Decorative & Functional

Yesterday we received in decorative book boxes that open up for storage They have beautiful covers and from the binding side they look just like wonderful big books on a book shelf.

They come in sets of three but we sell them separately.

They all open up and can be used to store treasures. A customer today said she thought it would be great place to hide all her gardening receipts...

One more cute thing that is also decorative and functional are these great perfume bottles with crown stoppers...my favorite!

It's not all Glamorous

Today we received in two pallets full of new product. The delivery man came in to notify us of the shipment and because the pallets are so big we have them dropped off on the sidewalk. Jill and I grabbed our box cutters and headed out to tackle the pile of boxes. It takes a couple of hours but we finally opened everything and brought it into the store. People always walk by and think we are having so much fun and it must be just like Christmas... We do have fun opening all the boxes and finding great new items but it's also hard work. It's a dirty job but Jill still looks cute!

Charming Snohomish

Snohomish is a small town full of charm. We have many historic Victorian homes located in neighborhoods which are just a block away from our store on 1st Street. Joyworks is in the heart of the historic district and we love our location being right across from the big clock and the gazebo which overlooks the river.

Next year the town of Snohomish will celebrate it's 150th anniversary!

Jane Vitulli from Aunt Jayne's photography has taken these lovely pictures and made them in to posters and greeting cards. We sell the posters for $20.00 and the cards for $4.99.

The Painted Chairs

Just like old times Dean and I spray painted chairs today under the apple tree. We forgot how much fun it was... Dean got stung by a bee and we both got a little goofy from the fumes... But I do love having colorful chairs at the store because they really add charm to the displays.

Pretty Pendants

Years ago I used to make this pendants with country stitched images...today I decided to update these cute frames and mix them with vintage jewelry.

Garden Tour

On Sunday July 27th the Snohomish Garden Club is having their annual garden tour. The Snohomish garden community is well known for their beautiful and creative gardens. I'm sure this years tour will not be disappointing.

Hey Girlfriend

In our counter case we have these cute compact mirrors,card cases,and pill boxes. There is something for everybody with a nice variety of images and sayings.They make fabulous girlfriend gifts and retail for $15.99 including the matching box.

Fancy Tags

Tags have become popular over the last few years. It's a great way to decorate a gift or to use in place of a card. At Joyworks we carry many cute tags...here are some of them:

I also thought it would be fun to make some tonight. Over the years I have collected so many great vintage items as well as new to make tags with...wallpaper,playing cards,wrapping paper,stamps,stickers,ribbon,postcards,and glitter. Here are the ones I made:

Berry Good!

Today Jill brought in fresh raspberries and blueberries that she picked from her garden...my favorite. At Joyworks we carry may varieties of fake fruit which looks real and is fun to decorate with but doesn't taste very good...:) We have grapes,strawberries,cherries,raspberries,apples,pears,and peaches.

Home Decor & More

At Joyworks we always get asked, "What's downstairs?" There is so much great stuff downstairs that I hate customers to miss it. Our regular customers love to go down to our lower level because it is so fun. We have many rooms set up by color and theme. Here are a few of our displays...

Cupcake Club

Today we celebrated Amy's birthday at the country club around the pool--very fun! At Joyworks we love theme parties and today our theme was cupcakes...Cupcake cards, cupcake wrapping paper, custom cupcake apron made by Kay,yummy cupcakes made by Jill,
and even a cupcake painting.
(You can find the darling cupcake fabric at Joyworks for $13.99 a yard)

Beach Walk

My husband and I went to Carceek Park today to take a long walk on the beach. This park is so beautiful and it always amazes me that you can feel like you're alone on the beach in Seattle on a sunny Sunday afternoon. I love to look for beach glass and today my pockets were full!

Kla Ha Ya Days

This weekend is Kla Ha Ya Days in Snohomish. First street is closed for fun small town activities for kids and adults. In front of our store was the watermelon eating contest and cherry pit spitting contest. My pictures didn't turn out but the kids were very cute.

The mascot of Kla Ha Ya Days is a frog... here are some of the frogs that found their way into Joyworks after the frog jumping contest.

Coffee Talk

Every morning in the summer I like to make an iced coffee with cream to take to work. A great way to start the day! Today I think I'll need another one to get me through the afternoon...:)

Shells and Pails

Sea shells and vintage sand pails that's what my collections are made of. I love to collect anything beach related...and dream of the day I can decorate my own beach cottage. At Joyworks we carry many shells and beach items ...I'm always looking for vintage or vintage inspired beach merchandise for our store.

Project Runway!

Tonight was the first night of the new summer season of Project Runway...I love that show! A few years ago I designed a skirt out this vintage pillowcase. Just open an end, slip in,make a bow, and go. Maybe I should apply for next season...imagine what I could come up with if I had to make an outfit out of merchandise from a grocery store.

Summertime Fun!

Decorate with cherries,red geraniums, and polka dots...

Cherries

We have a big cherry tree in our backyard...most of the cherries are in branches way up high but I can always manage to get a hand full.

I Heart Auctions!

Today I was on the way to the dump to recycle a jeep full of boxes when I saw a sign for a live auction at Hanson Brothers Tranfer Storage. I thought I would check it out and it turned out to be great fun. The auction had been going on for quite a few hours so most of the furniture had already been sold but they were going through packing boxes. They would take a few key items out of the box and then you would bid on the whole box. I got a number just in case something interesting came up because boxes were going for $1.00 to $5.00. After about ten minutes,a large box of stuffed animals came up...my favorite. But to our surprise there were two chandeliers in the bottom of the box...my heart started beating rapidly! I started with $5.00 hoping nobody would bid against me but they did....but I still won for $40.00...Yippee!!
I was so excited that I forgot that my jeep was too full and there was no way I could get the box home. The ladies at the auction were so nice and said that I could pay and come back for my box. So I went to the dump and came back and stayed for two more hours. Then I bought this gigantic funky gold-I'm pretending it's French- headboard for $1.00 and realized it was too big to fit in the jeep...but it was only a dollar! So I had to call my husband to come to the rescue and help me put it on the top of the jeep...my hero! I did come home with a green cabinet for $1.00,a big gold mirror for $3.00, and a vintage Christmas church for $1.00. What fun...I can't wait until the next auction where I will be going earlier because I know I missed out on some very good deals! They said they would e-mail me the date of the next auction and I will share that date with you.
--on the way home I filled up a large garbage bag full of those lovely stuffed animals and dropped them off a St Vincent De Paul. :)

Lazy Daisy Days

I'm just hanging out this morning...drinking coffee and being lazy... My garden is full of daisies and I thought I would play with them for awhile before my I begin my day.