Merry Christmas!

One of our customers just has a knack for decorating and shared his photos with me. Some of them show our products - and others are just Patrick's amazing collection of Christmas decorations, not all of which are available on our website. I just thought you would enjoy the photos! Happy Holidays!

A nice collection of Arnett Santas

Tin Candlesticks

Tin Sconce

Old fashioned Christmas ornaments

Trencher Treenware

Wooden Chandelier

Halifax Sconce

Williamsport Sconce 

Pine and Pomander Wreath

Belsnickels

Primitive Totes, Purses and Wallets

Introducing our new line of Primitive Totes, Purses and Wallets! Please let us know if you like these and would like for us to add more. We are always looking to make sure you, our customers, are finding what you are looking for in our store or on our website. We welcome your feedback!

Satchel

Wristlet

Totebag

Homespun Country Curtains

Our Homespun Country Curtains will make your home feel cozy.  We offer a terrific variety of homespun country fabrics, including the ever popular Sturbridge country curtain.  Our wrought iron curtain rods and tiebacks add an elegant look to your windows.  We even have matching homespun table linens and chairpads to make your chairs more comfortable and complete the look!

Combine homespun country valances or swags with homespun country tiers to create a charming cottage look to a kitchen window. Or try homespun country curtain panels for an elegant, luxurious look in your living room or dining room. Think about using mini blinds in the bedroom for privacy, but add some fishtail swags to dress up the window - especially for a tall or wide window. For your bathroom, we also carry homespun country shower curtains as well!

If you have a small window, tiers can be separated to create a soft window drape. If you have a large window, consider combining a valance and a pair of swags on the top and a pair of tiers on the bottom. Combine sheers with a valance to let in all the natural light as possible while still allowing some privacy.

Enjoy the new look you can create in a room with a bit of paint and the perfect curtains!

Candle Rings on Tin Chandelier

Sometimes it's the little things that make you take notice. These arborvitae  candle rings are a very inexpensive ($3.95 each) addition to any light and look really great on this tin chandelier. The chandelier is very useful in the kitchen because the downlight in the center cone provides task lighting for browsing through cookbooks or for crafting. In my case, my kids gather around the table while I am cooking and do their homework. So tonight, we added a touch of Christmas to our chandelier and everyone smiled.

Punched Tin Panels

In colonial times, punched tin panels were used on pie safes and cupboards to keep the air flowing in to cool fresh baked breads, pastries and desserts while keeping the bugs away from the delicious food.

These days, these punched tin panels will provide a lovely accent in any piece of furniture, especially a pie safe. Maybe you have an antique that is missing some panels or maybe you dabble in furniture making. Either way, these punched tin panels are perfect to complete the job!  Unfortunately, we are not able to offer custom sizes.

Early American Lighting

Introducing our new Early American Lighting collection made right here in Pennsylvania by a skilled craftsman.  The attention to detail makes every light a unique creation that you will be proud to display inside or outside your home. 

Floating Candles

Our Floating Candles include cedar tips and berries that look great in your own enamel ware bowl. You can also order our Floater Bowl if you don't find a water tight bowl in your collection. This is the perfect centerpiece for your holiday table as you gather friends and family together.

Flameless/Battery Operated Candles

We have a wonderful selection of Flameless/Battery Operated Candles available online and in our retail store. The video shows how realistic the flames are and the many places you can use them throughout your home. Pair the candles with some Candlestands or Lanterns to create a nice display of warmth on your table centerpiece or on a mantel and add some Greenery, Garland, Candle Rings or Wreaths. Have fun decorating!

Frakturs by Susan Daul

On our website at www.thetinbin.com, we have a terrific collection of printed Frakturs, an artistic folk art stylized by the Pennsylvania Dutch.  We feature the work of Susan Soloway Daul, who has been drawing and painting since her early childhood.  "Old things" have fascinated Susan all of her life, as she fondly remembers accompanying her parents to visit homesteads of many of our founding fathers and countless antique shops searching for treasures from our past. Susan's Folk Art has taken many forms over the past 20 years, as she has used various media including wood and clay, usually incorporating animals into her pieces in some way.

It was a natural progression for Susan's focus to fall on the Fraktur, as their inspirational verses, charming use of animals and beautiful combinations of color proved irresistible from the first time she saw one. Initially given as gifts to special friends and family, Susan's creations have quickly become desirable to collectors as appreciation for her Fraktur has spread far and wide, finding their place in various Museum Shops throughout the country, including Colonial Williamsburg, The American Folk Art Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to name a few.

Lighting Your Home

How to Light your Home

Just as important as the details that moulding and paint color provide or the style of the room dictated by the furniture selected, lighting is a integral part of your overall home decor. Lighting that is thoughtful and well planned can really pull a room together.

There are three basic types of lighting:

General Lighting provides light to the room for visual assistance. This type of lighting includes Flushmount Lighting and Floor Lights. It also includes Wooden Chandeliers or Tin Chandeliers, especially when the chandelier is suspended over a table.

Task Lighting provides specific lighting to an area. Examples of task lighting Table Lamps which provide reading light to a desk or on an end table next to your favorite chair. It also includes our Tin Shade Lights which would provide task lighting over a kitchen sink or island.

Ambient Lighting can soften the mood or illuminate dark corners.  Tin Lanterns & Accent Lights and Sconces are good examples of ambient lighting.This type of lighting is also perfect for featuring art and architecture.

Some tips that can help you choose your lighting wisely:

Do not use open bottomed fixtures in the middle of a room. These types of lights provide task lighting over a table, island or kitchen sink. You do not want to use them in a hallway since you will look up and see a bare bulb, creating a lot of glare.
Table lamps and floor lamps should have a distance from the bottom of the lampshade to the ground of about 36-47 inches. This height will prevent direct view of the lightbulb and will give ample reading light. You can use different sizes of harps to achieve the proper height.
A chandelier should be hung about 30" above the table. Too often, chandeliers are hung too high and seem disconnected from the table. For ceilings that are nine feet or more, a two-tier chandelier would work well to fill the space between the ceiling and the table.
Dimmer switches are terrific for dining room chandeliers in particular. You can dim the light to create a nice ambience when entertaining.
Selecting Outdoor Lighting for your Home and Landscape

Of course, lighting your home is important on the outside as well since a good lighting plan will add visual appeal and value to your home.

When ordering your outdoor lighting, it is important to select the proper size of light. Most home owners make the mistake of putting up a post light that is too small for either the post or for the home itself. Especially with two story homes, a post light needs to be sizable to make a statement - too small of a light will get lost in your landscape.

Remember that your outdoor lighting will appear about half the size when viewed from far away. Besides the all important post light, do you need hanging lights or wall lights? Again,bigger is better - don't be nervous about getting a light too large for either side of your door.

Consider having a few post lights if you have a very long driveway or consider adding garden lighting to accentuate that long path.

Outdoor lighting not only lets you enjoy your yard or deck at night, it also provides added security for your home. A well thought out lighting design can make a significant change to your landscape, making your home more beautiful!

We hope that this information was helpful to you and would welcome you to Contact Us with any questions.

Here is a link to this article on our website with links to all the categories of the different types of lighting mentioned.

Belsnickels

Belsnickel is the German companion of Saint Nicholas which is still in use as a Christmas figure in the Pennsylvania Dutch community. The folktale is that Belsnickel, dressed in fur, arrives just before Christmas and figures out which children have been naughty. He carries a switch and will beat the bad children, and so, the children are scared into behaving nicely in hopes that St. Nicholas will bring them presents.  If Belsnickel finds that the children are well behaved, he will throw them some candy. Although the traditional Belsnickel tends to be in tattered clothing and somewhat mean-looking, our Belsnickels are beautiful representations of this folktale, and take on the more friendly look of Santa Claus.

Belsnickels at The Tin Bin

Welcome Lights

From the outside looking in, a warm glow at each window of your home represents hospitality and friendship.

Many people use our welcome lights, also known as window candles, throughout the holidays. However, in Lancaster County, the tradition has been to let the welcome lights up throughout the year to have a nightlight in each room to light the way.

Click to see our Window Lights at The Tin Bin