Christmas Our Way

Here in Brenham around the Holidays after decorating the shop, making sure all our customers things get shipped,

opening our doors back up after closing if someone needs something, working 4 weeks straight, wrapping everyone elses gifts, and listening to 30 days of xmas music, we need a little Frenchness.....Especially since in the middle of it all I took a spill on a wet slate floor andmy head had a nasty meeting with the corner of a slate step, so after a trip to the ER, a few stitches, a mild concussion, and now sporting a colossal shiner all week( which no amount of concealer could cover up) we decided to treat ourselves to some real French Bistro food....

Image by talented Rodney Smith, all the rest from Google.

Because we have a shop,
We don't buy gifts for each other but rather decide if we want a cookbook or something, a coffee grinder and order it sent because we can't get away....... So instead of getting gifts under the tree our treat is an assortment of fabulously cooked French dishes we cook ourselves starting on xmas eve and through xmas day. We plan a menu and try to include special things....

At the same time we bring out the series starring John Thaw and Lindsay Duncan called A Year in Provence....Made from the book by Peter Mayle. We call it our "Year In Provence Marathon", 6 Hours of mind clearing Frenchness that is hysterically funny, endearing, gastronomically intriguing, and will tug at your heart.


Peter starts making the Lemon tart we will have for dessert and put in the fridge to chill. This year our little Meyer Lemon tree gave us a xmas present and we're using those.



A nice little Lobster salad will hold us while we make the French...

Onion Tart, carmelized onions....Yum.
This one will have Proscuitto and walnuts.

While cooking we reward ourselves with a little caviar

with the accoutrements and champagne.
I have to take it easy on the champagne because of the bump on my head so I will be sneaking extra bites of Robes Caviar.(HehHeh I have to have some fun too!)

Another appetizer a fresh foie gras over mescalun with figs or fig preserves in a balsamic viniagrette.....We like over toasted raisin bread.

Main Course? Magret or duck breast with a red wine reduction and fresh blanched vegetables.

Then of course the lemon tart.

Wishing all our blog friends a great Christmas and Happiest of New Years.

Thank you for enhancing our lives it has been amazing. And Thanks for supporting our little shop that does big things..... We promise to always do our best to bring a smile to yor face when you walk in our door, and will continue to search out the latest and greatest for you, our friends and customers.

Joyeux Noel, Maryanne & Robes

Arte Pura! An Evento!

We have been waiting with great anticipation for our shipment to arrive from Italy. We had ordered this sight unseen from pictures but knew it was WOW! before we even got it.

This Arte Pura's first Slipcover EVENTO. Shown in the Polevere Old a mottled beige with a hint of shell pink.

Robes likened it to a wedding dress for a chair. It is puckered, stretches, and has batting inside. Ties are attached to the inside to tie to legs of the chair...... It is weighty,soft and fabulous!!

It is shown on this chair........What a transformation!

OH and this is the new Pillowcase/Sham Baciami in linen with the Tulle Lace. Same Color. Look at the beading detail on the edge........ Details, Details...

This also is a stunner, "Semeraldo". The new linen pillow sham surrounded by organza embroidered with roses......It looks like gossamer. It gets better there is a bedspread done in the same manner with a linen volante surrounded in organza just like the pillow.

I WONDER IF KATE MIDDLETON HAS CONSIDERED ARTE PURA TO MAKE HER DRESS?!

More of the tulle lace in my favorite new color Gesso Old.

Gorgeous. Of the two emails I sent out to two well known designers both went round the bend.

This is actually a bed already purchased in the big bag is the puckered spread, the two chocolate linen 31" shams, two of the tule lace sham and a 16 " sham with a 6 " volante....We can't wait to show it to our client.......!

Christmas Beadboard Style

Here she is our "Pixie Fairie" the good luck charm for the shop. Robes named her "Marais".

So now she is ours..........Happily adorning the window perched on the gorgeous Arte Italica Lucia candlelabra......She's happy...

She's in good company with the "Merletto Antique" lace adorned dinnerware from Arte Italica and the Veronica Flatware with the beads......Stemware is new Vittoria offered in Silver or Gold.

Christmas without Arte Pura????? NO Way! The little Portaoggetti Piccolo with Swarovski Crystal.


Candles from Pointe a la Ligne, France, in Eiffel Tower shapes and tapers in silver and pearl.

Bella Bianca dinnerware from Arte with the Giglio Flatware and a little white glass amaryllis vase.

Merletto Antique Pitcher, kind of reminds me of Astier.......

Mercury Glass finials with a ruffled Vapor bowl by Maureen Whelton a Vancouver designer.

Very Laliquish?

My whimsical table setting with the paint can votive holders and the paintbrush candles.... Dinnerware is Juliska Octavia with their new adorable "Boxwood and Bows" cocktail and salad plates... I love these for the xmas season and all year round.........Flatware is stainless by Ercuis France, in their Bali Pattern. Ercuis is not that well known in this country but they are silversmiths going back to the 1800's. Word has it their stainless will be on the new Cunard Ship the Normandie.

And of course there is no better party or hostess gift than a Bloem Box. Whatever bulb flower is depicted on top of the beautiful hatbox is the bulb, white pot and soil inside.... They grow beautifully we have carried for three years and have several happy customers that have emailed us pictures of theirs in full bloom.

This is the Stargazer Amaryllis red and white.

And the best good luck charm of all our Beadboard Gazing sheep with his Christmas red ribbon "bow tie". He's graced many a buffet table is this area..... A great addition to a country house......OR any house.

A Cristmas Collaboration

When I was asked by Tish Jett of the fabulous blog A Femme d'un Certain Age to contribute ideas to her xmas decorating series presented this week, I couldn't have been more delighted... She wanted some ideas she could share with her many readers that were unique, fun, doable at home. And I was in good company with Jeanne Aeila Desparment Hart of "Through the French Eye of Design", Francine Gardner of "Interieurs" and Patricia Trapp of "Little Augry"also featured this week. So if you want to check out my contribution go to Letitia Jett's blog http://www.afemmeduncertainage.blogspot.com/ a Beadboard xmas will follow tomorrow here at Beadboard UpCountry.

THE RANCH by RACHEL ASHWELL?

Shabby Chic at Cedar Creek???????

Yes it is true ! Rachel Ashwell is coming to Round Top. Literally! This is the entrance to the well known Western Chic Style Outpost on Cedar Creek which she purchased from it's talented owner Lenore Prudhomme. Rachel would stay there on some of her forays to buy furnishings etc for her shops. Lenore is currently having an estate sale and things from the Outpost are going fast. I guess it's going to be tougher so score things at the antiques fair before Rachel gets there now. I used to take great pleasure when I bought some French items for the shop and was informed Rachel had gotten there later..... No More! I hope Rachel enjoys her new venture as we in the area are all tickled to death to have a designer of her caliber among us. Joni at Cote de Texas has the head's up from me and is getting the whole scoop read it at http://www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com/