Deck the Halls.......

The elves have been busy this past week, getting the store decked out in all it's holiday glitz and glitter! New this year are the cutest 36"feather trees available in both apple green and white. The great thing is that they colaspe flat for easy storage. As with past years also returning for this holiday season are the ever so popular vintage inspired Christmas ornaments, including a large selection of smaller Feather, Tinsel and Bottle Brush trees.

I'll post pictures of the store all decorated for the season soon.....

Store Update

We've been busy with Halloween at French Vanilla. The last of the vintage inspired Halloween decorations have come in and are now almost gone. So glad to see they have been such a big hit this year and judging by the number of people who have come into the store looking to add to their collection I'd say decorating for Halloween is definately on the rise. Christmas items have started to arrive as well. However setting up for Christmas must wait until after Halloween. I know some stores have already started putting out their Christmas items but I like to finish up with each seasonal event before moving on to the next. Last week also saw the arrival of the new "Marie Lifestyle Quilted Bag" collection. I was so excited to finally see this beautiful new line by Marie Osmond. The Marie quilted fashion bag & accessory collection features beautifully designed fabrics made from the highest quality cotton. The collection features a cross section of styles including: Backpacks, Coin Purses, Cosmetic Bags, Duffel Bags, Handbags, Laptop Cases, Messenger Bags, Totes, Wallets & Wristlet Cases in 7 different patterns (see examples below). To see the whole collection, drop by the store or soon will be on-line at http://www.frenchvanillahome.com/

Halloween has officially arrived at French Vanilla............

I know it's a little early to start thinking about Halloween. Canadians usually wait to get through Thanksgiving (it's earlier here than in the US) before they focus on decorating for Halloween. However I do have several customers who plan on decorating for Halloween this coming week. Although not as popular as Christmas, decorating for Halloween is getting more popular in Canada. As for me, I love the Vintage style ornaments reminiscent of days gone by. My sister got me hooked on these several years ago. Folk Artists like Dee Foust, Bethany Lowe, Wendy Addison and Nicol Sayre are among my favorite. Below are a few examples of the wonderful whimsical Halloween ornaments that have recently arrived in the store. Whatever your tastes, if you've never decorated for Halloween before, choose a few items to start your own family fall decorating traditon.

More Fall Decorating...Thanksgiving Table Centerpieces

The designated date for Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October. This year that day falls on October 12th. Thanksgiving for families is simply about spending time decorating the house, preparing all of the Thanksgiving food (and of course the dinner!) as well as enjoying a long weekend before the onset of Winter. To add some interest and color to your table for Thanksgiving, try some of these simple Do It Yourself centerpieces courtesy of "About.com":

-this minimalist centerpiece can be made in minutes. Set a pillar candle into the center of your bowl. Secure it with florist putty or candle wax tabs if necessary. Make two rows of fruit or vegetables around the candle. Small items will work best. Here they have chosen some baby artichokes and some very small lemons, but tangerines, limes, or any other item could also work.

-this simple centerpiece can be arranged in minutes on a platter or tray, and will last several days. Just prior to your dinner, finish the arrangement by garnishing with kale leaves. (for detailed instructions go to http://interiordec.about.com/cs/fallindex/l/blfallpr007.htm)

-use fruit to make an impressive centerpiece that's very inexpensive. Tip: Add flowers at the last minute and they'll stay fresh for your party. (for detailed instructions go to http://interiordec.about.com/cs/tabletop/l/blfallpr030.htm

-an arrangement of pears makes a wonderful centerpiece. Choose fruit in bright green, golden yellow, or russet red -- either fresh or artificial -- and pile into a pretty bowl. Carry the fall theme through with some oak leaves (or any other type of fall leaf), acorns, and mini crab apples for a bit more color. (for detailed instructions go to http://interiordec.about.com/cs/fallindex/l/blfallpr027c.htm

Decorating for Fall with Wreaths....

It's official......the first day of Autumn is Sept. 22nd. I love this time of year, when the leaves start to turn, the air is fresh and crisp as our days get shorter and the evenings cooler. Decorating at this time of the year is also fun. I always change my front door wreath to something more in keeping with this time of year. I have a thing for wreaths, I hang them all over my home. I love making them too so I thought I would post some simple wreath ideas that you could make yourself. To get started all you need is a wreath form (made of grapevine, styrofoam, or metal), some floral wire and a glue gun. The next thing to do is to gather your wreath material. Use your imagination and work with seasonal colors. Material can be gathered from nature, the grocery store or from a craft store. Below are some pictures of fall wreaths (courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens www.bhg.com/decorating/seasonal/autumn/wreaths-for-fall/ ) that would look great hung on your front door, on your wall or even in your garden.

A little R and R....

It has been a very busy summer and with August almost over, my hubby and I decided to take a break and got away for a few days last week. We have a friend that has a fairly new beautiful West Coast Style cabin (well more like a house) on Lake Cowichan, Vancouver Island(approx. 1 1/2 - 2 hrs drive from Victoria). They are very generous in letting us use their cabin several times a year. Although the weather wasn't great, it was a little overcast some days and we had a bit of rain but the break was well needed for both of us. We had dinner with friends, watched a movie and just chilled. I've added a few photo's (although not mine) as I wanted you to see how beautiful this lake is. You just have to ignore the forest clear-cutting that's happening on the mountain across the lake (such a shame).

We're having a heat wave....

I don't usually talk about the weather, but we recently had a heat wave in this part of the country. It actually got up into the 90's (35 c) and although we usually have warm summers, having it this hot is not something Victorian's are used to! I even had to close the store one afternoon as just got too hot with no air conditioning. I'm sure for my customers it was like shopping in a sauna. Not very pleasant and definately not good for business! I spoke to couple of ladies in the store who were visiting from Flordia. They had come to Victoria to escape the heat, but unfortunatley it was just as hot here. Worried about my garden I kept watering to keep it from welting away. We are on water restriction so all watering has to done mostly by hand which was no easy task. But my garden is doing okay, the lawn is a little dry and brown in some spots, but the plants, shrubs are hanging in there and the roses are as beautiful as ever (actually I think roses like the heat). Thankfully we've finally had some relief from the hot weather, things are back to normal, it's much cooler now....today it looks like it might even rain!