EVELYN'S HOLIDAY EVENING OF DESIGN 2011

Thanks to everyone who attended our Holiday Evening of Design. We had so much fun! This season's program showed wonderful ways to entertain this Fall & Christmas.



We showed how easy it is to take the china you already have & add an accent plate and festive linens to make a beautiful table setting. Add pumpkins, gourds, fall leaves, and rustic ceramics to complete your look.




We also show ways to turn a common Christmas pattern into a more current table setting. By simply adding linens in lime green & red, a holly pattern looks fresh & modern.

Our centerpieces were made of "gifts" of peppermint candies.

And "gifts" made of peppermint carnations.

The centerpieces were completed with a modern take on bottle brush trees.

The night was enjoyed by everyone.




The evening ended with a presentation of $800.00 to the Barnwell County Museum.

RECIPES FROM OUR HOLIDAY EVENING OF DESIGN

We had so much fun at our recent Holiday Evening of Design benefiting the Barnwell County Museum. Many people asked us to post some of the recipes they loved.

MARINATED SHRIMP 2lb. peeled, large raw shrimp 1 1/2 C white vinegar 1 C vegetable oil 1/2 C sugar 1/4 C capers, undrained 1 1/2 tsp celery salt 1/2 to 1 tsp salt 1 md.size red onion, sliced & separated into rings 1. Bring 6 cups slated water to a boil; add shrimp, & cook 3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Drain & rinse with cold water. Peel shrimp, leaving tails on. Devein, if desired. 2. Combine vinegar & next 5 ingredients in a shallow dis; add shrimp alternately with onion. Cover & chill 6 to 24 hours, turning often. Drain shrimp mixture, discarding liquid, before serving.

APPLE & MAPLE TARTLETS 2- 8oz. Cream Cheese softened 1/2 bottle Rothschild Farms Harvest Apple & Maple Sauce 1/4 C. sugar 50 to 60 phyllo pastry shells 1 can Apple Pie Filling 1. Mix softened cream cheese & apple & maple sauce together. Add 1/4 cup sugar. 2. Fill pastry shell with cream cheese mixture. 3. Place apple pie filling in food processor & puree. 4. Top each pastry with pie filling.

Hope you enjoy! Check back soon for all our pictures from our wonderful Holiday Evening of Design.

IN STYLE?

I often hear many people ask if their current decor is in style. I had a wise designer tell me that if you like it & it feels comfortable to you, then it is in style. We too often decorate our homes to please or impress others. I love going into a home that is purely eclectic & a little disheveled. I can see a person's personality in their collections & objects they proudly display. We try to do that same thing in our shop displays. I know "themes" are the thing in most shops, but I like to show how you can add any beautiful object into your home with ease. Choosing a color in different mediums & textures is a great way to update an existing decor. I always like to soften a room with beautiful florals & vibrant pillows. Small, independent shops like Evelyn's are the perfect place to find the most unique objects for your home. We search out great items that cannot be found at the big box stores. These will make your home look unique & not like your neighbor's home. And small shops will give you the individual service that is so hard to find in mass merchant stores. I always tell people to buy the best they can afford. Simply buying a lot of cheap product to fill your home will only give it a cheap look. You will be proud to have those special objects that show craftsmanship & great style. As summer begins to fade away, we will begin to transition the shop for fall. Now is the perfect time to infuse some style into your your home. And, we will always be glad to help you express your style in your home.

EVELYN'S HOLIDAY EVENING OF DESIGN

We are busy preparing for our next Holiday Evening of Design & hope you will be able to attend. Please join us Thursday, September 15th, 6:30pm-8:00pm, for an evening filled with wonderful tips & ideas on decorating your home for the holidays. Tickets are $20.00 each & will benefit the Barnwell County Museum. Only 40 tickets are available & will sell out quickly. Call today (803)259-5130 to reserve your tickets. This is one event you will not want to miss.

EVELYN'S GOES BACK TO SCHOOL

Let Evelyn's help you go back to school in style. You will love our new monogrammed backpacks & insulated lunchboxes in 4 great patterns. We also have laptop covers & tote bags that are perfect for school. We hope to see you soon!

ATLANTA MARKET TRIP

Twice a year we close shop & head to Atlanta for this country's largest gift show. Although it can be a lot of fun, there is a lot of work in finding the most unique gifts for the shop. This year Evelyn's was featured in the Atlanta Market Magazine which was mailed out to buyers all around the world. We were honored that a small shop like ours was featured. And we were so lucky to have met the executive editor, Tammy Trout, on our way out one evening. Tammy recognized us and treated us like "celebrities". We do appreciate her kindness, especially after a long day of shopping.
Day 1 We left Barnwell at 4:30am so we could get to the hotel then to the market for a full day of shopping. Our first day at market is usually a day we look around for any new & unique items that have a "wow" factor. We had several appointments & found some great gift you are going to love. The market stayed open until 8:00pm for late night shopping. We got back to the hotel by 9pm & I worked on our invoices, schedule, & budget. It had been a long 16 hours since we had left Barnwell.
Day 2 We left the hotel at 8am for another full day of shopping. This day was for completing our Fall, Halloween, & Christmas shopping. Although the majority of Christmas was purchased in January, we spent the day finding some fill in items that will add some humor & warmth to our collections. And, we bought the majority of our 2012 Spring & Easter collections. I will blog soon on these wonderful finds. I hate that we were unable to meet our favorite Millionaire Decorators designer, Katheryn Ireland, but we just had too many appointments we had to keep. We did meet Katheryn last January, & she is as humorous in person as she is on tv! Once again we stayed at market until 8pm. After catching the bus back to the hotel we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Einsteins in Midtown, for a delicious meal.
Day 3 We left the hotel at 8:30am to make a 9am appointment. We got there just in time to find some wonderful decorative accessories that we will debut at our Fall Evening of Design. We spent the day choosing beautiful florals, fragrances, and accessories that will complete our winter collections. As we buy, we constantly think of our customers & whose home we think some of our finds will look great in. And we always strive to find the most unique items you are proud to give & receive. The market closed at 6pm, so we had an early dinner at Houston's & went back to the hotel to add up all our invoices & make sure we took care of all our special orders. This was another successful market trip & we returned home energized for a wonderful holiday season.
As always, we went over our budget a little, but I know you will love our new Fall & Christmas collection. Please remember that we will be having our Fall & Halloween Open House September 17th, and our Christmas Open House November 6. Come in the shop & see all that is new for Fall. We always appreciate your business.

OFF TO MARKET

It's that time of year when we head back to Atlanta to this country's largest gift & home show. Many people think we are buying for Christmas, but in fact we are shopping for wonderful Spring & Easter gifts & decor. We bought Christmas in January & it has already arrived. We have already marked & sorted all our beautiful ornaments & decor and packed them away for our Christmas Open House in November. You are going to love what we have in store for you this Christmas! Think about us as we leave bright & early Friday morning at 4:30am. And, we will think of you as we pick out the best Spring & Easter goodies you will love. Don't forget we have a wonderful Fall & Halloween Open House September 17th. I will blog on our buying trip when we return. Stay tuned for all our adventures!