A Gift To Give Yourself

For Valentine’s Day, treat yourself to this white cotton bodysuit by Derecuny. Robe is from Donna Karan Sleepwear.

(Photo- Elle)

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Countdown To Valentine’s Day

Walk/Ride Days

More and more people are pedaling to work or to the grocery store and for good reason. It cuts emissions, is great exercise, saves money on gas, insurance and repairs. Encouraging this trend is the grass roots Green Streets Initiative in Cambridge, Mass. Their hope is to inspire commuters to walk, ride a bike or take mass transit at least one day out of every month. Read about it here.

(Photos- Bikers in California, 1971. Life Magazine)

KidFile #21: Early Drafts Of Babar

Babar, the world’s most beloved elephant, was at first a bedtime story Cecilé de Brunhoff would tell her two sons. Inspired by his wife’s creative characters, Jean de Brunhoff sat down and did some early drafts of a book. This later became the basis for the classic tale of an orphaned African elephant who escapes to Paris only to return home to be crowned king.  All these delightful sketches appeared last fall in an exhibit at the Morgan Library & Museum in NYC.

Vocabulary #33: Suspenders

suspenders- adjustable straps or bands worn over the shoulders with the ends buttoned or clipped to the waistband of a pair of trousers or a skirt to support it.

Jeans with suspenders available at Free People.

Bride’s Portrait #4

Bride- Frances Roche

Photographer- Carl Mydans

Location- London, United Kingdom

Date- 1954

Bride’s Portrait #3

Bride- Lauren Bacall

Photographer- Ed Clark

Location- Home of Louis Bromfield, Mansfield, Ohio

Date- 1945

Crocheted Lace Wedding Dress

Run, don’t walk, to the nearest boutique or mall to snatch up this cute crocheted lace dress! It’s perfect for an informal wedding! From the spring collection at Diane Von Furstenberg.

(Photo- Elle)

From The Lips Of Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren has reportedly used the same lipstick brand and color for over thirty years. She loved it and felt no need to change it. Her words of wisdom made me dump out all my impulsive purchases of lipsticks and choose just one. Twenty years later, I still use Lancôme’s ‘Sugared Maple.’

Do you have a favorite lipstick? Or other beauty product that you always buy?

Pussy Willow Vase

At our anniversary party last weekend, I made this simple centerpiece using pussy willows and red tulips.  The idea actually came from an old Martha Stewart Living magazine. I covered a glass vase with moss and cut pussy willows just high enough to clear the rim. Then I used  florist wire to hold both in place. The wire showed so I covered it with wide gray ribbon. Last but not least, tulips were removed of their extra leaves, cut and inserted into the vase.

(Photo- Martha B.)

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Our Invitations

Onward And Upward

On December 22, 1857, a group of British gentlemen/mountaineers gathered together at the Ashley Hotel in London to form the Alpine Club. They concluded that to join as a full member, you would need to climb twenty ‘respectable alpine routes and peaks’ or places equal to these.

Women were naturally excluded from membership but it didn’t stop them from climbing and later forming…

…the Ladies’ Alpine Club in 1907. These early mountaineer women considered themselves to be first and foremost ‘ladies’, so they continued to wear their full skirts even while hiking.

However they quickly learned the importance and necessity of good gear-  warm pants, coats, alpine boots and…

… walking sticks. Newspapers were amused and paid more attention to their attire than to their climbing achievements. But no matter. These energetic women would not be deterred.

It was sixty-seven years later in 1974 that the Ladies’ Alpine Club finally merged with the men’s.

(Top photo- Royal Geographical Society)