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these jars, which the home canner can use to store fruits and vegetables. Jar candles made with soy wax by Appleton business Eco Candle Company (ecocandleco.com) are available in earthy and natural scents such as goat's milk, herbs, radishes, and leafy greens. Call 262-542-8152 for prices and item availability. Mary Stawicki, employee of Monches Farm, 5890 Monches Road, Richfield, sug- gests a hand-made wreath to hang in the home or on the door. Starting at $25, wreaths are everlasting, with silk or dried flowers, or seasonal, with fresh ever- greens. The store also sells evergreen arrangements in festive tin, birch or ceramic pots decorated with reindeer and other Christmas motifs. While shopping at Monches Farm, make sure to browse Mary's Menagerie, local artist Mary Schwabenlander's collection of lifelike fiber art creatures made of wool. Gardeners need not worry about these cud- dly critters, including rabbits, mice, squir- rels and skunks, digging up their yard or flower beds. Prices range from $110 to $135. Call 262-966-2787 for availability of figures. The Front Porch, 1505 Highway 164 South, Waukesha, is a 10,000-square-foot store that offers shoppers a plethora of both gifts and decorating ideas. The store boasts a rustic Christmas décor display, including an 8-foot windmill. For a memorable gift, wind chimes for the garden are ideal, said Front Porch co- owner Ann Schneider. "When you give that as a gift, people remember you when they hear them," she said. The Front Porch offers custom floral and holiday decorating, both in customers' homes and in the store, along with a vari- ety of decorating and painting classes, and maintains a large and active Facebook presence, which allows Schneider and her business partner Vicki Mistele to connect with customers all across the United States. The store ships items domestically. For details call 262-521-2100. For the shopper who is still unsure as to what to get their gardener friend or rela- tive that seems to have every trendy home accessory and garden tool under the sun, a gift card is an easy solution. The rustic American farm- house look is a hot decorating trend that shows no sign of abating. Cast-iron weather vanes and watering cans (the rustier, the better), wooden chairs and benches with chipped paint, and weather- beaten wood and metal signs are all ways to achieve that authentic Americana feel. Here are some gift ideas in that vein: ■ Vintage red trucks are a trendy decorating motif at Waukesha Floral and Garden this year, according to store manager Michelle Pennefeath- er. The store sells these trucks in various incarnations, including figurines about 2 feet long, and canvas wall hangings of trucks along with other vin- tage holiday farm scenes. Some, such as holiday sleigh picture, come with blinking lights. Prices for both figurines and wall hangings start at $60. ■ For bona fide Americana items aged by time, Rusty Sprocket Antiques, 3385 S. Kin- nickinnic Ave., in the Bay View area of Milwaukee, is hard to beat. From vintage Coca-Cola signs to Ford and Chevy car and truck models to metal paint boxes, Rusty Sprocket offers many ways to purchase a true slice of the past. After shop- ping, patrons can enjoy a latte, soup, a sandwich, and other bakery items at Sprocket Café, which is connected to the store. ■ Galvanized metal signs with a retro touch, such as ones that read "Bakery" are all the rage, according to Ann Schnei- der, co-owner of the Front Porch in Waukesha. The store also sells wood and metal holi- day-themed signs with sayings such as "Tis The Season To Be Jolly" and "Peace on Earth" starting at $46. — Catherine Jozwik HOME DECEMBER 2017 2 Distributed by: ©2017 by Conley Media Waukesha County Home is published monthly by Conley Media - Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. A publication of Conley Media Sales Director: Jim Baumgart 262/513-2621 jbaumgart@conleynet.com Editor: Dan Muckelbauer 262/513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262/513-2690 pscheel@conleynet.com Home Volume 6 ■ Number 12 ■ December 2017 Garden gifts: From rustic charm to winsome chimes Americana accents show continued styling power Submitted photo A fiber arts menagerie made from felted wool can be found at Monches Farm near the hamlet of Monches in southern Washington County. Submitted photo The Front Porch, 1505 Highway 164 South, Waukesha, has a rustic Christmas display featuring an 8-foot windmill. Submitted photo Using a festive con- tainer to package gardening tools, such as shears and gar- dening glove, is a gift idea from Garden Gate Nursery, N48- W30756 Hill St., Hartland.

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