CHRISTMAS JEWELS

Each Christmas we all try to find the perfect gifts for everyone on our gift giving list. One of our favorite jewelry artisans is Jessica and Ian of J andI Jewelry. This is a unique jewelry collection that is handmade by artisans in Philadelphia. Why wear massed produced jewelry when you can wear a beautiful piece of art? Come in the shop & let us show you this wonderful collection.

CHRISTMAS DECORATING

Christmas is the time of year we festoon our homes with all the finery that brings back wonderful memories & joy. Recently I spoke at a garden club and showed how to decorate your home with wonderful & fragrant clippings from the garden.
The entrance table was decorated with a large Tuscan footed urn filled with an abundance of fresh cedar, pine, magnolia, nandina, holly, & umbrella palm. A set of 3 glittery bottle brush trees completes the look.
The dining table was set with a beautiful magnolia garland complimented with blue & white vases and mercury glass vases filled with cedar, pine & holly. The buffet featured a yellow Tuscan grapes cachepot filled with cedar & nandina and topped with a red gazing ball.
The mantle featured a classic magnolia garland topped with a silk plaid ribbon. An extra tall Tuscan vase was filled with umbrella palm and red flowering branches. Tall red candles completed the look of the mantle
Look to your own garden for inspiration this Christmas and make your own home just as spectacular!

FALL HOME DESIGN

Fall is finally here and now is the time to bring all its beauty & glory into your home. I recently spoke at a homemakers group & showed several ways to bring fall throughout your home.
I first decorated the dining room with an eclectic mix of "country" pumpkins, magnolia leaves, feathers, & hydrangeas. The dining table is outfitted with beautiful magnolia garland that is layered with a feather & natural grass garland. Several country pumpkins were mixed in the garland along with gold gilded magnolia cones. Two Asian ginger jars were filled with fresh magnolia and dried gold painted oak leaf hydrangeas. The buffet is decorated with a pheasant feather & natural grass wreath & gold magnolia cones. A glass cake stand is in the center with a beautiful pumpkin tureen filled with natural magnolia leaves & gold painted oak leaf hydrangeas.
I next decorated a hunt board with an antique tole tray topped with a terracotta pot. I added a great orange berry garland around the pot & cascading around the tray. I next added a wonderful ceramic pumpkin in the center of the pot & added some fall leaves to complete the fall centerpiece.
I love Halloween, so I wanted to show how to bring "classy" Halloween into your home without it being too childish or too scary. I took a weathered bird cage and added lichen branches & dried purple beauty berry branches. To complete the look I added a fabulous black raven to watch over your home.
I didn't want to forget Christmas, so I showed how to decorate a coffee table. I took one of our new rustic metal deer centerpieces and wrapped the inside & outside with a great new glittery pine garland that has silver, gold, & bronze ball ornaments attached. I then filled the center of the basket with over sized gold & silver pine cone ornaments and acorn mercury glass ornaments. To complete the look I added two extra tall candle holders with 18" candles for festive drama.
Always remember to add layers of texture, color, & height to your decorating & you can make your own home look professionally decorated! Happy Holidays to everyone!
Please remember to come see us for our wonderful Christmas Open House Sunday, November 7th, 1:30-6:00. Come see how we transform the shop into a winter wonderland.

WITCHS' NIGHT OUT

Thanks to everyone who flew in for our 2nd annual Witches' Night Out. We had so much fun and we were so impressed with all the extravagant witch's hats that were worn! This was our largest crowd and many of you flew out with many wonderful treasures. Our blood orange martinis were the biggest hit along with our sweet roasted toads tongues dip on cream cheese (this was our delicious roasted pineapple habanero dip). We hope to see you at our next big event, our HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE, Sunday, November 7th, 1:30pm-6:pm. Hope to see everyone soon!

HOLIDAY EVENING OF DESIGN

Our recent Holiday Evening of Design was so much fun that I wanted to share it with everyone. If you have never attended one of our design events, I hope this will inspire you to want to attend our next design event. Everyone learned creative ways to set their holiday tables, display their cherished holiday collections, create beautiful arrangements, add touches of holiday to their decor, and so much more. I hope to see people making their own pumpkin topiaries like the ones we showed. And, I know everyone is going to have breathtaking tablescapes like the ones we showed. Always look for ways to use your accessories and serveware in ways other than their intended purpose. We used candle holders to display pumpkins, and two tiered cake stands to showcase collectibles. Wall mirrors were used as table runners, and serving trays were used a charger plates. As promised, I am sharing the recipes for the delicious munchies you enjoyed. Thanks to everyone who attended and help raise $800.00 for the Barnwell County Museum. We hope to see you at the next event!

Brie Tartlets
Cut up pieces of brie cheese and place in pre-made tartlet cups, top with Rothschild Farms hot pepper raspberry preserves. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes & serve.

Goat Cheese Spread
4 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
chopped dried apricots

Beat first 4 ingredients until well combined. Form into desired shape. Combined pecans & apricots and cover top & sides of cheese. Serve with crackers.

Skewered Greek Salad
Grape tomatoes
3 ounces feta cheese
Pitted kalamata olives
1/2 small red onion
Leaf lettuce torn into small pieces

Thread the skewers starting with olive, then add a piece of cheese, leaf lettuce, onion, and finish with a tomato. Marinate with creamy Caesar dressing.

You can find our delicious marinated shrimp recipe on previous evening of design posts. Enjoy!

Celebrations

My family recently celebrated our parents 50th wedding anniversary with a family trip to North Carolina. It was so wonderful to all be together and share all our laughs (and driving mishaps)and stories with each other. While in North Carolina, I was inspired by the beautiful architecture and gardens we visited. We went in many independent artisan shops that also inspired me with their creativity. I have so many wonderful ideas to bring my inspirations & adventures back to the shop. Be sure to visit us and let us help you celebrate all the special moments in your life! And, I promise to be nicer to the woman on the GPS who had me driving down every back road in NC!

HOT COLOR

Every time we return from market, we are always asked what is the hot color we saw a lot. This market we saw a lot of wonderful shades of yellow. It has been a while since we had much yellow in the shop, but yellow will be well represented in the shop this fall. Yellow always puts a smile on my face. It is bright, cheery, and welcoming. And if you are afraid to go full force with yellow, add simple accents in this luscious color. Deep mustard yellows are paired with intense oxblood reds for a Tuscany Italian look. Pale yellows mixed with neutrals & grays give an airy country French look. Both of these looks will be found in decorative accessories, pillows, prints, & more this fall. Come in today & let us help you add yellow to your decor.

ATLANTA SUMMER MARKET

We have returned from the Atlanta market and have found many wonderful treasures you will love! Many people think the market is a fun vacation for us, but it is a lot of hard work & long days. We do have some fun while we are there, but most of the day is searching for the perfect treasures to bring to the shop. The following is how we spent our days at market.

Saturday, July 17th
We leave Barnwell at 4:30am and head to Atlanta for a long day at market. We check in at the hotel (a funny story in itself) and catch the bus to the market. We begin our adventures at 9:00am looking through countless showrooms trying to pick up on the current trends and fashion colors. Most of the home accessory showrooms are a feast for the eyes. It is hard not to want to buy it all, but budget forbids it! We went to a seminar given by Eddie Ross, a former contestant on Bravo's Top Design. He gave many wonderful ideas on entertaining & decorating that we will pass on at our September Holiday Evening of Design. Several of the showrooms hosted buyer appreciation parties that we attended. We returned to the hotel at 8:30pm. It took several times riding up & down the hotel elevator & a nice woman to tell us we had to use our room key to access our floor.

Sunday, July 18, We catch the hotel bus and arrive at the market at 8:30am. I have a 9am appointment & add many wonderful new designs in our popular decoupage trays including new vanity trays. A buyers' group lounge was offering a complimentary breakfast & we gladly accepted. After breakfast we had another appointment & I bought wonderful bright & cheerful Easter & Spring 2011 merchandise.
We found many wonderful pillows, lamps, and accessories you are going to love! I picked up the Sunday addition of Home Accents Today magazine and found the list of the best showroom displays. I like to see all the winners & get wonderful display ideas from them. Market closed at 6pm today and we were back at the hotel by 7pm. A woman on the bus suggested a Thai restaurant for us to eat supper. We were a little hesitant since we had never eaten Thai food, but we decided to give it a try. The waitress was wonderful help and we loved it! We returned to our rooms and & reviewed invoices and budgets.

Monday, July 19, We catch the 8:30am bus to market & begin with appointments bright & early. Wow! I love the new prints we bought at such great prices! We also added a new entertaining line that will debut at our Fall Open House in September. Time seems to really fly by fast while at the market. We catch the 6pm bus back to the hotel & walk 2 blocks to one of our favorite restaurants, Einstein's. We love all their food, and their drinks are so needed by this time. We get back to our rooms & I re-work my schedule to make sure I get all the buying done in our last day.

Tuesday, July 20th, This is our last day at the market and we arrive at 9am. We quickly go up to the holiday & floral floors to finish all our holiday buying. These showrooms are always packed during the week & I wait until the last day so I can easily see everything. We are so excited with the looks we will have for this fall and Christmas, and for the new service we will be offering. We get back to the hotel by 7pm and go to another one of our favorite restaurants, Houstons. They have a wonderful jazz trio and the best ribs anywhere around!

Wednesday, July 21, We leave Atlanta at 9:30am and drive through all the traffic and look forward getting back to Barnwell. The traffic & business of Atlanta makes me truly love living in the small community of Barnwell!

Our wonderful new treasures will begin arriving in August and all will be here by our Fall & Halloween Open House, Saturday, September 18th. Also, don't forget about our Holiday Evening of Design in September (only 40 tickets are available). Other events include our Witches' Night Out, October 14th, and Holiday Open House, November 7th. We look forward seeing you soon in the shop. Be sure to follow us on facebook(evelyn's jewelry & gift shop) and
twitter (evelynsjewelry) for all our updates and arrives of our great new treasures!

We're Off To Market

It's hard to believe, but it is time once again for us to go to market in Atlanta & find many wonderful treasures to fill the shop. We have already placed Christmas orders in January & most have already arrived & sorted. We will finish up Christmas & also buy for Easter & early Spring 2011. We will also be on the hunt for unique items for our Holiday Evening of Design in September.
We have many appointments set & will also attend several wonderful seminars. I will post our day by day happenings when we return. I am also taking the camera to try & sneak a few great pictures of the market so you can see the huge size of it. Stay tuned for a new service we will begin offering this fall!

EVELYN'S IS ONE OF HOME ACCENTS TODAY 50 RETAIL STARS

We are so proud to be listed as one of Home Accents Today magazine's 50 Retail Stars. Evelyn's is only 1 of 2 shops listed from South Carolina and we are so proud to recognized in a national magazine. We strive to bring the freshest & trend forward gifts & accessories to our shop. And we have so much fun with our special events including our seasonal open houses, evening of designs, and our witches' night out. We share this success with you, our valued customers & friends. Thank you for all your support! Click images to enlarge.

CELEBRATING MOMS

Moms are the ones who are always there for us when we are happy, sad, sick, or just need someone to talk to. This Mother's Day let Evelyn's help you thank your mom for all she does for us all year long. Some of our favorite gifts are our collections of:

*Beautiful Decorative Pillows

*Vases & Cachepots for beautiful flowers & plants from the garden.

*Luxurious soaps in many luscious fragrances to pamper herself.

*Gorgeous Journals & Photo Albums for all her favorite memories

*Aromatique Lotions & Shower gels for that great spa experience.

*Shelley Kyle wonderfully fragrant perfumes that are as unique as your mom.

*Susan Shaw handmade intaglio and vintage style jewelry.

*Southern Gates Palmetto Jewelry

*Cinda B Bags & Travel Accessories in a wonderful collection of colors & patterns.

*Vintage Style Aprons for the mom who loves to be a true chef.

*Sterling Silver Picket Fence Children Charms, Charm Bracelets & Charm Necklaces.

*Aromatique Fragrance Diffusers & Candles

And so much more!!

Visit us today and let us help you choose the most unique treasure for your mom. Monogramming & beautiful gift wrapping are always complimentary at Evelyn's. Visit our website for more great gift ideas http://www.evelynsjewelry.com/

EVELYN'S SPRING EVENING OF DESIGN

Thank you to everyone who attended our sold-out Spring Evening of Design. We raised $800.00 for The Barnwell County Arts Council for its many cultural arts programs it brings to Barnwell County.

After enjoying some of our favorite wines & delicious appetizers,our guests learned many great tips on exciting table settings, floral arranging, & entertaining. And this time we showed easy ways to compose great tabletops & bookcases. Everyone went home with many great ideas to rearrange their cherished belongings. Any many of you went home with some unique accessories for your home.

As promised, the following are some of the recipes of our delicious appetizers:

TOMATO-CUCUMBER SALAD TARTLETS

1 pt.grape tomatoes,halved

1 md. cucumber, peeled, seeded, & cubed

1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley

1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese

1/4 c. basil Parmesan vinaigrette

1 (9oz.)package frozen pastry shells

Mix first 5 ingredients. Fill thawed pastry shells just before serving. Serve immediately.

CREAMY PESTO CHEESE TORTE

1 lb. cream cheese

1 C. traditional pesto sauce

1/2 C. butter

Rothschild Farms Raspberry Hot Pepper Preserves

Whip cream cheese & butter. Add pesto. Line spring-form pan or 3" tall cake pan with plastic wrap and press mixture into pan. Cover and chill overnight. Un-mold on tray and top with raspberry hot pepper preserves. Serve with baguette slices or crispy crackers.

BEEF AND ASPARAGUS BUNDLES

Asparagus spears

Bibb lettuce

Red Bell Pepper (cut into thin strips)

Thin sliced deli roast beef, halved

Rothschild Farms Blooming Onion Dill Sauce

Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Cut asparagus tips into 3.5" pieces. Cook asparagus in boiling water to cover, 2 to 4 minutes or until crisp tender; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process: drain and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange roast beef, lettuce, asparagus, bell pepper & top with dill sauce. Roll up & secure with bamboo skewer.

We hope you enjoy! Come in the shop soon & let us inspire you to create a beautiful home. Be sure to see more pictures on our facebook page.