Girls LOVE to Have FUN!

Partying with Willow House is FUN!

Partying with Willow House is FUN!

Sunday Brunch - Sharing LOVE and Appreciation

Recently I was enjoying a lunch date with my my girlfriends when our friend, Becky, shared something that really was a wonderful idea! She said that she and her husband had decided to think every day about why they loved one another. If you know Becky, she's quite a jokester and I knew she had to be kidding, right? She was serious! Okay, I'll give it a whirl. Interestingly, I was just reading the same concept in a wonderful book, "The Compound Effect" (thank you Tricia Smith for the gift of this book). The author shares the story of how he kept a journal of all the things he loved about his wife. At Thanksgiving, he gave her the journal as a token of his love. He shared that the experience of writing this journal made him fall in love all over again with his wife. Okay, so where is this going? Well, I decided a while back to practice this with my sweet man and you know, it was amazing... I realized I had married an incredibly honest (brutally sometimes), dedicated, loyal, and hard-working man who was a great dad too! This past weekend I decided to renew this habit and to celebrate an especially hard week (95 hour work week) and how proud I was of his dedication to his job and making our world a safer place. So, I decided to FEED him delicious food!! Those of you who know us well, know we love to cook and EAT! So I popped on some jazz music and marched out to our crazy garden... my man can grow some tomatoes! I had to literally crawl under the plants to get to the herb garden!

Look how yummy and healthy...While I chopped veggies for omelets, Rob enjoyed the fresh fruit and bloody marys (his recipe of course).
The omelets were "custom-made" to order! Normally my health-conscious partner only eats the egg whites, but we do splurge once a week on something special. So this week it's the whole egg, but filled with fresh veggies, herbs, and 2% cheese! Hint... use the Willow House Tuscan Garlic Dip mix to add a punch of flavor to your egg mixture!!

Everything smells so delicious... I even turned the omelet without making a mess!
Brunch is served alfresco... another gorgeous day in Chicago! So much to be thankful for, including my husband! What a great meal we had together. It's those precious moments from our hectic lives that make life worthwhile! I would highly recommend this habit of keeping a journal or mental notes on your loved one! So, make time to appreciate your loved one and share your love... even if it's on plate!
Tuscan Omelet Recipe:
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup coarsely chopped spinach (optional)
1/4 cup chopped basil (or your favorite herb)
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup shredded cheese (Italian three cheese mix, or swiss, cheddar, again your fav)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Willow House Tuscan Garlic Mix

1. Blend - process eggs and 2 Tbsp of milk in a blender until blended. Melt butter in 8 in nonstick skillet over medium heat; add spinach, herbs, and tomatoes, and saute 1 minute until spinach is wilted. Add salt, pepper, Tuscan garlic mix and egg mixture to skillet.

2. Lift and tilt. As egg mixture firms, flip, add cheese, and enjoy!

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1.03.01

Spring is Coming... I hope!

Here in Chicago, it doesn't feel like Spring quite yet. The temperatures are in the 30s today...brrr! BUT the sun is shining and I get the fever - Spring Fever! I run out to feed the birds and spot a few of my tulips and hyacinths peeking up from the ground!! There is hope...

It's all I need to get a jump start on Easter decorating and planning! (Stay tuned for recipe updates!)
Love that I don't have to invest in tons of plastic stuff I have to store for holidays. By simply adding the color of the season with linens, flowers, and veggies to my Villa collection, I'm good to go!
and I'm in love with these new Willow House Chalkboard markers!!

And my Nola Party Bucket is perfect for a simple Spring Floral in the Sunroom. At least in this spot it feels warm with the sun shining in! I LOVE Spring!

I love that Willow House Pottery is so versatile it can be enjoyed every day! Whether you are serving on them or displaying them, they can add such warmth and personality. And you can mix and match from one collection to the other. The creme of the Villa Collection is the perfect basic piece and can be mixed with The greens of the Verde and Terrace Collections or the reds of the Cinnabar or Portico Collections. Enjoy them every day!

March Madness SALE

Weekly Deals!! Snatch Em Up While You Can!

Get A NEW Spring Look for Less than $40 for a place setting for 4! These plates now $4.96, these vases, now $6.96! Spend $39.96 and get any catalog item $40 or less for 50% off! Like these gorgeous Tuscan Goblets! WOW... LOVE a Bargain? Visit my website at http://michelle.willowhouse.com/Features/FeatureDetail/8457 to check out the bargains, but they won't last long!

Please Join Us

FUN and FRESH Party Themes

Happy Boards

Creating Happy Boards is fun and easy with the Willow House Decorative Card and Photo Display Holder. I love surrounding my children with things that create a sense of happiness, warmth, inspiration and confidence. To create a Happy Board with your family, just click on the link and enjoy!

Welcoming Foyers

Organizing A Gift Wrap Station

Get Organized with Willow House! One area of organization that saves me tons of time is having my gift packaging items organized and easy to move from one location to another. The 3-Tiered Antique French Wire Basket is perfect for holding the French Wire Planters and Amelia beaded bowls filled with ribbons, trims, tags, stickers, tape, pens, scissors, and festive embellishments. The Antique Party Bucket is a perfect place to store gift wrapping paper, gift bags, and tissue. Next time you want to wrap birthday gifts by the fireplace you have everything together to make gift wrapping fun rather than frustrating! Off to wrap gifts for a birthday "Winter Wonderland" party!

Welcome to Willow House

Customize a free scrapbooking design

Think PINK Party for Breast Cancer

Recently I held a fundraiser, "Think PINK Party" for the Susan G Komen Foundation in honor of a friend and neighbor battling breast cancer. You could use this same idea for any Spring Celebration.

Using the Willow House products makes doing a theme party so easy and fun. By simply changing the colors of flowers, linens, and even food, I could incorporate a beautiful theme for this special occasion.
LOVE the new Belle Meade Flatware Caddy and how versatile it can be using either the creme inserts that come with it or by mixing it up with the Nautilus Glass Vases.
Of course, my all time fav, the Gramercy Beverage Server! Fabulous for a grand floral centerpiece.
And the Galveston Step Out Stand... a must-have for entertaining!
The Bistro Candle is a great gift item. $2 for each one we sell goes to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation!
And a tip for the base of the Grramercy Beverage Server Stand... flip it over to use as a cake stand or centerpiece with the Gramercy Ribbon Platter.


And Pink Lemonade looks so inviting on the Kennsington Platter!
A FUN day and all for a GREAT cause! Enjoy your Spring and sharing your home with family and friends!

Winter Wonderland Table Setting

LOVE the Willow House Villa Dinnerware... so versatile! Here I created a winter wonderland tablescape using our pottery and pops of icy blue. Don't you love our Ingleside Luminaries?

Inspiration is Everywhere

Inspiration for decorating (or life for that matter) is everywhere. Take today for instance. I was walking Duke along the lake in our neighborhood and was overcome with a sense of awe at the beauty surrounding us - the water, birds, blue sky, and this gorgeous willow tree. (Quite fitting since the name of our new company, Willow House, was inspired by this special tree.)As I walked home, I was so inspired, that my mind began to race with excitement about creating a special floral arrangement for my friend Erin's Baby Shower this weekend. She is a very hip chick so, I wanted to reflect that same spirit in her arrangement! I also knew my budget was slim (whose isn't these days?) With that in mind, I wanted to use elements from my own garden and yard and since she is having a boy, browns,greens,and creams were a perfect choice! Then, as I approach my house, I am instantly drawn to my front garden and have a plan! My new friend, Annie, had just taught me how to create a gorgeous centerpiece using our Willow House Market Street Urn. How perfect is the fleur de lis embossed on this rich, creamy pottery urn? I knew Erin, my hip, mommy-to-be would love it!After a big glass of water, Duke and I headed outside to the back yard to begin playing with our flowers (well Duke napped in the shade)!First, I recycled the floral oasis Annie had shared with me. Then I created a "collar" around the top of the urn with hosta leaves... I chose these hostas for their varigated color.
Then I added a row of this fun shrub... not even sure what it's called, but love it! It brought a sense of whimsy just like Erin does when she enters a room! I loved these fun chartreuse and brown clusters of texture!
Next, I added stems of hydrangea flowers, giving the arrangement a feminine, vintage feel. The newest trend in decorating is mixing vintage with modern... did you know that? You should have a party with me, so I can share more tips with your friends!
For the height we learned about at Willow House Design Class, I decided to go with the leggy stalks from the hosta plants. They seemed to be that masculine punch I was looking for... even though the flowers had already done their thing, it was a nice touch.I thought I was done when I started back into the house, I walked past my fern and decided why not add some fern? What do you think? Do you like it better with the fern or without? Remember, this is a special arrangement so I need some feedback!
All in all, I think it looks okay. Annie, did I make you proud?! Thanks, my friend, for the lesson, letting my borrow your urn, and for our new friendship! It's what I love most about our business!

Now go my friends, look for inspiration in everyday things. Decorating doesn't have to be expensive. It can actually be free!

Stayed tuned for more pictures from the shower! And Erin, you better not have that baby until after the shindig!p.s. Isn't Duke cute? This is his idea of "exercise"... no wonder he's so "fluffy" and me too!