Do you have a favorite shop that you cannot wait to see
decorated at Christmas time?
A place you know will have special items you
cannot find at other shops in your area...
That is the kind of place where I want to shop.
For years we had a very special store, Quilted Hearts,
where I found special Christmas ornaments, gifts, and cards.
All my friends and I were so sad when it closed.
Each year we also traveled three hours south to historic Salado, Texas
for its annual Christmas Tour of Homes.
Once we finished the tour, we shopped in
several small stores filled with unusual finds.
Sir Wigglesworth, my favorite store,
was owned by a talented artistic decorator.
Her displays and merchandise were always very special.
A few years ago this store also closed.
Combining my love of Christmas and France, I decided
to offer garden and home gifts at Christmas time
and to create a special Christmas shopping event in my garden house.
Welcome to a review of what's in the
2014 French Country
Christmas Event.
Freshness in green and white...
Handpainted NOEL sign and
fleur-de-lis linen towels
in traditional Christmas colors...
PAPERWHITES planted November 13 with
the first peeks of white blooms on November 29...
A trio of blue-tinged candles in a vintage French zinc seed pot...
A vintage wooden sled from Europe
showcases all things 'deer'...
Candles, matches, kitchen towels, paper napkins,
fabric deer ornaments, and a fun white reindeer candy/salad/soup bowl...
A French wire basket holds fresh pine, a large sugar pinecone, and antlers...
a simple nature-inspired centerpiece.
It's the little things that make the difference in gift-wrapping.
A small wooden deer clip with glittered antlers,
brown deer-shaped ribbon, and a gold glass star
make even the smallest package special.
These little touches are the kinds of things I always enjoy finding.
One of my absolute favorite finds this year is the fabric deer ribbon
that comes in ivory, embroidered in brown with gold bells,
and red, embroidered in dark gray with silver bells.
Individually, they are beautiful package and napkin embellishments.
Used in 'herds', they would make a one-of-a-kind table runner or placemat.
No sewing needed... just use special iron-on fuser to fuse the deer to the fabric.
Christmas joy in the kitchen comes from
paper plates/napkins, Santa salad plates, Christmas coasters,
foaming Christmas-scented soap, bird-themed wooden tray,
kitchen towels, pot holders, and oven mitts.
A pot holder paired with a wooden bird and a sprig of holly can
make it Christmas in the kitchen the entire month of December.
Hand-carved wooden bird ornaments...
A Paris subway 3-D metal wall hanging...
To read all these metro stops' names brings back wonderful
memories of trips to Paris over the years.
During the majority of the year, it is fantastic as
art over a bed, over a chest of drawers, or over a desk where
daily memos, grocery lists, and French ephemera can be displayed.
At Christmas time, it becomes a special
Christmas card display board, highlighted by a Noël banner
printed on golden metallic paper that is held in place
with four of those wooden reindeer with glittered antlers.
The banner is easy to create using a graphic from Etsy
overprinted with letters using the font, Party LET.
Wouldn't a greenery wreath around the spire add a Christmas touch to
the large metal birdhouse?
An old pale blue painted ladder makes a great display shelf for
a bird's nest and a handcrafted burlap bird eggs print.
Preserved boxwood wreath with a red-script ribbon...
On a mirror, a painting, a window, or
my favorite place, a French armoire door...
Christmas and French-inspired garden and home items make my
garden house a special place every December.
If you are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,
you are invited to come to the
French Country Christmas Event
where you may find something very special this Christmas.
For those not in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,
send an email if you would like more information about
something in this year's Christmas Event.
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Please join me at these inspiring sites...
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