Have you ever. Can you pick me? I pretty much look the same. Same fat cheeks, little nose, and big mouth. Why is my hair sticking out on the sides like that? Did my mama do that on purpose? Was I going through a Hasidic phase? And who cut those bangs? So many questions. When… Continue reading The Easter Bear
News & Notes
Lenten Roses for the Last of Lent
Lenten roses, aka hellebores, are rather un-sung heroines of the garden–in the US anyway. In Europe they are much beloved as some of the earliest bloomers, hence their name marking mid-February as the time their their petals begin to peek out. With hundreds of species ranging in color from chartreuse to deep claret, hellebores deserve… Continue reading Lenten Roses for the Last of Lent
New Site for Mecox Gardens, and a Discount for Visiting
Mecox Gardens, that most stylish of home furnishings and accessories shops, has become an indispensable resource for designers and design aficionadas everywhere. Just try getting through an issue of House Beautiful, Veranda, or Elle Decor without a Mecox Gardens credit. You can’t….So this is exciting news: Mecox Gardens has a new website. And the selection is HUGE. It’s a one-man Pinterest. It’s Houzz at a glance. It’s very good…
How to Say No, Politely
When it comes to the most important words in the language, right up there with Thank You, I Love You, Please, and Dinner is Served… is No.
You already know this, but we all (maybe especially us girls) need reinforcement now and then.
I saw this on TheEverygirl.com, a terrific blog I’ve recently discovered, and thought we could use it about now…
Design Notes From Aspen’s “New” Hotel Jerome
Luxury hotels these days out-do themselves to out-“design” one another with decidedly mixed results. While many are impressive, few are inspiring in terms of ideas you might deploy in your own perhaps more modest domestic context. A hotel we visited in Aspen last week made me want to, well, get a room. Ladies and gentlemen,… Continue reading Design Notes From Aspen’s “New” Hotel Jerome
Treat Everyone Like Their Heart Is Breaking
We never know what someone else is going through, or living with, or coming from. A smile can mean the world, just as a snide remark can be crushing. This is not to say be a doormat. It is just to say to be kind–to the waiter, to the shop clerk, to the girl on the phone in Mumbai, to the hotel maid.
A Spring Green Table
How pretty is this table?! So fresh and green with spring and bright with color, how could you not have a perfectly grand time sitting ’round it? Well we sure did.
Quince and Lace Curtains
I love flowering quince. One of the earliest blooming shrubs, usually right behind forsythia, or “for Cynthia” as I used to call it, quince is one of those things you can just stick in a vase and it’s beautiful. Going through seven million photos the other day I ran across this one taken few years ago… Continue reading Quince and Lace Curtains
Girls Just Wanna have Funghi
The post title refers of course to the famous Cyndi Lauper song “Girls Just Wanna Have Funghi,” but it later changed to “Fun,” which may be the version you are more familiar with. And do you remember this one… It ne-e-ver rains in California/But girl, don’t they warn ya/It pours/Man, it pours… It’s kind of an… Continue reading Girls Just Wanna have Funghi
A Quick Fix for Loose Ends
A quick and ingenious fix for loose computer cords when they’re not attached – saving you from fishing them off the floor, behind your desk, etc.
Art of the Heirloom – Original Designs for Seed Packets
Do you ever wonder who actually sits down and designs things like seed packets? How did they get the job? What a charming assignment it would be, and clearly is to those who do it.
Happy Birthday, Mama
I’ve spent most of this day trying not to write about my mama, but it didn’t work. Today was her birthday, would have been her 83rd. I’m not sure she would have liked being 83 unless she could still look and act like she was, say 63.