Shop At Moxie

Pat the Window Dresser

Well November is here and that means we've been busy little elves at MMHG and Moxie.  The team and I have spent the last two weeks decking out the shops with Holiday spirit.  Part of that decking out includes dressing the windows.  Kind of a big job.  Each window takes about a day to do.  

The windows at Megan Morrison are quite challenging because they are like tiny rooms.  You have to start at the front of them and gradually work your way out.  It gets tight and very hot inside of those windows.  Not the best feeling for a girl (me) with claustrophobia.  Thank goodness I had my talented right hand woman Pat to partner up with.  

She is limber and spritely.  She does not seem to get overwhelmed with the close quarters inside of the windows.  She will willingly crawl under a table or reach over precariously perched objects in order to achieve window perfection.  No task too big or too small for Pat.  She spent about a half an hour underneath a table in the East window while we created a little village of happy holiday figures on the floor.  She crouched under the table (not easy to do for an extended period) while I got to point and direct from the outside of the window.  I'm sure I looked a bit weirder than I normally do as I stood outside my shop waving my arms, pointing and shouting "to the left, no the other left, no now go back, too far, come forward, stop, stop....perfect!"  Then pat would hit her head on the table and we would both start laughing.  It probably looked like I was all alone and having quite a party with myself.  But it was a party for two.  I am so grateful to have so many fun, talented people on my team.

Here is Pat in action.  I didn't get a shot of her under the front table....darn it!

 

 

Here is the other window we did at MMHG

 

The shop from the out looking in.  I love how all shops look at night with the interior lights beckoning you in.  Something romantic about it to me.  If it was softly snowing it would make me even more intrigued.

 

A big thanks to Pat and to Maureen who helped me do the moxie windows.  I couldn't have done it without them.  Well maybe I could have but it wouldn't have been as good or nearly as fun. 

Birthday Love for Courtney

Yesterday was my dear sister Courtney's birthday and anyone who knows her well knows that she deserves to be spoiled....especially on her birthday.  She is truly one of the hardest working, most loyal, kind-hearted souls I know.  

So it came as no surprise to me that many of her friends and co-workers stopped in yesterday with a bevy of gifts and well wishes.  I didn't have my camera handy to capture all the moments but here is Courtney showing off the delicious cupcakes and gorgeously wrapped box she received from Desa (one of our beloved friends who also happens to be on team moxie).  Those are real roses on the box.  It was even more pretty in person.  Inside was a wonderful red scarf that Courtney admired at MMHG.  I had the privilege of smuggling it secretly out of the store and into Desa's hands weeks ago so she could give it to Courtney for her birthday.  I love secrets like that!

Courtney also received flowers, chocolates (lots of them), Pat's delicious homemade red sauce, cards and more.  She deserved it all!!  

Lindsey & Pat at the Art Fair

The Elwood House Art Fair is fast approaching.  It will be Sunday July 1st from 9-4 on the gorgeous grounds of the Elwood House.  509 North First St...Dekalb Illinois for those of you who might be unfamiliar with it. 

Two of the best reasons to visit this art fair are Lindsey and Pat.  They are my friends, and I get to work with them too!

They are much too shy to invite you all to come see them and their gorgeous works of art, so I have decided to do it for them.  You know how artists are....all bashful and humble.

Pat is a truly magnificent painter.  I own quite a few of her paintings and I am so happy to have them.  She is so gifted and I think she has no idea how talented she really is.  Here are two of her paintings that hang in my house. 

This painting hangs in my dining room.  I love the rich colors.  I am not even a rooster lover but had to have this one because it just spoke to me.

   This is a sweet fairy painting that Pat painted years ago.  It hangs in our girly guest bedroom. 

This is a sign that Pat painted for Lindsey to use at her shows.  Pat has made several signs for me over the years.  They all hang in our first store Megan Morrison Home & Garden.  Almost everyday someone mentions that they love her signs and where can they get one. 

Lindsey creates the most beautiful and functional totes, messenger bags, diaper bags, and handmade cards.  She has a great eye for color and pattern mixing. 

Her bags feature great trims and attention to detail.  We love them so much that almost all of us carry one.  I've seen lots of our customers carry them as well. 

Lindsey will have an assortment of her bags and great handmade cards at the show.  Her assortment changes all the time. 

This photo was taken in her booth last year at the Art Fair.

I hope that my sneek peak of the Pat and Lindsey artistic talents has got you in the mood to go shopping.  You will just love their art in person.  These photos just don't begin to do it justice. 

   What a cute use of a typewriter to display cards in.  Good thinking Lindsey!!

I am a lucky girl to have such creative friends.

Bob Loves Desa

Desa went on vacation for two weeks to visit family out in California.  She arrived back to work this morning.  This is the ginormous cheesecake that Bob made for her welcome back present.   This follows the triple layer chocolate cake with whipped cream he made two months ago for her birthday.

Can I just say.....married to him 17 years this October and no cakes of any kind made for me....not even a twinkie.

I know where I rate.

I'd even take a drawing of a smiley face.

Desa, you deserve it.  You really are the best.

Welcome back.

Meet Maureen

I love working with Maureen for many reasons.  She is so calm, cool, and collected.  I need to be more like her.  She has great will-power and is very talented. 

What she can do with a dress form and a pile of vintage clothing and accessories is amazing.  She can layer on things that at first glance would not look like they all go together and when she is done it looks funky, and amazing.  I love to see her creations.  She is just a genius with her fashion merchandising.  We are so lucky to have Maureen on our team.  She could be doing anything.

I asked Maureen to describe herself, and here is what she said.

Maureen on Maureen:

My heaven on earth is sitting in the sun with my Husband, along a mountain stream in Colorado, sipping frozen margaritas with salt. I love dark chocolate and purses. They are my biggest temptations. You can never have too many kinds or colors. I'm one of the few Lost t.v. show addicts who still knows the characters and what's happening with them. Speaking of t.v. we think ours is possessed-it turns it self off and back on unpredictably. When things get hectic in the store I often wonder where's Bob? Where did he go? What is he up to? 

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Let Me Introduce Lindsey

Lindsey makes me laugh.  My sister Courtney always says that whenever Lindsey and I are working together it is obnoxious how loud we start laughing.  The kind of laughing where you start bobbing up and down while crossing your legs. 

Years ago I worked with a lady named Kathy.  I was a young waitress back then.  I will never forget Kathy because one day she told me that she hated movie comedies because she didn't like to laugh.  And being Kathy, she didn't laugh after she made that sad statement.  That comment has stayed with me for 20 years. 

Laughing has gotten me thru some pretty tough days.  I'd be lost without my sense of humor.  Some people don't get my sense of humor, but then again, they probably never will. 

Lindsey has been my partner in crime this last year.  She helped me to create the new website (shopatmoxie) and to create this blog.  She is much younger and more savvy about these things than I am.  She is super creative and gorgeous and doesn't even know she is.  Here is how Lindsey describes herself.

Lindsey on Lindsey

I am a game show junkie who had a thing for Richard Dawson in a former life. I have a passion for pretty papers and fabrics. I believe that cute shoes and good music can get you thru whatever life throws at you. I am a true Libra…a people pleaser who can't make a decision. I own two cotton candy makers and still keep my make-up in a caboodles. I take my Gin and Tonics with two limes and hate to miss Wheel of Fortune…no, I'm not 65. I made a purse out of "Bob's Pants".

A Super Skinny Guy Named Bob

If you read my bio then  you might remember the reference to a super skinny guy named Bob.  That is my husband.  He is the most unique person I know.  He loves to make myself and just about everyone he meets happy.  This is his genuine nature.  It is what I love about him the most.  What makes him especially "unique" is that he is extremely hyper with the world's fastest metabolism.  This creates a challenge for all of us who work with him on the weekends.  He gets more done in an hour than most could in a day, but there are consequences.  Suffice it to say that even our customers notice Bob.  One of my favorite comments that a gal made to Courtney was..." Who is that guy who is always running thru the store with that big ladder?" 

Running thru the store with a ladder...not a good idea, doing it without looking ....that's Bob.

Bob on Bob:  (written by the team) 

Wait a second…If "we" let Bob tell you about himself you wouldn't get to hear about the good stuff. The crazy things he does and says. Like stealing his wife's Fry Daddy (a wedding shower gift) and giving it to one of her co-workers so she could fully enjoy the GIANT bag of mozzarella sticks he had given her earlier in the week. Bob's obsession to make Megan happy has led him to keep bars of ginger spice soap (her favorite scent) in his pocket and periodically rub it on his face. While unbeknownst to him, the soap had created a white film on his whiskers. Poor Bob. Bob has been described as "The Taskmaster" "The Pied Piper" , "Happy Legs", "A Loose Cannon", and "Charming and Irresistible". Just because we can…we spell his name backwards and like to think of him as a reality t.v. show waiting to happen.

My Sister Courtney

Every day I thank my lucky stars for my sister Courtney.  She has worked with me since Thursday April 6th 2000.  That was the day that our first store Megan Morrison Home & Garden opened up. 

Courtney is the glue that keeps everything together.  She is organized, level headed, and extremely focused.  Pretty much all things that I am not.  I feel so grateful knowing that she is able to do all the things that I can't.  Everyone should have a Courtney.

I asked Courtney to describe herself, here's what she said:

Courtney on Courtney:

I am Megan's "younger" sister, we are polar opposites. What little free time I have is spent watching reality t.v. and dancing around the house until my three kids leave the room in embarrassment. I grew up thinking I was Welsh and German, but recently found out that I am Swiss Austrian…no wonder why I love hot chocolate so much. I am very detail oriented and take orders well, I think this is why Bob likes working with me so much.