E.S.

Elie Saab

Known as E.S.

The couturier who has taken luxury gowns to their zenith.

Self trained, he came to notoriety as the man who dressed Halle Berry for the Academy Awards.

Will any of the starlets be wearing his creations Sunday?

His designs enhance a womanly shape.

A standout!

Ethereal!

Unique Fabrics. Creative structure and design. 

This style is made for the tall willowy woman

A blush of color. Magnifique!

This could even go bridal.

A woman wearing this red, red, number will definitely leave an impression!

Bespoke Country House Parties

Sophie Conran is a member of the most talented Conran Family. Terence Conran is her father and Jasper is her brother. Sophie met up with Steven Collins who owns Temple Guiting Manor in the Cotswold's and came up with the most amazing concept for holidays and vacations. A bespoke country party! Part of the charm of staying here is her connection with so many stellar florists, chefs, card makers and hat makers, etc. Her thought was why not teach classes to the guests. This is very unconventional and that's what makes this spot such a lovely place to stay at. Who wouldn't you want to be a guest here? Who wouldn't want to learn trout fishing or foraging for mushrooms, be hands on for a sumptuous dinner in a perfectly relaxing environment, learn a new skill and enjoy being with friends and/or family?

Sophie

Temple Guiting Manor

Dreamy...Idyllic...

Picturesque!

Now that you have seen what a gorgeous property this is...won't you be about booking a spot for you and a some very fortunate guests?

A Star on the Hollywood walk of Fame

Colin Firth

~Mr. Darcy~

Got his star on the Hollywood walk of fame today.

Congrats!

It's really nice to see such a good bloke get his dues!

Sentimental Musings

Years ago.....I gave my mom an antique rose garden. It provided so much joy and visual pleasure for her. She loved to take bouquets to the bank teller or a friend, they were a unique gift ~ it brought her pleasure to give away something that she treasured so much.

 Running across this little bundle of dried rose petals that she gave me in 1992, I reminisced about her lovely little garden, how she loved growing things, really a talent I suspect she garnered from her father who even in Iowa's uneven climate, grew beautiful roses and just about everything else. One never knows what we write about or save from generation to generation, our diaries, our handmade creations cherished by our family and friends, sentimental notes and words of wisdom that wind their way into our hearts. It prompts us to live in the moment to write about our thoughts and pass on our knowledge to our children and grandchildren. I don't think she could have possibly known that in 1992 the dried rose petals she sent off in the mail one day to me would be a treasured possession in 2011. Here are some of the roses that I gave her to grow. They came from Roses of Yesterday and Forever. They are now the dried rose petals that I prize.

 Michele Meilland, pale translucent pink...they look like porcelain China..so delicate and lovely. Mom really cherished this rose in particular. She could view it right from her kitchen window as she prepared meals or did dishes. 

Honorine de Brabant..a lovely Bourban antique rose. Violet, mauve and creamy pink striped. Very unique!

La Reine, found in France in the early 1900's...a deep silvery plumish rose.

Rosa Gallica Officinalis, Red Rose of Lancaster. One of the oldest roses on record. This rose sports pink and crimson colors with showy yellow stamen and intense perfume scent.

Charles de Mills, a Gallica rose dating from the early 1800's. It's colors range from deep purple to lavender. It has a very strong perfumed scent, lush, ruffly, showy. Quite the beauty! Sort of the center of attention. 

Felicite Parmentier dating back to 1834. This is the palest, delicate pink Alba Rose. The stamen has an apple green hue. 

Marie Antoniette was a great lover of old world roses. So many paintings depict this fact, and some roses are named after her.


There is something to be said for the love of growing beautiful things. It transcends time, enriches our lives with beauty and is an art that continues with a life of its own. Once you get the rose bug, especially the antique rose bug...you will be smitten with multitudes of choices...and there are never enough roses to be had. All of us girls in our family grew up in this environment and we all love growing plants for beauty and also those that sustain life. 


Pictures were found on various sites by googling the names of each rose. 

DOWNTON ABBEY

Sunday, January 9, 2011 Masterpiece Theatre Classic will begin the British series: Julian Fellowe's drama,  "Downton Abbey." You may view it by computer on Monday, January 10.

If you love visually delightful settings and a peek into the titled, pull up a comfy chair and get ready for a treat!

 

What a beautiful shot!

picture found on holly goes lightly

The Cast. Aren't you intrigued?

The real inhabitants of Highclere Castle where Downton Abbey was filmed. This castle was last designed in 1842 by Sir Charles Barry. 

Dude the Boston Terrier

We love, love, love this guy! Dude is dressed in Santa's finest!

This guy is always at the front door to greet us, sensitive, sweet, good-natured, loves to do flips when the water hose is on, loves frisbees and squeeky toys. This is a man's-man's dog and a woman's best friend all rolled into one.

The Rolls Royce of Wallpaper

In an era when so many 20 and 30 somethings' are fanning the flames of dying arts, one of the forerunners of this movement is Claud Gurney. Headquartered in Kent, England, his company, de Gurnay, is gathering fans from all parts of the globe, such as, Lulu Guiness and Kelly Wearstler. His traditional and non-traditional designs are the ultimate in luxury handpainted wall coverings. We love the agey India tea paper, small stained sheets of lavish quality paper affixed to large 4'x10' panels.

The de Gourney establishment.

They also make splendid 18th century chinoiserie paper and lavish 19th century French designs.

Check out the de Gourney website for yourself, http://www.degournay.com/

A more modern approach.

India tea paper.

Function and Exquisite Beauty for Your Home

Bella Notte goes deeper to find the essence of the home, played out in ways that might have been cataloged in the history of titled nobility from past centuries. Rich, textural, brilliant hues or some with whispers of color, organic fabrics, breathtaking, luxurious like something that could have been pulled from the attics of any duke or ruling king's castle. Handmade by craftsmen who take pride in their work, they will colorize your entire bedroom wardrobe. These are pieces that you would hand down from one generation to the next. This is beyond exquisite!

Now dear family in Northern California, you have a Bella Notte outlet not far from you. Here's the deal. On Friday and Saturday from 10-2, you can buy these linens at great savings. Two times a year they have super big sales. To visit the outlet go to:

61 Gallo Drive

Novato, CA 94949

Toast

~One of the best toasts~Brioche~

We've had a craving at Beckwith Road for a slice of "real toast". We pulled out our "Bouchon" cookbook, Thomas Keller was consulted and we spent the day making brioche bread. Can you believe there are videos that tell you how to make toast? What is a good piece of toast without a great slice of bread?? Thomas Keller's recipe for brioche is on page 324, if you want to give it a try; otherwise head to the best bakery you have in your area and have them slice the bread just the way you like it. I love all the curly corners, the crumb, the flavor, of brioche, it's got it all going on. When we were in Napa last, our hotel breakfast was supplied by Bouchon Bakery. We could not get enough of the cranberry, pistachio mini brioche. They were divine! One or two might have made their way into our purses for a midnight nibble.

We paired our perfectly toasted bread with individual frittata. There are many recipes for frittata, including Martha Stewart. Essentially a frittata utilizes leftovers, or not, is egg based, may or may not have cheese in it and contains things like herbs, potatoes or pasta, sun dried tomatoes, garlic or onions, garden vegetables, meats, etc. Since they can be served at room temperature fritatta take the stress out of trying to get everything to the table "hot".

Cupcake Wars

Susan Sarich began SusieCakes in 2006. Her first store was in Brentwood, CA. Susan had a background in the food service industry and she saw a niche that was here-to-for missing~a bakery that reflected the homebakers' philosophy~freshly made, real ingredients in small batches. The lineup is extensive with whoopie pies, cookies, homemade puddings, cupcakes, cakes, etc. When you walk through the front door the air is perfumed with sugar and butter and batter and magic.

Our Scottish correspondent is on assignment for the next two years in Europe (I know poor baby! but she needs a boost from stateside and here is the first installment~one of her favs~SusieCakes).

It's lethal going in to just make these selections...watching the waistline..well one wouldn't hurt..right??

The chocolate cake is moist~the cupcake a normal size~the frosting, not overly sweet..still sugary in just the right proportion's. The vanilla cake is denser, not cloud like, very old fashioned. This isn't a slick operation where uber-chic sunglass clad superstars are standing in line, it's real and their products are super great!

Oops! We tested them, yep! they're still great! Always consistent!

Go to Susie's website (susiecakes.com) to check it all out. Some of her stores are in the Bay Area.