Shop At Moxie

the animals speak

.... Just another day on the moxie chain gang ....all work and no play.  No laughing, no lunch, no dancing and definitely no joking around.  You must be uber serious with a serious distaste for frivolity to work here.  Just sayin. 

the big green wall project

You know how some projects are bigger and more tedious than others??  Well the large and very tall  green wall behind our moxie checkout counter is one of our big and somewhat daunting-to-tackle shop projects.  Mostly because the walls are plaster and practically impossible to nail into and the 12 foot long wrap station is in front of the wall and can not be moved so you have to climb the ladder and hang on to it with one leg only while two others hold the ladder in place to keep it from kicking out from under you.  

We've had the wall done up in black and white signage for the last couple of years.  I knew I wanted to change it up but someone near and dear to me ( I won't name names but it might begin with a c and end with a y) was resistant to say the least.  She made valid points about how difficult it would be and how hard it was to nail into the wall etc. etc.  I did not disagree but I made up my mind we'd do it and do it we did.  

Courtney, Maureen, Patty and I tackled the wall today.  Courtney took one for the team and was the ladder monkey.  Maureen and Patty spotted and assisted her  and I was the bossy art director.  Left two inches, right a tiny bit, up a little, down a smidge.  Yes.... right there.  We all had ideas about what should go where and together we got it done in about 3 1/2 hours.  Not bad! 

Courtney really deserves a round of applause because reaching off of the ladder and trying to hammer into super hard plaster is not easy!  Maureen, Patty and Courtney are so very talented and wonderful to work with.  I adore working with them all!!

Now you'll have something new to gaze upon when you are at our checkout.  

Lots of gorgeous new pieces from Kelly Rae Roberts.  Her art is beautiful and inspirational.  We hope you like it and will pop in soon to check it out up close and personal!  

birthday birdie

awwwwww cute!!!!  That's what I said when I found this vintage mug recently.  I mean is that not the cutest chubbiest little blue bird you ever did see.  And birdie is blowing a little noisemaker and wearing a tiny hat.  How festive, how cheery, how darn right swell.  You just don't see chubby birds engaging in party activities that often ... do you?  

I turned the mug around and it said "happy birthday."  This sweet mug needs to get filled with a little gift of some sort and given to a birthday gal.  My birthday isn't until next month and well it wouldn't be any fun to give it to myself.... so who is going to snatch this cutie up and put it to good use?!?

first project for 2012

Mr moxie has been on me for awhile to give our home some attention.  The cobblers kids have no shoes... or something like that.  I will admit to putting in long hours making sure the shop sparkles and then not having enough energy left to do the same for our house.  So in the spirit of new year ... new me... I've decided to spiff up a room or two.  

Our bedroom has had nothing done to it in the 15 years we've lived in the house so it seemed as good as any place to start.  Lately I'm really into gray so we decided to do a darker shade of gray and do white and yellow accents.  I hate painting more than I hate cleaning bathrooms so I get design duty and the Mr. gets to do the painting.  He got two walls done today and I'm liking it so far. Hoping to get the other two walls painted tomorrow.  I took a couple of bad phone photos that don't show the color that great but will have to do for now. The color looks olive in the picture but is really a nice dark gray.  The room used to be a pale celery green.  

The fun part will be finding curtains, pillows, rug etc to pull it all together.  I'll post again as the project progresses.  How about you???  Any projects for 2012?

Oh, and please note .... the bouncy bar stool.... yes, that is my husbands version of a safe ladder.  I kid you not.  He is just that kind of guy.  Livin on the edge!

The Winters ..... 1956

Happiness, Joy, Good Luck and Good Wishes... pour these good thoughts into the cast iron kettle, give it a stir and you have the perfect batch of Holiday Greetings.  

I think the Winters were pretty ahead of the times for 1956 to be staging this elaborate photo card with daughters Barbara and Ann (names written on the back of card) as the young models.  

The clever creator even wrote the "greetings" in a smoke-like script as if it was drifting out of the kettle.  Well done Winter family wherever you may now be.

I found this card at an estate sale a couple of years ago and it was just too heart-warming to leave behind.  And since I'm so darned tired and a wee bit brain dead right now I thought I'd let their cheery message do the talking for me.  I hope the Winters won't mind me borrowing their family card and sharing it with you.  

Have the most wonderful of holidays.... Merry Christmas!

Vintage Fabrics and Holiday Hours

Shop Hours from now until Christmas:

Friday Dec 16: 10-6

Saturday Dec 17: 10-6

Sunday Dec 18 10-5

Monday Dec 19 10-6

Tuesday Dec 20 10-6

Wednesday Dec 21 10-6

Thursday Dec 22 10-8

Friday Dec 23 10-8

Sat. Dec 24 10-2

Closed Dec. 25th .... Merry Christmas!

Vintage fabrics are one of my biggest loves when it comes to vintage.  The colors, patterns, textures ...  what's not to love.  We have so many pieces to choose from at moxie.  All to be found on the 2nd floor.  

Sorry for the lack of blog posting.  The shop is hopping at this time of the year and we are all working extra long hours to keep the shop full and looking great, not to mention we've been gift baggin our tushies off.... which is a great thing.  If you are interested in seeing lots of recent shop photos please hop over to our Facebook page and click on the photos button.  I upload photos there many times per week (easiest and fastest way for me right now).  Thanks and hope you are all having a great and healthy December.  xoxo, megan

thankful ... yes I am

It doesn't take Thanksgiving to roll around for me to feel thankful for all the many great people and things I have in my life but it does seem like a good time to jot some of my thankful thoughts down.  Maybe some of the people I'm so thankful for have no idea how their actions impact my life.  I try to express my gratitude but sometimes I think I do a better job at feeling thankful than expressing thankful.  So here goes ... 

I'm so very thankful for:

a man who whistles happy tunes, opens car doors, holds my arm as we cross the street and always goes out of his way to make me smile

a sister whose picture should be featured next to the word loyal in the dictionary

friends who drive or fly hundreds of miles just to see us because they miss me and bob... what they might not know is that we miss them more!

a friend who paints and glitters with me so that the time flies by in a flurry of happy creativity

a friend who always makes me laugh with her secret "naughty" sense of humor

an older friend who loves me so much she officially adopted me with notarized papers

team moxie.... they kick butt and take names.  

wonderful siblings and their fabulously nice spouses

a mother in law who is the kindest woman I've ever met ... no wonder she gave birth to the world's nicest boy! 

a friend who is always making us special dinners just because she thinks it would do us some good and she must have a crystal ball because she's always there at the perfect time. 

awesome nephews and nieces who think we are cool enough to want to hang out with us

getting to do what I love to do and having some people actually like it

all of our shop friends who support us, tell their friends about us, and keep on coming back year after year.  you are so appreciated!

 

The list could absolutely go on for miles because I really do feel thankful for so many things.  But that's it for now.  Happy Thanksgiving .... hope yours is the happiest of days.

 

Holiday Open House! This Weekend!!

Join us this Saturday 10 to 5 and Sunday 10 to 4 for our 12th Annual Holiday Open House!

For these two days only....everything will be 10% off.

Cookies, hot spiced cider, yummy hot chocolate, holiday music and free gift bags!

Festive finds and vintage treasures await you!  We do hope you can make it!  

Don't forget to mark your calendars for our up-coming and uber popular MOONLIGHT SHOPPING PARTY..... Friday December 2nd from 6pm to 9pm.  It's a VERY fun time. 

save the dates -- it's party time!!

Hello friends!  It's that time of year again. The moxie elves have been hard at work gussying up the shop with festive finds, vintage cuties, and stocking stuffers galore!

We've got two fantastic soirees planned..... Our 12th annual Holiday Open House and our ever-popular Moonlight Shopping Party, and YOU'RE invited to both!!

Join us Saturday Nov. 19th 10am to 5pm and Sunday Nov. 20th 10am to 4pm for our Holiday Open House.  For these two days only, take 10% off everything in the shop**  Of course there will be holiday music, refreshments and happy faces.  So make your list and check it twice because this is where the fun starts, and the search for the perfect gift ends. 

Keep that calendar out.....You definitely want to mark the MOONLIGHT SHOPPING PARTY down for sure!  Don't miss our most popular event of the year.  Friday December 2nd, gather your favorite pals and come out for shopping, goodies and wine.  On that day, the shop will close at 5pm and reopen from 6pm to 9pm.  The pesto, shrimp and chardonnay make this event too delicious to miss!!

We'd be honored and oh so happy to see you at our parties.  Megan will be making her famous Swedish cookies, Bob will be making his famous Chocolate chip cookies, Desa will be making her famous variety of cookies and of course there will be warm cider and hot cocoa to go along with the goodies. Thanks for all of the encouragement and support you've given us for the last 11 years.  The parties are our way of saying THANKS, you guys ROCK!!

meet the moxie twins

Stephenie and Hona....the Moxie Twins! These two fabulous cuties cooked up this idea awhile ago to dress up as the moxie twins for halloween.  I'm guessing it was the crazy matching "moxie blue" corduroy jumpsuits we had in the vintage section that inspired that decision.  I was not at work Friday when they debuted their outfits but Courtney told me that a couple of customers asked them if that was the moxie uniform.  Oh my, could you just imagine if I required that from everyone.  I wouldn't have much of a staff left.  "Oh Courtney....don't forget to wear your jumpsuit tomorrow!"

 

This photo turned out a little blurry but I wanted you to see the full outfit.  They made belts and scarves out of some purchased leopard fabric and I'm loving their matching heart socks and over the top accessories.  Our definition of moxie is: courage combined with inventiveness and I think Steph and Hona really captured that spirit.  

I just love working with spirited people who like to have fun.  I've said it before but it is worth saying again....I've got the greatest team in the world.  Oh and girls.....I'm hoping to see some matching elf outfits for the Holiday Open House!