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 :: Holiday Wrappings

Christmas wrappings are a fun as Christmas cards, and ever since Martha Stewart put a glitter monogram on a present, it's become a wide-spread hobby, even.

So -- there is something to be said for a pretty present. My rule is that you can't spend too much time. It's important to have a little kit of papers and especially ribbon (satin is my favorite). Some little tags are good too. I like round paper key tags and above you can see a deep red Crane's place card with a white border is doing the job quite nicely. But really, it shouldn't take more that five minutes to wrap. Just show a little love.

And here's a little nugget that I just heard today:

The S&S sisters' mother used to sign the tags on their Christmas presents from their celebrity crushes. Imagine being a twelve-year-old girl and receiving a guitar from Rock Hudson!

Talk about charming -- I'm thinking of trying this. Mastering the Art of French Cooking from Meryl Streep? Brilliant.

Happy wrapping!

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.!

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.

Kevin Spacey = Jack Benny

And I love Jack Benny.

The Jack Benny Show is on MeToo late at night, and if I'm up, I make a point to catch it (right after Burns and Allen). I love checking out the styling of the shows -- the clothes, the hair, the mannerisms (and manners), and the interiors. There is something about the refined simplicity that I'm drawn to -- but they are just cardboard walls, though, right? No matter.

When I saw this clip of Kevin Spacey trying to explain twitter to David Letterman, I immediately thought of Mr Benny's mannerisms. Here's the clip -- if you like Jack Benny or need the lowest-level primer on twitter:




Then compare to Mr Benny's monologue:

Jack Benny color image above from Google's Life archive.

Love :: A Desk of One's Own

Stuff everywhere... I was sitting down to write or sketch or something one day last week and thought this summed up my ideal space. This is where I conduct my personal correspondence and At The Meadows business, where I write notes to friends... on paper. It's a bit of curated haunting -- I know some things have been seen on At The Meadows before (like this and this), but to see them together and how they "talk" to each other is nice.

The card in the holder is from the Ospedale degli Innocenti ("Hospital of the Innocents") in Florence. I like to send postcards to myself at home when I'm traveling. They are great reminders when you first arrive home, but even more so years later. On the back of that card is a quick sketch I made of the lanterns of the Festa della Rificolona. And the birds in the background are needlepoint done by a German woman (according to the signature on the back of the frame).

What's on your desk?*


*And a side note on desks, my favorite baristas offered to make me a little desk made of milk crates so I could work in the beautiful weather today. Those baristas are handy!

Love :: Tea Time

Tea time is a great way to connect with people. I have a group of friends who go out to tea fairly often, but I think it's great to entertain this way at home. A simple flower arrangement, a menu of savory and sweet tidbits -- and of course great tea -- make for a convivial atmosphere. Such a delight!

I prefer to send invitations to tea in the mail. Each invitation includes my monogram and the invitation "Please come to tea", along with the pertinent details and reply information.

A few more details:
Earl Grey with Lavender tea (served in these), and three courses, always served in this order: savory tea sandwiches, scones with strawberry preserves and clotted cream, and sweets (baby eclairs, fruit tarts, petit fours, palmiers -- and a sea salt caramel). My good friend S made the comment that the palmiers complement the teapots -- elephant ears. So true!

Tea may look fancy, but it's really not. I hope that everyone had a great time!

Okay. I need a baby eclair. Last. One.

Love :: A Good Dandy

Dandies... so well-dressed and nonchalant. Always composed, always dignified. There were quite a few at the Art Institute on Friday. So, my question to the fellows: How dandy are you? Find out here.

Image :: dandyism.com

There's a Teapot in the Room -- Two, in Fact

These are the fab elephant teapots I mentioned last week. I spotted one at a good haunt, and while there was a second little guy there too, his finial was broken. So, I put out an APB with K (a fellow haunter), and she found one, no problem! Thank you, K!

This pair of pachyderms will be great for tea time. Their pristine white surface will blend well with all kinds of white china, and since they are so simply styled, they can work with stark minimal pieces and more English-inspired ones... think Imperial India. I need a safari jacket, pronto!

One for Me, One for You

What do I give people who don't need a thing? I head to my go-to chocolate haunt: Vosges Haut-Chocolat on Armitage in Chicago. Maybe I'll start calling it "Haunt-Chocolat". Not only is it superior chocolate, but the deep purple packaging is so, so beautiful.

At the shop I treated myself to some Red Fire ice cream -- I had never tried it before, but I love the Aztec collection truffles and the Red Fire toffee and tortilla chips. Let's just say it delivered. It was fantastic. Vosges serves it in a take-out container -- another signature packaging move.

And for the gift, a nine-piece box of the springtime Fleurs collection truffles for my sister who is graduating with her Masters. A wow sursie for Mother's Day, too.

Score! :: This Weekend at the Haunts

What a great weekend at the haunts. I visited my "first on the list" place (it's very convenient), and -- nothing. Not. A. Thing. That almost never happens.

But I was feeling lucky. So I pressed on. Next up? A place I visit every month or so. It's pretty good. But Saturday was very good. Check it out!





These little china cups are so, so delicate. And they will be great with my new pair of white elephant teapots.* They have a Belleek feel, but no markings. They're fun little things.

I also scored a 1960 Emily Post etiquette book. I love a good etiquette book. They are so definitive. I have an Amy Vanderbilt edition of the same era, but my absolute fave is my Mrs Oliver Harriman tome from the 1940s. This lady was serious about etiquette. She had a very old-school perspective that I think sounds more 1920s than 1940s. My grandmother was quite the It Girl of Raleigh in the twenties, and the tone of the book reminds me of the tidbits about her wedding festivities in the society pages of old editions of The Raleigh Times.

I like comparing etiquette advice from book to book. And with a sprinkle of Martha Stewart (particularly her Weddings rag), a dash of all the etiquette and civility blogs on the web, and well... maybe I'll write a paper on it all one day.

Though there were more things in my buggy -- a crystal decanter, a little Italian cake stand (tiny with daisies), a crystal honey pot -- I'll end with this piece:





What is it?

Other than some type of mug and saucer, I have no idea. It's china with teal and gold transfer color, and there is an inscription that ends in "1969r." (the script you see in the photo above), but I can't figure it out. Any ideas?

There's also a mark, but I haven't had a moment to research it:



I'm thinking of using it with a great big peony bloom! Love that gold!


*The elephants will make an appearance in a few days... I love them too much not to share.

Color Me Impressed, Kate Spade of Oak Street.

Imagine my surprise when I opened my mailbox today to find this: