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! :)
About a year ago, I was inspired to purchase several black and white postcards of mostly British stage actresses from the early 1900’s. They are like the very first head shots or tiny movie posters featuring your favorite starlet… I thought they were really cool. I added color and surrounded each lady with flowers and a few other objects. Hundreds of Photoshop layers later, a collage of color and texture.
I also did some research on each of them, in the hopes that I might happily uncover an amazing story or two.
Here’s Miss Adrienne Augarde…
Miss Augarde was a young stage actress who was born on May 12, 1882. She played Renee de Saint Mezard in the 1905 production of the The Duchess of Dantzic, The Lady Margaret O’Donnell in the 1909-1910 romantic comedy Peggy Machree and in her last performance in 1912, she performed the lead role of Daphne in the operetta, The Rose Maid. She died in Chicago on March 18, 1913 at the age of 31 as a result of an operation for appendicitis.
Next is Miss Thelma Raye…
Thelma just looks like she would be sort of sassy, doesn’t she? :) She was born in 1887 in Buenos Aries, Brazil. She starred in several plays, mostly in London, between 1905 to 1922. Her second marriage was to actor Ronald Colman who was an up-and-coming actor when they wed. As his career advanced quickly during the era of the new “talky pictures”, Thelma’s career stayed flat… which sounds like a familiar story you hear nowadays! They had a messy divorce and Thelma wasn’t heard from again until early 1939. Describing herself as ‘the Original Mrs. Ronald Colman,’ Thelma Raye was reported to have opened a small sports/novelty shop at Laguna Beach, California. How very curious! You can read more of her biography here.
Miss Lalla Stanhope
I couldn’t find much on Miss Stanhope… it looks like she was in a few plays in 1891-1905, but I can’t find more information.
Finally, we have Miss Dorothy Dix
When I googled “Dorothy Dix” I couldn’t find much information on this specific actress from London. An American actress, a well-known journalist and many others came up, but alas… not our girl. The card I have states she played Andrée de Marsac in Bardelys the Magnificent.
These lovely ladies are for sale at violetcottage.com in postcard form. The cards are 4.25″ x 6″ and you’ll get 12 of them for $6.60 plus $1.00 shipping. Send one to a friend, glitter them up and hang them on your Christmas tree, cut them up and craft with the scraps… have fun!
October did it again… it snuck up on us when we weren’t looking and BAM, it’s Halloween next this weekend. Funny how the Summer slipped away so quietly, we didn’t even notice that, either ;) (Unless you are in California and it’s really just Summer all year round)
Right on cue… the leaves are changing into their fall wardrobe…
And our home is starting to show some personality :) (This is our living room…)
And the corner cabinet that houses my Blue Heaven collection ;)
I’ve been so involved with listing Halloween on the website, starting our other business, packing, unpacking and getting settled in to the new place that I completely forgot that Thanksgiving is a few weeks away then Christmas… I’m not ready!! I’ve been involved in retail for the better half of 2 decades, you’d think I’d get the hang of this ;)
Rachel and I signed up for a crafting & music event called Rock, Paper, Scissors. It’s Saturday, November 7th, 2009 from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Trotter Building (410 W. Geer Street, just one block north of the Scrap Exchange). We’re pretty excited :) Please come out if you can! :)
Well, it’s off to crafting land! Have a great Monday!
