I love this rare photo of home run king, Babe Ruth and heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Dempsey, having breakfast at Ruth's residence at the Ansonia Hotel in New York City, 1927.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
A Favorite Store: PRIZE
Because my friend Jennifer Davis is waiting so long to get her online store launched, I thought I’d go ahead and talk about her fabulous shop, PRIZE, as this may get her motivated!
A little history…I first met Jennifer at the corner of Green & Laguna in San Francisco over 10 years ago at one of her infamous Shabby Chic garage sales (come on now, it was the early 90’s). I remember contemplating if I should purchase a $10 floral hooked rug and stressing out over it.
Jen always had a knack for style and merchandising as evident from her Berkeley, San Francisco, and current shop in Ashland, Oregon. She and her former business partner Christina were one of the first to make popular: vintage trophies, globes, school maps, flash cards, hotel silver, French curiosities, garden animals and so much more. She often rented out her collections to Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware for prop display in catalogs.
I’ve always admired Jen’s style and have enjoyed our friendship, too. We’ve done the traveling circuit from a hotel silver buying trip in Oklahoma City, to scouting for antiques in Chicago. It’s always an adventure with Jennifer and that includes some impromptu gambling trips to Reno and Tahoe. Little secret… she can’t stay away from the craps table.
About four years ago, Jennifer sold her shop in San Francisco and she and her husband headed for her hometown in Ashland, Oregon. She opened up her third PRIZE (3x the size of the SF store!) and has added more merchandise, jewelry, furniture and a fabulous candy counter. I had the pleasure of visiting her shop and it’s really something in person.
I love it because it’s so eclectic. There are French beaded basket chandeliers hanging above framed vintage flash cards, delicate diamond jewelry next to Italian candies, a modern tufted chair next to an old cement camel table, and somehow, it all works. I always know I’ll leave with a “prize.” If only that perfect little black Chiavari chair didn’t have a NFS (not for sale) tag on it!
If you’re traveling through Southern Oregon, please be sure to visit PRIZE. Ashland is a charming town with a year-round Shakespeare festival, great restaurants, and a perfect place to stay, the Ashland Springs Hotel.
PRIZE
264 East Main Street
Ashland, Oregon 97520
(541) 482-0345
hours:
Monday-Saturday 10:00-5:30
Sunday: 11:00-5:00
prizeshoppe.com (don’t get frustrated…her merchandise will be available for purchase soon)
A Beautiful Blog
I just discovered the lovely blog, mer mag. The blogger, Merrilee, is an illustrator, painter and designer, and has used her talents to create a breathtakingly beautiful blog. It covers everything from fashion to home decor. It has great eye-candy and is informative as well. I recently discovered it when she used one of my paintings (above) as her color inspiration for a blog post. Wow!
Here are some samplings from her blog. For more of Merrilee's inspiring postings, click here.
New at Le Meurice Hotel!
The bicycle has arrived in Paris! The new citywide bicycle renting program, Velib, is the coolest way to explore the City of Lights. The Hotel Le Meurice is offering its guests “the Meurice touch," a chic and comfortable pistachio-green bicycle with all the trimmings! Cheery red satchels are attached to either side of the rack, permitting cyclists to tote that day’s shopping back to the hotel. They are offering them for sale upon request. Imagine strolling around your neighborhood in one of these!
Check out these fancy black leather high chairs in the Le Meurice restaurants. Only the French!
Photos courtesy of Lemeurice.com
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Typography
I just love typography. Anything with interesting letter design piques my interest. Perhaps that's why I started collecting hotel silver because of the fancy script and logos across the front of the pieces.
When I see vintage typeset or calligraphy, I go crazy! I spent $200 on a sweatshirt in New York because of the vintage font on the front. I just can't help myself! Here are some of my favorites...{I had to sneak in some photos from my website}
johnderian.com
parishotelboutique.com
may-belle.com
granadadesign.com
bernardmaisner.com
Friday, July 4, 2008
Too Pretty to Eat!
The most beautiful cake creations I've ever seen are from the gallery, I Dream of Cake, here in San Francisco. Creater/owner Shinmin Li uses techniques such as hand-painting, sculpting (no molds), and custom stencils to make confections that look so true to form it’s unreal! They are truly works of art.
I've peered through the windows of her North Beach location, and her gallery is as whimsical as her cakes. I was so awestruck that I took photos with my phone to send my friend. You must take a look at her website which showcases her gallery and photos of her scrumptious cakes.
Prices range from $10 to $25 per serving and custom cakes start at $400. Shinmin uses the finest ingredients and her cakes taste as good as they look. But, who can cut into one of these beauties?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)