Happy 4th!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July. I am house-sitting for friends who live just on the Inner Harbour, so will have a great view of the fireworks. I am very worried about the Connor-pup because he's terrified of fireworks, thunder, etc. I will have him with me, but will probably have him climbing all over me during the display. Have a great day!!

Carleton Varney, Part V - Maps Are "In"

When I was at college, I lived near the tiny Tippety Wichity Island in the St. Mary's River. I had framed a chart of that section of the Chesapeake Bay in the guest room at my old house. So as I was flipping through Carleton Varney's Book of Decorating Ideas, I found that he thought maps were "in".

CV talks about having a seaman's map of the Virgin Islands with their course from St. John to Tortolla pencilled in. He says that maps give a personal look to any room. Use maps of places you've been and places you'd like to go. Surround a framed map with photographs or memorabilia from that special place.

When I was in college, I took a navigation course (I practically majored in sailing) and so have a great affinity for charts and maps of all sorts. Nautical and navigational charts are especially pretty in their pale blues, greens and yellows. An old office of mine was papered floor to ceiling in charts of the Chesapeake, and we would often have to stand up on the desk to find some point or creek.

I use maps a lot in my graphic work and recently took a map of Nottingham, where my father grew up and added a picture of him at school. I took an 1940's road atlas of the UK and scanned in the south Wales coast where I used to live. I superimposed a photo of "my" two Welsh kids in the bathtub and sent it to their father as a present. I made a birthday print for an old friend with a vintage map of Paris, a photo of the Eiffel Tower and a street sign, along with her initials and a pair of stiletto heels.

You can find vintage or antique maps on Ebay for less than $10 or framed reproductions in catalogues. Stores specializing in old prints and maps are also a great resource and you can find some quite obscure things if you look. You can even frame a 1960's gas station map showing the route of a favourite road trip.

I agree 100% with Carleton - maps ARE in!

Missed Another Tag Sale

I was reading the Washington Post this morning and saw that I'd missed the totally under-the-radar tag sale hosted by DC decorator, Mary Douglas Drysdale. Apparently, she didn't even advertise it until seven hours before it started, and then advertised it on Craigs List. With the prices that Annie Groer at the Post mentioned - used Hermes ties at $75 each, a 1890's carved wooden horse for $50k - it's not exactly for the Craigs List crowd. Anyway, since the turnout was so low, it will be continuing on Monday, July 2, in Washington, DC. Let me know if you go!

Vaughan Designs

I was browsing through Architectural Digest last evening at the architect's office where a friend work and spotted the most gorgeous wall-lamp in an advertisement. The company is London-based Vaughan Designs. They have showrooms in London, Paris and New York. It looks like a beautiful icicle.

Although this lamp is a bit modern for my taste, it's lovely nevertheless. Don't you agree?

Woman's Industrial Exchange

I happened to wander into the Woman's Industrial Exchange this afternoon. Baltimore's version of this old concept store began just after the War of Northern Aggression (or the Civil War, as it is commonly known), to help women of means who were lacking cash, exchange their needlework, handicrafts and cooking for cold currency. In fact, the Duchess of Windsor's mother often took in sewing from the Exchange. Current consigners receive 65% of the price of the item sold.

The Baltimore, WIE used to have the most wonderful restaurant, which can be seen in a scene from Sleepless in Seattle (watch this clip - it's hilarious, but it's not this one--->) where Meg Ryan and Rosie O'Donnell's characters have lunch. The average age of the waitress, and they were all women, was about 90. They wore Tiffany-blue dresses with huge starched white bows. Hopefully, another restaurant will be coming in soon, but it will never be the same as the original.

In the St. Louis Woman's Exchange, they sell the famous Cherry Dresses, which have been classics for more than 50 years. In Baltimore, the store is famous for its sock monkeys. There are WE's across the country, including Dallas, Memphis and Philadelphia.

Right now, the Baltimore WIE is having a terrific sale on Michael Weems glassware. It's really spectacular stuff and is being sold at a deeeep discount. If I told you how deep, you would not believe me... and I don't want to tell in case I buy presents there. People will think I am skint!

Do you have a Woman's Exchange near you? Do share...

Carolyne Roehm's Yard Sale

If I were to consider a trip up to Connecticut for a weekend, it just might have to be this coming weekend for Carolyne Roehm's YARD SALE!!! I think that this would the creme de la creme of yard sales.

She says "It has been a four year obsession of mine to “right-size” here at Weatherstone by having a whopper of a “tag sale” to relieve my groaning cupboards and closets from the accumulations of products from book and magazine shoots and years of parties. It may be an older baby boomer thing but I want to simplify and I see no better way than to start with a bang. If you are around Sharon, Connecticut the 30th of June or the 1st of July between 9:00am-and 4:00pm stop by..."

Can you imagine how fabulous this will be!!!

Weekend Books

I just glanced by the Book Thing on Saturday afternoon, as I am working Saturdays right now. They seem to have been swept by hoards of book lovers, because the paperback mystery book section was barren!!! I don't watch TV, so reading's my escape. One of the things I like most about the Book Thing, aside from the fact that all of the books are FREE, is that I can get books that I would not normally take home, and if I don't like them, back they go.

I do understand that this concept is similar to the public library system, but they frown on you keeping the books you like, and really hate it when you cut the French-language books to paper a box.

One of my favourite old movies is the classic "Father of the Bride" with Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett and Billie Burke (aka Glinda the Good Witch), directed by Vincente Minnelli. I found a first edition of the book from which the movie was adapted, complete with hilarious illustrations. As you may have noticed, I love old line drawings from vintage books. The book was written by Edward Streeter and illustrated by Gluyas Williams. It should be fun to read the original version.

The other fun book I got is "Dry Rot and Daffodils: Behind the Scenes at a National Trust House". The house where the author lived for seven years is in Norfolk, England, where my Auntie lives.

I got an e-mail from my brother-in-law, asking if I wanted his collection of Country Life magazines and auction catalogues. I think I will take them, as long as I can cull through them and give the unwanted ones to the Book Thing. Country Life is very different from the American magazine Country Living. "Country Life is compulsory reading for those who enjoy rural pursuits or who are looking to join the pack." It usually features a debutante or three on its pages, and they're known as "girls with pearls", although some pose in more than that. There's also a funny cartoon called Tottering by Gently, which appears to be based on my friend from the Castle, Lady Pen.

Hat Trick

I love hats and have a small collection of them, including a great hot pink straw hat that I wear with a black grosgrain ribbon with white stitching, fastened with a diamond pin in the shape of a rose. I love the long ribbons tapping on my shoulders. The pink is a very flattering colour and the shape is perfect for my face.

I was reading something yesterday and was reminded of how very much I love the terrific hats by Aussie, Helen Kaminski. She first designed raffia hats to protect her children's skin from the blazing Australian sun and then branched out from there. Her hats are not inexpensive but they do last and can be rolled up and stuffed in a corner of your suitcase, washed easily and worn well.

In the UK, wearing hats is much more accepted than in the US. You can even rent hats to match the outfit you're wearing to a wedding. June 21 was Ladies' Day at Ascot where everyone shows off their amazing hats. I have collected a sampling from the BBC's website, which shows some of the more outlandish ones. Do click on the link to read the comments, which are hilarious!

Which hat do you like best?

Robsjohn-Gibbings Redux

A few months ago, I posted about T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and his delightful book. I was reading 1st Dibs today and they had him featured as their Spotlight Designer. Take some time to look at 1st Dibs, it's a wealth of information. As they mention, it's not only important to look at today's myriad design names, but to also look at past design stars. Mr. R-G was inspired by designs from the past, often using classical Greek and Roman furniture for a contemporary look.

While we look to the future for new opportunities, we should also look into the past for inspirations.

It's SUMMER!

I can never decide whether the first day of summer is the best or the worst day of the year. We've been building up to the longest day of the year for six months and now we're heading down the slippery slope towards shorter days...

Oh well, I will be a glass-half-full person and think of the whole summer spead out in front of me like blank pages. Who knows what the next few months will bring...

Happy Summer Solstice!