2019 marks Heart of the Home's 25th anniversary!  (The big day is April 1st.  Yes, really!) Visitors often tell us that we're a favorite place to find a really beautiful, unusual wedding gift, but we also have lots of ideas for anniversary gifts, too!  We'll have traditional and modern ideas for twenty  five years of anniversaries on our blog throughout 2019.

 Clocks are the modern theme for this anniversary.  How perfect a way to feather your nest and commemorate the time you've shared together, and will continue to share!  From classic to contemporary, organic wood to stylish metal, a clock can be a beautiful gift.  We like the traditional Appalachian influence of Sabbath-Day Wood's wooden and copper-face clocks, and the intriguing industrial aesthetic of Pendulux.

"Socks?" we can hear you say.  "Socks?  For an anniversary gift?"  For the Cotton anniversary, you bet!  Solmate socks are not just any socks. They come in a kaleidoscope of perfectly mismatched  colors.  How about comfy-cozy socks, and a romantic evening by the fire?    And yes, these are beloved by ladies and gentleman alike!

We love opportunities to think outside the box.  The modern second anniversary theme is "China", which sounds limiting at first blush, calling to mind connotations like "fragile" and "only for special occasions only".  But it doesn't have to be.

Consider: china - or, more correctly, porcelain - that can be worn.  Boston studio  Porcelain & Stone elevates this material to exquisite ornamentation.  Hand-crafted from colored porcelain clay, their earrings and necklaces defy expectations about where this material belongs.  Each piece in their marbled collection  is unique, with whorls and swirls unlike any other.  Exactly as unique as your love.

We can't go long without talking about pottery here at Heart of the Home.  It's one of our passions, and has been a part of our store since our very earliest anniversaries.  Our founder's motto has always been: "no useless pots!", and that unfussy, thoroughly practical philosophy brings the china anniversary into everyday functionality.  A beautifully made, dishwasher-safe mug can be enjoyed over and over again.  Or ditch the generic glass florist's vase and present an anniversary bouquet in a gorgeous ceramic vase that can hold cheery blooms for anniversaries to come.  For coffee or carnations, Bill Campbell's creations have you covered.

Hanging on the wall in Phyllis’s office here at Heart of the Home is a disreputable-looking piece of paper with a corner torn off of it. It is an essential part of her equipment for the store because it has written on it, in bold Sharpie-marker black, the guiding principles behind what we do. Phyllis and her daughter Cat sat down almost 25 years ago when they founded Heart of the Home and thought carefully about what they wanted to bring to their customers.

There are 5 basic principles that they laid out, and these guides still inform our choices every time we go shopping.  Here’s what we consider:

​The first one is Functional. We really want to present things that you can use in your home.  Our pottery is an excellent example - it’s all dishwasher and microwave safe.  Phyllis's pottery rallying cry: “No useless pots!”

Second is Beautiful.  It has to speak to our idea of an aesthetic object.  Is it lovely to the eyes?  Does it feel pleasant in the hand?  When worn on the body?

Thirdly is Unique or unusual. Not something you see everywhere.  We want our visitors to find something they’ve never encountered before.  We love sharing those “wow, look at that!” moments with our clients.

Fourth and very importantly: Handmade.  Let's support small businesses and committed artisans.

And finally, Made in the USA.  Our craftspeople are living their dreams, making a living by making beautiful things, and it is our privilege to help them do that.  By presenting the work artists in the United States, we  support the long and storied tradition of American Craft.

We still believe in these basic ideas and try to practice them every day.  Much of what you'll find at Heart of the Home was chosen for your enjoyment because it met three or more of these criteria.  We pride ourselves especially in our commitment to Handmade in American, and 25 years of listening to enthusiastic customers tell us they value that, too!