Entertaining Made Simple!

I love having these mixes on hand!

Wind & Willow Cheeseballs are easy to prepare
with just cream cheese and butter,
and I haven't met one person yet that doesn't love them!


We have a wonderful assortment,
including some dessert mixes
that you may make into a spectacular pie!

Come on in and check 'em out today!

Lights ~ Camera ~ Action!!!!!

So, have you heard?

We're gonna be in the movies!!!!

A couple of weeks ago I received a call from director, Richard Griffin of Scorpio Films, asking if he could have permission to shoot the front of Brown & Hopkins for use in a film......

I say, "Tell me more....".

He says, "Well, it's called Atomic Brain Invasion."

(laughter....from me.....lots of it....)

I say, "Tell me more....".

He says, "It's a loving homage to the 1950's horror films, and it is set on Block Island, and we would have a shopkeeper out front sweeping the sidewalk, and a 50's car parked on the street. And it is G-Rated."

I say, "Fabulous, sounds fun, and of course you can shoot B & H!"

So today was THE day!

Cruisin' Bruce Palmer, RI radio personality, pulls up front with his vintage car...... a beautiful bright yellow!! Boy, I bet heads turn when he cruises down the street in that gem!

Bruce says, "Ok, Richard is here and it is going to be an action shot. He wants me to pull up quickly, onto the sidewalk, and crash into the building!".

I say, 'Well, I was wanting to do some work on it!!".

Richard walks in to the shop and introduces himself,
and says, "I have some 50's costumes in the trunk of my car."

I say, "You want us to dress up??????????????".

I am thinking, "I know Barbara is not going to go for that!".

He looks at Angela and exclaims,
"She'd be perfect! I have a little number that would fit her perfectly!".

Relieved, I say, "ANGELA!!!!! You're gonna be in the movie!!!!!!!".

We then borrowed a broom (for the shopkeeper actor)
from Jim at Farm Family Insurance across the street,
a vintage purse from Jerry at Post Office Antiques,

dressed her up and we were ready!

ACTION!!!!

CUT!!!!!!! And Richard checks the film....

It's a wrap!!!

Me getting a little creative with the chrome....

How cute is Angela!!???


Director, Richard Griffin; Cat Hainfeld, camera woman; me; and Cruisin' Bruce Palmer

You may view the trailer here....

We are all going to the premiere on September 10th at The Foxboro Orpheum...
it should be fun!!!

The Boutique is Brimming!

Attention all fashionista's.......

The boutique at Brown & Hopkins is looking
bee-----you------teee----fulllllllllll!!!!!

Crinkly tops for hot summer days ahead of us!

How about a printed cotton tunic with angled sleeves, and side slits?
Perfect with the leggings that are coming back, or over your bathingsuit!!
You'd better get in here before my sister does!!!
She helped me choose them at the show, and loved them all!!!!

Vintage silk ruffled & layered scarves.......are gorgeous works of art!

I guarantee you will be stopped in your tracks and asked,
"Where did you get that scarf?"!
These are just $21.95 each and they flutter like a butterfly!

Soon to flutter right on out the door!

And of course,
Sunreaders....sunglasses with different magnifications
so you can read your vampire novel at the beach.....

Need a little something to cheer up a friend or add to a birthday card?
These packets of bath salts are printed with vintage pics and sassy greetings.....
"Eat Cake Sistah!!!"

"Greetings from Menopause"
and
my personal favorite.......
"I Can't Hear You!!!!"
Oh, yeah....and they smell great!!!

Have you tried our hard milled French soaps yet???
Lavender, Lemongrass, Honey Almond (gosh, I could eat that one!)....
And we even have Soap on a Rope!!!! Dad would like that!!

Virginia from Grace Note Farms spoils her guests
with these fragrant and long lasting soaps...

And yes......this one way down there, on the bottom shelf, is Ginger Jasmine,
and so worth bending down for!!!!
We'll help you if you get stuck standing back up.....
and we'll carry your armload of stuff to the counter for you too!!!

Alot of new jewelry...some funky, and some chunky......


And as always, remember.........




Note: If you get together with girlfriends,
the "Girls Night Out" game is a great conversation starter,
and you'll probably learn a thing or two that you didn't already know.....
and have alot of laughs...
or maybe a cat fight, depending upon how you roll....
but my motto is
Live ~ Laugh ~ Love!

Stella's Growing Up!

Every now and then....

Stella comes to visit us at Brown & Hopkins!

Here she is picking out candy......

She is Angela's cutie patootie pup.......

Everyone speaks in a higher tone when she is around......

that's just the way it is....

Rustic Angel Vine Topiaries!

We just received a limited supply of these sweet little carefree "live" plants!

They are going fast!

Come on in and check them out today!

Apple Spice Cake

Who loves butterscotch???

Have I got a recipe for you!

It's so easy, and I am guessing that you probably have everything

in your pantry except for two items....

4 cups of Granny Smith Apples and Spiced Rum Butterscotch Sauce (Stonewall Kitchen)

Of course, this dessert topping is yummy served over cheesecake, ice cream and more! And while I am posting this recipe for you to enjoy, who's to say you can't go get a store bought coffeecake or apple pie, and drizzle this over the top?! That will impress them enough! Heck, ya wouldn't hear me complaining!

But if you are in the mood to bake...here ya go!

Apple Spice Cake

Ingredients

1 stick butter, room temp.

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

4 cups Granny smith apples, cored and shredded, leave peel on.

1 jar Spiced Rum Butterscotch Sauce (Available at Brown & Hopkins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 10" Bundt pan.
Cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients and mix.
Spread batter in prepared Bundt pan.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.
Serve each slice with Spiced Rum Butterscotch Sauce
......and heck, how 'bout a little bit of whipped cream?

Enjoy!

Mother's Day Contest!

Would you like a chance to win a $100 Shopping Spree???

Here are the rules:

1) Join our Facebook Fan Page

www.facebook.com/brownandhopkinscountrystore

2) Copy and paste the following into a post on our page

"I LOVE Brown & Hopkins Country Store and I would LOVE to win a $100 shopping spree!"

3) Upload a treasured photo of Mom ~ Grandma ~ You and the Kids ~ You and Grandkids ~ Family....etcetera

4) Tag Yourself and others in the photo who are on Facebook (If you are not in the photo, then just tag the picture with your name, so it'll appear on your homepage)

Instructions are found on Facebook as well!

And that's all there is to it!!

Drawing will be held on May 6th!

Grand prize winner will be chosen at random (names in a hat)

and some runners up will be chosen as well!

Not on Facebook? Whatcha waitin' for??? It's a fun way to keep in contact with friends and find out what is happening at your favorite country store!!!

Here are just a few photos recently entered into the contest!!

Good luck everyone!

And remember.....

"A mother is the truest friend we have,

when trials are heavy and sudden, fall upon us;
when adversity takes the place of prosperity;
when friends who rejoice in our sunshine desert us;
when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us,
and endeavor by her kind percepts and counsels
to dissipate the clouds of darkness,
and cause peace to return to our hearts."

Washington Irving, American writer, 1783 - 1859

Say Cheese!

Cheddar Cheese, that is!

Did you know that Brown & Hopkins sells sharp cheddar cheese,

straight from a Vermont cow, well, sorta, kinda...LOL

Did you know that cheese has been a staple item on provisioners' counters since Colonial times, and so became known as "store" cheese.

Here's a recipe I found when looking through an old recipe book, dated 1968.

Cheese-Onion Bread

1/2 cup diced onion

2 T melted butter

1 and 1/2 cups packaged biscuit mix (Bisquick)

1 cup shredded store cheese (1/4 lb.)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup milk

Simmer the onion in 1 T butter until tender and golden.

Combine the biscuit mix with 2/3 cup of cheese; add beaten egg and milk, mixing just enough to wet all ingredients; stir in the onion. Spread in well-greased 8" cake pan, brush top with remaining melted butter, then scatter remaining cheese over all. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Serve at once. Serves 4 to 6.

This is a superb hot bread and is excellent with scrambled eggs or an omelet.

This cheese will be sampled on Friday and Saturday,

and would make a perfect addition to your Sunday dinner!

A little wine, a little cheese,
a little more wine, some cheese-onion bread.......you get the picture.....

Kidding aside, this is the creamiest cheese around,

and canot be bought at a grocery store.

It just tastes better when it is cut off the big block of cheese.....

In my best RI accent, "It's just like butta!".

Egg~Staspecial Weekend!

Spring Sur~PRIZE Spectacular at Brown & Hopkins this weekend!

Choose an egg at check out and reveal a mystery discount!

You may win a $25 gift certificate if you are eggstra lucky!!!

We are giving away four $25 gift certificates this weekend!

Discounts are from 15% to 40% off!!!!!

Everyone's a winner!!!!

Event ends Sunday, the 28th at 5pm!

I Think My Name Should Have Been Jane....

Here's a peek into more of my decorating style....

I just LOVE decorating with garlands and vines!

I made this mirror for Bruce out of an old storm door.
It's nice to lighten up the heaviness of an object with garlands.

This window in my guest bath doesn't require a curtain for privacy, and the whole bath has a garden theme to it, so, of course, a vine around the window was what I thought it needed!

The kitchen window looks out into the backyard and another vine for interest went here as well!

I finally decided upon curtains for my front triple window.....
Yup, these are the same curtains I chose for my bedroom and master bath,
just ALOT longer!
Linda calls them the "Wash and Hang" curtains!

All you do is wash them, dry on low for minimal shrinkage or medium for more shrinkage, and you get this wonderful "gauzy" look!
They are actually called Tobacco Cloth Curtains.
You may now purchase them online on our website!
I love the airiness (is that a word?) about them
and how they just filter the light without blocking it.
I love natural light in a home!

You can wrap vines around stuff too!!!
Here is a wire form which holds a battery operated candle which comes on at exactly 5pm everyday and turns itself off 5 hours later!

The first time Bruce saw it, he said,
"I thought you knew better than to leave a burning candle unattended?!"......... Men!! LOL

My dear friend Wendy made this collage for me with my wedding invitation and natural elements...and the bird is made from birch bark and was part of my wedding centerpieces.

I have had this window mirror for years and I absolutely adore it!
It is so rustic with the chippy paint and all!
And the vine just grabs your attention and lures you right in.....

I hope my photos have inspired you to
take a look around your home, and see where you can add a little vine whimsy......

Curtains!

I wanted to show you what I chose to use as curtains in my bedroom and bathroom....

I knew I wanted the primitive tobacco cloth curtains, but also knew I wanted a topper...so, I married the tobacco cloth with our cotton lace curtains, and created just the right look for me!

I took these pics just this am, and yes, that is little snow flurries outside...

I used little pieces of a wispy garland as tie-backs for the curtains in the bath,
and when I need privacy I just pull the curtain over to cover the entire window.

Cutest Little Light Ever!

I ooh'd and ahh'd over this little light at the last country trade show,
and now it's here at Brown & Hopkins!

Just about 4.5" in height and the little light flickers
when powered by just one AA battery!
We did a recent test here at the shop,
and we have discovered that if you use a good quality battery,
and never ever turn off the little light, it will stay "lit" almost 4 weeks!!!
I just think it looks so nice displayed in our little black iron book light taper holder set upon an antique book.....

Check both items out on our online shopping cart!

Cookie Tarts!

These wax cookie tarts are so realistic that in the past week we have received the following question from a customer (name has been changed to protect them from embarrassment):

Tim: "Do you have any of those Hazelnut cookies already bagged up in a two pack?"
Me: "Those are wax..."
Tim: "OMG....don't tell anyone I asked that!!!!!"
Me: "You aren't the first one to think they are real!"

In January, when we were doing our spring cleaning,
we found a wax cookie with a perfect bite taken out of it,
and I guess they don't taste as good as they smell,
'cuz we found the spit out half in a tin bucket....... : {

Anyway.....they are now available for purchase online!

Click here to go to our online shopping cart!

We're baking as fast as we can!

New Accessories For The Necessary Room!

I love these new nature inspired accessories for the bathroom!

Toilet tissue holder, 2 different sizes of towel bars
and a wall hook for your bathrobe (not shown) are now available!
The detail is so pretty, and rustic at the same time!

And no bathroom is complete without the
Nature's Call Poo~Pourri Spray!

Now available for purchase online!