A Seasonal Re-Arrange

Summer is coming and what a great time to refresh your home and ready it for the season ahead!  Bella Vita just went through a refresh of sorts as my husband & I spent last week re-arranging the shop.  It was quite a task this go 'round for some reason, but when it was all said and done it does feel good to have a fresh new look.  You might be wondering why the re-arrange now when it seems like we just arrived at our new digs.  Well, in all honesty when we moved our shop into our new space we worked really hard to get our doors open as soon as possible.  So for our regular customers out there, the new space probably felt very similar to our old space in Kittredge.  But after "living" here for a few months, it really felt like it was time for a new look, a new perspective, and so the plans for the re-arrange began!  Ironically, the original plan which was to re-arrange everything over a weekend and have it all in place by Monday morning came to a screeching halt when we walked in to the shop last Monday morning.  We had spent the weekend re-arranging, and there were parts of the re-arrange that seemed okay, but the overall flow just didn't feel right.  So much to my husband (and my) chagrin, early Monday morning we started moving shelves, tables, the bed, everything again, and yet again!  Our poor customers who decided to pop in that day were welcomed by big shelves in the middle of the room and product literally everywhere - what a mess!  But by the end of the day we had achieved a place of rest.  We were exhausted and completely tired of moving shelves from wall to wall, so we landed where we did and we feel like it is a good landing - at least for now and for this season! 

Perhaps you are feeling an urge to refresh or re-arrange your home as this summer approaches.  Although it may not sound like I would be such an advocate from my experiences last week, I say go for it!  A seasonal refresh is always a good thing and helps you celebrate the beauty of the new season.  It doesn't have to be a complete overhaul either.  Maybe it's just adding throw pillows in a seasonal color, new bedding or just new pillow shams, switching out dining chairs, or adding a new runner to the table.  Maybe it is even as simple as a candle or linen spray that brings to mind favorite vacations or memories of the season.  Find what inspires you about the season ahead and then however big or small, surround yourself with the celebration and beauty of summer!

Mom's Garden of Goodies

If you get a chance to stop by this Saturday (May 7) for our Annual Mother's Day Open House, then you have to be sure to check out our "Mom's Garden of Goodies".  What in the world am I talking about??  Well, I have set up a table in our shop filled with goodies that would be a beautiful treat for mom (because it's Mother's Day or just because!) or that would be a beautiful treat for you or maybe a friend too.  This "garden" table is set up with flower pots of soaps, garden wagons of yummy bath powder, and trails of sugar scrubs, body butters, and candles too! 

These goodies have been marked down and the rest of the goodies on the table that aren't already marked down are 50% off. These are really great deals on really great products that will be just too hard to pass up!  So, stop by if you can, peruse the "garden" table, and stock up on some yummy treats!  Think verbena, lavender, jasmine, gardenia....I am suddenly feeling inspired to start gardening!

Save the Date!

Shiny Happy Appliances

Okay, so one of the "rules" of operation at Bella Vita is that we really do try to try most everything we carry in our little shop so that we can actually speak about our products from our own personal experience.  Most things that I bring home, I am anxious to unwrap and try immediately.  However, I have to admit that when I brought home a bottle of Caldrea Stainless Steel Spray I did not for whatever reason exactly jump on the testing of it.  Instead, I placed it lovingly on a counter shelf where I could admire the bright green label and be reminded almost daily that I really should pick it up and actually try it.  But, I was always quick to tell myself that I had no time or that other things were more pressing.  

{Caldrea Stainless Steel Spray in Ginger Pomelo}



I'm not sure why I was so lax in trying this particular product because I am a HUGE fan of Caldrea's Countertop Cleanser!  You would think then that I would jump on the immediacy of trying another yummy smelling earth-friendly cleaner that actually works.  And the worst part of my procrastination was that my stainless steel appliances were screaming out to me with a massive need for some kind of cleaning, if even a little testing.  While my bright bottle of Stainless Steel Spray sat in its place on the counter shelf, I kept (as sad as it is to say) neglecting the pleads from my dishwasher & refrigerator (the ones in MOST need of a little shine).  However, push finally came to shove when I was assigned as a hostess to an upcoming planning meeting which was happening in exactly 2 days.  People were going to be in my home and since most planning meetings require food and my kitchen is the obvious stage for any food display indulgences, I was FORCED to finally pick up my bottle and give it a whirl (or spray).  I decided to start with the fridge.  So I sprayed, wiped with a clean cloth, and repeated this action a few times.  I stepped away from my fridge to see if I could see any difference, and I was completely amazed!  It was like a heavenly light was shining down upon the "test" area, the angels had begun to sing, and I was in complete awe.  Suddenly, I wanted all my surroundings to be stainless steel just so I could keep using this cleaner and witnessing this amazing transformation.  I know, it sounds like I am being way too animated about a cleaning product, but I had truly never had such an easy experience with such outstanding results.  I grabbed my camera & tried to capture this phenomenal transformation, but being the amateur photographer that I am, it's possible that you might not quite get it, but hopefully you can see a little bit of what I was trying to capture... 



{My fridge 'before' - can you see the smudges?}



{My fridge 'after' - all shiny & happy}

{My dishwasher 'before' - really grimy - can you see it?}

{My dishwasher 'after' - all shiny & happy - what a difference!}

I have tried stainless steel cleaners in the past that were okay at best, which may be why I was so reluctant to try this one, but this absolutely blew my mind and turned me into a huge fan of cleaning my appliances.  Is it wrong (or just plain sick) to purposely smudge the appliances just to have a reason to clean them again?  Regardless, I am now a huge advocate for this cleaner especially if you have stainless steel appliances that you actually use and that end up with water drips, grubby hand marks, or whatever else gets slung around your kitchen.  It is really so very easy to use, the results are immediate, and it leaves my kitchen smelling absolutely divine!  Oh, and the most important benefit - I have shiny, happy, appliances!