Take It Off . . .

No?  Back to work then!  (But think of all the good Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. accomplished!)

Making Scents Of It . . .

Winter and the dearth of blooms.  Thank goodness for the low-maintenance paperwhite narcissus.  A few bulbs, some stones, a chic container and a little water and a few weeks later you’ll have that unmistakably wonderful scent wafting through your rooms.

 Photos by Joel Woodard

The School of Flaunt Handbook

If you are not familiar with Alexandra Smythe and Cate Clarke, co-authors of “The School of Flaunt Handbook” and of their web site (www.schoolofflaunt.com), you should be.  Described as The Divas of Good Taste, Alexandra and Cate have dreamed up a tome in which they promise to navigate you safely through the snakepits and landmines of money, moda and manners.

With such interesting chapter titles as “Wardrobe – From Runway to Reality”, ”Votre Maison – All Gated Communities Are Not Created Equal” and “Amour or Affair de Coeure – We Want to Light Your Fire!”, their Handbook is filled with tips and quizzes and a bevy of helpful hints to guide you safely into their “Flaunt Fabulous World.”  (Full disclosure:  I was very honored when the duo asked me to do the black and white illustrations for the Handbook.  Thanks so much Alexandra and Cate!)

So before you even think about accepting that next dinner party invitation or stepping foot into Bergdorf’s again, spend a few hours with Alexandra and Cate and The Handbook, available through amazon.com.  You’ll be glad you did and as the authors proudly state, “why go through life as ordinary, when it is just as easy to be extraordinary!”

There Can Never Be Enough Red!

Red – the most dynamic member of the color spectrum.  There can never be enough of it in my opinion.  Here are some random images from my season and I hope you have had a wonderful one too.

 

 

 

 

 Photos, sketches, styling by Joel Woodard

Illuminate Someone’s Path This Season . . .

Just something to think about. . . have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Photo by Joel Woodard

Go Festive Already!

A sprig of holly pinned to the lapel of a heathered grey sportcoat, a natty scarf and some red suede gloves – now that’s festive!  Have a good weekend!

Photo by Joel Woodard

Fly Away Home

Hundreds of starlings visit early every evening just before it gets dark.  Who knows whence they go?  Their cacophony is deafening as they speak to each other.  I loved their stark and graphic quality as they rested there, way up high in the trees and silhouetted against a gloomy, grey sky.  They perched there for a few minutes and then, in unison, they they fell silent and sped off.  The sound of their voices replaced by the rustle of wings.

 

Photos by Joel Woodard