Yearly Archives: 2006

Japanese patterns and designs are everywhere these days. From my chrysanthemum earrings to this necklace, Japanese-inspired botanical patterns are hot. Let’s investigate this trend a bit. Turns out that many of these designs are derived from Japanese Kamon images. Kamon are family emblems that originated as early as the 6th century (Asuka Period). The designs…

This week’s flower is a lovely spring blossom, the hydrangea. I love buying a few stems of hydrangeas from the flower market for the dining room table. In a big vase they have a nice old fashioned, yet simple feel. Here are some more facts about this week’s flower: You can change the color of…

What a beauty! At $48 this is a perfect summer weekend top. Imagine it paired with skiny jeans or over a bikini. It would even be lovely with leggings or capris (both of which I refuse to wear, but suit yourself). I love that this dress is so closed to being so wrong, yet is…

Growing up in Davis, we had two huge bing cherry trees in our backyard. These trees produced wheelbarrows full of delicious cherries each summer. Of course, with great amounts of cherries comes great amounts of cherry pits. This cherry pitting tool is the solution and a summer must-have! One quick movement is all it takes…

Inspired by this vintage white-on-pink embroidery and my recent antique tiara obsession, I have taken on a new embroidery project. I bought two dark coral Ralph Lauren pillowcases from Ross (the best place to buy these kinds of things) and designed a Greek inspired pattern based on a Chaumet tiara design. The design blends a…

The San Francisco Ladies Activity Club is meeting this Wednesday for our May party. This month’s activity? Bowling! Betsy is the hostess and she is apparently a very good bowler. Since I have no hopes of winning, I’m going to focus on wardrobe instead of technique. Here’s my pick for the perfect bowling outfit: Pumas…

Along with replacing the ceiling fixtures, apartment dwellers can spruce things up by replacing their cabinet knobs. My kitchen has a huge wall-o-cabinets with white plastic knobs. I’ve been thinking about replacing these with something more colorful. Anthropologie has some cute ideas but I can’t afford to buy 19 knobs at $6 to $12 a…

I have tried all kinds of mascara, and nothing beats Lancome’s Flextencils. Why Lancome insists on giving all their products bizarre, unmemorable names is another post for another time. This mascara is just perfect: think enough to do the trick without looking like Tammy Faye. Plus, it is water-resistant, curls your lashes, never runs and…

I love making panzanella for dinner on a hot night. This “bruschetta salad” requires no cooking and is deliciously hearty. It’s also a great thing to take to a potluck or picnic. It’s easy to make different variations based on what you have in the fridge or what veggies are currently in season. Here’s my…

I can’t get over the fabulous weather we had this weekend. Summer is here! Let’s see…what happened this weekend? On Friday, we had a quiet night at home. I ironed all my linen napkins and watched Mrs. Henderson Presents while waiting for Margaret to arrive. Margaret was flying in from San Luis Obispo to drive…