Over 600 merchants will be participating. Many of them will have free shipping without any other restrictions (like us!) Order anytime on Thursday, December 17th and get FREE shipping with guaranteed delivery by December 24th.
So, on December 17th from Midnight PST to Midnight PST, we will offer FREE SHIPPING on all orders! No minimum to buy! :) Enter the code “freeship” at checkout to receive your free shipping.
Mantles are for decorating… it’s the heart of the living room, and usually the heart of the home. Back in California, we never used our fireplace (at all), but here in North Carolina, we turn it on and actually use it! Here is our current Christmas mantle (in our very first home!)…
And here is 2008’s mantle…
At the store, we had a few fake mantles sprinkled around… Here are a few Christmas Mantles from the years gone by….
… and our very first Christmas tree back in 2003…
Here are some random mantle displays..
Birthday mantle
Explorer mantle
Valentine’s Day mantle
Valentine’s mantle close up Halloween mantle
Ocean-themed room mantle
Hard to see, but this is a handmade freestanding mantle that we had in the store (made by Robert… who we miss!)
Here is my Mom’s mantle and Christmas Cupboard…
I love all the pink and green! She has a pink Christmas tree, too… hopefully she’ll get that picture to me, soon :)
If you have an awesome mantle display, email it to me and I’ll post it here! :) Happy decorating!!
Take a bottle of sparkling apple cider, wine or champagne and add a big bow and an ornament… it’s festive, cheerful and easy to do! We sold these at the shop a few years ago… at first they were props, but then they flew off the shelves. (Thanks, Babs!)
Or… you can be super adventurous and make your own flavored liquor… We got some homemade Kahlua one year as a gift… it was fantastic! Check out this Kahlua recipe. (Thanks Beth & Morgan!)
If you are lucky enough to be in the Los Angeles area, why not check out Galco’s Soda Pop shop and get everyone some nostalgia in a bottle (I think they ship, too). Bubble Up, Nesbitt’s, Dr. Pepper in a glass bottle and my favorite… Mint Julep soda. We carried these at Violets are Blue for a while. It was so much fun to watch people light up as they grabbed their favorite childhood soda… and even more fun to watch them wince and say “I don’t remember it being this sweet!”
Just look at the outside of the building and the magical fluorescent lighting… time stands still when you are in there… literally! :)
Now I want to look up peppermint martini recipes (anything with a fancy sugar rim), investigate items that can be put in mugs and stock up on gourmet coffee from A Southern Season (If you are ever in Chapel Hill… GO). And someone out there, not naming any names… will be getting a gallon of blueberry syrup from her favorite gourmet eatery, The Cracker Barrel… that’s sort of a beverage, right ? :D
Oh, and I just bought some pumpkin eggnog at the store… it’s a little (or a lotle) overwhelming, but isn’t that what the holidays are all about? ;)
I got the bug to make some paper chain… I used some fancy scrapbook paper and regular ol’ construction paper…
I sat on the floor and cut out small 6 or 7 inch strips and started gluing…
and gluing…
Until I had a chain that was about 10 feet long!
I put that on a little antique gold tree and added some of my favorite ornaments…
I can see why this project would be perfect for kids… I went into the crafting zone and forgot what I was doing… I wanted to make an 8′ chain and ended up adding an extra 2′… just because it was fun. And I used colors that would compliment my office so I could hang it in here after the holidays. Paper chain just graduated to all-year-round decor.
So maybe when you need some quiet time, ask your kids to make you a paper chain… oooh…. 60 feet should do it! ;)
Scrapbook Whimsy Collection – Most of these ornaments have the image on both sides and have lots of detail with glitter, rhinestones… some have metal chains that they hang on… very well made items.
There’s lots going on over at www.violetcottage.com …
From now until Tuesday, December 1st at midnight (PST):
- Up to 40% off Holiday decor, jewelry and gifts!
- Free shipping on orders over $40.00 (after discounts). To receive free shipping, just enter “freeship” at checkout!*
- For every $50.00 you spend, you’ll receive a gift voucher for $10.00 to use after December 29th! Keep it for yourself or give it to a friend! You’ll receive your voucher(s) with your order.
P.S. if you would like Violets are Blue stickers included in your order for your packages and gift bags, just for the fun of it, please let me know in the “notes” field during your order! :)
*Free Shipping offer not valid with any other coupon codes or vouchers.
To receive future emails with special promotions and coupons, please create an account or simply contact us and let us know you would like to be added to the list!
When one is deciding on what kind of dessert to make, and the birthday girl for whom it is going to be designed for tells you… “Chocolate”… that gives you some latitude.
I also know that she likes cannolis & champagne and peanut butter… so I picked two and ran with it.
My only experience with a trifle… old black and white drawings of parfaits, cakes and trifles and that episode on Friends where Rachel makes a trifle with ground beef… mine did not have meat… I promise ;)
I started with a layer of champagne cake, followed by a layer of champagne custard…
Followed by a brownie layer then chocolate mousse… then some more champagne cake…
Then… cannoli cream and chocolate shavings
Not a traditional trifle… more like a parfait I suppose. I didn’t think fruit had any place in this creamy paradise ;)
About a gallon of trifle was made… after dishing it out to 7 of us, we had waaay more than half of it left. And, to my surprise, nobody wanted to take any home.
I got a similar reaction to my trifle that the folks on Friends gave Rachel… I know the thing tasted good (unless lies were told), but the 12 egg yolks, 4 cups of cream and umpteen tablespoons of butter made everyone’s head spin. Oh, and this was after a pre-Thanksgiving birthday meal which we consumed less than an hour beforehand.
The entire meal… 8-10 sticks of butter. Oh yeah. Rock on.
I think she enjoyed it, though :)
I know I was grinning from ear to ear… before promptly entering into a butter-haze. (Best mug ever… on a mug)
Here’s the reaction to Rachel’s trifle-gone-wrong on Friends…
Sadly, the end was cut off… but… at least the “it tastes like feet” bit was in there!
I am making a Pumpkin custard trifle/parfait for Thanksgiving… I shall report back! :)
