Christmas sneek peek!

Elf Hats for Tree Toppers, we also have the matching shoes to set beside the bed or on the hearth , Oh So Cute!

Cute ribbon and door arrangements! Amazing at always!
You will love our Grinch Greenery, what a find this year at market!
Spectacular ribbon wreaths . . . . Soooooooo AMAZING!
Christmas is a magical time of year. I always look forward to getting out the boxes of decorations and reminiscing about where I got a particular ornament. Oh, that was the cute snowman I won at "Dirty Santa" at our Sunday School party, or look at the cute elf I found on our trip to the beach several years ago, remembering that cute Christmas store . . . . oh the memories. They are all like old friends that I haven't seen in a while . . . . slipping my mind completely until I see them again . . . . and then a smile . . . . I love them just as much as ever. I never see it as a chore as some people do, I absolutely enjoy every minute of it. I love finding different places in my home for my decorations each year, mixing it up and always adding something new to make me smile. As many of you know how we do Christmas at First Fruit . . . . it is always HAPPY. It is whimsical with lots of polka dots, harlequins, bright lime green and true red. It is not serious, rich, sophisticated or stuffy. Our Christmas style is one that will transform all ages to a child like state and make even the most grumpy person smile. It is guaranteed to transform any Scrooge to a cheerful elf. Speaking of elves, our elves have worked so hard for the last several months painting, sewing, ruffling, appliqueing, designing, pricing, storing, wrapping, and everything else it takes to have a beautiful "Open House." Our ideas are amazing . . . I think you will love what we have in store for your home this Christmas. We are even carrying "Elf on the Shelf" this year . . . and we have a special "Elf Tree" that is amazing. We have went a little elf crazy . . . but it is Oh So Cute! We are looking forward to seeing all of you next week at our annual "Open House". Merry Decorating, Lisa

Christmas Open House

First Fruit Collection Christmas open house will begin October 11th and go through October 15th. Please come by and check out all the amazing Christmas decor!

Little Miss Muffet . . . .

Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet . . . . . we are
now making these simply adorable footstools,
ottomans or hassocks . . . . . whatever you choose
to call them.

Our workroom staff is always busy coming up
with new ideas to make your home happy. And
you can't deny that these are H A P P Y!

We will do them in the shape and size of your
choice, you choose the fabric and finish on the
legs . . . . . and we'll do the rest. Prices are
starting at 239.00.

The best part of this idea is that we are
not limited to a size or fabric choice
offered by our furniture lines

We are able to do whatever creative idea you have
and make it Oh So Cute! Come by and
take a look at our samples we put together.
We will be happy to make one especially for
you.

Happy Decorating,

Lisa

We had many requests for my cornbread recipe last week,
so I have tried to put this into measurement form:

MaMa Chamlee's Cornbread

1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup butter

Heat together in an iron skillet while making batter


1 cup white cornmeal
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons self rising flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1 egg

Mix together dry ingredients. Add egg, milk and water and stir
until smooth. Pour hot oil and butter from skillet and mix
thoroughly. Pour into oil coated skillet and put in hot 400 degree
oven for 20 minutes. Brown top on broil setting the last few
minutes.

Enjoy, happy cooking,

Lisa

This past summer I taught my daughter and her newly married friend
how to cook. We called it "Cooking School with Ashley and Ashley".
I would theme our menus like Mexican, Italian, or Home Cooking.
On the night I taught Home Cooking we prepared :

Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Breaded Okra, Black-eyed Peas,
Cornbread and Banana Pudding.

Yum Yum . . . . . . it was so good. I would always write down my
recipes on cards so they would be able to make the dishes on their
own. I started to write down my recipe for my cornbread. I am
not bragging, but I make wonderful, melt in your mouth cornbread.
But . . . . I don't have a recipe . . . . and I didn't make good cornbread
until I asked my Grandmother if I could have her recipe.

My Grandmother looked shocked when I asked her for her recipe . . .
she claimed she didn't have a recipe, that she just threw it together.
I asked her if I could watch her make it . . . . if she wouldn't mind.
She put an iron skillet on the burner with a little butter and oil in
it and claimed that it was to be very hot when you pour the batter
in. Then she pulled an old aluminum bowl from the cupboard
and took her little wrinkled hand and measured out a little flour
and a little cornmeal and threw it in the bowl. I asked her how
much she used in cups . . . . she held her little hand out . . . and
said "Oh, about this much" referring to her cupped hand. I
tried cupping my hand . . . trying to imagine 1/3 or 1/2 cup?
I kept watching as she added baking powder, salt, beaten egg,
buttermilk and water and she stirred until it looked about as
runny as "So" and then she poured it in the hot iron skillet.
I still remember thinking she was about to burn down the house
with that skillet smoking . . . I don't believe her home had a
working smoke detector or I'm sure it would have sounded by
now. She put that hot skillet into a hot oven and said "That's
my cornbread" and added, "but, you must watch it in the oven
and turn it on broil the last minute to brown the top til it's
crispy." She didn't know how long to cook it . . . . she told me
to wait til the center was level with the sides . . . . and it would
be about 20 minutes or so.

That was about 25 years ago I enjoyed that afternoon with my
MaMa Chamlee . . . . and I can still make the best cornbread
in the south. I only learned from watching her and standing
right beside her the entire time to learn her secrets. I tried to
teach Ashley and Ashley her techniques, and I did fine tune
the recipe to about so much of this or that to try to make it
easier for them.

Have you ever tried to do something that was impossible . . .
that it never ever turned out like you had planned. You try
and try and just end up frustrated. It may be gardening,
sewing, painting, cleaning, or mothering. You may need
to find someone to stand along side to learn the secrets.
It may be as simple as asking someone for help. I'm sure
there is someone out there more than willing to help you
in whatever area you are experiencing failure. God has
placed other women in your life to be there to guide you
through whatever you are facing. It may be your mother,
sister, friend, or neighbor there to help you with your
burden.

We need to be willing to share our gifts with others
and guide those who need a helping hand. Our gifts
are not meant to be kept to ourselves . . . we are not
truly blessed until we give them away.

I remember the way Christmas smelled as a child. . . . . . cinnamon and fresh cut
fir brings me back to my childhood every time. . . . . . I love to burn candles with
these scents around the holidays.

I remember the way my Grandmothers house smelled . . . . cedar paneling . . .
mixed with made from scratch chocolate cake . . . . . and the scent of Dove
soap in her bathroom. I always remember my MaMa when I open a new box
of Dove soap.

I remember my favorite Sunday School teacher in 3rd grade at Trinity Free
Will Baptist Church who taught me the books of the Bible . . . .she always wore
dresses with invisible zippers and she always smelled of Estee Lauder Youth
Dew. I always think of her in the department stores when I pass the cosmetic
counter.

I remember my father . . . . he smelled of a mix of cigarette smoke, coffee with
sugar and cream, and oil. I can't stand any of these smells to this day
and am instantly taken back to my childhood when I smell any of these. Not
the happiest of days . . .

The sense of smell is one that evokes memories the most. . . . over sight, sound,
touch or taste. It can instantly take you back in time and stir memories that
are associated with particular smells. Good or bad . . . . they cannot be erased.

One of my favorite scents to use in my home . . . the only scent I have ever used
consistently is Claire Burke Original. It is a spicy and floral smell that has never
been duplicated. It outsells all other fragrances for Claire Burke. I have always
purchased this at a store here in Collierville called Pot Pourri. The store closed
a few years ago and I have been lost. I have searched everywhere for this scent.
I have a friend who has kept me supplied from the naval base in Millington.
They sold out . . . maybe due to my obsession . . . so back to the search.

At market this year, we decided to carry this wonderful product. If not for any
one else, but for me. I am delighted to introduce this scent to you . . . if you
are not familiar . . . come by and take a smell . . . hopefully you will love it as
much as I do.

We carry the room spray, candles, plug in fragrance and refills, and the diffusers.
Hope to see you soon. Happy Decorating, Lisa

Big Plans!

I have never been a stranger to a paint brush or a can of spray paint. I love to change the color of something to give it a fresh look. Some things in my home have been many different colors over the years and used in different rooms. I remember about 15 years ago, the Verdi-Green iron finish became popular. I learned how to achieve this finish by painting metal black and then doing a color wash with very thin aqua paint. I Verdi-Greened everything I could get my hands on. My outdoor light fixtures, patio furniture, pots on my porch, and concrete statues. Years later, the oil rubbed bronze finish replaced the verdi-green finish. Thus, I mastered the oil rubbed bronze finish on all my metal finishes. You start with either black or brown and do a color wash in the opposite. I have crackled, distressed, wormed, waxed and used silver and gold leaf. I have stripped, sanded, sprayed, brushed, glazed, and antiqued. No one ever told me I couldn’t do it. Things always didn’t turn out as I imagined, but I would keep trying to get the finish the way I wanted. Eventually, I usually achieved a successful end result. I love to repurpose a discarded item and give it a new look. This has helped me in our business at First Fruit. If we ever had an item that wasn’t selling due to the color, I painted it. If something had damage, we fixed it and painted it. If I had a customer that had a lamp, piece of furniture or anything else that needed to be a different color, I painted it. Over the years we have painted light fixtures, lamps, chairs, tables, beds, children’s furniture, baskets, candlesticks and many other items.

Several weeks ago, I found a pair of doors that we had in our inventory that had not sold. I took a look at them and decided that they were not selling because the hand painted fruit basket thing was strange looking, with odd colors and unidentifiable fruit? I had paid quite a bit for these, possibly another poor purchase like “Scary Bunny”. I decided to paint over the fruit motif with Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams. Then I decided they needed a monogram on each one. My head was swimming with possibilities. I could hang them in my master bedroom on either side of my armoire, one with my husband’s monogram and one with mine. I was so excited. I commissioned Dylan (my Graphic Designer Son-In-Law), to come up with the monogram for me. Well, actually, he took over back at the Sea Salt paint point up above. I think a customer needed me . . oh well . . . he hand painted the monogram, a brown stripe along the edge and glazed them with a wax/stain finish. They were amazing. I love them, they are one of my favorite things in my home.Every customer that saw them also loved them. People were wondering if we had any more doors that we could paint for them. I had an idea. What if he could do our painting, fulfill all my ideas that were swimming around in my head . . . . .all the ideas that were there . . . . .with no time to bring them to fruition.I was thrilled with my idea . . .I just hoped he would be just as excited. Good news . . . he was. Thus the birth of “The Painted Door”.

My son-in-law and daughter (Dylan & Kara) are no stranger to paint brushes either. Kara as an artist and Dylan as a Graphic Designer were constantly exploring ways to use their talents together. Perhaps you have been in First Fruit and seen their custom painted signs and picture frames. That adventure started in May 2009 when they made a sign for me for Mother's Day. That turned into special orders which led to an open door for Kara to stay home full time when their daughter Maggie was born in June. A year and a half later here they are, opening "The Painted Door". As they have grown their business to where it is today, they have perfected their art of painting, distressing, and antiquing furniture, as well as embellishing pieces with hand painted monograms and motifs of all kinds. Currently they are working on repainting lamps, trumeau mirrors, a restaurant bulletin board with the restaurant's logo and a kitchen Vent-A-Hood Cover. They are also painting/monogramming children tables and chairs and painting/finishing kitchen tables and chairs. So do you have brass lamps that are tired and outdated? Let them transform them for you. Have a piece of furniture you need a different color? Let the experts paint, distress and antique it. The Painted Door would love to help you achieve that custom look for your home. Below are examples of their recent work.

Happy Decorating
Lisa

The Painted Door
194 Washington Street
Collierville, TN 38017
(901) 417-1864
painteddoorfurniture@gmail.com