Monday, December 3, 2012

Theatre of Dreams

Magic.
It's what Christmas is made of...it's that feeling of excitement and wonder you have as a child when you're waiting in line to tell Santa what you want for Christmas or when the lights on the Christmas tree are lit each night.  I think the older you get the harder it is to feel that childlike magic.
That being said, I did something this past weekend that I have always wanted to do.  Something very magical...just for me.   A friend and I took the drive up to the Bay area to Wendy Addison's "Theatre of Dreams" Christmas Open House.  Talk about a little slice of heaven...where glitter and stars and whimsical creatures all live together in a magically enchanting little shop with Wendy presiding as the keeper of all extraordinary things.
Wendy's studio and shop can be found in the tiny secret town of Port Costa, California.  The once bustling port town is now quiet and serene with about 200 residents, 2 restaurants and one hotel, The Burlington (which looked like it may fall down at any minute).  We arrived in Port Costa about 20 minutes before the shop opened and even though it was lightly raining my friend and I wondered up the street snapping some pictures of the old buildings, some built in the 1800's (that's old for us here in CA).  I thought I would share some of the pictures with you before I take you into the shop.
Wonder what happened to number 17?
The chic restaurant in town, Bull Valley Roadhouse was closed since we were there at 10am but the menu in the window sounded fabulous.  Looks like they open at 5 for cocktails and 6 for dinner, Thursday through Sunday.
Across the street from Bull Valley Roadhouse and next door to Theatre of Dreams was this sign, You Are Here...I thought, "you're right, I am".
Just 10 more minutes...snap a few pictures, peer into the windows, feel your heart race just a bit.
And then Wendy Addison herself pokes her head out the front door and says, "please, come in from the cold".
I am never going to be able to tell you how incredible the shop was with the soft lights, lit candles and abundance of silver glass glitter.  So I will just say it was everything I expected it to be.  It was one of those places where you have to look up, down, under, and in to try and grasp all of Wendy's beautiful pieces.
Oh, if my budget would have allowed it, I might have gone home with this beautiful angel Santos holding a glittered egg. 
The giant glittered star you can see on the left is a tree topper.
I love these giant scissors hanging from the ceiling.
So many things I am seeing in the pictures that I might have missed in person.  I don't think I even noticed there was a blackboard on the wall behind the display cabinet.
Well, that is my short tour of this magical shop.  I hope if you live in the Bay area (and even if you don't, like me) you will find the time to take the drive out to Port Costa.   It may be off the beaten path but sometimes, just sometimes it take a bit of effort to find someplace so magical.  If you can't go this year put it on your list for 2013, you won't be sorry.
Here are a few of the special pieces I purchased from Wendy...



Theater of Dreams is open 3 more times before Christmas
Friday and Saturday the 7th and 8th
Friday and Saturday the 14th and 15th
Friday and Saturday the 21st and 22nd
10am to 4pm

Theatre of Dreams
11 Canyon Lake Dr.
Port Costa, CA 94569
(510) 787-2164


On a fun side note, I am participating in Ellen Hutson's 12 Tags of Christmas with a feminine twist.  Since Tim made the change this year to do one tag per month, instead of 12 in December (btw, I love that change).  Ellen is filling in by having 12 ladies share a Christmas tag from the 1st to the 12th.  We are already on day 3 so if you follow the link you can see the first 3, then stop by to see the rest as they are revealed each day.   Leave a comment each day to win a 25$ gift certificate.  
Ellen is also sponsoring a challenge...post a tag of your own, inspired by one of the 12 tags and be eligible for a $150 gift certificate (read about it in the CLASSroom).  That sounds mighty good to me.

December 1 - Sharon Harnist
December 2 - Claudine Hellmuth
December 3 - Julie Ebersole
December 4 - Jennifer McGuire
December 5 - Kittie Caracciolo
December 6 - Teri Anderson
December 7 - Julia Stainton
December 8 - Kelly Marie Alveraz
December 9 - Paula Cheney
December 10 - Maile Belles
December 11 - Carolyn Peeler
December 12 - Ellen Hutson

cheers!
paula

25 comments:

  1. wow!!!! I wanna come to one of these magical places with you some day.... in the meantime though thank you for sharing, it looks amazing!

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  2. I am sure it will come as no surprise to you that I too am a huge fan of Wendy. I haven't made it to CA but I love Tinsel Trading and hit it every time I'm in NYC. I have the butterfly that matches the garland you showed in the last photo as well as her glitter and several other items from years past.

    I would love to see magical Christmas open house at some point.

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    1. danee, Well I have never been to Tinsel Trading so that makes us even! The garland I bought is a favorite...I think it is going on the fireplace but we shall see what happens when I decorate.
      paula

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  3. This is going on my bucket list. Would love to spend several hours in there. Looks amazing. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Wendy Addison became known to me when I first read about her and admired her artwork in the July/August 2007 issue of Somerset Studio. She provided very good advice about "finding a thread" which I have never forgotten. It was so nice to see these photos, so glad you made the trip. Thanks Paula!

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    1. ceparie, I have also followed (and collected) her work for years. After shopping we took a tour of her studio next door. She said even after all these years she never tires of glittering her designs. Love that.

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  5. LOVE Wendy Addison's designs! I'm lucky enough to own a few small items. I MUST go visit this village and her shop now for sure!! Thank you so much for sharing the photos!!

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  6. I loved the photos! Very beautiful shoppe! But I do have a question about the building with the sign that Says You Are Here. What is hanging on the building above the sign? It looks like it could be rope.

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    1. Jackie, I can see what you mean and yet I have no idea what it is. It was raining so I didn't venture out from under my umbrella...I am not sure I even looked up!
      paula

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  7. Absolutely dreamy - I bookmarked it under Travel/CA - thanks for sharing this and bringing back magical memories of Christmas!

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  8. Thanks, Paula, for sharing your special day with us. What a gorgeous shop, would love to visit , but thanks for the virtual enjoyment!!! I can't wait to see your contribution to the 12 Feminine Tags of Christmas

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  9. What a beautiful shop! Lucky you!

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  10. Wow, what eye candy. Love the boxes and glittered letters. Did you get any letters? Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures of a awesome place.

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    1. Peggy I did not get any letters because I already have wish and merry that I use at Christmas time. My friend did buy the big letters to spell Noel to hang over her fireplace. We also bought some darling gift tags and bird nests!
      paula

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  11. Ooo... I would LOVE to go there someday! I have that little bird that you got and love him too! Your photos are wonderful - thanks for sharing it with us!

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  12. I've always wondered what her shop looked like! Thanks so much for sharing, love her stuff! I have a few pieces and love how the glitter is tarnishing!

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  13. Thanks so much for sharing! I have loved my visit. So many wonderful things to see that I wouldn't have seen. I'm a long way from Cali. Merry Christmas!

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  14. Well shucks, I left a reponse yesterday and it's gone!!Anyways I so loved looking at the photos of this most dreamy shoppe! Thanks so much for posting! I wondered if there are other shops like this (not just Christmas) cuz my son lives in SF and boy would I just love to go browsing in these kinds of shops next time I visit.

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  15. such a beautiful store... pity its just a little too far for me to visit!! will put it in my notebook along with all the other places you have visited and photos you have shared with us. So magical... and so easy to spend lots of pennies. Thanks so much for sharing. On another note - our temparature is warming up... BBQ has been cleaned and ready for cooking. My daughters finshed school a week ago... its going to be a long summer.. they don't go back til 1 Feb. Menu is sorted for Christmas day - salads, roast lamb, & lemon cake for dessert. We are going to visit a friend in Hamilton (about 90mins drive away) it will be a girls day - 6 of us in total on Christmas Day. We will overnite, so we can head to the Boxing Day Sales. love seeing all the US decorations as you head into winter, such a different atmosphere then our downunder summer Christmas.

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  16. Tracey my friend, it sounds like a great holiday plan! There are many, many people who would love to spend a warm Christmas in New Zealand! I spent one Christmas in Brazil and even though it was different, it was just as good!
    paula
    xx

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  17. Oh my, it really looked like a dream. I wish I were closer, what a fantastic shop. I love getting off the beaten path - usually always a treasure to find. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  18. This looks like an AMAZING place. Wish I didn't live so far away!

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  19. Wonderful pictures...I LOVE doors!

    ~Linda

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  20. Paula, So glad you got to go to this dreamy shop. Thanks for sharing all the photos so we can enjoy it too.

    Judy

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  21. THE INSIDE OF THE STORE REMINDS ME OF THE GIFT SHOP RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO MY SCRAPBOOK STORE IN SANTA ROSA, CA. IT'S CALLED CAROLINA AND CO.

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