I spent the morning in the Lenox Hotel tent on the banks of the Charles River in Boston for the Head of the Charles Regatta. I thoroughly enjoyed the Bloody Mary bar, fried onion petals, and the fall flowers.
• • •
Shopping Trip: Folly 101 in Portland, Maine
In June I visited Portland, Maine and stayed at The Press Hotel, former home to The Portland Herald Press in the city’s Old Port District. I had plenty of time to wander the streets and browse the shops, which of course I did. I picked up some adorable little items for myself and for gifts. First stop, Folly 101.
F O L L Y 1 0 1
Folly 101 was the first shop I happened upon on my walk to the wharfs downtown. It is very cute, expertly merchandised with items grouped by color. Lots of little tabletop stuff plus soft goods including totes, pillows, and scarves. (Next store is Holly Stone, a superb clothing store with laid back but ultra sophisticated pieces from Europe.)
Dipped and dotted turquoise pitchers, turquoise pear shaped candles, turquoise cocktail napkins, and creamy white wares in the background.
Stripy totes and gauzy summer scarves.
Into the blue with cobalt pitchers, tea towels, and ceramic spoons.
More stripey scarves and natural neutral cotton totes, linen napkins, and leather handled straw storage baskets.
Wood and ceramic spoons and teeny tiny dishes. (I have a weakness for these.)
Honey pots, teak appetizer plates, salt and pepper shakers, and tiny creamers.
Grey, grey, grey. I bought the tote and love it.
• • •
Fine Print: Eddie Ross Modern Mix
The new Eddie Ross Modern Mix design book by Eddie Ross with Jaithan Kochar (Gibbs Smith, October 2015) is a design book to put on your holiday list to give and to get. From the appealing, vibrant cover, all the way through from beginning to end, the photos and tips kept me engrossed, flipping back and forth to re-study the images.
Eddie Ross is the East Coast Editor of Better Homes & Gardens and a former editor at House Beautiful, Martha Stewart Living, and Food Network. He’s also a trained chef. Mostly though, he’s a self-proclaimed hoarder of beautiful things. I love minimalism but I am absolutely wooed by Ross’s collections of tabletop and home furnishings, but more than that I’m smitten with the way he puts them together.
In addition to all the objets, we see Eddie Ross in action, thrifting and styling. There are tips running throughout this design book too. Some go beyond the usual advice (get to estate sales early) to tricks for restoring ceramics and such. I am a design book hoarder, true, but this one I love. It’s staying on my coffee table so I can leaf through.
I may actually have a please-be-my-friend crush on Eddie Ross. I follow him on Instagram (@eddieross) and he seems like a fun and happy guy. He is making his way through the country on his book tour, and will be in Boston this Thursday, October 15th at Hudson in the South End 6:30-8:30.
ARTmonday: Views of America
It’s a long weekend at our house with everybody off for Columbus Day. Not that it’s identified as such, with Columbus now recognized as the savage man he was. Rather, our schools tend to label this national holiday as “fall break.” Works for me. History and politics aside, it’s nevertheless appropriate to look at some scenes of our country, views of America. Here are some American landscapes.
Untitled (Balloons) • Ruben Natal-San Miguel • 20×200
Oregon • Luke Gram • Society6
Upstream #1 • Nick Allen • Serena & Lily
Yellow Umbrellas I, South Beach • Claudia Chloe • Artfully Walls
Traffic Jam • Gail Schechter • Minted
Gun Store, Vernon TX • Ed Freeman • Saatchi Art
Light and Air • Megan Donnelly • Serena & Lily
Lifeguard Stand • Stephanie Sherman • Serena & Lily
All 50 • Jon Measures • Saatchi Art
Street Walker • Kevin Russ • Society6
Eastern Washington, cul-de-sac • Toni Silber-Delerive • Saatchi Art
Sunday Bouquet: Dahlias & Thistle
Photo by Marni Elyse Katz for StyleCarrot
Fall floral arrangement with dahlias + thistle by Winston Flowers.
on my mantle in front of an oil painting by Anne Packard.
Thanks to artist Hilary Tait Norod for the thoughtful gesture.
• • •