Gifted. It's a Wrap.

Another little bit from our table for

"Holidays on a High Note."

The purple ribbons are tied around a

cheery jangle of bracelets with tiny bells,

sure enough to please any recipient...

wouldn't it be fun if the box

contained a pair of chic vintage gloves?

Happy hands!

Happy Places III

Another quick trip

around the heavenly cottage

[see happy places one]:

these are just snapshots, &

taken spur of the moment;

simple & by the lake, the cottage is a

most wondrous space, the creation of

an exceedingly talented designer. For

more of his magnificent work,

go to red|bar.

Happy Places I

I hope that our incredibly talented 

man in the hamptons 

doesn't mind that I've posted these...

it's just that, as we cruise into fall, 

and summer fades to a glimmer on the far horizon...

well, I wanted to take one more look. 

You can see why. 

This heavenly place: isn't it amazing?

Don't you want one? 

If it looks like the cottage of your dreams, 

I can verify that it most certainly is...

Cheers to a very gifted KB 

(another strange coincidence--see below--all the marvelous KB's in our lives...I'm even married to one. Two of the others are in these photos, as are the birthday girls from St. Barbara's day, and St. Barbara + one).

Next happy place? 

Surely, we will visit Hawaii, again, on the blog. 

With Mom and Dad. 

Magical.

Just like them.

Six Degrees of St. Barbara

Of course, you know that St. Barbara is 

the patron saint of the Artillery (go Dad!). 

But did you know that her feast day is on 

December 4th? 

Imagine.

A lovely day it is, as is the day after.

These are the dates, respectively, 

of my daughter's and my sister's birthdays. 

It often amazes me that St. Barbara

 shares her name (and date)

with many of the dearest friends and family in my life. 

Happy Birthday, a few days late, to 

Barbara Catherine. 

This coincidence of Barbaras has often caused me to wonder 

if there are, really, any coincidences.

And, I promise, there will be more pictures of flowers soon. 

It's just that, tonight, I am floral-ed out, 

having been madly arranging for days now. 

Exhausting, exhilarating, enlightening--

I adore flowers, working with them, looking at them...and, 

golly, 

I surely would love to cultivate 

a sweet little quarter-acre of some...

the gardener in me, 

perhaps she is just 

a 

late 

bloomer? 

Setting Up

tidbits from the table...

more soon

Dear Eloise! "Oh my Lord I am absolutely so busy I don't know how I can possibly get everything done"

Like Eloise, I am scampering around this weekend preparing a table design for the luscious "Holidays on a High Note" event in Atherton at the venerable Circus Club. So, please be patient and wait for further postings...some of which are sure to include, happily, the finished table: "A Birthday at the Little House."

Alert: Eloise fans!

There will be egg cups.

And, as you know,

"An egg cup makes a very good hat."

Toodle-oo for now...

Leaving you with

a lovely pic of Clara Bow,

who looks...well,

not that busy.

But awfully stylish.