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/

I'm Back!! Treats for my Readers!!!!!

Nothing says lovin my faithful readers like Gelato.... So here,

dig in!!!!! What have I been up to????? Well after the trunk show for our knitwear in August,

we got the goods and a lot of people across the country are now sporting snappy Parisian style garb and the winner of the piece of knitwear chose her complimentary piece.... A cashmere squiggle!!! Her name is Mrs Bob Talutis.

More treats for my readers......Lovin this biscotti..... So then I had to do a tablesetting presentation at the Country Club, packed up half the shop's dinnerware and glasssware and hauled it out there. The food was late so they just let me blab for a half hour.
I felt like one of those anchor people where the producer is making the motion with their hands to "stretch it out".

This is a friend of mine...... Lives and works in the same town as the gelato..

More tasty Italian treats for my readers... Can you guess where this is????

Nope not France in the good ole USA..... Back to my excuses....So the same week I was doing my gig at the Country Club I had the installation on the first phase of the beautiful house and guest house I have been working on since Feb.... Yes INTERIOR DESIGN....

More treats for you readers.....And we have been getting the shop ready for gift season..... Sooooo ..

That's why I have not been in touch for a while.......... I missed you all...

Hope you enjoyed your treats..... From Ferrera's Italian Bakery on Newberry St,

in Little Italy, NYC .

Arte Pura The New Collectioni !

We have been waiting with Great anticipation for images of the new fall introductions from Arte Pura Italian Linens.....

We knew they would be over the top fabulous...... We didn't anticipate how far over the top they actually were....... We are so excited !!!!!!!!!!!!! Puckered stretchy Slipcovers shown above available in 30 colors??????????????

Three new trims offered on their tabletop, bedding and bath items.......YOU choose...

The white table cloth shows the Cornely Roses, the one on the right the Crocheted Lace , the runners have the Tulle Lace trim.

Lovin this slipcover... Just pop it on a wooden chair it makes a great vanity chair.....

Note the layering, of the textures on the tablecloths with the runners......

The new napkin rings with embroidered roses and Swarovski crystal.

Pajamas, we ordered already for fall..... Jersey and cashmere...... Everybody seems to be wearing them OUTSIDE..... The Ruched tablecloth and the placemats are
a huge hit........

Macrame lace tablecloth, lower left and right......

Someone already bought these pillow covers........She had never had been in the shop before. She loved them and ordered them in a dusty mottled beige called Polevere Old.
Sheet and pillowsham in new Crochet Lace.

My favorite new color Gesso Old....A mottled light gray. Rich and looks great with charcoal, white, and the Lava Old....

A bedspread with a ruched "train" on the corner, and the pillow covers on the left

with the eyelet trim.

Don't even get me started on these....... 118" in length..... SOOOOOOO many choices!!!!!Colors!!!!!!! The new Cornely Rose print on the left and the lace with the mini volante on the right. Look at her nightdress........

New printed pillows offered for the first time.
The EVER popular Attolo spread we have in the shop with the textured gathers throughout, and the relaxed ruffle.....Makes a great slipcover, according to Lauren Ross, designer and slipcover expert in Austin.......

Casual if you like, you are driving the design of your own bedding YOURSELF!

The Cornely Rose spread with the relaxed volante attached.... I LOVE this!!!!!! Shown in the Gesso Old I think>>>>>
The new Gray color.....

Fabulous new pillows...... Robes calls them the "Bustier "pillows, the chemise, new too.

More new pillow intros...

The spread with the velvet top, lace bottom and pillows with one of the new trims.....

Towels with the Tulle lace left and Cornely Rose Right.

The stretch lace trim, and yes they make linen trimed bath mats.......

Reversible robes, terry bag/pillows, pajamas...... ALL AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT BEADBOARD UPCOUNTRY IN THE US, AND CANADA. For information or if you would like a catalog of pictures of the line emailed to you, email us at beadboardupcountry@sbcglobal.net