Charlie Chaplin- Table Ballet

(The Gold Rush)

Rice Bowls

I just couldn't resist these rice bowls and spoons I found at Pearl River. My kids love to eat rice!! I think they are so adorable and versatile. I'm sure they will get lots of use - cereal - soup - as well as rice.

I also picked up some bowls and chopsticks for the adults!!

Bauer Pottery

I love beautiful pottery!! I've been collecting antique ringware Bauer Pottery for some years now. Many of the pieces I received as gifts. Some I found on eBay, and a few pieces I just happened upon (but this is a rarity). I love the vibrant colors and texture.

The new Bauer Pottery Company makes pieces based on the old styles. I think they do a wonderful job and I'm sure these will become collectibles - just as the originals have.

Marine Stewardship Council

The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent, global, non profit organization set up to find solutions to overfishing. Look for this label (above) or go to the following website http://eng.msc.org/ and click on - where buy - to find a list of stores and brands that have the "MSC Blue Label". You'll be surprised to know that not only does Whole Foods stock these products but so does Safeway, Target, and others.

We all need to support fishing practices that ensure the ecological health of the ocean and the abundance of marine life. By simply buying seafood with this label you are sending a big message and it's one step towards helping our oceans survive.

The Kitchen Hearth

I know women must have been terribly overburdened laboring over a fire cooking for their families each and every day but I have always been so drawn to these old kitchens with the wonderful hearths.

WGHB Classical Performance

I don't know how would survive without my daily dose of Classical Performance. I found it years ago on iTunes Podcasts. Aside from the fact that playing the podcast using iTunes is absolutely free - all of the podcasts as free as well. Amazing!! You can keep or delete selections as you choose and transfer them to your iPod (free) if you own one. I subscribe to various podcasts - Book Review - Relaxation for Sleep and Epicurious - but my favorite by far are the classical selections offered by WGHB. I open a new classical arrangement each morning - already delivered and waiting - and I'm in music heaven.

French Soap

This is the absolute best soap on the planet - Pre de Provence - my personal favorite is Linden but I was given Peach as a gift a few months back and I loved it. So did my 18 years old son, apparently, as it quickly disappeared even though I was trying to keep it out of sight.

The product description reads as follows:

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Pre de Provence is the finest line of soaps made in the world today. Manufactured to exacting old-world standards by skilled craftsmen with the heritage of centuries to guide them, these soaps use only the purest ingredients, including genuine herbal poultices and the finest essential oils. Made in France with scents formulated by perfumers in Grasse, Provence. Each luxury soap bar is stamped with the Pre de Provence brand name and the name of the scent. They generate rich, bubbly lather, and are extremely long-lasting, gentle on the skin and fragranced beautifully.

Little Women (The Movie)

I've seen three movie versions of Little Women. The one with Katharine Hepburn as Joe (1933), June Allyson as Joe (1949), and the third with Wynonna Rider as Joe (1994). Although I love to watch Katharine Hepburn - my favorite is the 1994 attempt. Susan Sarandon plays the part of Marmy, Claire Danes is Beth, and the list of well known actors goes on - even if that is a little too Hollywood. Overall it does a great job with a story about family, love, and the struggle of young women to find their voice. Joe's character is also captured pretty well and the whole movie really hinges on that. It's just one of my favorite feel good movies. Definitely a chick flick, I'd say. I thought that this year my 9 year old daughter might be able to appreciate it as well - so I put it in my Netflix queue -and it arrived today. Tonight we will watch it together with a big bowl of popcorn. I hope it inspires her to want great things for herself in this world. Anyhow, that's my plan.
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Little Women - By: Louisa May Alcott

Audubon's Birds of America

When my two oldest kids were young I had a beautiful small hardback book called Audubon's Birds of America that I kept on a little table next to the bathtub. The book was filled with wonderful images of birds living in their natural habitat. Today - as I was watching a show about the life and history of John James Audubon - both of my teenages wandered through the living room, noticed those pictures, and remembered that book. They both asked what ever happened to it, and I told them that after years of sitting safely next to the tub, one day - sadly - it had fallen into the water and was ruined. That got me thinking. I need to find and purchase that same little book and put it that same spot so that someday my 3 younger kids will recall and possibly appreciate those prints as a distant but fond childhood memory... just like my oldest ones do. If it meets with the same end - c'est la vie! The pictures are wonderful - filled with amazing detail - and considered one of a kind works of art. I found it on some vacation we took many years ago, fell in love with it, and spent many long baths relaxing and looking at those lovely prints.

Links -

National Audubon Society

PBS -American Masters - John Audubon

Understanding the Color Wheel, and Design

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OK, I know the basics about color and design and I try to follow them but websites like Benjamin Moore and Valspar/Lowes help so much. You can sit and experiment with new color combinations for hours. The possibilities seem endless. My favorite home design shows are Room Service and Design Inc. with host and designer Sarah Richardson. I've found a lot of inspiration watching her go from house to house and room to room transforming something ordinary into something beautiful. I know what style I like - classic with a cottage feel and a romantic touch. I know what colors I'm drawn to - whites and creams, pale blues and pale yellow/greens, and warm orange/yellows, but selecting a scheme and bringing it all together is the trick. I also live in a 1950's ranch style home so I have to work within the limits of that original design. I do believe that your home also should reflect the people who live there - so it's going to have a mix of eclectic but loved items collected or gifted through the years. I try to follow the 60, 30, 10, rule -60% of a dominant color, 30% of a secondary color, 10% of an accent color. Translated to a room setting, it typically means: 60% of the room's color is the walls, 30% of the room's color is the upholstery, 10% of the room's color is an accent piece or a floral arrangement. The dining room is the 1st project on my list and it is a tiny space that must seat lots of people. I've been collecting lots of ideas over the years but now it's time to get to work.