Be My Valentine Chocolate Bars

Valentine’s Day and chocolate seem to go hand in hand together. I decided to create a few sweet treats for those who are near and dear to my heart.

Cruising the clearance aisle of TJ Maxx I picked up several packages of foil wrapped Christmas chocolates. You can also find foil wrapped chocolates in your regular candy aisle~ Hershey and Ghirardelli both make the bars. However the price on the Christmas bars was fantastic and they were definitely still good. (I will remain mum on how I know this. :) I then selected some Valentine scrapbooking paper from the Target $1 spot and a few doilies I had on hand.

I carefully removed the Christmas paper wrapping from the chocolate and used it as a cutting guide on the Valentine paper. I then wrapped each bar once with the paper, added a doily and a scrap of red velvet ribbon I had leftover from Christmas. (You could skip the doily and use any other wide ribbon you had on hand.)

From there it was time to embellish with felt hearts and buttons (Martha Stewart~Michaels), crepe paper rosettes, punched paper and a wee bit of Stickles glitter glue.

Here are a few bars that feature simple paper punched shapes. One of the bars has been added to the ever growing stack of Valentine bliss that I will be giving away next Friday.

Some have asked, so I have also added a few new Valentine corsages to my Etsy shop.

For more chocolaty goodness please visit the Metis Linens Blog. I have written a French Friday’s post featuring even more delectable chocolate~ the images truly will make your heart beat faster.

Laura

The comment have been turned off here so that you may visit the Metis blog.

A Very Happy Friday

I am currently on my way to California on Metis Linens business.  But I have written a lovely new post on the Metis blog that might truly inspire you. 

 

Andrea and I will be at the Long Beach flea market this Sunday. We are hoping we might meet a certain someone who loves scarves as much as we do.

The comments are turned off here in the hopes you’ll visit the Metis blog.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Laura

Top 2010 Projects

Welcome to the Décor To Adore Top 10 Decorating Projects of the year. I have participated in Rhoda’s annual best of the best  for three years now and it is such a fun trip down the diy memory lane. As always I started out thinking “I don’t think I accomplished all that much”.  As I traveled back to the January posts and finished with December I soon remembered all of the projects found on the DTA blog in the past year. Here are just a few…

A side of the road find coupled with spray paint and upholstery webbing resulted in this February classic.

10. Luggage holder

9. Anthro Inspired Dish Towels

After creating a great guest bedroom for under $500 I set out to revamp the closet into a DIY’ers dream for just $15.00 back in June.

8. Craft Closet

Back in March, after five years, I finally got rid of the dated oak finish on my bathroom cabinets.

7. Bathroom Cabinets

One of my spur of the moment, dollar store transformations was a tiny project that garnered the grand attention of the Martha Stewart craft department and Jenny Doh of Crescendoh and Somerset fame back in March. 

6. Paper Doily Garland

The doilies were used as part of the décor for yet another one of our fabulously fun themed parties held in April~

5. The Almost Famous 70’s Soiree

Taking an inexpensive painters drop cloth and a bit of paint I created something to jazz up our flea market booth. It received a “like” from Brooke at Velvet and Linen back in October.

4. Painted Floor cloth

My office wingchairs slipcovered in antique ticking and grain sacks took me only eight months to finish, but they were well worth the wait. They made their debut on Sept. 3rd.

3. Wingchairs Slipcovered in Ticking

The runner up was my most popular furniture makeover of the year from May 24th.

2. Craigslist disaster turned French Beauty

In past years it has been very hard to select which project should receive the title of #1. This year, however, I knew EXACTLY which post would receive the coveted slot. This post continues to be read and provide inspiration to others on a daily basis. Which is what I had hoped when I originally wrote it back on May 15th. Drumroll please….

1. The Ultimate DIY. (A project that took 23 years to finish.)

In looking back over the past year it is interesting to see the twists and turns that life had to offer. So often when in the midst of this journey I think “Why is this happening?” Over the years I have learned that time always reveals His plan. Soon after writing the DIY post I met Andrea who had read about it on Cote de Texas (Thank you Joni!).  We found that we were kindred spirits who adored simple, fine French living which led to our partnership in the opening of Metis Linens.  We are gearing up for our next showing at the Long Beach flea market on January 16th. Our inspiration for the spring collection is a collection of confectionary colors. Lucky for us, Pantone just named our signature spring shade as its color of the year.

I am excited at all 2011 will offer. Here on the DTA blog I will begin two new features~ Makeover Mondays and Royal Wedding Wednesdays.  Over on the Metis blog we will begin Fabulous French Fridays.

May you have a very Happy New Year!

Laura

Linking to:

The DIY Showoff

He knows the toys, for good girls and boys…

How are your preparations for the holidays coming? I still haven’t gotten my tree up or even one Christmas card signed, but I haven’t been monkeying around either. 

I am working feverishly to get ready for an upcoming Phoenix Holiday market. But don’t worry, I  am also taking take time out for joy.

I wish I still had five more days to prepare.

The First Friday Holiday Market will be held at The Willows. Have you ever been to this beautiful shop?

 Here are the details:

Outdoor First Friday Flea Market
Friday, December 3
10am - 2pm

December will be a special flea market as we will have specialty gift items for all your holiday shopping needs!  Come shop holiday items, jewelry, bags, linens, custom frames and more! 

Also, all holiday items in the store will be 20% off Friday only!

602-334-1354 | 3743 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85018

So, I will be taking a few days off to finish preparing for this beautiful market, as well as begin studying for finals. I will return with several fabulous holiday tutorials.

If you are local, please stop by. I will be selling several lovely French baskets with a sprinkling of vintage and antique treasures. Every blogger that stops by my table will get a free gift.

Have a blessed week,

Laura

All images are from The Willows Blog.

Black Friday Favorites!

We are having a huge blowout sale at our online Metis Blogtique. Everything will receive a 15% discount and features FREE SHIPPING for the next week. Would you like to see some of my favorite things?

Vintage Rosaries

Our vintage rosaries look lovely.

Antique Ticking Pillows~ A delightully large square pillow and a small ruffled pillow.

Various Lavender Sachets

Oh if only you could smell these delightful sachets which are perfect stocking stuffers!

The Ombre Petticoat Tote

Our ombre tote is just gorgeous. It is also available in dove gray.

Zinc Stars

Our stars are perfect for the tree or presents.

Beautiful Madonna Gift Cards

These gorgeous cards make any gift seem more special.

Grelots Note Cards

These fun bells, called "grelots" in French, grace our gift cards.

Metis Candle Kit

The candle kits are simple to do, inexpensive and the ribbons come in a variety of colors.

Antique Drum

The little drummer boy would love this!

Beautiful Antique Linen Chemise

This gorgeous chemise is $30. Minus the 15% it is a steal and can be worn a variety of ways.

Alas, the model Metis elf is not included as she will be busy stocking the online shelves of the Metis Blogtique with fresh finds everyday. So check back often and happy shopping!
Laura

An Unexpected Thanksgiving Table

Ok, I’ll admit it. I am not fond of orange or rust. I like those tones on trees, but not for dining room design. I decided to create a tablescape using colors I adore but would still result in a fabulously fall Thanksgiving table.

Drawing inspiration from an antique Victorian postcard, I began with an antique dove gray Métis sheet topped by a vintage charcoal damask tablecloth.

Colors that pair well with gray are various shades of cranberry~ a perfect alternative. 

Here is a tiny representation of the postcard that provided my color palette. The image makes for a nice place card.

 

I decided to create an alternative twist on the traditional cornucopia. I began with a highly polished silver tray which gleamed beautifully against the charcoal damask cloth. The fall colored flowers were nestled in… what else…a gravy boat. A shower of grapes, fresh cranberries, and nuts spilling from heirloom baby cups completed the centerpiece.

Taking the wrapped candle concept one step further I hand dyed small pieces of antique Métis sheeting in similar gray shades.

In the evening, the candlelight flickers beautifully behind the lovely cloth.

No two medals are alike. A few of the votives were dressed in shades of gray and white.

I wanted the buffet to also feel abundant. Piles of rolls, pumpkin bread and pie look good enough to eat.

Here is a close up of the buffet centerpiece. You can see a larger image of the place card postcard (say that fast 5 times) and another postcard that features cranberry tones. Taller candles add height.

The candles were wrapped similarly to the votives but feature a larger medallion, pearls and crystals. They are nestled in silver nut dishes which feature an inscription to my MIL from a Panamanian women's group dated 1971.

Here is a close up of the velvet and silk ribbons and pretty gems.

How are you decorating your table?

For a complete candle “how to tutorial” please visit the Métis Linens blog.

Laura

The damask tablecloth, charcoal linen napkins, and candle kits are available for sale in the Metis Linen Blogtique.

November is for Nesting

I have returned home from yet another successful Rose Bowl Flea Market. Our booth this month had a very feminine nesting theme.

 

I am now off to unpack and put away portions of this~

and this.

It was amazing that there was any room left over for this driver~ :)

For additional photos, please visit the Métis Linens blog.

I’ll be back later in the week with a beautiful, vintage inspired, Thanksgiving table.

Laura

As always, I am ever so grateful for the kind comments and support from all of the dear readers. I  hope you have entered the “Thankful for you” giveaway one post below.