Dolphin Chocolate Bars- Perfectly Marie!

It is the last night before we start setting up the Spirit of 67 Home Tour and I am a little crazy- well maybe a lot crazy!  Can't decide on the table settings, but I am in love with the  Dolphin candy bars, embellished with the doilies and rhinestones- just too beautiful to eat and that's a good thing with all the calories! They remind of Marie Antoinette's lavish costumes.   I am trying to set up a French bleu and mirrored place setting  - love it- but not sure if it works with our overall color theme.  Candy, our stylist,  will come over in the morning and try to rein me in- get me focused- cool my thoughts- but I am just a "creating fool" right now. Help me! Meanwhile, I love that soft bleu rhinestone tassel on the silver box lunch vessel filled with Salade aux Ouefs sur Brioche, Ananas Fromage Creme Abricots Farcis, Salade Verte, and Chocolat Macarons.  Call the store for more info on purchasing tickets for this home tour!

Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine is Finally Here!

All of the Romancing the Home girls were honored to attend the launch party of Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine at Angela's home on Saturday night! We were so inspired by her home's warmth and decor. A beautiful table was set with delectable delights to enjoy! A delicious pate from Trader Joe's was served with dried figs, sea salt and cracked pepper in cute little tart shells. A gorgeous vegetable display was artfully arranged in a wine crate- almost too pretty to eat. The surprise delightful bite was the salami and cream cheese wrapped spring onions- so simple and so good. But the piece de resistance was the Wine Infused Blackberry buttermilk cake - OMG- to die for! The topping was a symphony of blackberries, Sauternes, sugar, grapefruit zest and blackberry preserves. An arrangement of soft pastel flowers was artfully arranged in the center of the table and one thought they were in Provence having afternoon tea. And of course, we had to take Angela a gift to show off those desserts she so expertly prepares- a French bakery dome. Wrapping the package in pink paper from Hobby Lobby, black velvet ribbon and topping it with an Eiffel Tower embellished with dried roses, was a labor of love. We wanted to share this exciting night with this lovely girl and her amazing family.

PS If you haven't ordered your subscription to Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine yet, do it now (parisiennefarmgirlmagazine.com.) It is fantastic- the photography is amazing, the articles are interesting and unique, and the recipes are wonderful. My friend Lynda was so inspired that she got up yesterday morning and immediately went to the store to get the ingredients for the gougeres recipe in the magazine. Tomorrow I'll share a picture of those little puffs of delightful goodness!

Christmas Gift Wrapping- Tartan Inspired

I spent yesterday getting my gifts ready to mail- last minute as usual! Tartan pattern was used as the over wrap, but of course it had to be romanced by a few of my favorite things- bling, leopard, feathers and polka dots for a little surprise element. This year we are selling the most beautiful tartan silk ribbons and I love this bold black and red buffalo check pattern. It looks great with the voile leopard ribbon from Sam's Club. Red feathers are used on most of the gifts to unify the presentation. Mixing all these elements together creates a unique gift wrap- so pretty to sit under a tree! So now into a box they go, heading south for the Holiday Season.

New Orleans is Getting out of the Bucket!

It all started with her "bucket list", things she wanted to do before she couldn't! My best friend is turning 60 in a couple of weeks- yikes- we met when we were in our twenties! So I had to plan an over the top birthday for this special year. Last night I gave her the first installment of her birthday gift- clues to where we are going. Gold envelopes were labeled with clues that are unique to this beautiful American city, lagnaippe, Sazerac, Marie Laveau, Restaurant August, Bayona, Alexa Pulitzer. The envelopes held menus, shopping hints and history about the city. Next she opened the beautiful stationary from Alexa Pulitzer, a very talented New Orleans resident and finally, the beautiful book by Debra Shriver, Stealing Magnolias - Tales from a New Orleans Courtyard. Alas, she knew where we were going- New Orleans was on her bucket list! I had made the kumquats in orange liqueur from this beautiful book ( the page is open and behind my crystal compote filled with tasty concoction)We celebrate tonight by having it with a little bubbly.

After reading this book, I gained a different perspective about New Orleans, specifically their exuberant entertaining style. And as a added bonus, I had emailed Alexa Pulitzer about carrying her unique stationary in our store, and she called me back and gave me some great inside scoop on great shops, clubs and restaurants ! What a sweet person! We don't leave for a couple of weeks, so if anyone has any other insider info on New Orleans - places to go, see, great affordable antique shops etc. please email me. We want to experience the best of this incredible city, go where the locals go, and get in some killer shopping. We are looking for Old Paris Porcelain, gourmet treats, French antiques and great entertainment. After all, it is the Paris of America!

Lots Happpening Next Week!

Our Christmas Open House and the debut of our new book- two big things happening next Thursday night. We will close the store on Wednesday and Thursday to get ready for our party! We will re-open at 4 pm on Thursday with all of Christmas 2010's glory. From natural to opulent, we have gathered a magical collection of Christmas decor. Many surprises are being held just for the event, from handmade Santa's to our collection of special boxes for display around the tree. Here is a peak at some of the handmade boxes- gold and silver, purple and glitter, and more to come. We will have copies of our new entertaining book for sale during the event and will be tasting recipes from the collection in the book. So bring a friend and enjoy the fun. rsvp 847-615-1900

The Color Purple

I am not sure what happened that caused the color purple to be so obviously present at the Bridal shower on Sunday. Guests were inspired to bring many beautifully wrapped gifts, and it seemed purple was a popular color. In a very romantic combination, tulle, rhinestones, feathers and purple flowers all created a purple feast for the eyes. Purple roses crowned the cherub statue on the buffet, while a rhinestone crown peaked out of the top. Beet Tartines on a silver tray added a bold purple color to the array of appetizers. The mother of the bride, the maid of honor and the bride looked simply purplelicious in a purple haze of color. And as I looked out to my garden, it seemed that I had planted mostly purple flowers this year. Maybe purple is the color of the season!