March Madness

I know for some people that means basketball, and you know who you are, and you know the tournaments are waaaaay toooooo loooooong.  Seriously.  Even if we do carry an ornament of Santa playing basketball.  And we need college football tournaments!

For the rest of us, it means spring is coming, and daffodils are blooming (even as the snow is falling!), and we’re dreaming of Spring Break, wherein we take our sad, pale selves to places where the sun is shining all day long and there might even be occasions to break a little sweat while sitting perfectly still for long periods of time.

Today, it also means going after a little bit of Irish fun!  Wait, I have to say “a little bit o’ Irish fun”, don’t I?  We’ve just added a new theme to our site, and you’ll enjoy checking it out. 

That really is the cutest little Charming Tails mouse!  And I love all that fresh green stuff – it just perks up the whole day.  And just this morning, in a pure coincidence of the most unvarnished kind, I heard the Celtic Yuletide cd playing in the store, and even though it is March I hunted it down and am purchasing a copy for myself.  So this is a really good theme, I tell ya.  And I’m Irish.  I should know.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S. I also know that we need a national collegiate football playoff.

Two for Tuesday

Okay, this will mark two weeks in a row when I actually do have just TWO pictures for you!  I can’t help getting carried away when I find such fabulous stuff in the store, but I’m trying to mend my ways and keep it quick.

I even found a theme this week – cute piggies!

We’ve just added a new collectible line of hillbillies that can definitely be called, without exaggeration, a scream!  No, we don’t mind poking a little fun at ourselves here in East Tennessee.  Most stereotypes are earned, don’t you know.  Check out the crazy mad hair on these characters!  The lad in front is holding a cob of corn on a fishing pole in front of the pig to keep it moving.

Hillbilly School Bus

Other figurines in the line include an homage to moonshiners,  a hillbilly wedding pair, the hillbilly tractor that’s really a family affair, and a commemoration of plumbers that spells out the situation for you .. you’ll have to come see for yourself, I don’t think I can show it here. 

Continuing the cute piggy plan, a figurine from Charming Tails in the form of a pull-toy piggie with a couple of passengers.  If you know a pig collector, this would be a great addition to their obsession.

Notice it even has a cute little mini-piggy charm on the back!  What could be sweeter?

So much pink cuteness!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S.  Spring Break hours here at the store now, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. all week long.

Two for Tuesday

I found this cute Easter pair in our Charming Tails collection – a bright and colorful figurine to set the mood for your Easter egg hunt.

Your Everything

If you’ve got a real cowboy Santa at home, wouldn’t he love finding his stocking hanging from this holder on the mantle on Christmas morning.

The stocking hangs across the boot at the bottom – so clever!  Item 442218, $16.99.

Here is a bonus – I have mad love for the dancing penguins – and the purse is on sale – but I didn’t find it on line, you’ll have to call and ask for it.  I’ve  checked it out – it is completely lined in the red-and-white polka dot fabric and has a zippered pocket inside – for once, my lipstick won’t be rolling out onto the floor of the car.  Item 127178.  Originally $24.95, now only $16.97.

We did get a little snow today – and enough in the mountains to give the kids a day out of school!  Cold, with sunshine and flurries.  Spring, feel free to return tomorrow.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Early Dogwood Blooms

Food for Friday

This one is actually food for next Friday – this is a fun treat to serve your Valentine ~ a sweet cream cheese heart for cookie dipping.  If you don’t have a heart-shaped mold, you can easily fashion a heart by hand ~ give it your own style.

Chocolate Peppermint Pecan Cream Cheese Heart (yes, you figured me out, I don’t really have a name for this one!)

"Places in the Heart," by Charming Tails

1 C milk chocolate chips
1 C peppermint candies
1 C pecan halves or pieces

In a food processor, chop each item to small-crumb size.  Mix all three ingredients together in a sealed container.

Bring one 8 oz. block of cream cheese to room temperature.  Process til creamy in a food processor, then blend in 3/4 cup to one cup of the chocolate/peppermint/pecan mixture.  Press the mixture into a heart-shaped container lined with cling wrap or some material to help release the cheese mixture.  Chill well.  When ready to serve, turn your cream cheese heart out onto a plate, dust with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, red hots, or a mixture of your choice.   Decorate the plate with message hearts.  Serve with a selection of wafer cookies ~ chocolate, ginger, and lemon all work really well with these flavors.

Store the extra chocolate-peppermint-nuts mix in a sealed container in the fridge.  It will keep for quite a while, and you can mix up a sweet cream cheese ball or heart very quickly for your next party.

I have also added a drop or two of red food coloring to the cream cheese to give it an even more festive color.  Surprise your sweetie and your guests with this sweet cream cheese snack!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Signing successes!

Yippee! Our two artist signings on Friday and Saturday were great!  I hope you were able to come by the store and meet Mark Roberts and Dean Griff in person, because they were each a delight to host here for their exclusive product signings.  These were the first such events I have experienced, and it was terrific to meet the creators and their collectors as well.

Friday night, we had fun “fluffing fairies” under the tutelage of Mark Roberts and his associate, Peter.  We learned to twist-twist-twist those fairy wings as well as curl their toes and caps properly.  That’s it, we have to redo all our display pieces – well, those that are left after the event!  The fairies, Santas, and elves were all gorgeous and were leaving the store at a brisk pace.

Mark, on how to display fairies on your treePeter, expert fluffer

My favorite family of the evening decided to purchase their first Mark Roberts item, one of his new elves, to start a collection of their own ~ and not only was Mark here to sign it for them, it was Number 2 in the Limited Edition, numbered collection ~ they were thrilled.  Several long-time fans and collectors came to visit with Mark, and he greeted them warmly, answered questions, and shared tips and laughs throughout the evening.Mark makes Fairies, Santas, and Elves like this Peppermint Fairy: 

    

On Saturday, Dean Griff, creator of the aptly-named Charming Tails collection, greeted many old friends in the store throughout the afternoon.  Some of his devoted followers even went through the line several times, they purchased so many new characters ~ and each piece was signed with care.

Waiting in line

   

Turns out several members of staff are collectors of both artists’ works, and they took turns in the signing lines as well.  Our representative, Iris, has hopefully inspired Dean to develop a piece featuring her namesake flower next time around.  Keeping our fingers crossed with yours, Iris!

Dean’s creations include the cutest woodland characters like this Christmas Elf figurine: 

As we head into the “dog days of summer” (thanks to Sirius, the Dog Star- which doesn’t appear in our modern skies until sometime in August), we’re already thinking about October and our next signing events, including Ne’Qwa hand-painted glass ornaments, Department 56 & Snowbabies collectibles, San Francisco Music Box, and Jacquelyn Kent dolls.  Keep checking in for further updates.

Have a super week!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Charming Tails Signing Event!

Take a look at these cute wittle faces – how can you not say “awwww!” -  and who would not want to make these mice feel right at home??  They are from the Charming Tails collection.

On Saturday, July 19th, we will be hosting Dean Griff, the artist who crafts these charming critters, in the store for an exclusive signing from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Titled ”Today Is Special Because I’m With You,” these two characters, sitting on a calendar page for “today”, are from a limited-edition collection of six figurines released this year.  You may call to order any of the six specials for the signing event and we will be happy to ship to you the following week.  The limited collection is not currently available in our on-line catalog.

You may order other pieces from the full collection for signing in advance of the event by calling Guest Services.  (There’s not a place on-line to ask that the items be held for signing, so you need a human being to handle this properly.)  There is also a collector’s club for fans of Dean’s work, The Leaf & Acorn Club, and members will receive a special gift for attending our event!

Of course, wouldn’t it be the most fun to come and meet Dean in person and pick out a special piece by which to remember this unique occasion?  I think that’s what you need to do, I really do…

 ~Janet @ The Christmas Place