We have a winner!!!!!! I had my son pick a number between 1 & 21 and he chose #5! Congrats Natalie! Hooray for you!!!!

I also wanted to remind everyone of our Christmas hours. We will be open.....

Monday, Dec 21st-10-8p.m
Tuesday, Dec 22nd-10-8p.m
Wednesday, Dec 23rd-10-8p.m
and
Thursday, Dec 24th-10-3p.m.
CLOSED Christmas Day
Saturday, Dec 26th 10-3p.m.
(50% off all remaining Christmas decor on Sat.)

We will be CLOSED December 27th- January 4th for a little R&R. We will reopen on Tuesday, January 5th.


We also want to take a minute to thank you for all of your loyal support! We love what we do and we couldn't do it without YOU our faithful customers!!!!

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We pray each of you will have a healthy and happy 2010 and can't wait to show you what the Backyard has in store!

Merry Christmas and God Bless.....

And the angel said to them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2: 10-11

You can find the cool photo here.

Christmas is FAST approaching and it IS the season of giving, so I figured what better time for a giveaway than now????

All I need you to do, is leave me a comment and you will be entered to win......

1-16 oz candle of your choice

AND

a $50 gift certificate to our store OR our etsy shop.

It's that easy.

Have a great week and good luck!

You can find the photo here.

New Banners....

I hope you made it through the blizzard safely and have dug yourself out. I don't know about you, but I am starting to have cabin fever. Don't get me wrong, I loooooove snow days, but on day 3, I'm ready for the boys to head back to school. My mom took over at the store this week so I could be home with them, so I will be there all next week so she can have a little vacation. Thats just one of the perks of having a business partner.

I wanted to show you some banners that are on there way to us as I type. I am hoping for their arrival tomorow. I only ordered six so don't hesistate if you like one. You know the saying, "You snoooze you loose."

I think they are so different than anything I've seen before. I try really hard to find things like that for you, so you can have unique items in your home!

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the Christmas season!

Remember, we are open Sundays 12-4 thru Christmas only.

It appears that a blizzard is coming!

We have been very blessed so far this season with warm temps, and that has been awesome, BUT, I am soooooo excited for this storm!

Will it or won't it???? That is the guestion.

We have been known to be closed during winter storms as I live out of town and DON'T drive in really bad weather, and my mom doesn't venture out at all when it's slick. I would encourage you to call us at 319-653-5303 during these times before you come out to see us, as we might not be there. This doesn't happen very often, but it does happen.

They are even talking about possible power outages, so I hope you are stocked up on candles! If not, I know where you can get some!

Remember our hours are:

Tues, Wed, and Friday 10-6

Thurs 10-7

Sat 10-3

and

Sunday (through Christmas only) 12-4

May Your Days Be Merry & Bright.....

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is over and now we are on the countdown for Christmas???? I hope many of you are further ahead on your shopping than I am, like I said before, I procrastinate. This is a major flaw.

I am a sucker for vintage ornaments. At one time I had collected so many that I was able to fill our big tree. In my constant need for change, I no longer use them on my tree, they are just scattered here and there around my house. I love to think of things "outside the box" to do with them. I think they add beautiful color and fun to Christmas decorating and seriously, could it get any more "green" than that? You are buying used and recycled goods!

I love this idea. It's so simple but makes a huge statement. A new twist on the table centerpiece.



I love anything thats been loved before and has a history. Even Christmas ornaments.




Another simple yet unique idea. If you have an old frame lying around, wouldn't this be cute?



I know we still have some vintage Christmas ornaments tucked in around the store, as well as a vintage frame. Are you thinking what I'm thinking????


Oh, one more thing......


Sunday, December 6th, We will begin our Sunday hours. We will be open from 12-4p.m each Sunday through Christmas!!
On December 5th we would like to offer 30% off ALL Christmas decor. That includes ornaments, matches, trees, villages, garland, greenery, and wreaths.
Bring a friend and take advantage of this sale!
(this sale excludes candles)



All photos courtesy of google.

Giving Thanks.....

With Thanksgiving only a couple of days away, we wanted to take a minute to thank ALL of our loyal customers for giving us your business. Times are tough and we know how hard you work. We don't take lightly that you choose to spend your money with us. I honor of all of your support, we want to offer 20% off storewide on Friday (The day after Thanksgiving) from 10-12p.m. ONLY. This sale WILL include candles but limited to ONE candle per customer at 20% off.

We will be closed on Thanksgiving day so we can spend time with our family. We will re-open on Friday morning at 10a.m.,ready to help you find that perfect gift for you or someone you love.

Have a happy Thanksgiving and remember, blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they are sticking to their diet.
I couldn't resist throwing that in!!!

P.S. I have been meaning to post the recipe for the roll-ups from our open house, but needless to say, I procrastinate. So, FINALLY, here it is......

Cranberry and Ham Tortilla Wraps

8oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup cheddar cheese

1T. minced red onion

2t. softened butter

1 pkg. soft tortillas

thinly sliced ham

Mix cream cheese and butter with mixer until blended and then stir in remaining ingredients.

Spread mixture on tortillas and top each tortilla with 2 slices of thin ham.

Roll up and refridgerate.

When ready to serve, remove from fridge and slice.

This recipe was made with love by my mother for our open house and were a huge hit!!!

All photos courtesy of Country Living

Backyard Christmas 09' scents....

Mistletoe- just like fresh cut evergreen. #1 best seller during the season.

Christmas Cabin- A very warm and homey scent of pine and spice.


Sugar Plum Fairy- A super sweet scent of plums mixed with sugar and hints of vanilla.



Northwoods Christmas- A blend of pine and berries, with touches of spice.

Essence of Jesus- This is a very unique manly scent with hints of spice. It bring to mind incense. This is new this year and is a Backyard favorite!

Spiced Cranberry- Sweet juicy cranberries with the perfect blend of spices.

Sugar Cookie- Just like grandma makes. I think this scent is dead on! Makes me hungry everytime.



Dont forget about our 5oz candle pack in our etsy store. It's a great way to try our Christmas scents and they make wonderful gifts!

I give you Christmas in the Backyard.......

The german glass glitter ornaments are a Backyard favorite.

This little cutie quickly sold out, but we have more on the way!

LOVE this set of three reindeer.

I heart little villages!

Eiffel tower ornament, soooo cool.

Vintage salt and pepper shaker ornaments.

We had an AMAZING open house weekend! Thank you to all who attended. We hope you enjoyed all of the sights and sounds and of course scents, done up Backyard style!

We had many requests for the recipes of the goodies we served and I will post them tomorow. I still need to get them from my mom as she is the one who made them.

I will be listing Christmas scents in my etsy shop soon, so check back often!!!

Join us for Christmas in the Backyard.....

Thursday, Nov. 5th- Saturday, Nov. 7th.
Come see all of the unique sights, sounds and scents you have come to expect from us!
Bring your Uptown Girl bag and recieve a free gift with purchase.

Store hours:

Thursday- 10-8p.m
Shop by candlelight Thurs. evening and enjoy sips and nibbles while being inspired to "deck your halls"

Friday- 10-6p.m.
&
Saturday- 10-3p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Fall Sale.....

All fall and halloween decor is 50% off this week!

We still have lots of great merchandise to choose from!

We will be working hard this coming weekend to create a winter wonderland and all fall merchandise must go, we need the room!!! Hard to believe that our Christmas open house is coming right up..... more info on that later.

Witches Night Out....

I am happy to report that our witches night out was tons of fun! Here are some pics......

This is my mom and her make-up artist Mckenna. Didn't she do a good job! I mean LOOK at that nose!!!

The picture above and below are of some fellow witches that work at the store downstairs from us. Except for that witch in the middle, maybe you didn't recognize her since her nose fell off!

This is Bonnie and I. She is gonna kill me for posting this picture. I love you Bonnie!

Look how these shoppers joined in on the fun!!!

This group of witches are women my mom used to work with at the St. James School. They were having a great time!

Thank you to all of you that ventured out in the nasty cold rain, if you asked me it set the mood perfectly.

Have a great weekend!!

Just a reminder.......

If you are in the area, this Thursday, Oct. 22 from 5-8p.m. join us for "Witches Night Out". Enjoy refreshments while you shop, and don't forget to wear your costume to receive a discount!

For one night only, we will have a limited supply of "witches brew" candles, and let me tell ya, it's a goodie!

Hope to see you there!