Friday, September 28, 2012

Happy Weekend!!!

Image by Jane Heller

Happy Weekend Everyone!!!

WOW!! Can you believe that in just 3 short days we will be heading into the month of October?! 

Although I am a Summer girl through and through and the thought of heading into Fall makes me cringe a bit...
I do enjoy the next following weeks with all my heart..
There is the ever so slight change in the trees as they are dappled with bits of yellow and orange. The air becomes sweet again. The mornings, although they are cool to start, warm up into the most cloudless of skies only to set into the most awe inspiring of sunsets which follow into a night that is perfect for sleeping.

Time is slow again...
Schools have begun their routines, barbeques and Summer obligations have ended and the beaches...
Ohhhh the beaches are wide open and are ready for dogs and families and early Fall swims..

It is hard to start decorating for Fall when the hot pink geraniums 
spring back to life.

The rain comes but it is balmy and windy so the windows stay open mimicking the early Spring.

It's time for apple picking, cider donuts, picnics on the beach, the last lobster roll, long drives along the coast and no obligations...

It's the calm before the storm...
Before Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years...

Wedding season along the shoreline has ended..

It's time to reflect, enjoy time and the simple things in life...


 Be Safe, Go for a Drive and Have a Great Weekend!!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Pop-Up!

 I am currently OBSESSED, INSPIRED and Madly in LOVE with the Pop-Up designs of Jenny Chen...
They have already gotten my mind spinning on Holiday cards and most importantly..
The Monsters Birthday in June...

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Monday, September 24, 2012

a little glitter to start your week....

I guess since this past Saturday marked the official start to Fall...
I might as well give in and say goodbye to Summer...
Maybe.. some glittery Fall goodness will help....

All pieces above are from Pottery Barn

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Kickin it Old School..Leopards, Jaguars and Cheetahs, Oh My!

Cheetah Print by Berkley Illustration on Etsy

If you grew up in a Wasp home. most likely you will find some sort of animal print lurking around....
It may be real or it may be faux.
It can come in the form of a coat, a pillow, and most definitely..
as a trophy head...

Wasps LOVE to hunt and even if they don't it will still find its way into the home to make you think that they actually do.
Usually it will be a deer, a moose and perhaps the beloved mink.
 But in the truest of Wasp style..
you will find the exotic..
Exotic meaning...
leopards, lions and peacocks..
 
 Since the cat prints are so similar..
Fortunately for us..
I have given a few visual examples..
Because you might just be wearing cheetah instead of leopard...
So to back track...I'll give you a little bit of history..
During the 20's and 30's most Wasps felt the need to covet these exotic creatures.
Cheetahs and peacocks seem to have made the top of the list..
I mean..why not?
Who wouldn't want one?
Fortunately today...
(and I like to think it's because of our evolvement as humans)
one can no longer obtain one..
(technically only in these few States)
 But during those eras...
socialites LOVED them!
Osa Johnson with pet Cheetah 1939, Josephine Baker with Chiquita 1931, 
Parisian Woman with pet Cheetah 1932, Phylis Gordon with pet Cheetah 1939

Now.. if you have been following along with my tales...you know that my  Great-Grandparents traveled to Africa by Steamer across the Atlantic to go on Safari....
There were many many animals that came back and were prominently displayed on the walls and floors but what you may not know...
is that they brought back a lion cub...
Crazy right??
Well apparently the mother had been killed so they felt the best thing to do was to bring it back home..
Doesn't every Boston home need a lion?
My Great Grandmother with "Mikey Simba"

Unfortunately, lion cubs turn into lions..
So Mikey Simba was sent to the zoo to live.
Now as they story goes.. every time my Great-Uncle would visit Mikey at the Franklin Zoo..
he would ALWAYS remember him...

So what started with the socialites as a trend (and status symbol), eventually made its way into the fashion industry..

Which quickly jumped onto the silver screen...
and perhaps a First Lady or two..
Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Natalie Wood


and voila...leopard print was born...
thus leading itself into every decade...

Having these exotic prints in my home, led them further into my life...

Starting in college with my Banana Republic leopard belt
(I still have AND wear it)
to 
living in Italy where my dear friend Sabine's leopard coat made me weak in the knees
to
the lovely Miss Heidi's use of it in her home and showing me how to incorporate into mine..


But one has to be careful with leopard(or cheetah or jaguar)
as one doesn't want to end up looking like this...

It has to be carefully edited....
 
 Le Blog de Sushi Vogue
To Vogue or Bust  Love Maegan

But how can a Wasp of today make it modern and fresh?
Perhaps with the use if color?

Doesn't Miss Blair Edie of Atlantic-Pacific do it just perfectly?!

Denim is a must...

and it certainly makes any piece of jewelry a statement..


and for those edgy wasps...
print, pattern and texture works fabulously! 
where did you get that
vanessa jackson   
sabo skirt  style saint

Of course one cannot forget the HOME...
Guardian
Carl Kleiner
Moodboard  Cup of Te  This is Glamorous 
Traditional Home,  Traditional Home


But don't you worry...because leopard will NEVER go out of style...

I have been coveting a few pieces and can't wait to add to my collection...























































1. Long Sleeve Button Down at Piperlime
2. Lucille Dress at J.Crew
3. Printed Cropped Trousers at Zara
4. Marie Clutch at Anat Marin
5. Bangle at J.Crew
6. Leopard Print Scarf with Border at Zara
7.An;e Skinny Cords at Piperlime
8. Leopard Print Satin Tunic at Zara
9. Leopard Print Tote at Old Navy
10. Kate Spade Bow Belt at Piperlime


So there you have it folks...
Old School Leopard style...
Who knows..you might just see me sporting these new kicks this Fall...
Leopard Boots via Asos

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Monday, September 17, 2012

a little glitter to start your week....

 
I spied the other day at Home Goods, the most fabulous set of white leather and metallic silver zebra print trunks...
So...since I have become obsessed...
I thought I'd wrangle up some other pieces...
 Zebra rug at RugsUSA

 Metallic Zebra Leggings at Rag & Bone
Stephanie Johnson Palm Desert Mini Pouch at Rain Collection

Friday, September 14, 2012

Happy Weekend!!!!

Image by Adeline & Grace
flowers by Hana Floral Design
Deirdre & Jay, Island Farm on Elihu Island 9/13/08

Happy Weekend Everyone!!

Nothing makes me happier in the late summer/early fall than a bridal bouquet filled with dahlias...
Dahlias are the last tell tale sign of summer in the garden..
For me, they are like fireworks..
the last hurrah of sorts.. 
a beautiful colorful explosion in your hands..

At the Island, the ladies have carefully and meticulously cared for the growing and the cultivation of dahlias in the garden.

Growing dahlias is certainly a commitment...
They are tubers so they have to be planted early in the Spring,
constantly clipped to bring new growth during the summer and finally dug up and housed away in the basement in the Fall. 

I love watching the gorgeous Sperry Tent go up next to the garden and it's almost as if they know that it's wedding season..
They seem to straighten themselves up and brush themselves off just in time for the bride & groom to come their way.

Just today, the orange ones seem to smile as Diane & Jason walked by them for their wedding rehearsal..

Happy Happy Anniversary to Deirdre & Jason who also share my love for dahlias, the Island and most importantly family! 

Be Safe, Smell the Flowers and Have a Great Weekend!!
 

Thursday, September 13, 2012

For the Love of Lavender.....

Image by Amanda D'Arcy

I'm not quite sure when and where my love for lavender actually started...
but once it did..
there was no turning back.

I have been a very very lucky lady...having been exposed to so many International Gardens..
floating on a barge through France,
trodding through the sheep dappled English countryside in Junior High and finally living in Florence, Italy just a few steps from the Boboli Gardens. 
These gardens were absolutely ae inspiring for me...
tranquil, romantic, manicured,  yet wonderfully wild 
In fact..doesn't that epitomize lavender?

So..when we renovated our antiquated farmhouse..and realized we would not be living abroad..
I was very very determined to bring those gorgeous European gardens to me.

So the lavender walkway began...

Dozens and dozens of boxes filled with tiny lavender plants arrived at my doorstep via White Flower Farm.

The Monster at a mere 2 years of age was right there beside me..
getting his real first taste of gardening...
One year later..we could finally sit back, celebrate with some pudding and admire our hard work...
Images by chocolate creative design

Over the years...we have watched them grow into crazy wonderful beautiful bushes...
and if you have ever read "Practical Magic" then you know that..
"you keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck".

and luck it has brought....
it has also given us 
praying mantises for the Monster to feed by hand,
wonderful flowers to put in Auntie Egg's room when she visits
and 
the most glorious of scents when you walk by and gently run your fingers through on your way to our side door.

and..
it seems to have inspired me in the work that I have created...

Bundled as a clue in a Save the Date
 Images by Anna Sawin

Stamped on a wedding invitation envelope
Image by Anna Sawin

Sprinkled inside an invitation suite
Image by Anna Sawin

and just this year..
a wreath designed especially for Eleanor & Matt's wedding.
Image by Iris Photography

Out of all the plants in my garden they have become my "babies".
I'm not sure if it's because of their beauty or because I simply know the least about them....
So I enlisted the help of the "Lavender Whisperer", the lovely Miss Moira Casadaei.

Moira, whose daughter Bri runs Terra Firma Farm, is the lady behind their Faire Ivy soap.
One of my favorites is their lavender scrub.

Moira, being the wonderful kind soul that she is, offered to come and check out my lavender bushes as they had been looking a tad sickly.
Dressed in a fabulous white dress and armed with a giant set of clippers, Moira proceeded to hack and shape my purple ladies in the heat of a late afternoon summer day.
As the sun drew down...there were piles and piles of lavendar cuttings...
We scooped them up and gently placed them into her car..
Did you know that it takes about a zillion lavender flowers to make just a tiny ounce of lavender oil?
So Moira took them back to her "lab"  and hopefully was able to get just enough for a batch of their AMAZING lavender scrub soap.
image by Moira Casadei

 So if you head on over to Faire Ivy and pick up a bar of their lavender scrub or other lavender products...
you might just be picking something from our garden that The Monster and I have cultivated with love...

To Miss Moira-
Thank you for your kindness, patience, knowledge, sense of humor, great conversation and now a wonderful friendship.