Anthro-chic

When I shop, I really try and patronize smaller, non-chain stores. I took the Shop Locally 3/50 Pledge earlier this year and really try to keep my promise. Anthropologie falls somewhere between a national chain store and a local store. With 130 stores world-wide, including a newly opened one on London’s chic Regent Street, they’re far smaller than, say, Walmart.

I have always liked their quirky mix of items and their artistic way of merchandising what’s on offer. Apparently, EVERYTHING in the store is for sale, including the window displays, which at the Soho store, were made of paper and plastic cups!Someone had made two life-size (not that I am 100% certain about this) ostriches from pages of books! He was taller than I am, and had the funniest expression on his face. His companion had his head buried in the sand.

Speaking of books, there was the most massive hand-made book laid out on one of the beds on display. It must have measured about 20 x 20 inches. The book was full of short poems/rhymes and illustrations. It was really amazing.

As I mentioned, I am quite partial to Anthropologie’s displays, and loved the crossed spoon plate holders. I took a closer look at one, and figured that with a little bit of heavy gauge wire and some solder, I could whip a couple of these up, tout de suite! I thought the initials on these cups were perfectly placed… and no, I didn’t hang them this way! These bowls reminded me of one of Madeline Weinrib’s fabrics – Green Brooke, perhaps? Or maybe an ikat? Another thing I could whip in my copious spare time is this quilt made from old plaid blankets. It was backed with a very soft wool and looked to be very cozy!Last, but not least, was this incredible GIANT knitted blanket. I am a knitter and I can not even imagine what size needles you would need to make stitches this large! I knitted a blanket once, it was hot pink mohair and was light as a feather and kept me toasty warm in the cold Welsh winters, springs, summers and falls.

Look Up - NYC

We were in NYC to meet up with our friend, Roopa, for lunch and then to spend the afternoon wandering around. As we were walking, I remembered my father’s words, to look up. Several months ago, I talked about the importance of looking up when you’re in a city. You often see details of the original architecture that have been eliminated or obliterated on the street level. Here’s some of what we saw.

The charming Puck, who stands over the entrance to the Puck Building. Who can resist a fat guy in a top hat?

Looking south to a building decorated a la Louis Vuitton.The front of the New Museum on Bowery Street.

The Bowery Savings Bank from the frontand the side. The incomparable E. Vogel, Custom Made Shoes & Boots. I had a pair of paddock boots from Vogel that were just stunning. Unfortunately, they were jettisoned when I moved to the UK. This building’s curved corner reminded me of the HQ of the National Trust in Washington DC. What you can’t see in the image were the amazing fluted columns on the second floor, which we could see through the beautiful huge windows.Sometimes you have to look down to see the unusual. Girl Props is one of my favourite places for funky and inexpensive costume jewelry.

And in NoLiTa, we saw a reminder of the area’s Italian heritage in mosaics on the doorstep, and also in the beautiful tile-work inside.

We saw this lovely gal hovering above an entrance just to the north of the huge Ralph Lauren store in Soho. All in all, a great trip up to NYC, a wonderful lunch with a dear friend, and lots of walking and talking with a pal.

Perfect Day

Do you ever have one of those days when things just move along seamlessly, that everything is fun, and you are just happy? I had one of those days on Saturday.

I met up with my new friend, Christopher to head up to Book Thing. Christopher had a HUGE box of books to donate, so we chucked them into the back of the Volvo and headed up with Connor riding shotgun. I always admonish people not to go to Book Thing expecting to find the exact book they’re looking for, since everything there is up to chance.

As I’ve mentioned before, the books are categorized, but they’re not in any order. Christopher was looking for Life of the Party, the book about Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman, and within two minutes, we found it. Then Christopher found the issue of Baltimore Magazine which had featured him as one of the top young interior designers, which I hadn’t seen.

We headed back downtown to go to Housewerks, which was featured in Daily Candy DC last week. The mention multiplied their web traffic by several hundred times! Since we knew that the owners would have been busy, we stopped to pick up lunch for everyone in hopes that they’d be able to take a brief respite and have a hot drink and lunch. We arrived at Housewerks during a brief lull in the traffic and had a fun, chatty break with like-minded friends. Since Christopher hadn’t been to Housewerks, he was thrilled to have time to explore the space and check out all of their incredible treasures, like the faience light above.

The late afternoon light was gorgeous and provided some opportunities to take lovely pictures, both inside the building, 

and out.As we were exploring the grounds, we found the resident tomcat curled up in a pile of leaves taking a late afternoon snooze. To catch the best of the late afternoon light, we headed over to Mount Clare Mansion which looks out over Baltimore’s downtown.  The light just warmed the old bricks of the mansion and glowed in the windows of the office buildings in the distance. Mount Clare is the only remaining Georgian plantation house in Baltimore City and it retains much of its former glory. I particularly love this door, which would have originally been at the back of the house. I hope that you had a perfect weekend, too!

We’re heading up to NYC on Tuesday to have lunch with our friend Roopa who was on Jeopardy last week and to do some errands.

Red Poppy Sunday

In the UK, today is Remembrance Sunday. This date was established after the “Great War”, which was World War I. But then WWII came along, and then several other conflicts, including the current ones.  As I mentioned in my post last year, paper poppies are sold everywhere to raise money for veterans of the numerous wars and conflicts. Everyone wears them, from punks to pensioners to posh tots. They are sold in Tube stations and in grocery stores. They unite the country in a very visible way… in a way like nothing here in the US does. British forces all over the world, from those currently serving, to the aging Chelsea Pensioners, stop to remember their fallen comrades spanning the generations.Please take a moment to remember those who have lost their lives to ensure our freedom and safety, both here in the US and all over the world.

Some Housekeeping

Sorry for no post yesterday. I was laid low with a vicious migraine. Never had one like this before and hope not to have another. But thank god for illegally imported paracetemol and codeine. It did the trick.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I am preparing to move, as the house where I am living is being sold. I am de-accessioning some of my possessions in order to make the move as simple as possible. I figured that if Eddie Ross can sell off his collections on Etsy, then so can I! Check the site frequently, since I am adding new things every day, including a collection of antique quilts from New Mexico and Tennessee. I am still getting a lot of requests for the Turgot Plan de Paris, and people are having a problem printing it if they don’t have photo editing software. Because of this, I have uploaded PDF versions on 20 pages, so that you can print each page separately. Click here for the various versions. If you upload the map, please e-mail me and let me know. I’d also love to know what you do with the map. I am heading to the Book Thing this afternoon with my new friend Christopher, and then down to Housewerks. Can’t wait to see what treasures I find.

Hope your weekend is great.

Remember, Remember…

Remember, remember the fifth of November,

The gunpowder treason and plot,

I know of no reason

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

November 5th is Guy Fawkes Day in the UK. It’s the day that the plot to blow up the Parliament Buildings in London, along with the King was thawrted. To celebrate, bonfires were lit across the country.

The tradition continues to this day, with the lighting of bonfires to celebrate, and to burn the Guy in effigy, and fireworks to acknowledge the role of gunpowder in the plot.

I’ve gone to two Guy Fawkes bonfire parties. The first was with my former housemate, and we knew that the Princess Royal (Anne) was going to be lighting the fire in our area, and so we spent about an hour trying to find some old ship where the fire was being lit. Of course, never saw the bonfire, but we did see the Princess Royal as she was leaving.The second bonfire I went to was with my cousins, and we watched the neighbouring school shooting off fireworks and then we went to a dinner where they had a massive bonfire in the garden! It was a little strange seeing the fire, because there has been a ban on open burning where I live, since I was a child. People have big parties, and even wear Guy masks, which are all pretty identical.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day, and don’t go blowing anything up!

Moon River

The moon is full this week and when I saw it last night, shining over the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, it reminded me of the wonderful song, Moon River, sung by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
Wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
Waiting 'round the bend,
My huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

Although the Patapsco River doesn’t quite have the same romance as Tiffany’s, a moon like this is always gorgeous, no matter where you see it shining.

The Hallway: Part VIII

In my never-ending quest for the perfect colour for the hallway, I am still hunting. My dear new friend Christopher, gave me a copy of the Farrow & Ball colour brochure, which is incredible. As wonderful as the variety of shades are, their names and descriptions are even better. Who wouldn’t want a hallway painted Elephant’s Breath, or a dresser painted Mouse’s Back?  I am sure that people would say that I can be Churlish Green, but really, I think that Dead Salmon. The shades of String, Cord and Matchstick are so evocative of an old English Country House, while French Gray and Vert de Terre call to mind the French countryside. As much as I’d love to use F&B paint, I don’t think our Estate Manager would be able to deal with paying that kind of money for a gallon of paint. Too bad.

What’s your favourite F&B paint name?

***UPDATE: As much as I love the yellows, there are psychological studies that show that people fight more in yellow rooms than in any other colour. Because the children here have mental and behavioural issues, yellow has been taken out of the running. Too bad, because there are so many great shades.***

National Trust (US) Walking Tour

The National Trust for Historic Preservation in the US has just announced a walking tour of once-endangered buildings in Washington, DC on Saturday, November 21.

“Begin with a stop at 1785 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., the Beaux Arts headquarters of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  Uncover the stories of Decatur House -- designed by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, whose prior work includes a wing of the Capitol -- on an insiders' tour. Lunch on your own at Barracks Row, a thriving, revitalized community in the Capitol Hill Historic District and the oldest commercial area in Washington, D.C. An architectural walking tour through the Embassy Row neighborhood features grand 19th-century mansions. Stop at the Georgian revival home of Woodrow Wilson -- now a house museum -- that showcases a collection including gifts of state from around the world. Attend an elegant tea at the Mayflower Hotel, considered the grande dame of luxury hotels by Washington's elite when it opened more than 80 years ago. Conclude with an exterior look at the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building, currently closed for renovations.”Architectural historian, author and National Trust employee Dwight Young will lead the tour and tickets can be booked here.

Housewerks on Daily Candy

Congratulations to my dear friends Tracey and Ben and their business, Housewerks, for the great piece in DC Daily Candy today.  I write about Housewerks frequently, because Tracey and Ben have such a great eye for unusual pieces and they put them all together in such a striking way. I am so pleased to see Housewerks getting the recognition it deserves!