European Focus Village Closes Retail Store

The retail "bricks and mortar" phase of this popular and much beloved store is over. We closed the store on January 1, 2013.

Thank you to our loyal customers for their support from November, 2003 to our closing night.

James and Jenean Derheim are now focused on their growing wholesale business with Bouncies from Bohemia www.bounciesfrombohemia.blogspot.com and on their successful tour business at www.europeanfocus.com

Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix 2012

This weekend is the Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Fesitval. It’s my first summer here, but I’ve heard it’s kind of a big deal. We all know that Sarasota is a sleepy coastal town in the summer so take this advantage to have fun while you can.

Events You Can’t Miss This Weekend:

1. Festival Parade of Boats

All competing boats will be making their way down Main Street starting at 7. Music, racers, and if it’s anything like usual parades, tons of freebies.

2. Block Party

After the parade stick around to party into the night. Vendors and food carts will take over Main Street starting at 5pm. Local darlings The Garbage Men and Chameleon will be providing live music in J.D. Hammel Park.

3. Powerboats by the Bay

Sounds just like a block party only this one will be at Centennial Park. All of the festival food and fun for free from 10 am to 9 pm. A perfect price for this economy.

 

4. Miss Super Boat Bikini Contest

If you happen to be at Powerboats by the Bay on Saturday stop by for the fine American tradition of objectifying women in the Grand Prix Bikini Contest from 3-4:30. Hey, no hatin’ here. If you’ve got it, flaunt it.

 

5. Super Boat Grand Prix

After all the fuss, head to Lido Beach to see the boats in action. There are two heats starting at 11am and 1pm. Bring your spf and settle in for a day by the waves. 

50% Off Blowout Sale!

Almost everything in the store is 50% off! (Excludes Putumayo, Devi Jewelry and Bouncies).

Here's just a sample of some deals you can find:

Little Odd Forest now $13-$30

Portuguese Pottery now $6-$21

Jacquard Tea Towel now $8.50

Oilcloth Bags now $7-13.50

We'll be open until 8pm on Friday and Saturday. Stop by and see us in person or visit us at www.efvillageshop.com!

Sarasota Movie Review: First Position

I am in love with Burn's Court Cinemas.

The theater is quaint and old fashioned looking without feeling old. I don't get serenaded by models on jet skis trying to sell me Fanta while I wait for the movie to begin. The small theater, with it's stage light in the far corner and mere two rows of seating creates a cozy atmosphere. I feel like I'm stepping back to a time when movies weren't available on demand. You went to the theater not because you were bored but because you want to experience art. 

This week I felt extra "artsy" as I took in First Position, a documentary about the Youth America Grand Prix ballet competition. Each year 5000 ballet students world wide will compete for only 300 spots in the final competition. The film follows six of them to see what it really takes to make a career in ballet. 

Ballet has fascinated me ever since the very twisted film Black Swan, but I appreciated this film's positive outlook on this very competitive art. While it does show the strenuous schedule required of the young performers it also shows that they each have a true passion to pursue dance. Joan Sebastian, a teen from Colombia, was put in training by his mother to keep him off the streets. Another film subject, 14-year-old Michaela, was inspired by a photo of a ballerina during her time in a Sierra Leone orphanage and vowed to one day become as beautiful and graceful as the woman she saw on a magazine cover. 

The Youth America Grand Prix awards ballet contracts and scholarships to the best performers. Rebecca, a high school senior featured in the film, is banking on the competition to bring her a career instead of going to college. It's a life changing moment for all of the featured competitors. It was inspiring to watch each of their journey's from very different backgrounds to one prestigious competition. 

Burn's Court frequently swaps out it's films, so don't miss your chance to see this wonderful documentary. You can find showtimes here. 

A History of Provencale Fabrics

I was going to write a post on the history of tablecloths in France, but Jenean isn't here to spellcheck my French. Instead I thought this video provided a good summary. Enjoy!

PS: Wanting a handcrafted tablecloth from Provence of your own? Visit our store to our selection of Provencale fabrics.

DIY Cavallini: Reverse Paper Art

I was recently inspired by this Pinterest to create some art:



It seemed like a quick and easily project so simple it came from a Mommy Blog and was meant to keep five-year-olds busy.

HA! I was so naive.

First off, in my defense, I did make things way more complicated than they needed to be. My vision was larger than a mere handful of crayons. And that canvas was down right petite. No no no, my masterpiece was going to be a giant explosion of waxy color.

So, for better or worse, I set out to create be an artiste. Here are instructions (plus a few things I learned the hard way).

DIY Cavallini: Reverse Paper Art

Supplies:

• Box of crayons 
• Scissors 
• Hot glue gun 
• White canvas (don't be too ambitious) 
• Depending on how poor you are either contact paper or a cut out of a shape you like and rubber cement, double stick tape or a glue stick.

Step 1:

 If you have contact paper (a double sided sticky parchment), cut out a shape that you want to be left in a white outline. I chose an Eiffel tower from a Cavallini decorative wrap. Since I didn't feel like making the long trek back to Michaels I used rubber cement to secure the tower. It works because even though the cut out is firmly in place it also is easily lifted off later.





Step 2:

This is a purely gratuitous picture of my getting in the way. 

Step 2: (for real): 

Hot glue a row of crayons at the top. Do not make the mistake I did and unwrap them all. Not only is it time consuming but it also causes the colors to run together more than they normally would once you melt them. The wrappers keep colors separate. I also attempted to use adhesive letters to spell out a French phrase. It didn't work for me as they weren't stuck on well enough and started to fly off the canvas. But if you're feeling creative, give it a try.



Step 3: 

Using a hair dryer (It will get everywhere so I recommend stealing your roommate's) begin to melt the crayon wax. Note: Melting it on your kitchen counter with just a box in the background is a TERRIBLE idea. Wax splatters which meant we had to live with a nice rainbow sink and crayon flavored toast for a few days. Save yourself the headache of scrapping off crayon and do this outside or at the very least over newspaper. 

Step 4: 

This is what your canvas will begin to look like, only with defined colors because you listened to me and kept the wrappers on. The melting of the wax became quite the process. I had planned to remove the crayons from the canvas, which meant pulling them off and then dealing with the white streaks left with the glue. Instead make a picture where the crayons look great on top (like this).











The Final Result?

Once the mostly dry peel off the Eiffel Tower (or leaning tower of Piza, elephant, whatever you used). Touch up the outline with white paint and voila!

Mine still needs some touching up. I also went through and peeled off the chunkier pieces of wax and remelted them to make the colors smoother. 

Our Cavallini papers are only $4.50 and come in a variety of themes. Whether you're into London, Italy, or Paris, there's something to spark your creative fancy. 

See for yourself at www.efvillageshop.com!

An Afternoon In Burns Court

This afternoon I took some time to explore Burns Square. A newbie to Sarasota (the 24th of May will mark six months!) my roommate was quick to fill me in that this was the "artsy" quarter of Sarasota. Burns Court, which houses the local independent cinema, was first built when John Ringling rolled into town to house the little people who performed in his circus. The houses were built smaller and today still resemble the beautiful architecture of the turn of the century.

Main Street is always full of action and has everything from toy stores to fine dining. But on a quiet afternoon Burns Square is perfect for a quiet stroll in search of treasures.

I started at Starflower Essentials, an all organic skin care line made with the freshest of ingredients. The sales woman, Vera, was warm and welcoming and if there was chance the stores products could give me her glowing skin I was all aboard! I walked away with the Rose Almond Exfoliant and Mask. It's made with essential oils and crushed almonds and promises to "leave skin moisturized and silky smooth". I'll have to keep you updated on the results but I can't wait to try it at home tonight before bed.

My next stop was Delight. I love this store because what isn't a chic item from a designer label (for an unbelievable price) is made from re-purposed fabric. There's a beautiful bohemian dress made of sheer fabric and scarves I've had my eye on for a while. A selection of the store's items is also available at the Farmer's Market each weekend.

I had just a few moments left to make it to my shift at European Focus but I had to check out the Tortoise & Pearl. This store is simply exquisite. It had everything from gorgeous vintage tea cups to hand crafted jewelry. I am definitely going back to pick up some of the vintage decor pieces but with only a few minutes I barely had time to grab a steel heart and wings wall hanging and a hand drawn birthday card for my sister.

Main Street is the perfect shopping destination if you're looking for a gift, new outfit or something to eat. But occasionally it's nice to get out and meet the neighbors. Once you've stopped by to tell us hello wander down orange and check out what the quaint stores of Burns Square have to offer.

We'll be waiting at 1469 Main Street to hear what you thought. And as always, at www.efvillageshop.com.