Valentine's Day - February 14
We celebrate love on Valentine's Day. Of course, romantic love is mostly celebrated, but I think love, in general, deserves a day! I have written about the history of St. Valentine's Day in the Ideas section, where I provide a few gift suggestions for the one you love.
Through the ages, philosophers and poets have elegantly written about "love". A few of my favorites:
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Lao Tzu
Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward in the same direction.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
If you have love in your life it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you don't have it, no matter what else there is, it's not enough.
Ann Landers
I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
Helen Keller
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Super Bowl Fever!
Although online Tournesol is a "national" store, our brick and mortar shop is located in wonderful Shadyside area of Pittsburgh...which means we are Steelers fans! Regardless of whether you actually enjoy watching the football game (which I do), the Super Bowl is the perfect opportunity for a party. Choosing a team to cheer on makes the party even more fun!
Many Super Bowl parties end up with women in one room and men in another room. One way to bring everyone together at least four times during the game is to have an activity. The following is great, because it doesn't take a lot of time and everyone enjoys it!
* Take a large square of poster board and draw a 10 square x 10 square grid on numbering each square from 0-100.
* Put the name of one team at the top and the other team on the side.
* Your guests will purchase squares for a nominal amount. Typically, $1 per square will do.
* At the end of each quarter, take the last number of each team's score and find the corresponding square. For example, if the Steelers are ahead 17 - 3, you would go to square 7 and then go down 3 squares.
* The person who bought that square would win the "pot" for that quarter.
Although it would be nice to say that I hope that whichever team you are cheering on wins, I honestly cannot...but I do hope you all have a great time! Enjoy the game! Go Steelers!!!
Many Super Bowl parties end up with women in one room and men in another room. One way to bring everyone together at least four times during the game is to have an activity. The following is great, because it doesn't take a lot of time and everyone enjoys it!
* Take a large square of poster board and draw a 10 square x 10 square grid on numbering each square from 0-100.
* Put the name of one team at the top and the other team on the side.
* Your guests will purchase squares for a nominal amount. Typically, $1 per square will do.
* At the end of each quarter, take the last number of each team's score and find the corresponding square. For example, if the Steelers are ahead 17 - 3, you would go to square 7 and then go down 3 squares.
* The person who bought that square would win the "pot" for that quarter.
Although it would be nice to say that I hope that whichever team you are cheering on wins, I honestly cannot...but I do hope you all have a great time! Enjoy the game! Go Steelers!!!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
New York International Gift Show
Each January and July, retail shop owners, interior designers and buyers for large department stores around the world flock to New York City to attend the New York International Gift Fair searching for the newest offerings by the world's finest artisans, manufacturers and designers. I love going to New York anytime, but particularly to see this exciting show!
I always look forward to attending the Gift Fair becuase it gives me the opportunity to speak with the designers directly and see and feel their entire collection. We discuss current trends, potential custom options and suggestions for combinations within their lines.
Garnier Thiebaut - one of Tournesol's favorite designers - will be featuring a new line called Green Sweet. Green Sweet is a revolutionary line of 100% cotton tablecloths and placemats that function like coated products. They look great, they feel great, and best of all, liquid spills are easily wiped up with a damp sponge.
I am confident that, as always, the New York International Gift Fair will not disappoint. I promise to return next week with lots of fabulous new finds and exciting new colors just in time for spring and summer.
I always look forward to attending the Gift Fair becuase it gives me the opportunity to speak with the designers directly and see and feel their entire collection. We discuss current trends, potential custom options and suggestions for combinations within their lines.
Garnier Thiebaut - one of Tournesol's favorite designers - will be featuring a new line called Green Sweet. Green Sweet is a revolutionary line of 100% cotton tablecloths and placemats that function like coated products. They look great, they feel great, and best of all, liquid spills are easily wiped up with a damp sponge.
I am confident that, as always, the New York International Gift Fair will not disappoint. I promise to return next week with lots of fabulous new finds and exciting new colors just in time for spring and summer.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Getting Ready fot the Holidays
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J. Fleet Designs is known for incredible colors on lacquerware. Using ancient, traditional techniques, Vietnamese artisans create serving pieces that are simply stunning! Perfect as a new addition to your serving collection or as an exquisite gift.
Our Happy Holidays! section is now open. As the season progresses, we will be adding to this section with inspiration for dressing your table, finding that perfect gift and entertaining your friends and family at this festive time of the year!
Luxurious Shoe Trees
Luxurious Shoe Trees
My husband has a wardrobe of beautiful cedar shoe trees to keep his shoes in perfect shape. Of course, I probably own 10 times the number of shoes that my husband does...yet I had never even heard of a shoe tree for women's shoes...until now! And as you might expect of a product designed by and for women, they are fun, flirty and functional.
Using vintage shoe trees and embellishing each with lovely lace and ribbons, two sisters from New York have created an American original, Madame Pump Adores. This newly introduced product has redefined the shoe tree into chic fashion accessories. Shoe trees are functional, they extend the life of your shoes and help maintain their shape, design and appearance. Madame Pump Adores are even more! They are little luxuries that we can enjoy every day....and they make a wonderful gift for the woman who loves her shoes!Fabulous, functional, frivolities, packaged in an elegant gift bag.
Read about Janet Simonian, one of the two sisters, in our Style section.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
It's Time for Soups and Stews!
It's Time for Soups and Stews!
I love autumn. I love the changing season, the changing leaves and the expectation of the coming holidays. And when the weather becomes cooler and the days are shorter, there is something about a pot of soup simmering on the stove that immediately makes me feel warm, cozy and happy to be indoors near the fireplace.Soups and stews are the oldest meals, vegetables, herbs and meat put into a pot with water and set to simmer over a fire. Lots of nutrition, easy to make and you can create your own recipe! Although I have several cookbooks devoted exclusively to soups and stews, I most often create my own depending on my mood and what is my refrigerator. I always use my red Le Creuset pot, add olive oil, garlic, onion, celery and carrots. Sometimes I add chicken with parsnips and turnips. Sometimes I add beef and potatoes. Sometimes I add zucchini, spinach or cabbage...but most often, I add tomatoes. Recently, I have been adding red or white beans to soup, using my hand blender to make a creamy soup....without the cream.
Soups and stews are wonderful for dinner parties, either as a first course or as a main course, with warm crusty bread. The most elegant way to present soup to your guests is in a soup tureen. Soup tureens have been used for centuries. When soup was the primary European meal, artisans created soup tureens as an elegant way to serve soup...regardless of whether it was a clear broth or a hearty stew. Soup tureens were available in earthenware, pewter or silver. It became the centerpiece of the table. The soup tureen is the largest piece in a dinner service and has often been displayed in the home as a symbol of wealth. In the late 1600's multiple soup tureens were used to serve the extravagant dinners held by the French king Louis XIV. You may not host dinners in the grand style of King Louis, but you can still enjoy the elegance of serving your guests from an exquisite soup tureen. And when not in use, a soup tureen is a beautiful piece to display. It symbolizes sharing a meal and gracious hospitality. Tournesol offers a few exquisite soup tureens.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Welcome a New Season!
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We are excited to offer two new lines of candles. 
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