The Belmont

It's not been a great year for horse racing but that should not deflect from the third leg of the Triple Crown being run today in New York.  While it won't be normal there will be between 10,000 and 11,000 spectators today, divided into vaccinated and un-vaccinated sections.  It will be televised on NBCSN from 3 to 5 pm and then on NBC Sports from 5 to 7 pm.  Post time is 6:49 pm EDT.

My favorite part is when the horses go out on the track and New York New York is played with Frank.  It still gives me goosebumps every time I watch that part of this historic race.

If I ever get to see the race in person, I'm going to stay at the Garden City Hotel.  Please read this story about this historic property from a few years ago in the Times. The history here is great and I will go to the hotel bar and order a Tapwrit.

This is a small field this year and my money is on the favorite, Essential Quality who I thought would win the Derby. He had a very wide trip and finished fourth. I think he could have won with a better trip quite easily.  He is bred for distance and his sire Tapit is known for producing Belmont winners. He is in the number two post.  

Love these mugs from Etsy depicted the turn at Belmont.  Big Sandy is indeed big. This is the largest dirt track in North America and the race is 1 1/2 miles long, quite a long distance for any race horse.  This is likely the longest race any of these horses will ever enter.

Other Belmont facts:

The flowers for the Belmont are Carnations. We have roses for the Derby and Black-eyed Susans for the Preakness. 

The Belmont is the oldest of the three Triple Crown races.

I mentioned New York New York earlier  Up until 1996 the song was The Sidewalks of New York.  But in 2010 they changed the song from New York to New York to Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind but then wisely changed the song back to Frank. (Glad I wasn't there that year).

The official drink was The Belmont Breeze.  Previously until 1997, the drink was the White Carnation.  Supposedly the drink was undrinkable.  Not sure why.  In 2011 the Breeze was changed to the Belmont Jewel.  Who knew?

The fastest 1 1/2 mile Belmont - Secretariat of course. And if you, by chance, have never watched him win the race in 1973 by an astounding 31 lengths while still setting the record, then shame on you. That was one of the greatest moments of all time in sport.  Stunning.  We will never see that again and it gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. With that tidbit, I think I'll watch it again.

What I am Loving for June

It's finally summer, well, almost, but it sure feels like it. Ready for al fresco dining and wearing clothes I never pulled out of the closest last year. Here's what I am loving right now.....

Is this not the cutest throw you've ever seen?  Perfect for curling up on the chaise while reading a good book after sunset with a glass of wine....

Love this new candle collection from Nest, a favorite candle brand - with Gray Malin. Three fragrances, how do you choose?

I am astounded by the prices of clothes today.  The sticker shock has sent me back to Zara (sigh) and even Zara's great low prices are creeping up but better to pay $70 than $300 for a dress?  Love this one:

Love this one too for a great basic dress. I'd add a pair of patterned Tory Burch Miller Sandals to make this extra chic.

Love this look into the NY Townhouse of the J McLaughlin founders.  See the video here.  I could move in and love the colors.

We all love a good deal on a classic, right?  Longchamps bag at TJ Maxx?

Tiffin Satin Glass

I've collected elegant glass made mostly in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia made in the 1920's to the 1940's for over 20 years.  This passion never gets old and I love to learn about the colors, the patterns, the etchings and the various ways you can identify a piece of glass. Tiffin is one of my favorite makers, which operated in one form or another between 1889 and 1940 in Tiffin, Ohio which is in the northern part of the state, almost to Lake Erie.  I have an entire library of glass books. This is a very good one on Tiffin:

You need a good set of books to help you date the glass, look at patterns you'll never see in person and identify the colors.  Colors are unique to each company - each blue or green is different depending on the company and the stems of the glasses will also help identify a company or a pattern. Etchings were not always made by the company so an etching can be a less reliable way to identify glass.

My glass collection in general is mostly stemware. I have some decanters, a few bowls and candlesticks too.  But Tiffn makes these lovely bulb boxes that were created to force flower bulbs. I have only seen them in satin glass.  These are very art deco and lovely to use for bulbs or to just look at. Life was so refined way back when.  We have fallen so far from the tree in that regard.  These boxes are very hard to find. I have a black satin one, a sky blue one (my favorite) and I recently found an emerald green and a light green one.  I have never seen all of the colors - it comes also in crystal satin, a rose pink satin, an amber satin and a reflex green satin. Below are the blackm sky blue and the emerald green ones.

This is the nymph pattern on the side of the bulb box:

I also love the satin twisted candlesticks which come in many colors. This is the emerald green.

You can find these on Ebay and Etsy often for reasonable prices.  These really show off the colors.  This is the light green in a sugar bowl currently on Etsy.  I would use this for nuts or candy on a table. It is lovely.

This is a vase also on Etsy.  So art deco.

Vases are more collectable and hard to find and are often quite expensive. 

I love this bud vase too:

Many of these old glass companies have museums in the cities they were founded and Tiffin is no different. I have not been to the Tiffin Museum but would love to see it. Many collectors give their glass to the museums and this is a great way to see pieces you'll never see otherwise - the really rare stuff.  But I love the thrill of the hunt, the discovery of something you've never seen before, the beauty of the colors of the glass, and the fact that this stuff is so elegant and so old.  We don't live in a world today where we embrace this in our culture but I do at my house!

Favorite Summer Dresses

It's fall-like weather here in Virginia. I can't believe how cold it is but we need the rain badly so I'll take it!  Dreaming of wearing one of these great summer dresses this weekend, maybe for the 4th of July or at a Belmont Bash (next weekend?):

I have an old Sheridan French tunic and I am glad to see she is back. Love her stuff. Very good quality.  This dress, yes, this dress.

Also love this one:

Love this one.  See it here:

 Love this toile dress:

Fabulous dress:

 Love this striped summer dress:

 This dress is perfect for the 4th of July:

 Love this Nimo With Love summer dress:

 Loved this Ro's Garden kurta last year in green and now Tuckernuck has it again in blue and pink.  The pink is my favorite.

Moda Operandi Picks

 Every now and then I peruse Moda Operandi and every now and then I buy something from this unique company started by Lauren Santo Domingo. Some of the stuff here is way over the top but they have good sales and unique products you don't see anywhere else.  The trunk shows are the best, but sometimes you have to wait for your order.  Their customer service is good - that's been my experience.  Here are some fun picks.....

Love these dinner plates created by Lauren for her company and made in Italy. Great for summer patio dinners!

Would love to own a set of Sabre silverware! Like this set:

Love these ceramic wicker dinner plates. They come in blue, pink and green but the green is my favorite:

Love these dessert plates to mix and match with the solid color ones above:

I absolutely adore these hand-painted plates.  They come in three sizes.  Oh my goodness.  

I would mix the plates above with these dinner plates for a fabulous place setting:

If you don't have a set of bamboo treat yourself.  I have a set of very inexpensive silverware from Caspari. This is much nicer. You'll enjoy it every day.

I love this swim suit.  Not a beach bunny but if I was....

Love this shift dress. Make sure you see the back!

Love these Loveshackfancy sweat pants.So fun!  

Enjoy your Friday!

Thursday Tidbits

 A few tidbits for this soon-to-be-summer Thursday:

1) For Pete's Sake Summer Pottery

This stuff sells out faster than fresh baked bread.  Love the Fourth of July themed pottery.

2) Notepads for the Stitcher

Ordering these today! Notepads with a needlepoint pillow theme and of course, personalize them!

3) Essex Classic's New Funnel Neck Sweaters

Love these new sweaters from Essex, one of my favorite brands.  They make the best quality shirts and their sweaters are superb. This is a new style, to wear now on crisp summer nights (do we even have those anymore)?  They come in many fun colors.

4) Zara Dress

Saw this on Blair at Atlantic-Pacific Blog, even for fast fashion this is a stunner.  Ditch the pants.

The China Affliction, Again

The affliction arrived early - while in high school to be exact. Way back then, some of us had jobs while we went to school. I actually started working at 16 but had to wait another year before I could work "on the clock."  My "on the clock" job working at a department store china department lasted seven long years.  Being exposed to my friends like Lenox, Wedgewood, Noritake, Spode and others had its advantages - you did not need to be "cool" to be accepted; no parties or drinking; you were never snubbed by the popular girls and boys.  But now, I am paying the price of that affection created long ago.  My relationship with china has never faltered.

Last weekend I came across an entire brand new (but old) set of Wedgewood Wild Strawberry.  "Never been used. Still with price tags and bubble wrap," according to the store clerk.  So sad to be ignored like that, something so lovely and beautiful. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess, even during a pandemic.  Still thinking about that set that included many serving pieces, like hitting a trifecta. I used to sell this stuff.

A few weeks before, I came across another one of my old friends, also at greatly discounted prices because apparently no one likes the stuff anymore. Pontmeirion Botanical is a flower lover's friend and what a lovely table it would make for al fresco dining overlooking my alliums.  Yes, I have thought about the possibilities.

Spode was another friend, not a close one back then, but one I admired from afar. My grandmother owned Spode.  My mother had Christmas China that my sister now owns.  The old stuff was my preference and I am loving it even more now like this Greek pattern that takes me back to my Classical roots (I studied the classics in college).  

Or Aesop's Fable.  I adore this in black but you see it also in blue.  What to learn more?  Read this great blog post here.

Or Caramanian by Spode:

A bit of history:

Caramanian pattern was first introduced in about 1809 and most usually seen transfer printed in blue. It was produced beyond the Spode period and is is seen with marks from Spode owners, Copeland & Garrett, from 1833-1847.

The centre designs were taken from Volume II of a three-part work entitled 'Views in Egypt, Palestine and the Ottoman Empire' published in 1803. Volume I covering Egypt and Volume III, Palestine, were not copied.

The pattern is also known in black, grey and possibly green. In the late 1990s the pattern was reintroduced as part of Spode's Blue Room Collection.  

The thrill of the hunt, of finding these pieces, of putting together your own collection and then learning the history behind it all, that's what I also love about china other than creating a lovely table to enjoy with a good meal with someone you want to dine with.

This is another pattern I sold and loved, from Wedgewood, Bianca, a Williamsburg pattern. It is lovely!

So what's on my current china wish list?  I would love to have a set of Christopher Spitzmiller salad or dinner plates in either lime green or hunter green.  I can't decide. 

I also adore Juliska's Country Estate pattern and have a set of four salad plates in the discontinued orange color (why did they quit making this classic color?). I love the gray, the blue and the new pink. Yes, pink!

And there is some Spode in my life.  A new collection for sure.  The thrill of the hunt right?   Enjoy your china.  Use it.  Research the history behind it.