Sunday, August 15, 2010

Shop Girl

Reading the Sunday paper and your blogs, just kicking back staying out of the heat. Found a few little tidbits to share with you.

Eat Pray Love: The Shop in New Jersey

What did Elizabeth Gilbert do with all that money she made from selling the movie rights of her best selling book "Eat Pray Love"?

Well she opened a shop in New Jersey of course! You can read all about HERE

Have you ever been a shop girl (or shop boy)? Most times I love it, but on these hot rainy days in New Orleans, the day can be lonely, and then poof it could get exciting when Sandra Bullock might walk in the door.

August either goes too slow for some of us with unrelenting heat, and watching the hurricane season calendar come into high alert, or too fast with many kids already going back to school (in August???? This still boggles my old fashion notion that school should start post Labor Day). I wonder how you all are keeping calm, cool and collected.

Tonight, crank that AC up and watch Mad Men, and watch the final three of HGTV Design Star finally get to do an individual challenge (those group challenges were the worst format decision the producers made). HGTV Design Star is the train wreck of a show so bad it really isn't all that much fun to watch except for fellow blogger Emily, The Brass Petal, still hanging in there.

Mad Men style air conditioner


Or maybe you might deal with the heat by lopping of your locks in favor of a Jean Seberg style haircut.

Jean Seberg looks so cool



Another thing I'd like to share with you is a nice little custom made surprise in my mail box, HERE








And one more thing I found interesting, a story about the Greenbrier, the classic West Virginia hotel with the famous Dorothy Draper interiors HERE

The Greenbrier interior design by the society designer Dorothy Draper done in the 1940s
Described as: "Nothing seems to match, and that’s the point.
The result is something Lily Pulitzer and Laura Ashley
might have dreamed up together after following Alice down the rabbit hole."

Sounds perfect for a blogger meet up!


In my minds eye I see a fantastic blogger meet up here, all expenses paid so everybody could come.

We could talk and eat and drink and give each other workshops.

The Writing Room at the Greenbrier

There is a writing room at the Greenbrier, a place set aside, to gasp, actually hand write letters!

I would get an old school nun to come and give us a workshop on penmanship, and Letitia Baldrige to come and school us on the art of writing a social letter.

With age, and computer use my handwriting has gone down the toilet, so I would need to practice, practice, practice.


Sister Wolf could give us penmanship classes


Letitia Baldrige could teach us the art of social letter writing


And of course Alberto and I would love to give you all a tango workshop in the spectacular ballroom!

Alberto & I would give bloggers Tango lessons in the Greenbrier ballroom

And just on more link..

My friend Jessica Hack is an expert fabric conservator. You can read about her in Inside Out Magazine HERE

Jessica Hack sitting in front of a vintage Carnival costume in her studio
She does museum level fabric conservation


Jessica Hack has been in the textile conservation business for 31 years. Unlike restoration, which aims to bring pieces as close to new as possible, conservation seeks to stabilize the existing material and repair damage to prevent it from spreading.


Meticulous fabric conservation by Jessica Hack

Washing an important flag in the studio of Jessica Hack


Stay c00l and have fun going down the rabbit hole of links!

10 comments:

ABC Dragoo said...

Eat Pray, Love- a story of a woman dropping all things commercial to find herself - has made a merchandising firestorm. From tea cups, to Estee Lauder eat pray love make-up sets and HSN merch... Consumers are eating it up. Interesting, isn't it?

As for Greenbrier: When I was a little girl, my dad worked for Chevrolet in Detroit. One year, when I was about 8 or 9 the yearly Chevy meeting was held at Greenbrier. What an amazing place it is!

Walls, floors, ceilings all floral and stripe patterns=everywhere! I remember the trip like it was yesterday (and now I am going on 35!) I would have to say that was the first time I realized that people could grow up to be an interior designer/decorator... it was also the first time I ever jumped off a high dive or learned there were bugs called locusts, but both of those are entirely off point for a design blog comment.

Thanks for reminding me about Greenbrier ~ I hope that it does indeed remain an American icon.

Emily Henderson from The Brass Petal said...

i came by to say thanks for the comment and support and lo and behold i am on your post today! thats awesome. thank you sooooooooooo much. as you know, comments are like crack to me, but links and shout outs are like hmmm..whats more addictive than crack...you get the idea.
thanks so much. love the blog, too.

Renae Moore said...

I love the interview with Customblog.com! I am happy to call you 'Friend' ...you are a jewel!
xoxo

Anonymous said...

I just want you to know that I really enjoy your blog and look for it every day. I enjoy your "take" on life. Janette in Lexington, KY

debra @ 5th and state said...

valorie dear......
are you in my head today? this post gave me a huge 'hmmmmm', tell you why;
-i am shop girl today! very rare, but opened another in chicago and thought i would give it a go. don't usually like to "sit"
-went to see 'eat pray love' last night.........loved it! had no idea she had opened a shop, nor in frenchtown, an old stomping ground
-custom made blog!!!! i am sitting here today researching artists for the shop

your are the best!
debra

Sharon Brown said...

I recently made reservations for my husband, daughter and I to stay at the Greenbrier in September. We can't wait!

My Notting Hill said...

After living in the DC area since 1990, you've got me wondering why I've never stayed at the Greenbrier (or the Homestead for that matter) I've also never eaten at the iconic restaurant The Inn at Little Washington. Might be time to rectifiy that...

Anonymous said...

the idea of a confab at greenbriar is compelling. do they have bagels and lox?

well, if they have a casino, they must have lox, but of course the real treat would be the draper interiors for us. i guess the nevele and the alan buchsbaum interiors there are gone, but that might have been fun, too. first wenge paneling i ever heard about.

if you have a chance, google 'sharon springs' where the beekman boys are. interesting resort history, too. but i hated upstate new york, anyplace past clinton corners and garrison is still poison to me, even if i'd like to shop in hudson or rhinecliff. lived near utica for 4 years at school, and it was wretched. bart boehlert is also from up there.

was never lucky enough to meet sister wolf, but her site is beatific, and links also to ' kottke.org ' which should prove another source of innocent merriment.

long ago, and far away, i did work at burlington industries when tish baldridge was there--mrs hollensteiner--and she would be fun to have for a correspondence course.

ah, well, another week, another jury panel......

arf to cholo, and greetings to alberto. m


michael/bagelbrookefarm

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the FB and blog....what shall I call it? "Shout out" is hardly enough! How about "fabulous profiles"??
xo
Jessica

Anonymous said...

Hi Valorie!
What timing as I just came back from The Greenbrier while away on vacation. Spent an afternoon there with some of the girls in the family having a luncheon and then a Spa goodie afterward. Was a great afternoon and so wonderful to watch the girls as they were amazed by the decor.

I go every year but seeing the place now that Jim Justice has taken over was very refreshing! Draper's Cafe is now moved to the level above the Casino area and we all enjoyed the food unlike the guy who wrote the article you linked to.

The service was excellent on all accounts. Carleton Varney has an office in the building itself as you walk toward the Spa hallway. Didn't get a chance to go in and introduce myself and see if he needed some couture draperies made, but I will do so the next time I'm in town again!

Tammi xo xo