The Madness Continues …

Midnight Madness II is this Thursday, December 10th and its getting crazier at Dragonfly Garden.  The entire shop will be 40% off starting at 6pm.  The sale goes until the stock goes! 

We’ll be closing up shop for good in Annapolis on December 23rd, so if there is something you’ve had an eye on, come and get it.  Some items will be up to 75% off, and please note that the 40% off sale does not apply to special order items (only things already in the shop).

Give us a buzz at 410.295.5677 if you want us to set something aside for you!

Midnight Madness!

Come into Annapolis on Thursday evening this week and next for Midnight Madness, when local merchants will be open until, you  guessed it, MIDNIGHT!  There will be special sales, hospitality and lots of fun and good cheer.

We are celebrating our third anniversary with a first ever 20% off the entire store sale, from 6pm to midnight!  You can’t get better than that – no coupon necessary.  Everything is 20% off, and some things will be marked down at an even greater discount.

We’re having champagne and sparkling cider along with some tasty home made brownie bites.  You’ll need to keep your strength up!  The tree is trimmed and there are lots of great gifts in store to help you check off the recipients on your list.

Christmas in October?

One of the interesting things I’ve learned in the world of retail has to do with strategic ordering.  Most vendors release new product lines at least once a year, and its often in late fall or early winter.  This is true for all kinds of vendors, not least of which are those vendors who offer Christmas decor and ornaments.  Most vendors also produce a finite amount of their seasonal items, while other non-seasonal items may be in production on an ongoing basis throughout the year.  This being said, you need to get a jump on Christmas stuff, and order in or even before January for the following holiday season!   The earlier you can get your orders in (even if you request delivery in the fall) the better chance you have of getting what you want.  And of course, those who request delivery as soon as possible, are first in line and are almost assured of getting what they want.  This is a lesson I learned the first year – intuitively, why would I want to spend my available inventory budget on Christmas gifts to be delivered in July?  Shouldn’t I be spending those dollars on things that people might actually want to buy in July and August?  Well yes, but you need to plan ahead too!  So my first year in business, I waited until late October / early November to order my Christmas things.  Can you guess what happened?  I did not get everything I wanted!  So the Christmas tree looked kind of piecemeal, which is what a normal family Christmas tree looks like, but not a super special boutique Christmas tree.

Having learned my lesson, Christmas has been arriving at Dragonfly Garden since July!  Most items I just packed away for the holiday season, but some things were just too cute for me to hide in the stockroom.  I just HAD to share!   And I have been pleasantly surprised at the response.  We have already sold out of some items, and have had lots of positive feedback on others.  More and more shoppers are consciously making the decision to start their Christmas shopping early, and thereby spread the high cost and stress of the holidays over a several-month period, rather than start the panic on Black Friday.  Reduced stress is good for everybody, right?

All this being said, we had a huge shipment of Christmas ornaments come in this week and again, some of them are just too cute to pack up and put away for another month!  We have birds and butterflies and of course, dragonflies to die for!  Mosaic Bird Ornaments come in blue, pink, green and yellow, $9.95.  The Pansy Butterfly Clip-on Ornaments come in 4 different shades of pinks and purples and yellows, and are $7.95.  The Etched Glass Dragonfly Ball Ornament is hand painted with jewels and glitter and is also available with a butterfly, at $11.95.  My apologies for the photo quality – all I have with me today is my cell phone and the light is horrible in the shop for photos!  The mosaic birds are much prettier in person than in this photo.

Late Bloomers

So here we are well into October, and some of my veggies are still producing! The cherry tomatoes which have been productive all summer long and the basil are expected to continue thriving until the first frost, but I have some surprises too.

I got a late start on my veggie garden this summer, and subsequently the plants got a late start as well. My sweet bell pepper has bloomed all summer long, and it is just now producing peppers!  The jalapeno had one healthy pepper on it when I bought it in June, then nothing till this month.   There is also one full size tomato, which is currently two-tone – orange on the sunny side and still green on the shady side.

My camera skills were lacking when I took these, but here’s my late bloomers …

The rest of the garden is looking kind of scraggly – I really need to get back there and clean things up.  Leaves are falling, along with nuts and random branches so the whole space is a big mess.  Time to put on my favorite garden gloves (insert shameless plug for Foxgloves Works here), grab a trash bag and get to work!

Flameless Candles Add Ambiance To Halloween Decor

Just arrived – flameless candles with LED lights! We have a new collection of flameless candles to add to your decor – enjoy the gentle light and have no concern about leaving candles burning or worrying about the little ones or your pets. (Your carpet may thank you too – I left a red candle burning overnight once, and it dripped all over my cream carpet. Huge mess. Lesson learned!)

We have halloween candles with special designs of a witch, a haunted house or a spooky black cat. There are black and orange votives, a pretty set of three pillars to create a candle garden, and some scented short pillars with flowers embedded. These are wax candles with an LED light bulb inside the candle to give you continuous glow. Some flicker, some don’t. The hours of light you will have from a fresh set of batteries varies, but generally the rule on these candles is up to 120 hours of light. There is an easy on & off switch on the bottom. These are flame-free, smoke-free, worry-free candles!

NEW! Enamel Signs from America Retold

I just unpacked some new enamel signs, made by America Retold – a fabulous home decor vendor.  Some signs are charming, some are sweet and some are downright sassy!  They are reasonably priced at $11.95 and would make a thoughtful gift for those of you looking for Christmas ideas already.  In a classic black and white design, they fit every home decor and would look cute at the office too.

The signs are handcrafted metal and coated with a durable enamel finish.  Each sign has a special shape or embellishment, and the fonts used to express each sentiment are appropriate to the thought.  There is a whole collection of cat & dog signs (who expected me to resist those?) and some fun ones that are either inspirational or witty.  There is a garden collection too, but they’ve been back-ordered.  I’m hoping they get here soon.  We did receive the matching coffee mugs, so be sure to check those out too.

They are all up on the website on the “What’s New” page.

Good Friends Are Like Stars ...

Dogs Have Many Friends ...

If Cats Could Talk, They Wouldn't

Halloween is Starting to Arrive

Halloween is starting to arrive at Dragonfly Garden. I seem to have a new obsession with owls this fall – you may see them at the shop through Christmas! (Spilling the beans: I found ADORABLE Christmas ornaments we just had to have!)

Hoot Owl Garden Flag

We have flags, magnetic mailbox covers from MagnetWorks, and Yard DeSigns – the magnetic signs that fit on either a yard stake or a wall plaque that you can easily change with the season. And wait till you see the Halloween themed bamboo dragonflies! Signs, pumpkins and more fall decor is being unpacked this weekend, and more arrives this week!

See what’s new on the website.

Labor Day Sale at Dragonfly Garden

This weekend, all our solar and glow in the dark garden art is 25% off!

Choose from a variety of solar garden stakes from Toland, either with a solid amber LED light or a color changing LED bulb that slowly moves from red to amber to blue. The color changing globe is also available on a garden sized flag pole. We have had excellent customer feedback on these stakes – full sun during the day will charge the battery, giving you up to 8 hours of solar glow at night.

Our celestial glow in the dark stakes are a best seller, and we now have hanging decor to match – sun and moon motifs are a perennial favorite.

Glow in the dark mushroom stakes are our favorite whimsy item this summer. They are irresistible! Sun exposure during the day gives you about an hour of glowing ’shroom in the dark.

And then of course, there’s the gnome with his glow in the dark lantern

And don’t forget this Sunday is a First Sunday Arts & Crafts Festival over on West Street. Music down by the dock all afternoon too! Its a great weekend to come in to Annapolis and enjoy a stroll.

Dockside Dog

It was a quiet afternoon at the shop today, so I took Katie for an extra long walk over to a park I recently discovered.  There is a little dock where boaters can come ashore, some benches, some shade, and some nice statuary too!  Katie likes it because she can sniff at the ducks that often sun themselves on the bumper around the dock area and of course she can roll in the grass.  I like it because it is a lovely view, the water always has a calming effect, and I can sit for a bit for a mini-escape.  Just took one quick photo on the cell phone today – Katie just looked too cute looking up at me to pass up the opportunity to capture the moment.  Here is my dockside dog.

Make Your Own Summer Sale on our Website

Are you planning a “staycation” this summer? The newest buzzword in being fiscally responsible, it means you are spending vacation time in your own home and community. If you’re spending more time at home, you’ll want something special to brighten your yard or garden, and we’ve got it! New bird baths and birdfeeders, beautiful ways to add butterflies to your garden, tools for garden work, mosquito repellent that doesn’t smell bad, and much more.

Use coupon code “Staycation” for 25% off any item on our website, now through August 31.

Some fun ideas:

Ladybug Jiggle Stake $19.95

Squirrel Buster Mini Feeder $24.95

Firepot - $24