My dear friend Kathy sent me an email reminding me about The Beveled Edge Holiday Open House on Thursday. I have to admit that I just wasn’t feeling up to par, so I wasn’t too excited to check it out, but I did.  Thank goodness I did.  Just being in that store brightened every last bit of bad mood that’s been lingering in my body since Monday.  I felt just Ho hO HO merry and terrific!  Since it’s not crunch time– my gosh it’s only the first week of November!– I was not full of heart palpitations at looking at all the Holiday fare.  The Beveled Edge, located in Paddock Place Shopping Center on White Bridge Road, is one of my go-to stops whenever I need a good gift.  Not only is the store one of the premier framers in Nashville, the gift shop is amazing.  Oh- and the book selection is pretty much tops as well.  Not novels, think coffee table books that you actually want to read.  So, in hind sight, it’s no wonder that I saw so many of my Holiday gift needs met, once again, at this gem of a store.  The Open House is Thursday from 5:30-8:00.  They will have cocktails, munchies, door prizes throughout the night and a general air of festivity – and some discounts as well!  So, stop by, look and possibly buy. Think of how great it will feel to have all that Holiday shopping DONE. Then take a short stroll to dinner at J Alexanders or The Golden Thai.  Hmmmmm, that’s a good night out.

Last year, I bought the very last Thymes Reed Diffuser that Beveled Edge had. So, I can attest that they go fast. I also can say from experience that this specific scent is my hands down favorite: frazier fir. $65.95. It lasts several seasons and now Thymes has a Refill for just $30.95. Other pieces of the Thymes Frazier Fir collection include a Candle for $28.95 and the Hand Soap- Hand Lotion combo for $32.95

How cute are these? I'm a big believer in high impact, low effort. Top each dining room chair with this Santa Hat chair topper, for just $10.95, and you are done with that room. Well, add some fresh greenery:-)

Perhaps it's the Virginia girl in me, but I love red cardinals and I always use some in my Christmas decor. I was thrilled to see these cuties for only $4.95 each!

This picture does not do this Advent Calendar justice. It's fabulous and made of wood. It seems really really well made and it's just $89.95! This is a keepsake. If you need a new Advent Calendar, this may be the one....

Your sideboard or mantel can be DONE lickety split with this 5 piece PEACE sign...for only $29.95! Letter sizes vary between 7-10 inches. The cute snow birds with winter hats are just $5.95 each.

This is how I need to gift wine this year. Can you do any better than this? $9.95 each

Something about this plaque just made me tear up. I love the hope and anticipation that this one image has captured. Set this on a table somewhere and be entranced by it as well. $14.95

I’m not a gruesome Halloween girl.  All the graveyards and skeletons kind of freak me out…just a bit.  I’m partial to decorating my house for Fall and then throwing in some Halloween touches (like cute cats, black pumpkins and white ghosts) a couple weeks out.  Well, a couple weeks out is this Saturday and I’ve scouted out some fun stuff for your house, all available locally from locally owned stores.  So, stock up on pumpkins and mums, grab some bittersweet vine, orange mums and roses, and perhaps some white cabbages from Import Flowers (see pictures at end) and then add some Halloween Decor.  When Halloween is over,  you can take your ghosts and cats away and still be left with some seasonal decor.  Be sure to see the end of this post for a fun party on Thursday, Oct 15th!

First off, these fun crows and eggs from Fabu. The eggs are $7 each and the crows are $12.  I know the pictures are terrible; they are from my iphone…..but you’ll get a good idea!

Next, check out this cute Halloween Village at The Beveled Edge. That’s my 8 year old daughter staring in amazement.

The Beveled Edge also featured all this skeleton stuff which wasn’t overly creepy to me, just fun!

Caldwell Collection has these magnificent witches, and many more, for sale. There is even a HUGE one (maybe 3 feet big?) that you could buy and just bring out each October for the next few decades!  She is fabulous.  Witches start at $95 and the huge one is just over $300.  Drop by Caldwell Collection, on Bandywood, to see them!

a la maison has lots of Halloween decor as I pointed out last week. My favorite are these pillows, black on one side and white on the other, handmade in Nashville and just $25-$30 each!  These old style jars are filled with fun witches brew ingredients for $17.95.  I hear they have some more in a similar style, made by the same person, for $25 that have candle wax dripping and more fun ingredients!  I love these….

Speaking of a la Maison, Jason Parker Counce’s handmade witches and other creations continue to be available for purchase there as well as at his booth at Gas Lamp Antiques next to the 100 Oaks Staples. His booth is at the far back of the showroom. Check out these pictures from his booth:

Custom Embroidery has some cute Halloween things as well.  They always have fun seasonal items.  They were closed when I went by, so here are some pictures from the outside looking in:

Import Flowers has some beautiful Bittersweet that they just got in on Wednesday (it’s yellow in the picture b/c it takes about 24 hours for the yellow “shell” to fall away after taking it out of the box).  I was there as they opened the box! Check out the box of bittersweet ($18 a HUGE bunch).  I love the cabbages as they last FOREVER (I got them one Thanksgiving and I still had them out at Christmas!  They will start smelling like cabbage after a few weeks though….)

*As a final little decorating touch, Lou Ferrel’s (owner Import Flowers) wife is having a “garage sale” from the trailer behind Import this Saturday.  Worth checking out if you are over there!

AND- Remember that EdgeHill Village is hosting a Halloween Block Party Thursday night, Oct 15th from 5-8!  Nest Interiors, located there, will also be hosting a Ransom+Scout handbag trunk show from 2-8.  20% off all Ransom + Scout purchases!  Feel free to go in costume:-0!  Yes, I know I put the “0″ not the “)” as in “ooohhhh, if you dare!”  Featured Band: The Young Republic.

You know that map of the United States that is featured in Sundance Catalog.  Yeah, the one made out of license plates- the one that retails for $3895.  If you want the really big one, it is a whopping $25,000. Yes- I, too, would rather have the car attached to the license plate for this amount of cash.  click here to see the License Plate Map.

No worries…. I found a map in a similar vein- for FAR LESS $$- and it is handmade right here in Nashville (which makes it worth FAR MORE in my opinion!) by Susan Taylor, co-owner of The Beveled Edge.  Her map is made from bottle caps of microbreweries from each individual state.  Imagine the time that took to track down!  Her maps are fabulous and at $595, a whole lot less than Sundance’s.  She has branched out into signage, trays and coffee tables with her bottle cap art as well.  I love these and I think they are a bargain for the amount of time and effort these must take to make. OK- this picture does not do this art justice! There is so much detail!  Measurements are approx. 32×45. The Beveled Edge is located across from Target on White Bridge Road in the Paddock Place shopping center.