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Crabtree & Evelyn Holiday Giveaway Winner!

December 14, 2009 by

And the winner of the Crabtree & Evelyn Holiday Giveaway is….

#2 Shaunah, aka Blackbird Running, who wrote: I love the La Source shampoo, conditioner and hand soap. I was treated to hotel-sized versions on vacation once, and can’t get enough!

Congratulations Shaunah! Please email your address to jennifer@bistrochic.net so that I can send you C&E’s awesome hand cream :-)

Photo courtesy of Crabtree & Evelyn Web site

Photo courtesy of Crabtree & Evelyn Web site

Five Fabulous Facts (FFF) about Crabtree & Evelyn:

  1. C&E was founded in 1972 as a small, family business specializing in fine soaps from around the world.
  2. C&E, the company, was inspired by John Evelyn, a 17th Century Englishman, who was one of Europe’s first naturalists and conservationists.
  3. John Evelyn’s motto, Explore Everything. Keep the best., has served as the company’s inspiration since its inception.
  4. C&E’s symbol of the crabtree is native to Britain and is prized for its lovely form and its usefulness in the home apothecary.
  5. C&E has modeled its image off of the early home apothecary, or still room as it was called in England, where fresh flowers, fruits, and herbs played an integral role in life. This image can easily be seen in the company’s inventive and garden-inspired luxury bath items.

 Happy Holidays!

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My Favorite European Things: Crabtree & Evelyn Giveaway

December 7, 2009 by

Last night, while enjoying an exceptionally tasty French dinner at a local bistro, my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas. We had just ended a 7 hour shopping spree, buying holiday gifts for everyone (including my husband) – everyone but me. So naturally, when he finally asked moi what I wanted, I stopped for a second – ok it was more like an hour – to think about all of the things I wanted this year.

Christmas present: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035580274@N01/76248428

Typically, I don’t ask for much, if anything. I can usually buy most things I want throughout the year, so asking for something specific at Christmas doesn’t seem necessary. I’d actually rather give gifts than receive them (funny how things change when you’re an adult!).

But then, I started dreaming of a trip to Paris, London, and/or Barcelona. However, because neither of us has the time nor disposable income for this, my dream was shattered or at least put on hold. I began to think more in terms of what things we could actually afford but would still bring a little bit of Europe into my life – because, as you all know, that is the reason for the existence of this blog.

When thinking about all of the European things that I love or things that remind me of Europe, a few little lovelies immediately came to mind. So, the list below goes out to my awesome and very generous husband, but it can also be used as a reference for anyone who wants to enjoy the small, but very European things, in life, without taking out a second mortgage.

A Few of My Favorite European Things 

  • Tea: Harney and Sons is my favorite tea brand – Paris or English Breakfast anyone?
  • Fancy Chocolates: I love truffles and other fancy chocolates but rarely buy them because they are so expensive. What am I thinking? It’s Christmas! Bring on the Vosges!
  • French Macaroons: Oh my, what I wouldn’t give to find a super easy and failsafe recipe for French macaroons! But, until then, I’ll take a few from Vanille in Chicago. A perfect stocking stuffer, don’t you think?
  • English Toffee: There are numerous kinds of English Toffee on the market these days, but the best English toffee I’ve ever tasted was from Enstrom. It absolutely melted in my mouth and left me wanting more – and believe me, I DID eat more! 
  • Cookbooks: My husband and I love the Williams Sonoma cookbook series. I would love to add the French and Mediterranean books to our collection – hint, hint…

And last but not least...

  • Bath and Body - I just love the French bath and body products from L’Occitane, especially its verbena hand creams and hand soaps. But I would love to try their new Savons de Provence. As for my love of all things British, Crabtree & Evelyn products are at the top of my list! One of my favorite things to do when holiday shopping is to walk into a C&E store to browse all of their latest collections, and savor my favorites, like the citron, honey, and coriander products. This collection fulfills two of my musts in body products: they are naturally made and smell of honey and lemon – perfection!

    Crabtree & Evelyn Citron, Honey, and Coriander Hand Remedy

    Crabtree & Evelyn Citron, Honey, and Coriander Hand Remedy

Crabtree & Evelyn Holiday Giveaway!

And, speaking of gourmet English gifts, the team at Crabtree & Evelyn was nice enough to send over a few samples of their holiday collections for me to try…

 

Crabtree & Evelyn Pomegranate Hand Care Caddy

Crabtree & Evelyn Pomegranate Hand Care Caddy: Noel Collection

C&E’s Noel Collection was designed with the idea of a traditional English Christmas in mind. The infusers, candles, and scented scented oils are a perfect blend of mulling spices, cranberry, orange, and balsam. In a separate holiday line, the Windsor Forest collection leaves you with the scent of a fresh Christmas tree in the air – what could be more festive than that?

Crabtree & Evelyn Windsor Forest Candles

Crabtree & Evelyn Windsor Forest Candles

And if reading about all of these amazing products wasn’t enough, I’m giving away one of Crabtree & Evelyn’s classic hand creams! After all, ’tis the season for giving!

Crabtree & Evelyn Citron, Honey, and Coriander Hand Recovery

Crabtree & Evelyn Citron, Honey, and Coriander Hand Recovery

One very fortunate reader will receive C&E Hand Recovery cream from the citron, honey, and coriander collection. This cream is perfect for extra dry hands. And, with all of the hand washing going on these days to protect us from the flu and other illness, I’m sure all of our hands are a bit dryer than normal. I’ve tried the sister product, the Rejuvenating Hand Remedy, which left my hands feeling extremely soft and smelling of lemons – loved it!

Directions for Giveaway Entry:

  1. Visit the Crabtree and Evelyn site AND
  2. Leave a comment on this post telling me either a) which C&E product you like the most (assuming you’ve used the products before) OR b) what it is you MOST want for Christmas. 
  3. US or Canadian Entries only, please.

Yes, it’s that simple!

Please send me your comments by Sunday, December 13, at 9 PM Eastern and I’ll announce the random winner on Monday, December 14. OK, ready, steady, go!

So, now that I have my list set, it’s all up to good ‘old Father Christmas and Pere Noel – wink, wink!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

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English Gardens: A Trip Down Memory Lane

July 30, 2009 by

Prior to visiting England, I was never much of a garden person. You could say I really didn’t appreciate a garden or all the work that goes into making a garden beautiful.

But after seeing the amazing gardens at Hampton Court, Kensington, the Cotswolds, and other places in England, I was enamored with the vibrant colors and lush landscapes of the quintessential English garden. From my experiences in England, and other European countries, I have to say that England has some of the most beautiful gardens in the world. And, those classic English gardens are some of the things I remember – and miss – the most about Britain.

Garden2

Today, I am happy to report that I was able to fill a little of my looming English garden void. My team from work ventured to a local botanical garden for lunch. It turned out to be one of the most memorable work-related lunches I’ve had. 

Although the botanical gardens spanned for, what seemed like, miles, we only had about 20 minutes to amble around the gardens after our lunch in the cafe. Luckily, one of the first gardens outside the cafe is the English Walled Garden. 

Garden sign

The garden was a true tribute to the gardens of England, complete with ivy, topiaries, and manicured hedges – but no garden gnome!

We first entered the garden through a charming little blue gate, that clearly shown of British style.

Gate

From there, we saw fountains, specialized flower gardens, and quaint covered walkways.

Garden1

As well as pokey little steps leading to other flower-drenched areas.

Garden steps

And, just check out this cool checkerboard design…

checkerboard

Whimsical and elegant, all at the same time!

Seeing the gardens in all of their splendor gave me a familiar melancholy feeling. I was happy that, for even a short time, I was able to relive my British travels, but sad knowing that I would not be headed to England anytime soon.

So, as I expected, my trip down England’s memory lane was quickly brought to an end as we all headed back to work.

I was back in my cube 15 minutes later, planning my next trip across the pond. Sigh….

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Moonlight and Mozart

July 29, 2009 by

Last night, my husband and I took a quick trip to Europe for a little classical music concert under the stars. Ok, we really didn’t leave the state, but we were magically transported to France and Austria through the sites and sounds of Ravel and Mozart.  

These days, I’ve been trying to add a little more European flair to my everyday life. Attending an outdoor classical music performance seemed to have just the right amount of European flair that I needed for a Tuesday night.Lawn Concert

The performance started at 8 PM – which is rather late for someone who is used to being in bed by 10 PM! Ah, but that’s the European lifestyle for you.

We sat on the lawn, brought our own wine, and listened to Lang Lang and Herbie Hancock (you don’t get to see that duo everyday) play Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Mozart’s Overture to the Marriage of Figaro, and Ravel’s Ma Mere L’Oye. 

What a night for a concert! Not only were my husband and I delighted by the wonderful sounds, but we were also dazzled by the beautiful sky, full of awesome colors…

Blue-Pink Sky

The sky seemed almost on fire at one point. Just gorgeous!

Firey Sky

Prior to the concert, we took a stroll through the sculpture walk where I just had to take a few snapshots of the odd-looking art…sculpture1

sculpture3

sculpture4

There was even a bronze statue of a little boy that reminded me of the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens in London (only with a little less clothing).

sculpture6

Ahh…to be in London again.

Well, at about 10:45 PM we were transported back to reality, packed up our things, and headed home.

Although the music and the surroundings were beautiful, I have to be quite honest. It’s very hard to live like the Europeans (ie. staying out late) on a Tuesday night when you have to work the next day! 

Ciao!

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , , ,

Eating Belgian Chocolate In the Name of Science

July 24, 2009 by

Calling all chocolate lovers! Researchers in the United Kingdom need your help in discovering the potential health benefits of dark chocolate. No, I’m not joking.

Could you eat chocolate every day for a year?

Could you eat chocolate every day for a year?

As reported in yesterday’s Telegraph, Scientists from the University of East Anglia, that’s in Norfolk, England, are looking for 40 volunteers to eat dark chocolate every day for a year. Hmm…sounds too easy, there must be a catch, right? Well, sort of…

Researchers are looking for postmenopausal women under the age of 76 (bummer, I don’t qualify) who don’t smoke and have been taking cholesterol lowering drugs for at least a year. These specific qualifications do serve a purpose. The researchers believe that the chocolate, rich in flavonoid plant compounds found in cocoa and soy, could protect postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes from developing heart disease. Wow, wouldn’t this be deliciously amazing if their hypothesis proved to be true?? 

Those who qualify for the study must eat a dark chocolate bar, specially made by a Belgian chocolatier (ok, can this get any better?), every day for a year. One caveat, the chocolate bars are said to have a “bitter” taste. Hey, it’s still chocolate.

For the love of chocolate!

For the love of chocolate!

If you’re like me and too young for this gig, you could always do your own experiment, eating chocolate every day for a year and noting your daily health. Better yet, skip the experiment part all together and just eat the chocolate. But, in the meantime, let grandma know that her dream job has just arrived!

Filed Under: Food & Wine Tagged With: , , , , ,
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