leeeaaaavvvviiinnnggg on a jet plane

VIA

I'm off bound for NYC!

It's "fleet week" in NYC so we will surely see men and women in uniform and I will gladly salute them and thank them for their service.  I will also remember my Grandpa Jarvis who served in WWII.  I'm not sure he ever visited NYC though I know he would have hated it: crowds and lines...he never liked either of them.  In fact, it was a crowd and a line that gave him his fate as a MARINE (they had the shortest enlistment line).  My Grandpa was the finest and best grandpa a gal could ever dream up and when I think of him I chuckle a little...I know that would make him proud.

With this trip I parlay a little fun and a little business.  I'm visiting our newest showroom line on Tuesday/Wednesday, DESIRON...A-MAY-ZING!

Please post and tell me what you plant to do and whom you plan to remember this Memorial Day Weekend!  

air plants are for real

air plant on my front door

Here's a little DIY for your Memorial Day Weekend!

As I checked out of West Elm earlier this week the gal behind the counter asked me if I knew I had to water my new plant.  I said, "you're joking, right?".  Turns out she was serious and I was purchasing an air plant.  Air plants have no roots and receive all the nutrients they need from their leaves.  Just a sprits of water from time to time will keep your air plants happy and healthy.  They look like succulents, right?  Turns out they are part of a family of plants called epiphytes.  They require little water and are difficult to over water.

Learn more about air plants, HERE.

my front patio

Twas a jazzy pomme frites and rose' kind of day

It's late Wednesday evening but I'm still relishing and remembering my dinner last night at Houston's Brasserie 19 (pronounced dix neuf) on West Gray.  Every 2nd or 3rd week of the month I drive south on 45 to Houston for a few days to visit clients.  It's always a busy a trip and this last visit had me up with the roosters Monday at 5:30am sharp for a luncheon downtown.  By Tuesday evening I was wiped out.  My dear friend Dow and I had visited Brasserie last fall and I was dying to go back.  The weather in Houston which is typically hot, humid, and otherwise miserable was everything the opposite.  It was a perfect moment and as I sat all alone it occurred to me I was not alone at all.  The gal next to me was also dining alone and working.  It appeared she was enjoying herself as much as me.  The night before I had caught up with an old friend and this night I was able to catch up with another old friend, little old me.  I feel vulnerable writing this on my blog but I also feel it's an interesting topic.  

Please dish my darlings...

Do you dine alone and do you consider the relationship you have with yourself important?    

This post is as dreamy and sporadic as my visit to Brasserie.  As I sat alone with my rose' and pomme frites I "got lost" (hate the word GOT as a verb, BTW) in the BLOGosphere where I discovered a few new treasures I will surely share with you in the days to come.

And, the next time you are in Houston...please stop by Brasserie 19.  You won't regret it.  I just love this candied description from the restaurants site, "where French classicism meets modern luxury, simple hearty French fare is thoughtfully presented, and where friends gather to dine, drink and converse".  AHHH, sigh...!  There's nothing better than the formidable architecture of crafty advertisement prose.

Yes, please Brasserie 19 for me thank you very much!

I'm flea'ing

Howdy and good mornin'!  

Who's planning on stopping by the flea this weekend?

I am.

This will be a great opportunity to RUMMAGE and snag some great deals.  Also, you will be sure to find some FAB local artists.  This is where I found the great Bonnie Basham (jewelry) just two springs ago.

Click HERE for more details.

Solair si vous plait!

VIA

Please allow me to introduce this sitting beauty just in time for your summer soirees...

This is an authentic revival of a beloved modern classic!  This chair was a common staple for modern beach resorts and roadside motels at the turn of the century.  Modern Design discovered this gem at a beach resort at the Cote d'Azur in France and after a long search was able to locate the original manufacturer.

The Solair Chair was created by the Italian designers Fabio Fabiano and Michelange Panzini for L'Industrie Provinciale in 1972.  The Solair Chair embodies the best of mid century modern design, perfect for indoor and outdoor use, it is rather lightweight, extremely comfortable and unarguably stylish.

In the 1970s this chair was marketed across North America via Sears catalogs.  I believe our local Belmont could use a set of these...

Currently, the Solair Chair is part of the permanent collection of the Musee National des Beaux-Arts Quebec Canada.

 I can picture myself reading pool side in a lime green Solair with a fresh margarita and Vanity Fair magazine. 

Where and how do you picture yourself AVEC a Solair chair?

Roadside Motel Installation VIA

Giddy Up Roundtop Spring 2012

Roundtop Fall 2011 AVEC: Cousin Kim, Leslie Pritchard, Moi, Sissy Jac, Mama Tanya (isn't my mom the CUTEST?)
PS - where's Kelley?

All right little darlin's.  I'm off on my merry way.  Let's go Roundtop 2012!

I've prepared my marinades for my lamb chops and red potatoes.  So not only will I enjoy the dirt, boots, excellent rummaging, and occasional beer BUT I'm also prepared for an excellent FINALE dinner.  

Jim, the Innkeeper of Scenic Hill Vacations will have "our" TREEHOUSE ready at 3pm sharp tomorrow.  I'm thrilled.  Let's do Roundtop 2012 Swiss Family Robinson-style'isque?

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So, this post is short and sweet because there is much fun to be had.  

Aren't you just dying to know...who's accompanying me?

Follow me on twitter HERE.

AND, don't miss my bi-annual ROUNDTOP REWIND next week.

x's and o's.

Zou Bisou Bisou

Mad Men's Jessica Pare rendition of Zou Bisou Bisou album cover

Oh, kiss, kiss!  Mad Men, yes, please!  

THIS SONG (now available on iTunes) has been stuck in my head since Sunday.  Perhaps you live under a rock and were unaware of the season 5 premier or perhaps you were otherwise busy.  Either way you should not miss this awkward and especially fab scene with French-Canadian actress Jessica Pare where she performs the song, Zou Bisou Bisou, from the French YeYe era.

Click HERE for the Speakeasy, Wall Street Journal Arts & Entertainment Blog, write up which includes the actual YouTube of this performance.

Here are some of my inspirations from the performance and from Mad Men in general.

I've been looking for an embroidered KISS badge encased in acrylic, WHEW!

VIA

I'm totally DIGGING on the Chip Shop as of late.  She carries the MOST groovy stuff and LOTS of barware.

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These earrings frighten me so!  I just had to post them and that kiss, iconic!

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Yes, please.

VIA