Love :: One Card, Three Ways

Talk about the things that make life great!* This holiday, my dad handed each of us -- my brother, his wife, and me -- an identical red envelope. But no, no -- not identical cards! My dad being my dad (and a designer by profession), we opened our envelopes to find customized versions of the same card!

As much as we're into finding and haunting wonderful things At The Meadows, we're even more so into making them.


My card (Chicago skyline, haunted loot and all):




My sister-in-law's card (with the kids -- and a husband):




And my brother's card (he's the ceramist):




And, God is in the details, right?

Check out the pocketbook and those pointy shoes on yours truly --




He knows where I'm headed --




And get a load of the haul! Modernist furniture, red foam roller (gotta roll those hip flexors!), art and he said the green thing is a candelabra -- no doubt!




Such a delightful and thoughtful handmade treat is the ultimate in gift-giving. We were all so delighted by these cards -- best ever!


*What's going on here At The Meadows :: We're talking about everything that makes life great (art, type, design, fashion, entertaining, history), and the places you find everything (the haunts).

Love :: Needlepoint Paperweight

This is the first product of my new needlepoint hobby -- a paperweight for my brother the potter. I have always liked needlepoint, it's so full compared to cross stitch, which was my needlework of choice when I was little. Everybody did cross stitch in Raleigh. Cross stitch or french knotting (natural cotton yarn on natural cotton fabric, of course).

My appreciation of needlepoint stems from the ability to create whatever design I choose -- whatever I design. This design is from a pottery bottle that my brother made about five years ago. I created the design and counted it out on a blank canvas. This was a Christmas present -- a big hit!



Needlepoint has always been big in the trad set, and recently a lot of places have been offering needlepoint accessories, but I could not bring myself to buy a needlepoint key fob with an American flag motif that was made in Vietnam. American flag or no, it just soured me. Is that weird?

So, being one to take matters into her own hands -- this time, quite literally -- I asked my friend from Minooka to show me how to make the stitch. I'm working on another top-secret project... reveal soon!

Darling Christmas Clementines

Clementines, gold ceramic partridges, crystal candlesticks and deep green candles. This is what I've been working on. What do y'all think?

Clementines at Christmas is something that I learned here in the midwest. In North Carolina, we did cloves in oranges* -- I love this! It's what my Mema used to do, and it seems like something I would do here, but thinking about my poor little fingers being stuck by those cloves, well, ouch. And you'd be surprised how long it takes to make those little guys. So, clementines it is.

I'm not a big fan of Christmas-y holiday stuff, either... you know, the kind of things that you can only pull out 30 days of the year. That in no way means that I don't have a few Christmas-specific items -- I have a ton of vintage ornaments, um... in the basement. I think it's much simpler, elegant and economical to find beautiful things that you can use year-round. Between vintage haunts and new places, you can find really great things for a song. And just like an article of clothing's price per wear, an objet's "price per display" goes down dramatically if you love it and can use it more than once a year.

Natural decorations are great -- if I need a snack, just reach into the display. Refill as needed.

Here it is with day lighting --




*If you're being fancy, it's a "pomander".

Love :: Christmas Cards

Christmas cards and holiday greetings are one of my favorite parts of the holidays. It's not an every day occurrence to have your real mailbox fill with warm greetings just for you. Usually only birthdays and weddings garner such in-the-mail attention.

However, the actual cards are always a bit of a challenge, as I am always drawn to high-quality materials and design (preferably custom), but -- especially now -- budgets are definitely an issue, particularly because I tend to err on the "send" side of things if I am on the line of sending a card to someone or not (one has to have an end to her list, right?). Inevitably, my card list is a very long one -- happily so!

Usually, I scour shops for good cards at a reasonable cost. I've never done an actual photograph of myself on a card -- it seems pretty self-indulgent -- but I think it's wonderful for families with children. Everyone wants to see how much they've grown!

This year I decided to try something new. I designed my own card using one of the online quick-print (digital printing, not offset) sources. And, save their website name on the back of my card (ugh!), I think it worked well. The linen paper was a bit of a stretch for me, but it has had a bit of resurgence of late -- in a kind of retro, ironic way -- but I was happy to have an uncoated paper option. And the best part is that I designed the card myself and uploaded it -- so what you see here is no template -- all Esse Quam Videri. Even a special ligature on the "ME" in "Merry".

I do print my name at the bottom, but for close friends, I slash it and sign, as you would a calling card on a gift. And I always write or print the year. Another great perk of designing your own -- your very own sentiment (and monogram, if you choose) --


Time to get those cards out! I hope I can still get my favorite stamp! Off to the P.O.!

Thank You Forever

It's hard to see here, but a child has scrawled "Daddy" over his uniform. Think about Veterans today -- Thank Veterans today. And tomorrow too.

Debut :: Needlepoint Pocketbook

Yeah, I have a needlepoint pocketbook, what of it?

Seriously, I love this little pocketbook! It's a Koret vintage number (an old maker that I am really into right now -- I'm like a magnet for these little gems lately), with big woolen needlepoint and navy leather with a gold frame top and closure. The inside is lined in bright red leather, imprinted with "Koret" and "Made in Italy". The interesting thing about this bag is that the needlepoint design is different on each side -- and I think the fact that it is the larger stitch style is odd -- you usually see a lot of petit point, but not a lot like this. It's a true beauty!

Today DAR Chicago had one of our Bertha Honoré Palmer Teas in honor of our new members, and it was just perfect with a vintage lavender silk blouse, dark slate blue/green jacket (a fabric with some shimmer) and navy pants -- Talk about popping it with some color! I also sported my favorite homage to my hometown: the dangly acorn bracelet -- Raleigh is the city of oaks!

My mama was in town, and we went haunting everywhere -- she's the one who taught me all I know!

Check it out in action --



Read a little more information about Koret handbags here.

Little Linens for Entertaining

These little pieced circles were billed as "doilies", but I shudder even typing the word. They are much more suited to cocktail napkins, don't you think?

Sure, place one under a few macaroons at tea on occasion, but let's not relegate these beauties to dainty affairs. Now, as you may know, I have a little bit o' old lady in me (we're talking big pearl earrings, big gold jewelry and wraps -- chic -- and a lot of "big", apparently). But, ironically the old lady thing includes little linens. I think it's a Southern thing. I like these circles because they aren't lacy -- but they are certainly refined.





I hate showing empty glasses -- seems akin to having an unburned candle on display in your house... a little fixed and cold, no? Oh well, we're looking at the cocktail napkins, right?

There were twelve in the set (incredible). A couple have a spot or two, but Mama is coming this weekend, and I think she might know a secret or two. You remember Mama, right?

I was also fortunate enough to get these place mats and napkins (again a set of eight!):



While these are decidedly dainty, they have a 20s/30s deco quality that reminds me of embroidered, monogrammed scarves that my grandmother wore. I love the way the flowers embrace the area where the plate sits. Sort of a "victory wreath" idea. And, they are actually a taupe color, not white, so that adds a bit of modernity and cuts the cute.




PS :: Don't fold napkins that way, please.

What's Niew?

Looks like Europe, no? This is Stone Street in New York City, formerly New Amsterdam. While in the city last week, I made a special point to explore the New Amsterdam area in downtown Manhattan as I have ancestors who settled there, while the colony was Dutch. As a southerner, I have been intrigued by this decidedly northern landing.

Much of my knowledge of the colony comes from the book The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto. This book does a great job explaining why:

1) New York is today the world's financial hub (the colony was established by the Dutch purely as a trading post, not for political or religious freedoms)

2) New Yorkers are apt to "live and let live" and be more tolerant of other peoples' beliefs (a product of the Dutch idea of civil liberties and their generally tolerant nature)

3) New York is diverse. New Amsterdam was not a Dutch colony filled with singularly Dutch people. Colonists from all over the world came to work for the Dutch West India Company. There were eighteen languages spoken in the colony!

One of my ancestors had a home in this area, and I love to walk the roads and trails where they lived, and imagine how it must have been when they were proving themselves to the world. When in lower Manhattan, you'll see street signs that are black. This color signifies that the street's footprint has not changed over time -- that these streets are the same width and plan as they were in the Dutch colony.

I had lunch at one of the cafes on Stone Street (above). Stone Street was the first street (paved road) in the New Amsterdam colony, hence the name: "stone". Pearl Street is just south, named for the oyster shells left by the Lenni-Lenape Indians. The shells gleamed in the sunlight -- like pearls.



Near the cafe society of Stone Street is the intersection of Pearl Street and Coenties Alley, and this is the location of the old City Tavern -- where Dutch colonists met to rail against Peter Stuyvesant's militaristic rule. The building eventually became City Hall, where the municipal government met. The colony received it's municipal charter in 1653 and stopped being a "company town" of the Dutch West India Company.



The yellow bricks in this sidewalk trace the footprint of the City Tavern. I made sure to get a person in the shot for scale.



Near Pearl Street you'll also see stenciled markings on the sidewalk indicating the waterline in 1609 when Henry Hudson came to the island. Over the past 400 years there have been a lot of changes in Manhattan's shoreline as a result of landfill, and these markers are another way to get a feel for the landscape of the past.




I followed the National Parks Service free audio walking tour on my iPhone. You can download the map and the audio here.

Also, learn about all the events celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson finding Manhattan at www.henryhudson400.com.

Love :: The Secret of Southern Cooks

Best. Mayonnaise. Ever.

Dukes Mayonnaise is so good that whenever I drive down to NC, I bring back a jar of this fantastic stuff. I recently connected with a cousin of mine (my mother's 81-year-old first cousin who just got rid of his motorcycle last year) and told him this fact during the course of our conversation. Not three days later did a USPS flat-rate box appear at my mail box with this hefty 48-oz jar of Dukes rolling around inside.

You cannot imagine how happy this surprise made me on that run of the mill Thursday. I emailed him to say thanks, and his reply was, "Let me know when you are running low."

Thanks Jimmie!

Now That's What I'm Talking About.

Now this -- THIS is what I've been talking about! I have been wanting to try 12 Bones in Asheville, NC for a long time, and this week I finally had the opportunity to go. The barbeque was just right -- Eastern NC style (as in little to no vinegar-based sauce), even though we are decidedly in Western NC here. They do have an array of sauces you can add to your pulled pork or pulled chicken (they have ribs, too). Of course, my go-to order item for lunch is the pulled pork sandwich, and this one did not disappoint!

My brother recommends the green beans and corn pudding (which was more "country" than what I usually have in corn pudding -- think paté de campagne vs fois gras -- a little chunkier and "rough"). Add a big glass of sweet tea (those are not my sweetner packets -- I'm anti- fake sweetner), and you have it made!

My personal favorite of the 12 Bones sauces:




And a little taste of Chicago:



Let's face it, our President knows where to get good vittles. The line was out the door the whole time we were there. 12 Bones is only open for lunch!



I promise: Last barbeque post for a while. I've had my fill for now. I seriously need to add a tag on the blog sidebar for this topic -- I had no idea that I thought that this was one of the things that "makes life great". But, there you go.

Love :: An Interior within an Interior

This little snapshot (c. 1975) is of the entry at my grandmother's house. On the most perfect drop-leaf table, she had a portrait of me, one of her mother, and two small photos (in a little metal frame that folded like a book), one half of a pair of truly elegant chinoiserie lamps with silk shades, and on the left side of the table is a lantern (red candle!) that my uncle made on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout. It's like the ones they used in the mid-nineteenth century -- the only other time I've seen one like it is on a Confederate ghost walk.

I love a little vignette, and this little white-edged snap perched on its delicate brass easel is a peach. The best part is the "interior within an interior" effect (à la "play within a play"). The setting of the photo (endo-frame) relates so much to the setting (exo-frame) of which it's a part. The similar colors of the tables, a single lamp to the right, and the mirrors on the wall behind.

Why was this picture ever taken? It's unusual to to find a box filled with party-people and holiday smiles, only to come across one where the only people in the shot are two-dimensional. How did this one make the cut into the box with the party people? Talk about absence/presence and representation through image! Whoa -- heavy stuff, Mema!

Unpretentious southern decor: a bit of nicety, a lot of quality, and family ever-present. Mema had it.

Happy Birthday Mama

Happy Father's Day :: 2009

Happy Father's Day!

Call your Daddy or Paw-Paw today!

This photo is of my Paw-Paw... this picture was probably taken in the 40s or 50s. Maybe you can see where one of my aunts wrote "Daddy" on the left side in his t-shirt. He was the best!