The social event of the season was held on the grounds

of Things Made Wonderful this past weekend. 

Many were in attendance and all had a splendid time. 

Party goers (Young and old) 

If you are looking for a creative way to tie back your curtains, look no further.  Liz came up with this adorable idea using our tiny baskets, which come in several colors and sayings such as Faith, Live, Love, and Laugh.  She tucked in our small flower sprays and attached it to a homespun ribbon.  The piece of homespun wraps around your curtain to tie it back.  Viola…. Instant tie back.  

Baskets  $3.95 ea. Flowers  $2.50 ea.Homespun ribbon .30 cents ea.   
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Garden Party details 10% off store wide sale Sat 4/26 & Sun. 4/27 – Rain date will be the following weekend 

Stop on by for some great fun and fabulous ideas for celebrating Spring and outdoor entertaining!  The orders of Spring merchandise have been arriving daily and we still have one more big shopping trip to do next week.  I am so excited over all the wonderful, fun things to decorate and entertain with!  We can not wait to share them with you. We will have some great outdoor settings for you to visit!

§        See Tom & Pam of Natural Designs for some great advice on container gardening.  They are also authorized Unilock installers and will be setting up a sample patio for you to check out.  Give you any ideas for re-doing that patio?  Ask them about their fantastic outdoor kitchen islands.  I so want to get one of those for Bob.  He is a great cook and I can already taste the steak cooking!

§        Holly and Charlie from Thyme Farm will also be here offering samples of their scrumptious gourmet food line.  They specialize in herb, fruit & spice vinegars, barbeque sauce and “Charlie’s chili stuff.”  Holly brought by one of the dips for us to try and let me tell you, it was great.  We were all gathered around to try it and agreed we had to start carrying the line.   Abby was most found of it as she offered to lick the bowl (no, we did not let her.)

§        The staff has been busy dreaming up creative theme parties for you to visit during the weekend.  Each party will of course have its own sampling of food and ideas for decorating and entertaining.

§        We will have music and fun for everyone so mark your calendar and come party with your friends at TMW! 

TMW is going green…

Bob and I are very sorry to tell you that our dog Barkley passed away early Thursday morning.  It is still very hard to think about, much less write about, but so many of you knew Barkley, that I thought it best to let you know as soon as I could.  He went very peacefully in his sleep, which is all anyone can ask for. 

Many of you know how special our best friend Barkley was to us.  We have no children, so he and his three cats are the world to us.  Boy, this is harder than I even thought it would be. Barkley would have been 14 this June.   He of course was the smartest, most talented, handsome, loving, cuddly dog there ever was.  His favorite things were:

    Bob

    Going for rides

    Raspberries from his Aunty Liz

    Burgers from McDonalds with vanilla frozen yogurt for dessert

    Steak on the grill

    Holidays at Grammy’s house and visiting with all of our family members, especially our nieces and nephews.

    Having Grandma or Aunty Liz stay with him while Mom & Dad were on vacation.

    Going to Aunty Tra’s house to see all her animals.

    He loved coming to the old store to see his favorite customers and getting treats from all his buddies.  He had a special place in his heart/tummy for Pat J. who always saved him a piece of bacon from Sunday morning’s breakfast.

    He loved to tease Abby by turning up his nose at her choice of treats for him.  He loved you Abby, really, he did!

    Rolling in the grass

    Getting his furry belly rubbed

    Lying by the garden while I weeded.

    Swimming in the pool.

There were so many things that he loved.  He had great life, and I only hope it was enough to repay him for all the joy he brought to Bob and I. 

We have a void in our house now, hard to explain, I keep waiting to hear the jingling of his tags on his collar.   We have been asked if we will get another dog.  We both say no, but we will continue to raise money for the local shelters and charities that help the animals.  We have collected donations for the coffee we serve for the past few years.  100% of the proceeds go to the local shelters and Hands that heal.  We have always done this in Barkley’s name and will continue to do so.   

Thank you for all your kind words and for letting me get this out. They say it will get easier.  I did have a dream last night that Barkley was rolling in the grass and we were so excited to see him go belly up!  You see, he had not been able to do that for quite some time now due to his ailment.  I believe the dream was Barkley’s way of telling me that he is happy and that he is ok now.

 Thanks again, from Barkley’s Mom & Dad 

Barkley and some of his cousins

Barkley and his Mom…. Love you buddy.

Deb,  I am so so sorry about Barkley.  I’m sure you already know I cried when
I read it.  He was why I wanted to come to the old store when I was little (and the doll clothes).  Ashley


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We’ve got the solution for hanging decorative items on vinyl siding without drilling or hammering!  When I heard about these great little hooks, I knew we had to have them!

You simply slide this stainless steel hook beneath your vinyl siding to hold items such as barn stars, address or name plaques, seasonal and holiday decorations.

You no longer have to damage your vinyl siding by drilling holes, hanging anchors, nor using adhesives, so you won’t void your siding warranty. They are stainless steel so they won’t rust, nor stain your siding. You can re-position or remove easily at any time without damage. Each holds up to 5-6 lbs.

 The Low profile hook:  Simply roll into any seam of your vinyl sided home. This hook is designed to hang items that have a wire or string for support.

 The Low profile hook with screw:  Simply roll into any seam of your vinyl sided home.  This hook is designed to hang items with holes to mount with Like a House Number Plate. Great for items with keyhole opening on back.

  The soffit hook:  This hook is designed to hang items from your soffit.  Like wind chimes. Simply roll into any seam of your vinyl soffit.

All three styles come two per package and sell for $5.00  You can finally tell hubby you found a way to hang that barn star you have been wanting!  Now he will have no more excuses.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Will the hook work on my siding?
Answer: The company has tested the hooks on many different types of vinyl siding, so far so good!  Bring it back if it does not work and TMW will refund your money.

Why is there a weight restriction?
Answer: They recommend that nothing more than five pounds be used, due to the possibility of warping or pulling the vinyl on your home.

Cautions:

5lb. Weight Limit Per Hook

Not recommended for children

Not to be used for potted plants

TMW assumes no liability for damage to siding

As you know, my sister Tracey works with us here at TMW.  She has decided to take on a big challenge, a 40 mile walk for breast cancer.

I am very proud of her commitment to this cause and support her in her efforts.  Things Made Wonderful will cover the registration fees for both she and her walking partner and long time friend, Jen.

Join us in wishing them well and if you would like to know more about the cause, follow the attached links.  The following is a note from Tracey:

Remember grab bags when you were a little kid?  Oh, the thrill of the unknown.  I have been trying to remember where it was that my parents used to take us when we were kids.  It might have been the old Highland Orchards on route 101 inScituate, but I am not sure. 

I do remember the great big wooden clown face with the giant mouth that you had to stick your hand into to get your grab bag.  Sounds kind of creepy now, but back then it was way too cool!

 So you get your grab bag, then you had to wait until Mom and dad were done with their shopping….. this seemed like an eternity!  You did not dare open it before, but you did shake it, smell it, and of course you had to compare the weight of it with your siblings to see whose was heavier. 

Ok, so you managed to hold out until you reached the car (station wagon with the fake wood trim) and after fighting with each other over who sat where, you piled into the car.  Being the tiniest, I usually got stuck in the far back of the car, you know the spot with no seat and of course no seat belts (uh Mom, what were you people thinking?)  

It is now time to open that wonderful little brown paper bag to reveal its treasures!  You rip it open and the contents spill out.  Tiny toys, candy pieces and watchamacallits!  

We have made up a limited supply of grab bags for the grown up version of that child from yesteryear.  These are always very popular and do sell out quickly.  Better get right in Dawn, Meg, Marie…… Just to name a few of our grab bag addicts! 

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!THERE BETTER BE A BUNCH LEFT WHEN WE GET THERE SUNDAY. I CAN’T WAIT !!!!!! I LOVE GRAB BAGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MEG T.

Spring Cleaning…..

Now don’t worry, it is not what you are thinking.  I am not going to be talking about dusting, vacuuming and washing windows (that’s Bob’s job.) 

My kind of spring cleaning is way more fun than that!  I am doing some cleaning of a few lines, and I am starting with the lighting department. 

If you are in the market for a nice wood turned chandelier or maybe some wall sconces for the bathroom, then head on over.  Have I got a deal for you!  I am bringing in a new line of lighting and expanding an existing line, so we will need some room to showcase them.  This means nice bargains for you! Look for the special spring cleaning tags and enjoy 20% off the marked price AND….. if you are a Country Club member (and really, who isn’t these days?)  you still get your bonus points! The tags look like this: 

 I will be looking for other lines to Spring clean, so be on the look out for those cute tags.  Put down your dusting cloths and come on down for some great buys! 

Maybe it is due to the date, it being April fools day and all.  I am having a strange kind of day.  Nothing terrible, nothing sad, nothing bad, just “weirdness.”  Anyhow, I thought I would share this fun little link with you.  I found it on a forum that I belong to. 

Have fun.  http://www.therightfoot.net/mystuff/whatever/swf/bubblewrap.swf