Win a Fabulous and Fashionable Calendar

It`s that time of year when you must change the calendar and welcome the new year. Yes, 2010 is quickly upon us and it`s time to stylishly welcome it with a fashionable calendar from designer and illustrator Elaine Biss.

"A year in HAUTE Sketchbook" is filled with fashion sketches and quotes of fashion designers and fashion icons. Elaine has created a special calendar that pays homage to all those things girls adore as well as the best quotes on how to be an original and what true fashion really is. Not really into fashion? Then this next one is for you.

This lovely retro chic "Pleasures of the Glass" calendar is very reminiscent of the atomic age, filled with lovely recipes of cocktails and drinks, as well as the perfect party foods and toasting in 15 different languages. It even gives you a list of all the utensils you will need for your home bar! So if you are a soiree queen with a domestic diva in your title, this is the calendar for you.



Want to win one of these? Leave a comment and spread the word and you will qualify to win. We will pick a name using random.org

Christmas Tree Photo Winner

And the winner is............

Our friend Gina from the Shabby Chic Cottage won 1st Place with her fabulous tree!

Many thanks to all the contestants for taking the time to share their wonderful Christmas Tree as each were unique

and filled with much joy.

Many thanks to all the voters who took the time to visit

my blog and leave a comment.

Wishing you all a very Happy Holiday from the Pink Pig!

Vote for your favorite Christmas tree!

Voting in our Christmas Tree Contest is now open! Please have a look through our entrants below and leave a comment telling us which tree is your favorite (#1, 2, 3, 4 or 5). The proud owner of the tree that gets the most votes will get a $100 gift certificate for The Pink Pig! Voting will end at the end of the day on December 23rd, and we'll announce the winner on Christmas Eve!


Now, here are the amazing trees you can choose between (click on the image to see them in full size):







Which one do you like best?

Christmas Tree Contest Spectacular

Think your Xmas tree's the best there is? This is your chance to show it off - and win $100 to spend at The Pink Pig!

To enter your tree in the contest, just comment on this post and provide a link to a photo of your tree. We'll be accepting submissions until the end of the day on Friday, December 18th.

On December 19th, we'll open the voting so that you can tell us which tree you think shines brightest. The winner will receive a $100 Pink Pig gift certificate.

And don't forget: if you're going to enter the contest, feel free to promote your tree on your own blog - and to invite your readers to stop by The Pink Pig to vote for you starting on December 19th.

Now, let's see those gorgeous trees! :)

Join our BlogFrog community and help sick kids!

Come interact with other readers of this blog and help The Children's Hospital at the same time! BlogFrog is sponsoring the "Give the Gift of Community" challenge to inspire blog readers to connect with their peers in communities this holiday season.

If 20 new people start or reply to a discussion in our BlogFrog community, BlogFrog will donate $10 to The Children's Hospital, one of the top 10 hospitals in the country for kids and teens. Don't be shy; hop on over to The Pink Pig's Blogfrog community to meet your fellow readers and get chatting! Happy Holidays!

Stocking stuffers, anyone?

Ah, stockings. Some would argue that they're better than the "real deal" presents that you open on Christmas morning. There's just something so enjoyable about pulling fun little items out of the depths of a big old sock!

A few of our stocking stuffer picks for this year:
- Our Vintage Christmas Candle (it can be lit as soon as it's opened to set the tone for the rest of the gift-opening).
- A charming "PARIS" magnet board - the perfect home office accessory for anyone who loves French style.
- A "Welcome Home" doorknob hanger that will delight any dog lover (especially if she has a golden lab!)
- A pretty pair of lounge pants (just roll them up and slide them into the stocking. She'll be thrilled to change out of her flannel PJ pants and into these for the rest of the morning).
- Our lovely birdcage kitchen towels (such a step up from the usual plain or plaid ones).

Do you have a traditional stocking stuffer that you give every year? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Free ship Friday!

What better way to say "TGIF" than with a day of free shipping?!

TODAY ONLY: all non-furniture items at The Pink Pig ship FREE! Just use coupon code FREE at checkout. (May we recommend something pretty from Tat2 Designs Jewelry or a home scent by Royal Apothic?).

More of a furniture shopper? Had your eye on that Antique Highboy or Painted Farm Table? We're also offering 10% off on all furniture today! Just use coupon code HOME at checkout.

Today's the day to get that holiday gift shopping started!

Our Very Pink Thanksgiving Sale is on now!

You heard it here first...10% off everything at The Pink Pig from Friday through Monday!

We’re taking our traditional Pink Friday sale and extending it... for ultimate shopping fun!

Just use coupon code PINK when you check out.

Now’s your chance to check out our fresh new selection of gorgeous jewelry, apparel, and holiday decor.

>> Go shopping

P.S. Our newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about our sales and promotions, so if you haven't already signed up, you can do so here!

Royal Apothic: queenly indulgences

Ever dreamed of what it would be like to be queen in some far-off country? Strolling through blossoming orange groves, curling up to read in asumptuous velvet armchair in front of a crackling fire, or breathing in the scents of your very own cutting garden, complete with boxwood mazes and night-blooming roses?

These are the experiences that Royal Apothic has distilled into their incredible candles and interior perfumes. Now you can take home the smells and sensations that were once reserved for royalty of centuries past - because Royal Apothic has arrived at The Pink Pig!

Royal Apothic Candles

Each scent begins as a memory or long-forgotten apothecary recipe, and is then modernized and wrapped up in a gorgeous frosted glass wrapping. Choose from Venetian Grove, Topiary, Japonesque, Cutting Garden, or High Tea.

Royal Apothic Interior Perfumes

As seen in the November issue of Oprah magazine, these sophisticated and complex scents are like snapshots of sovereign luxury from the 1800s. Pick your favorite fantasy: Venetian Grove, Attar of High Tea, Japonesque, or Edwardian Fireplace.

Ready to travel back in time? Browse the completely decadent Royal Apothic collection at The Pink Pig.

Coming down a chimney near you...

...It's our adorable hand-carved Santas! The perfect addition to your vintage Christmas. These little guys are completely charming on any table, mantle, or windowsill.

Created by Adirondack artisan Ben Raino, we've got them in lots of shapes, sizes, and colors to represent everyone's idea of how Santa, Chris Kringle, or Sinter Klaas should look.







These are the kind of accessories that the kids will remember and ask you to bring out year after year. Christmas figurines have never been so irresistible!






Stop by The Pink Pig to get yours today! And while you're there, explore our new Vintage Christmas shop for all sorts of holiday treasures.

Gorgeous holiday entertaining with The Pink Pig!

Ah, the holidays. A time to indulge in good cheer, good friends, and good decor! (At least that’s how we see it at The Pink Pig). Serving food and drinks is so much more fun when you have beautiful vintage or retro-inspired accessories to do it with – so we’ve put together a little guide to the loveliest holiday glassware, bar trays, cake plates, napkin rings, and candleholders you’ll find in our shop. They’re the perfect way to show off your very good taste to all your guests!



Glassware
Try this pitcher and glass set for orange juice on Christmas morning, or for your egg nog at night. Or, sip mulled wine from these pretty pink glasses, which borrow from depression-era style!

Bar trays
Lay out your liquor, ice and glasses (see above) on one of these beauties for a festive presentation. These trays are vintage, made from black wood. Choose the martini or the gin theme depending on your preferred vice!

A pretty cake plate
In case you needed an excuse to serve the sweet stuff! Our modern cake stand is available in black or white to suit any color scheme. Shown with our adorable knife and fork napkin rings.

A statement bowl
This Lucite bowl by Arthur Court is just waiting to be filled with your most fabulous holiday ornaments. Featuring playful bunnies holding up the body of the bowl, it’s a conversation piece that could easily become a holiday staple in your house!

Elegant candleholders
These tall, stately Italian-made candleholders offer just the right dose of drama for your holiday table.

For even more holiday decorating inspiration (and gift ideas, too!), stop by The Pink Pig online!

The Farmhouse - Inspiration from the Adirondacks - Part I

Farmhouses evoke nostalgic memories - real or imagined - of a simpler life and a deep, nourishing connection to the seasons and the land. So what makes a true American farmhouse? A farmhouse connected to the land and all its seasons, that dominates a community of buildings, and that's built to last using natural, indigenous materials.

Recently I spent the day with my friend Linda, who having spent much time at an earlier age hiking and working at summer camp here in the Adirondacks, now lives as a permanent resident here in this wonderland. She is a master at farmhouse and barn restoration, and her devotion and artistic vision are amazing.

On this particular day, we took a walk on Fox Run Farm, one of her recent projects in the making. This property has one foot firmly planted in the national optimism of the well-heeled early 19th century, and one toe in the currently struggling horse country of Lewis, NY.

The prior family were a typical 20th century farming family - ten children and hard times. They had a subsistence dairy farm, like many small farms in the area. Cream & milk were exported to Albany via the railroads. The rear addition to the 1790's barn has a milking parlour with thirteen wooden stanchions and two birthing stalls. We noticed an old metal sign with the herd's certification still hanging in the barn. The round silo foundation is next to the barn, and studying the barn's construction reveals large cut nails and vertically sawn lumber.

The house is a Greek Revival cottage, with double parlours on each side of the entrance vestibule. Dating back to the early 1840s, the brick nogging in all the outside walls and the Franklin wood stove setup all point to that time. The windows are faithfully reproduced based on the remaining evidence -they hold the soul of the house. The skillful craftsmanship and materials used in building the house and barn are flawless, and am flabbergasted that these structures stand so true going into their third century. I love the survivorship aspect of these buildings. The four by six foot outhouse had a news article in it dating from 1898!

Linda sums it all up by saying "The farmhouses, the barns and their fields are all in connection to each other and in context...variable of time, light, color, texture. The viewer sees what the eye allows - I believe houses draw your energy attracting whom they desire...mystical, yes.
This farmhouse is on the radar of the Preservation League of New York, AARCH and staunch preservation advocates locally.

Stop by the Pink Pig blog again as I continue to take you through more farmhouse & barn restoration projects by my talented friend Linda.

A "Walk For The Cure" - A Small Town with a Large Heart

Each year the Pink Pig sponsors a "Walk For The Cure" in the town of Westport, NY to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. This blog post is about a small town with a large heart and to honor my friend Honora Carpenter, who passed away in the spring of this year.

Honora visited my shop one day in the summer of 2006 to welcome me to the community. Having lived in Manhattan for over 20 years, I was so taken aback by her warm welcome and her burst of energy...not to mention the fact that she entered my store all decked out in pink!

Honora asked me if I would help her organize a walk in town in October to promote Breast Cancer Awareness, a cause that was important to her as she had been battling the disease for the past 5 years. I agreed with much enthusiasm, and we both ran out placing flyers in the post office, the local general store and on any visible telephone pole we could find in hopes that we could gather a crowd to show up to do a three mile walk.

We set up on Walk Day with pink balloons and Tshirts, and to our excitement, we had 65 women show up to take that 3 mile walk, which ended at our fairgrounds. Honora led the charge in a golf

cart as she was unable to walk the distance - yet her love for her friends who came out that day to support our cause was overwhelming. I gave her a vintage pink velvet hat from the shop to wear, and it became a staple piece for years to follow.

In the spring of this year I had to say goodbye to my dear friend Honora. We spent some time time together before she passed away and spoke of how important it was that our mission to bring awareness to a small town should go on. I told my dear friend that I would not drop the ball. I miss my friend..... I miss everything about her. I understand now at the age of 54 what having a close friend means and how amazing it is that I managed to capture that in a small town in such a short amount of time. I cry and smile each day as our walk approaches and hope she will smile when Sunday arrives and we will once again walk our 3 miles in support of such a very important cause. Each year the crowd gets larger, with last year having 200 people "Walk for The Cure".

In honor and memory of my friend Honora Carpenter, I will wear the pink velvet hat and lead the charge to a "Walk for the Cure" to promote Breast Cancer Awareness! All monies raised will support our Fitzpatrick Cancer Center located in Plattsburgh, NY in memory of our friend Honora Carpenter.

At The Pink Pig, we will also be donating 50% of all proceeds from the sale of our new signature soy candle scent, Vintage Christmas, to the Fitzpatrick Cancer Center. Click here to purchase a yummy-smelling candle and to help us move towards a cure for breast cancer!

Time to get cozy!

Can you feel the chill in the air? It's time to start thinking about feathering your nest for the winter...and The Pink Pig has all sorts of goodies to help you do it!

Our new bedding collection by Plum Pretty Sugar is mouthwateringly gorgeous. We've got shams and duvet covers in old-fashioned florals made modern with incredibly vibrant colors. This is the bedding you need to get you through those winter doldrums!

Plus, what are you going to wear for your annual holiday movie marathon? Flannel PJs may be comfy, but you'll want to stuff yours in the back of your dresser when you see the loungewear collection from Plum Pretty Sugar! Their lounge pants, tunics, and kimono silk robes are oh-so-feminine, and they feel amazing next to your skin.

Also just-arrived is a new scent from The Pink Pig's signature soy candle collection: Vintage Christmas. This blend of vanilla bean, nutmeg, clove and gingerbread will create instant warmth in your house. Get yours in time for Thanksgiving and you'll be set for the season (each candle burns for 60 hours!).