Gone Fishin' - III

It's lovely here when the sun comes out:

Gone Fishin' - II

New view:

Gone Fishin'

Hotel views:Chappy and I are off celebrating our 3rd(!) wedding anniversary. I'll have limited internet access this week, but will blog if/when I can.

Ciao for now...

ASPCA Bergh Ball - Part I

I'm just back from the ASPCA's Bergh Ball.

It was - and always is - an amazing party. I'll write up a full entry on the event with photos galore tomorrow, but here's the highlight...

MCM and Martha Stewart:Martha was the evening's honoree. A devoted pet owner (she has had everything from cats & dogs to goats & chinchillas), Martha has done such wonderful work in support of pets, adoption, and animal wellness over the years. Bravo to her.

Martha also has a new blog, The Daily Wag, featuring her dogs Francesca and Sharkey. It's totally adorable and worth a look.

(And for the record: Martha was super nice, sweet, and very pretty in person.)

ASPCA.
The Martha Blog.
The Daily Wag.

More on the Bergh Ball tomorrow...

Tracy Stern's Tea for You & SALONTEA Bar

Last week we went to a terrific party celebrating the release of Tracy Stern's new book Tea for You.

The party was held in Tracy's adorable SALONTEA Tea Bar.It's a bright, fun space tucked away on a quiet street on the Upper East Side.

Here's the very pretty Tracy out in front of her store:I *loved* her pink and green dress!

Inside, the event was jammed with party-goers enjoying delicious tea and photographers snapping all the action:
Here I am with the lovely Tracy (and two fabulous actors in fun costumes/makeup):
Chappy snapped this shot of Tracy with Alex McCord from Real Housewives of NY:
The SALONTEA Bar disco ball added to the playful atmosphere:
Getting my copy of Tea for You signed:I'm a daily drinker of tea so I can't wait to read the book!The book: Tea for You by Tracy Stern.
The salon: Tracy Stern SALONTEA Tea Bar.

Monty Monday - Site Visit

Just as our giant renovation in CT is coming to a close we've begun a new renovation project on our pied-a-terre in Manhattan.

There's lots of hammering, scraping, noise, dust, and demolition going on now.

I think Monty was a bit overwhelmed when we went to visit the apartment last week...

He surveyed the whole crazy construction site and picked his spot:He located the patch of remaining carpet, climbed into the little circle made by the wet/dry vac hose, and went to sleep for the duration of our visit.

I agree Monty - renovations are exhausting!

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House benefit

Last night I headed to Sotheby's for the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House benefit.

This is a wonderful charity that provides assistance for thousands of needy NYers in our neighborhood. It's such a worthy cause, and it was great to see the room filled with supporters:Dinner is always exciting at this party because of the tables -- each one is decorated by a different talented designer. I loved seeing all the creative centerpieces/themes.

Here are a few snaps of the extraordinary tables:I sat at this fun and colorful coral table:For more information on the charity please visit their website: Lenox Hill Neighborhood House.

Cocktails - Prince George

My brother sent me the recipe for this delicious (but strong!) rum cocktail. It's sweet and tart -- very nicely balanced. I'm definitely adding it to my drinks list, and I'd encourage you to give it a try.

Ingredients:

4 ounces - Rhum Clement Premier Cane White Rum
2 ounces - Prunier Liqueur d'Orange
2 ounces - Fresh squeezed lime juiceDirections:

- Pour ingredients into shaker with crushed ice.
- Shake well then strain into a cocktail glass.
- Garnish with twist of lemon peel. (I made the nicest twisty little lemon peel garnish but it fell into the glass - oh well, I'm definitely not a perfect bartender, but the drink tasted great.)Cheers to the Prince George!

CK Bradley closing in NYC

Sad news... CK Bradley is closing their NYC boutique:Boo!

CKB will still have a shop in Newport and they'll still have their online store, but I'll definitely miss having them in my neighborhood.

Everything in the 74th St. store is on sale this week, so if you're in NYC stop by for some great deals before all their merchandise is sold out.

Yesterday I bought this pretty dress for 30% off:CK Bradley NYC - 146 East 74th Street (Lex/3rd).

Monty Monday - Coffee Break

A few days ago Monty was sniffing around my wastebasket... The second I looked away he grabbed what he was after, ran into the other room, hopped up on the bed, and began enjoying his stolen snack.

Apparently Monty loves the last little bits of a Starbucks coffee Frappuccino:(I know, I know -- dogs aren't supposed to drink coffee... don't worry, there was only a teeny tiny amount left in the cup.)

He totally *loved* that Frappuccino:
He stuck his head all the way inside the cup to make sure he got every last drop:
Downright delicious!:
I tried to take the cup away from him when the Frappuccino fun was over, but he was having none of that. He held on with his paw:Fast forward to when he eventually let go of the cup...

A sleepy someone was in need of another coffee break:

East Side House Settlement benefit at the Auto Show

Last night we headed down to the Javits Center for the East Side House Settlement's benefit preview party of the 2009 Auto Show.

The party was hosted by Porsche and they went all out. I loved seeing all the fancy, souped up sports cars they'd brought in:...quite different than my sensible 4-door Audi sedan.

I especially loved the snazzy silver car:Go speed racer.

The benefit tickets allowed us to go inside and check out the Auto Show before it opened to the public.

It's a *huge* show -- row after row of cars galore:
Here's my best Vanna White with an engine:Cars, charity, and friends - a very fun NY party!

The NY International Auto Show.
East Side House Settlement.

The Ice Bag

The Ice Bag, by Wm. J. Mills & Co., is my favorite tote bag:I *love* this bag. It's large, versatile, well-made, and comes in many pretty colors (mine is Napthol Red).

I first saw these bags years ago around the marina in Sag Harbor. Sailors would use their Ice Bags to cart around extra gear for their boat or lots of food/drink for their passengers.

I use my Ice Bag every time I shuttle between NYC and CT -- it's perfect for carrying my clothes, books, Monty related items, etc. between two homes.

The bag is large (18"L x 9"W x 14"D), but because it's made of soft, flexible canvas it folds up to be teeny tiny. It takes up very little room in my closet:The Ice Bag, by Wm. J. Mills & Co.

Page Six's Star Map

My lunch with the girls earlier this week landed me on Page Six's Star Map. What a hoot!

Ramona Singer
Madison and 65th Street
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 @ 2 PM
seated in La Goulue with socialites Jill Fairchild, Melissa Morris, Mina-Jacqueline Au - overheard: dishing about the Countess' divorce.

Thornwillow Press - Bee Placecards

I recently purchased the most exquisite placecards from Thornwillow Press.

Thornwillow is a printer and publisher in upstate NY that makes hand engraved stationery, custom bookbindings, and handmade limited edition books. I could not resist their stationery...

Melissa means 'honeybee', and I've long been sweet on all things bee related.

I have bees embroidered on my needlepoint loafers, I have bees on my bracelet, and now I have bees on my placecards:Glorious bees galore!:These placecards are perfect. The colors, their texture, the size, the packaging -- it's all just right.

The thickness of the cards is impressive and feels substantial:I love everything about the detail of this motif:Wonderful.

I haven't been back to Thornwillow yet, but I've got my eye on their larger bee flat cards and their smaller beehive cards. Buzz buzz. (...If you're not into bees they've got scores of other designs available - I'm also keen on 'ducks in a row' and 'bunny'.)

They sent me some samples of their other work (click to enlarge): It's lovely.

I'm particularly fond of little details like this raised 'Thornwillow' printed on the edge of where the envelope is sealed (click to enlarge):As if all that bee/assorted motif stationery weren't enough...

Thornwillow also offers hand-etched custom monograms (click to enlarge):So many, many ways for 'MCM' to look stylish!

I can't decide what my next Thornwillow purchase will be, so for now I'll happily use my bee placecards at our next dinner party.

Bee placecards.
Thornwillow Press.