Thursday, January 10, 2013

Beautifully Organized

Welcome to the New Year!  If you are like me, you look at each new year with a feeling and a hope for new starts, new opportunities, & new perspectives.  And, it is inevitable that with a start of each new year, I get an overwhelming urge to clean out and get organized.  Quite frankly, the urge to do that comes up often throughout the year - perhaps because I always lose my momentum at the beginning of the year.  However, I really do feel like this year is the year for me to SIMPLIFY.  I am trying to approach every area of my life with this concept, and we will just have to see how that goes.  In the meantime, the task of getting organized for me goes hand in hand with my desire to simplify.  And there are just so many beautiful ways to get all of that stuff that looms in corners, in piles on counters & desktops, in closets, & in drawers, cleaned out and the necessities into beautiful containers that will motivate me to KEEP it organized.

Urban Farmhouse style Glass jars hobnail glass chalkboard tags Bella Vita
 
I think jars are just fabulous for containing & organizing!  You can see what you need to see but there is something about putting rubber bands in a jar instead of throwing them into a drawer that makes me want to keep all the rubber bands where they belong - in the jar!  Think about jars of all shapes & sizes for the unexpected storage like rubber bands, paper clips, thumb tacks, clothespins, chalk, pencils, & binder clips. 

Urban farmhouse style Wire Magazine Holders Glass Bottles Bella Vita
 
Wire baskets are also favorites for me too.  I am a hoarder (yes, I just admitted that!) of beautiful magazines - so what better way to keep them & to enjoy them but in a lovely magazine holder such as the wire one above.  

And, you don't always want the world to see all the stuff that is laying around that needs a home, which is where just regular baskets (the non-wire ones) come in handy.  Baskets of all kinds are just super great for collecting mail, toys, blankets, towels, & even extra toilet paper rolls.  

So, get creative this year with your organization.  Find things that you wouldn't typically think of using (like jars for rubber bands) for the things to reside in that you need to keep.  Perhaps the items you need to contain these things in are items you already have around your home.  Start there and see how to pull out those containers that you already have & love and give them a new, beautiful function!

Urban Farmhouse Style Ribbed glass jars wire baskets at Bella Vita

Happy New Year!  Happy Organizing!!




Friday, January 4, 2013

White SALE

It's our Annual White SALE
Jan. 2-31, 2013

White Sale 2013 Banner at Bella Vita

Stop in & take advantage of some great deals on our Turkish Cotton Bath Towels, Organic Cotton Shower Curtains, Robes, & Throws, & even our Table Linens and Pillows are included too.  The SALE is on through the month of January and applies to in-stock items only.

Coyuchi Organic Cotton Shower Curtains at Bella Vita

Turkish Cotton Mesa Bath Towels at Bella Vita

Monday, December 17, 2012

Holiday Dining SALE

Dec. 17-21, 2012
It's our second & last of two Holiday Dining Sales that we are having this season and it's your time to stock up on all the lovely dishes, table linens, & glasses that you could need to make your holiday table simply beautiful!  All of our in-stock dishes (including fall, holiday, & the "Constance" collection), all glasses, table runners, napkins, & placemats (including Kitchen Papers) are on sale starting today through the end of this week.  So hurry in and enjoy some happy holiday savings!
Constance Dinnerware Hen House Linens Kitchen Papers at Bella Vita

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Holiday Gift Guide 2012

Back by popular demand is our Holiday Gift Guide! 

Our Holiday Gift Guide 2012 is a little different in a couple of ways this year...

{1} Each week we will feature a daily selection of gift ideas for all the unique interests of the ones you love
{2} You can see our weekly features & daily selections over on Facebook!

So, pop over, like our page, & check out our selection of gift ideas for all of the folks on your gift list this year...

Lavender Bar Soap & Sugar Scrub Holiday Gift Set at Bella Vita

Friday, November 16, 2012

A Simply Beautiful Thanksgiving Dinner

Holiday Dining SALE
{Nov. 15 - Nov. 21}

It's our first of two Holiday Dining Sales that we are hosting this season and we hope you will take advantage of some great deals with us as you prepare for the Holidays this year with your family & friends.  If you are getting ready to host Thanksgiving Dinner, then let us help you set your table beautifully this year.

Constance Dinnerware Kitchen Papers Hen House Linens at Bella Vita

Our 'Constance Collection' Dinnerware, a simple but beautiful earthenware collection made by hand in Portugal, are the beautiful beginnings of classic table settings.  We have plates, pasta bowls, cereal bowls, & dessert plates in classic white and dessert plates available in Poivre (Pepper), Mastic (Tan), & Verde (Green) that can be mixed in beautifully with the classic white collection.
Constance Dinnerware Kitchen Papers at Bella Vita
Add in a lovely selection of cotton placemats or dinner napkins to add color, texture, & interest.  Or, if you want to forego the laundering of all the linens, choose from our collection of Kitchen Papers Placemats, Cocktail Napkins, & Paper Runners - an elegant yet easy way to entertain a large crowd.
Constance Dinnerware Hen House Linens Tapestry Licorice at Bella Vita

Wishing you a wonderful & very Happy Thanksgiving with your family & friends!


Monday, October 8, 2012

Save the Date - Holiday Open House 2012

Holiday Open House 2012 at Bella Vita

It's coming, coming quickly! 
Our Annual Holiday Open House will be the second weekend of November this year,
so mark it on your calendars & plan to join us, Nov. 9 & 10
We will feature all of our new holiday decor, ornaments, gifts, & more,
so you definitely do not want to miss out this year! 

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Getting Crafty

Okay, I don't really consider myself crafty.  I have tried my hand at scrapbooking & even pottery painting, but have discovered utter failure each time.  However, having this little Bella shop, I most often times have to resort to some sort of crafting.  Window displays are such tricky little things in the retail biz.  It has to be eye-catching, reflective of your goods, & able to tell some kind of story, all of which challenge me greatly on a fairly regular basis.  Lately, I have been noticing on my new addiction Pinterest all of these really amazing flowers, leaves, garlands, wreaths, etc. that are made out of book pages.  I LOVE the look and completely admire that someone came up with this idea!  The book pages add great texture, interest, & simpleness of color to whatever you create.  Being that it is fall & all, I decided to give my un-crafty hand at making branches with book page leaves to complete my fall-themed, leaf-themed window display, and to my ginormous surprise, I think they turned out okay.  I gathered branches from my yard, used old newspaper (I couldn't quite bear to cut out of a book just yet, but I think any old book that you don't love will do), dug out my hot glue gun, & began my crafting.  If I can do it, well, I am completely confident that you can do it too.  Give it a try, get creative, & have fun with it.  Happy crafting!!
Pinterest craft Paper leaf branches Bella Vita
{I just gathered really big branches out of my yard, cost = free! 
Added bonus = saved my sweet husband from having to clean up the branch pile}
Pinterest craft Paper leaf branches Bella Vita
{You can use any leaf shape, just find a template that suits your project. 
I thought about going with maple, or oak, but that seemed a little wrong being
surrounded by aspens so this is my best attempt at duplicating the shape of
 an aspen leaf}
Pinterest craft paper leaf branches Bella Vita
{This is a really bad picture, but it was part of the process, so forgive me for my 
amateur ways.  I re-discovered my hot glue gun, which was a necessity & quite powerful
in adhering these fragile newspaper leaves to these old branches}
Paper leaf branches window display Bella Vita
{And, the finished project....not too bad!}
Paper leaf branches window display Bella Vita