The Swan Cottage Blog

Earth Day - April 22, 2011 - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose and Respect our Earth!

2011-04-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

We hear so much about being "green", reduce your carbon footprint and the "R"s mentioned in this title, it has almost become natural to try to think of what we can do to help our precious Earth.

Fun things to do!

Go on a diet! Eat natural food purchased at farmers markets and specialty stores instead of snacks and pre-packaged food that come in bulky packaging.

Did you know you will use roughly 30% less ink when you print documents typed in Century Gothic font? Well, now you do, so change your default font!

Our favorite - Decorate the inside and outside of your house with vintage, "second time around" furniture, lamps, mirrors, old cement flower pots and other unique items. Set your table with linens, dishes, glasswear and utinsils instead of paper products.

At The Swan Cottage, we love searching for those vintage "second time around" pieces. Furniture, pictures and jewelry always have a story to tell. Talking to people about their pieces is the most interesting. Many times it was owned by a special family member and hearing the story makes it that much more special. They just want their treasure to have a good home.

We also support several local artists at The Swan Cottage who make jewelry, scarves, purses, lambs, note cards and other fun things, using vintage items that would have normally been thrown away, repurposing the pieces into a one-of-a-kind item.

We love vintage things and are dedicated to keeping The Swan Cottage 90% vintage.

After all, what is better than finding that one piece of furniture or that one little treasure that nobody else has? Look around and see how many stores have the same thing other stores have. Then visit us and you will find that one special item that nobody else has that makes the perfect gift for you or for someone special. That is the fun of vintage!

For one day, April 22, try not to buy anything new. Use what you have, buy vintage or second-hand and buy fresh produce. Try trading something with a friend like a table, tablecloth, piece of jewelry, clothing or a plant from your garden. Then you each have something new!

We want to help the Earth Day effort, so come in on Friday or Saturday, April 22, 23 and take 20% off one item in our vintage cottage!

Enjoy these pictures of things that we rescued. Some are original, some have been repaired, painted, or re-covered. It's all about giving a piece a new life.

Remember to check our website and Facebook page often for new items!

Old Webster Christmas Open House

2010-11-17T18:21:00.000-08:00

It was so much fun! Seeing family, friends, and making new friends...it was just the best!

We could not have asked for a more beautiful day! It was perfect!

For all of you who came to The Swan Cottage on November 14th, we hope you had a good time! We thank everyone who stopped by and hope you enjoyed your visit with us at The Swan Cottage and also enjoyed shopping around Old Webster, Santa, carolers, carriage rides and all of the other fun that was around the town.

For those who couldn't make it, come visit us! Lots of Christmas cheer and fun is still to come! Old Webster and Old Orchard will have a Cookie Walk on December 4th. More to come soon..

We tried to guess how many people walked through our cottage and we are thinking it had to be over 300! We were not real sure what to expect but we surely know now! We are already planning for next year to make your shopping experience the best!

As promised, here are some pictures.

Isn't she cute? She was so lucky to get this shabby children's table and chair set!

The purchase of the day! She was so excited to get these retro candles!

Mmmm..getting married? Having fun with a neat vintage wedding veil.

All of Santa's Helpers - Charlene, Lauren, Felicia, Jen, Chris and Cassie (not in this pic)

Charlene and Cassie

Please feel free to comment on our blog.

There are also more pictures on Facebook. "Like" our page to get all of our updates on events, sales, new arrivals and lots of pictures. If you like The Swan Cottage, share with a friend.

Thanks again to everyone!!
See you soon!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Webster-Groves-MO/The-Swan-Cottage/128429677179124

Chris and Charlene

Feature on "Show Me St. Louis" on KSDK Channel 5

2010-11-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

When Julie called from Channel 5 last Friday saying they wanted to feature us on the Show Me St. Louis show, we couldn't think of anything else...Was the shoppe in order...Did it looks nice...Well of course it did cause we worked all weekend getting it all ready with new things and of course Christmas!!

Chris did such a great job on all the florals for wreaths, outside pots, coach lamps, and indoor florals. Everything looks so pretty. You really need to come see it!

So today we made it through the interview, video taping and pictures!

It was exciting but we were of course a little nervous...not really knowing what to expect. But Julie was so nice! She really made us feel at ease.

So now we wait until tomorrow to see ourselves on Show Me St. Louis at 3:00.

Do you think this makes us television stars? :)

Mmm...probably not. I think the last time we were on TV was long long time ago on Romper Room, Texas Bruce or maybe Captain 11's Showboat. Oh my, are we old!!

We will post a link to the video after it airs so everyone can view!

Chris and Charlene

Feel free to comment on our blog on what you thought.

Welcome Fall !!

2010-10-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

The cool temperatures have arrived and the leaves will soon turn colors that are just amazing.

The Swan Cottage is welcoming Fall also with cute Halloween decorations and Fall treasures.

We just received new scents of Swan Creek Candle Company candles.
Snickerdoodle
Gingerbread
French Vanilla Bean
Pumpkin Spice
Harvest Spice
Roasted Expresso

We are also excited about Kelly's (Spirited Hands) fall and winter line of T-shirts, baby onesies, scarves, jackets and clutches. She has hand crafted some really cute pieces including Christmas peace T-shirts that are so cute! Check page 2 of the Local Artist index for pictures. Then come in and see the many other special pieces!

See you at the Swan Cottage!

Summer's Ending - Fall is on the Way

2010-08-27T21:37:00.001-07:00

Well, school has started, September is here, and a little bit cooler, less humid weather has arrived in St. Louis. We hope all of you had a summer filled with fun vacations, happy events and good times with family and friends!

Labor Day is upon us which has always marked the end of summer with the closing of the pools and everyone trying to squeeze in that one last barbeque, picnic or weekend get-a-way. However, as we enjoy the last holiday of the summer, we were wondering how many people really know what Labor Day means?

The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5th, 1882 in New York City and was organized by the Central Labor Union. It was a creation of a labor movement dedicated to the social and economic achievements of the American worker who have contributed to a strong and prosperous United States of America.

So here's to all of you hard workers, no matter what you do, who have contributed to making this country the best in the World! You deserve a big "Thank You"!

I found this picture of a vintage Labor Day postcard. Pretty neat... It says,"Service shall with steeled sinews toil, And labour shall refresh itself with hope".

We have been very busy this summer at The Swan Cottage, finding new treasures and unique pieces of furniture that will please our Cottage visitors with what they are looking for to make their house a home. Being surrounded by the comforts of furnishings and decor in a home, brings joy to having a place to call your own.

We have a 50% off table now and many items on the floor are red-tagged so we can move out some summer items to make room for our Fall and Halloween treasures which will be available by Saturday, Sept 11th. For our Swan Creek Candle Company fans, we will have new Fall scents in cute bird pots, arriving the third week of September. Our Cottage will be filled with yummy scents of Fall.

We are so excited about our first holiday season at The Swan Cottage and hope you will share it with us and visit soon. Don't forget to check out our website often for new pictures which are usually updated a couple times a week. We get new items, including furniture, almost every day.

We have also added a new local artist, Sandy Haynes to our cottage. Check out pictures of her art cards and boxes made with vintage treasures on page (3) of our website under Local Artist. You will love them!

We love to hear from our friends, so feel free to contact us anytime or post on our blog!

Have a great holiday weekend and be safe!

Chris and Charlene

The Swan Cottage July Clearance Sale!!

2010-07-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

So what is better than July clearance sales?
Well, we think it has to be The Swan Cottage's July Clearance Sale!!

Join us this Friday and Saturday, July 23 and 24 and take 10% off the ENTIRE store!

Some of our summer items such as potting benches, a cute rusty garden set and cement planters have already been marked down, but are also included in the sale. What a deal!

Just a couple of our new arrivals are pictured here...a really cute vanity with chenille skirt and trimmed mirror. Also a french vintage cedar chest on legs. Check our website for more new pictures.

Come visit us at our nice cool cottage, sip some lemonade with us and get out of the St. Louis July heat!

Hope to see you this weekend!

July 4th - Independence Day!

2010-07-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

The Swan Cottage will be open July 1 & 2, Friday and Saturday - 10 am to 5 pm.

Another 4th of July weekend is ahead of us to celebrate the freedom of America!

Many of you may have big plans with your friends or family. But you also may just be spending some quiet time to relax. Or maybe you will make it a shopping weekend!!

Webster Groves is holding their annual Community Days from July 1 thru July 4. The highlight is the parade on Saturday, July 2 at 10:00 am. This parade draws thousands of spectators with a 2 mile route which runs from Lockwood & Selma (just a few blocks from The Swan Cottage) to Memorial Park at Elm and Glendale.

If you come out to enjoy the parade or if you are out on that shopping spree, stop in and visit us.

We continue to receive new pieces almost every day. So if you have not visited us for a while, you may be surprised. We have several chest of drawers and vanities if you are looking for these types of pieces. We have also reduced some of our garden items.

Here are just a couple of the dressers we have on the floor now. We also received more new items just yesterday but have not had a chance to get pictures. Check out our website for other pictures too!

Have a fun 4th of July weekend and remember to always be safe!

Beatlemania Thursday at The Swan Cottage!

2010-06-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

So who doesn't like Beatles music? Nobody! Everyone of all ages enjoys the music no matter who plays it.

Webster Groves is having their anuual street dance on Thursday, June 17th from 6-9 pm featuring "Ticket to the Beatles", a local St. Louis Beatles tribute band that will have you tapping your feet and dancing in the street!

To join in the fun, since we LOVE Beatles music, The Swan Cottage is offering 10% off the entire store all day on Thursday only with extended hours from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. So stop in and visit us before the music starts!

Don't forget, we have peace T-shirts, tank tops, and baby onesies with a peace symbol on the front. These are hand made by one of our local artists, Kelly of "Spirited Hands". They are very popular with our customers and fit right in with the Beatles music theme!

We also have many new items including three newly painted white chest of drawers...one regular size, one tall/narrow and one "chest on chest". Also, is an elegant black buffet (pictured here) that will really catch your eye. There were two black buffets, but Jennifer and Paul Cook, from Y98 came by and bought one. Paul gave us a "shout out" on Y98 last week so we again say "hi" and "thank you" to Jennifer and Paul!

The street dance is located in Old Webster at Lockwood and Allen in front of St. Louis Bread Company. If you would like to see more about the band, check out their website. http://www.tickettothebeatles.com/. This is a family event so bring your family, lawn chairs, and coolers!

We love you, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Chris and Charlene

Thanks for a fun Grand Opening!

2010-05-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

We want to thank everyone who came to The Swan Cottage to help us celebrate our Grand Opening! We have been open just 4 short weeks and have met so many new people and exchanged many interesting and funny stories. We appreciate all the nice compliments about our new cottage and also the support from the many neighboring shoppe owners/friends in Webster, Kirkwood, Maplewood and Glendale.

Since many treasures left our cottage for their new homes to give someone else happiness, we have been out looking for more special pieces. Many of you signed our wish list for those items you want. We will continue to look for your special wishes.

I will be making a trip to Bolivar, MO the weekend of June 4-5 for my grandson Wyatt's 9th birthday (yeah!!). There are so many antique shops, flea markets and great places to find special things out in the country. So if you are looking for anything at all, a particular small trinket, picture, or piece of furniture, just call us or send us an email through our website and I will keep my eye out next weekend.

Watch for new pictures on our website next week of all our new finds. There will also be new pictures of our newly arranged cottage. Chris has such a keen eye for arranging pieces where they are the most cozy and pleasant. The cottage looks like a new place thanks to Chris!

Hope to see you soon and have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend. Don't forget to remember all of our past loved ones who have sacrificed for our free country, The United States of America. We will especially be thinking of our Dad, George Decker.

Charlene

Webster Groves Pulse Press!

2010-05-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

We are so excited about our upcoming Grand Opening Event. Read our recent press coverage in the May 2010 Issue of the The Pulse Newspaper.