Christmas?

Whew!! Is Christmas over? Is it just me or did it seem to go so fast this year? Fast or not, we sure enjoyed it and all of you who visited us during the season. I hope everyone loved the gifts you gave and I hope even more you loved giving them. I'd love to hear a story or two if anyone has one...just leave a comment.


If there were any Christmas items you missed or want to gather up a few great treasures for next year, come take advantage of the After Christmas sale….most at 40% off. Help us make room for the fun things coming in. Here’s a peak at the new card line that I think is fantastic! Great inspiring words for the New Year.

this one is on my fridge

true! true! true!

Cocktail Bling

Oooh laaa laaaahhh!  Aren't these pretty?  What a great way to add some dazzle to your holiday look. Feminine, funky, and chic .....our favorite Shanty adjectives.  Give this to someone special and we'll wrap it up in a sweet little box!

Great Appetizer!

Okay, two food blogs in a row, I know!  I can't help it, though, because I have to share this!  Rushelle and I are part of a great cooking club that meets once a month.  She was in charge of the appetizer this week and was looking for something simple AND impressive ... hard to find.  Well, she did it! She found this recipe on the Food&Wine website, so you know it has to be good.

It calls for Fig Jam, and guess what?  We have the delicious Fig Butter from Stonewall at the Shanty ... it was perfect!  I would recommend this for any entertaining you may be doing this holiday season.  Click here for the full recipe.  Enjoy!!

Make Cake

Melissa Gray is a National Public Radio (NPR) employee and  author of a brand new cookbook, All Cakes Considered.  Since noboby looks forward to the start of the work week, Melissa had the great idea to bake a cake every Monday for her co-workers.

Her mama used to say “cake brings people together.” She wasn’t a pro, she just wanted to make cake. So she tried many recipes, from her grandma's to Paula Deen’s. After a year of  tweaking and perfecting, she put the company's favorites in this book.

Wouldn't this be a great gift?...add one of our cute vintage style aprons with this and someone is going to squeel with delight!

I loved the cover so much I took it home just to make my kitchen look cool. Instead something else happened…. I don’t know if it was because the kids were being perfect, the house had miraculously stayed clean from the day before or my head was, for the moment, clear of all the “to-dos.” But I decided MAKE CAKE!

After choosing the recipe on page 122, Paula Deen’s Grandgirl’s Apple Fresh Apple Cake from Georgia, I got Caden and Norah in their aprons, my Kitchen Aid Mixer out of the closet (dusted it off) and we got busy. We were measuring, chopping, mixing, and giggling.  It was so much fun!

When David came home the house smelled delicious, the kids were happy….and there was a beautiful cake sitting on the counter.  If he didn’t see the kids he probably would have thought he was at the wrong house.

It was the perfect day!

I have since made this cake three times: Thanksgiving, Black Friday at the Shanty and for a friend. It is so so good. It's rustic looking, yet insanely moist. Everyone loves it and wants the recipe. Click here to get it, or come get the whole book and see how many other great recipes there are. I think I am going to try "The Man Catcher Sour Cream Pound Cake" next….not because I need to catch my husband....but boy, if he liked the Apple Cake……..

Moral of this Blog? Go go make cake!! Cake makes people happy!!

Freakin Cute Jeans!

I love Jeans! I love our Jeans!  So I am always excited to get in new pairs. We got 2 new styles in today and I am ESTATIC…that’s a fancy word for HAPPY (Norah has me reading a lot of Fancy Nancy lately). I am showing them below but want to disclaim my pictures a bit. I am working on my photo skills….send any helpful hints my way.

This first style is a skinny jean. They have the coolest back pockets and are super soft with a great med wash. Put some boots on and your ready for one of those kickin’ it days or getting your list of holiday errands done. Put your heels on and add a top with a dash of sequin, sparkle or ruffle and your ready for some holiday mingling. Cool @ $68.95

This second style is a trouser jean (picture does not do it justice…you’ll have to take my word). I am wearing them as we speak. The wash is darker and the fabric is a lighter weight so they are great for work or dressing up. The pockets have a simple yet interesting detail making it easy to wear with tops that go over them (no bulkiness). Lastly and my favorite is they are flared just right to make even short legs look like runway legs. This pair is just perfectly perfect @$68.95

Again, apologies for my picts...the inseams on both styes are 33.5 inches not as short as they appear.

We can ship. Contact us if you’re interested in these or anything else you happen upon on our blog.

Congrads are in order

Congratulations to Casey Schultz! She won the Black Friday Gift Basket…..and they said they never win anything. Thanks to all of you who stopped by and to those of you who entered on our blog. Makes me think maybe we should do a monthly blog giveaway? Yes I like that idea…stay tuned.

After Thanksgiving Giveaway...you just have to stop in!

Are you going to do the crazy morning, bargin grabbin, donut eating day? Yikes!! I know there is no stopping you if you are.
I of course will be hanging at the Shanty serving tasty treats and yummy drinks. Whether you are doing crazy day or relaxing day be sure to stop in and say "hi". Just by visiting you'll be entered into a drawing for this fabulous basket of things I know you will love!

...speaking of bargain grabbin....we have a lot of great gifts under $20...and great stocking stuffers under $10....change your mind yet?

Oh…and one more thing, just for checking on us at our blog site, you can be entered too. Just leave a comment below and be sure to include your contact info IN the comment so I can reach you if you’re the lucky one.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Trellis Open House

I had the most fun Friday. My dear friend Jen, (I’ll write so much more about her later) along with Darcee, Sonia, Judy and Connie, own a great shop in the Spokane Valley called the Trellis MarketPlace. The gals each have individual businesses within the Trellis and each fills a niche from Chic to Traditional home decor, Garden to Kitchen, Stationary to Jewelry and even Children’s .

They were having their annual Christmas Open House on Friday and Saturday, and had closed down for three days to get ready for it. WOW did it look great! Friday I went to help out…and shop.

Jen owns Robin Egg Blu, which is gorgeous…..it is French Country, it is feminine, it is soft…..oooo it is so magical.

Could this not be a postcard?

Robin Egg Blu carries Lollitta exclusively

Jen makes these bottles...they are beautiful

Jen also owns Nest...the kitchen shoppe.....yummy samples

this wise ol owl has a new home....my bookcase

wish I had these when my sweet Norah was itty bitty

If you have not been to the Trellis yet be sure to check it out...and Thank You ladies for leting me hang out with you!

WLTGO Lucky Winners!!

The Seven Shoppes got together to draw the names of the Who Let the Girls Out Winners. Drum Roll please…..

Shanty Basket / Lori Boxleitner
Floral Expressions/ Nia Patton
Kitchen Shoppe /Linda Sinclair
Just Because/ Mike Warnoch …yes a guy….he deserves it for pal ‘in around with his wife
My Sisters Cottage / Diana Fox
Into the Garden and Up to the Lake /Deanne Wright
And finally…the grand prize!….a room makeover from Rivers Edge Treasures

Marcee Oster

Congratulations to all of you!!

Thank You Ladies...What a Day....What a Week!!

Whew! We did it! The third Who Let the Girls Out was a great success!

I have to take you back a bit to give you the inside scoop to our Mad Dash to open. Earlier that week we started the huge task of re-doing the store.

I had two new display fixture I had found and love!! One was an old chicken coop I rescued from a neighbors farm that my husband cleaned up and put casters on. The other is a old scaffolding table I think...cool... and industrial, that I purchased at Rivers Edge Treasures (one of the WLTGO shops) We also had tons of new merchandise to put out. Christmas (so excited), Childrens, Accessories and much more.

For three days Rushelle and I worked very long hours to get it all out...we were bound and determined for Saturday morning before opening to be relaxing, not rushed,...ahhh so much for good intentions. Friday night I made a call to my cousin Tif and my dear friend, graphic designer, mastermind of all Shanty’s art, Megan, who were planning on coming and doing the event...”Help I said! Please come early and help us open....we still have stuff everywhere” “why of course they say”.

So Saturday morning, I’m still putting up Christmas with rollers in my hair. I have Megan, Tiffany, Mackenzie and Rushelle and they are doing everything else....getting food ready, cleaning up after me, tieing bags and running to the store for last minute things. Okay, so in the past WLTGO the first hour people trickle. This is what happened at nine...We yelled it’s time...I stuffed leftover stuff in boxes...Everyone is grabbing anything left on the floor.....someone yells “Maggie your rollers!” Yikes!...and we are OPEN! Cars began pulling up instantly. I went out to my car to finish putting on my makeup and decompress for a minute. As I sat there and watched car after car pull up I knew this was going to bigger than the previous two......

When I walked back in we were in full swing. Many people had made us there first stop because we have our coffee cafe were we serve awesome espresso drinks...or could it have been they knew we were serving Shanty’s Signature Mimosas (sparkling wine, OJ and pomegranate seeds) and Ooey, gooey treats made by my friend Pam Waco, especially known for her Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting. Whatever the reason...the action continued the whole day.

Popular Items of the Day

One-of-A-Kind Mittens and Scarves upcycled from old sweaters

Great gift for anyone...$19.95

we have little mini ones for toddlers...$9.95

Twisted Silver Jewelry

My FAVORITE. Once you buy one piece your hooked!

Sock Monkeys

aren't they cute?

We sold out of them but look at the cute Sock Monkey Kit, you can make your own with the original brown sock....brings back memories.

We met so many new people, and were thrilled that so many of our Shanty friends brought groups with them to share in the good times. I’m so thankful to all of you. We had so much fun with you. We sure hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! I would love to hear any comments or suggestions so we can continue to make Who Let the Girls Out all about YOU!

I cannot sign off without a big shout out of thanks to Rushelle, Melanie, and Makenzie, my dear employees and more importantly friends. Thanks to my “employees for the day” Megan, Tiffany, and my mom Kay for helping out so much. I couldn’t do this without you guys!

Mackenzie, Rushelle and Melanie

Tiffany, Me and Megan

Hope to see you all in May...the next Who Let the Girls Out.

If you want to hear more about the event or see more pictures, go to Megan's awsome blog at http://www.studiompdx.blogspot.com/. She's good!

Grab your Passports!!

5 days and counting until Who Let the Girls Out!!  Our third WLTGO is Sat the 7th and starts at 9:00. This is actually when it all began last year.

The Seven Shoppes had an idea to show how banded together we could  make for a well rounded great shoppping expierence for our amazing local community and as a destination spot. We had no idea however that the event would have the turnout it did and how much fun it would be.  I remember getting in my car for just a minute to take it all in. I drove around town....cars we're full of  laughing women usually in multiples (it was definetly a bring your friends event) everywhere. Our town was hopin...I was so proud of our community.

Everyone kept asking "when are you going to do this again?" We thought how could we say next year when that seemed so far away...so we decided we'll do it again in the spring!! With some expierence behind us and more help in the stores we had another great Spring WLTGO.

So here we are! November 7th it happens again.  Some things remain the same...good food and drinks at every store, lots of laughter, all the stores have there best of the best out...Christmas makes it debut. You still grab your passport at your first stop, visit every store and have it punched then turn it in for a fabulous prize. What IS different this time there will be 7 drawings instead of 1. Each of the Seven Shoppes is putting together a  prize from their store. Now I think all the prizes will be pretty great but here is one that I think is extra extra cool. Rivers Edge Treasures prize is going to be a room make over!! They come in and take what you have...even if its something hidden from your garage and renovate your whole room. I just had it done at my house and it was amazing...(thats for a whole other blog...stay tuned)

Gather your friends, jump in the car, and come get your passport to Fabulous Fun!! See you Soon!

Trailer Trash Tees

I love this T-Shirt! I had it at MadHatter and it sold out! I am finally getting more just in time for Who Let The Girls Out November 7th.

$36.95 Order yours today!!

I wish I had a camera attached to my hip!!

Our Autumn Party was a hit!! Thanks to all who came and joined the fun.

Once again I forgot to take pictures....I did it at our Anniversary party too (you didn't get to see the 200 hot pink mini cupcakes that Melanie worked on all night...they were adorable).

Will someone remind me at .....Who Let the Girls Out ? TAKE PICTURES!!!

Mad Hatter

We did it! our first time as a vendor at a vintage show. I've gone to many...but I've never been on the other side. We couldn't have picked a better show than the Madhatter put on by Celia and Gladys of JuneBugs. They didn't miss a detail. It was charming, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was full of energy.

We met a lot of awesome gals and saw some of our Shanty friends there too! Here are some photos, link onto JuneBugs to see more!

Getting Ready For the Autumn Open House

It's almost time!! The Autumn open house is Saturday and we are very excited. UPS is bringing us new items everyday! It's a new season at the Shanty. We have Big Buddha Purses, Pick Up Sticks Jewelry, scarves, the cutest kids hats you've ever seen, and more Naughty Betty stationary...those cards that crack us up!!...and that's just getting us started! It's supposed to be a beautiful day so hopefully we'll be able to enjoy the backyard. Have you had a chance to sip a glass of wine and sit in

our swing? It's great. We'll see you soon!

A Chill is in the Air

Brrrr.....the mornings are definetly shouting Autumn!!! Time to start looking for the perfect coat to keep you toasty warm AND looking fabulous.

Must Haves

1) Everyone needs a good basic...black, brown or grey coat... classy, yet doesn't take away from the cool outfit underneath

2) You also need a coat that IS the outfit...that's the fun one! Check these out...

Farm House Chutney....Yummz!

This is the Farm House Chutney recipe we will be serving at the Autumn Open House. It is delicious!!

2-8 ounce pkg. cream cheese softened
3 TBL curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 jar Old Farmhouse Chutney ( Grab it at Shanty)
2 bunches scallions sliced
10 strips of bacon, cooked and drained well and crumbled(or good bacon bits)
1/4 cup finely chopped smoked almonds

1. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, curry powder, and salt. Stir till thoroughly mixed.
2. Spread cheese mixture on bottom of quiche dish.
3. Puree the chutney in a food processor. Spread on top of the cheese mixture.
4. Spread the scallions over chutney. Sprinkle the bacon and almonds on top.
5. Serve w/wheat crackers, melba toast, pita chips.

NOTE** This recipe is the pretty version. At the party I mixed it all together.

If you go to http://www.stonewallkitchen.com/ you can look up the recipes by the product name. They are really good. I love having things like this around for last minute entertaining!

Stonewall items we carry at the moment are:
Fig & Walnut Butter
Roasted Garlic Jam (spread on Boboli Pizza and top w/Gorgonzola Cheese, then broil, Easy!)
Orange Cranberry Marmalade ,
Old Farmhouse Chutney

Fall Is Falling onto the Shanty

We've been getting so many great things in to cozy up your home for fall. Here is a little tour around the store....just a little.....

Archipelago Candle Paramour, a blend of pomegranate, papaya and Mango, smells sooooo good!

I love this bird cage! I think it would be a great table center piece and can be changed for different seasons. Imagine white pumpkins in it for fall, and vintage antique glass ornaments for Christmas.

Numbered ANYTHING is the trend in home decor right now. These votives are so cool. You can grab a random number that speaks to you or pick one that means something...like a special date.

See...numbers again!! Your address maybe? Put these on your windowsill with some Rosemary.

We have new styles of aprons just right for making that big pot of soup...yummmmm!