A Few Spring Picks and The Hoard

We're not on lock down like last spring but it's still not life as we once knew it, at least not yet for me.  We are playing it safe, as friends in India suffer with new strains of the virus that appear to be resistant to current vaccines.  It could happen here too.  We ventured out late last week to a vineyard where we actually dined indoors for the first time since February 2020.  It felt strange to actually put nice clothes on.  

Here are some fun finds, things I am loving right now...

Love these jeans from Ann Taylor Loft.  I wanted a pair of wide jeans (but not too wide) and these fit the bill perfectly.  They are a bit heavy so they won't work in really warm weather but will be perfect for spring and fall.  They also come in solid colors - again, a bit heavy for hot weather, but the quality is good.

I am in love with Cedar Creek Stationary.  They make pads and note cards and what's not to love?

I am adding yet another Junior League Cook Book to my hoard.  A dirty little secret - buy your books online at Thrift Books.  Best source ever.  Cheap.  Reliable.  Save the planet.

So what else do I hoard besides Junior League Cook Books?

Imperial Hunt Scene glass from Cambridge.You can never have too much of this.  See these stunning glasses here.

Needlepoint canvases (this has already been well documented). I ordered this Bonnie Alexander canvas and had it customized.  It's not here yet, but will into my huge stash.

Tory Burch Sweaters.  The Kendra Cardigan is my favorite and the Madeline is a close second. Don't ask me how many I have.  These go with everything. 

Lilly skirts.  Vintage is the very best.  I like mine longer, 15 to 17 inches, cotton, lined, old prints.  The new ones do not cut it.  Buy them on Poshmark, usually for under $30.  I own this one, bought on Posh for less than $20.

And lastly my beloved Belgians.  You can buy them in New York at the Belgians Store on the Upper East Side or you can find them every now and then on Poshmark.  I bought three pairs on Posh, two new, one pair was almost new for about $100 each. Yes.  It is the bomb.

Enjoy your day. Make the most of it. Stay safe.

What's in your hoard?

Bamboo is Back

 For me bamboo never left.  Mid-century modern?  Preppy?  Timeless?  Chic?  Everywhere?  Yes!  I can't enough of the vintage bamboo chinoiserie look....

Love this 1970's wall planter.

Adore these vintage chairs, located in Akron, OH for local pick-up.

Or this pair of vintage wall planters, perfect for the patio or a porch:

Love this dish!

Door hanger?  Love this for right now!

Love this set.

Or this set in silver.

Love this bamboo tole tray table.

Love this rattan planter.  

The Derby is Here

It's hard to believe that the Kentucky Derby runs late Saturday afternoon.  After a somewhat normal run-up to the first Saturday in May (unlike last year), it still won't be normal but the horses will be running and the owners will be there.

This season has produced a lot of upsets, some surprises, a few injuries and one heavy favorite, Essential Quality.  What you can say about this gorgeous gray son of Tapit, he does live up to his name.  He has all of the essentials he needs to win and the quality - great pedigree;  he's won already at Churchill Downs; more experience than much of the field; the hottest trainer in America; tactical speed; he can win off the pace or on the pace; a great jockey in Luis Saez; an owner that is dying to win the Derby (Godolphin).  I've loved this colt since he won the Breeders' Cup Juvenille last fall and in any other year I would have seen him win the Blue Grass at Keeneland early this month.  

Interestingly enough, he is a September foal.  So he's very young by comparison to most of his rivals, likely not a good thing.  His jockey, Luis Saez, rode Maximum Security last year in the Derby.  Godophin has never won the Derby which is surprising but this may be their year.  And did I mention this colt has never been beat?   More to come....

Vintage Equestrian Finds

Here are some fun vintage finds from Etsy:

 

Add to your Imperial Hunt Scene stash with this platter in pink, very reasonably priced:

More Imperial Hunt Scene.  Again, very well-priced for this hard-to-find pattern from Cambridge Glass.

Love this pattern on a serving dish, hard to find, perfect for your cabin in the woods:

Love this Hazel Atlas set, so mid-century.  See it here.

Love this plate. Put it on a plate stand and it's perfect for a bookshelf.

Very rare!  Cambridge Imperial Hunt Scene Cocktail Shaker in black.  Add this one to your collection. I've never seen one of these!  

Love this!

(Transferware)

Love these vintage place mats.  I would almost use these as pillows.  Be creative.

Love this vintage pocket watch.  Jewelry?

Love this vintage Kate Greenway dress, with tags, girls' size 12 (will likely be an 8 in today's sizing).  See it here.

 

The Way We Used to Dress - The Return of the Espadrille

I love that espadrilles are back.  We wore brightly colored fabric wedge espadrilles from Jacques Cohen with everything when I was growing up and now they are modernized and very chic like these logo ones from Tory Burch.  See them here.

Do you remember how we used to dress?

~Add-a-bead necklaces - I still have mine
~Anything genuine madras
~Lilly Pulitzer shifts
~Engraved jewelry
~Topsiders
~Ferragamo Vara pumps
~Grosgrain ribbon headbands
~Bermuda bags (monogrammed, if appropriate)
~Herman Geist cotton t-shirts
~Polo shirts - Ralph or Lacoste
~Cardigan sweaters - the cabled one with covered buttons
~Pullover sweaters, either monogrammed or with the Lilly palm/Polo pony
~Jack Rogers sandals
~Tanner scalloped color blouses, mostly sleeveless, piped with a monogram

So let's celebrate the return of the espadrille....Love these from Manebi.

Here is a new take, complete with ribbons, an updated espadrille for sure.

I love these espadrille mules:

Love this style and this color, again from Tory Burch.

LOVE these black ones from Kate Spade:

Ways to Remember Your Beloved Horse

For the past month I have been thinking of ways to remember my black boy, Alfie, so that his memory lives on for many years to come.  And when I lose Sega some of these same memories will need to be preserved for her.

Alfie won a lot of tricolors in his career so a shadow box may be in order with some of his most treasured ones, with a photo, his halter, and perhaps one of his shoes (I have them when we pulled his shoes in early January).

I ordered a nice leather photo album from Horse Country and will fill it with his photos.  Sega already has one but the funny thing is that all of my photos of Alfie are digital.  So I'll send his photos to Shutterfly and have them made into real ones that I can put into his album.  When I am really old I'll enjoy having them all in one place.

When I am up to it, I'm sending his tail hair to be made into a bracelet.  There are many stores on Etsy that do this.

A few years ago, Alfie won the Hunter Classic at our year-end local circuit horse show.   It was a big win for him and he beat some nice horses that day.  I did not show him, my friend Blair rode him to the win, but it was a memorable event. I want to honor Alfie for his prowess in the show ring and am considering donating an "After Eight Trophy" in his name to the top Amateur in this class every year.  It would be a nice way to remember him.  Sega already has a donated trophy so Alfie needs one.

It's important to have your memories. I am very lucky to have so many good ones with him.  Please go hug your loved ones today, especially the furry ones.  Stay safe, there is still a lot of sickness and grief in our world today and I am praying for my friends in India where the pandemic is raging. 

The China Fetish

Some people collect shoes, handbags, belts, hats, or even jeans.  This woman has two fetishes - coats and china.  The coat fetish has been somewhat tamed with the pandemic and with the decline of J Crew (only two new coats in the past two years), but not the china one.  This addiction was adopted early in life, starting in high school, when I worked several nights a week at a local department store in the linen and china departments. That job lasted seven years so it got in my DNA way back then - evenings spent with Lenox, Wedgewood, Noritake and Spode - and it's never left.  Since then, the china has exploded and I always peruse the china while antiquing or shopping.  You never know where one of the patterns you love shows up like this timeless Mottahedeh pattern, Tobacco Leaf.

Another of my favorite older patterns (that I sold to brides way back when) include Wedgewood's Wild Strawberry which you can find on Ebay frequently. I'd love to have a set of salad and dinner plates in this pattern.

So what's in my own china closet.......

Let me start by saying that I don't have any favorites.  And there is a story behind each one of these collections.

Runnymeade Dark Blue by Wedgewood:

Herend's Rothchild Birds:

Kate Spade's June Lane which is made by Lenox:

I lived near a Lenox China Outlet for a number of years and it greatly increased the volume of china in my life, hence my large stash of  Kate Spade China, all bought for pennies on the dollar.  I still drop by when I am close to it (hoping the pandemic did not kill it).  I have Rutherford Green dinner plates and these are a perfect kelly green.

I added Kate Spade's Library Lane Pink bowls and accessories....

And I anchored the entire set with these salad plates, Oleander Pink.  Call this preppy gone wild!

I always recommend owning a set of plain white dinner plates. Mine were bought at TJ Maxx and I have either 8 or 12, but mine are Ralph Lauren and they go with everything. I prefer to add salad plates for a splash of color.  So some of the other salad plates I have in my collection.... to go with my white dinner plates:

I have four of Juliska's Country Estate Orange and they don't make it anymore. I'd love to find four more of these.

I also have a set of the plaid plates for the holidays, only four, so I'd love to add four more of these too:

I also have a set of this Gien pattern, salad plates only:

 

For Christmas china, another Kate Spade pattern, Donner Road, one of my favorite holiday patterns ever:

And of course, there is horse china..... This set from L.V. Harkness in Lexington, KY (you can only buy it there):

And my most recent acquisition, this pattern from Etsy:

I am certain I left some out but you got a glimpse into the china closet of a china hoarder, I mean collector.  Enjoy your Monday.