Time After Time

Little sprouts are appearing inside and outside our shop.

For the last week I’ve had several people from my mailing list drop by and ask “how have you been?”   Naturally, I’ve thought nothing unusual in that question and have even ignored them repeating  it as if they didn’t quite believe me.  But this weekend, again, it came to light that they were asking because there has been NO WINTER NEWSLETTER and they wondered if everything at Time After Time was okay.  None of you who typically receive a newsletter by mail were left off, I simply did not send one!

Why not?  If you were in the shop the week after Christmas you would have noticed that the place was pretty bare.  After the holiday selling season, our shelves were naked!  While it filled up pretty quickly with new Valentine merchandise, a good look around this past weekend would again show only a few valentines left on the racks, boxes of French soaps nearly empty and the tea shelves about half full!  The winter newsletter didn’t get out because we couldn’t get our spring merchandise fast enough to have it on hand in these early months.

Now, the trucks are rolling with new goods expected every week from now through June.  Most were ordered last fall in order to get the really great things that are only available if you order early.   I just returned from a buying trip in January to top off the list with cute things, try on new fragrances and do some delicious taste-tasting.  Here’s a sample of what’s coming in next.  (And look for a Spring newsletter either by mail or on this page coming early in March!)

• New April Cornell linens in great pastels:  Chintz china patterns reminding me of the lovely old Royal Winton patterns in tablecloths, table toppers, kitchen towels, runners.
• Tea time towels in sweet pastels, matching mugs and even a mug for the guys who love tea!
• Bring on the coconut!  Indulge in some no-calorie delight with new SoHo tea from Harney & Sons.  We sold out of this fabulous chocolate-coconut tea and so did Harney but we plan to have lots of it for Easter baskets.  My new favorite, Green Tea with Thai flavors previously known as Bangkok, is coconut with ginger and lemongrass, smooth with a little kick at the end.  And we’ll once again have the Royal Wedding tea with its coconut , almond, vanilla and flower petals for all of your coming tea parties.
• Easter darlings for your decor and baskets.  Look here for delicate pastel molded bunnies, bright lavender decor, sweet antique inspired pieces from Bethany Lowe as well as her hilarious folk figures.

That’s just a taste to get you thinking of us again.   And thank you for being concerned and curious!

Open daily 11-5, Saturdays begin at 10am

New packaging highlights the updated fragrance of Crabtree & Evelyn's Rosewater.

Looking for a little something to enclose with your Valentine card?  Crabtree & Evelyn’s newly updated Rosewater fragrance looks like it was created for this day!  Always a favorite, Rosewater’s new scent features roses surrounded by gentle notes of violets, peony, fresh greenery and musk.  Still a classic but more alluring than ever.  Hand creams, bath & shower gel, soaps, sachets.  $3.95-$18.95.

We have beautiful cards by Punch Studios, Chocolate Mint teas by Harney & Sons, great, fun jewelry by Sweet Romance Vintage Finery and gorgeous ribbons to tie it all up in!

Open every day 11-5, starting at 10 on Saturdays.

Buy a little or alot of any of our specialty ribbons priced from $.60 to $2.75 a yard.

We love an excuse to use ANY ribbon, but this year we have a good selection of Valentine inspired ribbons in bright reds, hot fuschias, polka dots and soft, baby pinks.  If you like to make your own cards, try the heart ribbons and use just a snippet or two; the same with the pink tulips or hot pink star-flower.  Or just buy your favorite candy bars and tie a pretty bow around it for a “custom” look. A particular new ribbon has large, sew on ribbon roses.  In both pink or red, it would make a charming sash or belt or even a great lampshade trim.  But you’ll give us more ideas!

It will be Valentines Day in just two weeks but we still have a great selection of our special cards, fragrant soaps and delicious teas — all NO CALORIE choices!

People are streaming into the shop and take one look through the gift shop door and are exclaiming “Look, it’s a Valentine Room!”  Come join the fun and reflect in its beautiful “redness.”

Open daily 11-5, Saturdays start at 10am.

Each of these cards represents a vintage image by The Gifted Line for Punch Studios and is 3-dimensional. Small $1.95, Large $3.25

Come in out of the weather to a gift shop that is warm, bright and filled with the nostalgic magic of the Valentine season.  It’s the perfect combination of antiques and old fashioned sentiment!

Our popular cards have just arrived and will typically be sold out by February 13th, so come in and choose your favorites.  These cards are layered, glittered and gold stamped and are never thrown out after the holiday is past.  $1.95-$3.25.  Just compare that to Hallmark!

We also have new soaps in cute boxes by the same company as well as lovely ones by Crabtree & Evelyn, Michel Design Works and our French best sellers, tied up with pretty ribbons.  Oh, and we have received our Valentine ribbon collection too.

Open every day 11-5, Saturday we start at 10am.

Lots of "chocolate satisfaction" in a cup of Harney & Sons Chocolate Mint Tea, with mint coming from Oregon farms.

What better time of the year to enjoy a steaming cup of tea?  And make it a really GREAT cup of tea brought to you by Harney & Sons, the East Coast tea blender with a world-wide reputation for being one of the foremost tea experts on the planet.

Right now we are featuring Chocolate Mint, a premium black tea infused with chocolate flavors and real Oregon mint — a super satisfying drink that won’t add any calories to your daily intake.  This has been a best seller for years and we sell most of it from Christmas through Valentines Day, although we have customers that drink it all year long.  Some like to brew it up and then pour it over ice, add a little cream or rich milk, and  have a chilled tea-latte.  The tea comes in full-leaf form in individual chiffon sachets so there is no fuss and no floaters in the cup.  Buy the 20ct tin, $9.95 or a starter packet of 5 for $3.50.

Our tea counters are the busiest areas in our store for the last couple of months!  We seem to be reordering every two weeks.  So come and sniff — all flavors have an open tin for you to decide which blend suits your mood.

Open every day, 11-5.  Saturdays start at 10am.

This 19th century doll bed makes a great "prop" for small quilts and linens that you may want to enjoy.

As we put away the holiday decorations and give the place a good cleaning from the bits and pieces of the season, what do we put in those “bare spots” where we have grown accustomed, even temporarily, to the tree and other displays we are now too glad to dispose of?  If you are a collector or even have a family heirloom, this is a nice time to bring it forward so that you can appreciate its qualities during these quiet “dormant” months, while inclement weather keeps you at home.

A little child’s chair or other small piece of furniture that can be set on a table can serve as a great background for other collections, plants or even some favorite books.   Small quilts or linens that otherwise keep to themselves in a chest or drawer can be displayed there, serving another purpose from being too-long folded causing potential breakage to fibers.

We currently have several antique, small hand quilted pieces that work well for table toppers as well as a variety of cute vintage childrens pieces, from little doll beds and chairs to tiny cupboards and tables.   Aside from being play pieces, these are terrific examples of common furniture styles of the last two centuries– and of wood and metal, not plastic!

We also have several antique wooden shutter stencils brought out from the East Coast.  Common in both exterior and interior shutter decor, these very simple designs added some decoration to the home when they were cut out of the painted shutters.  Hang the stencils on the wall for a bit of history along with a nice decor element!

Winter Hours at Time After Time

Open every day 11-5, Saturdays begin at 10 

Call ahead on “snow days” or watch for a morning post on our website here.

Holiday Week Openings

Open Monday, December 26  11-5

Open Tuesday-Friday 11-5, Saturday 10-5

Open New Year’s Day, Sunday 12-5

Closed Monday, January 2

AFTER CHRISTMAS SALE IN PROGRESS!

Give yourself a little extra gift this last week of 2011 by taking the short jaunt to Aurora.  The village is still decorated with cedar swags and red bows and the cozy shops welcome you to step back from the modern world of cell phones and the latest electronic gizmo.  It’s a good week to retreat from the malls and mass marketing and explore your “roots” where stumbling upon a long-forgotten item in one of our antiques stores will kindle a memory you might never happen upon without this stimulus.

A good “walk” through the shops will also dislodge some of those extra calories you might have accumulated over the weekend!  Whether it’s a foggy winter wonderland here in the country or the beginning of a Northwest rainy season, Aurora is the perfect place to round out the year!

True blue colors are always welcoming in this range of vintage goods, from popular china and pottery to old spatter ware and advertising signs. Find all manner of antique goods to suit your taste in Oregon's Antique Capital.

Our precious Woof & Poof dog is dressed in taffeta and pearls.

Just a few days until the big weekend and many of us (yes, me included) are just getting our homes dressed up.  If you’ve been too busy up until now and are just getting the tree trimmed and the table set, we have special savings on holiday linens and our darling Woof & Poof creations.   These quality pieces make delightful gifts and can update your own last minute decor.

We have reorders on our best selling teas and French-milled soaps.  Our top selling Royal Wedding tea (commissioned for William & Catherine’s nuptials) is back in stock after we sold a stunning 23 cases since October!

Open every day 11-5, Christmas Eve day 10-4.  Or call us and we can make special arrangements.  After all, Christmas is just once a year!

Beautiful three dimensional cards by The Gifted Line for Punch Studios. Buy 3, Get 1 free while they last!'

Did you remember to send a card to Grandma?  Or to any of your friends and family who DON’T do Facebook?  This is the week that a forty-four cent stamp will reap hundreds of dollars worth of appreciation when you thoughtfully send one of our beautiful dye-cut holiday cards. Large cards are $2.95, small ones $1.95 and both come with envelopes lined with a beautiful print.

These cards designed by antique-image expert The Gifted Line reflect your caring for not only the recipient but are great for the environment because THEY NEVER GET THROWN AWAY!  And as a way of giving a gift card, your presentation couldn’t be better, even if you quickly purchased that Olive Garden gift card at Safeway as you picked up the milk.

SAVE NOW on our cards, buy 3 and get 1 Free!

OPEN EVERY DAY.  Sunday 10-5, Monday-Friday 11-5, Christmas Eve 10-4.

This vintage glove stretcher gives us a chance to show off our jewelry.

We are ready with some very special pieces from our jewelry counters that are just in time for Christmas.

These lockets are also a fashion statement with their interestingly textured chains and detailed covers.  By Shelley Cooper of Sweet Romance Vintage Finery and made in California, these will get plenty of second looks.  Real lockets with sturdy hinges that snap closed are decorated with detailed covers to be worn with a variety of outfits, from casual to dress-up.  $35-55.

Find the porcelain glove stretchers at Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage, $45.

We’re OPEN every day from 11-5, with 10am openings on Saturdays including Christmas Eve day.   Stop by, call or email us for more ideas on holiday gifts!