Nell Hill’s Christmas at Home

 

Nell Hill’s Christmas at Home ****.*

by Mary Carol Garrity

I’m joining Jain at Food for Thought, a delicious blog for readers with an appetite for the written word~

“The town of Atchison, Kansas, is never busier than at Christmastime. It is during this season that the acclaimed Nell Hill’s home decorating emporium is transformed into a magical space where old meets new, formal meets frivolous, and imagination is key. Now you can bring that spirit into your home for the holidays. In Nell Hill’s Christmas At Home, shop owner Mary Carol Garrity, the endlessly inventive home decorating marvel, turns her attention to the specifics of holiday decorating.”

 “With the inimitable style and warmth that has made converts of so many, she offers unconventional wisdom for beautifying your home throughout the season. Whether it’s a new and exciting spot for a Christmas tree or a wonderful way to wrap and present gifts, Mary Carol’s ideas are never stuffy and always inspirational. Full of lavish photographs, Nell Hill’s Christmas at Home distills the decorating wisdom gleaned by Mary Carol from countless conversations with her devoted customers. With this latest book, she offers readers the most imaginative and entertaining ideas to come along in years.”

 A mesh tree cone, inverted to hold a bouquet of ornaments accessorized by her collection of silver tree toppers:

“Clustered together in front of a mirror, they appear to double in number and suggest turrets of a shimmering fairy-tale castle.”

Mary Carol Garrity established Nell Hill’s in 1981 in an old bank building in her hometown of Atchison, Kansas, naming the store after her maternal grandmother who was an early Kansas pioneer. This landmark retail store has become legendary in the decorating world—more than ninety-five percent of Nell Hill’s patrons travel more than 100 miles to visit Mary Carol at her flagship store. Since its humble beginnings as a gourmet food shop, the Nell Hill’s stores have grown to include the original location and a sister store, Garrity’s Encore, in Atchison, Kansas, as well as the latest addition—the new Nell Hill’s at Briarcliff Village in Kansas City.

“The Christmas season doesn’t replace everyday life; it’s a bonus. Don’t banish your usual touchstones, but instead look for ways they can star in the holiday scene.”

A long time fan of Mary Carol Garrity & Nell Hill’s, I love all her books, any of which would make a wonderful gift~ chock full of eye candy and inspirational decorating ideas. I remember reading about her in Victoria Magazine around the time she came into her  own, before her blog & her claim to fame with Forbes magazine dubbing her “one of the hottest little retailers” in America.

“When you’re not inclined to start from scratch for an over-the-top holiday scene, just tweak the everyday elements of your rooms.”

“Think small. In the midst of the lavish gestures and intricate schemes of the holidays, a quiet surprise brings pleasure far greater than its effort. Tuck a tiny boutonniere in a visitor’s lapel; mail a beautifully wrapped present to someone you see every day. . .”

“I know now than an ornament is a symbol of the season and a message of hope, a mirror of fashion or the cue to a family legend. Each one starts out as something created just to please the eye; that’s what it is to visitors seeing your tree for the first time. But for you, who have hung that slightly chipped angel  on the tree for years or remember the chubby hands that created your goofy clay snowman, the most valuable ornaments go beyond loveliness straight to the heart.”

“Unstuffy stockings. . .for the best stockings, blend silly with sophisticated. . .”

One of my stockings~ a touch of whimsy courtesy of a Christmas fairy . . .

A few vintage treasures, an old book. . .

 My grandmother’s photo, a lidded Santa box, beaded garland & vintage ornament~

 Chloe & Gracie are anxious to rip into their stockings. . .

I had some puff pastry fun for Food for Thought creating a stocking. . .

Instead of velvet & ribbon trim, these stockings are embellished with pine nuts, sesame seeds & puff pastry cut-outs in the shape of leaves, snowflakes & gingerbread men :-)

You can attend Mary Carol Garrity’s Christmas Open House at her home by video here~ click on Christmas Party.

Be sure to visit Food for Thought~ stop in for Happy Holiday reading~