WE ARE IN STITCHES | TRENDS

Have you noticed a renewed passion for needlepoint and stitching lately? At New York's Fashion Week, Anya Hindmarch passed out needlepoint kits to keep front-row fashion editors busy between shows. Subversive Cross Stitch sells traditional samplers but with phrases like "Go F--- Yourself!" Jonathan Adler sells a lot of groovy novelty needlepoint accessories and pillows. Maybe this renewed craze is edging upon our desire to ditch our computers and jump on the hand-crafted movement that is fueling sites like Etsy. Whatever it is... I find it inspiring. But the tricky part to the needlepoint craft can be the search for a canvas design that you would even bother to thread--something more sophisticated than a cute cat or a preppy monogrammed pillow with a pseudo Hicks background. After searching and scowling and searching some more, I found a company that has some great designs... the Art Needlepoint Co. canvases are the best quality (Zweigart) and are reasonably priced. Their collection spans the art of Audubon to Van Gogh with charming characters of Ballet Russes in between. Here is a sampling of canvases from Art Needlepoint:

A wonderful book about Bloomsbury Needlepoint:

Bloomsbury Needlepoint: From the
Tapestries at Charleston Farmhouse

HACIENDA STYLE | MEXICO

William Spratling Sterling Fish Box from Modest Designs on 1st dibs
Sometimes the tragedy of a place draws your compassion towards the goodness of it. Mexico is in a deep state of narcocultura. Violent drug-related killings have permeated Mexican life as drug traffickers embark on narco-terror and government corruption abounds. This is tragic for a society that is steeped in a culture of respect, religion, the arts, and indigenous communities. Mexico's fertile creativity struggles against these violent odds as well as the legacy of colonial violence which continues many years beyond the post-revolution era. From my safe New England haven, I hold the people of Mexico in my thoughts. I was first introduced to a bit of Mexican style through a boutique in Darien, Connecticut in the 1970s called The Mexican Room. The owner Mildred Morganstern had an eye for Huichol embroidered manta cotton dresses, Otomi textiles, and heavy Mexican silver jewelry. Thus began my teenage love affair with Mexican style. I am continually drawn to the elegant heart and colorful soul of Mexican style & decoration. Here is a collection of My Dog-Eared picks:


Casamidy Hacienda Headboard


Light Blue Papel Picado Banner


Vintage Mexican Bowl, Oaxaca


Embroidered Huichol Blouse


Handcrafted Talavera Tile


Margot de Taxco Sterling Bracelet


Casa San Miguel: Inspired Design and Decorations


Mexican Otomi Textiles

Carla Fernandez, Designer


4Copas Organic Tequila (cocktails)


Mexican Antique Textiles


Hacienda Color, Pittsburgh Paints

Explorer Series: Mexico - The Real Mexico in Music & Song

LIFE WITHOUT DOMINO

Magazines are having a tough time these days, and so are those of us who love them. There is still chatter and of course, a lot of tears over the demise of our favorite Domino. This is the first month that Domino will not appear in my mailbox, and I am determined to pick a new favorite to be as excited about. I do love receiving Elle Décor, Town & Country, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker - but I've selected "C" California Style as my new pick. It's a different genre than D but C is a fun read covering—style, beauty, home, food, culture, and travel. I'm an East Coast girl but love California style and appreciate its influence on all aspects of American design and culture. C magazine launched in September 2005 and is published 10x/year. An annual subscription is $16.00.

OSCAR WATCH | 2008 |

Photos: Penélope Cruz courtesy, NYT Style, Sophia Loren courtesy, Google Images
The spirited and complex performance by Penélope Cruz in the 2006 Almodovar film Volver solidified her standing as one of the best actors of our time. Her dramatic and comedic sensibilities radiate freely in her own native language and in characters of Spanish origin. Her Latin feistiness and sexiness in Volver and in this year's Vicky|Cristina|Barcelona [from director Woody Allen] are equal to that of a young Sophia Loren. Cruz deserves the Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and maybe even the Oscar, too.

SCOUT-OUTS | GIFT IDEAS

Le Petit Calendar
Mrs. John L. Strong
12 months & easel
$98.00

Canvas Market Bag
The Conran Shop
20"w x 6.5"d x 15.5"h
$195.00

The Board Stiff Sunreader

The Total Wit Sunreader
EYEBOBS fashionable Readers
for guys & girls $65


Large Bali Grass & Sterling Basket
VIVRE
10" x 5.25" x 2.3"
$175.00


Capri Block Printed Wool Shawl
by John Robshaw
30" x 80" wool
$150.00


Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton
Book of Portraits
224 pages [Hardcover]
11.9" x 9.6" x 1.2"
$37.77

STIMULUS FASHIONS | MIZRAHI

The Liz Claiborne Company's new fashion stimulus plan is Isaac Mizrahi. His first collection as creative director of the brand launches this month. The advertising (as seen in March issues) includes friends and acquaintances of people actually involved with the campaign--real women whose ages span 5 decades. What do they all have in common? A "perpetual 35-ness" says Mizrahi, the age when women are "perfectly ripe"... confident yet still young. By April, most of the collection will be ready to pick at lizclaiborne.com. Can Isaac save the languishing Liz brand? We wish him all best. But, our trips to Target will not be the same without him! (Mizrahi collections sold as much as $300 million per year at Target during the designers 5-year run).

IN MEMORY OF BLOSSOM DEARIE

Jazz chanteuse Blossom Dearie died on February 7th in her New York apartment. She was 84. Her interpretation and phrasing of a song can stay with you like a deeply personal memory. "An interpretive minimalist with caviar taste in songs and musicians, she was a genre unto herself." The New York Times

MONOPRINTS IN GROUPS

There is a lot of good art around these days if you know where to look, like these wonderful monoprints by JSPRINTS on Etsy. NYC-based artist Jane Parkes sells a variety of sizes at extremely reasonable prices for one-of-a-kind colorful prints on top-quality archival paper. The current assortment ranges from $100-$300. Shipping is free within the United States. Grab a group of these monoprints before all the decorators in town beat you to it! www.jsprints.etsy.com

Some artistic groupings of art & photography:
Photo one courtesy of House Beautiful. Photo two and three courtesy of Domino (RIP).

The DOMINO Effect | Advertising 2009

I received a press-release today announcing the closing of Domino magazine. I know this was extremely difficult for Condé Nast Publications who had planned to increase the magazine's 800,000+ circulation in 2009. It's a tough time for magazines as advertising budgets are being cut daily, particularly in the shelter-book category. But Domino was more than just that - it was shopping in Marrakech, fun fetes & entertaining ideas, both simple & fussy decorating, great sourcing & scouting. In fact, my June/July 2008 issue has 22 dog-eared pages. I will miss reading "10 things that make me happy" and calling my sister-in-law Agi to compare notes on our favorite things about each issue. Hats-off to Deborah Needleman and staff for keeping us entertained and excited to go to bed early on the days their magazine arrived ~ so we could carefully read every word and scour every page before falling asleep.

OPTIMISM FOR 2009!

Happy New Year and a warm & happy Mimosa is Pantone's pick as Color of the Year in 2009 • Pantone #14-0848. "The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance," explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation." In this time of uncertainty, our hope & optimism is foremost in welcoming this new year. And, Pantone's thoughtful selection helps to lighten the way. Cheers!