What a Weck!

I’ve just discovered the most amazing jars, if you can believe that! I hate putting my food in plastic when I am storing it or reheating it. It makes me uneasy about what chemicals are leaching into my food. So I have started collecting old Pyrex glass storage containers, and recently, I came across a cache of Weck jars.These jars are made in the US, but were originally German-made. Their shapes are so much more elegant than regular glass jars, and their rubber ring seal and glass lids are pretty much chemical free.  The lids are held on by little metal clamps.

I like the fact that they can go from the fridge to the microwave, and I don’t have to worry about chemicals. They’re available through Heath Ceramics on-line, but if you order through Weck, it’s all via snail-mail. Or you could make light fixtures out of the Weck asparagus jars, like the Delancey Restaurant in Seattle did.

Clogs and Stockinged Feet

My brother sent me the Welsh proverb “bad news goes about in clogs, good news in stockinged feet” or newyddion drwg yn mynd am yn clocsiau, newyddion da yn stocio traed in Welsh, in an e-mail today and I thought how apropos this is in our world of social media, digital news and reviews and certainly blogs.This weekend, I had a horrible experience at a local restaurant, which we’ve always loved. It’s recently changed hands and the service, food and staff have really gone downhill. When I got home, I looked at the restaurant’s Facebook page, and discovered that we were not the only ones unhappy with our recent experience there.

What really surprised me was that the restaurant had not refuted any of the comments nor had they deleted them. It actually looked like they had set up the new FB page when they took over the restaurant, but have never checked it since. So, anyone looking for information on the place only saw very negative comments and no one defending the restaurant - not even the owners.In an age where image and brand are your currency, it is essential to keep control over the message that is getting out about you, your company and your name.

If you don’t do these few things already, you should try them:

• Google yourself every few months. Use different iterations of your name. See what’s out there about you. See what other people have written. Check what information of yours is public knowledge. If you have a blog, check that, too.
• Look for your name on Facebook. There was a recent story on Salon.com about a writer who wanted to start doing some PR for a new book and discovered a fake and offensive profile of herself. The profile had been up for about six months before she discovered it.

If a customer has a great experience, they will tell a handful of people. But if they have a bad experience, they will tell up to 40 people. When you add social media to the mix, the audience potential is impossible to calculate. Even more concerning is the fact that customers (or potential customers) are likely to trust their friends’ Facebook posts more so than any other third-party review.

Customer service is paramount if you own a business, large or small. I am sure the restaurant where we ate the other night will not be open in six months. But it will be their own fault.

Book’em!

I was poking around somewhere and discovered a treasure trove of Piero Fornasetti wallpapers from Cole & Sons in the UK.  Piero Fornasetti was a Milanese painter, sculptor, interior decorator, engraver of books and a creator of more than 11,000 products.  In terms of variety of decoration, Fornasetti’s production of objects and furniture is one of the largest of the 20th century.

There is a collection of wallpapers full of books, which would make a fabulous backdrop for a room. It comes in several colourways, and if you were cheeky, you could mix and match them!  I’d probably get out my set of Sharpie markers and start adding titles here and there. 

There was also a great paper of Vivienne Westwood’s iconic Union Jack. I’d love this for a wall in my house! While I am not a huge fan of many British wallpapers – I’ve seen and lived with too many really bad ones – I do like these.

Year of the Rabbit

Happy New Year! It’s the year of the rabbit in the Chinese calendar. Most of the time, I love rabbits, but they are garden pests as evidenced in the wonderful Beatrix Potter books. Somehow, I don’t think that fuzzy little Peter is who the Chinese were thinking of… People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. A rabbit year is quiet, giving respite after the year of the tiger!

We can only hope!

Groundhog Day

Well, thank god that the fat little groundhog didn’t see it’s shadow today, because I could sure use an early spring this year. It’s only the 18th time he hasn’t seen his shadow, but with all of the TV lights around him, who can really tell?

We’re gearing up for the Annual Groundhog Day Party to benefit the Baltimore Architecture Foundation on Saturday. There are still some tickets available here.  There are some great items up for auction, which you can see here.

I found a cache of vintage costume jewelry today in my travels, and bought a couple of pieces so I could have something to choose from to wear to the party. I don’t own very much jewelry anymore since a robbery at my house just after I moved in, so I am replenishing slowly and not spending tons of money, because I am still freaked out.

Here are two of the pairs of earrings I bought.

I am wearing a black wrap dress with a ruffled collar. Which do you think I should choose?

Turgot Plan de Paris on OKL – OMG!

Are you a member of One King’s Lane? It’s one of my favourite places to shop for unique items. Tuesdays are the Tastemaker Tag Sales at Twilight, and they always have fabulous things on offer.

I did have to gasp out loud when I saw the original price of this Turgot Plan de Paris! Even the reduced price is rather eye-popping, especially since it’s only 48” x 2” x 50 inches, framed. If you’d like a slightly less expensive copy of the map, that you can print out all by yourself in easily framed pieces, just click here.

For less than a third of the price, you can buy the map in three scrolls, here. Or you can get the massive version in 25 sheets here. This one is only $60 and the shipping is free! You can read about my adventures hanging the map here.

Snowtrees

I had the chance to meet David Patrick Columbia, the editor of New York Social Diary, a few months ago. I’ve been a fan of his for about six years and was delighted to meet him in person.  There’s always something interesting on NYSD, and if you’re not subscribing to it, you should!Today, as snow prepares to dump on this part of the country again, I was enchanted to see a photographic feature NYSD did about Snowtrees in New York’s Central Park. Brad Bateman, a real estate agent and artist, takes the snow and melts it in his hands, and then applies it to trees, specifically along a path in Central Park. Here he is on the left, with Lonesome Juan, and his friend, Gann Brewer. I really love things like this that are so unexpected, so simple and yet so joyful. If it snows tonight, you might just see some snowtrees around my neighbourhood tomorrow.

Mirror, Mirror

I am so excited for my friend, David Wiesand, whose gorgeous Cherry Pegged Mirror was shown in this month’s Veranda magazine. This mirror comes in several different finishes, so check out David’s blog to see them, as well as some other things he’s been working on.

Hot Water Bottle

The first house where I lived in Wales did not have central heat, or even automatic hot water. The UK in the winter can be incredibly damp and cold, and you get chilled to the bone. Aside from being almost fully clothed when I went to bed, I found that the best solution to keeping warm was a hot water bottle. I would stick it at the foot of the bed as I was getting ready for bed, and by the time I jumped in, the area where my feet were was all nice and toasty. As I fell asleep, I’d move the bottle around so it would warm my back and then my front. I haven’t had a hot water bottle since then, but recently bought one because my back was hurting. I remembered what a wonderful simple little item this is, and have been using it for a few weeks. I find that I can turn the heat down lower when I go to bed and stick my bottle at the bottom of the bed like I did in Wales. I played around with making a cover for it using an old cashmere sweater. Now it will be doubly nice! You can find the old-fashioned red hot water bottles at any drugstore.

Thundersnow!

Sometimes when we get a fast-moving snowstorm, like we did today, we also get thunder and lightening along with it. A huge flash of light and then some incredible thunder! Can I just tell you how much Connor hates thunder? Today’s snow is very wet and heavy snow and when I was walking Connor earlier this evening, I could hear the thud of big wet clumps of snow falling from the trees. This is the kind of snow that takes the power lines down.  But not here… not yet!