My dear friend Nancy  celebrated  her 75th Birthday in late November and we threw her a surprise  party at one of my favorite restaurants  in Baltimore, the Bygone, located  in Harbor East. Nancy  and I  decided on the date and time together which fortunately gave me plenty of   time to collaborate with her daughters who created and sent out gorgeous  invitation by snail mail.

Since the Bygone has a 1920s theme, coming in period garb was suggested but not mandatory. I encouraged Nancy to wear the Roaring 20s outfit she had worn for Halloween. The creativity and variety of costumes were impressive and the restaurant, with it's Art Deco theme and spectacular views was a worthy backdrop!

Yet as the time of the  party drew near, Nancy began to ask about changing the day and/or the time of the celebration.  She thought only the two of us were going and seemed confused that I was so adamant about keeping it at the designated time. 

Everything worked out well and she was  undoubtedly surprised.  Later she said it was the best birthday of her life so the efforts were certainly worth it!

If you live in Baltimore, or plan to visit, the Bygone's spectacular views,  scrumptious cuisine and superlative customer service  and attention to detail will provide the perfect setting for your most memorable moments!

Autumn always inspires  me to make acorn cookies! 

2 cups walnuts (pecans will work too!), finely chopped but not ground
Put 1/2 cup aside for later
​

1 cup  butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
     combine in food processor or mixer
3 cups flour
1/2 teas baking soda
​     add flour, baking powder  and 1 1/2 cup nuts
1 teas. vanilla extract
     add vanilla and process until dough is mixed
Refrigerate  until  firm for a  couple of  hours or overnight.

Preheat the  oven to 350 F 
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls -  should make about 3 dozen cookies. 
Bake until firm and lightly browned on the bottom. 
Cool.

Roast remaining 1/2  cup nuts on parchment paper on a  cookie  sheet  in 350 F oven until brown, stirring occasionally to brown evenly. 
​

Combine
1 cup chocolate morsels, dark  or milk chocolate, based on your preference - 
​2 teas. shortening
in  a  small microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30  seconds. Stir. Heat for 30 more seconds.
Stir until evenly melted and ready for dipping.
​

The cookies are very rich  so handle carefully.
Dip about a third of  the  end  of each cookie in chocolate and  then dip into the nuts! 
​Enjoy!

The Bygone, located at 400 International Drive,  invites you to "step back into  the roaring glamour of days passed." It has a 20s flair, and  is billed as Harbor East's most elevated and exciting dining experience. You enter the Four Seasons Hotel lobby and take the Bygone elevator to the 29th floor for a spectacular view, creative and delectable dishes and  phenomenal service!
Two weeks ago, Carrie and Izzy came from New Jersey and took me to the Bygone for brunch. On Sunday, John joined me for a return visit. It's fantastic! 
I wore my vintage dress with the Baltimore Oriole print (see below) and we spent hours enjoying the view while we dined on the finest and freshest seafood, fruits and vegetables, and delectable pastries. It's an experience you'll  always treasure! 

Two weeks ago I attended a lecture and exhibit at Towson University called 

from the

INSIDE OUT
​building the silhouette
​

 I promised to add more information and post photos from the Inside Out exhibit, but chorus, creating curriculum, painting, trips, and  birthday celebrations got in the way. Better late than never. This is the description from the program overview. I'm still trying to identify the "morally uplifting " garments!
​

"Clothing, and the silhouettes they created, changed at a dizzying pace during nineteenth century, emphasizing and drawing attention to different body parts by cinching here, pooling there, raising and lowering hens and necklines, and adding or removing bustles and decorative flairs. Although today we rely heavily on exercise and diet to create a pleasing armature, in the past it was the outfits themselves, and particularly the undergarments, that did the work, pushing, prodding, hiding and emphasizing the lines and curves of the body, providing clues to what was considered attractive, risqué, scandalous, pleasing, appropriate of even morally uplifting." 

Co-curated by the 
Erin Lehman, Director of the Department of Art and Design Gallery
and 
Julie Potter, Associate Professor of Theater

​The exhibit will be on display until March 17, 2018

Gallery Hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts
1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21252

​

My violet post was the last in the series of herbs that are associated with love and romance. There are many more but Valentine's Day has come and gone it seems a good time to close. 

For those of you who check in from time to time, you know I love roses  I have them all over my house and recently I've been living with, and painting, white roses. But one of my favorite white roses has been around for a very long time. 

Today's treasure is my great grandfather's white ivory rose autograph book from January 1, 1899. At one time the velvet cover appears to have been a bright red but it is faded from age. The softening makes it ever more beautiful. I feel that way about a lot of vintage treasures - buildings, fabrics, people . . .

Albert was born on November 4, 1876 and died on January 31, 1951.He was 23 years old when he started this autograph book. I don't know who gave it to him or much more about it. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it when I was a little girl and decided to leave my autograph. I'm not proud of my contribution. It's not nearly as elegant as the rest, but I loved the book and wanted to be part of it.  Years later, my grandmother laughed and told me she thought he'd want me to have it.. Maybe it's just as well that I left my mark. No one else seemed nearly as impressed with it as I was. 

I have no idea what this says! I must have known at the time?

This is one of the first autographs in the book.

January 1, 1899
​Dear Cousin,
Leaves may wither,
Flowers may die,
Friends will forget you
But never will I.
Guess Who.

Here's another. 

January 1, 1899
When you get married 
And your old woman gets cross
Come over to our house 
And eat apple sauce.
Ever remember Dec - 29, 1898
Ida

This little book, plus some posts I'm planning to do based on a recent exhibit I visited, have inspired me to begin a new category for my blog posts - vintage. This will be the first.

There will be more from this book - there are 40 pages and I'm only including a few for now.
There are autographs from Daisy, Albert's wife (his fiancé at the time), and later from his daughter, my grandmother, and some very cynical entries from my mother. Apparently I wasn't the only family member inspired to leave comments after his death. 
It's an interesting mix and gives me some insights on my family. 

​Yesterday was delightful! We had planned to go to the parade in Philly but as it turned out, we watched in television and the internet, and undoubtedly had a much better view of the event in it's entirety. Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles for their first ever Super Bowl win and the incomparable follow up celebration. Watching the season was a gift!

​Last evening  we attended two events at Towson University. One was a lecture by an artist who is currently displaying her innovative creations at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The other was a reception for Inside Out, to open a new exhibit that will be on display until mid March. It is a perfect compliment to the Marc Jacob's course I'm taking where he gives an in-depth perspective on how undergarments impact fashion. 

Annet Couwenberg presented a lecture entitles Intimate Architecture at Towson University
Couwenberg's work reveals the intersection of science, art, technology, and history that makes textiles such a fascinating art form. A Fibers professor at MICA, the artist's most recent show is at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

https://artbma.org/exhibitions/berman-annet-couwenberg

​FROM THE INSIDE OUT: BUILDING THE SILHOUETTE
Tuesday, January 30-Saturday, March 17
Gallery Hours Tuesday-Saturday 11:00 a.m.-8 p.m.
 
OPENING RECEPTION FEBRUARY 8, 2018
This exhibition celebrates Towson’s extensive historical clothing collection, with a focus on the century betwen 1820-1920. Visitors get a behind the scenes look at the clothing we so often see in old photos and ads. From the most private of undergarments and hidden tricks of the trade to the outfits and accompanying outerwear, we answer the question, "How DID they wear that?"

The exhibit of Downton Abbey Costumes at Winterthur is exquisite. There are a few samples. If you want to see the wedding gown, numerous gowns with hats, fur trimmed coats, the men's costumes and the artistry of haute couture tailoring in all of them, you'll need to visit Winterthur! The exhibit will be there until January 2015 and is the only site in the United States that will showcase the collection. 

Winterthur is a treasure trove of enticements. Francis Dupont (1880 - 1969) was the visionary who created Winterthur,.The Dupont mansion expanded from the original 14 rooms to 250 to house his collectibles. There are 2500 American Eagles, a collection of soup tureens, ceramics, needle work, textiles, furniture and more, all of the highest quality originality and craftsmanship. The library contains over 100,000 items, featuring rare books on architecture, design, nature, children's books, women's magazines, and numerous other topics centering on the artistry of living life with beauty and grace. 

The estate is situated on 1,000 acres, artistically planted with trees from all over the world, Among them are seasonal plantings that bloom from late January through November, providing an endless living mosaic of blooms. He was known for his artistry in combining colors and fragrant, ever changing landscapes are a testimony.

The Enchanted Woods boasts a Story Stones, a Troll Bridge, a Tulip Tree House, Acorn Tea Room, Forbidden Fairy Ring and a Fairy Flower Labyrinth.

Time spent at Winterthur will leave you feeling refreshed and revitalized. I came home filled with inspiration and ideas to apply in my own space, admittedly on a much smaller scale. There are always opportunities to increase the beauty and sensuality in our world. The inspiration at Winterthur is endless.