Planning ahead for holiday visits keeps houseguests happy and hosts unplagued by unpleasant surprises

When Colleen Shelton decided it was time for a career change a few years ago, she knew it wouldn't be easy. After all, she had spent 12 fascinating years as the personal assistant to filmmaker and artist John Waters. She couldn't imagine working for anyone else in Baltimore, so she decided to become her own boss instead and pursue her lifelong interests in interior decorating and collecting antiques.

Thus was born Heavens to Betsy, a shop whimsically named after her maternal grandmother Betsy, featuring cottage antiques for the home and garden.

"It was just a dream of mine to open my own little shop and do it exactly the way I wanted to. It was never something I planned," says Shelton, 46, seated behind her desk in one of the cozy front rooms of her Brooklandville store.

As her friend Waters says, "Her store is really an extension of her house. It's glamorous in a homey way."

Born and raised in South Africa, Shelton showed an interest in antiques at an early age. She still owns the Victorian brass bed she requested as a gift for her 12th birthday.

Growing up in an environment that had a strong British influence, she developed an affinity for English country decor that is still evident in her design style today.

Her store is the embodiment of her design philosophy that one's home should be comfortable, not "matchy." It should look and feel effortless, yet at the same time be casually elegant.

Shelton's journey from South Africa to Baltimore began after she finished college in Cape Town in the early 1980s. She joined her parents, who had moved to Houston, Texas, but in 1986, she moved with them to Baltimore, where she found work as a production secretary on the film Clara's Heart. It was there that she first met Pat Moran, the casting director for John Waters' films. Moran knew Waters was looking for a personal assistant, and she thought the two might be a good fit.

"At the time I had no idea who John Waters was, and I'd never even seen one of his films," says Shelton. However, after reading his witty book Shock Value, she was convinced that she'd want to work for him. John Waters recalls that he was immediately taken with Shelton's sense of humor and the fact that she had experience in movies from her work on Clara's Heart.

The two worked closely together for the next 12 years, with Shelton assisting with everything from secretarial work to interior decorating projects in his homes. Shelton describes Waters as "being obsessive about almost everything."

During her time working with Waters, Shelton met and married Boots Shelton, first assistant cameraman on all of Waters' films. When their son, Nicolas, was born in 1997, Shelton decided that the long and sometimes erratic hours spent as Waters' assistant were becoming increasingly difficult to balance with family life.

Waters was well aware of Shelton's many talents. "Fabulous taste is her strong point," says Waters, who encouraged her to find a way to branch out on her own. While still working for Waters, Shelton tested her retail savvy by selling a few of her finds in a shop in Hampden. Then in early 2000, a friend told her about a small storefront available in Reisterstown. She decided the time was right to open her own store and showcase her talent for collecting and decorating. In May 2002, she moved her growing business a bit closer to her home in Pikesville. She found the perfect location on Old Court Road in the historic village of Rockland Mills in Brooklandville.

In its new location, Heavens to Betsy is chock-full of casual yet elegant furnishings accented with needlepoint pillows, framed botanicals, old prints, transferware plates, vintage jewelry and many other one-of-a-kind collectibles for the home and garden. The shop also features a selection of new products carefully chosen to complement the vintage pieces. Candles by Votivo and Antique Garden, French-milled soaps by Rance and heaven-scented potpourris from the Herb Lady all add to the store's pleasant ambience.

In addition to her own finds, Shelton is joined at Heavens to Betsy by two friends whose complementary collections and shared passion for unusual antiques help round out the shop's inventory. Linda Sarubin, whom some Baltimore shoppers may remember from her days on Read Street at Circa, has brought her wonderful collection of antique buttons, Bakelite jewelry, and vintage Christmas cards and ornaments to the store. Nancy Louthan, who until recently had some space in Cheap Chic in Hampden, contributes her collection of Victorian architectural finds and nostalgic mid-century textiles and pottery.

Together, the three women have created a warm and welcoming environment where visitors -- from interior decorators to college students and moms with kids and dogs in tow -- feel like friends, not just customers.

One loyal client even asked if she could have her birthday party at the store. The Heavens to Betsy team was only too happy to oblige. They opened early one day so the birthday girl could have 20 friends in to chat, drink coffee, eat birthday cake and, oh yes, shop.

Heavens to Betsy

Address: 2210 Old Court Road (the red barn) in the historic village of Rockland in Brooklandville at the intersection of Falls Road and Old Court and Ruxton roads

Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

Phone: 410-339-5333