Saturday, December 4, 2010

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.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

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!

Friday, October 22, 2010

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.

Friday, October 15, 2010

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!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

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!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

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!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

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.