Harry & Snowman - The Movie

There seem to be new horse-related movies everywhere, how exciting!  With cold weather coming what better to do than curl up and watch a great movie on a Sunday night!  There's a new documentary about the famous horse Snowman and his owner, Harry Deleyer.  I have not seen it but what could be better than this rags to riches story about a man and his horse?

You can watch the movie trailer here.

If you aren't familiar with the remarkable story of Snowman, the horse who almost went to slaughter and became one of America's best show jumpers, read this post here.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Sgt. Reckless, Now in Print!

If you did not know the unbelievable story behind the horse, Reckless, now you can read about it.  There's a new book out, Sgt. Reckless, America's War Horse and it will make a wonderful addition to your library or better yet, a great gift for any animal lover.  I'll admit, I have not read this one yet, but rest assured, it's going on the stack beside my bed.

You can buy the book here. In case you did not read my blog post about this incredible horse, you can read it here. For those of you who own horses and still believe the myth of the "chestnut mare" then maybe this story will dissuade you.  Happy Friday!

Great Coffee Table Books

No house is complete with books, lots of them.  Whether in a library, a study, a den, by your bed, books are necessary.  While I understand that sadly people don't read anymore, I love to read and like Jackie Kennedy, I want to be surrounded by my books when I die (along with Truman, my family and the horses).

Coffee table books are fun, easy, ones you want to thumb through over and over again; they make the best gifts.  Here are a few of my picks:

What are some of your favorites?

Perfect Place Settings

I'll be serving Thanksgiving dinner this year in a few weeks, so I've been thinking about how I want my table to look this year.  My dilemma is that my dining room has pale pink walls so using orange is a tough task, all those lovely autumn colors, don't do so well in there. But I'm thinking. Don't know about you but I love the challenge of setting a beautiful table.  I have a large wood table, very formal and I don't use a table cloth (that baby would have to be huge) so I like formal place mats, linen. Love this look below, this is Tinsley Mortimer's table.

 I adore these mats with the monogram.  The clear flatware looks great with this, would never have picked that out.

 You've seen this from Southern Living, I love this look. 

 More monogrammed place mats:

 These placemats I also love, 30% off right now at Horchow:

 I've been thinking about these napkins for many months. 

The wonderful napkins are from a store in Dallas that many have blogged about before:

Here's a link to an interview with one of the owners about monogramming today. Would love to see this inside, but the great monogrammed napkins can be found here.

I'll take photos of my table once it's all conceived.  Entertain in style today and everyday.

Riding My Way Back - a New Documentary Film

 I'm not a huge movie fan but this new documentary looks enticing.  If you live in the New York City area, there will be a special showing on Monday, November 10th from 6:30 to 9:00 pm with a panel discussion to follow, $25 per person, free for veterans (love that).  For more on the event go to www.gallopnyc.org. Veterans can email for free tickets: rsvp@gallopnyc.org.  Here's a link to the website where you can view a trailer.

Riding My Way Back is a short documentary that chronicles one soldier’s journey back from the brink of suicide.  In 2010, Staff Sergeant Aaron Heliker returned from multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), in addition to third-degree burns and nerve damage from a roadside bomb.  At his most desperate and isolated, on 42 medications and suicidal, Aaron is introduced to the unlikeliest of saviors:  a horse named Fred.  Through caring for Fred and building mutual trust, Aaron begins the difficult process of reconnecting to the world around him and healing the terrible, invisible wounds of war that had nearly defeated him. 

Thank you Gallop NYC and everyone involved with this film for supporting the real heroes in our country.  We all know it's not the politicians (sorry but I had to say that, today, on election day).

Pretty in Plaid

The Polo House Blog posted a fantastic plaid bedroom over the weekend.  She has great style and can put things together like no other.  See it here. It inspired me to think plaid this cold Monday morning.

She loves plaid and has tons of plaid everywhere in her lovely house. Plaid can have great style, it's not just for grandmothers if you know where to look...

See it here.

This is from The Gap.  See it here.

 

Dolce & Gabanna also does plaid.  Buy it here.

Jil Sander also does plaid. This is a favorite.  See it here.

This is from Brooks Brothers, see it here.

Also from Brooks Brothers:

Enjoy your Monday!

That Grace Kelly Style

Timeless style is hard to come by these days.  In my mind, Grace Kelly is the style icon.  There's no one today, sadly, who even comes close to her style in my opinion other than maybe some members of European royalty and we won't go there today (and I am not talking about Kate, although Diana had real style).  What was it that Grace had that has gone by the wayside?

Sure, her movie star looks didn't hurt and her unlimited pocketbook to buy the best once she moved to Monaco are nice to have, but you don't have to have those two things to be stylish.  You can do it right here in America, for sure. 

The "less is more" attitude helps a lot.  You never saw her "overdone" did you?  I despise what we seem to like now - the Kim Kardashian trashcan look. It's just vulgar.  No other word suits that I can print. Why is that attractive in any way?  What happened to being a lady?  Have we become so overly politically correct so that trying to act like a lady is a bad thing?  Yes, I think so.

So how do you do it?  How to get that "look" for less than a few thousand bucks?  And you know what, it's not a bad thing to want to look good. 

1) Pants

Plain pants, cigarette style.  Being thin helps pull this off.  These are J Crew, the Paley Pant, one of my favorites. A dress will do too, but very plain, simple. Good fabrics.

2) Scarf
A nice scarf.  Hermes, Gucci, knock-off.  All work.

3) Glasses

The right glasses.  These are from Karen Walker.  Adds mystery, sophistication, not to mention allows you to see, hides those bags or wrinkles and keeps the sun at bay.

4) Handbag

The right handbag.  This is Kate Spade. You can't skimp here. Cheap is just cheap.  Splurge.  Ask Santa to visit Kate or Gucci or Hermes or Prada.  Buy second hand.

5) Shoes

The right shoes. See number 4 above.

6) Shirt
A cardigan or turtleneck or simple shirt. A white blouse from Gap or J Crew.  This can cost under $50.

7) Accessories

Some accessories like simple earrings, studs, gloves if the weather allows.  Small touches, nothing overdone and less is certainly more.

Voila....

Have a stylish Sunday.