Christmas Open House at the Queen of Hearts

“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus…There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence… The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.”

In 1897, Francis P. Church wrote this infamous letter in response to a little girl’s question about the existence of Santa, one that is incredibly appropriate to share following the Queen of Hearts Holiday Open House events in Alpharetta, Buford and Marietta.

As a child, nothing quite compares to the magical enchantment of Christmas – the sights, sounds, snow, decorations, and the presents! The Queen’s Holiday Open House helped reveal that feeling again in "kids from 1 to 92." Maybe it was the chill in the air, Tom Ladow on the piano, or the wonderful refreshments and snacks from our dealers, but the store was full of laughter, smiles, and awe from customers as they paraded around marveling at the creativity displayed throughout the store.

There were lots of exciting trends this year at the Queen of Hearts Open House, that we will be sharing on our Facebook page. Expect this Christmas to use lots of great texture including burlap and barnwood, vintage ornaments and Christmas décor, and upcycled projects including handmade ornaments.

But one trend that stood out above all else, was the most traditional element of Christmas: Santa Claus

This amazing Santa can be found at BIRCH in Buford and could be used as a front door ornament or somewhere within the home as a festive accent.

These Santa’s were “high flying” and Santa’fabulous’!

Traditional, modern, or rustic? Doesn’t matter….there is a Santa out there just for you! Check out these great options from Appalachian Vintiques (LIVJC) in Buford!

As we begin this holiday season in full force, don’t let Christmas get away from you. Get your decorations and Christmas shopping complete, or we might just have to tell Santa!

Dealer RFE

Dealer DUST

This blog was written by dealer Jennifer Turner, of Appalachian Vintiques (LIVJC) on Court St in Buford - like her on Facebook to see all of her fabulous finds!

Guest Post from Confessions of a Plate Addict: Burlap-a-Palooza

The Queen of Hearts recently hosted a Blogger Brunch where we invited some of our favorite bloggers to shop the store and enjoy a brunch meet & greet with some of our staff and dealers! Each month we'd like to share a post from one of these bloggers on the Queen of Hearts blog, and provide some great ideas for our customers!

This month's post is from Debbie Peavy at Confessions of a Plate Addict, who shares her readers favorite projects with burlap! If you have any ideas as well, please share them with us on the Queen of Hearts Facebook page and come by any of our three locations in Alpharetta, Marietta or Buford, as we have tons of burlap: pillows, lampshades and home accents!

Let’s face it…burlap has become one of the most popular fabrics around when it comes to decorating! It is inexpensive, adds texture and it’s just plain fun! Sooo…I have pulled together some of my most popular projects that use burlap for you to enjoy! Can you guess which one is my most popular project of all time?

If you guessed this one…my ruffled burlap table runner…you’d be right! It has had an amazing 70,000 views to date! Whoa! I can’t believe it! You will find a very detailed tutorial here which includes tips on measuring and sewing your own custom runner.

Another popular project using burlap is this fun and super-easy burlap wreath. All you need is two yards of burlap and a coat hanger. You will find directions for making it here.

Wow! This project was posted only very recently but quickly zoomed up to the top five posts ever! I love the combination of the old dictionary page and the vintage Eiffel Tower graphic. A complete tutorial for my burlap and linen vintage Eiffel Tower pillow…including the free graphic…can be found here.

Is it too soon for a little Christmas? Here are my burlap and plaid Christmas stockings from last year which match my burlap and plaid Christmas wreath and add a finishing touch to my burlap and plaid Christmas mantel! It has been so rainy and chilly lately that the fire actually looks warm and cozy to me!

And finally…my burlap découpage deer is another burlap project to make the top ten all-time list! I just took an old gold foil deer from the attic and updated it with burlap...easy peasy! You can find a complete tutorial here. 

There you have it for now! However, I have to say that there’s still lots of burlap in my stash and several projects cooking in my head…so stay tuned for more! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my projects with burlap! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!

In addition to Debbie's amazing blog post full of beautiful burlap ideas, you can find many burlap items at the Queen of Hearts - check out some of the great finds:

At the Queen of Hearts you can find burlap makeup cases, lampshades, pillows, home accents and more! Come in to any of our three locations in Marietta, Alpharetta, or Buford, and let us help you find that perfect burlap accent for your home!

Thank you for reading this week's blog post, and be sure to visit Confessions of a Plate Addict's blog and Facebook page, as well as the Queen of Hearts Facebook page, for great ideas for your home!