From Paris Breakfasts on 9/11/09 - click here for a better view of the

towers of light

It seems like yesterday; sitting in that white building on that terrible morning.

With prayers for those who lost so much.

Back to school

Here are some frames to match the boards I posted last week

Something fun for the student, the desk, the teacher

Fun bookish images

that I collected all summer

from various blogs

including little augury, swissmiss

in anticipation of my fall 2009 line

which includes the whimsical good night monkey fabric line

patty young's fabric line

my new fall 2009 line is ready

some of my favorite fabrics are from the new patty young line called mezzanine

here is an informative interview with the fabric designer patty young.

i love to learn about people's inspiration

as seen on Prick Your Finger

Read the Guardian article that is referenced:

a few quick excerpts:

"explore the idea of an expressive life" Bill Ivey

"rebirth of the arts and crafts movement as we search for quality of life"

"respect for nature, dignity of labour, importance of long-garnered skills,

access to beauty for all"

"craft is a slow pursuit"

like Julia's cooking

the result

is extraordinary and rewarding

"you cannot twitter a cushion cover"

"craft can be meditation"

& the polar opposite of the immediacy of the electronic age

Everyone shares the capacity to develop a skill,

based on decent teaching, application and time – not raw talent.

excerpts from the Libby Brooks in the Guardian

fabulous new fabrics

perfect memento boards for the dorm room

or any teen-ager's room

don't you think?

back in the studio a/k/a garage again

i have got my work cut out for me

here's my pal, Libby

she likes to hang out in the car while I work

check out the assembly line

i am in love with the fall 2009 fabrics

delicious, as diane vreeland would say

this snappy dozen went to a store on Nantucket

called Stephanie's

then one week later, Stephanie gave me an order for another dozen

this is the 5th order from Stephanie's this summer

that's right, 60 frames to one boutique

spread the word

these frames are hot

(gotta be your own advocate)

ps. I just delivered more to Milestones in New Canaan

and Sea Beans in Wilton

Diligent Joy

Two blog posts inspired this post: the profile of Anne Morrow Lindbergh by Jill Krementz on New York Social Diary and Liberty Post's entry on Eat Pray Love - the movie. I am not sure how Eat Pray Love, the book, will translate into a movie - it really needs to be read, and maybe read again...

So what is diligent joy you ask? I first came upon this term in Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I underlined it and it has stuck with me.

"Joy is not something easy to come by. It requires diligent pursuit to attain, and diligent nurture to maintain it." - Elizabeth Gilbert

Here is another quote: "Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls" -

Mother Teresa

In 2008 a friend invited several women together to discuss the book - Eat Pray Love. Some of us were acquainted with one another but not good friends, others did not know each other at all - the tie that bound us together was our mutual friend E. Our first meeting was a success and we all agreed that we wanted to continue, but it was not to be a book group - but more of a spiritual group where we would discuss various topics on life and balance and love and energy and passions - our discussions and activities cross between health, spirituality and creativity. We gather about 4 or 5 times a year. These days have become little treasures - I love the group and our discussions. After our first gathering we came up with the name Diligent Joy - taken from the book Eat Pray Love.

This summer we had a reading assignment: A Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, an all-time favorite of mine.

photograph of book shelf in Anne Morrow Lindbergh's writing studio

Darien, Connecticut

I discovered The Gift of the Sea in my late twenties and I have reread it with each passing decade. Yikes, I sound old. It is one of my favorite presents to give to friends. The book always inspires me, guides me, and supports me. This passage in particular rings true today:

"One never knows what chance treasures these easy unconscious rollers may toss up, on the smooth white sand of the conscious mind; what perfectly rounded stone, what rare shell from the ocean floor. Perhaps a channeled whelk, a moon shell, or even an argonaut.

But it must not be sought for - or heaven forbid! - dug for. No, no dredging of the sea-bottom here. That would defeat one's purpose. The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for the gift from the sea."

The leaves are falling

in August not October.

This old giant ash in front of my house is slowing dying.

Without its leaves the wide summer shadow is gone,

the ground is covered with its detritus.

Impressive trunk

The tree and Edward M. Kennedy,

both dying in the same week.

Both long and productive lives.

Both strong with big shadows.

If you did not see Senator Kennedy's funeral Mass

listen to these two eulogies here

Powerful, inspiring, and worth listening to.

"...Statesman, master of the legislative process and bipartisan compromise,

workhorse of the Senate, beacon of social justice and protector of the people...

...He was not perfect, far from it, but my father believed in redemption

and he never surrendered." EMK, Jr.

The Lion of the US Senate

"...he became the greatest legislator of our time. He did it by hewing to principle, but also by seeking compromise and common cause - not through dealmaking and horse-trading alone, but through friendship, and kindness, and humor" President Obama

via

The New York Times

click here to see the full post

a short history of the world

love these maps

i have a few in my house

this lady seems just right for welcoming new citizens

one million people become citizens every year

i did not know that

think small

take care of your part of the world

be a good citizen and a good human being

kind, compassionate, honest behavior will inspire others.

As President Obama said of Ted Kennedy yesterday:

"Ted Kennedy's ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws

and reflected in millions of lives -

in seniors who know new dignity,

in families that know new opportunity,

in children who know education's promise,

and in all who can pursue their dream in an America

that is more equal and more just"

have a twirl and a cupcake

and look what else I found today

an interview with Maira Kalman

on a blog called

Inspiration Boards

Amazing September issue of Harper's Bazaar

UK edition

just arrived in today's post

The magazine measures 9.5" wide by 13" long

beautiful and luxurious,

almost seems decadent

in these times of crimping and saving.

I feel like I am reading a giant coloring book.

Style piece on Christian Louboutin

What fun to sport some red soles.

I just love the

LO Ve

from his 1992 collection

see below

So did everyone else

this shoe made up 85% of his sales in 1992, his second year of business

"In 1992 I incorporated the red sole into the design of my shoes. This happened by accident as I felt that the shoes lacked energy so I applied red nail polish to the sole of a shoe. This was such a success that it became a permanent fixture." Christian Louboutin

and then there is the other guy...

When I lived in London in 1985-86

I lived just around the corner from

I had no idea who he was

but his window displays in his Chelsea shop were over-the-top-fabulous.

I regularly detoured to go by the shop

and was always intrigued

by cool shoes that I couldn't imagine wearing.

Who knew how popular they would become.

Manolo Blahnik's self-portrait

CONSIDER

"instantaneously evolving public record"

Photo Gridlock by Verlyn Klinkenborg, NYT 8/28/09

"It feels, some days, as though the whole purpose of our species is to create a perfect simulacrum of the life we lead even as we're leading it"

Have you noticed the proliferation of the clover leaf pattern?

"tini" tables

more "tini" tables

as seen on habitually chic

Did it start with Van Cleef?

The alhambra pattern from the seventies

was reinvigorated in the last few years.

I remember when I noticed the beautiful clover leaf necklace years ago

and decided it would be perfect for my big b'day.

Now the necklace and knock-offs are everywhere.

Tory Burch shift & clover pattern

I found a 4-leaf clover when I was a girl.

My aunt put it in her bible.

I wonder if it is still there?

The clover leaf pattern is often seen in church,

Many of my fall 2009 fabrics are inspired by the clover leaf design.

New fabrics coming in the next few days.