Sassy Living Below the Mason-Dixon Line

Paint the Kitchen ORANGE!

sassyliving — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:18:53 +0000

Yes! I have been tweeting, Facebooking, and generally talking about my orange kitchen. My pal, Brannan Blascak http://www.facebook.com/brannanblascakphotography came over yesterday and we had a ball! And, here are the results …I transformed my mid-century ranch kitchen with paint (Martha Stewart Butterscotch). Except for a few accessories, I used only what I had, and generally have a new kitchen for about $100. A little ingenuity, elbow grease, a good friend (Owen Sharman hung the chandelier, painted the ceiling and did small repairs) and voila! Thanks Bran for the amazing photos!

The Lives She Lived: Rosamond Bernier

sassyliving — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:42:50 +0000

And, still does. Rosamond Bernier has always managed to be in the right place at the right time. Recalling her spectacular luck, Ms. Bernier, now 95, has penned a memoir, Some of My Lives, A Scrapbook Memoir. Remarkable is the one word description. While on a summer break in Mexico, after her sophomore year at Sarah Lawrence, she met Aaron Copland, then a broke pianist and aspiring composer. Gertrude Stein advised her on art. Leornard Bernstein was a lifelong friend. You get the gist.

As a writer for American and French Vogue, Ms. Bernier went on a quest to learn more about Marcel Proust, interviewing many of his friends, and she approached Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso for articles. When a scoop regarding Picasso’s work in Antibes or Venice wasn’t given the proper recognition by Vogue, she and her second husband launched a monthly arts magazine, L’OEil. (The re-invention of her life was a VERY Sarah Lawrence thing to do — then and now). .

Picasso gave her another scoop to jump-start the new publication by telling her there were a number of early paintings at his family’s home in Spain. Since he had vowed to not return to his homeland while Francisco Franco was in power, Ms. Bernier had pictures taken of his work without him. LIFE Magazine published the pictures and the new magazine was launched. A mainstay of the International Best Dress List, Ms. Bernier seems to effortlessly float through her life with elegance and grace.

The book is terrific, but I promise you will be interested in learning more. A contributing editor to Vogue for many years, she was recently profiled http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/rosamond-bernier-the-flaming-debutante/#1, and last year she talked about her apartment’s black walls and how she added pink and blue to warm up the dark hue. LOVE it.http://www.elledecor.com/decorating/articles/rosamond-bernier-art.

In Theatres NOW: Books!

sassyliving — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:35:44 +0000

For the long-form fiction crowd, movies adapted from books have cast a large shadow already this year. The Descendants won a Golden Globe earlier this week, and the book is now a bestseller. Author Kaui Hemmings gives meaning to a family struggling with impending loss. Her genius is writing comedy and tragedy, sometimes in the same sentence. I am a big fan of her short story collection (which the novel is based on), House of Thieves.

And, in We Bought a Zoo, author Benjamin Mee showers the pages with the healing power of animals over a grieving family. The hopefulness despite a huge tragedy is beautifully scripted. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a riveting story (by a debut author) of one child’s journey after his father dies on 9-11. You will need a truck load of tissues, but the writing is great. The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo’s popular fiction series seems to have resonated with both book lovers and movie goers.

Coming soon is Finding Flynn http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455323/ based on Nick Flynn’s first memoir, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City. A poet and Sarah Lawrence professor, Mr. Flynn has a poet’s economy with words and spare storytelling, with impressive results.

Wow, isn’t 2012 off to a great start? Wonderful entertainment and fabulous reads. Enjoy!

What are you reading?

sassyliving — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:55:33 +0000

What are you reading? Whenever I am with my Sarah Lawrence peeps, that seems to be the first question! A good book is like a good friend: indispensable.

I have eclectic tastes and interests — design, literature, history, etc. My coffee table is always filled with a mixture of titles. Right now, I am enjoying Vogue: The Covers, which chronicles the extraordinary covers that have defined the world of style for over 120 years. (I am one of those people who actually reads the text AND looks at the pictures).

I’ve just started Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, as a companion to the PBS series, and I am enjoying learning about the legacy of Highclere Castle, the show’s backdrop. Herman Wouk’s Marjorie Morningstar, got me through Christmas week, but I don’t want to finish it — too good to let go.

My friend, Deborah, always gives me the Best American Short Stories series. The 2011 version was edited by Geraldine Brooks, so you know it’s good. Also, I will start The Sixes by Kate White this weekend. I am hooked on her fantastic storytelling. She’s a cool person as well.

It’s 2012 — so many great books to read! What’s on your shelf?

Downton Abbey Returns!

sassyliving — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:37:26 +0000

Julian Fellowes’ Downton Abbey returns this Sunday on PBS. Why would any one watch reality television when reality is so much more interesting? This brilliantly written series captured me from the start — great acting, mesmerizing costumes and exquisite period interiors. Of course, it all starts with the narrative, and every moment builds on another. Mr. Fellowes came late to his screenwriting success, but maybe that is the secret for his mature and nuanced writing.

There’s even a new book out on the Almina, Countess of Carnavon who was the Chatelaine of Highclere Castle. Her life, which the series is based on, makes the series look tame. Think Rothschild heir meets royal opportunity.

Facebook friends got a sneak peek earlier this week at the premier on Sunday, so if you can’t wait, go online and check it out. I will definitely be watching.

What Inspires YOU?

sassyliving — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:07:03 +0000

I am calling this the “year of the book.” Robert, Maggie, Jackson and Evelyn — characters I’ve come to know and love — are ready to make their debut. I just have to finish writing about them. Writing a novel can be both hard and satisfying, and as any writer knows, you just have to do it. No matter what.

In order to be creative, I need books, color and personalized interiors. My surroundings have always been important. My father spent an entire Saturday painting my bedroom purple for my sixteenth birthday. I still remember how chic I thought my red Snoopy posters looked against the new wall color! Daily, I look around for inspiration. You know what? I never have to look far.

What do you need to be inspired this year? Here are some rooms that take me away.

Ring in the Wild Bells!

sassyliving — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:25:39 +0000

I always feel so hopeful on New Year’s Day — resolutions made, old friendships renewed, adventures known and unknown ahead. To be inspired, there is no greater poet than Alfred, Lord Tennyson. I turn to his writing and insight often, and today this poem seems particularly appropriate.

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

Thanks for reading in 2011 — I have enjoyed hearing from you, and look forward to many cyber conversations in the year ahead. I hope Sassy Living will offer you inspiration in design, literature and southern living in 2012. I have resolved to be more daring this year. How about you? Will you join me? Paint your kitchen bright orange. Or your bathroom bright pink. Maybe select a black high gloss paint to make your dining room more interesting (ok, so you can paint one wall to make certain you love it).

Or read all the Pulitzer Prize fiction selections since 1930 (which will keep you busy and could give you lots of ideas — who knows?). Support local art shows — maybe you’ll find just the right painting for your living room? And, see all the movies possible — there’s so many fascinating pieces and parts behind and in front of the camera. No matter what, let’s all be more daring. That is my resolution to myself. And, my wish for you.

A Tiffany Christmas

sassyliving — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:21:21 +0000

Ok, it’s time to get serious about those table settings — Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day, Boxing Day — you get the picture. Some years ago I went with a group of friends to New York from Virginia the weekend before Christmas. We took the train and arrived in time to see the star being illuminated on Fifth Avenue. To commemorate the occasion, my mother gave me John Loring’s beautiful book, A Tiffany Christmas.

Mr. Loring was the long-time design director at Tiffany and he collaborated on many design titles with Jacqueline Kennedy (including this one!). Who had better taste than Mrs. Kennedy? Good news is you don’t have to have expensive china to get the look. How about a last-minute dash to Target or Kmart — both have great white china you could pair with greens cut from your backyard. One of my favorite Virginia haunts is the Dollar Tree (and, in New York — Dollar Jacks). Look for simple stemmed wine glasses and white mugs. You could pack candy canes and a few holly berries in the mug and use it for an accent piece. If you don’t want to serve wine, fill the glasses with colorful candies and give them away as favors (a take off on the British Christmas cracker concept). You are more creative than you know. Promise.

Enjoy these ideas as the weekend of celebrating approaches…

Christmas Island

sassyliving — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:36:10 +0000

“How’d like to stay up late like the detainees do? Wait for Santa to sail with your presents in a canoe? If you ever spend Christmas on Christmas Island, You will never stray, for ev’ry day you will ask can your Christmas dreams come true?”

Christmas Island, 1946

Australia is the Land Down Under — doesn’t get more southern than that. At Christmas, the seasons are opposite to ours so the festivities are centered outside. Families decorate their homes with ferns, palm leaves, and evergreens, also called Christmas bush and Christmas bellflower. Some families even put up a Christmas honeysuckle bloom.

And, what about decking the halls? Well, instead of boughs of holly, they use wattle (an Australian tree with yellow flowers). Not only do they decorate with it, wattle is incorporated into a familiar and favorite song as in “Deck the sheds with bits of wattle, fa la la la la la la!”

Christmas is coming fast where ever in the world you live. Are you ready?

Fa La La La La La La LA!

sassyliving — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:58:49 +0000

I am a writer for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and I am always trying to come up with clever catch phrases that will promote the essence of a season. Last year’s Christmas line was: Music. Dance. Merriment. Why? Because when I think of the holidays, music is the first association (followed closely by food) that puts me in the spirit.

Here are some of my favorite CDs — quite an eclectic mix of new and old! But, no holiday season is complete without multiple playings of “It’s a Marshmallow World” sung by Dean Martin (and in this clip Frank Sinatra joins him). Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAEqsnOQrxY