Leave it to Nina Griscom to get her glam-spooky-chic on at Halloween. I snapped this while visiting her last weekend in postcard-pretty Dutchess County. I asked if it was one of her relatives. Or an actor who did one too many Phantom of the Opera performances.
Author: Frances
Happy Anniversary, Honey! Scenes from the Rehearsal Dinner
I did promise you pictures of the wedding, and here they are a year later. Didn’t want to rush you. Yes dear readers one year ago today my sweetheart and I were fixin’ to get hitched…
Brilliant, Beautiful Storage in ‘Rooms That Work’
This book isn’t just another bunch of pretty pages. The title Elegant Rooms That Work isn’t kidding. Stephanie Stokes has found a way to wrangle elegant storage in every possible nook…
The Silver Lining of Breast Cancer? One Woman’s Journey Inspires (and Informs) Us All
“Beautiful and inspiring” aren’t words you expect to connect with books about cancer, but that’s exactly what Hollye Jacobs’s The Silver Lining is, and why you want it.
Some of My Best Friends Are Dahlias
How can you not love dahlias? My friend’s implication is that dahlias are somehow déclassé. Hmph. I remember when people used to feel that way about hydrangeas, and look what happened to them.
Where Artists Dwell – A Charming House in Santa Barbara
Maybe it’s the way the Southern California sunlight shines through the windows and plays across the parquet floors and lovingly collected furnishings. Or maybe it’s the creative spirit of the owners, artists Garrett and Ginny Speirs. But whatever it is, it’s one of those houses you just can’t help feeling good in.
Houston Designer Pamela Pierce Creates a Beautiful New Milieu
Does the world need a new design magazine? Absolutely, always, of course. Hence my delight at hearing that Houston designer Pamela Pierce is adding her calm, clear and elegant voice to the sadly dwindling chorus of yummy, glossy, actual paper pages we can touch and hold and put sticky-notes on…
My Atlanta Townhouse, Twenty Years Ago in Veranda…
The other day I ran across photos of my old Atlanta townhouse, the first project designer and friend John Oetgen and I worked on together. It was published in Veranda, what, nearly 20 years ago. Lord. But it holds up pretty well, if I say so myself, more than I can say about certain parts of my anatomy…
What a Month! Part 2-Santa Fe, Stomach Bug, SWAT Team, Quick Draw, La-La Land
Like I was saying, August posts have been a little light because August days have been a little busy. What I want to know is what happened to the “lazy days of summer”? Am I just a girl who can’t say no, or are we all just doing 72,000 more things than we used to do? What’s going on?
What a Month! Part 1: CityKids Storm the Ranch!
Whew. And you wonder why I haven’t posted more. (Or maybe not.) And I wonder why I still haven’t finished my book. Here’s the answer. It starts with a rodeo. August 4: Yup, when I landed back here in Californee we went straight to the rodeo in Santa Barbara. I love me a rodeo for five… Continue reading What a Month! Part 1: CityKids Storm the Ranch!
12 Home Offices to Inspire
As we all have back to school on the brain, whether we are going or not, the end of summer is a good time to think about getting aesthetically organized for fall. This isn’t about arranging your pens and pencils but about creative ways to enliven your work space. Think outside the desk.
Best Ever Brownies
Nothing suits casual summer entertaining better than an easy passable dessert, and it’s hard to beat a brownie in that department. It is a shame that some brownies have given brownies a bad name. So I’m just going to cut to the chase here. The reason these are so good is…