Pantone Fall 2014: Bright Cobalt & Royal Blue

I just took a stroll through my closet and I only need one hand to count the number of blue items hiding out in there; excluding jeans, of course! Interesting. I guess it might be safe to say that I am not particularly fond of the color blue in clothing or home goods. However, another side of me loves the blue colors that come in the form of rocks, gemstones and art glass. Chalcedony, agate, sodalite, lapis and pietersite…are a few of the gifts we get from ol’ Mom Nature! I am also drawn to a variety of vintage Czech glass buttons that are blue and gilded with gold and silver and love working with them whenever I can.

Morning Moon, Traffic Jams & Flags

It tickles me as I read through my Twitter and Instagram feeds – everyone is so busy and so hungry! I don’t know if it is my age now or my current country living self but I find myself wondering if anyone ever just hangs out at home. I know that when I lived in New York way back when, there were days I met up with friends for dinner, farmer’s markets, museums, Central Park and shows but I know that I spent a lot of time at home on the Upper East Side with Agatha, my Norwich Terrier. I’m the first to admit that I am a homebody to the max – to the point that people have stopped asking me to join in since they know I will most likely turn down their invitations.

Pantone Fall 2014: Mauve Mist

Lepidolite, amethyst and purple banded agate in a toss with coin pearls, crystal quartz and some old-school Judith Ripka.

With New York Fashion Week in full swing, I know that all of our attention has been thrown to Spring 2015 and the colors for that season – all of which look pretty remarkable. But, come on, if you’re a little bit like me, you live in the real world and we still get to traipse through fall and winter 2014 before those spring colors and fashions hit the arena!

Throwback Thursday: 1953, Balboa/Newport Beach & Photo Booths

As summer rolls to a close here I’m thrown back in time. By now you have figured out that much of my time as a kid and an adult was spent at the beach in Southern California. Lucky I was to have a crazy uncle who, for many years, lived on the corner of 10^th Street and Bay Boulevard in Newport Beach.

For the Love of Lavender Essential Oil -- Part Two

Out with the stitches…on with the lavender essential oil. Lucky you, I’ll spare all of you the gory details; but in a nutshell one week ago, I had a basal cell carcinoma removed from right above my brow and the stitches were removed on Friday. Before the doc removed those stitches he had to put many more in my calf where he had removed another skin cancer.