Behind the Glass: Elf Christmas Cottage

Although our winter windows have been up for a while now, the cooler temperatures this week have finally got us in the mood to show them off! If you haven't been able to guess it already, our store theme for the holiday season this year is woodland elf Christmas & we're absolutely loving it! From snow-covered moss to colorful mushrooms in every nook & cranny, this playful theme has definitely got us in the holiday spirit. And all of that culminates in our window displays which offer a glimpse into an elven Christmas cottage. Now I may be a little biased, but these are some of our best holiday windows yet! Check out some of the details below (all of the mushrooms were handmade by our amazing design team) & then be sure & stop by the store soon to get the full experience & see them for yourself!

Annette Joseph Book Signing

For those of you that made it out on Saturday, you know that we had an absolutely lovely time hosting Annette Joseph here at The Paris Market. After meeting Annette during Taste of Savannah & seeing what a joy she is to be around, we just knew we had to have her come to the store & do a book signing & she definitely did not disappoint! Not only was she stationed all afternoon signing copies of her book Picture Perfect Parties, she also brought along supplies to do a lovely holiday craft. Her DIY holiday snow globes were a huge hit & Paris Marketeers of all ages enjoyed making a little memento to take with them. We'd like to say a big thank to everyone who came out & made the event such a wonderful success, & also, to Annette for coming out & spending the day with us! For those of you that weren't able to make it, check out some of the photos we captured of the fun day below! 

Bonne fête de Saint Nicolas!

Although today may be just another Friday here in America, today marks a special day in France & many other European countries. It is the eve of Saint Nicolas Day & tonight children will place out their shoes & stockings with the hope that Saint Nicolas will visit them to deliver gifts & goodies. But where did this tradition come from? 

The origin of Saint Nicolas dates back to the third century when Nicholas of Patara (what is now modern-day Turkey) was born. After his parents died in an epidemic, Nicholas used his entire inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, & the suffering. He was soon made the Bishop of Myra & became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, & his concern for sailors and ships. After a relic of Saint Nicolas was brought back to France during the Crusades, he became the main saint for the Lorraine region in France.

Throughout the centuries, many stories & legends have been told of Saint Nicolas & his deeds. However, the most popular story in France is of three children who wandered away while playing & got lost. A wicked butcher, believing the children to be wealthy, lured them into his shop & killed them in order to rob them. Saint Nicholas discovers this horrible crime & revives the children & returns them to their families. Ever since, the evil butcher has followed St. Nicolas in penance as Père Fouettard, who doles out punishments for the naughty children.

Today in France, Saint Nicolas is primarily celebrated in the regions Alsace, Lorraine, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, & Brittany. The whole family gets ready for the saint's arrival on December 6, with grandparents telling stories of the saint. Meanwhile bakeries & home kitchens are a hive of activity as spiced gingerbread cookies & mannala, or brioche shaped like the good saint, are baked. At school, children learn songs & poems about Saint Nicolas, as well as draw pictures of him & do crafts based on him. Saint Nicolas often visits nursery schools, giving children chocolates & sometimes even a little present. Though Père Fouettard carries switches to threaten the children, what they really fear is that he may advise Saint Nicolas to pass them by on his gift-giving rounds.On the eve of the saint's day, children put their shoes near the chimney & sing a song to Saint Nicolas before going off to bed. The shoes overflow in the morning with little gifts, biscuits, & sweets, but even good children find ribbon-tied birch twigs, as everyone does something a little naughty!

Source: The St. Nicolas Center

Holiday Pick of the Week: Surprize Balls

Mini Surprize Ball Snowballs - Available Online

The first week of December is already half over, which means we're beginning to get a little anxious to start crossing names off of our holiday shopping list. Surprize Balls are one of our top picks for holiday gifts this year because they make the perfect little stocking stuffer! And what makes these delightful gifts even cooler is the awesome history behind them: 

The earliest evidence of Surprise Balls was found in Native American culture. Traditionally, it was a common practice to tell the history of one's life with a unique ball of twigs, grass, string, etc. The first layer represented birth & then for significant events in life, another layer & memento were added. Surprise Balls in Native American culture represented a person's entire life.   

Surprise Balls became vogue in America in the 1950s when a gent named Charles Gregor in New Orleans created, "The Surprise Ball: The Toy You Destroy to Enjoy." The Surprize Ball soon made its appearance in FAO Schwarz, Mayo Clinic, The Children's Hospital in Minnesota, Ben Franklin Crafts, & The Nut Tree near San Francisco. 

Eventually, the trend stopped as trends tend to do. But then in the 1980s, Judy Walker remembered Surprise Balls from her childhood. She began to collect original trinkets & surprises, like Fortune Fish & vintage toys, then wrapped them into colorful crepe paper to create the Surprize Ball, which is now loved by people of all ages & for every sort of occasion.

It was no surprise (no pun intended) that as soon as we put the Surprize Balls out, they started flying off the shelf. Thankfully, we managed to save a few exclusively for our online store! So if you're looking for a wonderfully unique gift that is sure to bring joy to the receiver, head on over to our website now! Happy holiday shopping!!

Mini Surprize Ball Snowman - Available In-Store & Online 

Mini Surprize Gift Box - Available Online

Get to Know: Annette Joseph

We are beyond excited to be welcoming Annette Joseph to The Paris Market this weekend for a book signing & holiday how-to! With over 20 years of experience, Annette is an expert on entertaining, styling, & cooking. Specializing in lifestyle editorial images for magazines, she has done a little bit of everything, from photo styling for interiors to food propping to special production projects. She regularly appears on The Today Show & Martha Stewart Sirius Radio as a lifestyle contributor. She decided to share the many ideas, tips & tricks she has gained as a nationally recognized photo stylist/producer in her most recent publication Picture Perfect Parties: Annette Joseph's Stylish Solutions for Entertaining. She will be joining us to sign copies of her book & also to share a how-to for making your own holiday place cards. After her table setting demo at Taste of Savannah using props from The Paris Market, we had the opportunity to catch up with Annette & find out a little bit more about what makes her tick. Check out the interview we did with her below (which includes a sneak peak at some of the images from her book) & then be sure to come to the store on December 6th, 2014 from 12-3PM to pick up a copy of her book & ask her any questions you may have about styling or entertaining yourself!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a prop/ food & lifestyle stylist plus a producer/editor who lives in Atlanta & in Italy part-time. I work with magazines & cookbooks, & work on TV shows like The Today Show as a lifestyle expert. Most recently I have written a cookbook from a stylist’s point of view called Picture Perfect Parties for Rizzoli, NY.

How did you get your start as a stylist?  
I started working as an assistant stylist in a studio over 20 years ago, before anyone even really knew what that was, including me. The photographer I worked for told me he thought I would make a great stylist, so he invited me to his studio to observe & I never left. After 3 years of working with him, I went out on my own as a freelance photo-stylist.

What is one of your favorite things about being a stylist? 
I love collaborating with other creatives & photographers on set. I love to shop for amazing props all over the world. I love making beautiful images.

From photo styling to interior design to working as a lifestyle contributor, you wear many hats. Is there one thing you enjoy doing more? 
I love styling the most, I am happiest when I am on set creating beauty.

Can you tell us about the inspiration for your book “Picture Perfect Parties” & a little bit about the process behind making it? 

People always ask me: "How do you come up with these ideas for photo shoots?" I decided it was time for me to share my styling tips & tricks & stylist secrets. So I wrote Picture Perfect Parties, Stylish Solutions for Entertaining. It is essentially the primer for creating the perfect party with little stress. Once you have the stylist secrets, you’re all set.

What is one of your favorite holiday recipes? 

I love Thanksgiving & I think that my turkey is really delicious, & the Thanksgiving cocktail the “Ginger Snap” is a must try recipe! I love the Thanksgiving Chapter in my book.

What inspires you?  

I am very inspired by my travels, & my summers in Italy. Style & entertaining there seem much more effortless & natural than here in the US. I tend to get especially inspired on the Italian Riviera where I live in the summer.

What are you most looking forward to about the holiday season? 

I love spending time with my family. My children are amazing & an inspiration. They are smart, funny & filled with wonderful insights. I love our family discussions. And of course I LOVE to cook, so non-stop cooking & entertaining is something I can’t live without & look forward to immensely every holiday season.

*Images courtesy of Annette Joseph from her book Picture Perfect Parties

Happy Black Friday!

It's Black Friday, which, in the retail world, means that the Christmas shopping season has officially begun! And although we chose not to participate in the ever earlier opening hours & doorbuster madness, we still have plenty of great products to add to your Black Friday shopping list!  Check out our must-haves list which is full of some of our favorite holiday finds. And then come & see us today at The Paris Market & start crossing those names off of your holiday shopping list early! Be safe out there & happy shopping!

1. Luxe Holiday Gift Soap // 2. Snowman Surprize Balls // 3. Tocca Meet the Girls Collection // 4. Paris Market Signature Long Sleeve T-Shirt // 5. Cocktails for the Holidays: Festive Drinks to Celebrate the Season // 6. Roland Pine Soy Candle // 7. Woodland Critter Ornaments

Shop in store & online!

Happy (Vintage) Thanksgiving!!

As is typical here at The Paris Market, we'll take any chance we can get to do things with a little bit of vintage flair. And especially on Thanksgiving of all days, it only feels right to give a little throw back to simpler times & what better way to do so than with these delightful vintage postcards. We have so much to be thankful for this year. From this beautiful city we get to call home to our friends (including furry friends!) & family near & far to this crazy adventure called life, we truly feel blessed. So from all of us here at The Paris Market, here's wishing you the happiest of Thanksgivings! We hope your day includes a generous heaping of rest & relaxation, followed, of course, by a warm meal shared with the people whom you love the most! Bon appétit! 

How-to-Tuesday: Holiday Wreaths

Our spoils from the floral market

An easy but fun way to spruce up your home during the holiday season is by hanging a few fresh, floral wreaths. Now, while the task of making your own wreaths may seem a little daunting at first, we hope today's post will show you that the entire process can actually be quite simple. Being wreath making novices ourselves, we started out by drawing inspiration from a lovely book we carry here at the store, The Wreath Recipe Book by Alethea Harampolis & Jill Rizzo. While we didn't follow any of their tutorials exactly, their book is certainly full of all sorts of wonderful ideas that got us off to a great start.  

Wreath #1 Ingredients: Foraged Sticks as Base, Eucalyptus Pods, Seeded Eucalyptus, Brunia, & White Lysimachia  

Wreath #2 Ingredients: Sandblasted Manzanita Branches as base, Eucalyptus Pods, Assorted Mums, & Wooly Bush

This final wreath is one that we came up with ourselves. What we love about it is that other than the antlers & the ribbon (which you can pick up here at The Paris Market), all of the other materials can be foraged right from your own backyard. And that's the great thing about making fresh wreaths in general, while we used pine, juniper, purple seed eucalyptus, pine cones, & sticks, you can use whatever you have on hand or can find outside around your house.