Kate Dickerson Needlepoint

Kate Dickerson is one of my favorite needlepoint designers.  I love her Herend bunnies, her preppy pillows, her take on Pucci and of course her equestrian-inspired designs.  These photos are from her Facebook page and she inspires me to find more time to stitch.  Love all of this stuff.....

California Chrome is the Real Deal

For all of those "Chromie Doubters" out there, the 2014 winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes pulled out his biggest win yet over the weekend, the illustrious Dubai World Cup, all $10 million dollars of it.  And to make his case even more, the saddle slipped back way behind the horses girth as he ran down the stretch and he still won!  Jockey Victor Espinoza (who also rode American Pharoah) managed to stay on the horse at 40 mph and still win and Chromie should have been a bucking bronco at this stage.  His stud fee just went way up.  He's now the all-time leading North American horse in earnings won, over $14 million to date. He's won all three of his 2016 starts.  Impressive!

You Know You've Been Riding Horses a Long Time If.......

You shopped out of the Miller's catalog or visited Millers in NYC!

 If you were ever lucky enough to make it to Miller's in NYC (I wasn't):

You wore Pytchley coats with velvet collars and gold buttons.  I wish they would come back!

You showed without saddle pads.

You jumped outside courses in the hunters, straight up fences without ground lines. And you galloped!

 (1964)

You rode thoroughbreds all of the time!  They won everything!

Horse shows had classes only for 3 foot hunters and higher except for small and medium ponies.  If you couldn't jump three feet, you didn't show.  Those were the days!  My how so much has changed!

Ann Taylor Loft for Spring

I don't usually shop at Loft but I went in a store near where I live this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised.  Their prices are good and they always have a sale and their clothes fit me other than the dresses being a tad short at times.  Here are some of things I saw that I loved.......

This shirt is on the web but I did not see it in the store. But isn't it cute?

 I saw this cute dress which is too short for my taste (on me anyway) but is really adorable.

 I didn't see this either but really like it too!

I tried this on (it's navy) and it cute.  Too short for me but very nice.

This dress is so versatile....

I tried this on in black and it almost came home with me. Very very nice dress.  Would be great for weddings.

I'll be checking into Loft more often that's for sure!

In and Out

So what's trending in and out in the equestrian world these days? Any ideas?  Where, here are some of mine......

In

GPA and Samshield helmets.  You still see a Charles Owen every now and then, but these two brands seem to be in great demand for us hunter riders.

Out

Helmets with bling, anywhere.

 In

Asmar Belts 

Rebecca Ray belts....

Out
Plain leather belts.

In
Aztec Diamond Breeches.

In
Charles Ancona riding coats

Out

Wool riding coats

 

In
White shirts for the hunter riders.

Out
Colored shirts except Le Fash colorblocked shirt.

Three's a Charm

When we go to Alberta, we always make a stop at our favorite gallery, Canada House, which highlights up and coming and established artists from Canada. We have a collection of Les Thomas paintings, bought over the past 15 years or so, from the gallery.  With the Canadian dollar, it's a good time to buy Canadian too (you save about 30 percent).  I love these paintings which are meant to be used in sets of three.  The flower paintings are by artist Nixie Barton.

These are by Les Thomas, and they are about 12 by 12. I saw these in Canada.  You have to see his work in person, the colors and shapes change with the light, incredible!

Good art makes a great room.  And it is so enjoyable to surround yourself with creativity.  Happy Friday!

Woodland Needlepoint Wreath

The needlepoint wreath arrived yesterday to much fanfare at my house.  We've been waiting to see the finished product for months and it was worth the wait.  This will adorn the cabin front door when we are in residence there (luckily it is also covered well).  This will be an heirloom for sure.  Love it.  Thank you Po's Point for ordering this and finishing it.  Great job!