MAISON de BALLARD

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Laguiole Cheese Cleavers in Hot Colors

New shipments in the shop: festively colored French "Mini" Cheese Cleavers produced by Laguiole!

These charming cheese cleavers come in an array of sparkling colors and will add a vibrant touch to your cheese tray service. They also make a very welcome hostess gift for your cheese loving friends.

The brightly colored acrylic handles are riveted to a sharp, stainless steel blade, and the signature "Bee" rests on top of handle. These cleavers require hand-washing, measure 6" long with blade depth of 1 1/2 ", and come in a choice of 5 delicious colors: Tangerine, Sunflower, Celadon Green, Blue, Fuschia.

Click here to start shopping! http://bit.ly/HswOXw

Monday, March 5, 2012

"In Season with John MacPherson"
Inspiring PBS Show in Search of a Kickstart

This is about passion, the love of food, and the chasing of a dream.

I've know John MacPherson and his wife Diane since they first arrived here in Little Washington, VA, and we have become close friends. One of the first things John and Diane did when they purchased a bed and breakfast in rural Virginia in 2004 was hop on their bicycles and explore the food treasures of the local countryside. Their first explorations uncovered exquisite farms and wineries which eventually inspired an idea for a PBS show devoted to seasonal foods.

John is a passionate lover of food and wine. He has developed a beautiful television project for PBS and now PBS wants to produce it. The issue is money. John's show was picked up by PBS with the contingency of raising $125,000. to fund the first year of programming, or 13 episodes. John developed this series devoted to his passion but it is now in need of a "kickstart" in public financial support.

Unlike many television food shows which are often competitions, this is a food show with a soul. "In Season" celebrates the joy of finding local ingredients, the sense of discovery, and it inspires viewers to seek out only the best in local foods. It showcases food that is fresh, local and in season. He ends each episode, having gathered all of his locally sourced ingredients, with a delicious and easy to prepare meal. Click below this post to get a sneak-peek preview of one of the episodes.

To raise his funds, John chose Kickstarter which is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. It is a new way to fund and follow creativity. It's a pretty amazing funding platform and worth a closer look.

Every week, tens of thousands of amazing people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, technology, design, food, publishing and other creative fields. Each and every Kickstarter project is the independent creation of someone like you and me.

You can donate $1.00, $5.00, all the way up to $10,000. or more. The money is a pledge and will not be charged unless the total amount is raised. The idea is that you can be a small part of a project that is unique, creative and inspiring. As John says, he wanted to produce a show "....that introduced people to the true champions of local, seasonal and honest foods." A program that "looked as beautiful as the foods tastes."

I hope you can help "In Season" become a reality. It will not only have a positive economic effect on the agriculture of our rural area of Virginia, but John will be traveling across America seeking out unique food sources and exposing unseen areas and discoveries with you.

As of this writing, John has 20% raised. He has only 18 days left to raise the funds needed, so time is of the essence. Click here to find out how you can help "Kickstart" John's PBS show:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/49218096/in-season-with-john-macpherson?ref=live

John's cookbook available online and in our shop

Other links of interest:

inseasontv.com
fosterharris.com
tourdepicure.com
http://www.town.washington.va.us/
http://www.kickstarter.com/profile/49218096
Huffington Post article on Kickstarter: http://huff.to/x3yAYe

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Gorgeous Tea Towel Designs
From Le Jacquard Francais

I'm feeling the love for these new tea towel designs now online from Le Jacquard Francais. This table linen company has always created stunning imagery in their advertisements and the towels here are creatively displayed as framed pieces of art hung amidst a natural setting of ivy covered walls.

My favorite designs are the "Toucan", "Kumquat," and "Datura." Their rich, intense, saturated colors were inspired from Argentinean textiles, motifs, nature and wildlife. Le Jacquard Francais has just released several new tablecloth and table runner designs as well, all with an Argentinean-inspired style and passion. I have another post coming up about these mouth-watering designs, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, give me your take on these bold colors and graphics. Would you enjoy using these towels in your own kitchen? I am stealing their great idea of framing one for my kitchen walls. Love that look!

Toucan

Kumquat

Datura

Passiflore

All designs shown here are available in my shop on Main Street in Little Washington, VA, and online @ http://www.rhballard.com.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

One-of-a-Kind Signs & Objects

We have a new section on our website that will be devoted to One-of-a Kind signs and objects. We love unusual vintage signs and unique pieces that were once used to advertise retail establishments, restaurants, hotels, or something mysterious or special. This type of signage is an art form and each work has a history (or mystery), chipped paint (or lack thereof), and loads of character.

The sign above, Swan Inn, c. 1940, 36" x 24", wood, $695., was found in the mountainous area of Blowing Rock, NC. It is a hand made, hand painted folk art trade sign made in America. It still has it's brightly colored paint, some chipping away at the bottom. We think it is possibly from Swan Quarter, North Carolina. If you are familiar with this Inn or area of North Carolina, please send me a message!

Old Roulette Wheel, c. 1940, 26" x 15", in metal, wood, pencil, $550.

This old roulette wheel was found in a bar that was closing in Manns Choice, PA. It is a hand made gaming piece, very special and actually works. It's still retains some of the original paint and blue pencil markings, and each little prong is actually a nail that's had the head clipped off. It makes a clicky sound when it spins. This is definitely a collector's piece.

$4.00 Per Couple Sign, c. 1950 wood, $95.

This cute piece was found near Woodstock, VT. It could have been a sign made for a weekly dance, or dinner. The wood is very thick and heavy, and it seems to have been a permanent sign that was attached to a fence or other structure. There was a wire attached to the back so that it can be now hung on a wall.

Pickers Wanted Sign, c. 1920, 20 x 26, wood, metal, $395.

I'm a big fan of the television show, American Pickers,so this really tickled me. This was found in Strasburg, Virginia. A hand made sign that is made from tree branches, large nails, heavy pieces of wood and local materials. The sign must have been used to hire pickers for tomatoes. I really like the tomato which has a little metal patch that's been hammered on like a bandage.

.50 Cent Chicken Dinner, c.1920, 25" x 19 1/2", wood, $195.

This is an amazing piece of Americana. When was the last time you paid 50 cents for a chicken dinner? This was also found in Strasburg, Virginia. The sign has been painted over several times. You can just make out the words "MEALS AND LODGING" underneath the words "50 cents Chicken Dinner." Part of the wood has been disengaged from the other half so you only see a few words. The wood is thick and very old.

If you have questions or wish to purchase any of these one of a kind signs/objects, you can go to our website, give us a call at 1 888 503-3349, or shoot me an email, joan@rhballard.com. More unique pieces will be added to the website as they arrive so please check back often.

I would love to hear your feedback about these pieces so please feel free to post a comment!

Monday, January 23, 2012

New Rug Designs from Artist Laura Megroz

We just received several new rug designs in the shop that are fun, fresh and colorful. We've carried Chandler 4 Corners work for many years and I was struck by the whimsical nature of the new rugs by American Folk Artist Laura Megroz.

The rugs are made from New Zealand wool, available in a wide variety of sizes, and have a contemporary yet traditional feel. Fetching in a manner that is approachable yet sophisticated, Megroz' work can fit snugly into a lakeside cabin, mountaintop refuge, seaside cottage, or even an urban flat, any environment looking for a spark of color and added warmth. They are also perfect for perking up a child's room.

Take a peek here at several new designs: