Category Archives: musings
i collect taureans…
The end of April, through most of May is a crazy-busy time for me… Why? Because just about every person near + dear to me is a Taurus: My son/ husband/ mother-in-law/ aunts/ cousin/ and most of my closest friends are all Taureans, and always have been. In my life, the stretch from the 4th- 19th of May is crawling with them.
I bump into Taureans EVERYWHERE: on the plane/ at the hairdresser/ in court/ at the vet… And it makes sense– I read somewhere that Taurus is the most populated sign in the Zodiac. Most people born under the Taurus moon were conceived during the twilight of summer during the month of August– thus, during good/ happy/ frisky times. Taureans are people loaded with conviction, brains + humor. I love their earthy, steadfast + stubborn ways.
These people are like magnets to me. And after being surrounded by so many BULLS, I surrendered and embraced them as a category long ago. ”What is your birth sign” is usually the first question I ask a potential hire/ stranger/ doctor– I know it is very California/ new agey of me, but I am always shocked by how often the response is “TAURUS”! And when they respond with something else, I immediately reconsider my options. It is a good thing to stick with what you know + what works!
PS: I am also someone who doesn’t like to make decisions/ sign contracts/ plan travel during the periods in which Mercury is in Retrograde.
Happy birthday, so! J’adore.
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downtown st. helena
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i live…
I live on this street, once called To-Kalon Avenue, in Oakville. The dramatic alley of Pecan trees are now double the size shown here.
Photo courtesy Sharon Cisco Graham.
To learn more about vintage Napa photos click here.
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keeper of the photo archives
Sharon Cisco Graham was born in the town of Napa, and has spent the last 40 years collecting postcards, photos, and curio– relics of the Napa Valley she knew as a girl. Proof of a life very different than the one we know today, only a few decades later.
Over the many years I have known Sharon, I never understood the sheer VOLUME + DEPTH of her passion until today– when in front of my eyes were 500+ photographs, procured from garage sales, antique shops, swap-meets, postcard shows and late-night trading! Her enormous stash of records are broken down BY BOOK: there is the Napa book, the Yountville/ Oakville/ Rutherford book, the St. Helena book, the Calistoga book, and lastly the Saloon + Resorts book. Images that capture the imagination + draw you to the days of prohibition; when ferries from San Francisco docked in the port of Napa; when prune, cherry and walnut orchards reigned supreme; when the town of Rutherford had a full-out Main Street; and intriguing interiors of the more popular saloons + brothels of the area… all juicy data points.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be trickling out a few of my favorite images, that hardly scratch the surface of her vast collection, but do offer a taste of what she has more of. Should you be interested in seeing more, much more– let us know, and we will gladly make an introduction.
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magical kingdom of french ribbons
The Ribbonerie is wall-to-wall inspiring… The kind of store you imagine stumbling upon, along a tree-lined street, only in San Francisco, California. It is one of the prettiest shoppes in America + is a true world of ephemera + curio, owned by a proprietress possessed by her love of the exquisite– mostly French ribbons of every kind + shape + edging. A kingdom of magic + old world, where antique feathers, passamentry, buttons, ladies gloves, handkerchiefs + daytime hats are very much de’ rigueur.
Stuffed into every imaginable kind of hutch/ shelf/ case/ rack are acres upon acres of grosgrain, silk, taffeta, metallic, velvet, embroidered, appliqué ribbon– in every imaginable color/ width/ stripe/ polka dot/ plaid, and solid. A mesmerizing explosion of possibilities: bows on wedding gowns, bows on gifts, bows as napkin rings, bows on hats, bows on Xmas tree branches + wreaths, bows in hair, bows on Moses baskets + basinets, and bows on invitation + program.
Paulette Knight’s bounty is the secret weapon for many of the great creatives I know: florists/ crafters seamstress/ interior designers/ clothing designer/ event planners– and a MUST visit for anyone looking to be blown away.
photo credit: nicole mcintosh bruce
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in my fridge
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i spy with my little eye…
While at STUFF vintage modern consignment shop in SF…
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ceremonies, rituals + obsession
We have an old cuckoo clock in our kitchen that belonged to my father-in-law. He had at least 10 cuckoo clocks going in his kitchen at all times… and you would not believe the racquet they collectively made every hour, on the hour (give and take a few minutes)… It was not to be believed, but at the very same time, it is exactly what I recall most fondly when I think of his yellow chintz country kitchen, complete with an old upright piano in it.
In our house, we have one of those cuckoo clocks and we LIVE for its’ high maintenance ways: it requires daily winding and then keeps up our house guests who stay above our kitchen. And yet it is the most soothing companion late at night as I type/ search on my computer on my kitchen counter– it is better than music. But the truth is, there is nothing better than when 10 go off at the same time!
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love love love
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just that time of year…
Some links I’m loving from around the web:
Hilariously illustrated wine etiquette.
Festive cocktail: The Honey Badger
Mrs. Lilien’s Haute Holiday gift picks.
Old news, but I still love this To My Wife tumblr.
photo credit: Emerson Made
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there are no words
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bavarian spirit unleashed!
Vintage Home is a store I could write about all-year long, but it is my favorite store in America come December 1st, when it is transformed into an Austrian wonderland, giving the fabled Christmas market of Vienna a RUN for its’ money. Laura Rombauer is the proprietress of Vintage Home and has curated the most enchanting old- world Christmas emporium, loaded to the gills with brilliant, thoughtful, and elegant gifts + tree ornaments that haunt a woman like a pair of Louboutins… but what makes me the most nuts is— the extraordinary inventory of wooden crafts she carries… all those Christmas pyramids of all sizes, nutcrackers, candelabras, and smokers.
Every year my husband + I collect a new wooden heirloom, after having wildly anticipated this new purchase for months leading to December 1… On that day, we arrive to inspect all the wooden loot– mercilessly analyzing which new prospect would fit-in best with our house/ family/ other wooden friends…. And then bring it home as if it were a Picasso. From there, we assemble our entire collection on a table in our front foyer; and then we all congregate around the table to light all the colored candles + marvel at the magic illuminating the room, and on to the small faces and hands of our children.
This spectacular extravaganza is what indelible memories, ceremonies + rituals are all about– and some day these wooden friends, who have brought my family such joy, will be my children’s heirlooms.
{photo credit: nicole mcintosh bruce}
honeymoon entertainment + must-have
In case you run out of fresh material to talk about on your honeymoon…
All About Us is an INFUSION of fascinating + thought-provoking conversation that explores a galaxy of intimate questions you forgot or never had the courage to ask!
- Brilliant + hilarious chapters include:
- Before Us
- Uncomfortable Moments
- Gone With The Wind
- Yes or No
- The Absolute Truth
- Sex + Company
- Neuroses
- All Things Considered
- Face It
- The Long Run
A delicious, daily routine on the beach, during cocktail hour or night cap… This book inspires hours and days of amusement, entertainment, head scratching + serious learning! DON’T leave home without it!
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the lay of the land
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Tagged calistoga, mrs.-napa, napa-map, oakville, rutherford, st-helena, the-lay-of-the-land, yountville
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