The Stillroom

“In October, a maple tree before your window lights up your room like a great lamp.  Even on cloudy days, its presence helps to dispel the gloom”. – J. Burroughs

I think I have to agree with that quote.

SEPTEMBER~

was full of activities and the one that vendors at  Diamond Antiques love the most is the annual Antique Appraisal Fair.    This annual event is always so well received and fun!  Last year we had a woman that came in with a picture that was valued in the thousands!  No one hit pay dirt this year but that’s ok.  It is an educational experience that is enjoyed by many inquisitive folks that share a love of the history of “stuffs”.

OCTOBER~

It’s dessert tea, weather! Stash dessert teas are here and they are terrific for those chilly autumn evenings that will be upon us sooner than I’d like to think.

The most popular dessert teas are by far the fall flavors, particularly pumpkin. I remember when pumpkin tea was first introduced around 2008 or so.  It was so exciting for pumpkin fans.  Kind of like the year we discovered oreo ice cream at Swensen’s at the Inner Harbor back in 1982.  What a concept!

Something I noticed this year is how anything pumpkin is no longer really original.  We have been swamped with everything from pumpkin corn chips to pumpkin yogurt to pumpkin spa treatments.   At the end of the day, it’s really all about the spice that makes up the flavor of pumpkin and you either love it or hate it.  I happen to love it.  A warm blend of spices makes up the flavor that is referred to as pumpkin.  The Stillroom dessert teas are a treat.  We have pumpkin, chai, double chai, holiday chai, chocolate hazelnut, vanilla nut creme,   chocolate orange, chocolate chocolate, vanilla chai and more!  What makes it a dessert tea, you ask?  Add a touch of sweet along with a dab of whole milk and you will have a most delightful dessert in a cup.

The Stillroom Gift & Tea shop located right inside the door of Diamond Antiques & Gifts and is full of cool gifts, oils, herbs and assorted, unusual candy treats and is dotted with a few antiques and collectibles.  In stock now are essential lavender and peppermint oil.  We have fragrant dried patchouli, organic culinary lavender along with recipe cards and the subtle, beautiful naturally scented oakmoss.  Organic catnip toys which are made in the workshop, are ready for your kitty to play with too!  Violet candy, sanded clove drops, choco rocks with recipe card for a chocolate martini, green tea latte candy and natural horehound throat drops are here in addition to honey sticks, local honey bears and rock candy crystals to sweeten your tea or add to a gift basket.  Nutmeg graters come with nutmeg and are here for all of the baking we will be doing soon.  Crystalized ginger just came in and is on the shelf now. Crystalized ginger may be used in baking or you can nibble on a piece for a tummy upset.  Look for our Sunny Ginger tea too!

The Stillroom carries a limited variety of Harney & Sons loose teas.  The most popular is the Paris and you have to taste this to believe just how delicious it is.   We have African Autumn, rose scented, blooming tea pods as well as chocolate.  They are all top notch!

Come in and star gaze at The Stillroom!  Beautiful punched tin stars (with fresh batteries) are lighting the way as we start to watch the sun go down earlier as the days roll by.  These are so pretty and make a beautiful decorative statement any time of year.  Beautiful handcrafted lighted paper stars just arrived and will be hanging around the shop in the coming weeks.  These stars shoot in from Hawaii and are just so unique you must come in and have a look.

The Stillroom Gift & Tea Shop is celebrating 15 years in business this fall!  I’d like to say “thank you” to 15 years worth of shoppers who have graced my space in the world.   Nothing like a good cup of tea to bring people together.  Tea has been given as gifts for birthdays and as hostess gifts for the holidays.  Tea has been taken for fluee funks and tummy gunks and most important, tea is taken to feel comfort.

“Herbs do comfort the weary brain with fragrant smells which yield a certain kind of nourishment” – William Coles 1856

My favorite quote.

Diamond Antiques and Gifts is located in the riverside borough of Tarentum, which is located just north of the city of Pittsburgh.  Diamond Antiques and Gifts at 311 E. Sixth Avenue offers a fabulous  array of beautiful furniture. Some is locally handcrafted and let me tell you, these pieces do not last.  If you are looking for repurposed original designs, look no further.  These handcrafted furnishings are worthy heirloom quality pieces.  Diamond Antiques and Gifts carries antique, mid century, rustic, primitive, vintage and the ever dependable and always stylish shabby chic.

You could easily come in here and furnish a living space that looks like it popped right out of a decorating magazine!  Our vendors take great care in searching, prepping and displaying some of the most beautiful and original furnishings that you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the greater Pittsburgh area.  From the kitchen to the backyard, it’s no wonder Diamond Antiques has been awarded the best place for antiques in the area six years in a row!  That really says a lot about the care and pride our vendors take in presenting the best in furnishings, decorating and service.

Come in and check out the newest co op members Antique & Chic.  Their space in the shop is beautiful so come in and see what awesome furnishing they have to offer.

NOVEMBER~

OUR OPEN HOUSE WILL BE HAPPENING WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 8th from 5-9.  This annual event is THE event of the season! Discounts, Chinese Auction, Wine Tasting and more!  The Stillroom will be featuring fresh baked cookies from Koski’s Corner so be sure to grab a sample cookie and keep the lovely Darnica in mind when you need a cookie tray for the upcoming holiday season!  Kosky’s is located right smack up against Diamond Antiques and The Stillroom.  Insert smiley face here.

Diamond Antiques will be closed during the day Wednesday, November 8th so we can transform our beautiful 100 year old building into a holiday wonderland.  Join us for the comforting sense of community at Diamond Antiques and Gifts  starting at 5 p.m.

You can shop on eBay and Amazon if you want to and get stuff, but what you don’t get is us!  We are a great group of collectors, pickers and hobbyists that are always happy to help you find just what you are looking for to help you create your vision and space.  It’s all about you!

In the meantime,  enjoy the harvest days that are sure to grace us before fall and winter fully sets in.  When the days grow chillier, that’s the time for dessert tea after a fine meal.

Blessings