camper- any of various motor vehicles or trailers equipped for camping out.

Have a fun weekend, everybody!

(Picture from: Vanity Fair)

When we were planning our wedding I waited until the very last minute to get my shoes. (Try looking for white shoes in January!) My advice is to get them early and buy the best you can afford. Consider these pretty ones from the Rainbow Club 2008 collection.

One of the reasons I love older homes is often their quirky floor plans. Because change happens slowly for these homes, they have all kinds of funny rooms and best of all- niches! Niches are recesses or hollows in a wall that can be for things as small as a vase or…

…large enough for a great piece of furniture.

(Picture from: American Homestyle and Gardening)

Earlier this summer my mother gave me a set of vintage gardening encyclopedias. One volume was of special interest to me- Japanese Flower Arrangement: Classical and Modern by Norman Sparnon. I’ve always loved big lush bouquets of flowers but I find these arrangements to be beautiful in their simplicity.

Two branches of celastrus and the modern container make for a fascinating arrangement.

Dried sunflower heads and celastrus are combined in this unusual piece of pottery.

Bursting seed pods of sandalwood trees are a contrast to the linear design of a ‘pipe’ vase.

With my interest in the iconic American landscape (barns, silos, gas stations, diners, etc.) I find these photographs of utililty poles fascinating, too. They were done by Frank Breuer who is currently documenting them from different parts of the country. I couldn’t help but see how his work closely resembled Bernd and Hilla Becher (they photographed intriguing shots of water towers and grain elevators) only to find out that Breuer worked with them! Take a look-

Note how Frank centered the utility pole in the picture. Talk about wired!

His collage of poles from different places around the country.

Now you can compare Frank’s work with his mentors- the Bechers. Here are their images of a water tower and…

… grain elevators.

(Pictures of Frank Breuer’s work from: Dwell Magazine.)

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a tree! Ahh…but what kind of tree?! Here are just a few options for tweaking yours this year-

Idea #1: Tinker Toy Tree
Raid your child’s toy box for some tinker toys
and create this fun tabletop tree!

Idea #2: Antique Clothes Dryer Tree
Matthew Mead took an ordinary antique clothes dryer
and made a one of kind tree.

Idea #3: Charlie Brown’s Tree
“All it needs is a little love, Charlie Brown.”
Take a cue from Linus-
Find a simple pine branch to place in a glass container.

Idea #4: Hanging Pine Branch
Another way of using a pine tree branch-
Affix it to the wall with picture hooks and twin found at craft stores. Then add some ornaments using ribbon ties.

Idea #5: Topiary Bay Tree
A traditional tree wouldn’t do for designer Christian Tortu!
He artfully inserted fir boughs into a large topiary bay tree
and filled the clay container with oranges!

Idea #6: A Tree Painted Red
Three cans of red spray paint + one dead pine = a totally fun tree!

Idea #7: Cast Iron Tree Stand
Forget the Christmas tree!
Instead use its cast iron stand for a beautiful orchid.

In 2004, J. Crew had a decision to make. Their retail sales had been sagging but they wanted to pursue their own line of wedding dresses. They decided to jump in with their first simple dresses appearing in several of the catalogs. A risky venture? Yes, but “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” J.Crew’s choice was brilliant. They gained not only stable footing financially but also an audience of enthusiastic brides!

J.Crew’s 2004 catalog included this wedding dress- cream colored French lace with spaghetti straps, a scalloped front and back necklines. Check out the groom’s jacket and shorts!

“Light splashed this morning
on the shell-pink anemones
swaying on their tall stems
down blue-spiked veronica…”

Words from the poem, “The Round” by Stanley Kunitz.
Water color painting by Hiroe Nakata.

summer house- a house or cottage, as in the country, used during the summer.

Have a terrific weekend!

(Photograph from: House and Garden)

This is not a hand written ‘just married’ sign, but a decal that is easy to stick on and remove from your car’s back window- how great is that?!

(Picture from: Cox and Cox)