The Stillroom

Since my last post, my little dog Pip passed away.  Her demise was a bad heart that just couldn’t keep ticking.  That early Saturday morning turned into a very sad day for us.   I mourned her loss for a couple of weeks and the silence in the house was deafening.  No silly antics, no begging for toast in the morning, no more barking at the mailman.  This was just too much and I needed a little bit of chaos around here again.  I decided to see if I could find a senior citizen dog from the animal rescue league that needed a good home and some attention.

Angel: Day 1

Enter Angel. Angel was rescued from a person that hoarded animals and her background was just awful.  She was used for breeding purposes  and had very little human affection offered to her.  We think she is between 8-10 years old . She had to have an emergency spay and most of her teeth pulled while she was in  the care of a couple of different shelters.  She first arrived at a shelter north of our area in February of this year before being transferred to the Camp Horne Rd. facility in May.  When I saw her picture online I just knew I had to give this girl a chance at a normal doggie life for as long as time would allow.  Long story short, after more than a few weeks  of having to pick her up with a blanket so she wouldn’t try to bite me, Angel has so far turned into such a sweet girl.  She still wants to kill my husband and son but we are working on that  She just attached herself to me and is over protective but since she’s only 5 pounds of crazy, we think we can handle it.  We have nothing but our love and time for her rehabilitation.  She now goes by “Little Dog.”  Our home is complete.

Angel (aka “Little Dog”): Living the dream

Man, when the dog days hit, they hit hard.  Just because the temperature is going to soar to the mid nineties this week doesn’t mean you stop drinking tea.  It sure seems like some icy, cold, refreshing, thirst quenching tea is in order, wouldn’t you say?  This brings me to the strawberry pomegranate tea that you can find at The Stillroom Tea Shop.  There are  few beverages I enjoy more than iced tea and I have to tell you, this is the one!   It is herbal and  light and sooo strawberry and it brews up so pretty in pink.  I love anything strawberry and the scent always takes me back many decades.  I can remember buying strawberry incense and strawberry scented candles at The Stone Fox boutique that was located by what is now the Heights Pharmacy.  It was pretty radical for a shop like this to pop up in town. I was a middle school kid existing in a coming of age cross between the soulful sounds of Motown, the beach sounds of surf music and the psychedelic  phenomenon that was Inagoddavida which was a mind blowing 17 1/2 minutes long.  It was a very confusing time musically speaking and stylistically speaking.  Straight legs or those crazy bell bottoms?   The one thing I did know for sure though was that I loved strawberry everything including actually eating strawberries and brewing strawberry tea and pouring it over ice on those long, hot summer daze.

The White Peach Oolong would be my second choice in the iced tea line up.  Oolong is made up of tea leaves that are withered under the strong sun and then gathered before curling up.  It is so delicious especially when you float a fresh slice of peach in the glass, you will wonder why you waited so long to try it.

My third in the top three brewed iced teas is the Breakfast in Paris.  With a blend of black tea and a touch of lavender and lemon, this will make you happy the mercury is about to burst!  I add a few tea bags to a mason jar, (nothing complicated about that) and set it on the kitchen window sill and voila (translation, there you have it)!  I get a frosty mug and fill it with ice and this fabulous brew.  The mug also serves as a cold compress on your forehead if you are unfortunate enough to not be in air conditioning, at the beach or near a pool  at the height of the season

The lovely Stillroom Tea Shop is located inside of the awesome Diamond Antiques and Gifts Shop.   Diamond Antiques and Gifts is located at 311 E. 6th Avenue in Tarentum, (look for the black and white striped awning).  If you enjoy the dog days of summer and want to step back in time, come on into this historic building  where you can enjoy all of the nostalgia  that will take you anywhere from the late 1800’s through the 1900’s all the way up to now!  You will find tea, hats, gloves, tea accessories, lavender by the ounce, lavender essential oil, catnip toys, cards, shabby chic, mid century modern, rustic, primitive, quirky, collectible, wicker, a soap maker, a lotion maker, a wood worker, and a group of very creative and awesome collectors.  Our group scours the outskirts of our fair city to bring you sweet memories and so much more all under one roof.  Do it soon because you know once August hits, we are in the waning days of summer.

When you have shopped until you can’t shop no more and when your dogs start barking, you can refresh and dine in any of the local eateries from the historic Massart’s Diner to the beautiful Tarentum Station.  (Yes, it was actually a train stop back in the old days) .

Pretty soon all of the fair weather outdoor fun will be a memory and we will be looking to foggy, damp mornings, kids at the bus stops, crossing guards, high school football and Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas.

A HEADS UP TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT AUGUST IS A MONTH LONG SALE AT THE STORE!  YES, I’M YELLING SO YOU WILL HEAR ME!

ALSO, THE APPRAISAL FAIR IS COMING UP IN SEPTEMBER SO GRAB YOUR MYSTERY TREASURE AND COME IN ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH FROM 10-2.  THIS IS A VERY POPULAR EVENT AND YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT!  PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COST TO HAVE AN ITEM APPRAISED IS $5.00 PER ITEM.

“There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”-Martin Luther

Wedding season is here and The Stillroom has Harney & Sons Wedding Tea in stock.  This special tea is a beautiful marriage of exotic Mutan White tea with lemon and vanilla to taste. Combined with a kiss of pink rosebuds and petals to represent the bloom of new love, it is also as pretty as the bride to look at.  The individual teas are packaged in a delicate white silk sachet and make a beautiful presentation for a tea themed shower or bridal table.  The Stillroom carries the lovely silver tin with vintage style design and features 20 tea sachets.

This tea is also available in the same vintage inspired tagalong tin that holds 5 sachets.  With advance notice, The Stillroom can order these tagalongs with the name of the happy couple along with the wedding date.  What a lovely shower favor they make. Very, very nice!

I can’t believe that we are already going into the half way point of our new year.  We are approaching our first summer holiday this weekend and the weather looks as if it will be very fitting with temperatures reaching the high 80’s to almost 90 if the predictions hold. The greenhouses will be bustling with happy gardeners picking and choosing flowers and enjoying the sunshine.  The anticipation of a new garden with the hope of harvesting fresh tomatoes and herbs is palatable in more ways that one!

“To the nines” is an English idiom meaning “to perfection” or “to the highest degree.” The Stillroom is located inside of Diamond Antiques and let me say the antiques and gift shop is “decked to the nines” for the summer season.  We are awash in red, white and blue and look forward to seeing you in the coming months.  The days get a little lazier and Diamond Antiques and Gifts  is such a great place to take it slow as you meander through the vendor’s booths to look for that special something to decorate you home or patio or porch.

I mean if you are looking for anything from a farm table made locally by Scott or a vintage glass and pitcher set to hold your iced tea, (shameless plug) I’m pretty confident that you will find your summer treasure at Diamond Antiques and Gifts.

The store is located at 311 East Sixth Avenue in Tarentum.  We are right next to Massart’s historic eatery, across the street from the fabulous Tarentum Station, a couple of blocks from Seita Jeweler’s and Gatto’s Cycle Diner.  We have the black and white striped awning above our door.

Diamond Antiques and Gifts is open Wednesday-Saturday 10-5, Sunday’s from 12-5, Thursday evening’s until 7p.m.

Don’t forget we are also open at 8a.m. on Fleatique Sunday’s . This monthly event takes place the third Sunday of the month and runs from May- October.

In the meantime, stop in and visit The Stillroom Gift and Tea shop located right inside of the door of Diamond Antiques!

Just because winter has left us doesn’t mean tea season is over.  It is now iced tea season and we have a great selection of teas for you put in a jar and set in the sunshine.

The livin’ is easy.

“I laughed so hard I nearly spit out my hot tea.  The strange part was the fact that I was drinking coffee at that moment”. -Jarod Kintz, This Book is Not FOR SALE.

Well, hello there!  If you are still waiting around for spring to spring, you might as well make a visit to Diamond Antiques located at 311 East Sixth Avenue in Tarentum, PA.  I can’t think of a better place to just hang out and wait for the growing season to begin. If you have not been here, you are missing out. There is so much to enjoy on two floors in this lovely historic building.

In case you didn’t know, the store is made up of a co op of over 25 vendors, each with their own special collection of antiques, collectibles, vintage, found treasures, repurposed furniture and a general assortment of cool stuff.

The Stillroom is located inside of Diamond Antiques and we are fully stocked with everything you need for, oh, I don’t know, say the Triple Crown that will soon be upon us in May.  I have a special place in my heart for this event because I lived a mere three blocks away from Pimlico race track when I lived in Charm City.  Since we were a part of the second leg  of the Triple Crown, our beverage of choice at our Preakness party was brewed mint iced tea with fresh mint springs and a shot of bourbon, which was optional. If you are hosting a Triple Crown party,  The Stillroom has several types of mint tea that can be brewed and iced up to be had plain or with whatever spark that you might want to add to it.  We have Super Mint, Chocolate Mint Oolong, Moroccan Mint and Christmas Eve Herbal (which is mint).

HATS!  Yes, Diamond Antiques & Gifts has lots and lots of beautiful vintage hats and gloves for you to wear.   What Triple Crown gathering would be complete without the traditional wearing of the hat.  Very classy.  Be a trend setter!

With wedding season almost here,  The Stillroom, as always, has Harney & Sons Wedding Tea in stock. It is such a lovely and thoughtful gift to give for a bridal shower or to compliment a  June wedding that might be on the horizon.  This tea comes in a decorative silver tea tin that holds silk tea sachets filled with Mutan White tea  with lemon and vanilla flavor .  The sachet is sprinkled with pink rosebuds and petals and  is so elegant and excellent.

If you are a tea lover, you really should make the tea shop a destination.  There is so much more than tea to enjoy.  The Stillroom has French Blue Lavender by the ounce, lavender essential oil, lavender dryer sachets, lavender drawer sachets and lavender tea and culinary lavender.   We have lavender tulsi tea and Breakfast in Paris black tea with a kiss of lavender  We have organic catnip toys, cards, jewelry, hats, gloves, vintage purses, Devonshire cream, honey, tea accessories, tea cups and tea pots and a few antique pieces of furniture.

Also, dear reader, please do note that we do not offer tea service.  The Stillroom is a retail tea shop only.  I leave tea service to the professionals.  You can check websites for tea service in your area.

A trip to Diamond Antiques is well worth the time.  Come in and shop, browse and re-imagine a fresh decorating project for the spring and summer.  Pretty soon you can look forward to the Tour Ed Flea-tique starting up for the warm weather season.

Until then, hope to see you at the shop!

“She turned to the sunlight and shook her yellow head, and whispered to her neighbor: winter is dead.” – A.A.Milne  When We Were Very Young (Winnie-the-Pooh #3)

“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
-Pablo Neruda

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” -Margaret Atwood

“Is the spring coming?” he said.  “What is it like?”…”It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine… – Frances H. Burnett,  The Secret Garden

Diamond Antiques is getting ready for the annual Spring Open House!  This year is really special because Diamond Antiques has been serving the A-K Valley and beyond for ten years!  Ten years!  I think the reason for the longevity of this special place is not only because it is where you go to treasure hunt, but also because the prices are truly  remarkable.

The Spring Open House is a week-long,  storewide sale that will run from March 2nd
through the 6th.   Do come and enjoy the beautiful and historic interior of Diamond Antiques.  The seeds have been planted and the vendors have sprouted and bloomed just for you!

As the anticipation of spring arrives, it has its own buzz and excitement and you can feel that change is in the air.   It starts with  little things like how the sunlight starts to hang around the living room a bit longer every day.   The air changes.  The smell of the air changes.  Soon  it will be time to crack the windows to let the last of the winter winds blow away the dust until we meet again.  As we begin to venture out from our cozy winter cocoons, we will once again  be greeted with pops of green emerging from the good earth as tulips and daffodils begin their spring journeys.

Let the symphony begin!

The vendors at Diamond Antiques work hard to find lost treasures.  They scour all points  around our fair city year around, to find  beautiful old, vintage, antique, unusual, collectible, whimsical, and quirky objects for you to enjoy.

Treat yourself or a friend to a piece of the past for the present!  How about a vase for your spring flowers to make a fresh, new statement anywhere in your humble abode?

Diamond Antiques has practical and sturdy pieces of furniture at prices that make you say what the what? (that is a good thing)  Why go to a big box store for particle board that you have to assemble when you can have pieces that are dove tailed with craftsmanship that you will only find in a well built and maintained piece of furniture?  Why? Why? Why?

Here’s something new for 2016.  Diamond Antiques and Gifts is now open on Thursday’s until 7!  This is a nice new perk for anyone that can’t make it down on the weekend.

As always, The Stillroom Gift and Tea Shop is located inside of Diamond Antiques and Gifts.  That’s me in the front window on the right if you are looking at the building.  You will see the giant white letters that spell out T-E-A. Sometimes the suction cup on the “T” gives out and it just looks like E-A.  Meh, what are you going to do?  I will be going down this week to remove my snowflakes from the window.  It’s time.

The Stillroom carries a variety of everything you would find in a tea shop. This includes tea, tea accessories from strainers to self seal bags for your loose tea,  honey, Devonshire Cream, vintage tea cups, new tea pots, vintage gloves, hats, purses and vintage jewelry.

The Stillroom carries quite a few locally made items from Nimble Mitts & Co. which is a branch of The Stillroom.   Included in our “made” sections you will find quilted tea cozies and organic catnip pillows.  You must forgo the really expensive cards at the local giant chain stores that sell the mass produced cards from the major card company that shall remain nameless and come and see the cool Glitter Bomb cards!  More importantly, they are original works and are  priced at a very reasonable $2.35 each.  Hand-made dude!

Did you know that LOL really mens Love of Lavender?  The Stillroom has  organic French lavender by the ounce and lavender tea and lavender sachets and lavender dryer packs for the laundry and essential lavender oil.  I am guilty as charged for loving lavender and that includes the color!  It is a natural moth repellant and the sachets are great for tucking away with those winter blankets and sweaters.  A good cup of lavender tea calms the mind and the fragrance of lavender is delightful.  One litle pinch of lavender the size of a grain of rice releases so much perfume it still amazes me.

The Stillroom Gift and Tea Shop has been in business for almost fifteen years!  Most of those years were in Saxonburg until we joined up with Diamond Antiques where we have been planted for the last year and a half.

PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR SUNDAY HOURS ARE FROM 12:00 to 5:00.  (There was an error in my March ad for Sunday hours….oops)!

Come in and join us for the Spring Open House!  Such a nice break in the action.

Happy New Year!  Come let us have tea and talk of happy things.

It’s always kind of bitter sweet when a new year comes around.  I am grateful that my family and friends have made it through a year of life challenges that were met with fear, courage and grace, and dreams that came true.

A new year brings the promise of so many things I look forward to.  Daylight is increasing by the minute and I love that.  After the winter solstice I turn into a constant sun gazer.  Even when I was a kid, I was the one always looking out of the window to the sky. I should have been a meteorologist.

A few of my friends and I (although we were all in separate locations) witnessed a beautiful sunset on January 14th.  The whole sky was pink and the cloud formations so majestic I had to snap a picture.  I took it while at a red light and didn’t realize that the light had turned green and all of the cars that were in front of me were long gone.  When I looked into my rearview mirror there were several cars behind me and no one honked.  I think we were all looking at the sky in that moment.

Here is what’s going on at Diamond Antiques.  All of the Christmas decorations are down and the winter season brings a whole new vibe to the store.   January is typically a lull for shop owners.  It’s not great, but we manage to wait it out every year.  The temporary break in the action gives the vendors a breather to pack up the holiday and look forward to dusting the shelves and restocking with all of the awesome stuff you expect to find when you come in to browse.  That said, Diamond Antiques is ready for you to come in and discover that special treasure that you have been seeking!

Here’s what’s new in The Stillroom Tea Shop.  A batch of Devonshire Cream is the newest addition to the shop.  If this is something you have never tried and were always curious about, do a pop-in and buy a mini jar of this imported British delight.   The mini size will give you an opportunity to try something that you might not be too sure about.  I now feel like a proper tea shop!  If you’re so inclined to whip up a basic batch of scones (which are so easy you won’t believe it) you must have them with Devonshire Cream.  Treat yourself to a pot of tea and a warm scone with cream.  It’s a pretty sweet experience and it is good for the soul and your palate will  thank you too.

Also restocked is the loose by the ounce decaf caramel tea.  I love this tea!  The delicate and light caramel flavor is a nice substitute when your sweet tooth needs a little something.  Add a touch of milk and your choice of honey or stevia and you will be in a state of bliss.

This is the week that I will order new tea choices in addition to the tried and true standards.  I’ll let you know when those are in.

In the meantime, Diamond Antiques is now open Thursday evenings until 7:00pm!  That’s happy news!

There will be a couple of store-wide sales coming up in February and March.  As soon as I nail down the deets I’ll post them with an update.  That is happy news!

Here are a few quotes to end my writing and start your day.

“The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on”

“Every smile makes you a day younger”

“A friendly look, a kindly smile, one good act, and life’s worthwhile”

“Keep smiling-it make people wonder what you’ve been up to”

I hope we all have a happy, safe and healthy new year.  Uhhhh, a great cup of tea might help.

I can’t believe how fast the days fly past and how quickly items disappeared from the shelves at Lowe’s by December 9th.  I took my dear mother to buy a  wreath and they were solid gone.  The shelves were packed last week with all of those obnoxious blow up yard decorations along with shelf after shelf of miniature houses, lights, tinsel, stockings, greenery and animated creatures.  (When my mom feels well enough to shop, we roll).  This is where ma wanted to go so go we did only to find every shelf pretty much empty.  I was stunned.  It was only December 9th! I was there just a few days before and it looked like a big box store full of sparkle.   We had time and ma had the energy so we ventured over to Michael’s where they had a well stocked store full of greenery to choose from.  I don’t know if we just got lucky or what but everything was a super sale.  My mom is in her late 80’s and is very particular and it sometimes takes her a while to make decisions.  This wreath that she wanted was to hang outside of the second floor of her house so it had to be a certain size.  We roamed the isles and found the perfect basic plain wreath.  We decided it shouldn’t be too hard to decorate it with some ribbons and bows.  The woman at the floral counter heard us talking about how we have never decorated a wreath before and weren’t sure what to put on it.  She stepped right in and basically gave us a quick lesson in wreath decorating that was so simple we were like, duhhh.

This was a successful shopping trip.  On the way home ma asked if she could see the inside of Diamond Antiques where I have my space full of tea and gifts.  Mom had not been inside of that building in many years and when she walked through the doors, she could not get over how much it had changed since it was a wall paper store.  It is truly a wonderful space and it has so much to see. Mom talked about memories of her youth as she looked and touched odds and ends of knick knacks, antiques and jewelry.  She walks slow and with a cane but we covered every inch of that place including the steps to the loft.  She always says, “Vicki, walk behind me in case I lose my balance”.  (I do as I’m told, even at my age)  I always have a vision of us both going down like a couple of bowling pins should the unthinkable happen.

I have to say, that afternoon of holiday shopping with my mom while she was feeling really good was one of the best Christmas gifts I could hope for.  The second best gift will be if I don’t have to return all of her purchases;-)

Diamond Antiques is open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10-5.  Sunday’s from 12-5.  Extended holiday shopping hours are on Thursday when the hours are 10-7.

The Stillroom in Saxonburg is ready to go, I have not been able to get out there yet.  I’m working on it.

I remember being in elementary school during the holiday season.  From Halloween to Christmas, those last few months of the year brought so much excitement!  The very thought of a party at school was all consuming.  The costumes, the candy, the parade around the block…it was so much fun.  Then came Thanksgiving.  Drawing the traditional hand turkey in art class always set the stage for what was to come.  Singing Over the River with the class before the final bell rang to dismiss hundreds of running, laughing kids was the best.  I remember living in Baltimore during the 90’s and driving home for Thanksgiving with that very same rush of childhood excitement at the thought of walking into my parents house and seeing the big roaster full of broken up pieces of bread waiting to be turned into stuffing the next morning.   I still sing Over the River even though we are not traversing rugged terrain and snow and cold by horse and buggy.  Now, we go two blocks to my sister’s house where we are still gathering with our parents and brothers and sisters and husbands and wives and the roast beast.

Light Up Night in Saxonburg is this coming Friday and I will be open at the State Street location for a bit.  The parade starts at 7 and I will be on Main Street watching it this year.  Join me at The Stillroom on State around 7:30 for a visit if you get a minute!  I’ll be hanging out until about 9.  Follow the luminaria, they will light the way to my door.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support and remember to shop small.  It is a good thing.