Indigo Girl

As you know, I have been feeling the blues (and a little green around the gills) lately in terms of my home decor.  Slowly and surely the colour palette has been changing to reflect this new sea and sky feeling.

I am not the only one - a couple of days ago, I picked up the September issue of House Beautiful (which I love, love, love by the way - there is always so much inspiration there for me!) and saw that I am obviously on trend, which should scare everyone, as I am usually exactly three years behind any trends...

I am no Naomi, so I can't figure out how to get the photos from the inside of the magazine to show you, but for those of you who do have the issue, if you turn to the article on decorating with blue and white, you will see that the dining room chairs are upholstered very similarly to how i plan to do mine.  I was quite excited to see this!

I quite liked the issue's kitchen of the month, mostly because I thought the tiles were amazing:

While at the House Beautiful website, I noticed on the sidebar that if a person was so inclined, they could order Ryan Gosling wallpaper:

I feel that this obsession with Ryan has now gone too far and he ought to get a cease and desist order because this is CREEPY!

Let's leave Ryan and get back to our (colour) story:

phew - that's a relief - this is what I call wallpaper!!!

I can't tell you how much I am enjoying my dining room these days, and it is only partially done so I can only imagine how I feel when the chandelier is painted and the chair are completed!  And of course, as is always the case, I am now seeing blue and white everywhere.

On pinterest:

at the bookstore:

In Fashion:

Tory Burch

Anthropologie

Temperley London

J crew:

Michael Kors:

It is all quite delightful really.

I had planned to leave you with a picture of my blue and white hydrangea out back, but it is pouring out, so we will stick to the internet this not-so-fine Sunday morning...

Have a lovely and peaceful Sunday!  Stay safe out there! xoxo wendy

Cover Me!

Given as I am to flights of fancy, I often think, while eating dinner with my family at our dining room table, of the generations of family members who sat around this same table telling stories, sharing sorrows, dreaming dreams.

The dining room table and chairs were built in the 1880s, commissioned by my Great-Grandfather, a businessman of Scottish descent who wanted a substantial table befitting his life as a storekeeper and father.

Sometime in the 1950s or 60s my grandfather or aunt had the chairs recovered and now it is time to do so again.

In fact, the necessity of doing this expensive undertaking this fall was created in the last few weeks when Barry's chair began to literally fall apart out from under him.

When you have a family heirloom you feel a greater responsibility to maintain it and keep it in good working order than you would if it was just something you'd purchased yourself at a local shop.

So off we went to the local upholsterer for a quote and stack of fabric swatches almost as tall as me.  Each chair will be taken apart, re-glued and re-upholstered, hopefully to serve the next generations as well for the next 50 years before someone else has to do the same thing (I hope they will!)

The decision about fabric was torturous - mostly for Barry mind you - and I went through many iterations before placing my order yesterday.  The trick for me was that whatever I chose had to be elegant enough to be worthy of the chairs, not trendy but also not stuffy, and l had to love it, since I expect to sit in it for another 40 years or so.  (what?  you don't plan to live to be 90+, too?)

So what did I choose?

Well the two captains chairs will be covered in this indigo and ivory print called Camilla from Barrow Fabrics.

The side chairs will be covered in this sapphire blue fabric called Isaiah (also from Barrow)

The small piece of fabric on the back of the side chair will be covered in this fabric, which echoes the fabric on the captain chairs but is actually the pattern turned inside out.

The chairs will go in for the face lift in September.  We are doing 6 of the 9 chairs this fall and will do the remaining 3 next year.  It is an expensive (and unexpected) undertaking, but we are excited and think it will be lovely in the end.

The three fabrics together

The upholsterer told me that upholstery is a dying art; when he began in the business, there were 15 trades persons in the local area.  Now there are only two upholsterers in the Fredericton region.  People throw out their couches and chairs now rather than recover them.

This makes me sad, actually.  While we were visiting his shop there was the most gorgeous and ornate antique couch being redone in a fantastically gorgeous and decadent-looking white faux-leather.  I started thinking of several pieces of furniture I could get re-upholstered to raise them up into something special.

But it is an expensive undertaking and I well understand why someone couldn't do it.  Re-upholstering these dining room chairs is likely as expensive as buying a brand new dining room set.  But I have yet to see a dining room table and chair as handsome as mine, or with the providence it carries for me, so that was never an option.

How about you?  Do you have pieces upholstered?  Stay tuned for the fall for the big unveiling!

Have a great day and stay safe out there!

Remembering Lauren Bacall

I would be remiss at the beginning of this post if I didn't mention Robin Williams.  I am not doing a post on him because, frankly, it is too painful for me to speak about and I did a couple of quick things on Facebook yesterday.  Robin Williams was a genius and I am certain that he has found his peace and I pray that his family take comfort in the outpouring of love directed his and their way.

******

“I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that.”   Lauren Bacall, who actually aged....

When my daughter came and told me that Lauren Bacall had died last evening, it felt like another blow, though it was anything but unexpected.  She was 89 after all.

She was a 19 year old Betty Perske when she was discovered by Howard Hawk's wife Slim, who saw this picture on Harper's Bazaar and rightly saw that this was a person who needed to be seen on a bigger screen:

He cast her opposite Humphrey Bogart in To Have or Have Not and the rest, as they say, was history:

I have loved Bogey and Bacall since I was a child - together in movies, apart in movies, if there was an old movie on TV starring one or both of them, I was watching it.

And while she is rightly remembered for the four memorable movies she made with her husband, I admit to loving her equally as much in The Shootist opposite John Wayne and Designing Woman with Gregory Peck.

After Bogey's death a marriage with Jason Robards proved ill-fated and in many interviews from the 1970s onwards, she lamented her ability to find love like she had experienced with Bogey.

And could she ever tell a story!

Her autobiography, Bacall by Myself is a great read - I devoured it as a teenager.

And I defy anyone to tell me that this lady didn't know how to turn herself out:

Betty Bacall was one of the last of her era - that golden period of movies where giants like Bogey and Tracy and Hepburn and Gable and Peck and Leigh and Olivier marched across our movie screens unsullied by the voracious 24 hour gossip cycle that exists today.  She had few contemporaries left - Olivia de Havilland and Kirk Douglas spring to my mind - and I suspect she was not sad to leave.

I imagine her being stopped by St. Peter at the pearly gates yesterday.

"Say it," he'd say.

"Oh come on," would be the reply.  "I'm in a hurry.  I've got someone to meet, someone I haven't seen for more than 50 years."

"Pretty please,"

"If it will shut you up..."

"It will.  And you'll find him in the first bar at the right as soon as you get through the gates.  He's the one wearing the white dinner jacket."

"Okay,"  deep breath.  "You know how to whistle don't you, St. Peter?  You just put your lips together and blow."

"Ah, they don't make them like that anymore...."

So long Lauren Bacall - you were a class act.

A taste of August: blueberries, super moons and rainbows

I adore August.

While the stores may already be hawking their back to school wares, I am still focusing on warm summer days, the tomatoes in my garden, the bounty at the Farmer's Market, and the shenanigans of the hummingbirds at the feeder.

Yesterday morning Barry and I went to the market to buy a flat of blueberries and a dozen ears of corn, two of my most favourite things to eat in the world.  We were empty nesters for the day - the daughter had gone with friends to Halifax and son was at work all day, so we just enjoyed the day, despite the frequent sun showers and the herculean task (or so it seemed) of choosing upholstery fabrics for our dining room chairs - more on that on a post to come.

My favourite blueberries are Tuddenham Blueberries from St. Stephen:

This is pure nostalgia on my part, since my grade one teacher was Mrs. Tuddenham (long gone now) and she was a tough taskmaster, but a stickler for learning and learn we did.

I am not so bold or foolish as to say that Tuddenham Farm blueberries are the best blueberries in the world, just that they are the best blueberries in the world for me!

The berries are positively voluptuous....

 Paired with some Greek yogurt, this was my lunch yesterday.

Later in the day Barry made the most delicious beet/goat cheese risotto, another recipe from the new Luca Manfe cookbook, and it was divine, though sadly we forgot to take pictures!

Every half an hour yesterday, or so it seemed, there was a rainy deluge, and each time, the sun was shining brightly.  It was beautiful.  There is nothing so refreshing and gorgeous as a sun shower.

Towards the end of one of the showers later yesterday, Barry looked out and there was a rainbow emanating from our yard!

I've never seen one so low before - typically they are higher in the sky around here.  I took this as an omen of good luck, though to be honest, it was such a nice day, that was luck enough!

And apparently tonight is the last, and best super moon.  Fortunately, our skies have cleared and it looks like the perfect night for a viewing, if I can stay awake late enough!

National Geographic has a nice article to help you get the most out of your experience here.

The Perseid showers also begin this week, though the super moon is expected to hamper our ability to see the showers to their best effect.

Fortunately, living outside a very small city, with almost no streetlights, we can expect a show and I plan to put on the bug dope, wrap myself in a warm blanket and grab a nice glass of Baileys and enjoy the show.

How is your August going?  Have a lovely Sunday and stay safe out there!

xoxo wendy

Marissa Webb at Banana Republic

Hi All!

It has been a busy week, but wanted to pop in and talk about Miss Marissa.

I got an email from Banana Republic this week that directed me to their new arrivals.  Since, I was desperately in need of some procrastination, I clicked on the email, only to see a message from Marissa.

I always liked Marissa when she was at J Crew.  She had a cool girl vibe that seemed a little more accessible to the likes of me than Jenna's.

The love affair I once had with the Crew is long over, not simply because of Tom replacing Marissa and the dreadful styling of Gayle that makes it hard for mere mortals like myself to figure out how the hell I would wear something, but because I don't go out enough into the world to justify purchasing that much clothing and I am now incredibly picky about what I do buy, mostly due to my lifestyle.  I just can't do as much trendy any more.

So it was with much trepidation that i clicked on the new arrivals at BR.  Lately BR has been bedeviled by way too much polyester, so I was curious if this was going to start to change under the eagle-eye of Ms. Webb.

And I actually found some things I liked and that would go with my new life:

A boiled wool moto jacket:

colourblock soft blazer:

Multi-striped drape top:

But there is still WAY too much poly for my taste.  While I can live with some poly, I prefer a poly blend or rayon or something else.  I will be curious what direction Marissa will take them in terms of fabrics and materials, because in many cases, their silhouettes are more wearable than J Crew's, especially for women in the workforce, but I do love a natural fabric.

I admit to being completely off statement necklaces.  I think I would prefer something fun in a pearl-ish way:

I haven't been thinking much about fall clothing, as frankly I don't need much.  I have actually made one major purchase, something that I vowed to get in March and which I bought on a 30+ celcius day in July because it was a good price:

The Ugg Tall Adirondacks:

My feet are always cold in the winter and while I have a short pair of these that I bought 5 years ago and which are wonderful, I wanted a tall pair as well.  I have lots of fancy boots and coats that I bought whilst working, but now I just want to be warm!

I am also going to try the Barbour Beadnell jacket.

Neither of these purchases would be fashion-forward by any stretch of the imagination.  What I really want is warmth in the late fall into the winter.  I am a bit on the fence on the barbour, but will see.

Other than that, I need no dresses, no skirts, no jeans or trousers, no nothing actually.  I wouldn't mind a white + warren navy cashmere cardigan, but I can wait.  I would have waited on the two things above if they hadn't been on sale.

Having said that, I am leaving room to fall in love with something desperately!

How about you - what are you thinking about Marissa at BR?  Are you hopeful or "whatever"?  Have you started fall shopping yet?  am I the only person who buys winter boots in the dead of summer?

Have a great weekend!

xoxo wendy

A Weekend Mélange....

We had one of those weekends where you seem to fit more into two days then you are typically able to
fit into an entire week.

On Saturday, we piled into the car early and headed down to St. Andrews for a 10 a.m. departure for whale watching.

We haven't gone for about 3 years and it was a wonderful trip - 3 hours out on the ocean, which means you will sleep like a baby that night (note to self - win lottery, buy ocean-side house in St. Andrews).  We saw many porpoises, seals, bald eagles and of course whales.  Right now, the minke whales are feeding just off Deer Island and Campobello Islands and they put on quite a show.  There are no words to describe the thrill one feels when you are THATCLOSE to a whale, so I won't even try, but we felt very blessed.

sitting on the boat with the thinker...

the shyer child...

this is a Minke whale of the net - am having a bugger of a time uploading the video Barry took of one we saw!

After whale-watching we grabbed a quick lunch at the Algonguin Hotel (best club sandwich ever) and then headed off to St. Stephen to see our friend Evelyn.  You met Evelyn last summer and she was waiting for us with tea and cookies.  She'd made an extra bag of cookies for our 19 year old son to bring home with him, so she got some extra hugs for that one!

Yesterday, we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy.  I cop to absolutely loving all of the recent spate of Marvel movies and this one was equally good.  You laugh and gasp your whole way through and it is the definition of a swell summer blockbuster.

I'm not going to lie - you're likely going to love the raccoon best...

In the evening, I decided to make my own pasta again.  I haven't tried this for several years; the first (and last) time, using the recipe that came with my Kitchenaid pasta roller attachment, was a disaster.

But not this time.  This time, I had Luca Manfé, he of MasterChef fame.

I had quite a crush on Luca while watching MasterChef last summer, so when his new cookbook came out I picked it up.  Luca's pasta dough recipe was everything that Kitchenaid's was not (either that or the stars were aligned for me) and the pasta dough worked out perfectly.  I made his broccoli rabe ravioli and it was amazing.  Well done Luca (and Wendy!)

do you like the chef's coat and glass of wine?  I only wear my chef's coat for cooking!

what's up this week?  well a hair cut, and am starting a new writing course which I am very excited about.  I continue to soldier on with the writing, and am starting to get some nice feedback.  Five literary agents have asked for my full manuscript, and while that in no way guarantees representation, it does indicate that the book is good enough now that I am getting interest.  It is a long road, but then, I knew it would be and I continue to work really hard on my writing and editing.

How about you?  Anything exciting on tap this week?

xoxo wendy