are on our website {click here}.

When you're in the shop, you'll also notice many of our dealers have marked down Christmas items.  Deals vary by dealer and some have marked items down as much as 50%, so be sure to look out for holiday deals when you're in the shop this weekend.

Midcentury sideboard or dresser  *  approx 18"d x 30"h x 66"l  *  $298  *  LIS

Custom love seat  *  approx.  4 feet long  *  $585 sale  *  CHD
Decorator pillows  *  $42ea.  *  CHD

White fluted column (2 avail.)  *  70" high  *  $188 firm  *  RMB

1905 beveled glass  window  *  24" x 76 1/2"  *   $780 firm  *  RMB

Antique pine cabinet  *  approx.  46"w x 51"h x 21 1/2"d  *  $595  *  TWH

Great looking trunk  *  $98 firm  *  DLW

Two piece pine hutch  *  $298 sale  *  approx.  45"w x 77"h x 18"d  *  HAR

Carved angel  *  approx. 17"h  *  $98 firm  *  VV