Walking the High Line...

Did you know that New York City boasts a park that is suspended 30 feet above the ground?

The High Line was built in the 1930s in order to remove dangerous freight trains from the streets of Manhattan's largest industrial district. The High Line has seen no trains since 1980. In 1999 a group of people banded together to for a not for profit group called Friends of the High Line to prevent the suspended structure from demolition. It took about 6 years for the project to get off the ground. The park, now just about a mile in length, first opened to the public in 2009. The Park's hours are from 7:00 am to 9:00pm daily.

image iwan baan

image iwan baan

image iwan baan

image iwan baan

image iwan baan

image iwan baan

map of the High Line park

I knew nothing of this amazing project until I read about it in Passport to Design.  For more information about the history, access points and events please visit High Line's website.

I'm too sexy for my...

I was perusing the New York Times Fashion section and their coverage of the Spring/Summer 2012 show in Paris because even though we are closer to October than August, Connecticut is steamy and sultry these days, and the humidity has taken complete control of my hair, body and mind. I was perusing the pictures of the Times and noticed that color-blocking, which is rising in popularity now, will continue to be popular this summer. Black and white will also be en vogue. As will black and nude. Not nude, as in the nude color of the not quite sheer pantyhose you wore in 8th grade because you felt all grown up, but nude as in nude. Noooooooood.

Image courtesy New York Times

The fabric, what little there is, flows sensually along the sleek body and the designer, Anthony Vaccarello brings sexy back into play. The dress is stunning, yes?

But I beg to ask the question, which pair of Spanx would best be worn with this?


To learn more about Anthony Vaccarello and the other designers featured, visit the Fashion & Style section here.

Jessica

Monday oh Monday... I normally adore Mondays. I find them promising... I find them full of hope and promise. The weekend is over. We must get up and get back into the daily grind and the rushing around but as we start new projects, or finish old projects we can look at them anew... with a fresh pair of eyes we can put that right final touch on that project that's been looming overhead for a while now. And we can take on new projects with clarity and inspiration. I've always thought of Mondays to be like mini New Year's offering great new beginnings. I'm not Pollyanna though I do believe in the fairy tale!

But my problem, this Monday, has nothing at all to do with chores, work, or To Do lists. It has to do with the weather. It's fall now. We're almost into October. Here in Connecticut the leaves are just starting to turn. We're supposed to embrace our cooler days and nights. We're supposed to wrap ourselves in warm blankets, cashmere sweaters, broken in jeans and our favorite boots. We're supposed to walk around with cups of Pumpkin Spice Lattes or warm apple cider, eat apple cider donuts, go apple and pumpkin picking in our scenic, rural orchards and patches. We're supposed to bake pumpkin bread whose sweet and spicy scent will gracefully float through the house instilling the thrill of autumn. We're supposed to be getting our chimneys ready for logs and fires... I want my fuzzy socks and flannel sheets. I want fall. I want to set pumpkins on my mantel... the white ones are my favorites. I want to bake apple pies and have bowls of freshly picked apples scattered around... for decoration as well as for aroma.

I don't want to have the air conditioning on. I don't want to always wonder what to wear. Whites -- except for jeans -- now all packed away and now it's too hot for even jeans. Sun dresses are not appropriate and it's too hot to layer over them. The  blasted humidity makes our 80 degree weather that much more uncomfortable. I don't want to feel sticky. I don't care that the humidity does wonders for my skin. My hair doesn't like it. I don't like it. I'm sick of iced tea and watermelon and Popsicles. I'm sick of you, Summer. I loved you once very much. But you have overstayed your visit and you are not welcome anymore. Go to Australia where you belong!

The Giving Tree...

It's one of my absolute most favorite stories. I loved it in my youth and I love it today. I took away one meaning as a child and another, now, as an adult. The tree, completely unselfish in thought, gesture and desire, gives of itself entirely to the little boy, who over the years grows to become an old man. Every time the boy returns he asks something of the tree and his request is never denied.

Think of all the tree houses that proud Pappas happily build for their little boys and girls, located high above the ground, scattered around the yards, forests and countrysides.

Now imagine a tree house built for you and me? A grown-up playhouse... high above the ground? Imagine a tree house built specifically for for relaxing or for entertaining guests? One where you can relax with a warm cup of coffee, curl up with a warm blanket and a get lost in a book? Or where you can sit around with a few close girl friends and sip champagne and nibble on crispy, crusty bread, cheese and divinely dark chocolate? Well such a tree house does exist! This tree house is the brain child of the incredibly talented and super-kind Canadian interior designer Lynn Knowlton.

All photographs courtesy, Lynne Knowlton

I would love to have the opportunity, one day, to meet Lynne, to climb her tree house, to share a bottle of champagne (my gift, Veuve Clicquot, of course!) and to talk about everything and anything for hours at end, to not tire when the sun sets and not to tire when the sun rises... I'll slide down the slide and climb on to this wonderfully inviting swing. And then I will recite my favorite childhood poem written by Robert Louis Stevenson...

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside.

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown,
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

Won't you please pay a visit to my dear friend Lynne's blog and read all about her, her family and the amazing tree house in her back yard!

I have just the thing you need to get you over the hump day...

Now make a line; there's plenty to go around!
Have a great day xoxo

WifeStyle Conference, Contemporary Living for the Modern Domestic

What's WifesStyle you ask? It's the brainchild of etiquette expert Mindy Lockard and Domesticity Expert Coryanne Etienne. When they told me about this idea of theirs last Spring, I couldn't help but think Oh great, a conference for Martha Stewart like minded married women! I, being on my way to being un-married was not so sure how I was going to fit in to this conference. I consider both Mindee and Coryanne to be dear friends and I decided to keep my skepticism to myself and support them wholeheartedly. There were weekly chats on Twitter that were fun, well attended, animated and covered a myriad of entertaining-related topics. These became like weeknight Twitter Parties. Great ideas were generated, shared and friendships developed. I'm sure many a glass of wine was consumed away.

I helped to promote WifeStyle by hosting a giveaway for The Glass Dharma (one of the sponsors) here on the Entertaining House. Everything I was told about the event seemed promising and fun. And yet I admit to remaining a bit skeptical. It may have been something in the name.... WifeStyle. Corryanne told me that it was chosen in a tongue and cheek kind of a way, letting me know that cooking, entertaining, and decorating are very much part of our daily lives no matter how old we are, our marital status or what stage of life we happen to be in.

WifeStyle suddenly sounded as though it was absolutely going to be my cup of tea, or shaker of martini, if you will. The two talented women had planned a couple of days of entertaining and educational events led by industry leaders... la creme de la creme, it turns out.

WifeStyle co-founders Mindy Lockart and Coryanne Ettiene

Stylist, Entertainer and personality extraordinaire Kelly L Moore

The original, talented and lovely Cocktail Deeva, Dee Brun

Lisa Theile, Entertainer and Gluten Free Expert

Uber talented duo Cynthia Bogart of the online magazine The Daily Basics with
WifeStyle Expert,  presenter Kelly Kegans, Senior Editor, Better Homes & Gardens

Megan Benson, talented designer, H Bloom Florist

WifeStyle was a boutique conference which celebrated all aspects of entertaining in a fresh and innovative setting. WifeStyle was a conference for everyone passionate about stylish living, regardless of marital status. I'd say half in attendance were married and our ages ranged from mid 20s to mid 60s! The conference was bristling with successful and talented business women from varied industries. WifeStyle was an atmosphere where participants learned to revitalize their entertaining style through hands on learning from industry experts.

Some of the things we took away from the WifeStyle Conference incuded:

• how mix a fantastic cocktail and stock the home bar.
• make simple yet elegant floral arrangements.
• design a modern tabletop.
• be a gracious host.
• learn from a top chef how to roast a chicken and make the perfect pie crust.
• master American and Continental styles of dining.
• navigate place settings.
• manage housekeeping on a busy schedule.
• renew the home for all seasons.
• use modern tools for household efficiency.

I love to entertain and and picked up some fabulous tips. I ate well thanks to Chef Tagere, GE Monogram's Executive Chef - I will write all about GE Monogram's Kitchen in the A+D building and the talented Chef Tagere's fabulous food tomorrow.

WifeStyle Conference far exceeded my ideas and expectations.The hard work and time and energies dedicated by Mindy and Coryanne certainly paid off. They should feel terribly proud of themselves. As far as I go, I am no longer skeptical. I left and took a few ideas with me... most importantly I left with the sense that I had made and established some wonderful connections and friendships. Lovely, smart, talented, beautiful and funny ladies. I hope to see you all at the next WifeStyle Conference!

Cinderella channels her inner Coco Chanel

I recently came across this article, from Crayon to Cotton, in The New York Times.
Imagine ... your Sweet Little Girl wants to be Cinderella and she wants to design her own gown to wear to the Royal Ball. Well, Sweet Little Girl, we're in the 21st Century now. Not only do fairy-tales come true but you can even design your own ball gown!

Costume designer Heather MacCrimmon turns fantasy into reality!

Only, today's Princesses prefer sneakers to Glass Slippers!

Be sure to  The New York Times for the full article.

Let them be little forever

One of the things I struggle most with being a mother is watching my children grow up. Yes, some days they are maddening and you are wishing them off to college. Or perhaps you are at wit's end and you wish your eldest could just get her license already because, frankly, you've been the chauffeur (chef, maid, nurse, doctor, psychiatrist, repairman, personal shopper, etc) for nearly 13 years and you've had neither a raise nor a promotion and you're starting to get a bit bored. Sometimes you wish the years would just hurry up already. You're over your head and you're having a hard time staying afloat. You nearly missed your 5 year old's physical. You've been meaning to call the dentist. The eye doctor. The chiropractor. You've been meaning to mop the floors. You've been meaning to call your neighbor down the street to check in on her. To congratulate a friend who just learned at 40 that oops she's pregnant. To get that recipe to Eloise. To thank Amanda for dinner. To thank Celeste for the hand-me-downs. To drive the baby toys to Goodwill. To go to the dry cleaners. To shorten your pants. There's simply not enough time in the day. Sneakers are forgotten and you need to deliver them like 5 minutes ago, Mom! Nevermind you are in a meeting twenty minutes away. Dinners have to be home made and fresh. Every day. Kids have to get to soccer play dates parties school... Someone's coming to look at the house. In twenty minutes. You do what you can to tidy everything. The kids can't put the dishes in the dishwasher. The kids can't wipe the darned toothpaste from the sink. Can't hang up towels. Lift the toilet seat. Find the hamper. So you rush around as best you can and hope to God that no one dares to open the front hall closet and if they do it won't be good... call an ambulance... quick! And you have a conference to attend and you must pack and get your ducks in a row and as you're getting your car filled the school calls. Your youngest threw up. Come. Come now! And so now you must pass on the conference. And you're cleaning up your child and suddenly you remember what you forgot to send in with him on the first day of school. A spare change of clothes! So you wrap him in the blanket in the car and he throws up all over it and you have to figure out how you are going to get the other two in the car without having them throw up as well in 24 hours. Nevermind they have sports to get to. Damn, you missed your yearly gynecologist appointment that took 8 months to get. You really want a glass of wine. You really want a chauffeur, maid, nurse, doctor, psychiatrist, repairman, chiropractor, masseuse... but a glass of wine will do. But it's only 3:30.

By the time you get home your little one is passed out and looks so young. You place him on the couch and bundle him in blankets and keep watch. You never once let your eyes off of him. And yet somehow you know that it's 5:00 and you can get that glass of Pinot Noir. You only leave his side once. You return. You remember when he was a baby and how simple everything seemed back then. Suddenly you don't want to rush ahead. Suddenly you want to turn back the clocks. You want all your babies to be babies again. (Oh how we forget!) And you are sad and tearful and you miss their youth terribly. And as you sit on the couch stroking the forehead of your sick child the reels that are your memory start turning, bringing you to a better place and time. As you watch the movie that is your life you wish you could take one of those picture perfect moments and freeze them.

And do you know what? You can!

image courtesy Better Wallpaper Co

courtesy Better Wallpaper Co

Aren't these brilliant?! You can create your own personal wallpaper and capture those perfect moments and cherish them every day! This clever idea comes to us from Better Wallpaper Co in the UK. Visit their website for more information and wonderful ideas.

Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us -- Oscar Wilde

You don't have to be a bad-ass to be a stud...

Have you ever noticed that people often look like their dogs? Well, I'm noticing something similar in home design. People often dress like their homes. Or is it the other way around? I've noticed this a good deal lately and we'll explore this in future posts. Meanwhile, I am going to guess that in this case the fashion designer came before the interior designer. And the studs of the 1980s adorned by Madonna, Adam Ant (didn't you just love Goody Goody Two Shoes?) as well as the biker dudes from Hell's Kitchen have become haute couture gracing the likes of Givenchy, Sonia Rykel, and Burberry... Yes Burberry! The uber Sloane, uber Preppy, country, horsey label has a bad-ass side it seems!

Valentino

Christian Louboutain 

Sonya Rykel

Burberry

Studded chair via Google

HGTV

Lee Broom

Scarlet opus trends blog

Houzz.com

I'm really liking these studs... Absolutely loving these doors. Maybe I'm a bad-ass after all!

To Autumn

To Autumn O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stain’d with the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit Beneath my shady roof; there thou may’st rest, And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe, And all the daughters of the year shall dance! Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers. “The narrow bud opens her beauties to The sun, and love runs in her thrilling veins; Blossoms hang round the brows of Morning, and Flourish down the bright cheek of modest Eve, Till clust’ring Summer breaks forth into singing, And feather’d clouds strew flowers round her head. “The spirits of the air live in the smells Of fruit; and Joy, with pinions light, roves round The gardens, or sits singing in the trees.” Thus sang the jolly Autumn as he sat, Then rose, girded himself, and o’er the bleak Hills fled from our sight; but left his golden load. William Blake All Images curated through my Autumn Pinterest Board - for original sites and sources Autumn is my favorite time of the year. With the start of school, start many children's crazy sports and activities. Mothers trade in their floppy straw-brimmed hats and sunscreen for their daily agendas. Juggling once again becomes an art and a science as we figure out who has to be where and at what time and how it will be physically possibly to pick up two children at the same time from two entirely different locations. We see time constraints in the morning as we rush to school and again in the evening as we rush to get dinner on the table, and homework done and kids settled into bed. While the pace quickens to a mad-dash something just short of a fury, the season allows me stop dead in my tracks... to take in all this newness... the new wonder all around as my eyes dance with the fiery colors of the foliage beyond.  The crisp new morning air refreshes my body and soul. The air smells fresh with crisp falling leaves that go crunch underfoot. The days shorten allowing us to return home earlier. We bid adieu to the long, lazy, hazy days of summer but we welcome autumn's cooler temperatures. We'll pull out our sweaters... We'll light our fireplaces indoors, and our fire-pits as we are not ready to bit adieu to the outdoors. Summer cocktails make way for heartier beverages, stoutier beers, darker, fuller bodied wines, Sangrias made with autumn fruits, mulled ciders and wine.  Soon the skies will darken and we will come indoors, wrap ourselves around a cozy, warm blanket, read a good book, cook a hearty stew, bake some soul-soothing apple pie. We'll pick apples and carve pumpkins with our children. We'll go on hayrides and perhaps build scarecrows to place by our front doorways. The chill in the air brings out a playfulness, a feistiness in us all... we'll get lost in a corn maze, jump into piles of leaves... We'll relish in the newness of autumn! What are you most looking forward to this fall?