Returning customers always welcome!

Of course I love to see new clients enjoying the various wares at Stifel & Capra but I really enjoy seeing returning customers even more. Especially when they drag a new friend in with them "SEE, I TOLD you that you would like this place!" It is extremely gratifying and makes all of the hard work worthwhile.

It is especially gratifying when you meet a kindred spirit, in this case someone one with a good sense of humor but a sense of the ridiculous or is it sublime, like the lovely Gena buying one of my favorite chapeaus, the "Audrey Hepburn meets Dr. Seuss" ostrich feather luncheon hat! She mugged for the camera for me before she took it out of the shop. I really think that we should have tea or cocktails at the Ritz at Tyson's and ALL wear hats (I should figure out how to organize one of those "meet-up" groups I guess).
I dragged my daughter down to the eastern shore Sunday and Monday (thanks you Laura for watching the store today!) for a little girl bonding and to pick up some treasures for Stifel & Capra. Good thing we weren't going to sit on the beach because it poured, deluged, tempested (is that a word?) to the point you couldn't see across a lane of traffic, forget about across the wide oceanic horizon. But suffice to say I did collect lots of great treasures for the shop just in time for FIRSTfriday this Friday from 5 to 8pm. Mark your calendar and hope to see you then!

When is white not white?

When is white NOT white? When the "white" house that is your place of business is 30 year old aluminum siding that is faded grey and pitted with road grime so when it came time (long overdue!) to paint the trim I asked my trusty contractor Harry if there was any reason why we had to paint the trim white because it would just make the house look dingier. "what the heck?!" was his response and here is the result! Looks a little seaside gingerbread-ish but hey, I think it looks creative, what do you think?
Just a reminder Falls Church Arts www.fallschurcharts.org is still hosting ArtSlam at their new gallery ArtSpace at 410 Maple Street through the end of August. Here are the two pieces I have hanging at the space but you have to go see the entire show. I have sent two customers over to the show and they both reported back that they purchased pieces! I am a more than a little proud of myself, feeling like the referral queen! Yay!

The other hot news about the new space is that there is a 2 for 1 matching grant going on until the end of July for fundraising efforts for the ARTSpace. The big push right now is for chairs, yes, chairs. For $35 you can provide a literal seat for any of the upcoming performances! Visit www.creativecauldron.org and click on "1001 nights" for all of the fun fundraising details.

Three not of a kind.

In a happy coincidence I have received a bunch of commissions lately, most flattering with previous clients! With all of the nebulous responsibilities of running the shop it is nice to sit down and actually make something tangible. This first piece was a wee bit tricky has the hipster twelve year old that did the collage wanted lavender but not anything too frilly. How 'bout this funky vintage fabric? Love it!

These other two are for recent weddings. I love doing wedding and baby pillows; they are always received so well. It's a nice practical way to display a memory of a special day!

A good time was had by all.

But don't we always? Have a good time that is. Here we are getting ready to blow out the candles on our yummy birthday cake (thanks for picking it up Duane!) last Thursday night during our birthday sale. The folks that came out were so supportive and positive in their comments. It really reinforces that we have a good thing going here at Stifel and Capra.


Another good thing is the new Art Space in Falls Church Arts. ArtSlam at ArtSpace had their opening Saturday night. The space is little more than a shell at the moment. Concrete floors and can lights. More amenities to come though. Lots of wonderful art. I think they sold half a dozen pieces the first weekend so stop in and see the show if you can! For details visit http://www.fallschurcharts.org/.

Celebrate Stifel & Capra's 2nd Birthday!!!

Stifel & Capra turned 2 on the first of July and to celebrate we are throwing a birthday party at the shop tomorrow. We're open from ten in the morning until nine at night so DO stop in and check out all of the sales, promotions and specials that the artists and vendors have put together for you. Birthday cake is served at six o'clock. Stop by and sing "Happy Birthday!"

For all of those who are wondering, the beach WAS lovely the weather was fantastic all week. It only rained one day and that was a designated treasure hunting day for the store so all was well. We were in Lewes, Delaware where the people are friendly, the sidewalks roll up at six and the bay side beach is welcoming and easy to use. This was brought into shining focus last week. My friends, the Burns Family were visiting us for the weekend and my friend Marty looked around and started laughing, "Wow, you weren't kidding this is an accessible place!". Why you ask? Looking across the beach we saw my beloved one legged husband, their son,who has the use of one arm, his other son who just got diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, so they were testing him on the beach, and the folks at the umbrella next to us daughter had diabetes as well and was wearing a diagnostic device. Looking down the beach we saw a Down's Syndrome child, three walkers and beach wheelchair that Bob had to use last year was in motion carrying someone to the water. Like I said the beach is VERY accessible! And certainly soothes your soul.


We got a taste of how the other half lives when we went down to Rehoboth Bay to take the Bay Site seeing Cruise (first time ever and we've been going for 7 years!). We enjoyed the bay, the marshlands and bird watching, learned cool things about the ecology of the bay and were boggled by the pleasure boats and the "cottages" we saw along the shore. This red roof one is where you will find me if I ever win the lotto! But in lieu of that I am back to work. Vacation but a distant memory...

I am outta here....

But YOU need to come to the store while I am gone! Keep all of my resident artists on the right path for me will you?

Please remember, we are not participating in this month'sFIRSTfriday celebration but you can read more at http://www.FirstFridayofFallsChurch.com

Do remember out big second annual Birthday sale is Thursday July 9th from 10am to 9pm. Some interim mark-downs have been taken.

I'll be back with a truckful of treasure on July 8th so see you then!

What's Up Magazine - Tip your Hat to

My former colleague, friend and Event Coordinator Joy Hutter called me last Friday and said "I know it is last minute but do I have a deal for you?!" Of course I am slightly suspicious hearing that sentence but it turned out that What's UP Magazine's Annual Best of Annapolis and Eastern Shore 2009 Awards theme was "Tip your HAT to the Best..." and Joy figured between the prize money for best hat and the theme there was be lots of folks wearing hats there but there might be folks that were wishing they were wearing a stylish hat when they got to the event. When you think hats, who do you call? Why me of course, so I loaded up a zillion hats and number one client and friend Diana and we hauled dozens of hats across state lines and set up shop! We had a blast people watching and talking to attendees, award winners and the nicest health inspectors I have ever met! We even sold a hat to the mayor!

We saw swanky hats, vintage hats, hats shaped like hot dogs, and a three foot tall "ducks unlimited " number with ducks swimming the reeds. Very tall, very impressive! Almost as impressive as the Ketel Ice Bar, it was hard to fathom that the thing was actually real. Lots of people snuck up to it and surreptiously put their hands on it to really see if it was frozen. Diana and I had a giggle or three watching them be "sneaky".

The food was superb, the venue lovely, the event went smooth as glass. Thanks for including me, Joy!

Award winners and Hat Models!

Check out ALL of these beauties at last night's What's Up Magazone's Best of Annapolis and Eastern Shore! As it was late in the evening I didn't get everyone's name so if you want photo credit or to tell us about your award leave a comment. If you would like a photographic quality copy of these views please email or call me and I will send you one! Congratulations again!

A VERY eventful weekend.

It might be a indicator of a stressed out mother, but I actually offer my children bribes to avoid sleepovers and ultra zone. "if you DON'T have a birthday party I will give you a hundred dollars." I am sure my mom would think that was crazy but do you know what you spend to take ten kids to the laser tag place or the movies? I am getting off cheap. That's all a preamble to say my little baby boy turned TEN on Friday. Yowzee, seems like only yesterday (fill in the blank).

Son still managed to have a family dinner party with lots of seemingly video related gifts and a rocking birthday cake with dad the former chef's decadent cream cheese chocolate frosting. Oh and Bob also worked up a little flaming Bananas Foster by the birthday boy's request. Roll me onto the sofa. I'm full.

We had a great, steady day in the shop on Saturday, despite the totally schizophrenic weather we had a steady business with a LOT of first time visitors. Hopefully they will all come back and Christmas shop! :o)
Saturday night I had a hot date with my husband to go see the Nationals play down town. Driving downtown was smooth on a Saturday. We arrived to hear the melodious tones of "Oh Canada" wafting in on the breeze. I was confused because MY tickets said they were playing the Padres. Because I grabbed the wrong Saturday seats. Oh, the dread of what could happen. So I entered the Client Services kiosk and said to the guy behind the bullet proof glass"Please help me save my marriage". And son of a gun, he did. Printed us up new tickets with our credit card as a back-up. Now the possible painful part is we told him the seats next to the ones we were supposed to be in so we look like scam artists. Now Bob is playing phone tag with the Manager to make sure we are all square. Crisis adverted. I hope.
Sunday brought yet another example of why my neighborhood ROCKS. We traditionally do a porch sit on Father's Day called "Donuts for Dad", well Phil's lovely wife Sheila decided to up the ante with "pancakes for Pops". The neighbors that were not on vacation got treated to homemade waffles & pancakes and all kind of yummy breakfast casseroles. Yum!!!

A Stifel Family Tradition on Father's Day is I "let" Bob go to the hardware store without much of a budget and NO time limit. As I am tortured by my husband's ability to wander the grocery store for three solid hours you can imagine how long we could be at the Home Depot! This year Bob decided to take his "time" and drive to Pennsylvania and buy fireworks for the 4th of July for himself and his pyromaniac cronies! He DID got stuck in monster traffic so he missed Phil's ART Opening (more on that next time!) and dinner was REALLY late. But he got in a round or two of Risk with the kids and went to sleep with Shagadelic Mojo fireworks dancing in his head! (Yes, that's really the name of one of the displays!)

Listen to the Music

The weather cooperated , hooray! We had a blast listening to the melodious tones of the band and got to watch Lori & Heide crank up the torches to play with glass on Saturday morning. Margie and Maryann (oops, not pictured!) added some bling & ambiance to our outdoor happenings during the Tinner Hill Blues Festival. Thank you to everyone who participated this year!


I went in for for my twice a year hair cut on Sunday. After 15 years, my hairdresser Alice has quit telling me that she thought I moved (!) and now just asks how tall the kids are! I have been threatening to shave my head because I was so bored with my hair but short hair requires frequent trims so I wimped out with a shorter version of my current do....

Hard to believe the school year is almost over. Went to a wonderful graduation party on Sunday (yum!) and sat there watching the "kids" who look more like the "grown-ups" everyday. Guess that makes me the "oldster".

I am feeling a little schizophrenic about summer. On one hand I am really looking forward to taking a family break toward the 4th of July but I am plotting & planning ahead to the art show fundraiser in August and doing strategic planning for Christmas (eek!). But you know it will be here before you know it!

Last but not least, Stifel & Capra received a nice compliment from Sydney Trent, the new deputy editor of the Washington Post Magazine. In telling how she about enjoying positive news, especially stories about people pulling themselves up out of rough circumstances, she was kind enough to mention us specifically by name! With all the follow up rehab and phantom pain that Bob still goes through on a daily basis, it's kind of cool to know your personal story has an impact. Here is the link if you'd like to take a peek... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/05/AR2009060502092.html

Tinner Hill Blues Festival is all this weekend!

The weather forecast for Saturday declares the sun will be out and we are joining the Tinner Hill Blues Festival fun with music, craft and sales!

Along side local area crafters, The Star Dust Dance Band will be playing from 10am to 2pm. The Star Dust Dance Band is made up of seven local musicians. The band began ten years ago with just two instruments and through the years has grown to its current make up. The band's basic library has always been the "Golden Oldies" of the big band era, but has recently expanded back to include tunes from the early Dixieland era, and forward to include the jazz form of the blues.

Together Stifel & Capra & local artist, Eileen O’Brien are donating 25% of all of the sales of her mixed media collage “Blue Note” to the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation. The gallery is open 10 to 5 on Saturdays. For more details http://www.stifelandcapra.com/ or http://www.tinnerhill.org/ for full event schedule.

Book Signings TONIGHT!

I am looking over today's "to-do's" and realizing it will be a fun albeit LONG day. Local authors Duane Evans and Jean Watterson will be a Stifel and Capra this evening to sign copies of their current books. All details are in the link to the right. Hope to see you there!

Open the curtain!

Open the curtain! On the newly refurbished bath & dressing room at Stifel & Capra that is. Robyn McGarry of RSM Enterprises aka the Paint Diva has finished out funky dressing space. It made its public debut at June's FIRSTfriday. I LOVE IT and so did the rest of our guests that scoped it out. Robyn also has multiple sample boards on display in the upstairs hall showing just three of her many faux painting techniques. A portfolio is on the way. (Hopefully she will get hers done before mine, will I ever get to it?)

I had a productive day yesterday making two pillows out of vintage linen, finishing a collage, dragging seasonal items to the store and packing up a MOUNTAIN of clothes that my family has outgrown to donate to charity. My neighbor Julie just hosted a kid's clothing swap but as my 13 & almost 10 year old are already taller than the moms I think that we have "aged out" of that activity!

This morning consisted up being alternately impressed and terrified by the the thunder storm we had a dawn. It was amazing. Sound like the Broadway musical "Stomp" out there it was so loud. You may recall, last year at this time we lost three huge threes in our backyard so I am a little paranoid. AM not looking forward to going to the shop to bail out the basement....

Mark your calendars to come to the books launch on Thursday night from 6 to 9pm. Support your local authors!

The fine eye of Hazel Brutsche'

There is a reason I don't work Sundays, it has taken me this long to recover from our fun weekend (mostly my feet are KILLING me!). FIRSTfriday of Falls Church brought a nice crowd despite the threatening weather, our in house jewelry repair expert Hazel spent the first hour and a half consulting with clients about their repairs. If you didn't get a chance to come out on Friday do remember that Hazel pops in the shop weekly to pick and drop off custom work so if you have a some work for her to look at, bring it in during our normal shop hours and we will work up an estimate for you.

Other than fixing every broken piece of jewelry in my box, Hazel has earned my unending gratitude by reworking some of my pieces. The necklace at the top had an inadequate clasp. I hadn't worn it for YEARS because it would fall off withing 30 minutes of me getting dressed! the original necklace had a large center bead like a string of pearls (I called it my "June Cleaver on acid" necklace".) Tricky part was I don't wear suits much any more so I mentioned to Hazel that I would love a way to make the strings more wearable. It so happened that Hazel was on her way to a big bead show so she scouted and scored this awesome pendant that really worked well with the malachite.

If you know me you know I tend to wear larger (ok, gigantic) earrings. Hazel also took the bottom drops and worked them into something more lobe worthy! I especially like the green running thought the stone in the bottom photo. As the copper gains patina (and it will as I am NOT a big polisher) the combination looks better and better.

Take a peek in your jewelry box and think, "HHmmmmmm, wonder what Hazel could do with this?"

Counting the days....

I know that the end of school year is here when those teacher present orders come in! Here's the latest entry in the cute kid contest! I will admit I am related to one of them so I am slightly biased....

I just unpacked some fun warm weather tote bags. They have a fun mix of vintage fabrics and images, retro embroidery and actual scrabble tiles and pages from old beauty manuels. They are a LOT of fun to make! And carry too. I drag around a HUMUNGOUS tote page with my great grandparents wedding photo on it. Reminds me of where I came from....

Saints be praised! The stairwell is painted!

It may not seem like a big deal to someone that owns their own scaffolding, but to us getting the 2 story high ceiling line painted was QUITE the feat! Actually I shouldn't say "we" because while I was tediously cutting in the upstairs hallway, Bob knocked out the entire stairwell! Oh my gosh, it looks SO much better! One less area to cringe about....
My client, friend and resident harpist Charlotte Roe gave me an unusual comission: to dress her Santo. Santos are plaster representations of Saints usually found in Middle & Central America. Charlotee gave me snippets and pieces of family lace & trim and I built her a modest covering. I normally make my art doll clothes like people clothes but because this little saint had one hand adhered to her hip it made it necessary to handstitch the clothing around her body. No changing outfits on this lady! I think she looks quite beautiful!!!

Hard to believe this weekend is FIRSTFriday weekend again! There is a LOT going on in town this month.... FIRSTFriday, the book launches, the jazz festival and last but not least, my vacation! Please get all of the details at http://www.stifelandcapra.com.

See you soon!