Love Notes

Jun 30, 2021 • #ceramics #fish #gardens #nantucket #Tablescape #Tablescapes

6/28/21 - Postcard from Nantucket

Lucky me spent last weekend visiting my fabulously talented friend Merrill Strange on Nantucket. When Merrill is not busy working on her beautiful hand painted ceramics, she likes to pack a walk, a bike ride, a swim and a tennis game into every day. I've never been so happy I don't play tennis - there is no way I could keep up. We walked, talked, rode bikes to Sconset (and to Surfside, Madaket and Steps beach), swam, drank a little wine, and ate a lot of delicious seafood and fresh strawberries. I called her Miraval Merrill.

Jun 23, 2021 • #cocktail #gardens #needlepoint

6/21/21 - Florals fit for a Queen

My fabulous friend Mona texted me last week, "Did you see the Queen's pink floral dress? Loved it! You must source it!"

She was sure right. The pink frock she was referring to is below - but I just loved the Queen's pretty smile in the image above - so I had to include that one too. In another beautiful floral, also from the G7 Summit. I hope you enjoy some fun finds fit for a queen this week.

Jun 23, 2021 • #j mclaughlin #new york city

6/14/21 - Summer in the City

How adorable is this image of Barbara and Kevin McLaughlin and their Upper East Side townhouse? Of course we already knew they have beautiful taste, because we know we'd also like to move into their fabulously decorated boutiques. Here's a little treat to kick start your Monday - let this charming couple lead you on a full tour of their brownstone here, and feel like you've just made two new friends as they discuss their approach to building a perfected curated interior.

Jun 09, 2021 • #art #blue #fish #photography #water

6/07/21 - Blue Water

I've been holding onto this idea for a love note for awhile, sort of like holding an ace of spades in your hand. Penny Ashford is a nature photographer, specializing in the light and movement of water, and she captures its nuanced beauty like nobody's business. Above is a detail from her "Splash Series". Can't you almost feel the sea spray hitting your brow?

Jun 09, 2021 • #gold #peony #summer

5/28/21 - Summer Gold

Is it the dawn of summer, or my youngest child's emotional college graduation weekend, or the ability to all gather again that makes me feel like we've genuinely struck gold? I'm rereading A Gift from the Sea (yes, still on the same 90 page book I started six weeks ago). The chapter on the rare Argonauta shell struck a chord. The Argonauta is technically not a shell, but a creature more closely related to an octopus. The female holds onto its cartilage "shell" only while in need of a cradle to shelter her young. When her eggs mature and release, the mother lets go of the shell and launches off untethered and unprotected into the sea to begin her next chapter. Mission accomplished. Sigh.