The Weekly Holiday Wreath Wrap -- Hope You Enjoy the View!

Starting with a shot of a few of the beautiful garlands by my fave wreath artists at the Old Town Alexandria Farmers Market over the weekend.  Each is a mix of evergreen including boxwood and pine, as well as juniper with its magical looking tiny blue-gray berries and red berries, also (I have to ask Anne what everything is on Saturday) -- gorgeous!

I am already planning how I want to decorate and when for November-December 2012! Before late this year, I had no idea how incredible and way affordable Anne's work is.  And next year she's going to open and Etsy shop -- Yay!  Will definitely let you know when that happens.

Left:  Burgundy sprayed pinecones on boxwood with cool natural fiber rope detail.  Right:  Wow! (I think those are lotus pods sprayed red -- but I'll have to ask Anne on Saturday).

Closeup: so beautiful!

Closeup of pinecone and boxwood wreath.

Crisp and sunny December morning at the Old Town farmers market.

I'm really in love with this one -- silvery pine cones and clusters of deep violet juniper berries, all nestled in deep, textured greens. *sigh*

Delta wreath (No, I was never in a sorority, undergrad was like three percent Greek, if that, but my bff was a Tri-Delt).  I thought square wreaths were big rule breakers ... clearly, I am behind the times.

Detail of square wreath.

 

New candle wreath.

Evergreen and holly greens and berries.

 All by the talented European Floriculturalists of natural-designs.net.

I didn't buy anything this week, but am plotting my holiday gift haul for this Saturday.

The market starts earlier than I wake up.  But I'm going to try to make it earlier than usual to see everything Anne brings with her!  

If I had the discipline of these amazing farmers and artisans, I'd still be running every morning at 6 a.m.  Ah-hah!  I feel a resolution coming on that will certainly be discarded by Valentine's Day.

Happy Hump Day!  Halfway there!

Yours, in evergreen with blue juniper berries,

JPV

 P.S. Hey, Blogger spell check, quit telling me "pinecone" is incorrect.  It is not.  It may be used as one or two words.  I understand how you would get confused and think "bff" is an incorrect spelling, but get off my back about "pinecone."

The Weekly Wreath Wrap -- Now Through December. Too Many Beautiful Ones From My Local Virginia Farmers' Market. One Post a Week, It Just Has to be Done.

If you're new here, you need to know that I love wreaths (and welcome!). And I go to my two awesome local farmers' markets on Saturdays.  Where, year round, is an amazing team of European master floriculturalists who bring their creations year round.  With the holiday season in full swing, many of the independent, family farms are bringing their own creations, also.

(this and the wreaths below were at the natural-designs.net the Old Town Farmers' Market)

 As I've mentioned before, I pay for everything, not that anyone is offering, I just get very excited about products, people and services I love -- someday I really will do a whole post on my love of Cetaphil, or maybe bacon, and John Freida's Frizz Ease products ...)

Magnolia over curly kale at Three Way Farms at the Del Ray Farmers' Market. (Click to learn more about the Del Ray Market on their facebook page)

A sweet little twig wreath also from Three Way Farms.  Nestled in the parsnips.  Duh, where else would the cute wreaths hang out?

Closer shot of the friend-of-the-parsnips wreath.

Fastest and Most Delicious Route to an Old Fashioned Italian Sugar Coma (And a Pretty Fall Wreath To Go)

Dispatch from Beantown.  Let's start with a wreath I passed walking through the North End.  Because you know I LOVE wreaths. (Also check out my "I Have a Thing For Wreaths" board on Pinterest!)

Pretty wreath on the shiny black door of a restaurant in the North End.

Mike's Pastry, the iconic North End shop of Italian pastry heaven.

Mike's gets ready for Thanksgiving.

No fewer than Eight flavors of macaroons (with two o's, different from the exquisite almond flour French macarons - one O ), my all-time favorite Italian cookie/sweet/dessert rainbow layer cookies) and magical looking marzipan on the bottom row.

Cannoli extravaganza:  this summer, Mike's expanded the traditional cannoli flavors to include twelve more -- including the four above, limoncello, strawberry, Oreo, and peanut butter. 

The cannoli parade continues (under the fists of an excited customer!): chocolate covered (shell dipped in chocolate, ends dipped in chips), Florentine (candy and nut shell), chocolate mousse (the filling, as you guessed), pistachio (dipped in the nuts) and on and on they go.

And of course, all kinds of cupcakes.

One of my all time favorite restaurants in the Boston's North End is Piccolo Nido ("Little Nest" in Italian). It is the epitome of what I believe a great Italian restaurant should be: warm and comfortable space, an experienced owner from Italy who is also a wonderful host, the freshest hand made pasta, minestrone of fresh small-chopped veggies in a light tomato broth, all at a good price.  Full review coming next week.  It is a true hidden gem, tell owner Pino that I sent you!  Your meal will be glorious!

Yours, in sugar coma just from posting these photos,
JPV

Meeting Cinderella and Elvis at a Virginia Farmers' Market

When I met her in Disneyland (world?  I so get the two mixed up, even though my brother actually worked at the California one, as Aladdin -- no joke -- he looks like Aladdin...and then he dated Jasmine, the Little Mermaid, Cinderella and Snow White, at least two of whom were the same person, it was a confusing time for all of us), Cinderella did not look like a giant orange squash.  But I guess they couldn't call this thing a pumpkin, right? (Btw, bravo to Blogger's spell check for knowing the correct spelling of Cinderella)

The princess with her hand on the Cinderella above is my friend Meghan.  It makes sense she felt a connection because a month ago she was dressed like this, Prince Charming and all!:

*sigh* Back to exotic looking squash. Delicatas.

Spelled Kabocha, I'm going to experiment with these gorgeous babies over Thanksgiving. I plan to use
Tiny Urban Kitchen's wonderful and simple recipe.  Someday, I also plan to take pictures as gorgeous as hers!
For now I'll start with a successful kabocha squash bake.
Look at those little kabochas, you know they so want to be Cinderella when they grow up. Cinderella squash, that is.

Every Week, New, Creative, Gorgeous Designs From One of My Favorite Vendors at the Farmers' Market

Seriously, how beautiful is this?  Being a dope about deer and antlers, I asked if it (antler) was real.  Designer Anne of Natural Designs kindly did not look at me like I'm an idiot, and said yes, it is real and she found it out in the woods (if you check out their website, nearly everything comes from the woods around the studio where the magic happens).  The DV (husband) informs me that antlers are shed every year.  He learned this because there are so many deer around the golf course (who knew?) and ergo, antlers (who knew?).

I know there are people within a five mile radius of me, in Alexandria, and the Metro DC area, ordering wreaths to be sent to their home from someplace else, for twice as much money.  Plus shipping and handling.  Stop the madness!  Come to the Old Town Farmer's Market this Saturday for your wreath and impress all of your guests when they arrive at your door for Thanksgiving.  Or have the prettiest door to come home to when you return from your Thanksgiving adventure. 

(For the record, I pay for everything, not that anyone's offering, and no advertising here, I just get super excited when I find great stuff or a fantastic resource -- for example, do not get me started on how I worship Cetaphil, or my Parmesan cheese grater.)

I had to back away from this one slowly so I do not overwhelm our little Del Ray townhouse with more wreaths than a Christmas village.

Hang it or centerpiece ... love the all acorn one!

Rain Out AND White Out on the Same Day? Of Farmers Markets and Freak Storms

Ah, photos of the fall sun shining on the Saturday morning Farmers Market(s). 

As it should be.

Tri-color acorn squashes, and baby red potatoes at Golden Goose Bakery and Farm at Del Ray Farmers Market.

Sun should be shining on the apples at Big Riggs at the Old Town market.  

Mmmm, I tried some Cameos for the first time -- flavorful and sweet, but not overly sweet, and crispy like a Granny Smith but without the tartness.

Saturday morning sun should be shining on new wreaths from Natural Designs (uh, yes, I went home with another one, why do you ask?)

This weekend, though, it rained.  Heard about that freak storm hitting the East coast? Rain and cold don't close the market down completely, but it does depress turnout and vendors sometimes wrap up early. 

 Even Luigi, my smartcar, looks a little sad and lonely at the Old Town Farmers Market with no one to compete with for tiny little parking spots.

The really sad one?  Golf maniac husband. He is the mailman of golf -- neither rain nor sleet nor snow ...  But the ground was just too wet and the course was closed.  Both of us confused about what the heck to do on a Saturday that he isn't out the door at 5:30 AM, he pulled a great rabbit out of his hat (baseball cap). To catch the tail end of fall color in the Shenandoah Mountains along the gorgeously scenic Skyline Drive.

Because of the storm,, the fall color was covered with inches of heavy, wet snow.  

The trees were very confused, but still incredibly beautiful.

 The route to get to Skyline drive is beautiful, which is good news because Skyline Drive was closed due to the weather.  

Shenandoah National Park covered and drifted with snow (in October??).

 Enjoy the drive back with me!

Wishing you a wonderful week. 

(I am talking like a holiday card after driving around in snow this weekend.)

Do you have any storm stories from the weekend?  

Crazy long lines at the grocery store like the coming of Armageddon?

--JPV