What's to Come

I am very excited because today I am announcing a whole new branch to Christoffers! Ariana + Amelia, Kurt and Fiona's daughters, are now buyers for the gift store as well, bringing in a whole new line of jewelry, bags, paper goods and more for a younger generation. You should be expecting to see their new products in the store sometime early April!

Valentines at Christoffers

It's crazy right now at Christoffers! The shop is full of flowers waiting to be arranged, make sure you get in there today or tomorrow to get flowers for your special someone!

   

Food: Valentine's Day Treats!

Here are an assortment of sweet treats from my absolute favorite food blog, Everyday Occasions. I have made a lot of the recipes from it and they all turned out splendidly! I don't have anything in particular that I make when it comes to Valentine's Day, what about you guys? Anything special that you're planning?
Click on each photo to take you to the recipe!

What's in Now: Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day coming up this Tuesday, Christoffers has you covered with all things Valentine's! You can go for the traditional red rose or something more funky like the mini callas or mini cymbidium orchids!  As for giftware check out some photos that Fiona took earlier today in the shop!

Valentines Day Garlands

One of my favorite holidays to decorate the house for is Valentine's Day, one of the things always around the house during this time is garland, here are some ideas to help you get in the spirit!

Found on Real Simple

What you need:

Assorted Paper

Needle and Thread

2” Scalloped Shaped Hole Punch

1. Fold 3” to 6” paper squares in half and cut a half heart from the fold.
2. Thread needle and string hearts together through the top center of the folded paper hearts.
3. Using scalloped hole punch, make shapes from paper. Thread needle and string through the opposite sides of each scalloped paper.
4. Add as many hearts and scallops as it takes to raech your desired length.

If you don't feel like making your own you can buy this burlap pennant garland on Etsy!

This is a great way to use all those scraps of fabric you weren't sure how to use! Click here to see the full directions!

Christmas Garland

Every Christmas I always help my grandmother decorate her house, I have to say I was quite proud of the end result this year. I was lucky enough to get all the silk garland from Christoffers, along with the silk red berries. The large ornament hanging from the wreath is a few years old but also from Christoffers. It's always great to have real garland, but I will be the first to admit it's nice not having it shed everywhere, along with the fact that you only have to purchase the garland once, and it lasts you many years to come! And if you find yourself missing the pine smell that comes along with the real thing just buy some of the pine scented candles from Christoffers!

Union Square Holiday Market

Not sure what to get that special someone this holiday season? Take a day to go to the Union Square Holiday Market in NYC! There are tons of booths bursting with handmade, vintage and new gifts for the season. This is a great place to buy some one of a kind artwork off the artists in NY. Get there before their last day on December 24th, it's sure to get crazy! Download the printable guide to help you navigate the market here!

Market Dates and Hours Of Operation:

As we close in on the final days before X-mas, we’re extending the market hours:

• Friday December 16th: 11:00am – 9:00pm
• Saturday December 17th: 10:00am – 9:00pm
• Sunday December 18th: 10:00am – 8:00pm

• December 19th – December 23rd
• Monday – Friday: 10:00am – 8:00pm

• Saturday December 24th: 10:00am – 4:30pm close

Situated above the Union Square / 14th Street subway station, 4/5/6, N/R/Q, and L lines.

DIY: Advent Calendar

Here's a really cute idea that I found on Country Living today. Every year I look forward to the advent calendar, this year instead of buying one, try making your own! This is a great way to personalize the experience for your family and keep things exciting!

Use ordinary grocery-store matchboxes to count down the days till Christmas. 

Just hot-glue the tops of empty boxes to one another to form rows 

(start with nine boxes for the base, and decrease by two until you have a single box). 

Cut wrapping paper to cover each section; secure with hot glue. 

Next, hot-glue the rows in a pyramid shape as shown. 

Use number stamps (available at craft stores) to mark the boxes 1 through 25, then fill with candy and trinkets.

Christmas Movie Clip

Every year, without fail I watch Love Actually, it always gets me into the holiday spirit! Director Richard Curtis always knows what to do when it comes to the soundtracks of his films, the film is filled with the classic Christmas songs to the beautiful sounds created by Explosions in the Sky. In this film there are about ten different story lines going on all about love and family and Christmas. It all leads up to the school's musical performance of All I Want for Christmas is You. It's probably my favorite scene in the whole film, hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Perfect Pines

What with it being Christmas time, I have come upon many lovely pine trees, and pictures of them online. Green is one of my favorite colors and it always makes me happy to see photos like the ones below, thought I'd share some with you! Happy hunting to all of you who haven't found your perfect tree yet! If you're not sure where to go this season try going to Dryer's Farm!