La Petite Maison

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La Petite maison, 18190 Main St.  Jamestown, Ca 95327

Today was a another fun day at La Petite Maison.  I had the nicest group of ladies (girlfriends who were out playing)  come into the store. They loved the store and I loved that they loved the store. That’s a lot of love!!  The lady in this picture (third from left) was hosting her friends at her house in Cooperopolis, CA.  Shopping and lunch were on the agenda for the day.  We got started taking pictures when they saw my metal eiffel tower on my roof.  They are all going to France together in September and they said they needed a picture with them and the tower.  What a perfect background!  Hopefully when they are in France they will get a picture in front of the real eiffel tower. France is also the home of my French Soap line, Lepi de Provence, which the ladies made sure to buy. I explain to customers that once they use this soap they will never use anything else.  Its that good!!! The most luxurious lather!  Its made with shea butter so of course its going to leave your skin smooth and soft.  I have twenty scents in the store right now.  Four of these are brand new scents from the company this year –   White Musk, Citrus Black Tea, Lotus Bamboo and Lemongrass.   The winner with the ladies was Lemongrass. Isn’t it funny, thats my bestseller!

The picture above was taken when the ladies made their way into the garden area.  Luckily my young helpers had just been here in the morning pulling weeds, so the yard was looking mighty fine for pictures. This time I told them it was my turn to take the pictures, and voila (love my french) the picture for my new blog post.

So, all you girlfriends out there, come up to La Petite Maison for your girlfriend get away shopping in lovely historic Jamestown, CA .

Till my next blog….. Karen

As we celebrate Memorial Weekend I hope that people will remember what this weekend is really all about. Its about taking the time, a few minutes or even longer to remember those who have lost their lives in the war. This is my cousin Army Pfc. Robbie Mariano of Stockton, CA.  Robbie and four others soldiers were killed near Najaf, Iraq on January 5, 2006, when a roadside bomb was detonated near his convoy. His duty was to man a .50 -caliber machine gun atop a Humvee in search of insurgents. Robbie  joined the Army in November of 2004 and was deployed to Iraq a year later. While at Fort Hood, Texas , he met and fell in love with Brittany Power.  Brittany was not interested in dating a fellow soldier. According to Brittany “he kept showing up at my barracks with his guitar and a smile” . Robbie would tell her “I’ll grow on you”.  Which he did and they eventually got engaged.  Unfortunately they never got a chance to marry as Robbie died before they could get married.  The military was nice enough to fly Brittany all the way from Iraq to Stockton, CA for his funeral. They did not have to do this considering she was not his spouse.  It meant the world to Robbie’s family that she was there and that they had a chance to meet her for the first time.  Brittany returned to Iraq to her post in Baghdad January 29, 2006.

Robbie’s funeral was attended by almost a 1000 people. Some who didn’t even know him, but just wanted to honor a fallen soldier.  At his service Brigadier General Gregg Martin presented his father, mother, brother and Brittany with the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, the Iraqi Campaign Medal and the Combat Action Badge.  Robbie was only 22 years old! Brigadier General Gregg Martin was quoted as saying at his service, “Robbie was a true hero, he enlisted after 911 knowing he was joining an army at war. He was a true warrior. The best”. Robbie was buried at the San Joaquin Catholic Cemetery in Stockton, CA. If your in the area, please stop by and say hello to a hero.

I’m sharing Robbie’s story with you so we don’t forget.  Enjoy your Memorial Weekend, but please don’t forget those and those that came before them who fought for our freedoms.

I would love to hear about your loved ones, please tell me about them.

My table theme was “Traditional Dining”.  I used my beautiful Casafina “Maderia Harvest”  dinnerware pattern from the store.  I used two of Casafina’s best selling colors – creme and vanilla  – to create a  soothing color scheme. This color theme continued right into my flower arrangement that I hand picked the flowers for.  I used accessory pieces from the Maderia Harvest collection including the sugar and creamer, salt and pepper shakers and water pitcher. The watcher pitcher also served as my vase.  Antique candler holders held creme candle sticks that added a lovely touch.  The accessory pieces that got the most comments from the table were the erasable placecards.  Again in the Maderia Harvest pattern, the placecards are 3” and fit a name perfectly.  I used my brown caligraphy pen and wrote the names right on the placecard.  I did stand near my table a couple of times and people who recognized me would ask how I got the name on the placecard and I told them how easy it was. 

I was very proud to use my sterling silverware from England made in the early 1900′s given to me and my husband as a wedding present from my mother in law and father in law, Sandy and Dave Vogel of  Hawaii.  Sandy and Dave lived in England at the time Pete and I got married and found this in an antique shop.

Unfortunaltey I didn’t win the contest, but I did get alot of comments on the dishware.  I was hoping to get into the top four. Oh well, next time!  Maybe I should try an over the top table next year.  Give me your ideas for my next contest!!  Let me know what you think of my setting!                                         Karen, Owner  La Petite Maison  

We would like to thank you, our valued customer for supporting our store. We just finished another great holiday season and we couldn’t have done it without you.

Can you believe it’s a New Year?
Did anyone else feel like the past year just flew by? Last year was an incredibly busy year for all of us at La Petite Maison. We accomplished many goals and projects all in an effort to keep the store as appealing, fresh and inspiring as possible. This year will be no different.

Looking Back Our busy year started in February with a new and improved green room, which we like to call our “Chic Lodge” Room. Our goal with this room is to show our customers how to incorporate contemporary rustic style into to their homes and cabins. Our biggest project of the year was the remodel of the children’s room. This project was a major undertaking and took more time and energy than we expected. To go along with the room, we organized the “Great Mother Lode Baby Photo Contest” with our 12 winners being featured in our 2010 Baby Photo Calendar. How fun the room is with its bubble gum pink wall and great baby socks and apparel as well as the beautiful pictures of the calendar babies!
Artist Joanne Allen In August, we hosted an art reception for our friend and customer of the store, Joanne Allen. Her work captured us instantly as we’re huge fans of watercolor. We wanted to share her gifts with the rest of you. If you haven’t seen it, there is still a chance to acquire some of her work, as a few pieces are still in the store.
Changes in Store Schedule We have some changes coming this year and wanted to make sure you knew about them right away. Starting January 5, 2010 will we be closed on Tuesday’s. This will only be until mid March. Then it’s back to seven days a week 10:00 am to 5:00 pm for your shopping pleasure. We will also be closing the store January 11th and reopening January 16th. We are due for a short vacation and some recharging of the batteries after such a busy year. We knew you would understand and we look forward to serving you with renewed sprite when we return.
Where’s Shelley? If you’re wondering why Shelley our store manager won’t be keeping the store open during vacation, it’s because she and her husband Jim are coming with us. If there is one person that deserves this vacation it is Shelley. As you all should know, Shelley is the backbone of the store and the one that makes sure your shopping needs are met. We get many great compliments on her service and I want to make sure we don’t burn her out. So vacation here we come!
Once home, it’s back to work getting our new spring inventory out and keeping the store fresh and interesting. We’re searching for new lines and expanding others. We are close to securing a fresh new exclusive line of jewelry for the store. And we are also working on bringing in new home décor, garden items and furniture from Peru. Curious about the new products? Here’s a hint …. New Sid Dickens Memory Blocks, leather chairs, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, water fountains and outside garden wrought iron…
We are still hard at work on the website and it’s coming along with the help of Pete, as well as Bob Gelman of BGAmedia. Bob has been a great help with our marketing. The two of them are continually working on new and interesting features for the website. Look for new video decorating tips and more on our website and blog. Pete has created links in “Facebook” and “Gold of the MotherLode” . Another interesting social media site is “Yelp” where you can leave reviews of your favorite stores and restaurants. We hope we make the cut there with you! We had strong online sales during the holidays and we hope you continue to use the website whenever possible if you not in the area. Please check it out @ www.lapetitemaisononline.com. We will be sending out a store survey soon and request your input about likes, and dislikes with our store. This is your opportunity to help guide our future direction and let us know what’s on your mind and where we can improve. We can’t do it without you and all constructive input and opinions are always welcome. Thank You again for your support and here’s to a great new year and the best customers a business could ask for. Karen and Pete Luckhardt, Owners La Petite Maison

The gala reception where we will announce the winners and formally cut the ribbon to open our new “Trumpette” baby room will now take place on October 3rd, from 3-6PM.

The first-place winner of the contest will receive a $50 gift certificate and be featured as a large portrait adorning the wall of our Trumpette Room for the entire year, plus it will also be featured at Trumpette’s flagship store in the the Pavilions Shopping Center in Sacramento.

Eleven runners-up will receive a $25 gift certificate and will also get to hang on the walls of the Jamestown store for three months. All twelve top entries will appear in a 2010 Calendar being published by La Petite Maison, with first-place on the cover.

Have a tyke or toddler you think can take the prize? Entering is a simple matter of sending us a photo portrait (black and white preferred) of your fave babe under three years old by email to contest@lapetitemaison.com, or postal mail to the store at 18190 Main St, Jamestown, CA 95327.

Include the child’s name and your relationship, and your complete contact information. To have your photo returned, you must include return address. Remember, submission deadline is September 21.

We were recently contacted by Niesha Lofing mom.me blogger for the Sacramento Bee who thought our Baby Photo Contest would be of interest to her readers. You can read our article and check our her blog by clicking here.