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...
Read MoreThe Walls Have Ears WWII WWI
“He who wishes to fight must first count the cost.” Sun Tzu, The Art of War Once in a while a handkerchief is so outstanding, it deserves a solo spotlight, as does this WWII silk crepe beauty. This hankie served her country as diligently as any soldier, doing double duty as both fashion accessory and lookout to alert companions “shhhhhhhh….mums the word.” When a cough, hand gesture, or even eye shift might be too obvious a warning signal, a gal could lay this little number on the table to advise a friend to keep QUIET! The main message resides dead center, with reminders at all...
Read MoreSea Creatures
“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you’ve been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent.” Dave Barry Methinks the aforementioned master of mirth has a point, so let’s dive and delve beneath the briny deep to greet some of nature’s fascinating creatures, like those pictured above hiding in the kelp. The enchanting and engaging seahorse is featured in countless...
Read MoreOceanic
“She would be half a planet away, floating in a turquoise sea, dancing by moonlight to flamenco guitar.” Janet Fitch, White Oleander August is the month to unwind, unburden, unencumber, relax, ramble, roam, and… slumber, snooze and siesta… We take to the beach to do absolutely nada. To stroll the sandy shore and sift through the seashells. Let the wind tousle your hair, the sun kiss your cheeks, and hear the seagulls cry “ahoy, enjoy.” Whether golden sand and sky blue, or sophisticated pink and gray, I love the simplicity of these shell borders surrounding a crisp polka dot center. They...
Read MoreCamping & Cookouts
“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Henry James It’s time to fire up the grill, swing at the shuttlecock, laze in the hammock, and commune with nature. Grown men finally have a valid excuse to play with fire, as they showcase their skills with spatulas and shish kebobs. From Top Chef to Hell’s Kitchen, inspired fledglings step up to the plate (pun intended) to flex their culinary muscles. This jaunty juggler skillfully shuffles the entire pantry in a dashing display of showman ship. Great fun! One...
Read MorePrincess Nyabongo
If you’ve read Parisian Romance you’ve already encountered at least one of these handkerchiefs. They have such an interesting provenance, however, I decided to give them their own mini-blog. Often when I present to audiences, I explain I feel as though I’m on a Search and Rescue Mission to save these small harbingers of history. Needless to say, there are thousands of us Search and Rescue folks around the world, and I recently met two more, a couple from Tennessee from whom I purchased these hankies. When I spied this bold and brilliant admonition “It’s Never Too Late” (what a great...
Read MoreParisian Romance
Perhaps no other city in the world evokes such passion as Paris. When it comes to romance, we envision lovers strolling along the Seine, but truth be told, for many it’s the city itself with which they fall in love – body and soul. Many who protest they’re not “romantic” admit an ardor for the City of Light. A passion for a city exciting and enticing. A city of mystery and allure, grandeur and nobility, novelty and originality. She is simultaneously classic and chic, dashing and demure. She is Paris. Whether sheathed in starlight and sparkling fountains where lovers kiss at...
Read MoreIndependence Day
It’s a star spangled holiday, ripe for celebration. The mood is festive as we conjure images of picnic hampers, deviled eggs and strawberry shortcake; of marching bands, sack races and yes, fireworks! This charming image on aged linen evokes all the innocence of childhood, excitement of the holiday, and anticipation of adventure. Ah fireworks! – vibrant but verboten, tempting but taboo. This duo in simple play clothes and sturdy shoes, remain clean and pressed, per mother’s orders, yet can’t help but experiment with the tantalizing pyrotechnics. We aren’t too worried, however, as...
Read MoreParisian Art
“As an artist, a man has no home in Europe save in Paris.” Friedrich Nietzsche For many, our first taste of the City of Light begins as a flâneur, strolling the banks of the Seine, absorbing the magic that surrounds and envelopes. Inevitably we pause at the Bouquinistes (bookstalls) to peruse antiquarian books and prints, searching for an image that captures the enchantment of the city. Les Bouquinistes by Edouard Cortes Artist Francois Durieux captures the Bouquinistes in Spring, as gossamer thin leaves sprout from cool pink trees, and adolescents rendezvous on the cobblestone...
Read MoreParisian Couture
“If you want to establish an international presence you can’t do so from New York. You need the consecration of Paris.” Oscar de la Renta Indeed, the word consecration does seem fitting, since you feel the urge to almost genuflect when entering a hallowed House of Couture. Centuries of couturiers, lace makers, cobblers, milliners, skilled seamstresses, tailors, button makers, crafters of velvet flowers, and those who bead and embroider onto gossamer and silks, can all be found in the ateliers and workshops of Paris. If you viewed the video in our sewing blog you witnessed the legions of...
Read MoreParisian Cuisine
“Lunch kills half of Paris, supper the other half.” Charles de Montesquieu A three hour lunch in Paris is not out of the ordinary. Perhaps not every day, but more often than you might expect. No, people don’t eat for hours. They commiserate, laugh, discuss, pontificate, negotiate, argue, teach, reflect, flirt, cajole, tease, write and read. They refresh, restore, renew, and enjoy themselves. Not once in the time I spent in Paris did I see a single individual eating ‘on the go’ as has become the standard practice in the U.S. Even when folks grabbed a croque monsieur and Orangina from a...
Read MoreParisian Landmarks
“…the whole of Paris is a vast university of Art, Literature and Music…it is worth anyone’s while to dally here for years. Paris is a seminar, a post-graduate course in Everything.” James Thurber, humorist & editor of The New Yorker Splendid, sublime… majestic, monumental…inconceivable, irreplaceable…trying to describe Paris is akin to trying to consume an elephant in one bite. Impossible. The best I can do is provide tasty nibbles around the edges of this most sumptuous feast in all the world. Last month we donned our tourista berets and skimmed the menu. This month, we’ll try to serve...
Read MoreVive la France
“What an immense impression Paris made upon me. It is the most extraordinary place in the world.” Charles Dickens Where to start in the City of Light? You could spend a lifetime meandering this magical metropolis and never begin to discover the treasures it holds. With 20 arrondissements arranged like a spiraled nautilus, you find yourself wandering down alleyways, across avenues and along boulevards, sampling a bounty of bistros and boutiques, monuments and musées, parcs and panoramas. It’s all too sumptuous and sensational. From postered kiosks to cozy cafes, from gallant gendarmes to...
Read MoreHonoring Mom
“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” Abraham Lincoln It’s that time of year when we honor mothers everywhere with flowers, cards, gifts, and homemade tokens resplendent with glue and glitter (which we learned as adults were always mom’s favorite keepsakes). Many a handkerchief can be found embroidered with flowers or the title Mother, but today we focus on the simple and cozy, on the feeling of security and warmth the image of Mother engenders. We honor moms who sat up with you long into the night whether you were suffering from chicken pox or a broken heart. And...
Read MoreTulip Mania
“It’s spring fever. And when you’ve got it, you want—oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” Mark Twain This gaggle of giggling sprites sprinkling sunshine and happiness from corner to corner remind us to rejoice for spring has sprung. Even when trees remain lifeless and bare, the happy border of crocus and daffodils confirm spring is on its way. “A tree can be tempted out of its winter dormancy by a few hours of southerly sun— the readiness to believe in spring is stronger than sleep or sanity.”...
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