Prediction for 2010

Vintage With Attitude.....

This great picture and slogan is from a recent ad campaign from one of my suppliers. How do YOU see trends for 2010?

Unconditional love...

Couldn't resist sharing this photo with you. This is Grace and Odie. They are actually sitting upright in a chair and not laying down as it appears. Odie is a very affectionate dog when she's not being a wild-eyed, kid/rabbit/bird/squirrel/frog/dragonfly chasing terror. Find your unconditional love here.

Wrap it up, move it out, take it home with you...

Linus says it all...

Oy, this is a bad thing

In the Jeanne d' Arc Living Christmas magazine there is the most delicious recipe for Christmas coffee. I thought I would test it out before Christmas morning to see if what something I would want to serve to guests throughout the day. Well, now I can't stop drinking it every morning! Guess it will keep me on track with the proverbial January diet! Ohhhh but every cup is oh so delicious. January is a long way away.
Christmas Coffee
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon ground cloves
heavy cream
lemon peel
Whip the butter until it is fluffy and then add brown sugar and spices. Mix until well blended. Add a tablespoon of this mixture to the bottom of a mug, fill with strong, hot coffee and cream. Stir until the consistency is just right. As JDL suggests..."If you want to add a bit of spirit to the coffee, we suggest a good cognac".

The hours tick away!

Final shopping hours are winding down! Open today and Wednesday 10am to 5pm! Lots of great new arrivals for last minute gifts. A sleigh full of jewelry has arrived, convertible knit mittens, alpine leg warmers, Christmas Melange candles (only 5 left!), starfish garland for your beachy friends, French jams, fluer de del caramels and Aspen spice mix for making your own Christmas basket. Toss in a made in America pine cone candle! For those unique one-of-a-kind finds try these; French enamel milk can, large antique farm sled with forked handle in old green paint, European baby bath on stand. My European goat carts would look fantastic overflowing with wrapped presents. These last few days are so fun and full of energy...I do hope you are enjoying the season to it's fullest. It truly is a special, magical and wonderful time. The snow we have been blessed with (yes I said blessed...this is the only week I enjoy it) is just sugar coating the occasion.

Holiday Hours
Open Christmas Eve 10am to 2pm
Closed Christmas Day

Open Saturday, December 26th 10am to 5pm
50% OFF ALL REMAINING CHRISTMAS STARTS

Wednesday, December 30th 10am to 5pm
Closed New Year's Eve and New Year's Day
Saturday, January 2, 10am to 5pm

Recent arrivals....

Just a few of the current furniture pieces in store now...just in time for holiday entertaining...


Vintage Victorian sofa $395, Industrial cart coffee table or funky twin bed $295


zinc topped, one drawer coffee table, freshly painted in "burnished bronze" $249


Beautiful slat topped liturgical table $1295


Vintage aqua 4 drawer dresser SOLD


vintage red wicker table and chair newly reupholstered with one of our 19th century inspired grain sack rugs


New mirrored dresser $495


Hand sewn ruffled slipcovers for dining chairs, $178 each

Wrap up your gift shopping at The Farmhouse...

A fabulous array of candles arrived yesterday in addition to loads of fun jewelry, ruffled scarves, fingerless gloves, shea butter lotions and stick perfumes. I have a wonderful selection for the foodies in your family: Cranberry Orange and Pumpkin Spice muffin mixes, cider or wine mulling spices, French jams (Pear Vanilla, Apricot Almond, Chestnut, Burgandy Blackberry, Mango Lime Ginger, Coco Passion) and imported French cutting boards. Great gifts for the gardeners such as bell cloches, willow basket wrapped with linen aprons holding all the essential gardener's tools, vintage flower frogs, collectible pottery, antique urns and statuary. There is something for everyone on your list, especially those who have everything! For them how about perusing our collection of one of a kind finds...you're sure to find the perfect treasure for them.

Stop in soon to enjoy 20-40% off fabulous Christmas finds! A handful are on my website but there is so much more in store, for example;

Silver tinsel feather trees, farmhouse candles with zinc lids, silver glittered birds, mercury glass trees, icy LED candleabras, snowy woodland houses ALL 20% OFF

Seventy some ornaments ALL 25% OFF

Bottle brush trees, glass glitter encrusted trees in urns and wreaths, mercury glass finials ALL 30% OFF

Flickering birch candles, glittered trees on stands, glittered signs ALL 40% OFF

Hope to see you soon!

This is a wish all of us can help to make come true...

This is a real request folks. Just a few moments ago I received a request from a friend to send a Christmas card to a 7 year old boy battling brain cancer. As his mom says on her blog "While we are busy filling our stockings, baking cookies and decking our halls, a little boy is busy planning his last Christmas." His last Christmas wish happens to be one that we all can fulfill if we do it together. Nate wants to receive one million Christmas cards. He can count on 5 from our family, one from each of us...please spread the word and send a card to:

Nate Elfrink
2415 Taylor-Blair Road
West Jefferson, OH 43162

Also from his mom's blog: "On December 11, at 6 p.m., hold a light in your heart for Nate and his family. Nate will help Santa flip the switch to turn on the light display at Garrette Park, in his hometown of West Jefferson, Ohio. On Dec. 12 at 5:30 p.m. Nate will ride with Santa on a float in the West Jefferson Christmas in the lighted parade. May Nate’s spirit light your heart this year."

Merry Christmas Nate!
http://www.blogher.com/his-last-christmas-wish

HUGE SALE going on now in store and on-line!

Enjoy 20 to 40% off in store and on-line right now! Local? Shop online and pick up your good on your next visit to the store. For details click here. I will be adding items all week to the website, be sure to check back.

Needing your feedback...

Thursday morning, still groggy and barely awake I received an email from a fellow shop owner who loves and carries the Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine and products. I opened her email very curious to find out what she had to say. I was a bit confused because she was asking me what I felt about the email from JdL and how were my customers going to take this, etc. I inquired as to what email she was referring to as I had not received anything. She forwarded the original JdL email to me (with my name clearly in the address line, apparently my server bounced the email to me). So I began reading the news with my mouth hanging open saying "oh no, oh no, oh no".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 3rd 2009

Dear customer

We regret to inform you that we unfortunately no longer will be able to sell our products to customers in United States of America.

Thank you for understanding and showing interest in Jeanne d´Arc Living.

Kindest but regretful regards.
The JdL staff
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There were more details in their email regarding their decision and how it relates to dealing with customs and the cost prohibitive freight fees for shipping to the U.S. While I have not yet ordered and offered their goods it has always been something I had hoped I could bring you in the near future. I know it was a very hard decision for them to make as they enjoyed bringing their beautiful publication to us as much as we enjoyed devouring each and every beautiful page. Their decision takes effect immediately on all products (for now) with the possible exception of the magazine. However, shipping the magazine won't be without it's own changes as well. Mainly, the price. My costs as a supplier will go up quite a bit which of course means the end price will go up too.

So now the decision as to what to do going into 2010. After trading a few emails with my fellow JdL lover (and "stockist" of JdL products, Ruth Harsham of The Beautiful Life) she suggested asking our customers what they thought and if they want us to continue bringing to them.

So here it is...if we continue to bring the magazine to the states current estimates on the price of each issue will be approximately $35. There will be 8 issues in 2010 (there were 6 in 2009) and all issues will be in English. So what do YOU think? Would you still want this gorgeous publication available to you? Please leave me your honest comments. Your feedback is VERY important to me and will help me determine my plans going forward.

Also...the current issue, for the first time ever, reflects a
U.S. price of $17.00. That is an error! Shopkeepers across the country who stock the magazine were all fairly shocked to see that price, since we can assure you,
it doesn't cost much less than that for US to get it here, so PLEASE know that the $17.00 price is not an accurate rate of conversion for the magazine and is not an accurate "MSRP" for it. We all have been in contact with our dear friends at JdL about that and future issues should have that corrected.

The January issue is being printed now and it's time for me to reserve copies for us. The release date is January 15th. So please leave me your comments, I anxiously await them!

(For those of you who don't have one yet I have about 14 copies of the Christmas issue left, you can order one (and other goods) by clicking here.)

Simply the best Christmas duet ever...

Loads of new finds on website and in shop...

Pom pom scarves

Faux bois set

Mercury glass hobnail compotes

So new I don't have photos yet such as a gorgeous old 8 foot communion table, a vintage dresser whose old paint has worn off in wonderful ways but has old aqua paint on it's knobs, lots of new old smalls too.

GOOD NEWS: ANGEL HALOS BACK IN STOCK!!!!!!! Excellent stocking stuffer or for your family Christmas photo.

Update on Jeanne d' Arc Living magazine, less than 20 available (online only, here)

A "Before and After" in Honor of Thanksgiving

BEFORE

AFTER

Wishing you all a wonderful day of Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

More photos from my Christmas open house....

I must confess...I forgot to take pictures before the open house!! Although I had a HUGE head start on this year's event, thanks to my dear friend and now seasonal co-worker Colleen, who had all my Christmas finds and goodies unpacked, priced and "on deck" for me, it never seemed convenient to stop and pick up the camera. The Saturday morning before the event I inventoried and packed all the remaining Halloween,leaving most of the fall goodies for Thanksgiving. Saturday afternoon all the furniture was "set" in it's designated spot, minor adjustments occured all week. However, even with all that done before Sunday (usually Sunday and Monday are devoted to the above) my dear mother and I were just a flurry of activity right up until 4PM Thursday, two hours before the event began. So in the rush I forgot to take pictures. All of these were taken post open house. But they are beautiful none the less, just minus a few of the items that sold out.
This is the snowy entry, two huge, solid porch pillars, a gorgeous piece of fretwork/gingerbreading crowning a fabulous blue and white architectural table. The gorgeous urn was filled with the most darling white feather halos for children, they sold out, however, I was able to track down some more and they will be here this week. Perfect for those family Christmas photos!
The icy candleabras are battery powered and flickered all evening long next to candles floating in water in hurricanes. All on a mirror surround by a soft pile of flurries.
TNow onto the real reason for this glorious season. I have the most beautiful vintage and new collection of religious relics. One of my favs went home with a dear customer Thursday evening so I didn't get a photo, might have to have her send me one...:-) It was an antique liturgical altar piece with a beautiful Blessed Mother Mary statue inside. The leaded glass window below is still available and it is heavenly!

A champion to us all...

You started a revolution Stephanie, and some day we shall overcome cancer, and that day will be sooner because of you and your family's tireless devotion. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Spielman family and their extended and full circle of friends.
10% of all my in store & online sales on Saturday, November 20, will be donated to the Stephanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research. I invite all indies to join me.

“Through her remarkable grace and compassion for others, Stefanie Spielman taught all of us powerful lessons about the human capacity for love and courage.” - Ohio State University President Gordon Gee.

Some more photos....Thanksgiving goodies!

The forgotten holiday in the retail world...Thanksgiving. Seems we retailers have to jump from Halloween right to Christmas without so much as a nod to the celebration of cooperation, thankfulness and a bountiful harvest. This year I have an entire area devoted to the feast. Some of what you will find; vintage tablecloths and linen napkin sets, Victorian napkin rings (some engraved), imported French cutting boards, pumpkin shaped candles (great hostess gift!), piles of ironstone platters, vintage salt & pepper shakers, vintage mounted & stuffed pheasants (lovely in a centerpiece).


One of the items you will find on this "loaded with bounty" table is
L'Epicurien's Cranberries cooked in Pays d'Oc wine. Served cold with cheeses, crackers, or bread, it's a true delight. Warmed up, it's perfection with duck, pheasant or turkey. The pièce de résistance would be a cranberry glaze for your turkey! Recipe below:

1 jar L'Epicurien cranberries
1/2 cup minced onion
2 Tbls olive oil
1 cup orange juice
1 cup dry white wine

Saute onions in the olive oil, add the white wine and reduce. Add the orange juice and reduce again. Add the cranberries and reduce until just thick. Serve over your roasted fowl.

Just SOME of the photos from our "Snowfall" season opener last week...

Lots more to come but here are a few...enjoy!!!
vintaged mercury finish urn with juniper available online here

Snowy woodland house, cottage or church also available online here

FABULOUS vintage dress form, complete with cage skirt, ornate base and wheels. She has been lovingly cared for and well oiled, she's better at getting around the shop than I am! She's $295 and yes I can ship.

Compotes, bowls, urns and platters corral our vintage ornaments. We collect them all year long, Shiny Brites, German made, Austrian ones and vintage Victorian feather tree orns.

Fabulous vintage folk art 2 story bird house. Love the old green paint. Looks darling paired with one of our snowy nests.


Glass glitter encrusted trees in glitter encrusted urns...stunning and available here