P i g t o w n * D e s i g n

Le Weekend

2012-01-29T21:58:00.001-05:00

Ha! I’ve been polishing up on my French as I’ve been applying pages of my 1897 book to the walls of my downstairs bath, but I have realized that one book isn’t going to cover all of the walls. So I popped over to the Book Thing this afternoon to scout some more French novels. My criteria for the books is that they have to have deckled edges on the paper, have some yellowing, not be too text heavy and be old.

I found a slightly more recent book this afternoon that ticks all of those boxes. La Vie des Sœurs Brontë par Emilie et Georges Romieu.The best thing about this book, aside from the topic, is that it has a few little illustrations. This one is of Anne’s dog, Flossy.And here are the sisters,Anne, Emily and Charlotte, painted by Patrick Branwel Brontë. The book was published in 1929, and I love that you can see the actual imprint of the letterpress letters on the pages. The book is really too fragile to read and I figure that by pasting up the pages, I am preserving it.

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I am scouting a building for the Baltimore Architecture Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Gala in April, so I went by to take some pictures. I was looking for a motif that I could use for the invitation and the collateral materials. It’s an old bank building that’s currently being leased/sold, so we have the use of it. It’s got so many great details that I thought I’d find the definitive one pretty quickly. Here are some I rejected:

But I did love the whole barley twist, spiral theme ran throughout the decoration on the building. I managed to peek inside the building and see some of its interesting features, too.

I think I spot the perfect place for the bar!

I loved the Greek Key motif in the tiled vestibule, but rejected that as too common.Of course, I could have taken the classical motif from my old Stubbs shoes!

But here’s the piece that really grabbed me. It’s graphic enough to make a good design element, yet unique enough to be indicative of the building.After fiddling around with it on Photoshop, I realized that I needed to get a clear picture of the bronze gate without all of the distractions behind it. So I drove back today to take some more pictures.Naturally, the gates were closed and locked today, so I had to stuck my big piece of tag-board through the bars, and then tape it to the rails, so I’d get a plain background. All the while hoping that no one walked by and questioned me.

I shot some images in black and white,and some with a fill-flash to flatten the image. With a little work – a lot less now that it’s got a plain background – I can start working on the invitation for the party.

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I’ve been asked to help do some fundraising for the Maryland SPCA, so went to meet with them the other day. Their offices are located in a great old 1860’s building. I love all of the gothic-style arches, and especially the little windows on either side of the front door, with their custom shutters. There’s another small building on the property that was originally a pumping station for a reservoir. I could have used this as one of the buildings in my tiny temples series of images.

How was your weekend?

LIKE This!

2012-01-26T21:03:00.001-05:00

I am lucky to have a lot of talented friends. Shawn and John are two of them. We’ve known each other since our college days, and in the way things are in Baltimore-Smalltimore, Shawn and John’s house backs up to one of my cousin’s houses.

Shawn is the creative force behind the Floral Studio just north of Baltimore,and John’s the bagel-maker extraordinaire at Über Bagel in Ocean City, Maryland… he even went to Bagel University to learn the secrets of making real New York bagels!

Shawn and John are parents of one Jamie Nocher, a talented young actor. He’s starring in a new web TV series. Four episodes will post online and then the hope is that it goes to television/cable. It’s about a young man who has been living away for a few years and returns home to find things have changed!

It’s such fun to see Shawn’s big smile, bright eyes and blonde hair, and John’s nose and chin on their handsome son.I hope you will click on the link to the series, watch the two-minute long trailer and LIKE it, so that Jamie will have a job, and Shawn and John will be happy!

Romantic Holiday Getaways???

2012-01-25T21:58:00.001-05:00

I was reading the Guardian this evening and spotted a feature on romantic holiday getaways for the Valentine’s holiday. Now, why is it that all of the “romantic holidays” are always stuck somewhere in the country?

This house is in Carmarthenshire in Wales in the village(?) of Manal. Now, I know Wales, and can tell you from experience that a house like this is not easy to get to. You start on a main road, then go to a two lane road, narrowing to a one-lane road, and then generally some sort of cart path, then a narrow track and then another mile or so until you reach the house. Generally, this is done after dark, to make it more fun.And since you’re in Wales, you’re going around and around round-abouts, looking for places that have no vowels, like Cym or Ebbw Vale, or Pwll. Do you think you’re going to be in the mood for romance once you arrive?

This one’s in a slightly better neighbourhood – Cambridgeshire. But it looks like you’d been sleeping the weekend away in someone’s carport. No California Case Study houses for me, especially ones transported to Blighty!

This might be fun… it’s called The Piece of Cheese, and is the only three-sided house in England. It was built for a £5 bet in 1871.I can imagine that the furniture placement’s got to be a lot of work!

This is kind of fun… it’s a converted boathouse in the Lake District.Of course, this might be a little more fun in the middle of July, rather than the middle of February.

For me? I’d like a swank hotel,in a city full of hustle and bustle, great places to see art, shop and eat out! What about you?

Bits & Pieces

2012-01-24T22:48:00.001-05:00

A few little things that caught my eye over the last few days, not enough for a full post each, so I thought I’d add them all together.

First up… I just finished the Duchess book, so when I saw this advert at Stubbs & Wootton, I laughed aloud!You can see the Duchess in the little boat with her pugs, and the Duke in his plus fours, with a pair of Stubbs & Wootton’s on. This particular pair has a shark’s jaw with a cornet in the center. There are a few “inside” jokes in this little watercolour: The Duke was responsible for introducing plus fours to America in 1924, in the pre-Wallis days. The Duke and Duchess also had a long history of mooching in Palm Beach, so this is particularly funny. I love the style of these little paintings!

I have worn S+W shoes for years, and they are soooo comfortable. They come in loads of fun patterns and prints and beautiful colours. Check them out here.

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I received an e-mail from Liberty of London the other day with their Spring/Summer line of fabrics. Some of them were designed by Vivienne Westwood, antiques guru Martin Miller and students at Central St. Martin’s. I loved this print, taken from a library at Glencot House in Somerset England. Here’s the library,

and here’s the print.Martin Miller, author of Miller’s Guide to Antiques, has this great dragon pattern taken from the Liberty archives, with additions from his collections.To watch a film about the new collection, click here. But beware, there’s a lot of background noise and the narrator’s hard to understand at times.

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I have two bathrooms at the new house (when does it stop being new?) and the ground floor one is very plain. I have my bike and the hoover hiding in the shower, and a lovely linen shower curtain. I also have some curtains in Schumacher’s Fireworks print in a great mandarin colour. I had planned to paper the walls with the Turgot Plan de Paris, but it was too hard to match up and when I had a small leak after Hurricane Irene, the ink bled.

When I found some old French novels at Book Thing a few months ago, I had a thought of papering the loo walls with their pages. It took until this week to finally start this project, and it’s turning out rather well. I am applying the pages to the wall with ModPodge, and just painting the wall with it, and not painting over the pages. If and when I decide to change the décor, all I will need to do is wash down the walls to loosen the adhesive. The book is Le Mannequin D’Osier, or the wicker-work woman. It was published in 1897 and the volume I have is the 25th edition. Here’s a brief summary of the book, translated from the original French. It’s quite a well-known book in France and there’s even a 1980’s movie of the same name. It seems to be about a professor whose wife has an affair with one of his students. I think.It’s always fun to see what people do with small bathrooms where there’s lots of room for creativity in a small space.

Chiang Mai Dragon Chair

2012-01-24T12:57:00.001-05:00

My friend Janice who used to work for Schumacher, sent me this advertisement she created while she was on staff there. It’s the popular Chiang Mai Dragon pattern in Alabaster on a chair. What makes it so over-the-top is the gorgeous flamenco train lined in red (silk, I hope!) on the back of the chair. I can’t even imagine stunning this chair must have been.

I did play around with the background a tiny bit – just adding a Gaussian blur to make the chair pop! Thanks for sending this, Janice!

Kung Hei Fat Choy–Year of the Dragon

2012-01-23T20:49:00.001-05:00

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year – the year of the Dragon! Dragons are a classic design element and you see them everywhere!

You may have noticed my new header (if you get this via e-mail, click through to the blog). It’s the famous Scalamandré print Chi’En Dragon in coral. I swapped out the cream background for the grey that I use on the blog, so it would look seamless, but here it is in coral and cream.

There are lots of dragon fabrics that are very popular with the design crowd, the most popular being Chiang Mai Dragon by Schumacher. Funnily, it’s not one of my favourites, as I think it’s a very busy pattern. Even in a monochromatic colourway, it’s still too busy.One of the dragon motifs that I love is Tail Lights, a Lilly Pulitzer print. It’s a dragon with a traditional lantern at the end of its tail. I made up some pillows with this great fabric a last year.

I have a certain affinity for dragons, because the symbol for Wales is the Red Dragon. You see this on everything in Wales, from flags at rugby games to the local carpet cleaning company. The red dragon has its origins in Arthurian legends, but it still endures today, with Welsh people being known as dragon-hearted. Our local cricket club in the Vale of Glamorgan was called the Welsh Dragons.

At rugby games, they play Cwm Rhondda or Bread of Heaven or the Welsh Rugby Hymn, and change the words a bit from the classic hymn to “Can you hear the valleys ringing, Can you hear the dragons roar?”

But really, my favourite dragons are attending school in Oxford, England at the Dragon Pre-Preparatory School, following which, they attend the Dragon Preparatory School. Their motto is Strive Towards the Sun.

If I had children, I’d want them to attend this school and be little dragons.

All the very best to you in the Year of the Dragon. Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Flowers in the House!

2012-01-23T10:48:00.001-05:00

On these grey winter days, there’s nothing better than fresh flowers in the house! I buy a dozen or so paper white narcissus (Narcissus papyraceus) bulbs in December and then plant them throughout the winter months. Their peppery sweet smell greets me as I walk into the house, and when the house is cool, they last for a few weeks. I took this picture on 9 January, and they’re still blooming.

For this set of bulbs, I put small pea gravel into silver-plated julep cups and put them on my windowsills. There’s just enough room, as the sills are about three inches deep. I also have some in my office and can’t wait for them to bloom.

I am adding this post to Small but Charming, a great blog about flowers and life in general.

Weekend Update: Part 58

2012-01-22T22:24:00.001-05:00

Ugh. We lost. It was close, but the Ravens lost to the Patriots in the last two minutes of the game after being very close the whole game, and even leading. It was so nerve-wracking to watch. But we made it to the conference finals, which is better than 95% of the NFL teams.

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David’s Warehouse Sale was a lot of fun. At the last moment, I took a lot of my French Ivory cutlery, as well as some of the other old silverplate pieces I’ve unearthed from local thrift shops, including the silent butler I posted about the other day. I even had requests for more of my French Ivory pieces, especially the fun fish-eaters.

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It snowed here for the first time this season. Snow then ice over top of it, so it was a quiet weekend. I spent a lot of time reading and finally finished up Duchess: The Life of Wallis Warfield Windsor. No huge surprises, but I did learn that she “wallpapered” one room in yellow felt. I thought that sounded like it could be amazing… well, depending on the shade of yellow she used. And the old wool felts are really lovely and lush. Not like that cheap poly crap at JoAnn’s.

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I did venture out and went to the Book Thing, where I picked up a stack of vintage Martha Stewart Magazines from the1990’s. When I moved to the UK, one of the things I sold was my Vol. 1, No. 1 issue of Martha Stewart Living. I love this issue with the tartan cover, and no Martha.

I also picked up a copy of House & Home Magazine from Canada. It’s a great magazine, and easier to find than some of the great English interiors magazines.

I can’t wait for the next snowy day to curl up with the dozens of back issues of MSL and pull out and scan all of the pieces on Victorian Silver, English Hallmarks, Caring for your China, etc.

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I also took some time and made a huge batch of chicken stock. OK, I cheated and bought a roasted chicken for dinner earlier this week, but I did make the stock by hand. Chicken, water, celery, onion, peppercorns and about four hours of slow cooking. The house smelled amazing as I was cooking it. Once I finished, I let it cool, and then poured it into ice cube trays. I then put the frozen cubes into a ziplock bag for future use. I now have both veg and chicken stock on hand.

How was your weekend?

OKL Madness: Chairs

2012-01-19T22:08:00.001-05:00

My friend Tish gave me the heads up on these old chairs on OKL. Anyone who has ever had a meeting in an old church basement is very familiar with chairs like these. They are rickety, uncomfortable and ancient. They’ve probably been set up for every church event since the 1940’s when they were brand-spanking new.

You could buy the chairs from OKL, or you could spend about five minutes looking on Etsy, and find these THREE chairs for a mere $112, a savings of $787. Pretty damn similar, I am thinking!

What is This?

2012-01-18T23:14:00.001-05:00

I was talking to David Wiesand about his sale today, and he kindly agreed to let me try and sell some of my things there. So as I was looking for bits and bobs to sell, I came across this piece, which I’d found in some ghastly thrift shop a few weeks ago.

It was pitch black when I found it, and it took quite a lot of elbow grease to get it as clean as it is, but I am still not finished. The top opens up, and it looks like there might have been a glass insert inside, but that’s long gone!

It has a coat-of-arms on the lid, but it’s sort of generic, with a lion and griffon rampant and a suit of armor’s head, but there’s no wording on the banner where a motto would have been.

It has little paw feet,

and a gadrooned edge.

At first, I thought it was a cigarette butler, but it isn’t really the right style for that, and it’s a bit bigger than the ones I’ve seen. It’s about 8.5 inches from side to side, and 11 inches from the handle to the leading edge.

Any ideas?

Save the Date: FRIDAY!

2012-01-18T00:12:00.002-05:00

You know that I am a huge fan of my friend, David Wiesand and his merry band of craftspeople, so I wanted to share the news about McLain-Wiesand’s annual Warehouse sale this Friday, January 20th at party central, a.k.a. the Showroom!One of the most fun things about this sale is seeing some of the prototypes that David has whipped up! At an auction last year, both he and I bid on an amazing turtle shell, but he won, and then made a casting of the shell and mounted it on a block of wood.David is now being represented by John Rosselli’s showroom in NYC, so his popularity is about to skyrocket! This is an excellent opportunity to get some of David’s pieces while he’s still a relative “unknown”.
Let me know if you’re coming and I will see you there!

McLain Wiesand 1013 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 Tel 410-539-4440

Room for London

2012-01-16T22:47:00.001-05:00

With everything that’s happening in London this year, including the 2012 Summer Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee for HM Queen Elizabeth, II, you might have missed this little news nugget. A very small hotel has opened on the South Bank of the Thames.

How small, you might ask? One room.

And that’s not the most unusual thing about this hotel. It’s in a tiny tugboat structure that looks like a huge Thames tide might have thrown it on to the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre.In theory, anyone can book this room, which goes for a very reasonable London rate of £120 a night, but the first six months of bookings sold out in less than 12 minutes.

The three wind turbines on the spire over the tug help provide the power to the structure. And the spires echo those of the historic churches in London… St. Clements, St. Brides, St. Mary-le-Bow, St. Martins and others.The view from the bow pans from the Palace of Westminster to St. Paul’s Cathedral. It must be a great glittering sight at night.The interior is fitted out with boat-like components, the better to fit a lot into a very small space. The architect for the project, David Kohn, took elements from Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness and applied them to this vessel, including naming it the same name as the boat that Conrad sailed up the River Congo, Roi des Belges. In addition, the map room has copies of antique maps of both the Congo and the Thames, tying them together as Conrad did in his books.

Reservations are again being accepted, as of Thursday, January 19th at 12:00 GMT, but if they sell like the last round, good luck in getting one!

Pigtown*Pinterest

2012-01-15T22:38:00.001-05:00

Well, I finally capitulated and joined Pinterest. I had found an image that I loved, and then when I went to look for it, I couldn’t find it again. Additionally, I had noticed a lot of people pinning my images when I checked my stats, and it was always interesting to see which images were pinned. I’ve just started pinning within the last week or so, and have a couple of boards started – Things for the House, Good Ideas, Houses I Like in the UK, NYC and Baltimore. As I continue with the process, I know I will be adding more boards. I will also be adding images that didn’t always make it onto the blog, as well as things that I love. I hope you will join me over on Pinterest or click on the button on the sidebar to see what I’ve added.

PURPLE Friday!

2012-01-12T23:05:00.001-05:00

The Fridays before Ravens games are designated as PURPLE FRIDAYS. This year, for the fourth year in a row, the Ravens are headed to the playoffs, and once again, residents of Baltimore are painting the town purple. Mostly with light, but some people do actually paint.

The College of Notre Dame in Maryland

University of Maryland, with historic Davidge Hall at the bottom.

Stencils on the sidewalks around the city.

Baltimore’s City Hall

I am furiously sewing some cashmere scarves with old black and purple sweaters to sell at a friend’s shop. I miss living downtown at times like this, when the whole city is lit up. Click here for pictures from two years ago, when some of the buildings around the harbour spelled out GO RAVENS. And if you look at the same date last year, I wrote about the EXACT.SAME.THING!

The game’s on Sunday and we’re all wishing for a huge Raven’s VICTORY!

The Answer

2012-01-12T18:52:00.000-05:00

This is actually a Christmas present for my mother. It just took a long time to come through US Customs and so it’s a bit late. In the winter, both she and I get chapped hands, and when you’re peeling an orange or Clementine, it’s a killer!

So when I found this little ORANGE PEELER, I knew it would help make her life a little easier during the winter months. You score the skin of the orange with the pointed end, and then slide the flat side of the peeler along the orange, and slip the skin off. Oranges were a special treat in the UK, until the second half of the 20th century, so an peeler like this didn’t get a lot of use and held a special place in the silverware drawer.

Do You Know What This Is?

2012-01-11T23:52:00.001-05:00

I bought this little piece at an auction on eBay UK, and thought it was the most interesting little implement.

It’s about six inches long and has a French Ivory handle. The metal edge is round on one side and flat on the other.

There’s a small “hook” on one edge of the implement and the other’s square.

Naturally, I’ve obscured the name of the piece, so you will have to guess what it is.

Any ideas?

NYC–Philip Colleck, Ltd.

2012-01-10T19:35:00.001-05:00

I have to admit that I had not known about Philip Colleck, Ltd. until a few weeks ago when a friend introduced me to them, via their website. I marked it as a place I wanted to visit the next time I was in NYC, and when that opportunity suddenly arose last week, and I realized it was right around the corner from the D&D Building, I made an appointment to visit.

I ditched David for a little while and walked over to their location. It was easy to spot, because how many houses in NYC have a white picket fence?The house itself is the first special thing about Philip Colleck, Ltd. (PCLtd). It is located in midtown Manhattan in a pre-Civil War New York City landmark brick house. It even has a nice back garden, which must be wonderful in the summer. Here’s some history.

But it’s when you enter the building that the true magic begins. Everywhere you look, there’s something amazing. I was quite taken with all of the detail work on this chair, especially the dolphins! English c.1810

And these amazing Irish mirrors, with two rows of briolette cut glass jewels on a black and silvered ground. c.1820

And how about this guy? If he didn’t weigh a ton, and he wasn’t the owners’ mascot, David and I would have had a major tussle over who got him!

All around the gallery there were beautiful floral paintings, all done by Diana, one of the owners. I was especially taken with this one, as hyacinths are one of my favourite spring flowers. And it’s even prettier with the blue-and-white cachepot.

And chairs! I am crazy about chairs, and PCLtd. had just finished an exhibition of chairs, so there were lots to admire.

And the lighting! Wow. One of the most gorgeous pieces was a Swedish/Russian chandelier with a red glass base. The red reflected off the tips of the crystals on the lamp.

And this dining room chandelier was stunning.I can just picture this in a grand center hallway.

There were more mirrors than the Irish ones above… This Venetian one is spectacular with its green glass and the charming Diana explaining its history to us… or else talking about all of the books we both own and love!

PCLtd’s owners, Mark and Diana Jacoby were kind enough to show David and me their ground floor kitchen with the amazing trilobite counter tops. I could have looked at this all afternoon just to see the different fossils embedded in the stone.

I even loved the tile setting on the floor of their loo!

I mentioned in my first NYC post that we started and finished the day with Gracie… first at the D&D Building and last at PCLtd where Gracie papers abounded!And some detail…Thanks again to Mark and Diana for being such gracious hosts on the spur of the moment.

Philip Colleck, Ltd.
311 East 58th Street New York, NY 10022
(212) 486-7600

NYC–Rosselli & Co.

2012-01-09T20:27:00.000-05:00

I was very lucky to have a lot of time to spend wandering around John Rosselli’s 18th floor showroom at the D&D Building. They were kind enough to give me free rein, and I poked into every corner and looked at nearly every fabric sample they had.

To me, spending time in a place like this is like taking a mini-course on great design. It’s a place of very few, if any missteps.

I love textures, so seeing this great looking mock croc wallpaper, similar to papers I’ve brought back from the UK, was lots of fun. And here’s the same paper in context.There were well thought out vignettes on every table, highlighting some of the beautiful pieces of blue and white china for which Rosselli is justly famous.

Dotted around the showroom were a number of beautiful carved bone boxes. This was a favourite because of the architectural drawing on the top.

Then it was on to the fabrics. Sister Parish’s line is so contemporary in both pattern and colour. In fact, Rita Konig referenced Parish’s Chou Chou in an article she did for the Wall Street Journal’s Off Duty section this past weekend.

Here are some other Parish prints.

Another print that Konig referenced was one by Carolina Irving of dandelions. Funny that it was one I also picked!

I loved this woven by Robert Kime, but at more than $1000/yard, it’s a bit out of my budget!

This rabbit print is a little friendlier, both in looks and in cost!

And I loved the old English Country House look of this great chintz.

I was intrigued with this print featuring a bold graphic along the edges of this damask pattern.

This is one of my favourite images of the day. Rolls of wallpaper stored on a windowsill in a classic blue and white jar.

After the design center, we headed to the sweetest house in Manhattan, and probably one of a very few with its own picket fence!

Coming tomorrow!

Gratuitous Connor Post

2012-01-08T23:42:00.001-05:00

Lest you think darling Connor is all cuteness and light, this is how I generally see him. He will lie like this for hours as I am working at my desk in the kitchen. You can see that he’s sound asleep.Charming, eh?

NYC–The D&D Building

2012-01-08T19:53:00.000-05:00

When I was in NYC last week, my pal, David had a series of meetings in the D&D Building, so while he was conducting business, I took a long wander through about half of the 18 floors of the building. When I arrived at each showroom, I made a point to introduce myself and ask for permission to take photographs. I was granted permission in all of the showrooms except one. The “gatekeeper” was a rather elderly women who said that she didn’t know what a blog was, so I thanked her and went in to look around.

In a way, our day both started and finished at Gracie. As David and I arrived at the D&D Building, we were looking at the various showroom window displays, including one with some of David’s wares, when my head was turned by the lovely Gracie display.I started my exploration on the lower floors of the D&D building and worked my way up towards our hosts for the day, with the first stop in the bookstore of the ground floor. If I had the space, I’d have picked up one of almost every volume, especially this one.I found something to love in each of the showrooms I visited, but since I took almost 150 photographs, I am not going to show you everything!

You might remember that I spent a day looking at passementerie at Scalamandré. At Clarence House, I found these amazing modern tassels. The detail on these tassels was astonishing.I loved these three-dimensional displays at Clarence House.I think that they might be by Kazumi Yoshida, the Executive Vice-President of Design. If you’re interested, you might want to read this interview in New York Social Diary with Yoshida.

At Lee Jofa, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this Lily Pulitzer living room. What you can just barely see on the left of the image, under the ginger jar is a huge boxer dog! He was so friendly and was snoozing while his owner checked out the fabrics.Although I do rail against using books solely for decoration, I love the pop of orange in this Lee Jofa display. I was willing to overlook this transgression because I know this is a transitory space and will be something entirely different shortly. They were very pretty and clever, so they serve their purpose.

At Zoffany, I was gob-smacked by this wallpaper depicting 15th century Rome.Here’s a bit of detail:Then there was a gorgeous fabric with the London version of the Paris map.Here are some of the other fabrics I loved at Zoffany.

I’d frame one of these panels.	First of lots of birds I saw.
They should have ironed this!	Suzani style

I noticed the huge arrangements at Ralph Lauren Home,

and some more birds.

At Schumacher, I was welcomed by this fun window, which incorporated the colours of the Dutch flag, some Delft detailing and a massive pair of wooden shoes.

And then there were the walls of fabrics that were just stunning!

The place where I just wanted one of everything was the fabulous Lora Piana. Between their sumptuous cashmeres and their truly incredible vicuña, which is the rarest, most expensive natural fiber in the world, I was too busy to take more than one photograph. OMG.

I had lots of fun in Anichini starting with this rug that I couldn’t help but touch…Followed by these beautiful shawls, and this sweet little pillow. And more birds.

By now, it was time to stop for lunch on the 14th floor and then head up to John Rosselli’s showroom, but that’s for tomorrow.

Now That We Are SIX!

2012-01-07T22:44:00.001-05:00

When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five,
I was just alive.
But now I am Six,
I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

A.A. Milne

As I begin my sixth year of blogging, I’d like to thank you for reading. It means the world to me that you take the time to read Pigtown*Design and comment on it. I would love to know what you’d like to see me write about in the next year, topics you’d like to learn more about and what interests you.

Shotgun to NYC!

2012-01-05T23:20:00.001-05:00

My friend David is heading up to New York, so I am tagging along, riding shotgun as it were. David’s got some business at the D&D Building, so we’ll mostly be on the Upper East Side.

I put out a call on my Facebook page for suggestions, and got some great ones from other bloggers. An Æsthete’s Lament suggested R. Louis Bofferding at 970 Lexington, between 70th and 71st ... and then the shop Le Décor Français, on Lexington between 72nd and 73rd ...

The Devoted Classicist suggested Treillage, which sounds like both David and I will love it!I’ve been to John Rosselli Antiques several times, so I ought to give Bunny Williams equal time and love, and visit her shop.

My cooking friend, Raspberry Eggplant, suggested meeting for macarons at Ladurée! I’ve been to their shops in Paris and London, and would love to add the one in NYC to my list!

David and I are going to meet up with our friend, Janice, and visit Philip Colleck Ltd. This antiques shop is located in the most impossibly adorable (there is no other word) house in the middle of Manhattan!They’re having an exhibition of chairs until January 10th, and both David and I love chairs of any sort.

Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments. We’d both love to know your favourite places on the Upper East Side.

I’ve got my camera battery charged and the memory card cleared, so watch for lots of posts on this trip next week!

Love This!

2012-01-04T23:27:00.001-05:00

I was looking through a virtual ton of old House Beautiful magazines from the late 1990’s and early 2000’s and pulled a lot of pages out for reference.

This is from the Pucci’s home in Italy, and I just love the old French calendar pages and the way they are mounted on the wall. They’re so simple that the engravings are what you see, not some massive gilded frame. Of course, I also love the linen sofa, the flame-stitched ottoman and the great kilim rug!

The Shops: Gore Dean

2012-01-03T22:55:00.001-05:00

I do love Gore Dean, and I hadn’t been by there for ages, even though it’s only about a mile up the Falls Road from me. So when I went to the local outpost of Williams-Sonoma on New Year’s Eve to pick up some fun cooking tools, I popped in to Gore Dean.

One of the things that Gore Dean does beautifully is Chinoiserie. I saw this lovely little painting that Spider, Deb Gore Dean’s husband who manages the store, was about to hang.

Then I turned around and spotted this group of plates. They’re the same colours as some Coalport china that I have. Love the blue, gold and orange.

I spied this great-looking chair, and Spider told me that it came from the writer, Dominic Dunne. If you’re a fan of Dunne’s writings, here’s a chance to own a piece of his history. The detailing on the chair is great.

One of my new year’s resolutions is to keep my desk a little more tidy, especially the one at the office. I think these pebble-grain leather pieces would look fabulous, don’t you?

Although my driving record, both here and in the UK, is SPOTLESS, I think that several people I know could benefit from this little tome.The book would be a great conversation piece, regardless of who it was given to.

You know, this is the year of the Dragon. So these plates would be a perfect accompaniment to some dim sum at a Chinese New Year dinner.

I love that the lighting at Gore Dean ranges from the completely traditional wall sconcesto these up-to-the-moment pendant lamps in the most au courant shade of orange.

Finally, who could resist these cheeky monkeys?

Gore Dean

5100 Falls Road 88 Village Square
Baltimore, Maryland 21210
410-464-1789

1673 Wisconsin Avenue
Washington, DC 20007
202-338-1740

441 Canal Street
Stamford, CT 06902-5910
203-325-4019

My Friend, Flippa!

2012-01-02T23:28:00.001-05:00

I’ve written about my dear friend Flippa a few times, because she’s such a great gal, with a great home that everyone raves about, a dear husband and the most adorable and charming daughter.

About a year ago, I wrote about her bathroom renovation, (click here to read about it)

which many people raved about. And Flip’s unerring eye for creating gorgeous scenes like the one above, and the kitchen, below.She’s also got a beautiful blog called The Caledonian Mining Expedition Company, which you should visit.

Flip’s an actress and she’s in a small video produced for Live Baltimore, a Baltimore PR group which encourages people to live in Baltimore, and where I worked briefly.

I love this piece because it shows Flip’s great house, as well as scenes of Baltimore including a visit to Housewerks Salvage, owned by a great mutual friend of Flip’s and mine. Take a few minutes and watch it. I know you’ll love it.

This is my friend, Flippa!

New Year’s Eve Dinner

2012-01-01T19:34:00.000-05:00

My friend Julie is an amazing amateur cook. She’s got a fabulous kitchen in the basement of her 1880’s era townhouse in one of Baltimore’s most elegant neighbourhoods, Bolton Hill. So when she and her husband Mike, invited me to join them for a New Year’s Eve dinner with some college friends, how could I say no!

Especially after I learned that the main course was going to be Beef Wellington! If you don’t know, Beef Wellington is basically rare roast beef tenderloin, topped with sautéed mushrooms and pâté, encased in flaky puff pastry and baked until golden brown. OMG!

We started with puff pastry cheese straws, which has been a staple in my cocktail repertoire for ages. They’re pretty simple to make and everyone LOVES them!And they go really well with champagne!

Then Mike started to assemble the Beef Wellington. First the pâté and then a layer of duxelles, which is a mushroom mixture, are placed over the beef tenderloin. Then the piece is covered with a layer of puff pastry, and I can’t recommend enough buying this pre-made. Paint with an egg wash and then chill for a half an hour. Et voila!

When you cut slices, you see the croute or puff pastry which has risen, the duxelles and pâté layers and then the tenderloin. Amazingly, Mike also made a sauce with a base of oxtails which cooked for hours. We also had sautéed spinach, mashed potatoes and home-made apple sauce.

For dessert, Julie whipped up a gorgeous chocolate-coffee mousse,

with hand-whipped crème on top. It was fabulous! Really!

This dinner with good friends was the perfect way to end one year and begin a new one!

My First By-Line

2011-12-31T12:55:00.001-05:00

I was so excited in the grocery store this morning when I caught a glimpse of the front page of the Baltimore Sun and the promo for my first article. Of course, I grabbed a copy of the paper and flipped through to find the copy of the article. To my delight, I saw that it was the entire front page of the At Home section.

By that time, I was in the parking lot, talking to my mother, and a lovely man overheard me chattering loudly with my mother about the piece. As the paper was spread over the hood of my car, he came over to look, and shared my joy!

To read the article, click on the first image, and to see a photo gallery, click on the second image.

Thank YOU!

2011-12-30T17:41:00.001-05:00

When I started this blog in early 2007, I could never have anticipated where it would take me, the people I’d meet or the experiences I’d have. I am eternally grateful that I’ve had the opportunities that Pigtown*Design has opened up for me. I thought I’d share some of them with you.

1. New Friends. In a few week period, I was lucky enough to meet two of my favourite “guy” bloggers, Chris from Easy & Elegant Life, and Toad from To the Manner Born. Their visits were supposed to coincide, but a puking puppy (not mine!) put an end to that. So I got to have two special events, although the one with Chris did involve a spot of B&E at a posh hotel!Here we are doing an architectural tour of the women’s room… not so bad for me, but a bit suspect for him! We’re actually counting how many different types of marble are in the room.

Some other bloggers I’ve had the chance to spend some time with are new friends Mary from BarnBug Studios, Natalie from WifeLife Natalie, Suzy from Baltimore Fishbowl and Emily from Emily Evans Eerdmans. I’ve also met a lot of others who have kindly introduced themselves to me. Thank you so much for doing that. It really makes me feel special!

2. Experiences – Because of the blog, I’ve been invited to some great events, and behind the scenes tours. Most notable was a day spent at Scalamandré visiting their showrooms and having a private tour of their passementerie division with the charming Ed Goodman. He regaled me with the funniest stories and insiders tales. I also got to know PR whiz and Baltimore native, Janice Langrall, who has since become a dear friend!

Ladew Gardens has invited me to two amazing events – their Garden Fest and their Christmas House Tour. We’re so fortunate to have a resource like Ladew in our area, and I am very lucky to have the chance to get to know this spectacular house and garden.

3. Press – On January 1, 2012, I will have my first by-line in the Baltimore Sun. This is particularly poignant and exciting for me, as that is where my father had his first reporting job many years ago. The article’s already on-line, in the Sun’s Home section, and you can read it here.

I was asked by Elle Décor to make a list for their “Design Insiders’ Weekly Finds” and I wrote about my current obsession for chairs. Since I moved into the new house, I’ve collected quite a number of them, including a Ghost chair from my friend Suzy and a Chinoiserie Gothic chair from pal, David.Along with two Billy Baldwin-style slipper chairs, four lyre-back folding chairs, two ottomans, and one down-filled wingback chair, I think this obsession’s got to stop!

4. Kindnesses – I am gratified by the kindness that bloggers and readers have shown me. When I mentioned that my poor Remembrance Day poppy was being held together with spit and scotch tape, two friends each sent me poppies. Now I can share them with some UK ex-pat friends next November. I’ve also received lovely parcels in the mail, beautiful cards, wonderful greetings and warm letters and e-mails. Thank you so very much. It means the world to me!

5. YOU! I am eternally humbled that you take the time from your busy life to read Pigtown*Design. I love writing the blog and hope that it shows. I am always so pleased when a shop owner or gallery owner tells me that someone who came into their place did so because they read about it in Pigtown*Design. I am happy to introduce you to new resources, books, ideas, homes, gardens and food. I love opening a dialogue that’s only possible because you participate with your comments and e-mails.

I hope that you will come along with me in 2012 to see what happens, where I go, and who I meet. And I hope that I have the chance to meet you and thank you in person for reading Pigtown*Design.

Thank you so very much!

A Few of My Favourite Things

2011-12-29T23:28:00.001-05:00

One of the things I like about blogging is the action of sitting down, looking at a blank page and then deciding what to write about. Sometimes, it comes so easily – I see something that sparks my interest and or I visit someplace that I think will interest you. Other times, I sit down, usually at about 11 at night, and fret over what I am going to write. I have a few go-to places that usually yield something. One King’s Lane and the Guardian (a UK newspaper) are two favourite resources.

However, I think that all of my posts are like children. I love each one equally. But I do have some that I like a wee bit better than others. In no particular order, they are as follows:

1. Our House – I found some images of the house where my family lived for about 30 years. I hadn’t seen them before, so I “borrowed” them from my mum, and scanned them. I loved this house so much. It was such a beautiful elegant place with gardens that my father worked hard to keep under control. I think that this might have been an early picture of the dining room because later on, we had a large rug on the floor, and a more oval table.

2. Puppy Love – When the New York Times wrote an article about sleeping with your pet(s), their commenting community came down almost evenly on both sides of the argument. I however, have been converted to the sleeping dogs in bed side, mainly because regardless of what I want, Connor gets on the bed. You all pretty much agreed with me on this post.

3. The Tale of Two Paintings – I found two paintings done by one of my mother’s second cousins (we’re Southern, so we know the degree of kinship!) and bought them at a local auction.

What makes these two paintings extra special, aside from the fact that they’re of two well-known Baltimore locales, is that the painter was the person who introduced my American mother to my English father.

4. The Joy of Having a Clothesline – Seriously, this makes me so happy! I must admit that in Wales, I HATED drying everything on the line, mainly because it was almost always cold and damp. Here, the sunshine and breezes make drying clothes, towels and sheets on the line such a pleasure. Affixing a clothesline to the two existing poles at my house was one of the first things that I did. And I am sure that the T-poles are at least 50 years old!

5. Cooking! Since I moved into the new house, I’ve cooked more than I have in the past five years. People who are newer friends are amazed that I can actually cook, because they’ve never known me to cook. When I actually made butter this fall, I am sure some of my friends were certain that I’d been taken over by alien beings. But I do like to cook and entertain, and now I have a place where I can do it!

6. The Craziest House – Beautiful from the outside, insane on the inside. Painted by a mad person who had a little too much time and a faux painting course! To a person, we all wondered why the estate agent didn’t suggest gallons of white paint!

7. CONNOR & HALAS! We love having Halas stay with us, and the two dogs just love each other! They’re so funny together – playing, sleeping or horsing around. It’s either perpetual motion, or totally zonked out.

That’s about it… as I said, it’s hard to pick the ones I love best!

It’s a Wrap (Up)

2011-12-28T22:45:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe how quickly 2011 has flown by! It’s been quite a year, with ups – buying a house – and downs – Connor escaping, twice! I’ve gone back through the 310 posts I’ve done this year and have picked your favourites, or at least the ones that have had the most comments.

1. Connor the Houdini dog. Over Labour Day weekend, Connor managed to let himself out my back door and escape. I spent a frantic 24 hours trying to find him, worried sick that something bad had happened. When I finally got the good news that someone had him, I realized that he was only a few blocks away. He was found by a lovely woman who kept him in her yard, hoping that I’d drive by and see him. But since I am new to the neighbourhood, I didn’t know about the section where she lived. Incredibly, two weeks later, he managed to nudge open a window and escape again. I am pretty sure that contributed to the grey hair count on my head!

2. My New House – After more than a year of looking for a new house, I finally found the perfect place - a 110-year old farm house with a small yard. The moment I saw it in the real estate listings, I knew it was the right house. But it was a foreclosure, so I knew it would not be a smooth path to settlement. It eventually stretched to more than 90 days, and settlement was postponed several times, but I finally signed the papers in mid-May. There was a bit of work to be done, including sanding the 110-year old heart pine floors, and painting almost every surface. But it’s been a lot of fun making this old house into a new home. And stay tuned for more work on the house, including planning a garden for next summer.

3. Wooden Tennis Racquets and One King’s Lane – As I write, I am awaiting a shipment from OKL, but I still manage to find a lot to laugh about with their Tastemaker Tag Sales. One of the funniest was when they advertised four vintage wooden tennis racquets for $267. When a commenter said that she didn’t think they could be found, I took her up on the challenge and managed to find one in seven hours… and for six of those hours, I was at the office!And then a few days later, I managed to scare up ten at one thrift shop. I think that the most expensive one was less than $5.00. For more OKL hilarity, click here.

4. Books – One post that struck a chord with many readers was one I did in January about using books solely as decorations. As in books-by-the-yard. Or books with the covers torn off and bundled into anonymous stacks for effect. Or books covered in white paper. Ugh.I love books too much to relegate them to being a decoration. I have stacks of books that I refer to, that I browse, that I curl up with on a cold evening, that I go back to time and time again and that I just plain love. I get such pleasure out of seeing them stacked up like happy building blocks, reminding me of all that’s possible, and all that I can do.

5. My slipcover - In a fit of insanity, I decided to make a slip cover for my long sofa. Having only been sewing for a year at that point, this was quite a daunting challenge and it took me much longer than I anticipated. But with you cheering me on and encouraging me, I finally finished. Of course, I see every flaw in it, but it looks fine. The best thing about it is that it’s washable. I couldn’t have made this without the help of some other bloggers who had posted tutorials.

Tomorrow, I will share my favourite posts, and then on Friday, I’ll share some of the great experiences that blogging has brought to me, especially the people I’ve met.

My Louis Vuitton…

2011-12-27T19:22:00.000-05:00

Dog.It’s chucking down rain here, and so I put Connor in his coat for our afternoon walk. I think that he looks like a little Louis Vuitton bag in this coat. Either that, or a little medieval horse in his armour. And you can see my fabulous Scalamandré umbrella behind Connor.

Weekend Update

2011-12-26T21:52:00.001-05:00

I hope that you have had a great past few days! I know that I have. I started out Friday at a small birthday party for my mother. It’s the first time in my life that we’ve celebrated it with a family party, believe it or not. Our family has attended a caroling party for decades, but the hostess decided that she just couldn’t do it anymore. It was always on Mum’s birthday, so that’s what the celebration was.

Saturday was filled with visiting friends, friends stopping by and cooking. I made the Danish Strudel again. I also made a batch of the infamous Baltimore Eggnog, which was delicious! I attended a lovely dinner party and gave the hostess, who is a great cook, something that I knew she’d love, and actually use! A copper bowl for whipping egg whites!

She gave me the cookbook “A Cook’s Year in a Welsh Farmhouse”, which has the most gorgeous pictures, and lots of recipes for things I got to know and eat when I lived in Wales. Speaking of cooking, I made one of the recipes that my English father was famous for – jam tarts! I filled the tarts with raspberry jam, mincemeat and lemon curd. I think that they brought back a lot of memories for my siblings and my mum.

One of the most popular Christmas presents, at least amongst my circle, was a folio page from Taschen’s Album Vilmorin, The Vegetable Garden. You can read the story of these 19th century garden vegetable prints here. In keeping with the P theme of our presents to each other, my brother gave me the print of the purple cabbage and parsnips! I gave him a periodical publication, plus a pack of pencils, post-it notes, personalized pads of paper, a pound of peanuts, pistachios, Pears soap and a pineapple.

I hope that your Christmas was filled with as much love and warmth from family and friends as mine was!

Twas the Night After Christmas

2011-12-25T19:02:00.001-05:00

And all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, Not even Connor and Halas!

They’re so close and comfortable with each other that even their tails are entwined!We hope that you had a lovely and peaceful holiday, just like we did!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T22:34:00.001-05:00

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

2011-12-23T19:54:00.000-05:00

One of the most important parts of my preparation for Christmas is listening to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve morning as I am preparing for the festivities later on in the day. This is a quiet contemplation of what Christmas is all about, and comes from the spectacular King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England. The BBC's weekly radio newsletter puts it beautifully:

As the winter evening shadows lengthen, a solo chorister sings the first verse of “Once in Royal David's City” in the expectant stillness of King's College Chapel, Cambridge. The experience we have here is shared with millions around the world...

The solo chorister is chosen minutes before the service begins so that he won't have time to get nervous. Every time I hear the opening notes of "Once in Royal David's City", I just burst into tears. There's just something so moving about this. The Festival was something that my father and I both loved deeply and I was lucky enough to spend a summer afternoon at King's College Chapel with him and my mother. I have an abiding image in my mind of my father and his sister as children in England listening to the service on their old radio while their father prepared their Christmas dinner.There's also a lovely line in the service about remembering "all those who rejoice with us, but on another shore and in a greater light", which was a reference to those lost during the Second World War, although I used to think it referred to my grandfather in England.

The Nine Lessons tradition began in 1918 and has only not happened once, in 1930. The service continued during WWII even though the magnificent stained glass windows of the chapel had been removed for safekeeping. You can listen to this service on BBC World Service or on public radio stations in the US. It is usually repeated on Christmas Day. You can find the 2011 Order of Service here. It looks like they’re doing one of my favourite carols, Riu, Riu, Chiu, this year.

Reprinted from Pigtown Design, December 2007

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2011-12-22T21:14:00.001-05:00

For the past three days, I’ve been wrapping presents for the children at Woodbourne. We’ve been very lucky this year in having someone “adopt” all of our children and provide them with presents.

A unit from the nearby military base, Fort Meade, called and asked to adopt one unit of ours, at a time when others are sending presents to soldiers.A local public school, with children the same ages as ours, made boxes (above) and filled them with personal hygiene items for each of our kids. The staff at a local senior living facility filled a truck with gifts from each of our kids’ lists. My colleagues, Kristen and Liz, along with lots of other staffers have been wrapping and marking off whose presents have arrived, and are making sure each child gets what’s on their list. Our CEO made sure that each child could choose and receive the book of their choice. It’s so important that these kids read, and having a book of their own, which they’ve chosen, is paramount.

If you’d like to make a donation to help Woodbourne’s children, please click here.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I took advantage of the warmish weather here to walk through the neighbourhood with Connor. It’s so festive with all of the houses trying to outdo each other with their lights. And we live in the more low-key part of the neighbourhood!

Just a few lights strung through an old cherry tree. Santa arriving by both a helicopter and a train!Lots of sparking snowflakes.I will be venturing down to the Christmas Street later this week to show you that spectacle!

Winter Solstice

2011-12-21T23:44:00.001-05:00

Ha! I’ll bet you thought solstice was on December 21st! But it’s actually today, December 22nd. Every couple of years, with the leap years and all, the solstice happens in the early hours of December 22nd. The sun reaches its southern-most point and we have the longest night of the year. This is one of my favourite days on the calendar, because from this day forward, the days start getting longer, moving towards summer!

Happy Hanukkah

2011-12-20T23:15:00.001-05:00

Tonight’s the first night of Hanukkah, Chanukah and Hanakuh or חֲנֻכָּה‎. It is also the day when I get to listen to one of my favourite renditions of the classic song, Dreidel, Dreidel. Of course, at this point, my mother, a staunch Roman Catholic, is thinking “huh? how does she know this?” For a few years, I worked in an office where all of the other women were Jewish. I picked up a lot of Yiddish and learned a lot of Jewish traditions and customs. And when I lived in Wales, there was nothing funnier that listening to “my” two little guys saying in their Welsh accents, “I’ve got to schlepp my books upstairs”.

So, in honour of the first night of Hanukkah, may I present Erran Baron-Cohen, brother of Sasha Baron-Cohen, singing The Dreidel Song.

Oy! Now go and do a mitzvah for someone!

Wedgwood Museum Sale?

2011-12-19T20:01:00.000-05:00

I read today that the Wedgwood Museum might have to sell off parts of its collections to pay for pensions of Wedgwood employees as part of a bankruptcy ruling. I wrote about the bankruptcy here.Although the Museum has not been part of the pottery for more than 50 years, the Museum’s employees were part of the Wedgwood Group’s pension plan. A judge in the UK has ruled that the Museum’s collection is part of Wedgwood’s assets and can be sold.

In addition to the priceless collection of early Wedgwood items, the Museum also owns paintings by George Stubbs, George Romney and Joshua Reynolds, well-known English painters.

Shameless Self Promotion!

2011-12-18T23:58:00.001-05:00

I have been collecting cashmere sweaters for ages. When I started “poking around” thrift shops, I’d always check the sweater section and see what they had. Often, I’d find three or four cashmere sweaters, some in perfect condition, some that had a few moth holes in them. I’d snap them up, since there were only a few dollars each thinking that if I didn’t wear them, I’d figure out something else to do with them.

I keep them in the old steel barristers’ book case that I picked up at a yard sale a few years ago (for $25.00!). This is the guest room from my old house. But you can get an idea of how many sweaters I’d collected.This summer, I had a moth attack, which I discovered when I went to wash my sweaters in the fall. When I buy sweaters, I always wash them and somehow, in the move, I must have picked up a visitor or two. Suffice to say the bloody moths nibbled their way through quite a few sweaters.

But since I am one to make lemonade out of lemons, I decided to make scarves out of sweaters! I re-washed all of the sweaters in some fabulous cashmere wash from The Laundress. Love this stuff, and I just chuck the sweaters into the washing machine. Cashmere’s so fine that it doesn’t felt like wool does. Then they go into the drier for a tumble and finally, I block them back into shape.Then I strategically cut the sweaters into strips and re-fashioned them into cheerful patch scarves. I have to tell you that the first sweater I took a pair of scissors to, just about KILLED me! But after playing around with the strips and figuring out patterns, I started having a lot of fun. I started with some pastel sweaters, and combined them with some pink sweaters. Then I went on to a celadon sweater, which I combined with a pistachio one and a cream one with some pattern. Then I found a pink striped sweater, which I never really liked much. That made a fun piece, sort of like a bright rugby scarf.Recently, when I was out hunting, I found a red cashmere sweater with black roses printed on it. I thought it would look better as a scarf with some blocks of a deep black. Once they’re finished, I block the scarves again, to set the stitching and the shapes.

While I hate the term “up-cycled” that’s what I am doing with my old sweaters. But I prefer to think that I am giving my favourite sweaters a whole new life.

They are for sale on my Etsy site.

Walking in the Air

2011-12-17T20:58:00.001-05:00

I was reading the Guardian this evening when I saw a small feature about the ten best Christmas songs. Clicking on the link, I recognized all of the songs, except one.

It’s called “Walking in the Air” and it didn’t sound like any Christmas song that I was familiar with. It’s from the 1982 short animated film, “The Snowman”, based on Raymond Briggs’s book, The Snowman. It’s the story of a young boy who builds a snowman, and at the stroke of midnight, the snowman comes to life. They have adventures until the sun rises and the snowman melts. The film is silent except for the song, “Walking in the Air”, a haunting and lovely song. The film is shown every Christmas season in the UK, and it has been shown in the US, as well. But it’s not in our pantheon of classic Christmas songs or movies, like Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

It’s a lovely little piece, and I hope you take a few minutes to watch and listen. The song is just beautiful and a little melancholy.

I love finding new things.

Hermes Wallpaper for Your Desktop

2011-12-16T08:50:00.000-05:00

The lovely blog, How About Orange, had another great way to waste time. She’s had some quizzes in the past, and some font recognition games, but this is the BEST one.You can wallpaper the background on your desktop with one of six different Hermès wallpapers. And each of the six comes in a range of colourways. You just drag one of the rolls of wallpaper onto the wall, and it unrolls a bit. Then take the brush and smoooooth the paper down to the bottom. Repeat to cover.When you’ve finished, it will ask if you want to save it to your desktop, or you can paint the wall white and try again. These are the six wallpapers in order left to right.Click here and then look for the icon with the wallpaper rolls, or click on the top image.

Some Christmas Baubles

2011-12-15T20:36:00.000-05:00

I’ve been getting some requests for my special Baltimore eggnog recipe, and at lunch today, my colleague, Jeff and I were discussing his tinkering with the recipe. Of course, when he and I have lunch, all we do is talk food, recipes and drinks. He’s the originator of the famous “Oysters Jeff-a-peake”, but I can’t give you that recipe. He’d KILL me! Here’s my Baltimore Eggnog Recipe with the super-secret ingredient. Shhh, this is just between us, so don’t let the secret out.

Baltimore Eggnog

12 eggs, separated
2 cups of superfine sugar
1 pint of brandy
½ pint of light rum
½ pint of peach brandy (the secret ingredient)
3 pints of milk
1 pint of heavy cream

Beat the egg yolks and the sugar together until thick. Slowly stir in the brandy, rum, peach brandy, milk and heavy cream. Pour into a punch bowl and chill thoroughly. Beat the egg whites until just stiff and fold gently into the eggnog. Grate a little nutmeg on top and serve in 4-ounce punch cups. Make arrangements for guests to spend the night.

Jeff’s tinkering included a little vanilla extract and some cinnamon, which he called Fog Nog. We talked, at length, about substituting spiced rum for the light rum, or just adding Wild Turkey Honey Whiskey instead of the three other liquors.

Then the conversation veered into having an eggnog tasting. We talked about different variations, including whiskey instead of brandy, maybe one with applejack and cinnamon, I suggested Cointreau and a little coffee liqueur (sort of OJ, coffee & eggs all in one drink). Then it got a little silly, so we stopped there.

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You know I am a huge fan of the Scalamandré Zebras, so when I got this e-card from Scalamandré, I was enchanted! It’s actually raining today, so I get to use my fabulous umbrella when I walk Connor.

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I saw this great little idea on Alamodeus and thought it would be a great use for the numerous tea tins that I’ve collected over the years. In fact, I thought it might be fun to put my paper white narcissus bulbs in them. This is a windowsill herb garden, but bulbs might be good, too.

I think that this was really Christmas babbles, instead of baubles!

Watch the Video! Help the Children!

2011-12-14T19:18:00.002-05:00

As you may know, my “real” job is as Director of Development for the Woodbourne Trust, a small non-profit in Baltimore. We care for children who have been through the most unimaginable trauma, abuse and neglect, and try to help them recover and move forward with their lives.

Each year, we present a video so that you can see and hear what the children’s wants and wishes are, in their own words. This year, the video production class at our on-campus school helped make the video.The children’s wishes are simple. One child who isn’t on the video, asked for a pair of shoelaces… the fun, big, colourful type that all of the kids his age wear. Other kids want batteries for their hand-held games, or a big hoodie sweatshirt. To see the general wish list, click here.

I hope that you will take two minutes and watch the video. And I would so appreciate it if you click on this link and make a donation to help Woodbourne’s children at the holidays. Thank you so very much.

To Light or Not to Light, That is the Question

2011-12-13T22:48:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I stated that I was not going to hang lights from my house, saying that I wasn’t going to support the giant Asian factories’ production of Christmas lights.

But that was before I got a glimpse of what my neighbours were doing. The neighbourhood where I live now is very competitive about their Christmas decorating. I think that the unofficial motto for the holidays is “why do when you can overdo!”. In fact, one street, about 10+ blocks from me, is world famous for all of their Christmas decorations. It’s called The Miracle on 34th Street, and everyone on the street covers virtually every inch and surface of their house with lights, decorations, inflatable characters, trains gardens and more. It’s quite the sight to see, and starting the Saturday after Thanksgiving when the lights are lit, it’s impossible to drive or park anywhere near this street after darkness falls.It’s actually a lot of fun to walk up and down this little block, spotting all of the decorations, like the hubcap tree and tire snowman.

So, the question is, should I keep up with the neighbours and festoon my house with thousands of lights, or stay true to myself and have a small tasteful tree in a lovely urn, lit by a decent number of white fairy lights?

My Auction Accident

2011-12-12T22:00:00.001-05:00

I zipped out at lunch to attend part of the second day of the Alex Cooper Auction. A few of the things that I had really wanted went for way more than I wanted to spend. There was a rug that I had seen, but since I’d just bought a faux oriental rug for the mudroom (I wanted a busy but classic pattern to disguise the muddy paw prints), I didn’t seriously consider it.When the rug came up, the auctioneer offered it at a dirt cheap starting bid, which no one accepted. Then he dropped it to what my friend David calls “insultingly low” and in an instant I thought it would be perfect for my bedroom, and flashed my paddle. The auctioneer raised the bid, but no one bit, so I got the rug. Of course, I had a rather startled look on my face, and the auctioneer laughed!

One of the issues with the brown needlepoint rug that is in my room now is that Connor loves to lie on it, so naturally, it’s covered in a scrim of white hair, which won’t show up as much on this rug. It’s a beautiful chain-stitch rug, with a central pattern and lots of colours which I like. And it was the perfect price… Insultingly low!

A Bit of Boxwood

2011-12-12T10:46:00.001-05:00

I got a few handfuls of English boxwood at Ladew the other day and decided to use them the way I have for the past few years… as sort of a topiary. Box in a box, as it were. I had a toleware box with a liner, so I added some dirt and just started putting in the boxwood. I will water it every so often to keep it green, but when it dries, it turns a lovely buff shade.

I did this at the old house, when I had access to acres of greens, including boxwood and magnolia. I literally had a contractor trash bag full of greenery and wanted to use every bit of it. I put a little handful into my father’s silver christening cup and tucked some behind an old clock.

I know some people absolutely hate the smell of boxwood, but I am a huge fan of the plant, and even its scent. Are you?

Gone With the Wind

2011-12-11T23:54:00.001-05:00

I just got home from watching Gone With the Wind on one of those great huge old movie theatres, the Senator Theatre in Baltimore. I hadn’t seen the movie since I was a young teenager, and had forgotten most of it, except the memorable lines. I am not sure that the film aged well, and was certainly not the least bit politically correct. In 2012, it will be 75 years since GWTW was filmed.

Of course, the costumes were fabulous, but I couldn’t help but thinking about how difficult, and hot, it would have been to lug those long dresses around, with the huge hoops and numerous crinolines. Vivien Leigh is just stunning, but I wasn’t wild about Clark Gable. And there certainly wasn’t lots of great interior decoration to be seen in the film, even after Rhett and Scarlett move into their mansion.

One funny thing I noticed, was that the Wilkes’ siblings, Ashley and India. Do you think another pair of siblings with the same names were named after them?

ashley hicks

india hicks

Have you seen Gone With the Wind recently? What do you think?

Bella Foster for the WSJ + A Little More

2011-12-10T22:59:00.001-05:00

I adore the weekend Wall Street Journal, and if possible, adore even more the WSJ. Magazine. Last week, artist Bella Foster created a one-page painting as a small gift to WSJ readers. I was quite taken with this little work, and it’s just one more good reason to love the WSJ Weekend paper.That, and the fabulous piece they did on English country houses that are being rented out to paying guests… And this video clip of the new Madonna-produced movie, WE.

which got scathingly bad reviews from the UK papers.

Here’s What’s Happening…

2011-12-09T21:38:00.001-05:00

this weekend…If you live in or around Baltimore. After several people mentioned to me that they would like to have known about the Holiday Heap last weekend, but missed it because they didn’t know in time, I thought I’d post a few things that are happening this weekend and beyond.

On Thursday night, I had two invitations – one was five minutes from the house and the other 45 minutes. Guess which one I attended. It was the Evergreen House’s Evergreen Evening, which launches the holiday season at this amazing house. The house is one of those which is just made for beautiful holiday parties, and there were trees in almost every room.Many of the trees were thematic, including one with ornaments from across the world, each representing a place where the family had an association.

The one I liked the most had loads of chandelier crystals and white fairy lights. Information on Evergreen here.

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Today, I headed up-country to the gorgeous Ladew House & Gardens Open House and Greens Sale. I am usually there in the late spring for their Garden Festival (save the date, Carolyne Roehm is this year’s speaker!) So seeing Ladew in the winter was a whole different experience. The house is decorated for the holidays, and there are greens from across the property for sale. I snagged a few bunches of English Boxwood. Each of the ground-floor rooms is thematically decorated by a different decorator or garden club. Mr. Ladew was a huge party-giver, I am sure he entertained a lot around the holidays. There was someone in this room playing carols on the piano, a very nice touch.I loved this rose and magnolia arrangement which was hanging from one of the windows. I think it would last a few days.Mr. Ladew was a huge fox hunter and I thought this little reynard, sitting on the library steps was a great touch.Throughout the property and studio/barn, there were beautiful arrangements, all for sale. The studio is great – all light-filled and walled with books. They’re on shelves fronted with chicken wire, a fun touch. Mr. Ladew was a huge reader and the range of books in the house is amazing. This is an interesting time to see the gardens, as the bones show through and you can see more details. When I visit in the spring and summer, everything’s leafed out, so you don’t get the sense of how the garden’s been built.But there are still some bright spots!

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I headed back into town, crossing this old trestle bridge as I turned south towards an auction preview.There are two auctions this weekend, one at Alex Cooper, where I purchased some pictures earlier this year, and an Eggnog Auction on Sunday at Richard Opfer Auctions.

I desperately need a rug for the mud-room, which has ceramic tiles over a slab, and is next to the kitchen with no door. I think that a rug will help warm the room, and since Connor troops through there with muddy feet, I want something that will disguise the paw prints. This might do the trick.The larger of the two auctions is at Cooper, and I spent a leisurely hour or two there, checking out what’s on offer and thinking about leaving some bids. Some of the lots are massive!

Like this great wall of China import pottery. Estimate is $200, and there must be more than 100 pieces!

This lot of teapots, some transferware and others painted, has an estimate of $125-$200.

This lot of Indian silver/silverplate probably has more than 100 pieces with an estimate of $150-$200.

I thought this Wild West sort of textile was fascinating, it was delicate, but the beading was in very good condition.

Of course, you will notice that I am not telling you what I am bidding on! Just one lot of things, I think… or maybe two!

I hope your weekend is filled with lots of fun things to do, parties to attend and presents to wrap!

OKL: This or That

2011-12-08T23:00:00.001-05:00

I swore I was going to lay off the OKL posts (especially after I just ordered something from them this morning!), but it’s like an addiction. I just get so caught up in the madness, that I can’t stop.

So, here on the same page, right next to each other, we have two items… with a price difference of $69,900.

Seriously! An Airstream trailer! Would you actually buy something like this off the interwebs? I would want to walk around it, kick the tires, lie in one of the beds, check out how it would feel being towed behind my Volvo wagon. You know, little things like that, before spending such a large chunk o’change.

I’d also have to consider redecorating the interior to something a little more authentic than a Moroccan-style décor. Like perhaps something a tad more in keeping with the general era of these kings of the road, perhaps.

And then I saw this…

I’ve got one if you want it. Seriously. It is only $20, plus $10 shipping.

Just saying… You should shop with me!

Scalamandre’s Third Floor

2011-12-08T00:07:00.001-05:00

Do you know that Scalamandré has an on-line shop called The Third Floor? If you’re looking for a completely unique gift for someone for the holidays, you can buy several items in their signature zebra print.

They have the umbrella in both the massive golf size, or this more manageable folding size. I was given one of the golf ones, which is en route from NYC via personal carrier (my friend who is their PR person who is coming to Baltimore for the weekend). I only wish I had had it today, when we received more than two inches of rain!

You could also buy one of Scalamandré’s gorgeous pillows with the signature print in several colourways.

Or a lush soy candle!

Any of these would make a great gift that is also a style statement. For more ideas, click here.

And Another Thing…

2011-12-07T00:17:00.001-05:00

I found a stash of old House & Garden Magazines at the Book Thing the other day, and I found a series of quotes from Billy Baldwin on the back page. I have a particular fondness for BB because he’s from Baltimore, and the house where he was raised is just a few blocks from where I live now.

From H&G, January 1998: Quotes from a past master: Billy Baldwin, whose work and words from the ‘30s to the ‘70s are an inspiration today.

If there’s one thing decorating is, it’s personal. Nothing is interesting unless it is personal.

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If both the expensive and the inexpensive are, in their own ways, first class, they can be perfectly harmonious.

There is nothing quite so boring as false refinement, or so vulgar as misplaced elegance.

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If you fall in love with something, that’s all that matters. Your love protects you from all upsets.

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Next to sustainability, restraint is the most important quality.

To get a room that sizzles with personality, you’ve got to take risks. A person with real flair is a gambler at heart.

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Charm is augmented by a sense of non-permanence.I’d love to see less and less studied decoration and more and more things chosen because you love them. That’s the whole point, really.

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Which is your favourite quote?

Connor as Burrito

2011-12-06T12:43:00.001-05:00

One (!) of the strange things about Connor is that he likes to be wrapped up. Swaddled like a little baby. So, I call him the burrito baby. And don’t ask me how I know he likes this.

Christmas Parade!

2011-12-05T21:10:00.001-05:00

Some friends and I walked down the little lane by my house to watch the Mayor’s Annual Christmas Parade and we had a ball. The parade lasted more than two hours, but we didn’t. We got chilled and, to be honest, a little bored. How many marching bands, high-steppers and motorcycles can you watch before they all blur together. But we had some children with us and they loved it – especially the part where the people in the parade threw candy and toys to them. We’re lucky to be right at the start of the parade route, so goodies were plentiful.

In Baltimore, there’s always loads of purple and many ravens to be found. It’s because of our football team, the Ravens, whose colours are black and purple. Yesterday was no exception.

And what would a Christmas Parade be without Star Wars characters? With guns?Or Marie Antoinette with a working snow globe embedded in her bouffant hair-do! Of course, when Ma Petite Shoe, the store that sells both shoes and chocolate sponsors you, why not?

There were Masons galore, in cars, on motorcycles and even on flying carpets. This guy brought his dog, who brought his bear. How funny is that!!! God knows that Connor would have been off like a shot if I tried this!Of course, there were loads of fabulous vintage cars, including this Barracuda,a Kaiser Manhattan,and the Grinch in a muscle car.Traffic lights were no impediment for Frosty-the-Snowman!

One thing that might be unique to Baltimore is the tradition of neighbourhood high-stepping groups. I admire these kids for their work on their routines, and willingness to go out in public in such amazing outfits. See for yourself.

Who says that green tie-dye velour cat suits aren’t in vogue!I didn’t know you could still buy white go-go boots. I worried that these poor girls would catch a chill. But I have to tell you, the drumming is just amazing, and the kids start as young as eight years old.

I know that everyone loved it, as evidenced by this cutie-pie and his ~~son~~ dad.It really was a fun way to start the season, and even more fun that it was so close to the new house!

So Crafty!

2011-12-05T11:02:00.001-05:00

I forgot to share one of the best items I saw at the Holiday Heap the other day! It’s from Juliet at I Break Plates.

And the Winner is…

2011-12-04T22:38:00.001-05:00

A few days late, I wanted to announce the winner of the Thymes Frasier Fir candle, graciously donated by my friends at The House Downtown… Since Connor’s not much of a reader, I had to pick the winner, who is Debbie! This is the story she told:

My husband was in his last year of college in Boston when my brother called to tell me that the rowhome next door to him, here in Baltimore, was for sale. We scraped together a pitiful down payment, figuring we would have no problem renting it to JHU students for one year. Not quite. Anyway, we arrived home on Christmas Eve, totally broke from paying our Boston rent, Baltimore mortgage and college tuition. After midnight Mass, my mother-in-law suggested we stroll over to take a look at our house. It turned out, my in-laws had decorated the outside with Christmas lights and had made up a mattress on the floor of the master bedroom, with a lamp and a radio playing Christmas music. The kitchen was equipped with a frying pan and stocked with a loaf of bread, a pound of bacon, orange juice, a dozen eggs and two dishes for dining at our card table on Christmas morning. We will celebrate our 21st Christmas in this home in a few weeks.

I loved this story, especially returning to the house after midnight mass. I always love that time, just as the mass is finishing up, singing the last carol, saying Merry Christmas to everyone. Then heading home in anticipation of Christmas day, which will begin in just a few short hours. I know my parents stayed up late to get everything finished up before we all got up in the morning.

Debbie… e-mail me and we’ll figure out how to get this amazingly fabulous candle to you!

More Christmas tomorrow with lots of pictures of Sunday’s Christmas Parade, which was an extravaganza!And it started less than 500 feet from my house!

Holiday Heap O’Craft

2011-12-03T22:16:00.001-05:00

One of the most gratifying things about blogging is having the chance to meet other bloggers, people whom I never would have met otherwise. Today was one of those occasions, when I met up with Mary from Barn Bug Studio at the Holiday Heap o’Craft Show. It’s hosted by the local Etsy Street Team and the Charm City Craft Mafia who show and sell their wares at a re-purposed church in Baltimore.The venue, which is always being renovated, reminded me of any number of church and village fetes I attended when I was living in the UK, especially with the fairy lights and bright pennants crossing the room. As you can see, the place was packed, just elbow to elbow. And believe me, more than a few elbows were being thrown as people dealt with the crowds.

I am always so amazed to see the craftsmanship and creativity that people have, and there was plenty to see today.

Brightly coloured paper Christmas trees

Screen-printed towels and placemats.

Pretty Painted Pottery with Poppies

Clever wine carriers in felt

The Questing Beast pillows

Big-eyed tree animal = Tarsier

Towels with vintage engravings

Sea urchins or jelly-fish in crochet

Cat toys in crochet

St. John’s Church, where the Holiday Heap was held, is really an amazing space and is used for myriad events, including dances, yoga practices, band concerts and even services for the small remaining congregation. There are events like Holiday Heap all over the place for the next few weeks. Go out and support your local crafter!

The Shops: Charity

2011-12-02T18:29:00.001-05:00

The saying is that Charity begins at home and at local charity shops, it does. For this post, I am not talking about the multi-venue stores like Goodwill or Value Village, but smaller one-off shops run by churches, hospitals, and other charitable causes. Many of these shops have goods donated by members of the organization and are run almost exclusively by volunteers.

Today, I stopped in at the Carry On Shop, a project of the Johns Hopkins Women’s Committee. The shop is run by John and Kelly who are paid staff, and is located at the Hospital’s East Baltimore Campus. When you look through the names of the Women’s Committee, they are a pretty impressive group and have some friends with great taste and deep pockets.

That’s why you can go in and find something like this:

Judith Leiber bag

New Kate Spade Evening Sandals

Gucci Loafers

One of many many pairs of Ferragamo Shoes

In addition, they have original prints and artwork, furniture, china and crystal, as well as books. You can see more images on this post from 2009.

Around Baltimore, some places which have shops are Good Samaritan Hospital, St. Paul’s Church in Ellicott CIty, Sheppard Pratt Hospital, and The Surprise Shop at the Trinity Church in Towson. Of course, there are a lot of smaller ones that I don’t know about. Many of them are only open a few days or hours a week, so you should call and check before you go.

These shops do good for the charities they benefit and for the people who buy from them, even if one of those people is me!

Monument Lighting

2011-12-01T23:48:00.001-05:00

One of the traditions that launches the Christmas season for me is the annual Lighting of the Washington Monument in the center of Baltimore City, on the beautiful Mount Vernon Place.

Julie, my friend and Sunday morning Farmers’ Market partner in crime, wrote about the Monument Lighting much more eloquently than I ever could:

…I went to the lighting of Baltimore's Washington Monument, which is always as close to a scene from Bedford Falls at Christmastime as you can find in present-day Baltimore.

A throng of people mill about in the chilly twilight, stands sell hot chocolate, and school choirs and bands play Christmas carols. When it's time to light the monument the mayor leads the crowd in the countdown. The lights come on, fireworks go off, and the crowd cheers. For some reason I always find myself moved to the edge of tears… Afterwards we made our way home through the surrounding streets with their shop windows outlined with lights, and buildings decorated with greens, and in the dark Baltimore really did look more like a Christmas village than a grimy second-tier city…

As Julie says, the fireworks are shot off after the Monument’s lights are turned on. And the fireworks are shot off from around the perimeter of the Monument, and are REALLY close!

And the booms from the fireworks echo through the streets, bouncing off the nearby buildings.

What a great way to signal the start of the holiday season in Baltimore… with a bang!

Keeping Connor Out of Trouble

2011-11-30T20:58:00.000-05:00

Keeping Connor out of trouble can sometimes be a full time job, and when my friend Tracey sent me this virtual Christmas present, I thought it sounded like the perfect thing for Connor. As I said to Tracey, 99% of the time, the camera would show Connor sleeping either on my bed or on the sofa, and 1% he’d be getting into trouble. Her reponse? “Occupy Connor. The 1% is what matters…”

And if you think my Photoshop job is bad, check out the one on the website for this camera: Connor – he’s really the 99%!

This and That, Plus Something Free!

2011-11-29T21:41:00.001-05:00

It’s been a busy week so far and we’re only at the halfway mark. I had a great meeting on Tuesday, and you’ll soon be hearing what my new adventure is going to entail!

As part of my commitment to make this a green holiday season, I thought I’d try sending cards with Paperless Post. My friend, Alice, doyenne of Summer is a Verb was the one who introduced me to this concept and I’ve been wanting to try it ever since. So when I recently received an announcement from Paperless Post’s PR person telling me that the have a free line of informal holiday cards and invitations, I had to check them out. I had an occasion to send a little invitation, so I did it via Paperless Post and it worked like a charm. I could upload my own picture (below!),and then customize what I wanted to say in the invitation including colours and fonts. Then I uploaded addresses from my e-mail address book, and off they went! I can check to see who has opened the invitation, who’s coming and who has sent their regrets on the tracking page. The one thing that’s a little different between the free service and the paid service is that the free card is embedded in the e-mail and doesn’t have a paperless envelope to open. There are more than 100 cards to pick from for the holidays, including greeting cards and invitations. To choose and send cards from Paperless Post’s selection of free cards, click here. It’s a great way to be green for the holidays! In fact, in December alone, Paperless Post users will save roughly the number of trees in Central Park.

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With the holidays fast upon us, I had to decide whether I wanted a Christmas tree or not, and eventually decided against it, mainly because I don’t have any ornaments, as I got rid of them when I moved to the UK… and also because I am worried that someone, might think that there’s now indoor plumbing for them!

But I love the smell of Christmas trees, especially Frasier Firs, so I went to the The House Downtown to buy a Christmas-scented candle. I’ve been buying the Thymes Frasier Fir candles for a few years, and they are my absolute favourites for the holidays. They make the house smell so fresh and wintery. You get the great Christmas Tree scent without the pine needles throwing themselves onto your carpets and floors within five minutes of setting up the tree.

My friends at The House Downtown were kind enough to present me with one of these fabulous Thymes Frasier Fir candles, and they were even more generous in giving me another candle to give to one of you! Here’s what you need to do to win one of the 186g candles: Leave a comment with your favourite holiday memory and I will pick the one that I like the most. Deadline is Friday, December 2 at 6:00 EST, and don’t forget to leave an identifying name or blog name. I will post the candle to you on Saturday, so you’ll have it in your home for the holidays. And to match The House Downtown’s generosity, I will add something special to the package.

I can’t wait to read about your favourite holiday memory!

Recipe for a Danish

2011-11-28T20:13:00.001-05:00

A few people have asked me for the recipe for the Danish that I showed in yesterday’s post.

This is quite ironic, since I have literally not cooked for the past few years. The kitchen in my old house had virtually no counter space, and the place wasn’t conducive to having guests. And when your two best friends in the ‘hood are both chefs, why bother cooking?

So, now that I have a massive new kitchen, I am starting to cook again. I actually don’t mind cooking, and I am a pretty good cook – I was a caterer for a while in another lifetime.

The recipe for the Danish came via Nick Malgieri’s book, BAKE. I had met Nick at a cooking party at my friend Julie’s house earlier this year, and it was actually Julie who came to breakfast to “test drive” the Danish on Sunday.

But, I admit, I cheated a bit with the recipe. However, I will give it to you as I made it, not as Nick wrote it.

Puff pastry – you can find this in the frozen food section
2 tablespoons of butter
3 lbs of tart apples
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 cup of currants

Melt the butter in a sauté pan or in a large Dutch oven. Peel, halve and core the apples, and cut the apples into 1/2 inch dice. Add the apples to the butter. Add the sugar and cinnamon. Cook over high heat until the butter begins to sizzle. Decrease the heat and cover, let the apples steam in their own juice for about 5 minutes. Uncover the pan, decrease the heat and add the currants. Continue cooking until the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and cool.

Let the puff pastry thaw a bit – you’ll need to be able to roll it out. Flour your surface and roll the pastry out into a rectangle shape. Slide the dough onto a cookie sheet or a silpat and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Cut the dough into two long pieces and brush the long ends of each piece with an egg wash (egg beaten with a pinch of salt). Spoon the filling equally down the middle of each piece. Fold the sides of the dough until they meet in the middle and press down to make a seal. Flip the strudel so the seam is on the bottom. I put them on a piece of parchment to make moving them easier and to make clean-up simple.

Put the strudels in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes, and heat the oven to 400*. Remove from the fridge and brush each piece with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Use a sharp knife to score the strudels on the diagonal, about every inch.

Bake until deep golden and the dough is firm. This should be about 20 minutes. Cool, cut into 4 inch sections and EAT!

Of course, Julie and I had to sit and eat and discuss other variations on this recipe. Maybe just a bit of lemon juice to brighten the flavour. Or some cranberries to add some tartness. You could exclude the raisins/currants. You could do this with peaches or cherries. Maybe add some almonds or pecans.