A Quirky Take on Christmas

If your Christmas style tips to the non-traditional side of the scale, have you discovered the Patience Brewster collection?  No surprise, I happen to love these crazy Christmas ornaments and decorations!  We’ve just received the new 2012 pieces – here are a couple of cuties.

Cupid's Heart Elf

 

French Maid Hen

To add to the fun, through the end of April we have a sweepstakes going to win this Shepherd with Lambs figurine set:

Shepherd with Lambs

 Click here to enter the contest.  The set is valued at $89.99; one entry per person per day, please, and there are some other Important Legal Notifications, but you’ll see them on the contest link page.

Okay, one more cute ornament before I go:

Dasher Elf

So cute it’s nutty!  Or did I get that backwards??

Wait – wait – wait – I just got an update – FREE SHIPPING on the 2012 items, too!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S. When you search our site, notice when there is a field on the left side that says “Release Date.”  If you’re looking for something brand new, or something a little older, you can try that filter to narrow your search.

The Inn at Christmas

I was at The Inn for a meeting this morning and took a few pics of our 2011 decorations – in purple, red, and gold this year.  Looks like we are very ready for the Big Day – and we’re full through the weekend.  If you can’t stay with us, at least you can enjoy the view!

I almost made it around the corner - just as Santa was disappearing into his house after chiming the hour.

Even a drain pipe can be beautiful at Christmas!

And I leave you with a photo of my favorite spot – the bench by the pond.  Even though we are right on the parkway, this spot manages to be serene and quiet and restful, always.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Our Paris Wreath

Let me show you one special wreath .. Prissy, one of our floral design team, created this custom wreath for a special benefit auction.  The theme of the event is “An Evening in Paris.” 

My own sister happened to be in Paris just before we had to present this wreath, so she brought back a small Eiffel Tower for Prissy to incorporate into her design.  Prissy did a fabulous job of showcasing the figurine on a red glass ornament in the center of the wreath, along with highlighting the fleur-de-lis form and using that wonderful black velvet and gold sequins harlequin-patterned ribbon.  Someone is going to have a gorgeous Christmas decoration in their home or office this year!

This is just one example of the creativity and beauty our design team displays with each arrangement they make – and they love custom work!  If you need something unique that will really be the highlight of your holidays, come by the store and let our floral team design a wreath, swag, centerpiece, or candle arrangement for you.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S. On Saturdays at 1:00 pm, they are hosting demonstrations of how to design your own mesh box arrangement – good stuff to know!

Christmas Stocking Time!

Okay, maybe it’s not quite time to hang them on the fireplace or the staircase or the cupboard – but if you want to celebrate by personalizing with an embroidered name, it’s definitely time to order your stockings for this Christmas! 

We have a whole new collection available online this year – and we think they’re pretty cute.  You can see the selection by clicking on the photo above – I’m a fan of the cable knit stockings with the pom-pom ties!  The four-on-the-floor family members are included, too – check out the styles for Cleo & Buster.  You can choose from three different fonts for names.

‘Tis the season – to shop for stocking stuffers, too!  You’ll find lots of ideas on our site – I suggest starting with our Home Decor and Gifts category.

Are you getting ready for St. Nick’s next visit?

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Pretty Stuff! (Part II)

As promised, here are the rest of my pictures .. for now!

In our nativity area, we’ve updated the large tree in front of the stained glass window with a collection of lush purple, burgundy, green and gold decorations, along with all the other colors of the rainbow.  Here are close-ups of some of the highlights.

 

In the next shot, I wanted to highlight for you another peacock feather we have – this delicate gold one is just amazing!  Also notice the perky little green bird with the extravagant tail feathers – a real charmer.  (So, his tail is mostly hidden ~ oops!)  The camera’s flash makes the peacock feather appear a little bolder than it is in natural light – it’s a very subtle, light gold shade with a pretty aqua, brown and tan eye.

 

Now, take a look at this stunning tree – decorated by our floral team.  This one literally touches the ceiling.  Again, the camera’s flash is making those green blooms jump out a lot more than they do in reality – they are tart, but not blindingly so!  Notice the giant gold butterflies positioned on the tree and above it – without the lead of a designer, would you think to put something so large on your tree?  Yet they work beautifully.

 

 

Velvet Magnolia Wreath

The petals of this magnolia are velvet, and there is also a mesh petal layer woven into the bloom.  This is a very champagne-colored wreath, and a striking way to incorporate metallic leaf sprays into an arrangement.

Also in the floral department is this tree featuring a 3′ tall golden herald angel.

 

I also love that orange-and-gold-colored glass ball just to the side of the angel.  I love how you can work orange, burgundy and red into the same scheme – just like nature does in the fall, of course!  Here’s a close up of some of the other items on this tree – including a hanging votive candle holder, which would be perfect with a battery-powered votive candle or tea light.

 Wow, that’s a lot of serious decorating!  Next time, I’ll take you through some of the more whimsical decorations we have to offer – think Peter Pan, the Wizard of Oz, and Cinderella.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

 

How to Move a 7-1/2′ Decorated Christmas Tree.

1.  It takes three people.  They don’t have to be bruisers.  They can be petite young women.

2.  Tip the tree towards Mover #1.  Mover #2 grabs the trunk in the middle.  Mover #3 grabs the base.

3.  Pick up tree.  Distribute movers for good balance.  Start moving (together) in the direction you want to go.

4.  Set tree down on base and tip into upright position.

5.  It helps to have someone following along behind, picking up the bits & bobs that fall off.  In our case, things are attached so securely to the tree that I only had to pick up four items…

Many of our visitors are going to see trees they’ve never seen before when they come this year, thanks to all the creative moving & shaking going on!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Two for Tuesday

See, I fooled you.  You thought I was going to be normal ordinary and post this on Tuesday, but no, I waited til Friday!  Just a little Christmas fun!

We have a really nice assortment of Christmas jewelry in the store, everything from whimsical and contemporary to traditional, elegant pieces.  I was planning this post on Monday, and it turns out that jewelry is one of our specials this week ~ most of our collection is 25% off now through December 17th.  Here are just a couple of samples I photographed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve also been admiring these sparkly, jingling little hanging decorations ~ they look great on the Christmas tree, but could easily hang from a wreath or a shelf, or serve as a front door decoration.  They just seem so cheerful to me.

Have a great weekend!  I’ll be back on Monday with my Friday recipe.  Santa’s just keeping us very, very busy around here!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Feathered Friends Tree 2009

It’s another flocked Christmas tree, this one decorated with all sorts of birds.  Some are quite realistic, others are more naturalistic, all are very beautiful.  The decoration on this tree was completed by our talented custom floral department.  Enjoy!

2010 Feathered Friends Bird Tree

Did you notice the deer resting in the boughs of this Christmas tree?

 

My favorite, the adorable Snowy Owl!  Just above him to the right, notice the funny little birdy wearing a knit stocking cap.  He makes me giggle.

Look at this frosty star – it looks like it was made of slivers of ice.

One of my favorite vignettes in the tree, the snow-blanketed winter cabin.

Magnolia blossoms and pheasant feathers mingle comfortably with berry clusters and leafy vines in this imaginative haven for the birds of winter.

These trees just take my breath away, time after time!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

The Doll Tree

This beautiful, flocked tree is located in our doll area, and is loaded in pinks and greens and Christmas sparkle.  Here’s my challenge – it’s a fairly tall tree to begin with, and they have seated it in an antique baby crib which adds another three feet of height, and the angel on the top reaches the second floor ~ she needs her own spotlight!  I hope you will get a feel for its beauty in this series of pictures.

As I was taking pictures, one subtlety I noticed is the use of brown in the color scheme.  It doesn’t jump out at you, but it really enhances the richness of the softer pinks and greens.  Now that I’ve mentioned it, do you notice the brown bead garlands and ornaments included on the tree?

Here’s a view from above.  That’s not a hula hoop, that’s the top rim of the crib.  What a creative way to display a tree  in your nursery or anywhere in your home – if your ceilings are high enough - you can fit plenty of presents right under the crib!

Birds and butterflies, rocking horses, tiny dolls, tea cups, hearts, and stars are just a few of the ornaments on the tree.  The most astonishing thing ~one designer decorated it in one day!  Here are a few close-up images – this is a pretty glitzy tree.

Of course, with this abundance of glittery pink ornamentation, it’s a very feminine style.  Not to worry, men, my next tree will be just for you.  Yes, JUST for you.  Trust me, ladies.  Something the men will appreciate.

~ Janet @ The Christmas Place

Cardinal Christmas Tree

Another work of breathtaking beauty from the design team!  They spent almost as much time on the ceiling around the tree as they did on the tree itself; it’s filled with branches and birds ~ including some darling miniature owls ~ and dripping with frosty fringe and icicles.

First, a picture of the blank canvas, with just a few cardinals alluding to what’s to come.

The ceiling ornamentation is already in place.

My favorite owl!

Add a few bits and bobs to that flocked tree, maybe a couple of yards of ribbon and a pair of deer, and voila! ~ you have a masterpiece!

Cardinal Theme Christmas Tree

It really takes your breath away!  Here are a few close-up pictures.  On the other side of the tree from the image above, you’ll find a delicate white birdcage, dripping with red crystals.  Notice that they have used really large silk poinsettias as additional focal points on the tree.

In addition to a wide variety of cardinal ornaments and cardinal light strands, you’ll also find doves, snowmen, Santas, and snow girls throughout the tree – everything in red and white, of course.  We like to mix in fabric and glass pieces, hand-painted ornaments, and a variety of berries and leaves.

Now that’s a frosty tree for the middle of summer!  I love those frozen pine cones, and the way the lights on the tree glow through the snow-covered needles.

I’m off roaming with my camera for the next tree to show off.  Please let us know if you have questions about any of the decorations you see here – we  add things in the store faster than we are able to get them onto the web, of course!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place