Here Comes The Bride, All Dressed In........TWO-PLY?

That's right, wedding gowns made completely out of toilet tissue,tape and/or glue. Since 2005, Cheap Chic Weddings has been hosting this event which has caught Ripley's Believe or Not's attention.

Considering the material, it's pretty amazing what these talented contestants can do with the delicate tissue.

Mr. Whipple is looking down with a big smile.

Congratulations to Anna Kagawa Lee, the 2009 winner!

Who Is Clare Fraser?

I mean, literally, who is Clare Fraser and how did she get my life?
One of the reasons I love Google is its ability to introduce me to people,places or things I never knew existed. I suppose that's just the world wide web altogether. Nevertheless, in this case, I entered the keyword "Gracie Wallpaper" and the result surprised and delighted me. One of the links that came up was the New York Social Diary which is one of my favorite reads. That link led me to a 2007 NYSD House archive story, Decorator Series ,featuring Clare Fraser. Talk about the "WOW" factor. I was so taken back by her amazing home. I hope I don't sound like an out of touch lover of interior design, but I have never heard of this woman. In fact, after drooling over the pictures of her home, I attempted to find more information online about this amazingly talented woman called "Lady Decorator" by the NYSD interviewer, I came up blank. All I learned is that she has been in the design industry for over 30 years with a business partner by the name of "Barbara". In addition, she's participated in the popular Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse , a benefit for the Kips Bay boys & girls club . Whoever this woman is, she is living in my dream home and is someone I would love to meet and let know how much I love her work. Below are images(photographs by Jeffrey Hirsch) taken from NYSD House:

Clare in her favorite corner of the sitting room.

In the front hall a gilded wood and marble Louis XV hall table was purchased at Sotheby’s. The silk damask cover chairs are from Matthew Schutz and a pair of wall sconces, also from Matthew Schutz, once belonged to Otto Kahn’s daughter.

A view of the dining room from the foyer. The stenciled dining room floors are by Mark Giglio.

A Regency portrait from Stair and Co. dominates the rear wall of the dining room. The painted dining room chairs are Portuguese copies of English Hepplewhite ballroom chairs. The dining room table was a Russian officer’s travel table.

In the corner of the library a portrait inherited from Clare’s mother. Sitting upon the coffee table from Florian Papp is working copy of a larger sculpture entitled‘Jonas the Whale’ by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles.

View of the pine-paneled library

A view of the living room. The Louis XV clock above the fireplace mantle was purchased from Matthew Schutz. Two 18th Dutch flower paintings bought in Stockholm hang on the mirrored walls.

A pair of Louis XVI chairs are covered in celadon silk from Scalamandre. French brûle parfum jars stand atop the marble fireplace mantel.

Looking across the living room into the library.

A 17th century Italian landscape, which was inherited from Clare’s parents, hangs above the living room couch. One of a pair of Fu dogs standing on a gilt bracket was purchased at The Winter Antiques Show. The Chinese coffee table from Mrs. MacDougall was part of a screen.

In the bedroom hall, silver lined, faux painted panels and trompe l’oeil blue and white porcelain plates painted by Mark Giglio, along with real plates, are reflected in an18th French mirror purchased in San Francisco.

Looking down the bedroom hallway

A painted country Swedish chair sits beneath blue and white plates in the bedroom hall.

In the corner of the sitting room, a bookcase is filled with leather book fronts.

Clare wrapped the master bedroom in this favorite blue and white print fabric from Country Swedish.

Above the bed by hangs a Danish portrThis is ait of a lady bought at a Doyle auction. The pair of faux painted bedside commodes, originate from Sweden.Okay, this bedroom is what took me over the top. I don't care how feminine anyone says this bedroom looks, I would be one proud 6' foot 220lbs man sleeping in this fabulous oasis.

THE YOUNG VICTORIA

Scheduled for U.S. release in November 2009, The Young Victoria is an epic movie that chronicles Queen Victoria of England's early rise to power, focusing on the romantic courtship and her legendary marriage to Prince Albert. Emily Blunt plays the young Victoria with Rupert Friend as Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Miranda Richardson plays Victoria's over protecting mother. Jim Broadbent handles the role of Victoria's uncle, King William.
The film begins in 1836, the year before Victoria ascended the throne. She became the queen when she was 18 years old. With grand palaces and lavish ball scenes, the film promises a visual feast.
Critics of the movie have varying takes on the film but seem generally pleased. The Nutshell Review indicated that the movie is gorgeous but lightweight and left the viewer wanting more.
Kate Coffey, from Tiscali Entertainment, felt the movie is charming but meanders. She effusively described Emily Blunt's performance as grand and she gave the film a thumbs up for historically accuracy. She opined that its accuracy could be credited to the fact that the Duchess of York, Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson, is a co-producer.
European critic Andrew Robinson, from Eye For Film, disagreed because he felt the movie took liberties with historical facts but he excused this transgression by recognizing that the film is a dramatization and not biopic.
However, he did agree that it is a likeable and enjoyable film. He was particularly pleased with the performance of Jim Broadbent. I can't wait for the opportunity to see it myself so I can form my own opinion.

Alexandrina Victoria
(May 24, 1819-January 22, 1901)

(from wikipedia)Victoria's reign as the Queen lasted 63 years and 7 months, longer than that of any other British monarch before or since. She is to date the longest reigned female monarch in history. The period centered on her reign is known as the Victorian era, a time of industrial, political, scientific and military progress within the United Kingdom.

Though Victoria ascended the throne at a time when the United Kingdom was already an established constitutional monarchy in which the king or queen held few political powers and exercised influence by the prime minister's advice, she still served as a very important symbolic figure of her time. Victoria's reign was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire; during this period it reached its zenith, becoming the foremost global power of the time.

Victoria, who was of almost entirely German descent, was the daughter of Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and granddaughter of George III and the niece of her predecessor William IV. She arranged marriages for her nine children and forty-two grandchildren across the continent, tying Europe together and earning her the nickname "the grandmother of Europe".^[1] She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover; her son King Edward VII belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Taking Cues From The Orient

From pagoda style lamp shades, to black lacquered consoles, classic traditional design is replete with inspirations from Asia.

In the coming weeks, I will share with you objects from around my own home that I love which have a rich history with the Far East. I will also share a brief outline of my research on the historical inspiration of these objects.

The T'ang Horse


(photos of my collection of T'ang horses)

Even before I learned the history of T'ang horses (pronounced tung), there was something about them that always attracted me. Horses, in my opinion, are a perfect subject for sculptural art. Many of the T'ang statues were created using the Sancai (pronounced sahn-tsigh) technique which is a type of ceramic using three intermingled colors for decoration. Today, artist still use the horse as their subject and you can find a multitude of equine artwork.

618 AD - The T'ang dynasty used the horse as a symbol of power. The sculptures reflected the importance of the equestrian armies in maintaining the dynasty's long reign. They also represented the pride of the ruling emperors. In fact, many of the oldest horse sculptures were discovered in the tombs of the elite. They were buried along with other precious metals,jewels and believed to ensure the dead a comfortable and wealthy afterlife.

Mary Beth Karoll, a contributing writer for Dan's Hampton.com advises that If you make a major purchase of a pricy T'ang Horse, look for one that comes with a certificate of authenticity or an Oxford certificate.

Below are some authentic pieces located in various museums.


Chinese sancai-glazed pottery horses and riders from the T'ang Dynasty (618-907 AD) at the Luoyang museum.

(618-907 AD) sancai-glazed pottery horse statue at the Nanjing Museum

Sancai horse, T'ang Dynasty, 618–907 A.D at the Palace Museum

T'ang horse at the Shanghai Museum by Andrew Lih

LANDSCAPE

We've finally started working on the back of our home which is coming along nicely.
We still have the following left to do:
*decide on grass or more concrete on the remaining 270 square foot of dirt space
*landscape perimeter flower beds
*Replace old wood fence on the east side of yard
*Install accent up lighting along the flower beds,water fountain and the large Deodar Cedar tree.

My goal is to hopefully complete most of the list before the rainy season starts. However, I have to wait until my partner Dan has forgiven my last spending spree.

Following are the "Before" images taken after the family room add-on which demolished most of our back yard.

The rear exterior of our home. The 2 sets of french doors lead to the new family room completed in late 2007.

The double sided fireplace was an exciting feature added so that we can
enjoy the life like gas fire logs from the back when entertaining outdoors.

The windows above are to the new master bedroom and bathroom.


The next set of photos are the "After" images were taken a few days ago.


The awnings are from a local family business Janak & Scurfield Inc.
located in downtown Sacramento. I had them paint the fleur des lys spear tips gold to tie in with the other gold accented accessories.

The potted plant with the trellis behind it is a climbing Hydrangea from Capital Nursery. My original hope was for Bougainvillea(inspiration image left) which are one of my favorite climbing vines. Unfortunately, the wall faces north which doesn't get the amount of sun required for the vine to successfully flourish. In addition, our yard has an enormous mature Deodar Cedar tree that towers over not just our home the entire back yard, but 3 of our neighbors homes as well. making it difficult to grow anything that requires full sun. However, I was told that the climbing Hydrangea will do very well here. We'll see.

The wrought iron dinning chairs were a great find from the Bombay Company over 7 years ago. They were discontinued because of the poorly designed assembly fixtures causing the chairs to come apart easily. However, I had a welder actually weld the entire frame together making the chairs extremely solid. I painted the fleur des lys and medallions on the back of the chairs gold(yes, I'm dangerous with a can of gold paint).

The lattice window boxes above are by Sean Conway for Target stores.


The decorative stone sconce above the fireplace was a flea market find many years ago.


A close up of one of the window boxes. I added the gold medallion buttons which I purchased from Michaels and then of course, painted them gold for added interest. We currently have Geraniums in the boxes but will be replacing them someday with Japanese Box woods which I love for their all year round rich evergreen color.


This is a view of the remaining part of the yard that is still on the "to do" list. It's currently covered with interlocking rubber mats for baby Daniel to run around freely. He and his playdates enjoy it.


The dirt area measures 18' x 15'. This area was reserved for grass. However, the picture was taken when the area gets the most sun which isn't alot. So far, I haven't had success finding sod that will thrive in such a shaded area. Our gardener suggested artificial grass. It's eco-friendly and very low maintenance. The downside is the cost. Much more expensive than regular sod.

Another example of the extensive shade in the back. The both trellis were installed 8 years ago. At the same time we planted vines that only required partial sun. 8 years later, that is the most vines we have managed to grow.

And finally, the Deodar Cedar tree seen from the front of our home. It has been claimed as a Heritage tree which means even though we own the property that the tree is on, we cannot remove the tree without consent from both the city and our surrounding neighbors. The tree is beautiful and deserves protection. It's just such a pain to live under.

Coming August 2009 (U.S Nationwide Release)

If you haven't already heard about the upcoming movie, The September Issue, then its more likely because you simply are not fashion "obsessed". Scheduled for nationwide release on August 28, 2009, the documentary has already won numerous international awards including Sundance's 2009 Grand Jury Prize for excellence in cinematography.
Directed and produced by R.J. Cutler, The September Issue tells the story of legendary Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her larger-than-life team of editors creating the issue and ruling the world of fashion.

You may recall the 2006 movie, The Devil Wears Prada with Meryl Streep playing Miranda Priestly, the often "misunderstood" chief editor for Vogue Magazine. The film's character was widely believed to be based on Anna Wintour. This movie gave Streep her 14 Oscar bid as well as the Golden Globe award for best actress in a Comedy or Musical.