Gift Ideas from Room 363

Only 3 more shopping days until Christmas!  That means only 3 more days to figure out what you're going to wear.  Both of these dresses would be perfect for a holiday party and are on sale starting today. The dress on the left is now $65, originally $94.  The dress on the right is $55, originally $79.

Room 363 has a large selection of well-priced scarves.  These make great gifts for any woman in your life.   Keep one on-hand as an emergency gift for those awkward situations where you didn't realize you were exchanging gifts with a friend until they brought a present to lunch.

Mark also has a new display by the check-out counter of vintage-inspired Ella E. jewelry.  There's a stunning collection of earrings, necklaces and cuffs.  The cuffs are made from recycled leather belts!  These make for a fun conversation piece.

There are great gift ideas in the kid's room, so be sure to make your way to the back of the store.  There are handmade pillows, dresses, bibs, hair bows, hats, and lots, lots more!  The flower clips would look adorable dressing up a wrapped gift or clipped on a gift bag. Use them afterwards as a pretty addition to any little girl's outfit.

One of my favorite items for little girls are these handmade cuffs by Hazel Brown Designs.  There are several in the store if you're looking for stocking stuffers, but you can also visit Hazel Brown's website for personalized requests.  How about as a cute favor for a little girl's birthday party?

In the front of the store, you'll find a great selection of men's items.  The beanies, gloves, button-down hooded shirt-jackets and long-sleeve crews would be perfect for that teenage boy on your list. How about a fedora or cap for your brother, husband or boyfriend? Room 363 has those, too!  The boots are now only $80.  They're a great neutral color and are extremely comfortable. Mark has road tested them to be sure!

On December 26th, Room 363 will mark all holiday ornaments and decorations down 50%.  This would be a great time to stock up on ornaments for next year!  Also, the mercury glass and silver ornaments would look great in an apothecary jar or bowl as a New Year's Eve party decoration.  All men's items will be 20% off that day as well.

Stay safe this weekend and enjoy celebrating with friends and family.  We hope to see you in the store!

{theNOOK} Recap and Moving Day!

Thank you to everyone who visited the holiday pop-up shop, {theNOOK}, in downtown Naperville last weekend.  It was fun to see people shopping, mingling and lingering to have conversations with friends and neighbors. We plan to continue this new tradition next year, adding more booths and making minor tweaks to continue to grow the shop and improve the experience.  A huge thank you to Alicia's Photography for allowing us to use her studio space, to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for the truffles and hot chocolate and to Flour Power Cookies and Confections for the delicious cookies Friday evening.

I had planned to post some fun pictures of {theNOOK} in full swing, but the unexpected swim my iPhone took in the toilet Saturday morning threw a wrench in those plans.  It spent the remainder of the weekend nestled in a large bag of rice. In case you're wondering, the rice treatment on wet phones does work. Mostly. My home button doesn't work and my camera light stays on at all times, giving my purse a nice green glow, but I can make calls!

Through this process of setting up the holiday pop-up shop and writing his blog, I've become friends with Mark. I've found that one of the most endearing aspects of his personality is that he truly doesn't want his customers to spend unnecessary money. I often visit Room 363 and make comments about wanting an amazing new piece he's found.  His immediate response is always, "Where are you going to put it?"  If he doesn't like my answer, he won't sell me the item.  This is because he's seen my house and knows what will and won't work.    The piece might be great, but that doesn't mean it's right for my space. He encourages his customers to make thoughtful purchases. I spent a good portion of my time at {theNOOK} going through this "I want that" / "Where you going to put it" routine with him.  Finally, on the last day, he said he'd found something I should buy.  He got as far as saying, "I think you should buy. . . " and I was shouting "Yes! I'll take it".  I had no idea what he was recommending, I was just happy to be walking out of there with something Mark-approved.

So, this is it.  This is my $24 red stool that ended up never making it past my front porch.  

Mark arranged my front porch to be used as backdrop for our family pictures, incorporating the vintage red stool.  My favorite part is the screen door with the wreath hanging from it. It was a great way to bring some height and interest to a blank area of the porch, behind my love seat.

Mark designed the family photo "set" using materials we had decorating the outside of {theNOOK}.  He left me with a wreath to hang on the front door, instructing me to buy a Command brand hook and hang it.  Which I did.  He stopped by the next day to drop off a rug and the first words out of his mouth were, "You hung your wreath upside down."  Seriously?  I get one job and I can't even get that right.  I like it upside down though, so I'm keeping it.

Never one to sit still long, as soon as we closed {theNOOK}, Mark immediately began moving from his townhouse in St. Charles to a home in Naperville.  He sent me these shots of the chaos.  

Now that he's been in the house for a couple days, he sent me a small sneak peek of his favorite cabinet to share.

I promise to get more pictures after he's settled and has had a chance to decorate and paint.

Welcome to Naperville, Mark!

-Maria