Christmas Holiday Kick-Off

Today is the kick off of our 2011 Holiday season. We begin with a private home tour for our customers and share our holiday decorating secrets. Finally we finish the day in the store, showcasing our newest merchandise and sharing tastings from our entertaining book. Here's just a peek of what the day will unveil! It's our grandest Christmas ever and we are looking forward to a very Merry Season!

Patisserie Stand Gets Decked out for the Season

The Christmas season is upon us- especially those of us who are retailers. This next Thursday, Nov. 10th , is our annual Christmas Season kick off, complete with a tour of my home totally decked out for the season. Yes, my neighbors think I am crazy as I decorate the front porch and door with greens and berries- no Thanksgiving pumpkins for this house! In the coming weeks, I will be sharing with you tidbits of our 2011 Christmas decor. This time is our decorated patisserie stand on the kitchen island. This is a great new piece that we sell at the store that is a replica of a pastry stand from a French bakery. We have used tartan, pastry ornaments and vintage pressed glass to create the feeling of a French Bistro in your home. The French bistro napkins are from http://www.eabdesigns.typepad.com/. Vintage candy jars are filled with seasonal candy, and we have used a toast rack to house white chocolate bars embedded with dried strawberries. Tartan plates are available at Romancing the Home.

Cookeville Collectors Club

My friend, Marlene, invited Jill and I down to Tennessee to give a presentation of our new book- "Romancing the Home Entertains" to her Collectors Club. We decided to set up tablescapes using antique china mixed with new elements. The homeowner, Sue, had the most beautiful collection of antique china, so it was fun to mix her treasures with new things from our store, such as the over sized croco gold chargers. She had so many beautiful salad plates, that we decided to mix and match them on the table. Using rhinestone brooches as napkin rings on our animal print napkins, we added a touch of whimsy to the elegant cobalt blue table. The local Kroger had just received the vivid blue orchids, so we could not resist them for our centerpiece. Simply placing three in an over sized vintage compote, we filled the outside with fresh greens. Vintage cobalt and gold water tumblers were mixed with Sue's crystal. The cobalt blue taffeta tablecloth was layered over Sue's gold damask cloth. Sue's beautiful home overlooking Centerville Lake was the perfect setting for this elegant table.

Please joinwww.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for other inspiring tablescapes.

Log Cabin Chic

Lily Belle- The little white Pomeranian at the white log cabin!

The view from the deck of Centerville Lake- awesome~!

The large family room with the collection of old oil landscapes on the wall.

A comfy little spot to sit a while and enjoy your morning coffee while viewing the lake from inside!

Love the contrast of the crystal against the log walls.


Vintage wicker on the side deck- all set for fall with mums and pumpkins.

Statuary surrounded by velvet pumpkins and glittered artichokes.

A fall display on the dining room table - so romantic!



A spooky Halloween display on the kitchen island.

Love this idea - one to steal for sure- kitchen utensils in an old trophy set by the stove.

Old bread wooden board and silver bread trays on the wall- so very cool!


What a cool chandelier for the kitchen - love it!

The guest bedroom- the zebra rug really adds the punch to the room !

How about this incredible mirror in the hallway - really adds drama to the space!

More vintage mirrors are hung up the stair way.

I am just returning from a trip to my friend Marlenes's home in Cookeville, Tennessee. She and her husband Ryan live in a white log cabin home overlooking Centerville Lake. It is breathtakingly beautiful. Marlene has decorated their home with antique finds in unique ways. I love this house - so charming, so cool, and so unique. It's truly an original!

Pumpkin Urn

I am crazy inlove with this urn - a delicious confection of pumpkins, grapevine and kale. Every season I drive by this spot in Lake Forest to check out how it's decorated for the season. Great job to whomever created it!

Kitchen Details

As I promised, I am sharing more details of the kitchen that we are in the process of renovating. It's gorgeous and it's the little details that are being added that make it delicious! The hand painted metallic tile in gold and pewter is beautiful and adds an elegant touch to the back splash. The antique French sconces, mounted on the mirror that Laurell created, add the needed sparkle and glamour to the kitchen. They are showcased in the middle of the large armoir that serves as a pantry and serving buffet. We just placed the fabulous patisserie stand on the large island to break up the space and give the kitchen a Paris bistro feel. It is filled with vintage glassware, cooking spices and small plates for entertaining. We added the mirrored transom over the door to add more light to the space and to raise the height of the door frame to match the taller windows in the room . This is the perfect kitchen for entertaining - elegant, spacious and an inviting space to enjoy delicious meals.

October Roses

Just a quick post about our October roses- so beautiful as the nights are much cooler. Soon to be gone until next June, I love to have vases of them in the house. I love the contrast of the fresh roses against this awesome old rose oil painting that Lynda and I found at the flea market this weekend. Until next summer, I will just have to be content to gaze at it!