Cool New Stuff This Week At Gatewood Hall!

We have received so much cool new stuff this week at Gatewood Hall. We have the best new line of ceramic fire pots and fuel gel...just perfect for this time of year. They add such a warm, cozy touch to your outdoor living spaces! Come in and let us show you how they work!

So many of you have asked so we have also brought out all of the seasonal and holiday fragrances from Votivo, Paddywax and Caldrea, you are going to love these new scents. Great gifts for the holidays. Remember these are all seasonal, limited reserves so be sure to get them before they are gone.

Several great new mirrors have arrived (Shawn is crazy for the French door with shutters pictured above). You'll love some of the great new French look pillows (that are great prices), and we have some wonderful vintage goodies from one of our favorite vendors we brought back from our recent trip to the International Home Furnishings Mart in High Point, North Carolina. Come in and see all of our newest goodies! Shawn, Brenda and I look forward to seeing you!!

Don't forget to "Help Us Help Them"... We will be donating 10% of our regular sales this Saturday to Paws in the Park and the Humane Society of Blue Ridge, so come shop while feeling great that you are also helping out such an important and worthwhile cause.

Paws In The Park...Help Us Help Them!

This Saturday October 23rd is the Fourth Annual Paws In The Park Fall Festival. Sponsored by the Humane Society of Blue Ridge, and the Arts Center the mission of Paws in the Park is to focus on awareness and development of animal advocates through education and championing the treatment of pets with respect and kindness.

All leashed pets are welcome! You can participate in the Pet Parade featuring pet participants in their best Halloween costumes. Which is followed by the Blessing of the Pets and the Pet Halloween Costume Contest. Past participants and winners have been pot belly pigs, alpacas, lamas, puppies and dogs!

This year’s event will be larger than ever with exhibitors, arts and craft vendors, various demonstrations, food and prizes! Bring your pet for LOW COST rabies injections and micro chipping between 12noon and 2pm.

The event will conclude around 2pm with a raffle drawing for many gifts donated by local merchants and event supporters. Raffle tickets will be sold throughout the event. Participation in the raffle will automatically enter you into the grand prize drawing. Pet adoptions, sponsored by participating pet rescue groups, will be available throughout the event as well.

We at Gatewood Hall Gracious Home would like to ask you to "Help us Help Them". In honor of this wonderful cause we will donate 10% of our Saturday October 23rd regular sales to Paws In The Park! So come in a shop and feel great knowing you are also helping out such a worthwhile cause! As always we look forward to seeing you

For more information about Paws In The Park email pitp@tds.net

GH in the Big Canoe Newspaper Smoke Signals!

Gatewood Hall Gracious Home was recently featured in a special High Design section of the Big Canoe newspaper called Smoke Signals. Click on the above photo to read the article!

Bienvenue à la maison Shawn! All Is Forgiven.

Shawn is home from Europe! In light of today's heightened security threat level seems like timing couldn't be better. He told me that he had a great time and while he thoroughly enjoyed the trip he is happy to be back home. He loved the "Shawn's Away Sale" because he is inspired from his travels and ready to go to the International Home Furnishings Market in a couple of weeks and find more new and wonderful things for Gatewood Hall Gracious Home!

Of course I have enjoyed playing the martyr but truth be known I was all for Shawn taking this trip, it just wasn't a good time for me to go. But let me add this...when he returned with several of my favorite French shelter magazines, gorgeous, fresh macaroons from Ladurée- Paris (that he had picked up on his way to the airport) along with my favorite tea and a tin of shortbread from Harrods in London all was definitely forgiven.

If you have never had a French macaroon you are missing out. Not to be confused by our American coconut version the French version is actually small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle, and they are made every morning in Ladurée’s "laboratory". With each new season, Ladurée pays tribute to this its most famous creation by creating a new flavor. We are talking flavors like Chocolate, Vanilla, Coffee, Rose, Pistachio (one of my favorites), Raspberry (Shawn's favorite), Blackcurrant Violet, Caramel with salted butter, Red Fruits, Orange Blossom, Liquorice, Lemon and Ginger. They are sooooo delicious and I think Ladurée’s are the best. www.laduree.fr/

Today I enjoyed the beautiful Autumn weather, had tea and cookies while I read (well looked at the pictures) in my new French Magazines (HEAVEN!!). Thank you Shawn and bienvenue à la maison (Welcome Home!). I will share some inspiration from these mags in a future posting. Have a great week!

Wonderful Things!

It has been a very busy week at Gatewood Hall, as many of you know Shawn is in Europe so I can't thank Becky and Brenda enough for helping "hold down the fort" while he was away. We have received so much new inventory (a bunch of Holiday arrived this week...Oh just wait until you see!!!)

One of the new items we have just put out is a limited edition fragrance by Archipelago called Black Forest. It is the soothing scent of Douglas Fir and Ebony wood and a subtle hint of Black Currant so perfect for the mountains especially this time of year. We have the 8 oz. diffusers and the hand poured, soy wax blend candle (which will burn for more than 50 hours). The packaging is beautiful and would make a very nice gift. Come in and smell for yourself.

A few weeks ago artist Ande Cooke turned me onto this blog called Honey and Jam and I have to tell you I love it. Here is the kicker...the writer and food photographer is local, she along with her mother and the rest of the family are said to make some of the most wonderful artisan breads that they sell locally, usually at the Blue Ridge Farmers Market. Well I fell in love with the blog the young lady is named Hannah, and her photography is absolutely beautiful! I probably sound crazy but I believe she captures the essence and feeling of the food with such simple nuance. Twice while at the farmers market I have looked for her so that I could introduce myself (I know...now I sound like a stalker!) unfortunately Hannah and her family haven't been there.

This past Sunday I arrived late to the store and Becky is helping some folks and I just jump in to do my usual wrapping with tissue and bows and the customer says these things are for my daughter she is a food photographer...(Ping, my ears perked up) I said who is your daughter because I think I am one of her new groupies...and sure enough it was Hannah turns our that she and her family have been in a few times and she buys some of her photo props from GH! The entire family (her sisters were there also, I think they thought I was nuts because I was so excited to meet all of them) were so very nice. Turns out they have been really busy with other stuff and that is why they haven't been at the market. Hopefully they will get back there before the season ends. In the meantime grab a cup of tea sit back and enjoy Hannah's beautiful, mouth-watering blog http://www.honeyandjam.com/ you will enjoy it and you deserve it!

Finally, while Shawn is away Becky and I decided we'd have a sale (teach him to leave us behind!!). Handbags and wallets are 15% to 50% off, all in-stock jewelry is 20% off, Cat Studio is 25% off, and we are still marking down. It is almost time for the High Point market so we need to make room for more new things! Stop in and see us this weekend, the fresh autumn weather has been AWESOME!