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

Shop Small

I am so grateful for my children who always want to help at the store. We celebrated our 44th annual open house on November 25th and 26th. The kids were both there greeting customers, offering refreshments and helping to ring out merchandise. My daughter's favorite thing to do is to photograph new products to add to the website. I feel blessed that during their holiday break, they would choose to help out at the store and spend time with me.

Saturday, November 26 was Small Business Saturday. Did you shop small? 

Wassail

One of Lancaster County's "Hidden Gems"

As written by your local guides to the hidden gems on Real Lancaster County:

https://reallancastercounty.com/shops/specialty-shops/gift-shops/tin-bin/

Join with those who have discovered The Tin Bin, a captivating gift boutique & home décor destination that is among Lancaster County’s finest hidden gems.  Family owned & operated since 1973, their showrooms feature an eclectic mix of tinware accents, colonial lighting, primitive accessories, folk art, slow-burning candles, and holiday themed collections.
 The Tin Bin Neffsville Lancaster County PA

Located near the intersection of Rtes 501 and 772, in the community of Neffsville, The Tin Bin occupies a beautifully restored colonial house and clapboard barn which serve as quintessential showcases for inspiration and ideas.  Whether you are furnishing a newly purchased home or just ready to add new life to some tired living spaces, you will thrill with their amazing varieties of quality home décor & accessories.

From outdoor post lighting selections to homespun table linens, from punched tin lampshades to wrought iron kitchenware…The Tin Bin provides their appreciative customers a wide range of discerning choices.

The Tin Bin
20 Valley Rd
Neffsville, PA 17601
(717) 569-6210
www.thetinbin.com

Props for Underground

We had the honor to help supply some of the props for Underground - a terrific series about the underground railroad on WGN America. Here, one of the protagonists of the story lights a lantern to put in the window to signal to the escaping slaves that her home is a safe haven for them as they travel north to freedom.

Click to see our Candlesticks and Lanterns

This Old House Colonial Dining Room

As featured in This Old House, pairing sconces on either side of bold artwork over a mantel certainly makes a statement. Here our mirrored sconces are the perfect choice for this colonial dining room in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Please visit our showroom to see a generous display of sconces and much more colonial lighting and home decor:

The Tin Bin
20 Valley Road
Neffsville, PA 17601
or shop online at www.thetinbin.com.

Lighted Willow Branches

Just in time for the holidays, we now offer Brown Lighted Willow Branches and White Lighted Willow Branches!  These lighted branches are available in two sizes.  The tall branches measure 39 inches tall and have 3 flexible branches with 96 lights.  The short branches measure 19 inches tall and have 5 flexible branches with 60 lights.  Both are for indoor use only and come with and AC adapter.

These lighted willow branches are excellent decorative elements that you can add to a mantel or a table display.  Add real curly willow branches to fill in the display and change it up with the seasons.  In the Winter and during the holidays, add fresh or artifical greens.  In the Spring, add pussy willow or forsythia.  In the Summer, add a few flags for a patriotic look.  In the Fall, add some bittersweet.  They really can be used all year long.

Here is a picture of the tall brown lighted willow branches on my mantel with some real curly willow branches filling in the black urn. A simple design that freshens up the mantel with a festive holiday look.

You will have a lot of fun using your creativity to see how you can use these lighted willow branches to give a warm glow to someplace in your home.  Please share pictures with us at www.facebook.com/thetinbin.  We would love to show your pictures off on our blog!

In the Press!

The Tin Bin, a seller of colonial lighting and home decor, will host a 40th anniversary open house on Nov. 23 and 24. The 20 Valley Road, Neffsville, business is owned by Jo Lutton (middle) and her daughters, Sally Lehman (left) and Susan Prentiss.

The Tin Bin, 20 Valley Road, Neffsville, is celebrating its 40th year in business. The purveyor of colonial lighting and home decor will hold its 40th annual open house after Thanksgiving on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 23 and 24, with extended hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days. Customers will be welcomed with traditional wassail and holiday treats.

Last year, the Tin Bin’s owners had an unexpected excuse to do some property improvements after a large tree came down in Hurricane Irene. This time around with Hurricane Sandy, though, the property fared well, and the improvements to The Tin Bin’s facility are ready for visitors at the open house.

In 1973, Jo Lutton and her late husband, James, found an old barn that was the ideal setting for selling their unique wares to residents of Lancaster and beyond. Eventually, the couple expanded their business into the farmhouse that sits in front of the old barn. Today, the couple’s daughters, Sally Lehman and Susan Prentiss, also are owners in the business that has become a family tradition.

The Tin Bin specializes in colonial lighting and home decor, and it offers outdoor lighting handcrafted from brass and copper, including post lights, wall lights, hanging lights, and garden lighting. The business also sells interior lighting made of tin, such as chandeliers, sconces, table lamps, and accent lights. Home decor items available range from candles to table linens, curtains, wreaths, and decorative items, including many holiday creations.

In addition to the retail store in Neffsville, The Tin Bin has an online presence, selling and shipping products all over the world. Local customers are encouraged to visit www.thetinbin.com to view the full list of items carried by the business, as not every item can be displayed at the retail store. The items may be picked up in Neffsville, though, saving customers on shipping costs, by using the coupon code “Pick up” at checkout. Of course, the staff members of The Tin Bin are always ready to welcome customers to the shop during operating hours, which are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information about The Tin Bin, readers may call the store at 569-6210.

Merchandiser Ad

Watch for our ad and article in the Manheim Twp, Hempfield, and Lititz/Manheim Merchandiser!

40 Years!

We are celebrating 40 years!  

The Tin Bin opened its doors on Thanksgiving weekend in 1973 and hosted our first annual open house.  Forty years later, those same traditions are in place - the serving of wassail and holiday treats and the whole family helping to greet all of our customers.  Now, we have customers all over the world and not all of them can actually come to our open house.  We just wanted to say thank you to all of you!

Enjoy the wassail recipe!

Tin Bin Wassail

Sipping some warm wassail on a cold night feels heavenly. Try our recipe for your next holiday gathering - your guests will love it!


1 gallon apple cider
1 gallon cranberry juice
3/4 cup sugar
cloves, allspice, and cinnamon to taste

Combine above ingredients and heat. Serve in mugs with a cinnamon stick. Add some white rum if desired.

Homespun Country Curtains

We have been adding new homespun country curtains to our website at www.thetinbin.com.  Here are a few ideas to help you choose curtains for windows that might be difficult.  You can shop for a great selection of  Homespun Country Curtains by clicking on this link.

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.  Shown in Lemon Pepper Curtain Collection.

If you have a small window, tiers can be separated to create a soft window drape.  Shown in Saffron Curtain Collection.

Time to open up the windows and let in some fresh air.  Why not dress them up a little?