Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!

Much love and thanks for your support.

-M.

Our wonderful Stacie is leaving us! After two great years at M & Co. Papery, Stacie and her husband are packing up and moving to Vegas. How dare she do this to us! I can tell you that even though she has been forewarning me of this for months now, I cannot believe the time has come. I am so very sad. I have been truly lucky to have found not only a very reliable, loyal and hardworking employee, but a very good friend as well.

I know this is short notice, but Tuesday, December 23rd is Stacie's last day. (sniff, sniff) She didn't even want me to post this now. But I know how much all of our customers have come to know and love her and I want to give you the opportunity to say goodbye.

It will not be the same without Stacie's quirky and lovable personality.

Thank you Stace. You have made my life better by having you in it!

Love,

-M.

Eat, Drink, and be Merry!

Because Christmas is a time to gather with family and friends, Bob and I host an annual Christmas party. It has turned into a big event. Every year we invite about 50 people to share in an evening of food, fun and karaoke! It is serious fun! Usually Bob selects a menu of enough complicated food that it sends me over the edge. We are cooking for days before the party! This year we are serving Mexican food consisting of carne asada, pollo asada, rice, beans, salsa etc. I know this sounds simple, but trust me, Bob will find a way to kick it up a notch! Already, the beans can't just be beans, they have to be chipotle puree', and he is making an avocado sauce, roasted bell pepper sauce, roasted salsa and who knows what all else for the accessories. Well, lucky me, my house is already decorated and there isn't much left to do. Now I can relax and enjoy the food preparation!

Of course the invitation is the first impression of any event, so you must match your invite to the occasion. This is the invitation we sent out this year. I love it! It is perfectly merry!

Have a wonderful week and I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful weather.

-M

Happy Birthday!

We at M & Co. Papery want to say Happy Birthday to Lisa! She has worked for M & Co. for 7 of the 8 years we have been in business! Lisa and I had lunch at Kona Grill where I snapped this picture with my phone.

Thank you for being such a great, loyal employee and friend. Many best wishes for a wonderful next year, Lisa!

Love,

M.

The Polar Express

Magical. That is the only word I can use to describe our night last night! We invited some of our close friends’ children over for a night of watching the Polar Express. It could not have been a better night!

I wanted to make it special for the kids, so after printing up the tickets, I delivered the invitations to their parents the night before the event. The plan was for the parents to put the tickets somewhere fun for the kids to find. A very special invitation. One of the parents put the tickets on their childrens’ pillows to find before they went to sleep. The other set of parents put the tickets on the Christmas tree for the kids to find when they woke up! Needless to say the kids couldn’t wait for the night to begin.

We decorated the tv room with Christmas flag banners draped from the ceiling, and a table set for snacks and of course hot cocoa! And since our family room is not very large, it was perfectly cozy. For me, the icing on the cake was the fact that it was finally cold enough to light a fire, which added to the friendly atmosphere and the feeling of Christmas.

The kids were required to wear their pajamas and bring their tickets for theatre entrance. They were adorable in their pj’s and slippers. Once they arrived, my husband, dressed up as a conductor, opened the door and punched their tickets for the ‘train ride’!

We had blankets strewn on the floor, and pillows to maximize comfort. The kids settled in for a grand theatre experience. And it didn’t disappoint! (did I mention that we bought a subwoofer for this?) The train was so loud it was rattling the walls! It was so fun!

Anyhow, the movie was wonderful and hot chocolate was served. But my favorite thing was at the end of the movie, Bob, having collected all of the tickets, had written 2 letters on each ticket to describe the personality of each child. Once the movie was over, he passed out the tickets and they tried to guess what each one meant. It was so great the things he came up with and how perfectly it fit each child!

It was certainly a night to remember!

-M.

I printed each child's name on the outer envelope (from our bulk stock at the store - $0.35 each),then used Ice Stickles (from M & Co.) to glam it up! The tickets were made by scanning a ticket my friend had, and then adding our own info to it. The insert was also made from the store bulk stock ($0.15 each) and then Ice Stickles added.

All of the decorations were gathered from around my house. Including ornaments straight off my tree! (I think we still might have a couple of these Merry Christmas glitter signs at the store)

My camera never seems to capture the magic of the night. Atleast I know our memories will be magical!

As all of you know, I simply cannot get enough of Match dishes! I started my collection about two years ago, and have slowly added pieces along the way. Believe me, once you get started, you will be hooked. Match pewter is handmade by artisans in the north of Italy. Which translates to impeccable style and quality. I love how versatile the dishes are. I can use them for formal settings or casual roasted chicken dinners. And, they work for every holiday since I have them in basic white.

Come on in and start your own collection. There is still time to get your order in before Christmas! Match is the perfect gift... if even for yourself!

-M.

Bob's Bistro

As if we haven't been doing ten million things in preperation for the holidays, Bob, decided that it was time for another Bistro. Of course our original intent was to have it in October but time just got away from us. So instead we just hosted it last weekend. Five days before Thanksgiving! It was probably one of the best parties we have ever given. Everyone was so relaxed. That had a lot to do with the fact that the hosts were also relaxed. This time we had fewer people and one less course to serve. We also planned food that didn't take so much time at the party for us to be cooking in the kitchen. The night was absolutely beautiful, and the food.... it was so seriously delicious!

-M.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving is going to be so much fun! Some of my family (it is quite large and we are seldom all together on this holiday) and I are going to spend the weekend up in Pinetop. Bob's brothers have a lovely cabin that they are letting us use. You would not believe the amount of items and food we are bringing up there! Seriously, we had to ask our neighbor to borrow his trailer to pull behind my brothers Tahoe. We are cracking up! We are going to look like the Beverly Hillbillies driving down the road. Because we are cooking fanatics and want to have the table looking perfect, we are bringing our own pots and pans, food processor, china, tablecloths, decor, all the food and of course, an extra portable convection oven just in case! I know this sounds crazy, but my family is just as in to this as Bob and I are. We are also bringing loads of DVD's, because what Thanksgiving would be complete without watching Miracle on 34th Street?

We plan to bake pies on Wednesday night, cook and watch the Macy's parade on Thanksgiving, then Friday will be games, Christmas movie marathon, and hanging out with Grandma. Plus, it should be snowing up there!!! Perfect!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

-M.

p.s. We are cooking cranberry-glazed turkey with cranberry-cornbread stuffing pictured above from Martha Stewart. We absolutely love this recipe and have used it for 3 years! I highly recommend you trying it next year!

Family Tradition

One of our favorite Christmas traditions started when one year my husband came home, arms laden with shopping bags and announced that we are starting a village! He had purchased about 4 houses and some accessories. Well, that was just the beginning. Ten years later, we now have about 30 to 40 Department 56 houses! (I try not to count them) This year in order to keep the size manageable, we decided to split up the villages. Usually we do not start setting up until after Thanksgiving. However, this year just feels different. We are feeling the Christmas spirit much earlier. And it seems to me that a lot of our customers are as well.

We have already watched 3 Christmas movies, and, I am so happy to say that we have already finished 2 of our 3 villages! Now we can relax come December and enjoy just looking at them.

The pictures shown are of our Christmas in the City Village. I have discovered that our set ups never photograph well. When I use the flash it completely takes away the charm of the softly lit buildings. So in order to let you see how enchanting it really is, I used my camera on the candlelight setting which doesn't use flash. The only problem is you have to hold the camera very still. Which I obviously cannot do. Sorry if some of them are a little blurry.

You can get your own village started at M & Co. Papery. We carry the Department 56 Original Snow Village, Christmas in the City, and the North Pole houses. Our Christmas would not be the same without these little lovelies.

-M.

Oh Pear!

Do you see the lovely living room in the photo below? While I was perusing Phoenix Home & Garden magazine I was struck by the painting shown on this homeowners’ wall. Right then and there, I decided that I absolutely MUST duplicate it. The only trouble was, I had never used oil paints before, and the only painting I had done prior to this was with those little CeramCoat water colors. (The kind where you can just pick any color you want and don’t have to mix it.)

Well, I am not going to bore you with the long story, but let me just tell you one major detail. I found this picture in 1998! TEN years ago people!! And, it has been the bane of my (and my husbands) existence ever since! I invested in the paints and the canvas (those large ones are expensive!) and started the painting immediately. At that point, realizing I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and not willing to throw it out because of how much it cost, I hid it in a closet. Yes, pathetic. Through the years I would take the painting out with all intentions of working on it, but somehow the pear would end up sitting in the office waiting, waiting.

My husband threatened many times to throw it away at which point I would always promise to finish it. Finally, this last summer he took it out and said finish it or its going to the dump! Yikes! He meant business this time. All of this to say…. Yes, I did it! The painting is done!!! The hugest, hairiest monkey is off my back! I seriously cannot tell you how happy my husband is. The pear has saved our marriage!

I have posted a picture of the finished product. I hope that this gives you some motivation to finish those unfinished projects laying around. Or maybe just throw them away!

-M.

Sweets!

These are just a few of the Christmas pretties we have in the store. I can't resist anything that has to do with sweets and treats. Napkins, ornaments, aprons, garlands, you name it. If it looks like a baked goodie or anything candy, I gotta have it! So if you share this sugar obsession, come on in and take care of your sweet tooth.

-M.

My husband and I have decided to have a Polar Express movie night with my nieces and some of our friends' children. It is going to be so much fun! There is nothing better to kick off the holiday season than movies and hot chocolate. And, just because I have to have the full theatre experience, we purchased a new sub-woofer this weekend. The kids are going to love feeling the rumble of the train while they're sitting on the couch! I will definitely post pics of the event, along with invites and party ideas.

Vacation at home!

(Spicy Salmon Tartare with Avocado relish and Bobs Love Potion (don't ask))

(Carmelized onion tart with tomato salsa and scallops in orange cream sauce with fresh herbs)

Last weekend my husband and I celebrated our 15th anniversary! We had the best time. Usually we go out of town for the weekend, but upon checking, we discovered that all of the hotels we wanted to stay at in California were booked! (go figure!) So, we decided to do something different and spend our vacation in town instead. I have heard of this concept, but have never tried it. So Bob took time off work, just as he would if we went out of town, and we spent the weekend eating at fabulous restaurants, cooking, and going places we don’t usually go to. We both agree that it was our best anniversary yet. I highly recommend taking a vacation in your own hometown.

You can’t beat the benefits:
No travel expenses!
No rental cars
Experience all that your area has to offer and you never knew
Sleep in your own bed at night. (I love my pillow)

To fascilitate in choosing restaurants, we used the eat.shop.phoenix guide. You really must get ahold of one of these books. They are wonderful.

These are some of the yummy restaurants we ate at and would definitely recommend:
Pizzeria Bianco – Phoenix
Barrio Café – Phoenix
House of Tricks – Tempe
Zinc Bistro – Kierland, Scottsdale

Being that we also love to cook, we spent the last half of the weekend heating it up in the kitchen. If you love to cook or would like to expand your culinary horizons, I have attached pictures below of some of the great cookbooks we have in the store. I am a picky buyer of cookbooks, so trust me, these are good!

Look at these new stamps available just in time for your Christmas cards! I love it when you can find the perfect stamp. It completes your package. When you are sending something beautiful on the inside, you want it to look good on the outside as well! So don't forget to pick up these grand stamps.

-M.

Just wanted to show you one of the cute new invites we just got in the store. Of course I have to show them paired with my favorite Caspari napkins. We always have a great selection on hand for all bridal events. But who needs an excuse to have these gorgeous napkins on their table?

-M.

p.s. For update on the money raised for the Nielsons at the BlissFest check here http://http//blissfulliving-domesticbliss.blogspot.com/2008/10/fundraiser-update.html

I love Halloween! It's so much fun to dress up, decorate and enjoy. This day has already started out great. This morning before the store opened, I went to see my niece at her school. They were having all kinds of Halloween festivities, decorating cookies, games, and of course a parade where they can show off their costumes. She was adorable dressed as Alice in Wonderland.

The fun will continue tonight as my neighbors all get together for a potluck dinner. (Have I mentioned how much I love my neighborhood?) Our Halloween potluck has become an annual event which we always look forward to. It started several years ago on Halloween night, when, wanting a little festiveness, I challenged my husband to a pumpkin carving contest. (We still debate over who won) Afterwards, wanting to show off our pumpkin beauties, we set up a table outside with pumpkins, candles, and of course a grand candy bowl to await trick-or-treaters. Upon noticing that we were outside, the neighbors began wandering over, then margaritas started flowing and that was it! We were hooked! Now it is a big event, complete with a candy booth that we set up with all of the combined candy for the trick-or-treaters to enjoy.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween.

-M.

The BlissFest this past weekend was a huge success! Despite the warm weather, there were tons of people and lots of great fun. There was food, games for the kids, great vendors with loads to sell, and live music. The fundraiser for Christian and Stephanie Nielson went off without a hitch and lots of money was raised to go towards their medical fund. It was wonderful to see the community coming together for them. In addition to the items that were donated for the auction, there were countless hours of time, money and creativity given as well. Our neighborhood (Steph lives on my street) held a caramel apple booth that sold 200 apples! Thanks go to Ellen Dunn and Rhonda Roberson for all of their hard work. I was busy all day running back and forth between our booth and the store, so I have to thank Courtney Everhart for taking this photo for me. (I am going to find out if she has others for you to see)

The festival was the brain child of Kristin at Domestic Bliss . She is always the grand party lady. And let me tell you, her and her husband, Dan, worked so hard to put this on for everyone to enjoy. So, thank you D & K!

-M.

Viva Las Vegas!

I spent the majority of last week in Vegas with my husband. Five days to be exact. Now, I think five days is a long time for anyone in Vegas, but let me tell you, I was ready to get home! It’s taken me five days to recover! My husband went for an annual business convention, and I went for the fun. And fun we had! Of course, after the second night I realized I am just way too old for this. Next year I don’t think I will attend the whole function. A little bit of Vegas goes a long way.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the getting there and back. We decided to drive, and believe it or not, this was my first time driving to Vegas! (Shameful for any respectable Arizona Native to admit.) I love road trips and I was so excited to document the trip with great photos to share with all of you. Unfortunately I was driving with Speedy Gonzales (yes, that means my husband) and that means no unnecessary stopping. Point A to Point B.

Settling in for the drive, I readied myself to absorb the beautiful landscape. As I watched the desert scenery slipping by, I couldn’t help but think of the many movies filmed in this area. I mean, this is the quintessential southwest! I thought of the good ol’ oater films, and Salma Hayek cruising down the highway in “Fools Rush In” (love that movie), "Vegas Vacation", and I’m not sure if this is true, but I was picturing Forest Gump running down the very road I was on! This was no ordinary road trip! I felt it was an honor to be on this road much traveled!

As we approached Wickenburg, I could not believe I had never been here before! (Again with the shameful) It was a great place! As we sped through town, I attempted to snap photos of the darling downtown. Did I mention who was driving? By the time I had located my camera, taken off the lens, and turned it on, we were already out of town. “We are stopping on the way home for photos!” I demanded. “Sure, hon” was SG’s way of telling me what I wanted to hear, while silently hoping that I would change my mind on the way home.

(My only photo from Wickenburg! But I love it!)

When you are driving somewhere you have never been, you never know what photo opportunity is around the next bend. And, after my experience going through Wickenburg, I decided to keep my camera on my lap and at the ready. I was able to snap a couple pics through the Hoover Dam. They did not turn out so enjoy this photo from terragaleria.com . It shows the magnitude of this great place! “We are going to stop and take the tour of this dam on the way home!” I demanded once again. Speedy just smiled.

All of this to say, that by the end of 5 days, and 4 very long nights, I was the one driving home and of course I didn’t stop either. Once home is in your mind, you just can’t get there fast enough! Sorry for the lack of pics.

-M.