Author: Kathleen

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Stylish Favorites (5)

IMG_0246{Butterfly on the pumpkin leaves}

Summer is off to a wonderful start and the neighborhood is extremely quiet as family and friends travel aboard or to the beaches of the eastern shore. I have been keeping busy testing various chutney recipes for the winter holidays using the herbs and onions from the garden. The dahlias and tomatoes have been staked, and the roses pruned.

I will pop into the Hirshhorn for a few creative ideas this weekend. This modern art gallery on the National Mall in Washington D.C. has a fabulous sculpture garden. It is incredible to view the artwork, as well as the plant life surrounding the pieces to get inspirational ideas for home.

Listed are a few apps and websites I like to tap into for refreshing summer coolness!

Daily Candy Scout
The bloggers at DailyCandy scour the country for the latest updates and discoveries taking place in the major cites. Discover what may be close to your hotel or put a list together so you can triangulate any town. Once you have made discoveries, share with others!

Songkick
Songkick is a great app for music lovers; which will scan your iTunes library and let you know in advance when your favorite artists are performing live near you. If you travel, use the change the location tab, then type in the name of a city for “songkick” to search possible concerts of your favorite musicians.

Pandora One
When you are ready to throw one of your fabulous summer parties, and as usual, run out of time to create a playlist, let Pandora setup a customized list. Simply enter the name of an artist into the app and Pandora will select similar tunes to keep music playing all night. I especially love this app while cooking in the kitchen.

Parts Unknown
Tune in to Anthony Bourdain’s: Parts Unknown on Sunday’s at 9 PM ET on CNN and travel to exotic global destinations. This is by far the best travel and food show to watch.

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A box of macaroons from my brothers recent trip to Paris. I love having these treats at the house to serve to guest along with a cup of coffee or lemonade.

Stay stylishly cool!!!

K

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The Art of Living Luxuriously

IMG_0229 IMG_0220

Several weeks ago I read an article in the Washington Post about an upcoming exhibit, Living Artfully: At Home with Marjorie Merriweather Post at her Hillwood Estate, which is located on the edge of Rock Creek Park in Washington D.C.

The article indicates the exhibit is to unfold as if we are invited guest to one of Merriweather-Post parties. So, when you walk through the mansion doors, you are immediately shown to the powder room before being shown into the French Drawing Room by a footman. This was a Louis XVI neoclassical room that had large hanging tapestries and furniture items of royal provenance, including a Marie Antoinette dressing table chair. The hallways to the drawing room had displays of Russian porcelain, which was a lifetime love of Merriweather-Post. If we were overnight guest there would have been a maid to unpack and iron our clothing, as well as chefs to prepare our meals. If we walked through the gardens we would see the grounds-keepers tending to and caring for the flora on the properties.

In a world where Merriweather-Post managed three homes artfully; summers at Camp Topridge in New York’s Adirondacks; winters at Mar-A-Largo in Palm Beach, FL; spring and fall in the neo-Georgian Hillwood mansion, which the article states was the home “dearest to her heart”, she was able to do it all through careful planning.

The curator of the exhibit, Estella Chung states that Merriweather-Post did not leave diaries or detailed journals of personal correspondence, but only schedules, seating charts and linen diaries recording the smallest details of “Living Artfully”.

IMG_1499[Turnip greens from Heath garden}

I started thinking we can all live luxuriously without having inherited an empire. With careful planning we too can have delicious food, fabulous art and well-tended gardens. What is the old saying “necessity is the mother of invention”?

During the average workweek my day starts at 5:00 am and I find that prepping foods the night before can speed up the cooking process when I get home in the evenings. For example, if you peel onions and garlic, wash celery stalks and then place them in zip-lock bags, you are that much closer to making a savory pot of chili. Adding a bit of ripe English Stilton or Brie cheese (from Trader Joes) to a platter along with either cheese-crackers or homemade cornbread, and you have a most satisfying meal.

Planning the weekend schedule, I have brothers who are amazing when it comes to helping with yard work. They help with pulling weeds, planting crops and flowers, as well as watering the gardens and lawn.

And finally, when it comes to precious art, nothing beats what we as a family have collected during our travels throughout the world or made with our own hands. But every now and then, we will head to the city to preview art from the various galleries or the Smithsonian.

So, if you are smart and manage your finances you too can live an extremely luxurious life, at much less the cost!!!

Live stylishly!!!

K