READY, SET, IT'S CHRISTMAS!

I can't believe the Christmas season is already here! It seems like yesterday I was planting hostas in my yard, and now the freezing temperature has caused them to sleep for the winter. We have had a wonderful Fall season at the shop. With all the doom and gloom the news has reported on our economy, I would have thought business would have been brisk at best. But, we have had a wonderful season! I think all the unique products we found at the markets were the reason we continue to do so well. And, this Christmas season we have outdone ourselves with some of the most unique gifts you have got to have! You will love our new monogrammed bags in 3 great fabrics. Our new monogrammed jewelry is already one of our best sellers this season. We have added new hammered monogrammed sterling silver pendants, new copper jewelry, and new additions to our popular natural stone jewelry. But, because there is such a demand for these new monogrammed items, our deadline to order is December 10. Please order early so you will not be disappointed!
We all hope to see you in the shop soon. And bring your shopping lists and let us help you solve all your shopping dilemmas! Merry Christmas!!!

Fall Is Here!

Fall is here! It is hard to believe that October is here and we have less than 3 months before Christmas! While most people are thinking Halloween and maybe Thanksgiving, we are working in full force for Christmas. Our Christmas open house will be Sunday, November 9th, and there are a lot of things to get done before we preview our wonderful Christmas collections. Last week we took many pictures for our Open House postcard (some people actually collect these). This year Christmas is full of glitter and bright fun things! At a time when the economy is not the best, we hope that all the glitter will bring about nostalgia of past good times and hope for a bright future. We have a wonderful collection of seasonal decor, fabulous jewels, and delicious gourmet treats that you are going to love! Be sure to mark November 9th on your calendar for this very special day.

We are also very excited to begin featuring our shop on YouTube. See our 1st video by going to http://www.youtube.com/ and type in "fall has arrived at Evelyn's." We sure hope you like this new feature and stay tuned for more great videos!!

DESIGNING A MEMORABLE OPEN HOUSE EVENT

Many people ask me what goes in to making an open house event successful. We start planning for our fall and Christmas open houses in January when we go to market in Atlanta. We buy the majority of our Halloween, Fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas seasonal merchandise in January after many months of research on upcoming trends. Most of the seasonal merchandise arrives in June and we mark and sort all of these treasures in to our themes of the seasons. Out come the floor plan grids and each item is determined where its home will be. We close the shop the day before the open house event and work long hours rearranging the fixtures, unpacking all our treasures, and placing these special pieces in their pre-planned homes. It gets frustrating at times trying to get it all pulled together, but some how it does finally works out to our plans. Our greatest pleasure is seeing all the smiles and excitement our customers have when the come in the shop on open house day. We hope you love our new changes as much as we do! Many of you want to know what it looks like behind our papered shop windows on set up day, so I am showing you some pictures of before, during, and after we have changed the shop. Enjoy and come see us at the shop soon!

GETTING OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES

Recently I was watering my hanging baskets and out flew a baby bird who definitely was out of its comfort zone. Still with fuzz on top of its head, this baby bird flew a couple of feet and found safe haven in my sago palm. It definitely seemed out of its comfort zone. The entire time I watched, this little bird kept its mouth open and constantly looked all over for its mother. I think we all get caught up in our own comfort zones and have a hard time changing. With the challenging economy, I have been pushed out of my comfort zone with the shop and have decided to make some much needed changes. I have tended to hang on to slow performing product lines just because they did well in the past. So, with much trepidation, I have decided to make some large and not-s0-large changes with the shop. Slowly you will start to see new products and new product categories arrive in our shop. We will sadly saw farewell to some of our past favorites, but are excited for the new. Our most noticeable changes will occur with our Fall/Halloween open house on September 6. I hope you will come out and have fun with us as we introduce you to the New Evelyn's!

Summer Market

Every July we pack up our bags and head to Atlanta for the International Home and Gift Market. Everyone tells us it must be so much fun to buy for the shop. I will admit that we do have a good time, but it is also a lot of work. Our schedule is to meet our bus every morning at 8:30am and stay at market until 6:00pm everyday for 4 days. We are on our feet shopping for great new products to bring back to the shop for an exciting fall and winter season. We meet many retailers and share our stories with them. We are able to learn from each other and come back to the shop refreshed and ready for a new season. We met a couple of women from Texas who operated a Christmas shop from September through January that do over 1 million in business. Now that is impressive! They shared with us many wonderful ideas. We also met with editors from O Home, Instyle, and Country Living magazines. They shared with us the process they go through to choose items for their magazines. Like us, they do a lot of leg work and research before they feature a product in their magazines. We did a lot of research before market and have added many new vendors we are sure you will love! We are bringing in a lot of seasonal merchandise that will bring a big smile to your face. This year we will be having our first ever HALLOWEEN AND FALL OPEN HOUSE on Saturday, September 6, 9:00-5:00. We hope you will join us for the fun!

SUMMER FUN

Summer is here! Everyone knows I love summer. I used to love the cold weather, but as I have gotten older, I love the warm summer weather. It's a fun few months that families gather together for a well deserved vacation. My family recently went to the beach and I loved every minute of it! We did the usual "touristy" things, but I really loved the times I did nothing but watch the waves and thought about nothing. Reality soon set in as I returned home refreshed from vacation. I returned fresh and energized for the new season at the shop. I am now working on our first ever Halloween/Fall Open House. We will have so many exciting new Halloween and fall items that I know you will have to have! And, believe it or not, I am also finalizing all our Christmas plans. We are planning our Halloween/Fall Open House September 5 & 6, and our Christmas Open House November 2. We hope to see you at both of these exciting events! In the meantime, enjoy your summer and come see all the fun summer items we now have in stock!

CELEBRATING THE 4TH OF JULY

I love holidays and the Fourth of July is one of my favorites. It is a wonderful time to spend with family and friends and enjoy the great outdoors! I love all the foods of summer that we all enjoy during our Fourth of July celebration. We have many delicious gourmet foods at Evelyn's that will help you enjoy your celebration. Some our favorite recipes are as follows:

RASPBERRY SALSA LAYERED DIP

1 Can Black Beans, Drained

8oz. Cream Cheese, Cut Thin

1 Red Onion, Small, Chopped

1 Jar ROBERT ROTHSCHILD RASPBERRY SALSA

8oz. Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, in an oven safe casserole or quiche dish, layer ingredients as listed above starting with the black beans. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

BUFFALO BLEU CHEESE MINI BURGERS

8oz Hamburger formed into mini patties

Favorite Mini Buns

1/2 Cup Carrot, Celery and Onion, julienne

Cook mini burgers to liking. Spread buns with ROBERT ROTHSCHILD BUFFALO BLEU CHEESE DIP. Top with mini burgers and julienne vegetables.

I hope you all have a fun and safe 4th of July!!

FATHER'S DAY REMEMBERED

Father's Day will be here soon and it is a time to honor our fathers for all the love and support they gives us. I always think of fathers as a source of strength and wisdom. I am sure you have all have had a father or grandfather that you would go to for advice or to just share your thoughts. We all want their approval, and they want ours as well. Let's all take time to spend with our fathers and let them know how much we love them.

Hope you all have a wonderful and happy Father's Day!

IT'S GRADUATION TIME

Can you believe that it is already time for graduation? I don't know about you, but the older I get, the faster time goes by. I have had several graduates come by and register at the shop that I remember as babies. Now that can make you feel old! It's good to see these children grow up to be such nice young adults. I know they are as excited about their future as their family and friends are. We should encourage our youth everyday. They should know they can be anything they want to be with a hard work and dedication. I know you share the same enthusiasm and congratulations to all graduates. Their life is just beginning. I see them as our future nurses, doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, political leaders, shop owners and more!

Congratulations to all graduates!

FESTIVAL FUN

It's always inspiring to have a change of scenery. We recently moved our shop outside for the day at our annual Festival On The Round. Thanks to all our friends who stopped by to see us under our beautiful tent. Festivals are starting to diminish nationally, and unfortunately our annual festival is no exception. People are so busy these days, and have so many options to spend their valuable time. I hate to see the decline of the festival. This is the perfect time to meet up with friends we haven't seen for a long time and catch up on all the latest "news." It is a time to relax and enjoy wonderful entertainment and shop the many artisans and local businesses. The people who were at our festival had a wonderful time. We met many new friends and were able to showcase the Evelyn's experience to them. We had alot of fun and hope you did too!

THE GIFT OF MOTHERS

The other day I had to have a large branch removed from a tree in my front yard. As the branch came down, I noticed a wonderful bird's nest tucked in the corner of the branch. It is amazing how complex this nest was made out of just twigs and straw. I thought of the hard working birds who made this nest for their young babies. I have a couple of robins that follow me around the yard when I am working outside. They love for me to dig around in the ground in hopes I will dig up a delicious dinner of worms for them. I know that they give their first tastings to their young ones waiting patiently for them. You know they love to see their mom come back with this special treat. This is the time of year we honor our mother's for all they do for us everyday. Let us help you honor your mother with a gift as unique as your mother. Hope to see you soon! (Don't forget to visit us at our beautiful tent at the Festival On The Round this Saturday, May 3rd.)

Bright Ideas

The sun has finally come out and I am loving it! I love seeing the bright sun come through my kitchen windows. It always cheers me up. Now is the perfect time to add bright colors to your interiors. Our new sunny table linens are sure to brighten up your table. I love all the bright yellows, reds, blues, and greens that are in these new linens. You can't help but smile when you see them. Stop by the shop soon and let us help you brighten up your table!

FRESH PICKED FLORALS

Some people have a bad impression of artificial florals. I can see their point when I remember all the plastic flowers of the past! And, there are some really bad "silk" florals with strange colors that scream "I am fake!". At Evelyn's, we pride ourself on our beautiful collection of silk florals. We have some of the most realistic and unique florals you will ever find. Flowers and greenery always brighten up a room. Florals are one of the best ways to soften up a hard space, such as bookcases, coffee tables, and mantles. Let's face it, we don't all have a green thumb. Now you will just look like you have gardening in your blood. Only you will know that our florals are silk. Just be sure to tell your spouse not to water them!

Declare Your Independence

Every time I listen to the news I hear about the dismal state of our economy. All reports show that retail sales are down, or at best, break-even to previous year's sales. What the news does not tell you is that they base this information on the top "big box" businesses. While big box businesses are having a tough time, the independent businesses are actually having increases in business. Many shoppers are "re-discovering" the independent shops in their neighborhoods. The independent businesses can offer you something that big box businesses and chain stores can't, unique products at fair prices coupled with outstanding customer service. When was the last time you got a sales person at a big mart store to help you pick out the perfect gift for your grandmother and wrap it for no charge? Independent business owners are in business because they love it and their customers. I encourage you, during these trying economic times, to support your locally owned businesses and let them show you how much they care for you and your community! We always appreciate our customers at Evelyn's and look forward seeing you soon.

Achieving The "Evelyn's" Look

Many of our wonderful customers come in the shop and comment that they wish their homes could look like our shop. Most say that the accessories they purchase don't look quite the same in their homes as they do in our shop. One of the best ways to solve this decorating dilemma is to take a look at your placement of your accessories. Most people place the tall objects towards the back and the small items to the front. This gives a "flat" presentation of your treasures. The eye likes to wonder through your setting. Mix up the tall, medium, and small objects on your table or book shelves. Place some small items towards the middle, some medium items to the front, and the tall objects in the middle and back. This will give a eye-pleasing display. The eye will wonder throughout your entire display to see all the treasures you have collected. Have fun and remember to come and see us at the shop for all the NEW treasures you must have!

The Reason For The Season

It's hard to believe that Easter is almost here. It will be over 100 years before Easter will be this Early again. I love all the trappings of Easter. I love the bunnies, Easter Eggs, and of course all the delicious chocolate! But, at times we times we tend to forget the real reason for the season. This is a time to reflect on our faith and all the blessings we have received. Spend the day with your family and friends, and share your love and appreciation with them. Take time to walk around outside and see all the beauty that God has given us. I hope you will have a truly blessed Easter!

Easter Has Arrived At Evelyn's

Everyone knows by now that I love Spring and Easter. I have had a great time setting up all the beautiful new Spring and Easter treasures at the shop! There is a lot of great product that we have brought in from the recent Atlanta market. The plush Easter bunnies, garden rabbits, and nesting bunny serveware are some of my favorites. I am excited about the new companies that make up our unique style. I am sure you will love them too! I invite you to come into the shop soon and let us inspire you this season.

Spring Will Soon Be Here!

Spring will soon be here, and I can't wait. I have seen early signs of Spring with the daffodils and lenten roses blooming. I am sure you are like me and can't wait to take those weekend trips to the beach for some warm sunshine! We have added a new travel luggage in a black and white zebra print that will have you traveling in high style. This wonderful new design is available in a garment cover, rolling duffle bag, overnight bag/purse, and insulated bag. I know you will love it! Our new spring collection of Quilted Keepers will also be arriving very soon.
I have also gotten the spring fever inside. I am painting the two store front windows a wonderful new spring fresh color. Stop by the shop and tell me what you think.
Happy Spring!

Super Bowl Entertaining

Super Bowl Sunday is the perfect time to entertain family and friends. Although football is the reason for the event, everyone comes for the delicious food! Make it simple and enjoy the evening. Choose your favorite team and incorporate the team colors in your entertaining. There are a lot of brightly colored linens you could use, or consider all the festive paper plates and napkins that are available. At Evelyn's, we have some wonderful gourmet sauces that make GREAT snack foods during the game! Our Raspberry Honey Mustard Pretzel dip is DELICIOUS with pretzels! One of our customers introduced us to a wonderful recipe she discovered on the bottle of our Raspberry Salsa. This has become a huge hit in Barnwell. You will be the most popular person at the party when you take this dip.

RASPBERRY SALSA LAYERED DIP

In an oblong casserole, layer 1 can of black beans (drained), add 8oz. cream cheese (cut thin) on top, add 1 small red onion (chopped) on top, add 1 jar Robert Rothschild Raspberry Salsa on top, add 8oz. shredded cheese on top. Bake at 325 for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Eat some fast because it will not last long! Enjoy your evening!!

Please leave any comments on this or other topics you would like for me to cover.

Thanks!

Valentine's Entertaining

Valentine's Day will soon be here, and what day is more perfect to prepare a romantic dinner? Pull out your fine china, crystal, and silver and make this a very special day. Most people tell me their china is old and outdated. This can be easily brought "up to date" with special accent plates and wonderful table linens. Try mixing your fine china with a modern accent plate. I love the new square plates that are so popular now! Who says you can't put a modern square plate with your traditional china? Your table is the expression of who you are. Don't let etiquette and style gurus dictate how to set your table. Have fun with it and enjoy experimenting with mixing styles to make your unique table!
Question: How many of you (1)love to entertain with your china
(2) only use your china during the holidays
(3) still have it boxed up since your wedding?
Let me know your comments. I will have more entertaing ideas coming soon!

Great Gift Ideas for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day will soon be here and Evelyn's has all the ways to say " I love you!" Our unique monogrammed jewelry is the perfect gift. You will love all our monogrammed heart pendants in crystal, natural shell, and sterling silver. We also have a wonderful collection of monogrammed candles, bath wraps, and bags that make a truly personalized gift to be remembered forever. Visit our website for more great Valentine's Day gift ideas!

http://evelynsjewelry.com/

Welcome to Evelyn's New Blog

Welcome to Evelyn's first blog. This is your forum to discuss gift or entertaining thoughts you may have or want answered. Each month I will offer great entertaining ideas for the season, and great gift ideas. I will also keep you updated on all the great new products that arrive daily. Let me know if you have any special topics you would like for me to address. This blog is here to give you fun and easy solutions to all your gift and entertaining dilemas. Let Evelyn's help you make all life's celebrations simply outstanding!