EVELYN'S EVENING OF DESIGN

On Thursday, April 30, we hosted our first EVENING OF DESIGN benefiting the Animal Advocates of Barnwell. Our sold out audience learned how to create breathtaking table settings and centerpieces to complete their next party. Each guest enjoyed our delicious appetizers as they learned great tips on hosting the perfect party. We are so thankful for such a successful event that raised $600.00 for the Animal Advocates. Guests left our fabulous event with wonderful gifts from Evelyn's and tasty pet treats from the Animal Advocates. We are planning our next Evening of Design event for September. Be sure you are on our e-mail newsletter list to learn about the exact date before anyone else. Limited tickets will be available for our September event "Decorating for the Holidays". To sign up for our e-mail newsletter visit our website http://www.evelynsjewelry.com/.

As requested, the following is one of our requested appetizer recipes:

TORTELLINI SALAD SKEWERS

1 (9oz.) package refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 (8oz.) package frozen sugar snap peas

68 (4in.) wooden skewers

1 pt. grapes tomatoes, cut in half

1 bottle champagne vinaigrette

(1) Cook tortellini according to package directions. Rinse under cold running water.

(2)Place sugar snap peas in a small bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes. Rinse under cold running water.

(3) Thread each skewer with 1 sugar snap pea, 1 tortellini, and 1 tomato half. Place skewers in a 13x9 inch backing dish. Pour vinaigrette over skewers, turning to coat. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

Transfer to serving platter and discard vinaigrette.

BE JEWELED THIS VALENTINE'S DAY

Can you believe it is almost Valentine's Day? Where has the time gone? We have been busy finding you the perfect and most unique gifts to give and receive this Valentine's Day. Our handmade sterling silver jewelry by artisans in Philadelphia is one of our most unique offerings this Valentine's. We have many heart designs in necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. And if you are not a "heart" person, you will love our collection of designs in coin pearls, aventurine, and more!

If you are searching for a Valentine's gift to give a special friend or teacher we have the following perfect gifts: luxurious European soaps, Aromatique lotions and fragrance diffusers, Patience Brewster Valentine's guest towels, Willow Tree angels, and delicious gourmet treats!

So come by the shop soon and let us help you choose the perfect gift for your Valentine! Remember, we have all the wonderful Hallmark Valentine's Day cards you love!!

Visit our collections on our website: http://www.evelynsjewelry.com/

WHAT'S HOT & WHAT'S NOT

We just got back from a busy market in Atlanta and have found many great treasures you will have to have! And at each market we find out what is hot for the new year and what is out. The following is our list of what will be in for 2009:

What's In:

Monograms, Inspirational Gifts, Scarves, Aprons, Traditional Prints, Spectacular Serving Pieces like Arthur Court Designs, Unique Lamps with Interesting Shades, Vintage Looks in Distressed Wood and Iron, Mercury Glass, Recycled Glass, Owls, Penguins, Fragrance Diffusers, Rustic Glamour, Mixing Styles and Periods, All Shades of Green, Black/White/Silver, Copper, Nature Themes, Luxury Soaps and Lotions, Made in USA.

What's Out:

Flip Flops, Vera Bradley Bags, Jar Candles, Printed T-Shirts, Fake Looking Flowers, Giraffe and Zebra Print Bags, Muddy Earth Tones, Victorian Themes, Boring Lamps, Cheaply Made Accessories, Cheap Imports, Primitive Themes, Matchy-Matchy , Imports.

This will be a year to pamper yourself with affordable luxuries. We have a wonderful collection of soaps, lotions, fragrance diffusers, delectable gourmet treats, and soothing Cd's to help you relax in luxury. We also are going back to what we know we do best. We are increasing our offerings of unique home decor at prices you will not believe. Our new collection of lamps, prints, linens, and decorative accessories will help you redesign your living space in high style. So, come by the shop often and see all the new treasures we have just for you!! Visit our website http://www.evelynsjewelry.com/ to see the beginning of our new collections.

IT'S A GREAT NEW YEAR AT EVELYN'S

Where did the year go? Can you believe it is already a new year? This new year will be an exciting and mysterious time as our country prepares for a new president and recover from the recession we have been suffering through. We would like to thank you, our valued customers, for helping us have a wonderful Christmas season! As the "big box" stores were struggling, you helped us have a profitable season. Many of you told us you were shopping locally and we are greatly appreciative for your generosity! We hope you were excited with our unique collections of personalized gifts that you gave and received. Our monogrammed jewelry was our star this Christmas. If you didn't receive any for Christmas, don't fret. Valentine's Day is soon approaching and cupid will be listening for hints! We are going to market soon to find many treasures to bring back to the shop. We try to continue offering you the most unique and trend forward gifts, decorative accessories, and jewelry that you will have to have! Future posts will show you our unique finds. Spring will bring a new look for the shop and several special events you will want to attend. Check our website http://evelynsjewelry.com/ for upcoming shop events. If there is ever anything you are searching for, let us know. We will try our best to find it for you.

Everyone at Evelyn's hopes you will have a blessed new year!

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!