American Idol Finale Viewing Party At Village Green!

I live right down the street from Mount Prospect's Village Green and just had to walk down to check out the American Idol finale viewing party. I wasn't sure when I was going to get there as I was spending the day with my crew preparing for the estate sale in the Edgebrook neighborhood of Chicago which will take place this weekend. We came to a good breaking point around 6:30 so I headed for home. Kuochun got home shortly after me, it was almost 7:00 and Ruby our schnauzer needed a walk so we decided to walk her down. We got there a little after 7:00 and I was surprised to see the crowd wasn't as large as expected. We stood on the fringe of the crowd across Emerson Street along Busse Avenue. The sound quality was great and I had nearly a clear picture of the Jumbotron except for a couple of people blocking the way with their balloons.

Ruby turned out to be a little celebrity, kids and adults alike wanted to pet her and a lady even took Ruby's photo with her cell phone! Kuochun was getting tired and Ruby had enough so he walked her home and I continued to watch the show. It was so much fun when the camera panning our crowd would go live. I didn't think the portions related to Simon were all that funny but I loved all the duets with the Idols and various musical stars. My favorites were the Top 6 boys singing with Hall & Oates and Casey James singing with Bret Michaels. I heard Simon suggested that Bret Michaels replace him as a judge on Idol and I think that's an awesome idea. He seems like a great guy, I've watched every season of Rock of Love and was so happy when he won Celebrity Apprentice.

Kuochun came back, we watched the show a bit longer. It was really disappointing when they had to shut our sound down while Lee was performing with Chicago, but of course we had our backup copy recording at home on the DVR. Then during a commercial break we walked around a bit. There were a lot of different Lee T-shirts for sale along with many food offerings from local restaurants. My parents' next door neighbor at the lake house is a rabid AI fan, so my mother asked me to pick up a T-shirt for her. We decided we didn't want to carry it and to wait to get it until the show was over. We did pick up a Lee cookie from Central Continental Bakery's booth for her. After a short rest on the curb while Janet Jackson was performing (we didn't bring chairs and were tired!) we went back to our post to await the results.

It was so exciting when Lee was announced as the winner! I just knew he was going to win, not only because of his talent and appeal but because of girl power! Teenage girls vote for their favorite American Idols in droves and they love Lee! Everyone was cheering like crazy and we were very impressed with the orderly nature of the crowd. After the show was over, we walked over to the T-shirts. The turquoise shirts were sold out of size Extra Large, so we got my parents' neighbor a black shirt and the guy threw in a matching baseball cap. I got a white T-shirt with a newspaper headline on it, it's really cute. After that, we walked home. It was a great experience and I'm glad I went!

New Artist - Crystalbeads

Barbara creates dramatic beaded necklaces using semi-precious stones and crystals. Many of her designs have multiple strands. She has also brought in a number of exquisite sterling silver Native American pieces from New Mexico done in turquoise, coral and amethyst.

We went to see Lee DeWyze at Arlington Park!

My mother and I are huge American Idol fans, we haven't missed an episode since the second season so we are beyond excited that we have a hometown Idol, Lee DeWyze in the top 3 this year. Lee is very talented and deserves to be there! When Lee's top three homecoming event was being planned and different venues for his concert were being considered, we weren't sure about going to a smaller venue such as Prospect High School for fear it would be chaotic. However when it was announced that the venue would be Arlington Park, I knew it was the perfect choice in our area for the concert because they have enough seating for everyone and they've had concerts there before. I was able to get tickets before the top 3 results were announced because I live in Mount Prospect. The only glitch was it was Mount Prospect garage sale weekend and I had committed to doing an estate sale. Luckily the estate sale was right on Louis St right between my house and the store.

I was hoping to close the estate sale a bit early that day, it was scheduled to go until 4:00, thinking then we'd have plenty of time to get to the concert before it started at 6:30. That didn't quite work out as the customers kept coming and I wasn't able to close until 5:15. We had talked about taking the train but I didn't know how long that was going to take so I thought at that point we better drive. Lee's parade near downtown Mount Prospect was still disbursing though, and all the streets in a westerly direction were totally jammed. I tried Northwest Highway, Rand Road and Mount Prospect Road with no luck. My mother wanted to give up and go get some dinner but I said no way! Finally we made our way back to the train station and decided to just take the train. The cashier at the counter was so slow and the people ahead of us let more people into the line. Just as it was our turn a train was coming. My mother was so mad that we didn't make it. Turned out the people ahead of us didn't make it either as the police wouldn't let them cross into the median to board the train. We had to wait about 20 minutes for another train and then we were on our way, just a short ride with one stop in downtown Arlington Heights.

When we got there we saw that it was a shorter walk from the train station than if we would have driven and had to park in one of the far-reaching corners of the parking lot. The crowd was very orderly and we all filed into the park. We didn't have reserved seating but found a seat on one of the benches on the lower level. We were in place by 6:20. We were so surprised to find that we weren't actually going to see Lee, that he was performing off to the side and we were going to watch him on giant screens which were set up for the event. Everyone was so excited to be there, jumping around wearing their neon green "Vote 4 Lee" or bright turquoise "Be-Lee-Ve" T-shirts. There were a lot of teenage girls, my mother commented that she was the oldest person there!

In the background, music from Lee's American Idol performances was playing and the giant screens were alternating between panning the crowd and trying to get the crowd pumped up by flashing signs like "ARE YOU READY?!?" Just before 7:00, the screen focused on Lee trying to get through the crowd trying to make it to the platform where he was going to perform. The crowd went crazy as we saw him surrounded by bodyguards, pushing through. He didn't look happy, I'm not sure why they did that but maybe it was the only way to get him to the platform.

He made it and shortly after that the event started. There were a few speakers such as a school district official, the incoming mayor of Arlington Heights and the mayor of Mount Prospect. In between Lee would say a few words. I could tell he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and got emotional at times. The thing he said most was "I love you guys!" However I expected a more polished event. A lady (I guess from American Idol) kept whispering in Lee's ear. There were a lot of awkward pauses, no one introduced the mayor of Mount Prospect and in the middle of her speech Lee said "Can we hear from my parents now?" She did give him a beautiful key to the city which was handmade out of an ash tree which was felled due to the emerald ash borer which has been a problem infesting ash trees in Mount Prospect.

All along we were told Lee would be performing 3 songs but he was having such a great time he didn't want to leave and ended up performing 10 full songs! He tried to do even more, I don't know if there were some problems with song clearance but he'd start a song and that American Idol lady would whisper in his ear, he'd stop and there would be another awkward pause. I thought the cutest thing Lee said was "What if I won this thing?" The crowd went totally crazy! Lee announced that Simon chose Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen and I'm not thrilled by the song choice. I think the song has been overdone on American Idol and no one can beat Jason Castro's performance of the song two years ago. Tim Urban just did the song a few weeks ago. When I heard that Kara and Randy chose Daughters by John Mayer for Casey, I thought now that would have been a great choice for Lee!

I really appreciated all the extra songs that Lee performed and all his good words. He said that we fans were just as responsible for him being in the top 3 as he was. He was so sincere and sounded great on the guitar. The American Idol people had to practically drag him off the stage because he didn't want to leave and after that the event came to a close. The crowd was very orderly in leaving, we went back to the train station, waited another 20 minutes or so for a train and then it was back home.

We're glad we went, it was interesting to see a bit of how things work on American Idol behind the scenes. I can't wait until tonight to see how they put the package together. I'm not sure how Arlington Park will be portrayed, it's such a beautiful place and the way Lee was set up in the winner's circle, all you could see in the background was the dirt track. We shall see...

Upcoming Event - Estate Sale!

2010 would have marked the 10th anniversary for having a yard sale at my home in conjunction with Mount Prospect Garage Sale weekend but we have had a change of plans. Instead of the yard sale, we will be conducting an estate sale at 309 S Louis St, just 4 homes north of the store. The sale will be held Thursday May 13-Sunday May 16, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM each day. It will be a combination of items from the household and items I would have sold at the yard sale. Very eclectic but fun and we won't have to worry about the weather! For more details, visit our estate sales website, http://www.BriesEstateSales.com. The website also lists the other sales we'll be conducting in May and June. It's shaping up to be an extremely busy couple of months!

New Artist - JoAnn

JoAnn creates beaded jewelry with attractive patterns and combinations of semi-precious stones, glass beads and crystals. Included in the collection are necklaces, drop earrings and stretch bracelets along with wire-wrapped druzy quartz and agate pendants.

New Artist - Tiger Eye Jewels

Jan creates beautiful jewelry with tiger eye beads. The pieces are accented with sterling silver and the necklaces are hand knotted with silk cording.

New Product - Vintage Collage Wreaths

Annamarie has expanded upon her pincushions concept to create adorable wreaths embellished with felt flowers, wired ribbon, tulle and vintage earrings. The larger wreaths also have a vintage figurine from Japan. She's just getting started but we have several wreaths in Spring colors in store.

Lots of Vintage Costume Jewelry is In!

We have received so much vintage costume jewelry lately that we moved most of it back to the upright case in the front of the store. Lots of interesting vintage goldtone and silvertone chain necklaces have been added to the hanging displays above the large jewelry cases. We continue to price and display "new" jewelry items every day!

Etsy Shop Update - Trinket Boxes

We've added Annamarie's new product, trinket boxes made from antique salt cellars, vintage buttons and vintage costume jewelry to our Etsy shop. The boxes are adorable and make a great gift! Reserve your box on Etsy and pick it up in the store to save on shipping. Click on the Etsy shop ad on the sidebar to see all of our online items!

New Artist - PS Footprints

PS Footprints specializes in chain maille jewelry. Chain maille is a jewelry-making technique stemming from medieval armor where metal rings are interlinked, creating interesting patterns. The pieces are silver or gold plate and some have colorful accents of niobium metal.

Easter/Spring Decor is Here!

We have just received a darling selection of Easter decor from our new artists, Barbie Girls. Easter bunnies and Easter-themed collage picture frames embellished with vintage costume jewelry are featured. We are also liquidating Easter and spring decor from an upscale floral/gift shop in the northwest suburbs. Charming cast iron birdbaths, glass covered dishes and more are 50%-75% off their original prices! And as always, we have cute vintage Easter decor including ceramic Easter baskets, pottery planters and Annamarie's handcrafted pincushions with vintage embellishments. Each item is one of a kind!

Etsy Shop Relaunch!

We've started to build our Etsy.com shop once again after a year hiatus, shooting to post 10 new items per day. CLICK HERE or click on the Shop button from http://www.briesgiftgallery.com/ to access our Etsy mini-gallery. Right now there are St. Patrick's Day items, some green vintage costume jewelry and a bunch of flower pins in the Etsy shop. Items purchased on Etsy can be picked up at the store to save the shipping cost. We'll update you here as new items are posted!

We have a great selection of St. Patrick's Day items including sterling and fine silver earrings with shamrock or Celtic designs, hand beaded shamrock pins and pendants, vintage costume jewelry and Galway Irish Crystal.

New Batch of Eleanor Soaps is Here!

We have just replenished our supply of Eleanor Soaps, especially stocking up on her wonderful handmade Irish and Celtic-themed soaps. The Belles of Ireland soap has a fantastic fresh scent and the Green Meadow Shea Butter soap is lightly herbal and moisture-rich. More varieties are available so stop by and check them out!

New Items - Avanti Greeting Cards

We just received a great selection of greeting cards for all occasions made by Avanti Press. Many of the cards have humorous animal themes. These cards were $2.50 each at an upscale floral shop in the northwest suburbs but we're offering them for $1 each or 6 for $5! The cards are on display in our back room.

New Artist - Barbie Girls

Barbie Girls give household accessories and handbags charm by embellishing them with vintage costume jewelry. We have a lovely collection of framed art, picture frames, plates, glass dishes and covered boxes along with handbags and purses. Each item is a one-of-a-kind creation and they make great gifts!