Town and Country

If we can’t get out of town for the weekend, for a culinary visit to the Hamptons, where my husband Matt and I gather fresh seasonal ingredients at our favorite markets and farm stands, we typically do the same thing right here in NYC. It’s fun to create a locavore meal and something to look forward to as the sun sets over the rooftops. Invite some good friends, open a bottle of local wine and set the right mood with some inspiring new dinnerware sets!

For great summer entertaining in the city, why not bring a little country right to your table? There's an abundance of fresh meat, poultry, fish and produce to be found at green markets in cities throughout the country. Sure, I’d rather be clipping sprigs of fragrant rosemary in our chef’s garden, but I can find everything I need right here as well, including fresh baked goods and delectable desserts.

Matt plays chef for the evening, conjuring up his summer specialties, like sweet corn salad with tomatoes, English peas and chives, while I set the mood and the table. For a Scandinavian summer in the country theme, this notNeutral dinnerware in fresh green and brown, with an Alessi Blow Up Bamboo centerpiece is perfect! Or if you'd rather be by the sea, you can't go wrong with Dansk classic blue and white nautical stripes or their Arabesque pattern, for a retro Mediteranean feel.

Post sponsored by cookware.com.

Rare Earth

New for fall 2010, but something you'd want to wear year round, is this magnificent smoky quartz druzy necklace from my Rare Earth Collection. I heart druzy, because of it's organic texture. It's nature's own statement piece!

Druzy crystal formations, which can be found in numerous types of stone, is a natural curiosity, growing inside the hollow cavities of rock veins and geodes. The smoky quartz druzy beads in my Treasure Island necklace have a micro-crystalline top surface reminiscent of brown sugar with a smooth flat bottom.

Cynthia Rybakoff sterling silver and smoky quartz Treasure Island Necklace, $148 at Supermarket and A little Of What You Fancy, 19 Newtown Lane, East Hampton, 631.324.3113.

Curiosity Shop

Summer is in full swing at Mascot Studio. An amazing resource for modern vintage objet d'art, proprietor Peter McCaffrey has curated a wonderful little collection of paintings, drawings and prints for summer. Cyanotypes by Matt Shapoff for Handmade On Peconic Bay, mixed media paintings by Paul Moreno, limited edition giclee prints by Chris Buzelli, and some terrific watercolors of birds on found vintage coin collector's notes, by Peter himself, are currently showing and selling fast.

Be sure to "Like" Mascot Studio's Facebook page and see works by all the artists mentioned in this post!

Staycation

In these troubling times of economic uncertainty, and environmental disaster on an unimaginable scale, it has become ever so popular to take a staycation, venturing out on daytrips, to sample the local cuisine and explore new neighborhoods. So why not stay home in seasonal style? It's easy to add some great summer items to your living space or closet with just a few mouse clicks!

1. Anthropologie ~ Rope Frame
2. Thomaspaul ~ Portland Dessert Plate Set
3. Anthropologie ~ Large Rope Magnifier
4. Anthropologie ~ Paper Sketch Vases
5. Anthropologie ~ Driftwood Hurricane
6. Jennifer Sitko ~ Patterned Stem Lamp
7. Thomaspaul ~ Large Coral Tote
8. Thomaspaul ~ Crab Pillow
9. Anthropologie ~ Sundried Hat

Little Creatures

The Handmade On Peconic Bay Summer 2010 selection of cyanotype prints, cards and rustic wood framed art is now available at Mascot Studio. Beach themed images include various crabs, shells, grasses and seabird feathers that my husband Matt and I find on the beach around Peconic Bay.

My personal fave is this cyanotype print that Matt created, based on an illustration of "Decapoda" by German biologist Ernst Haeckel, from his encyclopedic masterpiece, Kunstformen der Natur, 1899 - 1904. Some of these leggy little sea creatures look delish for a pastasciutta with seafood and pomodoro, but are probably more suitable as curiosities for your Wunderkammer decor obsessions!

You can now find Mascot Studio on Facebook, as well as 328 East 9th Street, New York City.

For The Birds

"My love for birds pushed me to create art which shows their beauty and importance." - Olivia Bouler.

An aspiring Ornithologist and artist, 11 year old Olivia wept when she heard about the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. So she contacted the Audubon Society with an idea to help raise money for the cause. So far she's raised over $110,000! Read a charming interview with this amazing young artist and activist, and how she's raised the money (CNN). Olivia might just be my favorite new artist!

Images courtesy of AOL artists.

Romper Room

Here in NYC, a new summer trend has emerged. Woman of all ages and types are sporting "the romper". It certainly looks cool and easy to wear, if the pictures above are any indication, but is the romper really for everyone? Like flip flops with bikini tops with cut-offs, is it appropriate for the gritty streets of NYC? I might wear one to the beach, or shopping for produce at Halsey Farm in Watermill, but the romper just looks out of place in the city, and for the most part unflattering on the myriad of women I've seen wearing them.

"Fiona" aka Gabrielle Anwar

With one exception. And that woman is Fiona Glenanne. Sure, she's a fictional character played by the 40 year old lithe and preternaturally tan Gabrielle Anwar, who can pass for 28, and stars in my favorite action packed spy series Burn Notice. A force to be reckoned with, who looks like she just stepped out of a fashion magazine, Fiona runs around Miami in a skimpy outfits, towering platforms and fabulous accessories, while carrying heavy artillery and catching the baddies. With her cool manner and nonchalant style, like those practical leather hip bags, she always wears, Fiona is the kind of woman who would look super kick-ass in a romper anywhere!

Images courtesy of couturecandy, Roxy, shopbop, USA Network's Burn Notice.