Happy Easter!

To appropriately celebrate the day in Bunny Ears, check out this pattern from Cath Kidston.

Hydrangeas

I re-planted my ancient cement pots this morning with 'Mathilda Gutges,' a small-ish hydrangea from the 1940's that promises cobalt flowers (with enough acid) and deep green leaves. Happily, the mopheads are not yet wilting in the mid-afternoon sun. Feels like summer already.

The Mermaid Inn

try their Lobster Sandwich on toasted brioche w/a side of Old Bay fries...

it's a sunny day at the beach

To Wallpaper or Not to Wallpaper?

My dining room needs oomph.  And while I love white, both the kitchen and living room, which this room bridges, are also white. I need more in this space.

I've been looking @ these 3 from Farrow & Ball. 

Thoughts?

Cupcake Chair

Ever found a lovely piece of furniture that reminded you of a delicious morsel of food?

Call me crazy, but as soon as I saw these cupcakes from Australia's Hello Naomi on Flickr, I thought of my favorite 1930's Frances Elkins 'loop' chair as interpreted by Downtown. This amazing chair would be even more cupcake-like painted Pleasant Pink (it can be customized in any Benjamin Moore color).

Another decor/food fetish confirmed.

Isn't She Fabulous?

I just came across a 'retrospective' of Mrs. Obama's G-20 fashions on The Huffington Post and I've got to say it again... isn't she fabulous?

Traditional / Modern

Miles Redd impeccably mixes the 2.

Kitchen Garden {just planted}

Inspired by the White House garden of First Lady Michelle Obama and the One Million Garden campaign, I planted one of my own today in fabulous new grey pots from Lowe's.

Of course, I had 3 beautiful raised beds created in my backyard 2 years ago. Set behind a lovely weathered picket fence and filled with near-perfect soil.  And I planted them.  Trouble is, out of sight, out of mind. Everything came to an untimely end minus H2O. But this year, pots planted with Fajita Bell peppers, Better Boy tomatoes, Quinault strawberries and miscellaneous herbs are nestled in a bed of pine straw just steps from the back door. And I'm feeling cautiously optimistic regarding their chance of survival.

I'm So Over Kelly

Kelly, we're, like, up here.  And you're, like, down there.

Classic Kate

Kate Spade stepped down as chief designer of her namesake brand nearly 2 years ago. And while her shops are still completely fresh & chock-full of amazingly fun objects...

I miss Kate.

J'adore Cookies

and Laduree macarons are my favorite. The best I've had this side of the Atlantic are from Bouchon, but nothing beats the real thing!

Harbor & Home

The latest exhibition at Winterthur is Harbor & Home: Furniture of Southeastern Massachusetts, 1710-1850, which opened Saturday. On display are 84 pieces of furniture, and more than 100 paintings, prints, historical photographs and other items drawn from 50 public and private collections. Lenders include The Met & Old Sturbridge Village, plus many smaller institutions throughout southeastern Massachusetts.

Isn't this scrimshaw dressing box perfect?  It's attributed to whaling captain Richard Luce of Vineyard Haven, and was probably made at sea between 1830 and 1850.

Kudos to Captain Luce for crafting this beautiful piece while sailing over the Atlantic's rolling waves.  Just the thought is making me a little seasick...

Domestic Goddess

I wake up early on weekdays.  I love reading e-mail, walking the dog, and having my first cup of coffee watching the sun come up.

Weekends are different. And Nigella Feasts is on a very short list of things {w/estate sales, Wimbledon, Metrolina, and dog} that get me out of bed before 8:00 a.m. But I can't help it. Her show is warm & cozy, like a big hug. And I adore her Web site as well. Here's what's cooking today...

Isn't that lovely?

Spring Cleaning (blog)

Like the new look?

Spring Cleaning (house) this weekend...

Happy Spring.

Dog Perfect

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful, she said.

SoHo / Greenwich Village

Sunny.

I squashed 4 favorite things into 2 hours.

cupcakes & Magnolia

fresh cut flowers near Broome

trunk shopping on W. Broadway

and inspiration @ Purl.

I love NY.

No Green

What better way to spend St. Patrick's than drinks @ Zanzibar and some fabulous Italian @ Cascina next door?  Fun.

Ok, maybe a smidge of green...

Wellies

I love Great Britain. Pringle cashmere, Harvey Nichols, Number Sixteen, Ab Fab, PG Tips, aran sweaters, Lush, Aston Martin, Boots Apothecary, Tate Britain, St. Martin in the Fields, The Conran Shop, Mary Poppins... And on days like today, when it rains cats & dogs in the Carolinas, making huge puddles & kicking up red clay, I head to the mud room for my black Wellies -- the classic Scottish rubber boot.

But when I saw the original Hunter Wellingtons in Silver @ WinkNYC, I had to re-think my blind love of all things UK. Silver. Really. Not sure even Trinny & Susannah could make it work.

Crisp White Sheets

Of all the rooms in my house, I love my bedroom most. I designed the headboard to add punch to those All White walls, and the tufted cotton velvet upholstery is a soft support for bedtime reading. Nothing relaxes me more than settling under freshly laundered, egyptian cotton sheets with a wonderful, aromatic candle flickering on the night-table.

Jane Scott Hodges, founder of Leontine Linens, originally opened her New Orleans shop in 1996 to showcase the Eleanor Beard Studio's artisinal work. Jane offers very special products based on her belief that one’s linens should be a reflection and extension of personal taste and lifestyle. I first laid eyes on a Leontine Linens sham in Town & Country. The hand-worked monogram on crisp, white cotton appealed to my love of both timeless quality and a 'less is more' aesthetic. I immediately ordered a pair of my very own in Althea and fell in love.

As for the candle, what else but Votivo's Clean Crisp White?

Purl Patchwork

When was the last time you were inspired to try something new?

A year ago I was shopping in New York and came upon a tiny shop tucked into a snug SoHo side street. Full of fabulous textiles. It was Purl Patchwork.  

At PP, 100% cotton fabrics are displayed floor to ceiling, all colors and styles, artfully arranged to make selection the easiest thing in the world. But here's the thing... finding wonderful fabric has never been my issue. I adore all textiles -- new calico, old ticking, crazy quilts, antique toile, even ric-rac. 

It's sewing that scares the *&%! out of me. Ever since 7th grade Home Ec and an unfortunate reversible bermuda bag cover incident.  

So it took a year.  And I'm not sure if it was vintage ticking at The American Antiques Show or a documentary on the Quilts of Gee's Bend that pushed me over the edge. But last week I finally bought a new Janome and some Liberty fabric. 

It's time to face my demons.

Spring Fling

A few weeks ago there was sun, lots of sun, and warmth. Skies were cloudless, a pale and clear Carolina blue. Daffodils were up, my lawn was a patchwork of dark green tufts, and most of the neighbors had replaced their holiday magnolia swags with pots of fresh pansies. Temperatures were pushing 70. Was I wrong to think Spring had arrived?

I'd first seen the Townie in Vogue, then on Nantucket, and finally -- in early February -- through the window of my neighborhood cycle shop, a brilliant mass of peony, tangerine and limeade.   The Townie is a model of simplicity, and I'm so about simple.   The flat-foot technology makes riding in flip-flops a breeze.  

One of the originals, a pearly lime 3-speed with the coaster brakes of my childhood and a comfy seat, was too much to resist. Really, who can turn away from a bike that offers a surf rack accessory?  I succumbed. And not just to the cruiser, but to a big wicker basket and bright, shiny bell.

I was able to ride my new Townie around town for exactly 1 day before Winter returned.  Tomorrow we're expecting 3-5 inches of snow...

Must-See TV

Sure, President Obama signed a stimulus package today, but tonight the Housewives are back. Wonder how K.K.B. will fare against Bethenny, LuAnn, Alex, Ramona and Jill?

Bensimon is a patron of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute and graduate of Columbia,

author of American Style...

and In the Spirit of the Hamptons, 

 

and recently divorced from Elle Macpherson's ex.  

Am I the only one to sense that five of these things are not like the other?