New Year Countdown

It was a big year for us!
The Paris Market's Memorable Moments of 2011
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London turned 2, and It was a zoo!

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Fashion Night Out was a big hit! 
Re-live the night here and check out the fabulous windows here

 

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Jessie's Wedding Day! We have yet to do a post on her special day, but it was breathtaking. Jessie will also be reporting back about her honeymoon in Paris!

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The Writer in the Window perched for awhile and wrote on-demand.

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The Lettie Briggs Letterpress came to town!
Monica Lynch created beautiful and unique letterpress work.
 

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We launched our new website!

www.theparismarket.com

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Our Signature Candles also made their debut this year!

Read about the inspired scents here.

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Our trip to New York for The National Stationary Show was a blast. 
Read more in Paper, Pastis, Proseco & James Franco

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And of course we had a lot of fun with our displays and windows.

A. Bras on Broughton, B. Autumn Window, C. Christmas Window, D. Shelby's moth
  

A big thank you to all our Paris Market Friends and Fans for making 2011 so fantastic!

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Here's to another fabulous year in 2012
Cheers!

Chinese New Year

Nine Dragon Screen, Datong, Shanxi, China.

 

I know that Chinese New Year isn't until January 23rd. But what can I say, I am in the New Year Spirit and we have a great little display downstairs in tribute to how the Chinese celebrate the New Year! I also like this idea of decorating for the New Year with lanterns. Seems very apropos. And p.s., come January 23rd, its the year of the Dragon!

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China it is also know as “Spring Festival,” marking the difference between the Western and traditional Chinese methods for measuring the seasons. Throughout the different regions of China, celebrations and customs for the New Year vary. One of these traditions include families thoroughly cleaning their houses to signify sweeping away ill fortunes in hopes of receiving the luck of the New Year. Entryways are decorated with red and yellow paper lanterns and cutouts with popular themes of “wealth”, “longevity”, and “happiness."

On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone. 

恭喜发财 - gong xi fa cai (pronounced go-ong see fa chi-ai)
"Wishing you prosperity"

万事如意 - wan shi ru yi (pronounced oo-an shee roo ee)
"May everything you do goes as you wished"

心想事成 - xin xiang shi cheng (pronounced sin see-ang shee che-eng)
"May all your wishes come true"

  

2012 Cometh

I have to admit, Christmas was great but I'm happy to put the Christmas music away and focus on future endeavors. I'm a big fan of the future, mostly because I haven't screwed it up yet. Its floating slightly ahead of me, just out of reach -the way coyotes stay just far enough away from the fire so you can't see them. You can just hear them yipping and yowling and their paws scampering over the dusty dirt. And now I'm hearing 2012 a-yowling! Its less than a week away! This year was a big one for me.  I was lucky enough to work on projects I wanted to work on, find a job (not always easy), battle my food allergies, make some great friends and be introduced to new ideas. Of course there's also stuff I'd rather forget, and turning the 2011 page, no matter how proverbial it is, helps me let go of all the ick. A fresh calender, a fresh stack of paper, a fresh year. 2011, You've made me happy, you've made me weary. Time to say goodbye.

We have a New Year's Resolution Tree in the store. Please come downstairs and share some resolutions / wishes with us. We love to read them and it helps us get inspired for the New Year too!

Some of our favorites have been:

~ to begin living (at 53) ~ Ray

~ Success is found in the least expected and treaded on my many, go there, succeed! ~ Keszie M.

~ LOVE fully, DREAM extravagantly, GIVE graciously, BELIEVE deeply, THINK creatively ~ LR

Let us know in the comments section!

Christmas at the Aerodrome!

One of my favorite holiday recollections of all time is A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd. I too, had a father who cursed mightily at the oil burner, snowsuits we couldn't move in, and a brother who'd sometimes return home bloody from neighborhood fights.

I thought I would find some good holiday stories floating around among us at The Paris Market, although sadly some people are out this week and I couldn't pick everyone's brain. However, Isa was in today and had the most charming Christmas story ever!

 Isabelle Brassard: Now we know where she caught the adventure bug!

Christmas at the Aerodrome - as told to me by Isabelle Brassard

"I grew up in a small village in France called Vinon sur Verdon, it was only about 3,000 people. And my grandfather Alban, was president of the local aerodrome - a small airport for private planes and many people would fly in from England and Germany and the surrounding areas. But every Christmas, Santa would arrive by plane and land in the airfield! All of us kids would race out on our bikes to meet him - a group of us all pedaling as fast as we could, tearing down to the landing strip! We felt like we were in E.T. Like we were flying! It was so much fun. Then Santa -dressed in his red suit with his big bag of toys - would hand out little tea sets to the girls, and trains and things to the boys. Oh it was so much fun!"

Santa's view: Coming in for a Landing at Vinon de Verdon (image: panoramio)

LOVE IT! 

Thanks for a great story Isabelle!

 

Bon Voyage Vanessa!

 Vanessa on her last day!

Our lovable barista Vanessa is leaving us for adventures in Portland! So Sad! We featured Vanessa and her Favorite Things here. Plus, she's the only person I know with a raccoon tattoo on her arm. I love raccoons! We are all going to miss little Ms. Cheerful. Have a great time in Portland and stay in touch!

Holiday Haberdashery

100% cotton neckties and bow ties now for sale at The Paris Market!

Megan Cash handmakes these fabulous and unique items.

Learning of her handmade haberdashery skills, I asked if she could make some special pet bow ties for my two furballs at home, Philbert and Sunny Bear. They go to a lot of parties this time of year and they are always complaining that they have nothing to wear. So, I dug through my fabric stash and found these:

And voila, Megan worked her magic!

This bowtie is so amazing! How did you know it was just what I wanted for Christmas?

This bowtie is just purrfect. I love the color. I feel so fantastic!

 

Thank you Ms. Megan Cash!

A Crafter's Guide: Peppermint Package

This weeks Crafter's Guide is in the spirit of gift giving.
It can be a challenge bringing that personalized Christmas cheer to faraway friends and family. Instead of wrapping up your gifts to-go the old fashioned way this holiday season, try this peppermint inspired package idea to warm the hearts of your loved ones and show off your Christmas spirit.

Supplies Needed

Colored Felt

Scissors

Gift Tags

Glue Gun

Ribbon

Candy Filler

Gift Boxes

Step One

Cut your colored felt into 1.5 inch strips. Proceed to then cut half inch slits down each strip of felt. Make sure to leave at least a quarter of an inch at base of each strip.

Step Two
Roll each strip of felt on uncut end to create a pompom. Dab a spot of hot glue at the end of strip to secure and prevent unraveling.
Note: Try alternating colors and layering to strips together to create a multicolored pompom.

Step Three
Using your glue gun, attach your tag and ribbon to the gift box.

Step Four
Coat the back of your pompom with glue and attach to your box. Use as many or as little as you want follow your creative instincts. Try off-setting your ribbon and decor or use different sized pompoms and create a covered package.

Step Five

Fill your mailing box with your festive gifts and use your candy filler to create an unforgettable backdrop and spread seasonal cheer.

I cannot wait until my faraway friends and family open their Christmas packages this year!

A few more tips to help your gifts reach their destination safely.

• Don't reuse old shipping cartons. Package gifts in a new box that will stand up to the rigors of holiday shipping volumes. Old cartons may collapse and may display previous address and return address information that could misdirect the package.
• Place labels directly on the shipping carton. Don't wrap shipping cartons -- old or new -- in brown paper. If the paper is torn from the box during shipping, the shipping label will be lost too -- and the package may become undeliverable. 
• Place delivery information inside the package, as well as on the delivery label. If the delivery label is lost, the carrier will still be able to complete delivery. 
• Duct tape is for ducts, not for shipping packages. Duct tape loses its grip in cold weather, and masking tape, painter's, and electrical tape are not strong enough to stand up to the shipping process. 
• No strings attached! Don't tie packages up with string. String can get caught in sorting machines, resulting in mangled packages and damaged contents.

Happy Holidays and as always Happy Crafting!

xo, Jessica

Last minute gifts for the hard to please

For the Car Buff:

For the Young Archeologist:

For the Really Special:

For the Upwardly Mobile:

For Crafty Children of Designers:

For the niece or nephew you haven't seen in a few years:

For those who like a Polished Look:

For Vintage Lovers who have everything...except this:

For the Warm-hearted but Cold-blooded:

If they loved My Week with Marilyn:

For those with Something to Say:

For the New Arrival:

For the Cat Lady:

For The Paris Market Lovers:

For those who love to set a lovely table:
 

If you really have no idea: Get an ornament!

Good Luck Merry Shoppers!!