Hanukkah/Chanukah 2009 - Some Different Menorahs

Someone recently saw this Italian tole candelabra hanging over the fireplace in my kitchen, and commented "nice menorah!" And I thought, yeah, it would be a beautiful menorah to celebrate Hanukkah!

An Italian tole candelabra styling itself as a menorah!

The first post Thanksgiving holiday coming up is Hanukkah, falling at sunset on December 11, and going until sunset December 19.
Once upon a time I was married to a nice Jewish boy. Though he was not religious, we had a menorah and a Christmas tree. Well not a proper menorah. After all I was a shiksa - I lined up nine candle holders in a menorah-like grouping.

Nine in a row - hand forged recycled iron menorah from ABC Home

You may already have a menorah, but sometimes it's fun to change things and maybe use things you already have. I chose these for Joni from Cote de Texas last year HERE


If you have nine candlesticks or candle holders, just gather them up for a menorah grouping. Any nine candles are allowed as explained at InterfaithFamily.com
So nine votive candles in their holders grouped in line like a menorah would work.
I love these votive holders by Alvar Aalto which you can get HERE. They come in several beautiful colors, and I don''t know if I would choose all the colors, or perhaps nine of the beautiful blue one called blueberry,


I also love this bronze sculpture with nine glass candle holders. I think it would make a striking and lovely menorah. The organic vine and leaf motif is so pretty. Get it HERE



Or use a kicky new style like the pink menorah from ABC Home.
It also comes in red and black - I love the bling!


You can also go shopping with nice Jewish boy Jonathan Adler HERE
He has a great menorah roundup.


I also saw this precious flower mezuzah HERE, which would make a wonderful Hanukkah gift.
Looking forward to seeing how you all celebrate and decorate for Hanukkah!

Who's Your Little Fuzz Butt?

What do you serve your pet's food in? Fine china? Crystal like in a Fancy Feast commercial? Do you match your dog dish to your decor? Your cat bowl to your color scheme?
Here's a little pet dish roundup. Maybe there's something you'd like to get for the adorable one in your life.

Buy Fuzz Butt HERE

I got these for Cholo three years ago at Target.
They don't have them anymore but they have others HERE

Buy Psycho Kitty HERE


from These Creatures

Get this at Bloomingdales


Jonathan Adler


e-mail me your photo with your pet and his/her bowl and I'll do little post
mizvtheb@yahoo.com

Shop Friendly

Several bloggers sell things they make or find. Now's the time to spread some love around amongst ourselves. So shop friendly, and buy a little something from these bloggers.



1. Super talented artist Patricia van Essche of PVE Design does a custom illustration of something or someone or somewhere important to you. She can turn the illustration into notecards, as well as a frame worthy work of art. Shop PVE HERE

2. Meg from Pigtown Design is a connoisseur of vintage and antique objects. She hand picks some lovely things like this well priced set of fish knives and forks which you can purchase HERE


3. Jennifer from Made by Girl has some great framed graphics, such as this Love Alphabet - it would be so sweet in a child's room. Go to her on line shop HERE


4. Fifi Flowers has a huge selection of notecards and art. It is so hard to find really special Holiday cards, but Fifi has several boxed sets to choose from. Shop Fifi HERE


5. Eddie Ross reigns supreme in all things to do with the home. His early years with Martha Stewart honed his talent, and I do believe he out-Marthas Martha! His on line shop has a great collection of vintage pieces he lovingly hand picks. I especially love this pair of glass compotes! Go HERE for some fabulous Eddie Ross finds!


6. Anne Harwell, the beloved blogger Annechovie has made some of the most identifiable iconic images known to decor mavens everywhere. Her Christmas cards are just the card anyone with style would love to send or attach to that special gift. You still have time to get your cards, or a wonderful piece of art for our home HERE



If I've missed any of my bloginista chums who sell things on line, please drop me an e-mail, and I'll include you in another post.

And do send all forms of holiday greetings, and please try to send real cards in the actual mail.
Last year I did a card exchange. I love to get Holiday cards! And I love to send them! So if you'd like a holiday card from me please e-mail me your address.

mizvtheb@yahoo.com

Mrs. O Sets The Table

Here's a little something to look at and read about while you're waiting for the turkey to cook.


While Michelle Obama is the brains behind it all, there is an official White House florist to execute her ideas. That honor has been bestowed upon Laura Dowling.
The White House scrambled to say “yes indeed, Laura Dowling began quietly working at the mansion last week. Apparently, the Parisian trained Alexandria, Virginia florist was the front-runner for the prestigious position, after trying out with two other designers.
I would love to know what the try-out involved and who the other two designers were. Laura has a blog, but she hasn't posted since September. I guess she's been busy.

Laura Dowling White House Floral Designer

Visit her blog and her web site

Paris will not be the focus of Dowling’s first big gig. Rather, food, flowers and guest list will be India-inspired for a state dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Nov. 24. On a technicality, the event will be called a “state dinner”, even though the largely-symbolic title of president of India belongs to Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

Laura's advice for designing an event:

- Choose an earth-friendly theme — such as a garden-style party, a woodlands fête, or a seaside soiree.

- Celebrate your event outdoors. That’s a challenge out of season but we will adapt.

- Select a color scheme that incorporates earthy shades of green and brown. Punctuate with bright colors of early spring. This is not the strategy in the photos, where monotone pales are gorgeous. We forgive.

- Choose linens made of natural fibers, avoiding plastic or disposable items that crate waste.

- Fine vintage items at the flea market or thrift store for sustainable reuse.

- Make your own centerpieces and decorations using locally grown, sustainable materials, including a wtreath made out of vegetables, an herbal topiary tree, or green bouquets set in natural containers of leaves, moss and twigs.

Hours before guests arrived and in keeping with tradition, Mrs. Obama previewed the glamorous table settings in the State Dining Room. That's often the venue for such dinners, but not this time.

Preview in the State Dining Room

Instead, in an effort to show Singh how much the U.S. values relations with his country, the Obamas decided to serve dinner in a huge white tent on the South Lawn, with views of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial through clear panels.




It wasn't your everyday tent: This one had chandeliers suspended from the ceiling and beige carpet on the floor.



President Barack Obama, in his dinner toast, said the setting conjured images of India, where special events are "often celebrated under the cover of a beautiful tent." Singh, in turn, told the president he was overwhelmed by the Obamas' hospitality and said the president's election last year had been an inspiration to millions of Indians.




Guests were seated 10 apiece at round tables (there were 338 for dinner) draped in green apple-colored cloths and napkins, offset by the sparkle of gold-colored flatware and china, including service and dinner plates from the Eisenhower, Clinton and George W. Bush settings.


Floral arrangements of hydrangeas, roses and sweet peas in plum, purple and fuschia evoked India's state bird. Magnolia branches native to both India and the U.S. adorned the tent's inside walls, along with ivy and nandina foliage.




Mrs. Obama brought in award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, a Scandinavian restaurant in New York City, to help White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford and her staff prepare the largely vegetarian meal. Singh is a vegetarian.

Samuelsson said being chosen to help whip up dinner was both "overwhelming and humbling."

The culinary offerings included potato and eggplant salad, arugula from the White House garden, red lentil soup and roasted potato dumplings or green curry prawns. Pumpkin pie tart and pear tatin were for dessert; the pears were poached in honey from the White House beehive.


The Obamas want this dinner to make a statement at home and around the globe.

An official at the White House said, "Well, I think this is their first State Dinner, so they are inviting the world into their home by way of the Prime Minister of India and it really is the time to put that outstretch hand of America here at home," Schwartz said.

"The Obamas have been traveling quite a lot this first year, which is very exciting. It's good for America. It's good to be involved. But this is the first time these honors are given here at home. The people's house right behind me," she added.

"Is it customary to honor the guest of honor - in this case the Indian Prime Minister - with the food or in another way?"

"Absolutely. What happens, about two months before now, one of the delegation members have come over from India, they sit down, they talk about the likes and dislikes of the Prime Minister and the spouse and any food allergies. In this case the Prime Minister is a vegetarian."

"And then the White House wants to highlight the best of America," she continued. "So they're bringing Marcus Samuelsson into work with the White House chef, Christina Comberford, who is fabulous in her own right and she still will oversee the entire dinner. But Marcus Samuelsson will definitely add a little zing."


The Obamas chose from the White House's historic china collection to set the tables for their first state dinner.

Selections include:
Service Plates: Castleton China, New Castle, Pa., (Eisenhower administration, 1955)
Service Plates: Lenox, Trenton, N.J. (Clinton administraion, 2000)
Dinner Plates: Lenox, Kinston, N.C. (Geroge W. Bush administration, gift of the White House Acquisition Trust, 2008-2009)

I gleaned all these photos and tidbits from various news web sites, the best being CBS News HERE






Once upon a time when I was about Laura Dowling's age, I had the honor of doing flowers for another First Lady. We were both alot younger then.
You can read about it HERE.

And of course, a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from Alberto, Cholo, and the Visual Vamp.

Do You Know How To Set The Table?

Of course you know how to set the table! It's one the first chores we learn to do as little children.
Holiday time calls for something more special than our day to day setting the table.
Here's how I do it, using mostly what I have on hand somewhere in the house. I say somewhere, because it's fun to pull things together that you normally don't use.

1. The bare table - mine is a rescue from the trash,
A very heavy iron table with beautiful scroll legs -
The top is beautifully rusted, but it has a big hole, so a glass top was added

I have set the table for thousands. That's because I was an event designer for many, many years. I love to entertain at home, even after all those years of making parties for other people. I have a good collection of everything to work with.
This year our Thanksgiving gathering is small, so we are eating in the kitchen, and I'm setting the table for four.

2. Choose your tablecloth -I chose a Lee Joffa fabric memo

I have a good collection of linens, tablecloths and placemats, but I wanted to use something different. I collect fabric remnants. Even before I worked at perch., I would ask interior design shops if they were getting rid of any of their fabric memos (a memo is a sample), and often they would give me a bagful. So ask your local shops. They're useful for many things, including an oversize place mat that everyone shares.

3. Choose your largest element and place it first-
in this case it's the antler used as a centerpiece

I love fresh cut flowers as well as anyone. But I also like to use non floral objects as a centerpiece. In this case Thanksgiving calls to mind the pilgrims hunting and gathering, so I'm using this huge metal antler I have. The organic shape also looks like a branch.

I gather all my elements in one place. For this table I have chosen animal motif china, white ceramic Italian chargers, brown napkins, vintage flatware and glasses, some faux pumpkins, feathers, and some little animals.

4. Gather all your elements in one staging area

The next thing to go on the table are the white chargers. I like how they pop on the orange color of the table mat. If you don't have chargers you can use your largest plate, usually the dinner plate, used as an underplate.

5. Place an underplate for each person -
you can use a charger or your largest size dinner plate
I'm using the point of the mat as a reference for each person's setting

The dinner plate goes on top of the charger. If you are using a dinner plate as an underplate, use the next size smaller plate, usually a luncheon or salad plate on top of this. You can mix and match patterns and colors, or you can use the same pattern for everything. It just depends on what you have to use. I have at least three different sets of plates I use as the season dictates. I love the black and white animal print for Fall.

6. Place the dinner plate on top of the charger

Glassware is next. I am just using one glass per person because the table is small. It's a tall vintage glass, that's all purpose. Any beverage will look fantastic in this glass. If you have room on your table you can use two wine glasses (only if your are serving two different wines, otherwise one will do), and a water glass.

7. Add the glasses

After the glasses comes the flatware. I use one set of flatware for everything, everyday, including holidays and dinner parties. It's vintage, nearly 100 year old silverplate.

I know there are rules about on which side of the plate the silverware is supposed to go, but I place mine where I think it looks visually pleasing. I generally place the fork tines down, an old European custom. Like a knife edge facing in, fork tines place down are considered a sign of hospitality. To place them otherwise signified a threatening gesture.


How did your parents teach to place the silverware?

8. Place the silverware and the napkin

Now for the napkin. Use cloth. I chose a dark brown linen napkin. I tied it with some black and white gross grain ribbon. No big bow, no big pouffe. I turned the tied ribbon side down to show a wide band of the ribbon. I tucked in a short peacock feather for fun, and color. I place the napkin on the side of the plate without silverware. You could place it on the plate, but these plates are so pretty, I like them to be seen. Just don't tuck the napkin into a glass.

I decided to add a vertical element. Usually I add a small bouquet of flowers. But for this Thanksgiving table I am using a bouquet of Turkey feathers in an earthenware pot.

9. Add a vertical element if your centerpiece is already low -
A centerpiece can have many elements at different heights, including candles

I'm still adding to the centerpiece, this time a little whimsy. I found these three little animals and tucked a faux autumn leaf in each one of their collars. I'll probably add votive candles on Thanksgiving because we are dining at 4 P.M.

Okay I can't resist putting something on the plate! Oh yeah I have those faux mini pumkins!
Just the right finishing touch! I'll write each person's name on them as a place card.

10. Add your finishing touches

The empty staging area, is a bakers rack I now use as a serving area. I found another fabric remnant, a crazy cute print with Frieda Kahlo on it, and lots of critters and leaves and color. She kind of looks like Pocahontas. I fold it to make a little mat.

I use white ironstone platters and bowls, and oversize silverplate serving utensils.

While we are all preparing dinner today and tomorrow, and setting our tables, and sharing dinner with loved ones, let's remember one another and be thankful for the excellent company we keep with each other via our blogs, letters, and comments.
I will certainly drink a toast to all of you, and say a little prayer of thanksgiving for having you all in my life.

A Mini Metamorphosis

It all started when Brooke from Velvet and Linen wrote about her office upgrade. She was asking us about what lantern to choose to replace a shabby cute chandelier.
At first I gently mocked her for her choice, a lantern from the Wisteria catalog. I reasoned that since she and her architect husband Steve have impeccable taste and resources why on earth would she settle for a $250. lantern made in China?

But after I saw how cute it looked, I had to eat a tasty piece of humble pie. Go HERE to get it.


I had a case of my own shabby cute going on in my kitchen. I chose these two chandeliers five years ago. They were well priced and sweet enough. But lately they have really been bugging me, and I knew it was time for a little upgrade.

So I asked Brooke about some choices I made, amongst them her lantern. My reservations about Brooke's Wisteria lantern were two fold: One the shape was very much like one I already have in my living room.

The other concern was the fleur de lis motif on the Wisteria chandelier. Here in New Orleans we have to be careful not to use too many fleur de lis, lest we look like a Saints rally. And the last concern was cost. I needed two lanterns, and with the shipping charges and taxes two lanterns would take me well over $700. I'd like to say that $700. is cheap (and really it is), but it's too much for me.

I e-mailed Brooke a ton of images (thank you Brooke for playing with me, especially when you were not feeling well). We both like this lantern. It has Chinoiserie lines, and the price was very right - around $120. per lantern (with free shipping). Go HERE to get it.

It came flat packed.
Ooooh! When I first saw it I thought that were alot of parts! But my living room lantern also had to be assembled, so I knew we could do this. I forgot to ask Brooke if the Wisteria lantern arrived intact, or if she had to put it together too.

I didn't have a thing to worry about, because my super Tangoman Alberto put them together for me while I was at work!

They are very cute. I chose them not only for their cuteness, but because of their size. I wanted an over size lantern. I think a lantern (like a clock) has to be big and over the top to make a great design statement, and this baby is 34 inches tall! We have high ceilings so the proportion is perfect.

Another funny thing is that my little Wal Mart (yes Virginia I shop at Wal Mart) lantern reminded me of something. Oh yeah! It's a Julie Neill lantern! Of course hers sells for $2,000.- $3,000. and is made by a cute local boy welder as opposed to a guy in a factory in China. And hers also has some crystals and a crown.

But, hey I've got a box full of crystals too, though for me, it's overkill, so I think I'll leave them off. And too many crowns in New Orleans is as tricky as too many fleur de lis.

My box o'crystals

Okay, now we are going off on a tangent. As creative types I know you can go there with me.
Our kitchen is crap. It's cute, but it's crap. It needs a major renovation, but we do not, and may never have the money to do a proper renovation. I like to be optimistic and do small things that can make it clean and attractive.
When we first moved in, I resurfaced the counter tops (for $15.!), and Alberto recovered the cabinet doors and removed some too. We inherited a Bosch dishwasher (which looks like crap, but I love how it works), and a 1980's style stove. We had our own cheapo refrigerator, and a portable island. I made do and cleaned the horrible stove. But I always thought if I could replace the hideous black glass stove with a white one, it would be a small upgrade.

A couple of weeks ago our neighbors were having an estate sale. They had put their dad into assisted living, and were cleaning out the house. They were selling the stove for $50. The WHITE stove. So I jumped on it. It is not in perfect condition, though Mr. Stanley (the dad) never used the oven. There's some rust on the stove from sitting in an empty house. But I cleaned it up, and it looks (and works) just great.

The kitchen was a bit of a war zone for about a week. I've learned not to rush Alberto.

Soon the old shabby cute chandeliers were down. Jenny do you want them?

Alberto wanted to know exactly where the new lanterns were to hang. I devised a way to let him know with some twine, and circus acrobatics on the ladder to tack the twine to the ceiling where the lantern should hang.

One of the things I desperately wanted to correct was the fact that the lighting fixtures did not hang over the table or the island. The Feng Shui of the room was always slightly ajar. So here was my chance to balance the energy.

The first one to go up was the one over the table. Woo Hoo! It looks great!

Then the table became the work bench for Alberto, a catch-all for his tools.

So did the baker's rack. It was like this for days. Patience. I have learned patience.

In the meantime, I did lots of cleaning, and moving things around. I put up this great metal folk art cat done by Charles Gillam over the stove. The kitchen is filled with art, and flea market stuff. There is no theme per say, but it does have an urban country flavor. The cat creeping along the top of the stove makes us both smile. And his cats-eye-marbles for eyes glimmer when we turn the hood light on.

The counter tops got a bit of a de-cluttering. We like our tools in view and on hand. I role model on Julia Child's Boston kitchen, and on Martha Stewart's kitchen in Turkey Hill.

I have always had plate racks in my kitchens, something I picked up from my days of decorating with English country style.

We don't have the wall space for a hanging plate rack, so these counter top ones do the trick for our everyday dishes. The antique canisters on top are from the Paris flea market.

The lantern over the island is finally up! Doesn't it look great?! You can also see more of our kitchen tools displayed on the French pot rack, and the mid century credenza.


I have many sets of china and platters stored there and in the cupboards over the sink.

Alberto built this rolling pantry that is tucked under the stairs. I was inspired HERE and asked him to build it for me. He's the best isn't he?!

It is so nice to have the lantern centered over the island. A toggle hook placed in the ceiling, and swagging the chain from the electrical source is pretty easy. Of course it had to have a dimmer switch. The one over the island was easy for Alberto to install.

At first Alberto told me that the lantern over the dining table could not have a dimmer, because of the way the wiring was installed for the light itself, and a tandem outdoor light. They shared the same electrcial box. Even with 25 watt bulbs the lantern over the table was way too bright. Alberto asked if I could deal with it, and I said certainly not. In the meantime I ordered some 7 watt bulbs online, and prayed that 42 watts of light would be dim enough to dine by.

Alberto is an electrical engineer, so he got motivated to rewire the whole mess. He made another opening for a seperate electrical box, one for the lantern, and one for the outside light.

No job is ever as simple as it sounds, and Alberto had some issues to deal with. But with the help of Cholo, all's well that ends well and mama has her dimmer switch!

My hero Alberto with his helper Cholo

I need to touch up the paint, but I think it looks pretty spiffy.

All the tools have been put away.

Everything has been cleared off the bakers rack.

All the cook books have been dusted.

A few pumpkins are lined up for Thanksgiving.

I've done a practice run for the table setting. We are having a small dinner party on Thanksgiving.

So I hope you like my mini Metamorphosis Monday!


Make sure you go to Between Naps On The Porch to see more wonderful and clever transformations!

Jeanne Claude

There are certain people that have changed my way of thinking and therefore formed me as a person. Jeanne Claude and Christo changed my way of thinking about creating art.
They thought out of the box. Way out of the box.
In addition their life long dedication to one another, and their partnership in work and in life is also something I aspired to.
Though I have never become a great artist, their influence helped me in my pedestrian work as an event designer. To this day I am still wrapping things ala Jean Claude and Christo.
In my personal life I am involved in the kind of partnership they role modeled for me.
And lastly at age 60, I think of the next two decades to come as my final curtain, and so am sentimental when someone I so admire passes from this earth.
Jeanne Claude passed away last Wednesday at the young age of 74.
Besides being a great artist and partner to Christo, I admired her as one of The Great Red Heads. I have had a fascination and admiration for woman of a certain age and artistic nature who dye their hair wonderful shocking shades of red: Lucy, Collette, Shirley MacClaine, Jeanne Claude - well you get the idea.
So condolences to Christo, and their family and friends, and to us the world at large who have lost a great good heart, and a true original thinker.

The most common error is the misunderstanding that the artist is Christo
The artist is not Christo
The artists are Christo and Jeanne-Claude
from the Christo's web site in a fascinating section called Common Errors

Jeanne Claude and Christo - Their Life Together

1935 Christo: American Bulgarian-born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, June 13, Gabrovo, of a Bulgarian industrialist family.

Jeanne-Claude: American, French-born Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, June 13, 1935, Casablanca, of a French military family, educated in France and Switzerland.

1952

Jeanne-Claude. Baccalaureat in Latin and Philosophy, University of Tunis.

1953-56
Christo: Studies at Fine Arts Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria.

1957
He studies one semester at the Vienna Fine Arts Academy.

1958
Christo arrives in Paris where he meets Jeanne-Claude.
Packages and Wrapped Objects

Wrapped Oil Barrels 1958-59

1960

Birth of their son, Cyril, May 11. Cyril Christo is a poet. He studied at Cornell University and graduated from Columbia University in 1982. Five books of his poems have been published. In 1998 he married Marie B. Wilkinson. Their son Lysander Christo was born September 22, 2005.

1961
Project for the Wrapping of a Public Building
Stacked Oil Barrels, Dockside Packages at Cologne Harbor. Tarpaulin and rope. Duration: 2 weeks. Their first collaboration.

1962
Iron Curtain-Wall of Oil Barrels, Rue Visconti, Paris, 1961-62 240 barrels. Height: 4. 3 meters (14 feet). Width: 3. 8 meters (13 feet). Depth: 1. 7 meters (5 feet 6 inch). Duration: 8 hours.

Stacked Oil Barrels, Gentilly, near Paris.

Wrapped Woman 1962

Showcases.

1963
Store Fronts and Show Windows

1964
Establishment of permanent residence in New York City.

1966
Air Package 1966. Stedelijk van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Rubberized canvas balloon and rope Diameter: 5.18 meters (17 feet.). Duration: One month.

and Wrapped Tree 1966.

42,390 Cubicfeet Package 1966 at the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis School of Art. Length:18 meters (60 feet) Polyethylene: 720 square meters (8,000 square feet). Manila rope: 914 meters (3,000 feet) Duration: Three days.

1968
Wrapped Fountain and Wrapped Medieval Tower, Spoleto, Italy Polyethylene and ropes. Duration: 3 weeks.

Wrapping of a Public Building "Wrapped Kunsthalle Berne 1967-1968" Fabric: 2,430 square meters (27,000 square feet.) Rope: 3,050 meters (10,000 feet.) Duration: 7 days.

5,600 Cubicmeter Package, Documenta 4, Kassel, Germany 1967-68 An Air Package 82 meters (280 feet) high, six concrete foundations arranged in a 275 meter (900 foot) diameter circle. Fabric: 1,980 square meters (22,000 square feet) Weight: 6,350 kilograms (14,000 pounds). Rope: 3,657 meters (12,000 feet) Duration: two and a half months.

Corridor Store Front, total area: 135 square meters (1,500 square feet).

1,240 Oil Barrels Mastaba, and Two Tons of Stacked Hay, Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art.

1969
Wrapped Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Tarpaulin: 900 square meters (10,000 square feet) and rope. Duration: 40 days.

Wrapped Floor and Stairway. Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. House painter&Mac226;s cotton drop cloths, 252 square meters (2,800 square feet) and rope. Duration: 40 days.

Wrapped Coast, Little Bay, One Million Square Feet, Sydney, Australia, Erosion Control fabric: 90,000 square meters (1,000,000 square feet) and 58 kilometers. (36 miles) of ropes. Duration:
Two months.

1970
Wrapped Monuments, Milano: Monument to Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza del Duomo, Milano, Italy. Polyethylene and rope.
Duration: Two days.

Monument to Leonardo da Vinci, Piazza della Scala, Milano, Italy. Polyethylene and rope. Duration: Seven days.

1971
Wrapped Floors, Covered Windows and Wrapped Walk Ways, Haus Lange, Krefeld, Germany. House painter's cotton drop cloths. Duration: 30 days.

1972
Valley Curtain, Grand Hogback, Rifle, Colorado, 1970-72, Width: 381 &Mac246; 417 meters (1,250-1,368 feet). Height: 56 &Mac246; 111 meters (185- 365 feet). Nylon polyamide fabric: 12,780 square meters (142,000 square feet). Steel cables: 49,895 kilograms (110,000 pounds); 800 tons of concrete. Duration: 28 hours.

1974
The Wall, Wrapped Roman Wall, Via V. Veneto and Villa, Borghese, Rome, Italy. Polypropylene fabric and Dacron rope. Height: 15 meters (49 feet). Length: 250 meters (820 feet). Width varying between: 4 and 5,5 meters (13 to 18 feet). Duration: 40 days.

Ocean Front, Newport, Rhode Island. Surface: 128 x 97 meters (450 x 320 feet). 13,500 square meters (150,000 square feet) polypropylene fabric floating over the ocean. Duration: 8 days.

1976
Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76. 5.5 meters. (18 feet ) high, 39.4 kilometers (24-1/2 miles) long, crossing 14 roads. 2,050 fabric panels: 192 square meters (240,000 square yards) of woven nylon fabric suspended from 144 kilometers (90 miles) of steel cables. 2,080 steel poles, each: 9 cm. (3-1/2 inch) diameter, 6.4 meters (21 feet long). Duration: 14 days.

1977
The Mastaba, Project for United Arab Emirates, in progress.

1978
Wrapped Walk Ways, Loose Park, Kansas City, Missouri, 1977-78 12,000 square meters (15,000 square yards) of woven nylon fabric over 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles of walkways. Duration: 14 days.

1983
Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, 1980-83. Pink woven polypropylene fabric floating around eleven islands: 585,000 square meters (6.5 million square feet). Duration: 14 days.

1984
Wrapped Floors and Stairways and Covered Windows, Architecture Museum, Basel, Switzerland. House painter&Mac226;s cotton drop cloths. Duration: 30 days.

1985
The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975-85. 40,876 square meters (454,178 square feet) woven polyamide fabric. 13,076 meters (42,900 feet ) of rope. Duration: 14 days.

1991
The Umbrellas, Japan-U.S.A., 1984-91. 1,340 blue umbrellas in Ibaraki, Japan; 1,760 yellow umbrellas in California. Each umbrella: height: 6 meters (19 ft 8 in), diameter: 8.66 meters (28 ft 6 in). Valley size in Japan: Length: 19 kilometers (12 miles). Width: 4 kilometers (2. 5 miles). Valley size in USA: Length: 29 kilometers (18 miles). Width: 4 kilometers ( 2. 5 miles) Duration: 18 days.

1992
Over The River, Project for The Arkansas River, Colorado. in progress.

1995
Wrapped Floors and Stairways and Covered Windows 1995. Museum Würth, Künzelsau, Germany. House painter&Mac226;s cotton drop cloth on the floor and stairs and brown wrapping paper on the glass of the windows. Duration: 3 months.

Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971-95. 100,000 square meters (1,076,000 square feet) of polypropylene fabric. 15,600 meters (51,181 feet) of rope and 200 metric tons of steel. Duration: 14 days.

1998
Wrapped Trees, Fondation Beyeler and Berower Park, Riehen-Basel, Switzerland 1997-98. 178 trees. 53,283 square meters (592,034 square feet) of woven polyester fabric, 23 kilometers (14.3 miles) of rope. Duration: 21 days.

1999
The Wall,13,000 Oil Barrels, Gasometer, Oberhausen, Germany,1998-99. An indoor installation. Height: 26 meters (85 feet). Width: 68 meters (223 feet). Depth: 7.23 meters (24 feet). Duration: 6 months.

2005

The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005 7,503 vinyl gates, with free-flowing nylon fabric panels, anchored to 15,006 steel bases on 37 kilometers (twenty-three miles) of walkways. Duration: 16 days.

2009 Jeanne Claude passes away at age 74

Here are some web sites to read more about Jean Claude and Christo.

http://www.wolfgangvolz.com/seite5.htm

http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/index.shtml

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/11/19/GA2009111902946.html


Recently I wrapped some chandeliers at the shop I work in, perch. New Orleans, for an art exhibition. People loved them and asked how I came upon the idea, and I told them it was my very humble homage to Jeanne Claude and Christo. Sadly few knew who I was speaking of. So in the spirit of a vanishing breed, I continue to offer information for those who don't know some of the great artists that are dying out, to now have the joy of discovery.

All Hail Sandra Bullock New Orleans Queen

Sandra Bullock is in the house! She loves New Orleans and New Orleans loves her and her hubby
Jesse James.

The Real Estalker reports that her New Orleans home was: "like some kind of homo-rococo hot mess, even though the sellers were not, in fact, homosexuals. RE thinks but can not confirm that the heavily gilded interiors had been worked over by noted New Orleans antiques dealer/interior decorator Buzz Harper who, is an honors graduate of the Gone With the Wind school of plantation decor".

The Bullock-James family have owned the house since last June, and when Cholo and I go for our walks, we pass by the house and see tons of worker bees eradicating the homo-rococo hot mess (pictured above).

While Alberto and I were teaching tango last night on Prytania Street, just a few blocks away a Hollywood style glam movie premiere was taking place. The movie is Sandra Bullock's "The Blind Side". I can hardly wait to see it!


From The Times Picayune:

A touch of Hollywood glitzed up New Orleans' Prytania Theatre on Thursday (November 19) night, as actress Sandra Bullock and a host of other stars attended a local red-carpet premiere of Bullock's new movie, the sports drama "The Blind Side."

A scene from The Blind Side

Bullock, who on her way to the red carpet shook hands with many of the hundreds of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the arrivals, said Thursday's event was unlike any other premiere she has attended - mostly because other premieres haven't served as a fundraiser for the Warren Easton Charter Foundation, the New Orleans school she and husband Jesse James have adopted.

Sandra Bullock with Warren Easton students

"You roll your eyes and you say, 'Why do we have to do another premiere? It's such a waste of money'," Bullock said, wearing a floor-length Alberta Ferretti gown.

Sandra Bullock showing the crowd some love like a Mardi Gras queen

"Then you go, 'We could do a premiere and it'll actually make money and show people what's happening in their community that they don't realize is happening.' "I didn't realize how many folks didn't know the good that was happening here, and I think that was a shame, because of all places, this community deserves to know that there is positive happening and successful, positive things."



James joined her on the red carpet, along with Bullock's "Blind Side" co-star Quinton Aaron

Quinton Aaron star of The Blind Side on the red carpet at the Prytania

and director John Lee Hancock. Local actor Bryan Batt also showed up,

We love Bryan Batt so handsome on the red carpet for the premiere of The Blind Side

but the loudest cheers -- second to those greeting Bullock -- were reserved for the arrival of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany.

Brittany and Drew Brees on the red carpet at the Prytania - Go Saints!

They were later joined on the red carpet by Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey, who also got an enthusiastic greeting from the crowd. Also in attendance was Michael Lewis, the New Orleans native who wrote the book on which the movie is based. He was as wide-eyed as anyone else on the red carpet, and he admitted a certain amount of awe at seeing one of his books become a movie. "This is the coolest thing, coming back here," Lewis said. "It's cool that it goes back to my roots -- this is my theater. My parents came here for movies, this is their theater."

Just like the stars filing into it, the venerable Prytania Theatre was gussied up as well. Two blocks of Prytania Street were blocked off in front of the theater, and a red carpet had been stretched down the middle of the street. A set of Hollywood-style, four-beam skylights whirled away nearby. The theater's 89-year-old operator, Rene Brunet - himself something of a celebrity among the neighborhood residents gathered at the edge of the red carpet - said it was the biggest premiere ever held at his theater. It was so big, in fact, that he decked himself out in the tuxedo he normally reserves for the theater's Oscar-night celebration "I looked at it, and I said, 'Oh, golly, I hope it fits,'" Brunet said. Thursday's event was to be followed by a fundraising party at the House of Broel - also for Warren Easton - which made it a perfect match for the big-hearted "The Blind Side."

The film tells the real story of NFL player Michael Oher, who was taken in as a homeless teen by a Tennessee family who realized that their support could offer him something his life to that point had lacked: a future. The family, the Tuohy family -- the patriarch of which is also from New Orleans -- was also in attendance. "There's a big New Orleans connection with this, with Michael Lewis," Bullock said. "And I think the themes of the movie are so applicable to so many schools in the United States." She added: "I watched it for the first time two nights ago. I don't have the capability to express the words I feel. You just feel hopeful for kindness and humanity and what's possible, rather than leaving something and feeling doomed, which you do every time you turn on the TV. It's just, you see real people doing it, and you go, 'There's no reason we can't do it.'"

"It was a real man cave, with a lot of heavy metal" - The Home of Robert Isabell

A few of my friends were collecting mid century modern long before I got it. Suzanne & Jeffrey from Second Hand Rose bought and sold it way before anyone else. Friends Steven, Robert M., Bruce, Michael. DiG., Philip, and Scott would fly to Miami and Los Angles in search of the great stuff. Steven ended up a curator for the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami. I would look at their apatments and think these guys are uber cool, but I was still an acolyte of Mario Buatta.


Among them was another collector named Robert Isabell, who was criss crossing my radar. We were both event designers at the same time in New York City. He and Preston Bailey were the big boy guns, and I was the little girl gun. My mid century collector friends all knew about Robert Isabel and his burgeoning collection.

Robert passed away a few months ago. Suddenly. Age 57. Heart attack. Shock and sadness are still palpable.


Now Sotheby's is auctioning off Robert's lovely things.

Buoyed by the success of his party design business (and believe me he was uber successful), and before it became fashionable and expensive, he had acquired 1940s furniture by Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand and lamps by Serge Mouille. By the mid-1990s, he was developing a passion for the more robust work of Paul Evans, Harry Bertoia, George Nakashima, Phillip Lloyd Powell and Klaus Ihlenfeld.

When he began collecting heavy, metal-encrusted furniture designed by Paul Evans — buying prodigiously from Secondhand Rose, a downtown antiques store, and bidding successfully when the collection of Shari Lewis, the ventriloquist and puppeteer, was sold at Sollo Rago Modern Auctions in Lambertville, N.J., in 1999 — it was selling for as little as $800 a piece.

The eye-catching pièce de résistance in the room was the “Nickel Couch,” a sensuous metal confection by Johnny Swing, a Vermont designer, who spent three months welding thousands of nickels onto a patinated metal frame. (The couch, Lot 52 in Sotheby’s sale, is expected to sell for $15,000 to $20,000.)

The interiors that Robert devised for his own amusement at 16 Minetta Lane — in an aesthetic he jokingly described as “Blade Runner” meets “The Jetsons” — have now been disassembled. But the objects he cherished will be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York on Dec. 17 (and will be on display there in advance, beginning on Dec. 12).


To read more about Robert and the auction at Sotheby's, go to the New York Times HERE, from whence I got these photos and information. It's well worth the read to have a glimpse into the very private life of the wonderful Robert Isabell.

Tablescape Thursday - How The Pros Do It

This could be a pretty holiday table - I love the cherub!

The images in the catalog (hard copy and on line) for The Horchow Collection are some of the most beautiful in terms of photography and styling. They have been inspiring visual vamps forever. The table settings are especially gorgeous, and I got to wondering who does this incredible work?

This all white and green could be a refreshing and modern holiday color scheme

In 1971, Roger Horchow started The Horchow Collection, the first luxury mail-order catalog that was not preceded by a brick-and-mortar presence. He sold the Horchow Collection to Neiman Marcus in 1988.

This blue and white table would be lovely for Chanukkah

I phoned Neiman Marcus and spoke with the Public Relations office.

The bird motif is so cute for Thanksgiving

They directed me to Melinda Lee who does their PR work, and she was so sweet. She told me what I suspected, that there is a huge stable of photographers and stylists used on a free lance basis.

The corals and greens are another way to go modern for the holidays

The Horchow look is pretty much on automatic at this point. The merchandise is pretty and inspiring to the talent that photographs the images regularly.

This evocative deep brown palette is so warm for Thanksgiving

I really wanted to give some love to the talent, but no names were offered. I told Melinda how much the work is appreciated, and she thanked me.

Classic red for that special Christmas breakfast

So if any of you do work for Horchow, let me know. We would all love to hear the back story around the photo shoots.

The full holiday treatment! Love the trees and the favors and the cranberries in the glasses!

With holiday table setting on all of our minds, I'm sure many of you peruse the Horchow catalogs for ideas and for wishing.

These aqua banded plated from Horchow are one of my favorites

Their merchandise is lovely, and varied, with something pretty for everyone.

In some places where the climate is warm, you could do an alfresco setting like this

As ever, go to Between Naps On The Porch for more great ideas at Tablescape Thursday HERE

And don't forget to enter your table setting in Christiane's contest with great prizes from Dwell Studio HERE

Calling All Tablescapers!

Christiane is having a little fun. She's running a little table setting contest.

Entries must be in by November 30, and the theme is Modern Thanksgiving. Send her three photos of your table.

She is offering some good prizes too!

Go HERE to read all about it and enter!

Guest Blogger - David Tutera

It's that time of year when we start thinking about entertaining, about table settings and tablescapes. Today's guest blogger offers a few tips to help get you into a creative mind set.
David Tutera is a well known event designer, television personality, and author of several floral and party design books. He has locked horns on national television with Joan Rivers. His more-is-more approach to design does not at first seem like something you would want to attempt at home. But his advice for making a centerpiece yourself in your home is practical and accessible.



Create A Centerpiece
by David Tutera

When setting the table for any occasion, always start with your centerpiece. It is the first thing your guests will notice upon entering your dining room and will be the primary visual statement at your table, other than the brief distraction of the courses being served - but remember, you eat with your eyes first! You should create anything that you can imagine with only one cardinal rule: make sure your guests can see scross the table for conversation.


Here is an innovative way to create a centerpiece that you can translate into almost any party. It will make you look a pro and you can simply add or change certain elements to adapt to the appropriateness and time of year.


Start by deciding what type of party you would like to have. The time of day and who your guests will be will help determine the environment you will want to create. I suggest buying a few glass cylinders in various sizes and quantities, depending on the size and shape of your table. The great thing about simple glass vases is that they are inexpensive and versatile - great for indoor and outdoor use, floral arrangements, candles, water with floating candles, or even sand art.


Place five glas cylinders down the center of your table, with space in between (place the cylinders in a line, the tallest one in the center, the the shortest next, and the medium at the ends). It's important to keep the design symmetrical.


Fill the tallest cylinder with flowering branches (such as cherry blossom in the spring/summer or pepper berry in the fall). Fill the shortest cylinders with river rock and a colored but unscented pillar candle. The two medium end cylinders can be filled with a monochromatic nosegay of floral (any flower that is your favorite). If you're intimidated by floral, fill the two ends with water and color them with food coloring. Add a few floating candles and fully opened rose heads. Your tablescape can transport your guests to any environment - fill with sunflowers and grapes for a vineyard style setting, or use sand and shell with sea grasses for a beach setting.


Like your home, your table should reflect your personality. Now that your centerpiece is created, here are some other table tips:

• Be sure to set your table in advance (but never pre-plate the food_ and always use a cloth napkin accented with a simple napkin ring or a touch of floral.
• Use place cards, whether formal or casual; it shows your guests that you cared enough to think about where each person should sit for the evening.
• If you are entertaining a group of people who are not familiar with one another, have everyone switch places at dessert(you can put numbers or directions for guests to move on the back of their place cards).

A truly successful party will entice the five senses: sight, smell, taste, and touch, so even if you are not a great cook, you can easily improve your party-throwing skills by making it look great.

Go to the web site David Tutera Stem HERE (from where these images came from).

Happy Weekend! Follow Me To This Lovely Beach House!

You won't be sorry to follow me to this lovely beach house HERE
Enjoy!

Carry On Teo Jasmin

Teo Jasmin, the cool French design company has some great bags, that are large enough to use as a carry-on.



How fun to lighten the dreary load of the eminent holiday travel season with these fun and savvy sacs.



And of course what a fab gift to give too.



Go to Teo Jasmin HERE for all the information.

Do You Have Paraskevidekatriaphobia?

I don't. But you can't deny the date. Here's a little light reading for you...

Friday 13th fears stem from history

KATHLEEN DAILEY

Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Variety

About 21 million Americans suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th, or Black Friday.

They avoid daily activities that could potentially put them in harm's way and some are too afraid to get out of bed in the morning.

But why? Where did the superstition come from?

One theory suggests 12 is the most complete number. It occurs in common cultural references - 12 months in a year, signs of the Zodiac, labors of Hercules, tribes of Israel, gods of Olympus and apostles of Jesus Christ. Thus, 13 is considered irregular.

Friday has been considered unlucky, and therefore a bad day to start a new journey or project - stemming from the Canterbury Tales. Also, according to Christian scripture, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

In the 13th century, the Knights Templar were arrested by King Philip in France on Friday the 13th.

Another belief comes from Norse mythology, in which Frigga, the goddess of love, was banished to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. Every Friday, Frigga would call 11 other witches to the top of the mountain to plot evils for those below. The 12 witches would gather with a 13th guest - the devil. Similarly, in Roman times, witches are said to have gathered in groups of 12 with the 13th member being the devil.

Another part of Norse mythology states 12 gods were gathered at dinner in heaven - Valhalla - when an uninvited 13th guest, the god of darkness, shot Balder, the god of joy and gladness. When Balder died, the world went dark, and from that moment 13 was considered ominous.

Likewise, in Christian scripture, there were 13 diners at the Last Supper, following which Jesus was killed. Many myths claim when 13 people dine together, ill fate awaits one of the diners.

There is no written evidence of a "Friday the 13th" superstition before the 19th century. The first written reference was in 1869 in the biography of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini. Generally, Italians separately regard Friday and 13 to be unlucky, but on Friday the 13th, Rossini died.

Read more HERE

Sssssssss Sensual S Chair Round Up

I have always loved the S Chair.

Groovy and colorful and well priced around $200.

You can use one or many for impact.

They mix well with traditional things, giving a perhaps a dated look a boost.

They are kid friendly too.
And very comfortable. It's a great desk chair for sure.


And what fun to use them in a commercial setting.

Paired with the retro looking hair dryers is genius.


The S chair mixes well with any chair combination.


Even Barbie love it!


What a fabulous and easy way to make a big box store table look chic.


And look at this wonderful retro inspired dining room. The chandelier and white hide rug make it current.

The S chair can be a down right religious experience!

This is a church in Europe.

The chandeliers are pretty stylish too. I wonder if the parishioners are fashion forward too.


Verner Panton's cantilevered stacking chair (1960) was the first single-material and single-form chair to be made and has been produced by Vitra through three decades of development in plastics technology. It is made of one single piece with integral color that will not fade over time. As striking as modern sculpture, this classic piece is appropriately durable and easy to clean. A favorite for commercial use, it is also comfortable enough to use as an occasional chair in an office or residence.

Buy one HERE at Mondani on sale for $180. in black, orange, white, or red.