Collection: Jasperware

I have a small collection of wedgwood Jasperware. You know the stuff I'm sure; everyone has a piece or two from their wedding!a sugarbowl and creamer; ignore the dust on the shelf!

Jasperware is a type of fine-grained, unglazed stoneware invented by Josiah Wedgwood (founder of Wedgwood potters) in 1772. It was named after the natural stone 'jasper' because of its hardness by Josiah after a lot of experimenting with different techniques of porcelain making. This quickly became what made Wedgwood famous and is still one of the products it is known for today.a small vase and another larger creamer

While most people seem to know the blue, it comes in a wide range of colors. The natural porcelain is white however and the color is added into the mixture during the manufacturing. Typically it has white applied porcelain mouldings of neoclassical scenes. I really like the deep blue color and that is primarily what I collect - something about the deep blue with white trim is just so pretty. I do however have this one pale blue vase, I couldn't resist it!

CARE: from waterfordwedgewood

We recommend that you should hand-wash your jasperware in moderately hot water with a mild detergent. For more stubborn stains, rub the Jasperware with a toothbrush or a small brush with polishing powder.Never use your Jasperware in a microwave oven, conventional oven or refrigerator. Sudden changes of temperature are likely to cause cracking or breakage.

Crazy Store

This crazy looking store is not in Holland -instead it's on lovely Cape Cod....and they don't sell wooden shoes -it's a discount bargain store! Check out those shopping carts in the lower right hand corner. I've just always thought it was sort of kitschy Vegas......It's right under the Sagamore Bridge if you don't believe me! The store is called 'the christmas tree shoppe' but it's really just a dollar store, that also sells holiday decorations.

Leslie Caron

Enjoy your weekend everyone! Images are of Leslie Caron, around the time she did Gigi (my favorite movie), taken by Cecil Beaton. Caron was born in 1931 and is still living, even occasionally acting! She currently runs a bed and breakfast named Auberge La Lucarne aux Chouettes (The Owls' Nest Inn) which is located outside of Paris in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. I'm sure it's delightful!

Indoor Gardens, Atocha

This cold weather has me thinking of indoor gardens. In Madrid is the most beautiful indoor JUNGLE in the main train station, Atocha. The plants are watered every few hours by these big misters, you can see them in action here above. The original station that was built in 1851 was destroyed by fire, and this new station was built in 1892 by Alberto de Palacio Elissagne and Gustave Eiffel (recognize that name??).

The space is huge, I'm not sure if my pictures captured it, but there are walkways cutting through the jungle space. Not a bad way to spend time while waiting for a train!The station itself is a really interesting early industrial space. Look at the grilles on this window below, pretty ornate and yet still industrial. I love that detail.All pictures are my own from my trip to Madrid 2 years ago.

Friend's apartment: aquisitions

Do you remember a few months ago when I posted my friend Henry's apartment (here). Well, he has a new addition: a 6' tall antique venetian mirror! I thought it was so beautiful I just had to share it. Unfortunately he's moving soon and will have to abandon all of his hard work.

Happy Birthday, Laura!

Please all join with me to wish Happy Birthday to my friend Laura from Lodadesigns! Laura loves flowers, especially cherry blossoms which are coming in a few short months. They have special significance for her as she is a local and we have the famous yearly festival here.

Happy Birthday, Laura! We don't get to spend coffee breaks together at work anymore but you're still in my thoughts!

these images are ones i've taken during the last few years.

I'll be back...

Sorry about being MIA this past week as I've been under the weather. Thanks to everyone who sent me messages and well wishes! I'll be back as usual next week!
Image of Chateau de Chambord roof & gardens.

Irish Rose

"There are very few people, just a handful, who have a relationship with their clothes like Daphne Guinness. The Guinness heir and fashion muse doesn't dress up or down. She dresses out"
Featured in the August 2008 issue of Vanity Fair

Yes we can!

I was at the inauguration, as many of you kindly asked. I spent the morning at a friend's watching the swearing in, drinking mimosas, then walked down to the national mall hoping to catch just a glimpse of the parade as it passed.
It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. We accidentally went to one of the few gates allowing non-ticket holders onto the route. We happened to be at the front of a line we didn't know existed in the chaos and got ushered to a few available seats in the grandstands! It sounds easy, but this involved about 2 hours of waiting. Just happenstance though...AMAZING signs on a nearby office building read 'welcome Mr. President'. Every building and roof of the surrounding buildings were crowded with viewers.

I wish I could describe to you the atmopshere at the parade other than saying it was magical. I have never met so many warm, friendly people. We were bound together by our excitement of the coming administration, our hope for the future and our FRIGIDITY. While it may not have felt cold at first, being outside in low 30 degree temperatures soon took its tole. It was worth all discomfort though. 2 photos of the crowd surrounding us. It was packed! As the news reported though, due to the cold and long wait, as soon as the president's motorcade past, most of us left the stands and left the parade route. I had to get someplace warm!
Security was tight but everything was managed surprisingly efficiently. While waiting in line the many volunteers tried to keep the crowd entertained with chants and cheers. The hundreds of thousands of spectators were incredibly patient and understanding while we waited in long lines with no clue what was going on, herded together like cattle (which was a blessing as it provided warmth and blocked cold winds). It will be a day I'll never forget and neither will my frozen toes! One of the bands in period costume which preceded the president's motorcade,

While waiting for 2 hours for the parade to begin we all talked about where we came from, the cold, how we spent the morning and did 'the wave' up and down the bleachers while reciting different chants people knew. We were a rowdy part of the crowd, but even the police and army guards seemed to be in on the fun!an antique dc metro bus which led the president's motorcade

I felt like a part of this countries' history and of something bigger than just an individual citizen. I made so many friends waiting in line and while waiting for the parade to begin and was touched by their stories. I'll never know their names but I know many traveled long distances (not 5 blocks like me). A group of women drove all night from Toronto, tickets in hand; an older couple (pictured below with me in the hat) who came up from Texas, an entire family spanning generations from the Czcech Republic who came 1/2 way across the world just to see a parade and hope for the future. I hope you all managed to see some of the inauguration on tv and celebrate with me the hope and faith in the future of our country.
President Barack Obama passing in his motorcade in front of the DC mayor's booth across from us, above and below.

In the video below we took, you can see the president in his limo waving as he drove by. Unfortunately I was at a part of the parade route where the president rode and did not walk. I caught a glimpse of him smiling and waving to us with his little girls. I can't say I blame him because of the cold and his long, tiring day, but we were all a bit disappointed!

The flag of dc which we sat under - we also sat under a huge US flag pictured at the top of the post. All photos taken by myself.

Mary Pickford and Pickfair

Mary Pickford was our first real international movie star. Here she is shown above in front of Pickfair, the home she shared with her husband Douglas Fairbanks and spent her life in. She was known as 'America's Sweetheart' and 'the girl with the curls'.

While she rose to fame in the early 1920s, Mary Pickford was born on April 8, 1892 in Toronto as Gladys Smith (not a very glamorous name). She was put to work by her mother to earn a living after her father passed away. She eventually moved on to Broadway in 1907 for a part in The Warrens of Virginia which was written by William Demille, the brother of Cecile B. Demille (who also starred in the play!) I think you can see where this is going.... Her film career spanned from 1909 until 1933 when she retired. She appeared in 236 films during that time period, appearing in 51 films in 1909 alone!Pickford was also a brilliant business woman. She marketed her image in a way seen today by young actresses and celebrities such as Paris Hilton. She was Hollywood's first millionaire - commanding $350,000 a picture and a percentage of the profits by the end of her career. The invention of sound was her undoing though as well as her 'bob' when she cut her hair in 1928. She was no longer able to pull off the young, ingenue roles the public loved to see her in.

Mary Pickford, center, with Loretta Young to the left -hedda hopper can be seen in the background

Mary toured during both world wars selling war bonds and entertaining the troops. She and her 2nd husband, Douglas Fairbanks were seen as 'hollywood royalty' and their home, Pickfair, was seen as it's castle. Mary passed away in 1979 at the age of 87 while still living at Pickfair.

Pickfair was designed by the architect Wallace Neff and was located in the San Ysidro Valley near Los Angeles (1143 Summit Drive). The house featured 22 rooms and had beautiful ceiling frescoes in most of the rooms. It was the first home in Los Angles to feature a swimming pool which was set into a formal garden.

During the 1920s it was, as I mentioned, the capital of Hollywood -where the elite from all over the world were entertained, not just movie stars. Mary Pickford lived there till her death in 1979, although it had become run down. the 'western bar' at pickfair

The actress Pia Zadora later bought the home with her husband and demolished it, building a new one in its place. She claimed it was beyond repair and full of termites after much negative press. The only remaining parts of the mansion are the original gates with the letter P on them. The current mansion was sold for $60 million in 2008.the original gates seen in front of the new mansion.