MI-5

I've become impossibly hooked on early episodes of a BBC series called Spooks -- retitled for the US market as MI-5, perhaps because the Brits believe us incapable of understanding that Spook is the mother country's word for Spy. Love the sights of London, Thames House, all the intrigue, and top spy Tom Quinn, played by Matthew Macfadyen.

Enough said?

Sferra 1891

I purchased my first Sferra 1891 sheets at Mrs. Howard in Charlotte; a white sheet with white embroidery called Frou Frou. The sheets are my favorite (crisp & soft at the same time) and I've been looking for more Sferra ever since.  Last weekend I went to HomeGoods for the first time and, unbelievably, found these -- an apple green + sky blue pattern w/a blue scalloped border -- for an absolute steal.

If you'd like to try Sferra but don't have a HomeGoods or Mrs. Howard near you, they're also on sale here.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

My Kitchen, 4 Years Later

My story is a long & sad one, all about a remodel gone wrong. I know custom cabinetry can be a wonderful thing. I've seen it happen. But when your lovely custom cabinet-maker suddenly ups & leaves, 1/2 way through, it's a very, very bad thing indeed. Some days I hope he's alive, others I hope he's not.

But I've recovered. Made do. Patched a few things here and there, and it's looking better. Really. And now all this patching & raw wood needs paint. So with loads of windows, white walls, ceilings & subway tile, carrara marble, a gray slate floor, and 2 all-white kitchens behind me, dare I paint it charcoal like Gwyneth?

Might it work?

Snow

{outside front door}

{inside front door}

{out of the oven}

We never get snow in this part of North Carolina, and it called for hot coffee, warm sweet rolls, a good book and a crackling fire.  Is it cold & snowy where you are?

Don't Ever Tell Anybody Anything

If you do, you start missing everybody.

Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye

Read a good book this weekend in memory of J.D. Salinger

Jane Coslick

On the barrier island of Tybee off the coast of Georgia, 'preservationist' Jane Coslick has restored more than 30 cottages in her inimitable style. Her sweet spot is the fish shack that's been left to decay, and based on her blog and the many publications that have featured her work, this girl loves her some salvage and Decorator's White. The clean & pure esthetic that's become her signature is firmly based in the past, but her whimsical yet practical designs are perfect for right now.

{love the cat door}

One More Way To Help Haiti

Head over to Ralph Lauren and grab one of these while they last.

Kitchen Envy

I love everything about this (especially the yachting details)

@ Auction

Yesterday was a single estate event at one of my favorite auction houses here in North Carolina.   As usual, I met some fun people, had a great time, ate some seriously delicious tomato soup & grilled cheese from The Wooden Nickel, and found wonderful things -- including a pair of alabaster lamps, a pair of curly maple benches, a pair of B3 chairs (yes, I love it when things come in 2's), and this fabulous & huge gilt Prince of Wales mirror in perfect condition, originally crafted in Groton, Massachusetts by Carver's Guild.

Lovely, isn't it. This one might be a keeper.

Lend a Hand

Give what you can

American Red Cross

Clinton/Bush Haiti Fund

Doctors Without Borders

Hope for Haiti

Unicef

Just When You Thought

you'd seen it all?  Really? The latest from Bravo... Bethenny's Getting Married?

"As one of the breakout characters of The Real Housewives of New York City, Bethenny Frankel has shared her social life with millions, and in her new docu-series fans will get an up close and personal look at her career. Viewers will follow the outspoken New York City socialite as she juggles her happy love life, plans a wedding and prepares for baby while managing her insanely busy schedule and career as a natural foods chef. Somewhere in her schedule she found time to write two books on healthy living - Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinny Girl & Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting (that quickly became a New York Times bestseller) and The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life - and continues to manage her line of Skinny Girl cocktails."

Hmmm.

New Stock

The entirety of my weekend before last was spent hunting for a Wii Fit board (who knew they were still popular?), and upgrading home electronics in preparation for Awards Season, the Winter Olympics, & NYC housewives. Which was good... and bad. I may have been procrastinating. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's, I'd travelled up and down the East Coast accumulating a garage-full of wonderful things for my tiny space at Sleepy Poet Antiques in Charlotte. Those pieces were overtaking my dining room, bedroom, hallway & kitchen.  So this 3-day weekend went something like this; pack the SUV, drive across town, unpack the SUV, merchandise the new lovelies, drive back across town, repeat.

Although it had been looking a bit peckish, estate is once again full of some really fabulous things (and still more to come).  Visit!

I'm Following Eddie

as he creates his big window @ Bloomie's

are you?

Crafty

Ready for Awards Season?

Wondering if any of these are on Rachel Zoe's list...

It's Decided, I'm Making an(other) Icelandic

Here's hoping it's not too '80's

Resolution(s)

Let There Be

Wishing you a fabulous + peaceful 2010

Is Bean Back?

Valet was one of the first to report the return of the Norwegian Sweater.  It's a love/hate thing -- heavy, hot & bulky -- but I could never resist one smelling of wool & bourbon & cider & woodsmoke at the fairest college.  Perhaps better news is the upcoming launch of L.L. Bean Signature...

{model + head designer Alex Carleton}

Seems to have taken Bean about a quarter century to repond to J. Crew's pillaging of its customer base.  It will be interesting to see how it all works out.

Happy Christmas to All

and to All a good night.

Home for Christmas?

A bit of 'weather' along the East Coast has added some complexity to our travels,

so we're waiting it out in front of a warm fire (sort of like this)

and counting the hours until we're home for Christmas (exactly like this)!

Haute Haute Haute

If you're South of the Mason-Dixon and looking for something fabulous to do with family & friends during the holiday season, take in The Art of Affluence: Haute Couture and Luxury Fashions 1947-2007 @ Charlotte's Mint Museum of Art. This exhibition features selections from the Museum’s holdings of haute couture and luxury garments complimented by wonderful accessories that reflect the creativity of numerous fashion designers of the second half of the 20th century and first years of the 21st century.

2 thumbs up.

Lou Lou

I think I would have shut up and sat down if the kid's table looked like this when I was 6.

Currier & Ives

When I saw this shot in Country Living, I knew I had to have it. Lots of it. I immediately began to amass a rather significant Homer Laughlin Currier and Ives Red collection, piece by piece. And now, with so much china my butler's pantry is ready to explode, I need to clean house.

Find it all at estate @ Sleepy Poet Antiques in Charlotte.

TGIF

Lonny #2 is out!

G.P. Schafer, Architect

Most everyone recognizes Gil Schafer's work as beyond beyond, so no surprise that the Greek Revival he built for himself in the Hudson Valley is equally fabulous. Take a peek...

{love old Hitchcock chairs with a farm table]

{Colefax & Fowler's 'Bowood' is brilliant under the eaves}

{i could live here}