The latest shipment of artwork came yesterday. There were two boxes (one of them over 6′ high) on a big skid….it was a hot day to contemplate opening that much freight.
But as always when I started to take out all the different pieces of artwork I got excited because it was all beautiful and nothing was broken…that in itself was a miracle since this particular shipment was actually on the road for 20 days. So now there is lots of beautiful artwork again at The Whistling Elk!
Here’s a sampling of some of the pieces that arrived…come check them out…there’s more!
Our newest “Lady” – beautiful…but we have the Lady in Black too…Gorgeous Giglee at The Whistling Elk, Chester NJGiclee Still Life (part of a set of 4)Wall Art Arrivals at The Whistling Elk (these frames are distressed gold)Floral with Swarovski crystalsWine Labels – Set of 4Eiffel Tower with Swarovski crystalsTuscan Scene – this is a canvass wrapTea Anyone? Love this one!
Walls are a big part of your home…and your home décor plan should include lots of beautiful artwork on the those walls.
We’re doing our part at The Whistling Elk! We have shipments of beautiful wall décor every other month! This month we brought in a double shipment so there are over 45 new pieces in the shop. Come check it out and spruce up your home décor!
This pretty piece of art makes me smile in its simple beauty – its a giclee so there is no glare of glass and I think that makes it easier to appreciate!
A shipment of art just arrived late yesterday afternoon. After the initial flurry of activity required to take in the shipment, unpack it and examine it then price it….I got to thinking of how the walls of a room define the space within it and how decorating the walls brings the room to life and enhances and complements the other furnishings.
I began thinking about how certain pieces of art just make your heart beat…and how the enjoyment of looking at them directly contributes to your feeling of well being and enjoyment in your home!
So on that note I am excited to share a few pictures of some of the art that came in….its a diverse collection this time…mostly smaller pieces but all beautiful. Maybe one or two will touch your heart and will take its place in your home!
This pretty print is embedded with jewels that sparkle and add to the beauty of the print – there is a companion print “madame”Love the Colorful aspect of these bath prints! There are 4 in the collection – all beautifulThis chandelier print has a companion print that showcases a different chandelier. Together in a Dining Room they would be spectacular.
We have some elegant crowns right now too…couldn’t resist putting one in the vicinity of this print….they just seem to resonate! The Chandelier print is studded with little amber crystals.
This wall has some many pretty pictures on it – all very different and yet all working together to form a lovely picture. The one in the middle is actually a mirror distressed and detailed with reverse painting on glass so it is reflecting the other side of the shop!A pair of pictures that work in the kitchen, butlers pantry or breakfast room…they each have a mate (not shown here)There are four of these pretty ballerina prints….all different poses studded with jewels.I love these – they are so elegant and look very old…I like to think some ancestor of mine lived in one of these castles. There are 3 different castle prints – all beauties.There is some diversity on the wall but it works in that all is beautiful!
There are more beautiful pieces in the shop so stop by and see what catches your eye!
Our artwork is always elegant, always beautiful and always 20% off every day.
I love not only the taste of a delicious tea but the whole ritual!
In this crazy world there is nothing better than to brew some tea, wait while it steeps, and then pour it from a pretty teapot into a pretty cup! and of course you should do this while relaxing in your beautiful home!
I know you think you don’t have the time. Well, I say make the time – you will be the better for it. Sip it slowly and enjoy the whole ritual. I admit it took me a while to get the hang of it but now I look forward every morning and evening to my private little ritual that relaxes me and helps me to remember what life is really all about.
Sloane Fine Tea Merchants at The Whistling Elk
I did a lot of research on Tea as I was looking for a new line to sell in my shop…and what I found is outstanding! Sloane Fine Tea Merchants. It wasn’t easy as they are in Toronto and I am now actually their first customer in New Jersey. It’s a little tougher to import product…I haven’t done a lot of that in my shop – but if you give it a try you will agree – it is worth it!
Here’s what they say about their Tea :
“The tea in your cup is a result of a delicious journey. At Sloane Tea Company we traverse the world in search of only the finest teas that would delight even the most discerning of palates.
The Sloane story is about beauty. Beauty as told through the senses of taste, smell and sight. Beauty as experienced through the remarkable taste of our teas, as well as the beauty of the colour in your cup and the enticing fragrance of our perfumed teas. Sloane’s signature line of teas and tisanes (herbal teas) combine the finest loose leaf teas, exotic ingredients and artisanal techniques.
Tea sourced & blended by Certified Tea Sommeliers
Each Sloane Tea is individually sourced. Chosen from hundreds of tea gardens, Sloane Teas are carefully processed using centuries old artisanal techniques. Our scented and blended teas are custom created by our own team of Certified Tea Sommeliers and culinary experts. As part of the development of our products, we have consulted with the Maître Nez (Head Nose) of one of France’s foremost perfumeries and trained at the Studio Des Fragrance in Grasse, France.”
The tea is absolutely delicious! My favorite right out of the gate was the Heavenly Crème – I am already addicted to it. It really is heavenly. And then I enjoyed it so much I already ran out!!!! So I decided to try the Jasmine Pink Lemonade and I have to say I love it also and for me that is saying a lot. As a general rule before sipping this tea I would have said “No Thanks…I just don’t like green teas” but I was wrong – this one is delicious! It’s blended white and green tea and one of Sloane’s “Signature” blends. It has the sweetness of fresh jasmine and an unforgettable pink grapefruit finish…and it is superb as an iced tea also! I have been drinking it both hot and cold and look forward to it almost as much as the Heavenly Cream….you simply must try these teas!
Heavenly Cream Tea
So now that I have found these delicious teas from Sloane, I am stocking them and found that I wanted to sell a delicious honey to use with them. So again I have done exhaustive research and found some sources of Raw honey which I will also be stocking. For the teas I love the Star Thistle Raw Honey the best because it has a very subtle flavor and doesn’t interfere with the flavor of the tea…but I have many varieties of raw honey available now:
Star Thistle, Orange Blossom, Wildflower, Bamboo, Buckwheat, and Clover….all Raw and delicious! And there will be more….
some raw honey
Ohh, and of course you must drink your tea from a beautiful cup…
Tea cups at The Whistling Elk
At The Whistling Elk you will find not only home furnishings and accessories but also lots of other products to enhance the way you live your life! We believe your home should be your sanctuary…that is one reason why I love our Tea products! They will be in good company with our other home products like our Lampe Berger! Come in an see what is new! It’s our 25th anniversary this year! and we are celebrating!
La Maison Gray has joined our product mix at The Whistling Elk.
Linen Sprays are available in 6 fragrances and Soy Candles in the same fragrances help you layer scent in a room. I really like the way the candles come in simple jars with screw on caps…it keeps them clean and neat! Sometimes I just take the cap off and let the scent breathe…it’s a pleasure without even lighting it!
La Maison Gray Linen Spray and Soy Candles
The candles are a wonderful size to travel with….you know for giving your hotel room a lovely scent…making you feel at home. So easy to throw in your luggage…
La Maison Gray Linen Spray – French Linen
Linen Spray has always been one of my favorite things…such a simple pleasure. There is just nothing better than snuggling down into your comfy bed amidst lovely fragrance.
I like to spray down the bed when I make it up in the morning….so when I turn down the covers in the evening the lovely fragrance is soft and inviting!
The packaging on these products is beautiful and the prices are very reasonable – making this a great gift!
It’s hard to believe that 25 years ago just about this time I was collecting merchandise in my garage in preparation to taking possession of my first shop location in Chester on May 1st, 1990. It has been a wonderful 25 years and I have hundreds of photos taken of the shop over the years. So take a walk with me down M.E.M.O.R.Y. L.A.N.E…
The first home of The Whistling Elk was at 9 Main Street, Chester. I hung a lace ceiling in this shop…it had a really ugly ceiling and the lace really improved it but I still had to cut holes in the lace for the air conditioning vent… It was a small shop just three rooms in 800 square feet. In those early days I remember that we sold a huge amount of silk flowers and vines.
A Customer and I standing in the front room of the shop at 9 Main Street, Chester NJ in the early 90s.
Sadly, I don’t have a lot of pictures of the 9 Main Street Shop – this was before cell phone cameras…gosh I didn’t even have a computer then!! This location had two entire walls of windows…no where to hang anything…hmmm that must have been tough for me!
Here’s a few more shots of The Whistling Elk at 9 Main Street.
Looking out toward Main Street in the first Whistling Elk location at 9 Main StreetThe Whistling Elk 25 years ago
Below is a shot taken at a Showhouse that we were invited to participate in – early 90’s. We painted Adirondack chairs for the pool area which was surrounded by a beautiful garden of rhododedrons…the chairs were painted a light blue to reflect the blue of the pool and had beautiful purple rhododendrons painted across the backs. It was a pretty effect!
Showhouse in Clinton – Pair of Adirondack Chairs Painted for the Pool Area
Two years after I opened The Whistling Elk 44 Main Street became available and I was able to secure that wonderful location. 44 Main Street was about double the size of the 9 Main Street shop. This move entailed moving about 60 feet from the end of Main Street closer to the center of town.
I remember selling an iron canopy bed because someone drove by as we were walking the headboard down the street to the new shop. We were selling a tremendous number of beautiful hand wrought iron beds at the time. The iron beds were probably among the first larger pieces of furniture sold at The Whistling Elk.
Here’s a shot of the front of the 44 Main Street shop. On this particular evening in 2009 we were hosting our Charity Evening.
We rolled out the red carpet for the 2009 Charity Eventour mantel at 44 main street decorated for Christmas 2009
I remained at 44 Main Street for 21 years – it changed sizes a couple of times over that period going from 1800 to 3000 square feet. During that time we sold oh-so-many furniture lines along with accessories, artwork and mirrors and lighting. Many lines we still sell today. Sadly, some important vendors were lost due to the recession over the last 6 years. We are always adding new lines though so things are never dull at The Whistling Elk!
We have participated in many showhouses over the years…here’s a Showhouse photo taken sometime in the 90’s at a showhouse in Chester. The room was a garden room..I think it was called “Holiday in Paradise”…as I recall the event was in December.
I used a mop and a bucket of watered down green paint to swab the walls of this room…I was going for a watered silk look. The walls had cracks all over and I didn’t want to repair them so I used a feather to enhance and make them look like cracked marble. This was my second showhouse but it was the first time I did a whole room.
I regret that I have no pictures of the beautiful showhouse that I did with Patty Fastook a few years later called Brookwood…in Montclair. It was a spectacular room but somehow I lost the disk that housed the photos…*sigh*
A Showhouse on Main Street in Chester….I remember this was a garden room with a lovely fireplace…it was cozy and very pretty.
Here are some shots of some of the beautiful merchandise that flowed through the shop over the last 25 years….
JM Paquet Sofa and Ottoman 2005 – Sadly this company went out of business in 2008…I carried them for many years and they made the most beautiful sofas!This was another JMPaquet sofa….used in a styling photo for advertising the Elk…We still carry many of the merchandise lines shown in this photo from the year 2000.This was one of several Showhouses that we have participated in over the last 25 years! This room was titled “My Sister’s Bedroom and the showhouse was in Lafayette, NJ.Vanity in “My Sister’s Bedroom” at the Lafayette Showhouse….one of several showhouses we participated in over the years.This is the bedroom at 44 Main Street…the walls were the most beautiful shade of purple called “Bonne Nuit” or Good Night….we always had gorgeous bedding at the shop and still do!
and by contrast here is the bedroom at 50 Main Street Today!
Below…our custom cabinetry model….a beautiful bookcase over cabinets with slider to hide the TV…we moved this piece from 44 Main Street and had it re-built into the 50 Main Street shop.
Hancock & Moore Sofa and in the background our custom built in bookcase over cabinets. We have built many custom pieces for customers over the years.
We had a lot of room at the 44 Main Street location so we had up to 9 sofas on the shop floor all the time…this is a beautiful Hancock and Moore sofa…and it looks beautiful in front the model of our custom cabinetry. We still carry Hancock and Moore and Caracole sofas today although it is definitely harder to display them! We are still creating beautiful custom bookcases and furniture for our customers today also.
Another gorgeous, made in America, sofa by hancock & moore…and a gorgeous Textillery throw…still carried today.A beautiful Habersham buffet and the carpet is Loloi….gorgeous.
Ah! and PARIS…who could forget our fabulous shopping trip to Paris and Les Puces de St. Ouen….we brought back so many beautiful pieces for the shop!
I still dream about all the beautiful items we had to leave behind at the Paris Flea Markets because there just wasn’t a container large enough (or a wallet for that matter) to bring them all back to the shop…
Early 19th Century Bronze Sconce – I brought back a pair of these from the Paris Flea Market
Then a little more than 2 years ago we moved again! This time the move was about 20 feet into the building right next to our old location at 44 Main Street.
I feel very blessed that I still see customers today at the 50 Main Street location who started shopping The Whistling Elk at the 9 Main Street store 25 years ago!!
Wow, that amazes me and I am so appreciative for the support of the community and also the whole state…and beyond! Customers come from all over New Jersey as well as from New York, Pennsylvania and as far as California & Europe! It even seems when people move they don’t forget you – they stop by and shop when they are back visiting…even when they have left the country!
Here are some shots of the 50 Main Street Location of The Whistling Elk…and I am not moving again!
The Whistliing Elk Chester NJ
You will still find lots and lots of amazing home accessories at the 50 Main Street shop!
A shot of 50 Main Street around Jan. 2013…
We still carry sofas….the Caracole line is one of our favorites with great quality and fair prices – although we don’t always have room on the shop floor for one. This was one that we did squeeze in!
Home Accessories at The Whistling ElkJan 2013 – Just moved into 50 Main Street…Lady in RedSpring flowers, Jewelry, Lovely ArtArtwork, Mirrors & Clocks
Over the years many merchandise lines have come and gone. There are some some products that we have carried for a very long time. Like Kennebunk Weavers (our famous throw blankets) – 25 years! and Mark Roberts Fairies – 20 years and Lampe Berger – 17 years! We still love them today!
The Whistling Elk Home Furnishings stocks beautiful throwsLampe Berger at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJMark Roberts Peace on Earth Fairy – I think he is my all time favorite!
Our Paint Couture!™ line of furniture and cabinet paints and glazes is new for us…and have been a wonderful addition to The Whistling Elk along with our Paint Workshops. Painted furniture though is something that has always graced the shop floor at The Whistling Elk…we were painting back in the 90’s when we opened!
Paint Couture Products at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ
I am also humbled by the 2007 Award the shop received – “one of 50 Stellar Stores – Nationwide from Home Accents Today Magazine. That was an honor I never saw coming but it was sweet. Here’s the link 50 Stellar Stores Nationwide in 2007 – Here’s a little bit about that from the press release at the time…
“CHESTER SHOP NAMED ONE OF TOP 50 RETAIL STORES
Chester, New Jersey – The Whistling Elk has been named one of Home Accents Today’s “50 Retail Stars” by editors of the premier trade magazine for the home accents industry. The Retail Stars List recognizes enterprising home accents retailers who are experiencing success in their respective markets with innovative strategies and creative merchandising while maintaining a strong presence in their communities.”
Very cool for The Whistling Elk!! One of my prouder moments!!
One thing is for sure…you will always find casual elegance at The Whistling Elk – It is interesting to me that in all this time I have never really changed my focus which was to provide “…distinctively different home furnishings and accessories…with an elegant European flair.”
They were mostly smaller boxes so it wasn’t as scary as it could have been…
But inside were t.r.e.a.s.u.r.e.s. Oh my!
The Whistling Elk has lots of home accessories and gifts
Lots of pretty mercury glass…boxes, urns, tealight holders and frames. The little flag is from my new French company…
And wonderful little jeweled clocks…they are very sweet.
Clocks, Frames and Mercury Glass
There is a very elegant small tray under the clock with the pink crystals. This tray is a champagne silver and has fabulous gold etching on the glass…the perfect piece for a dressing table or on the bathroom counter.
Hydrangea and Roses…two prints that reflect SPRING !!
Of course we have more new artwork. This pretty piece has a mate…hidden behind it! You will have to come in to see how beautiful they are. The frame is exquisite!
Off to the right is another set of prints…gates with jewels and a unique ivy border.
Don’t forget to stop by and take advantage of the Mother’s Day Special from Lampe Berger. With the purchase of any lamp you will receive a free 500 ml fragrance!
Just finished up another batch of tables…these are light and easy to move around…so you can have a little table almost anywhere on which to place a drink or a cup of tea! Come by and select your favorite…or choose a paint color that works for you and we will paint it especially for you!
I’m getting to be such a sissy. I think I used to enjoy the winter….now I only like it if I am skiing…
Well, at least it is good for getting those indoor projects accomplished.
Chest painted with Baltic Black Paint Couture!™ and glazed with Black Walnut
I just finished putting the hardware back on this pretty chest. It was a medium brown stain when I started and of course I forgot to take a “before” picture. My client brought it in for refinishing…
We decided it needed to be black so I used my Paint Couture! Baltic Black then glazed it with Black Walnut. It really looks very elegant and the hardware which was a rich brassy gold looks perfect – I didn’t even embellish it!
Sometimes refinishing a piece doesn’t call for a lot of fuss…there really is nothing like Simple Elegance!
Simply elegant chest
Chase Away the Winter Blues…
Make plans to take a paint class at The Whistling Elk!
Well, today I received a much anticipated shipment of new art! I have been waiting for it to arrive for about 2 weeks (chewing my fingernails off actually). One of the pieces (the Lady in Black) is sold and I wanted it to show up for my customer who wanted it for Christmas…talk about cutting it close!
I am so relieved that it is here for her!
Below is a sampling of the artwork…the Lady in Red is a new giclee that I have not had before…she is beautiful and the red is vibrant!
Lady in Red
Here’s the Lady in Black….she is sooo beautiful…but say goodbye because she will be leaving tonight!
Lady in Black
The Lady in White in the photo below is another new girl…
She has the most beautiful crystals in her dress! Gorgeous!
Lady in White
Sorry about the reflection of legs in the photo…(heehee)….I took these in a hurry! The background is actually a very lovely brown/gold haze.
I still love the Tuscan art….so there is some of that too! This a a lovely earthy giclee that draws you right in to the alley…it’s quite large…35 by 47 long.
Tuscan Alley
A set of two beautiful French Gates….here’s one.
French Gate with Crystals
Quite a few smaller prints which are very elegant…
Collage of French SymbolsRecessed Print with Damask MatElegant Bath Scene with Tub and Chandelier
Enjoy! and come by to see it all in person…it’s much more beautiful than my quick photographs make it appear!
We have a special promo going on right now at The Whistling Elk.
Now is a great time to jump in and treat yourself…or purchase some early gifts for the holidays and take advantage of this great offer.
I am always saying that Lampe Berger is one of my favorite products…and it truly is.
I love that it purifies the air and eliminates odors. It floats on the air throughout my shop (and my home) and creates a delightful atmosphere. Sometimes the scent will “hang” in the air in certain areas and when I walk thru them I just smile!
Lampe Berger at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ
The Lampes themselves are so pretty! Make a design statement with the Lampe you select for your home!
Lampe Berger at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ
The tortoise / leopard lampe above is very elegant!
So, you say, what is the deal? Well Lampe Berger has provided me with Tri-Packs of scent to give away with the purchase of any lampe (excepting the entry price point lampes)! The tri-packs are a $25 value for FREE and there are two different versions of three different scents. Supplies are limited so don’t wait to take advantage of this offer.
Special Promotion – Free Tri-Packs while they last
Oooh, and here is one more new Lampe that I Love…called Traditions! Very Beautiful!
Traditions Lampe Berger at The Whistling Elk
Already have a Lampe Berger?
Want a new scent? We are fully stocked and have “testers” here so that you can sniff a new scent before buying it. But if you are like me you already have a favorite scent…mine is Charleston – what is yours?
You see a customer brought me an old mirror with a top trimmed with lifesize acorns hoping that I could fix it….hmmm! She brought it all the way from Massachusetts! There were a couple of acorns missing so being commissioned to make repairs I took the challenge. Sometimes I wonder “what was I thinking”. My customer was totally thrilled that I would even try because she said she had taken it many places and no one would give it a shot!
After she left I was looking over the situation and got the idea to try to find some small wood component that I could “doctor” to fit the shape I needed. Ok the challenge was on!
First I went to Michaels and looked around and amazingly found some small pieces of wood that I could carve into the shape of an acorn. This was not easy as I am definitely not a carver and do not have “carving tools”…I used a sharp box cutter and sandpaper and hoped for the best. After I got the basic shape and size that I wanted…I used Paint Couture!™ Embossing Medium to enhance the shape and fill in where needed.
Pain Couture Embossing Medium – the acorn in the middle is the original one that I was copying.
The Embossing Medium was fabulous because I found that when dry I could actually carve that too! Great! It really carves nicely!
Then I painted the acorns I made with Paint Couture!™ Pale Gold…let them dry and then sanded to smooth them as much as possible. I put another coat of paint on, dried them then used Van Dyke Brown Glaze to “dirty up” the gold.
Acorns sanded and painted with Paint Couture Pale Gold and Glazed with Van Dyke Brown. The one on the right is the Real Acorn!
Since my acorns weren’t perfect I moved the acorns around on the mirror so that the original ones were all in the front and put my “replacements” in the back. I think it turned out pretty good…here it is complete! My “faux” acorn is the one at the far right!
The acorn I made is the one at the far right…I put it in the most unobtrusive spot.
When you love something it is always better to paint it or repair it to make it “new” again! My customer loves this piece so I know she will be thrilled to see it repaired…glad for her sake that I wasn’t afraid to “bite the bullet” and give it a try!
We are fully stocked for the cold weather with beautiful, colorful and luxurious throw blankets….it’s time!!! Next week will be cold here in New Jersey (or so they say).
Throw blankets at The Whistling Elk
I love to have these around all the time just because they look beautiful draped on furniture and add a touch of elegance to a room design.
So many colorful throw blankets to choose from at The Whistling Elk
They make great gifts for the holidays or just for you!
The Whistling Elk Home Furnishings stocks beautiful throws
I love gorgeous artwork…the framed giclee in the background of this picture just arrived at The Whistling Elk.
I want to climb into the picture and sit at the table sipping wine…
Provencal Maison
Come see this piece in person – its 48″L x 38″h and will make a design statement wherever you hang it..you will love the way the light plays over the front of the maison…beautiful!
We have lots of other artwork as we just received a shipment last Friday…hurry though because it goes fast!
Here’s another teaser photo…these two are smaller giclee prints and feature lovely soft pale watercolors…
Just painted some pretty little tables…they are great accents for any room where you require a little table to put a glass or book on but don’t have a lot of space.
These two will go anywhere!
Pretty painted tables make great accent pieces. These are painted and crackled with Paint Couture!
I have always loved little accent tables like this – adding them to a room design is like putting on gorgeous earrings – with your pretty dress…a finishing touch!
You know how you always have a lot of little tiny pieces of gold leaf that are left over from a project…I can just never bear to throw them away…
Well I was painting up a finish sample that had gold accents and I thought I would try to use the gold leaf to highlight the pale gold areas. Wow I love it!
Paint Couture French Putty, Pale Gold, Italian Ivory and Van Dyke Brown with gold leaf
The finish sample is Paint Couture!™ French Putty all over, then accented in three areas with Pale Gold. After drying I applied a skant coat of Italian Ivory all over and then rubbed some of that off. To further increase the patina of the finish I brushed on a coat of Van Dyke Brown and rubbed that off. I love the way Van Dyke Brown looks in the cracks. It darkens the crevices like black but in a much warmer way.
I wanted the gold areas to pop so I took some of my tiny gold leaf pieces and applied them strategically to enhance the finish…then reglazed them with the Van Dyke Brown.
Voila…loving this finish! Hmmm I am looking around the shop right now to see what needs to have this finish on it…!
Join in the fun! Sign up for one of our Paint Workshops at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ and learn how to create beautiful finishes for your furniture projects. We use Paint Couture! products and you will be amazed at the myriad of possibilities these wonderful products will make available to you!
The Whistling Elk 
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