The wait is officially over! Our beloved Hunter Wellie boots have arrived -- just in time for the holidays. We love our Wellies so much because they are not only practical, but they are timeless, and of course, Urban Farmhouse chic and fashionable.
We have a rainbow assortment of colors and styles to choose from -- ladies, gents and children's sizes are in the store now. Find the perfect color to suit your personality. And don't forget to add a pair of warm wellie socks to keep your toes nice and toasty. Our Wellie boots are flying out the door, so hurry on in.
Tuesday, November 30
Wednesday, November 24
My Mom's Famous Thanksgiving Stuffing
No matter how hard I try to plan my Thanksgiving menu, I know the star of the meal will be my Mom's Famous Thanksgiving stuffing. As a child, my brother and I duked it out on many occasions for the last delicious spoonful. And who could blame us -- her stuffing is pure magic.
3/4 Granny Smith apple, diced small
3-4 slices of cooked bacon, diced small
2 medium potatoes, peeled, precooked and diced small
salt and pepper
2 cooked carrots, diced small
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon of flour
1/2 - 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 x 2 inch block Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon of honey
Chopped parsley
Method
In a large pan, saute onions with butter until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cooked kidney and giblets, bacon and apples. Salt and pepper to taste. Next, add cooked carrots, potatoes and yogurt. Stir and cook until well mixed. Meanwhile, mix white wine with flour in a small bowl. Add to pan and stir. Add breadcrumbs, gruyere and honey. Sprinkle with parsley. Place stuffing in turkey and place turkey in oven to finish cooking.
We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving -- filled with inspiration, loved ones and family traditions.
Francette's Famous Thanksgiving Stuffing
Ingredients
Cooked kidney and giblets from turkey, diced small
1 medium onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, chopped3/4 Granny Smith apple, diced small
3-4 slices of cooked bacon, diced small
2 medium potatoes, peeled, precooked and diced small
salt and pepper
2 cooked carrots, diced small
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon of flour
1/2 - 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 x 2 inch block Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon of honey
Chopped parsley
Method
In a large pan, saute onions with butter until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cooked kidney and giblets, bacon and apples. Salt and pepper to taste. Next, add cooked carrots, potatoes and yogurt. Stir and cook until well mixed. Meanwhile, mix white wine with flour in a small bowl. Add to pan and stir. Add breadcrumbs, gruyere and honey. Sprinkle with parsley. Place stuffing in turkey and place turkey in oven to finish cooking.
Monday, November 22
Boots, Raincoats and Friends
What an epic day of fleaing it was! Despite the unseasonal storm that swept into Northern California, a line of dedicated Urban Farmhouse hunters (and huntresses) formed before the doors opened at our final Brocante of the season -- ready and armed with hunting prowess.
Our amazing team of Inspirers set up shelter from the pouring rains, with glowing votive candles -- looking so pretty and welcoming, as they happily sat in our favorite vintage Mason jars.
To chicken cages and original cider bottles from Paris -- there was something special waiting for everyone. Gifts for The Chef, The Entertainer, The Teacher, The Crafter, The Traveller, The Gardener, The Seedling, and of course, Fido too.
Even without the aid of Mother Nature, we witnessed our biggest turnout ever!
The treasures were endless: from large antique French preserve jars, silver plated serving dishes, linen nightgowns, vintage rolling pins and photo albums....
And speaking of chicken cages, Anie and her daughter from Sweet Bug Farm, walked away with a perfect new home for the chickens on their farm.
Thank you so much for spending the day fleaing with me. It was a day full of rummaging, laughing and dancing. It was a day full of Boots, Raincoats and Friends. Hope to see you, bright and early, rain or shine, at our next French Flea Market in February of 2011!
Thursday, November 18
French Flea Market This Saturday
Don't miss our last, highly anticipated, French Flea Market of the season! Hunt for one-of-a-kind treasures just in time for holiday gift-giving and entertaining.

Come early for the best finds -- 8am to 5pm! Rain or shine!

We'll have freshly baked pain au chocolat and treasures waiting for you. À bientôt!

Come early for the best finds -- 8am to 5pm! Rain or shine!

We'll have freshly baked pain au chocolat and treasures waiting for you. À bientôt!
Tuesday, November 16
Urban Farmhouse Thanksgiving Table
With the big day right around the corner, take a peek at our favorite Urban Farmhouse Thanksgiving table.

A long, weathered farmhouse style table is perfect for gathering and entertaining. The vintage benches are reclaimed original ballot boxes from the early 1900's. Treat each guest to their own limited edition Urban Farmhouse paper mache egg, designed to be cracked open to unveil a hidden surprise.

Handcrafted Alex Marshall white cermamics add simplicity and elegance, especially when paired with Belgian Libeco linens in our favorite flax color.

Leave your Hunter boots at the door and prepare to share in the bounty of the harvest with your loved ones. Come by the store and let us help you pull together your very own Urban Farmhouse Thanksgiving!

An oversized, French inspired vintage chalkboard, adorned with the evening's special menu, greets your guests as they enter the dining room.
A long, weathered farmhouse style table is perfect for gathering and entertaining. The vintage benches are reclaimed original ballot boxes from the early 1900's. Treat each guest to their own limited edition Urban Farmhouse paper mache egg, designed to be cracked open to unveil a hidden surprise.

Handcrafted Alex Marshall white cermamics add simplicity and elegance, especially when paired with Belgian Libeco linens in our favorite flax color.

Leave your Hunter boots at the door and prepare to share in the bounty of the harvest with your loved ones. Come by the store and let us help you pull together your very own Urban Farmhouse Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 7
Award Winning October Window
Take a look at the window that won first prize in the Mill Valley Film Festival window dressing competition! My team and I had so much fun creating it.
The idea was to imagine yourself watching an old French film in a barn in Provence.

Collector edition Poppe bottles lined an old farm bench bringing back memories at the old soda shop.
The idea was to imagine yourself watching an old French film in a barn in Provence.
We hung vintage film reels from the rafters to create drama and whimsy. $8-25 each
Vintage bistro chairs from Paris evoked theatre seating. $110 each
Collector edition Poppe bottles lined an old farm bench bringing back memories at the old soda shop.
Theatre stage lights were restored and illuminated the barn runway. We still have some left and they make perfect lighting by a sofa or bed. $950 each, 4 available
As they say at The End of every French film -- Fin. So we hung these salvaged metal letters front and center of the show. And great news -- the Film Festival votes on the most inspiring store window in town. There was some steep competition especially with Chef Tyler Florence's wonderful Film Festival window. But luck of the draw, Maison Reve won Grand Prize!
Wonderful antique cameras captured the moment. $85 each, 2 available
We found film reels at the flea market with fabulous movies that did the final trick to bring the window to life. $145, 1 available
As they say at The End of every French film -- Fin. So we hung these salvaged metal letters front and center of the show. And great news -- the Film Festival votes on the most inspiring store window in town. There was some steep competition especially with Chef Tyler Florence's wonderful Film Festival window. But luck of the draw, Maison Reve won Grand Prize!Many items from this window are available for purchase. Call or email us for pricing, photos and sizes: 415.383.9700 shop@maisonreve.com. We ship across the country.
Now, sit tight to see what we just created for our November Autumn window. I will post it later this week. It inspired me to start planning my Thankgiving dinner. Yasmine
Monday, August 16
French Flea Market this Saturday

You're invited to our French Flea Market this Saturday, August 21, 8am to 5pm.

It's in the back jardin of our store and held once a season.
We found fabulous treasures for you to rummage through. From street signs, French enamel lamps, birdcages, leather bags, porcelain pitchers, fondue sets, Paris juice cups, artwork, vintage crafting items and much more bric-à-brac.
Come early for best picks. Line forms at 8am. 
Spread the word, grab your café and come Flea with Me at the Maison Rêve French Flea Market!
Welcome Reyes!
One of our team Inspirers, just had her first baby! Ashley who manages http://www.maisonreve.com/ and takes all the beautiful photos you see in our online Shop just gave birth to Timothy Reyes.
Born August 3, weighing 5 lbs 12 oz, and stretching 20 inches, this little treasure will go by Reyes after Point Reyes, a favorite local getaway spot for Ashley and her husband Mike.
Wednesday, April 28
A Love Affair with Paint
Introducing our new paint collection -- The Maison Rêve 38 Colours by Farrow & Ball.
Paint is an easy way to refresh any room or worn furniture piece. Farrow & Ball paint is renowned for the ultimate in depth of colour and elegant finish.
Based in London, Farrow & Ball is the only manufacturer which makes all of the paint and wallpaper sold under its name. Their environmentally friendly paint is made with traditional methods using original formulations. They've never wavered from using only the finest raw materials rather than incorporating plastic “filler” like most others in the industry, resulting in 30% more pigment. We also like that they choose not to use less accurate in-store tinting machines, but instead make and check every batch themselves.
Behind the Scenes - Creating a Birch Tree
My team loves creating inspiring store windows for our customers. April was about celebrating Earth Day with an 11 foot birch tree. The white simplicity of these trees is very Maison Rêve.
To create a tree trunk, our inspiration started with a trip to the San Francisco Flower Market.
We found two urns with bended tree branches.
And a cluster of birch branches.
All tall enough, just not right. Keep hunting.
Then some larger birch branch logs. They could work if nailed together to make the trunk.
Until we discovered these hollow birch wraps. They come from fallen birch trees that rot in the middle, leaving these discarded exterior shells. A perfect way to recycle natural beauty! Stacking the right sizes inside another made our 11 foot trunk. The hunt was over.
Back at the Maison Rêve workshop it was time to start painting leaves in our new 38 Maison Rêve Colours by Farrow & Ball. We found pictures of birch leaves online that became our visual cutting guide.
Lauren hand-painted each leaf.
380 leaves - a lot of painting!
We then suspended the trunk with fishing line from the ceiling and made a grid of line above it to suspend the leaves. Voila!

Customers have really enjoyed the tree. We are now selling it with part proceeds going to support the environment. If interested email info@maisonreve.com. Great in a child's room as their "giving" tree.
The birch wraps are now a new product at the store. They are great for covering glass vases that hold flowers on a table. Or to wrap a pail of umbrellas, $38 each.
Stay tuned for our behind-the-scenes May window honoring Mother's Day with vintage treasures.
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