Kitchen

Posted on Dec 7, 2017 in All Blog Posts, Food

Kitchen

Whether you love to cook, or employ the Cuisinart and Kitchen Aid only during the holidays, now is the season for sauce sorcerers, celestial bakers, and cuisine virtuosos. Who among us hasn’t relished rushing home through sleet, snow, rain or wind to savor a stovetop simmering with delectable delights? I recall one frigid evening I was caught in a Denver snowstorm with a flat tire! I had assembled spaghetti sauce the night before, and left it to simmer in a crock pot while I was at work. I arrived home – freezing, exhausted, and very late to find neighbors from across the hall outside my...

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Gloves

Posted on Nov 16, 2017 in All Blog Posts, Fashion

Gloves

“Like most little girls, I found the lure of grown-up accessories astonishing – lipstick,    perfume, hats, and gloves. When I write female characters in my historical novels, getting these details right is vital.” Sara Sheridan Winter is slipping through the cracks in frosty gusts, as we rush to retrieve scarves, hats and gloves to keep us warm and snuggly. Nothing feels quite as sensuous as slipping into a pair of leather gloves lined in cashmere. Yum! An exquisite pair of gloves peeping from a Christmas stocking will surely be welcomed, and often the first gift put to good use. Over...

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Parasols & Summer Sun

Posted on Aug 22, 2017 in All Blog Posts, Calendar, Fashion, Seasons

Parasols & Summer Sun

Ah, the ubiquitous umbrella – from British Bumbershoot to Parisian Parasol – one shelters from the rain; one shields from the sun. We reviewed their rainy day renditions in April Showers. It’s now time for the sunny side of summer with its plethora of parasols. Rather than ducking and dodging sleet and showers, we flirt and flutter with carousels of color. Just being in the sun evokes smiles and happiness. A parasol seems less of a shield, and more of a sidekick, protecting us while joining in the fun. The Latin word umbra means “shade” and historians claim the cooling canopy formed by...

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Fan Fandango

Posted on Mar 16, 2017 in All Blog Posts, Fashion, Romance, Travel

Fan Fandango

On a par with handkerchief flirting, we present the fluttering fan.  It provides a perfect foil from whence the shy can seek shelter and the ardent arouse passion. From coquette to vixen, ingénue to vamp, a huntress skilled at the game of flirting can drop her prey with a flick of the wrist. “The eyes are one of the most powerful tools a wom an can have. With one look, she can relay the most intimate message. After the connection is made, words cease to exist.” Jennifer Salaiz (The lady in gold is from a Russian website and I apologize, but I do not read Russian, so cannot give an...

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Tally Ho

Posted on Nov 25, 2016 in All Blog Posts, Animals, Seasons, Sports

Tally Ho

Riding to the Hounds In years past, November signaled the start of hunting season when skilled horsemen and trained hounds teamed to hunt a clever and equally skilled fox.  In these glorious fall handkerchiefs, a pack of hounds is used to track a wild stag.  Perfectly framed, the artist achieves maximum impact with minimal color, foreshadowing the colorless coming of winter.   Again, the artist renders the hunt solely via shadow and silhouette. This stag chase may have commenced at chilly daybreak, or equally plausible, the hunt could be shrouded in the evening mists at dusk. The...

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