Every holiday season for the past nine years, my daughter and I have gone to the Nutcracker. She's just turning twelve, so the first year it was risky. Except for a few twirls and a mary jane'd little foot occasionally kicking in the air, she sat mesmerized.
Yesterday was our day. Over the Golden Gate and through the city to the War Memorial Opera House we went.
We've got our routine down. Get there early for good parking.
Then walk to our favorite nearby lunch spot - Max's Cafe.
Shouldn't all Christmas traditions begin with matzoh ball soup and a pastrami sandwich?
The architecture of the War Memorial Opera House is breathtaking.
Before the show, we love to walk around the building and look at the Christmas decorations. Everyone in their holiday best, hot chocolate and cookies (and champagne) in abundance. The festive spirit is contagious.
Of course, the ballet itself is the best part. The San Francisco Ballet was the first ballet company to perform the full Nutcracker in the US and has been doing so since 1944.
As my kids get older - especially now that one's in high school, I have been thinking about our family holiday traditions a lot. Did I/we do enough? How did they come to be? Passed on from previous generations, organically just happened, or a decision to start something new? Regardless of how, I've realized that it's the tradition part rather than the other stuff that is the most important.
I wish you all the happiest, healthiest and most restful of holidays. I'm taking the next week off, but will be back with you in 2011. Stay tuned for some recent client projects, photos of the bathrooms (they turned out great!) and some new features to the urban farmhouse!
In the meantime, please don't forget to enter my giveaway here!
xxoo
Serena
all photos (except last two) taken by and belonging to serena armstrong.
A few weeks ago I blogged about a new favorite show - American Pickers - about two childhood best friends from Iowa who comb the country in a van knocking on stranger's doors, going into dilapidated barns and storage units to dig through piles (usually junk) in hopes of finding a treasure. Or as they say, anything they can sell for a profit.
It's addictive, especially if you have even the slightest picking tendencies -(hello flea market, antique shop, garage and estate sale lovers!) But the other cool thing is that you get to see the backroads of America that most of us don't ever see. It's a lot like being on a cross country road trip since much of the show is shot from their van. Check them out on the History Channel on Mondays at 9pm. Here's a clip.
Anyway about the giveaway! I was totally surprised and excited when I received an email from the History Channel offering my readers a gift of The American Picker's - Season One on dvd! Actually they sent me two (maybe one was for me, but since I've seen and tevo'd them all I'll gladly pass it along so there can be two winners!)
All you have to do is leave me a comment with your email address so I know how to find you if you win! No having to go surf around any other sites, do a backflip, friend me on facebook, subscribe to the blog, then leave a comment about your favorite color! Just a comment with your email. That's it.
That said... it would be awesome (but won't sway the scientific random selection widget that I have to figure out how to install) if you either tell about a favorite pick of your own and/or your favorite episode of AP. But in the interest of full disclosure, the History Channel did not ask for readers to do a thing! I just thought it would be fun :)
Now to sweeten the pot, I'm throwing in a pick of my own to this giveaway as a gift to you all! A thank you from me to you for reading and supporting the urban farmhouse! So in addition to the AP dvd, I will give both winners, something I 'picked' last summer while in Paris at the venerable Clinquencourt flea market.
I fell in love with this antique linen drapery panel and had it made into pillows. It made many, some of which I sold in the store. Fortunately, I saved a few so the winners will each receive a beautiful 20" x 20" pillow!
To get into the spirit, I thought I would share some of my most recent picks as well as my all-time-best-pick-ever.
The Alameda Antique Fair has been rained out the last two months, so I've had to find alternative ways to get my fix. Luckily I have attended several great estate sales in the city as well as discovered a great 'antique shop within a shop' that just opened near my house.
I found these bowls at an estate sale, mixed in among a bunch of kitchen stuff. The bottom says they're McCoy, but I'm not sure if they're authentic? Anybody collect McCoy and can tell me?
At the same estate sale, I found (heart be still) this set of Emma Bridgewater pottery which I have loved for seriously ever!
The set for 8 is complete and includes cups and saucers, teapot, creamer and sugar bowl, breakfast plates and bowls (which are not meant to be with the set since they say "Risotto, Pasta and Sorrel Soup", but I am guessing they were purchased to be used for cereal or porridge and complete the breakfast theme).
For the entire set of Emma Bridgewater as well as the McCoy bowls I paid $80! Perhaps this is my new 'best pick ever'?
My local antique source is a treasure trove of wonderful findings. The newest acquisition is this chippy basket.
I love it and it fits perfectly in the new linen closet! The perfect container for beach towels.
I don't know much about it's history, but the store owner mentioned it coming from Long Island. It is beyond sturdy. It could carry a load of bricks and not break.
Last but not least, my best pick ever was a small limoges porcelain box.
I bought it at the Goodwill in Seattle (the big one on Dearborn) about 7 years ago. I was looking for pretty teacups for my daughters 5th birthday - a tea party - and on the shelf was this dainty box. Inside it said simply 'merci'. It was $ 0.50. Tragically, it broke about a month ago. My storage for select earrings. I can't part with the top quite yet so this is all I can show you.
I hope you all are enjoying some time off this holiday season and doing some picking of your own along the way!
Please do enter the giveaway! It ends on January 4th, coincidentally my 1 year blog anniversary! Just click on the teeny 'comment' below, then follow the steps!
In the meantime, you can stay up to date with Mike and Frank on their facebook page.
One of the most hip sofa styles appearing these days in all types of decor from modern to industrial to traditional is the Chesterfield. The richly detailed diamond tufted upholstery and rolled arms are it's most distinguishing features.
While the exact origin is a little ambiguous, I found that many sources credit the Earl of Chesterfield who commissioned a cabinet maker to design an elegant yet masculine piece. The Chesterfield was in demand for most of the early 19th century, and became symbolic of British aristocracy and wealth.
"This icon of the furniture world is widely thought to have been commissioned by, and consequently named in honor of, the fourth Earl of Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, in the 18th century. Aside from being a much-admired politician and writer, the suave Earl was a known trendsetter. When the Earl requested a cabinetmaker to construct a piece of furniture that would allow a gentleman to sit upright in the utmost of comfort, thus was the inception of the Chesterfield sofa with its characteristic deep buttoned upholstery, rolled arms, equal back and arm height and nail head trim. There has never been any solid confirmation of this noble beginning. However, this namesake is certainly appropriate."
I have long loved this iconic style (and have blogged about it here and here), so when I spotted a vintage Chesterfield sofa that originally belonged to Clark Gable (seriously!) at an estate sale this summer, I nabbed it! It was transformed from the bottom up...
I have been collecting images for years and my file of inspirational photos featuring Chesterfields is pretty thick. Here are some of my favorites in a variety of decor styles.
commune
cote de texas
House Beautiful
Joanna Henderson
greige
Joanna Henderson
above two photos - nest
There are many Chesterfield options available out there these days. Before you commit to purchasing one, it's important to know that this sofa style is not of the sink-into-fluffyness-take-a-nap-on-me sort! As the quote above refers, it was designed "for a gentleman to sit upright in the utmost of comfort". My husband, who is 6'1" loves it for that reason. He prefers them to overly stuffed sofas in rooms that are used more for socializing, so you don't sink way down and have a harder time getting back up, especially if you're tall. I recommend lots of down filled pillows to both soften the look, but also to add something soft to lean against.
I've found in my own married life as well as working with couples on interiors, that most of the time with couples, women choose based on what they connect with emotionally, whereas men are more about practicality. In the case of the Chesterfield, I think it satisfies both.
I noticed that Restoration Hardware is now offering their Chesterfield in linen. As much as I am a fan of RH as well as of linen, I don't think it's a good choice for this type of upholstery.
I took this photo at our local RH. The slouchy wrinkled linen just looks kind of sloppy and worn out to me. I prefer tougher fabric that can be pulled taut like leather, velvet or heavy weight wool. RH offers those options as well.
With mixed emotions I must part with my handsome Chesterfield. The sad part is that, try as we may, we just don't have room in our house at this time. But the good news is that it's available to grace someone else's lovely home! It measures 88" long and is upholstered in charcoal velvet. The estate sale owner told me that it (as well as a few other pieces I purchased) came from Clark Gable's Aptos mansion that he shared with Carole Lombard. Apparently the estate seller's father - a prominent San Francisco physician, had purchased the home partly furnished from Gable in the 60's. There were only a few remaining pieces left at the estate sale. Please do email me if you are interested or would like more info!
I don't know if it's because I just rented the movie "The Holiday" again...
or because I have cabin fever since my husband has been away for most of the past month and is now stuck in Barcelona due to an air traffic controllers' strike... But either way, I'm in need of a mini-break. So until I can escape for real, I'll take a virtual journey to all places quaint and ending in 'wold, shire or cester." Care to join me?
above three photos - the cotswold house
above five photos - Barnsley House
above nine photos - the combe house
And on our way back, let's visit the Savoy Hotel in London...
