Where do you "go" for inspiration?
I “go” everywhere. Sometimes I feel like a giant vacuum, just hoovering up everything in my path, including some garbage. Seriously, I am inspired by so many things: friends and family, snippets of conversation, food, travel, novels, nature, fashion and home magazines, wallpaper books, pop culture, artists, music. It all gets stirred up in my head and pours out in some slightly mysterious way.
What do you find inspiring right now?
Nature is endlessly inspiring. I walk in the woods nearly every day. I bring my binoculars. I watch the birds. I hunt for shelf mushrooms. I am fascinated by collections. I love multiples. I like order and seeing things grouped together. I have always had a love affair with natural history - especially museum collections. All the little birds with their toe tags, carefully catalogued. The old dioramas at the New York Museum of Natural History are amazing!
What trends do you see happening now?
I see an economic and lifestyle trend. I am going to go out on a limb here. I sort of like the recession. After all, necessity is the mother of invention. It has inspired people to be authentic and real. People are walking away from cookie-cutter industries and embracing the handmade movement. Little cottage businesses are sprouting up everywhere. It is ingenious. The products that people are making are often custom designed, eco-friendly and made locally. Shop around, dig a little deeper and you can find unique, one of a kind items that no one else will have. The handmade movement celebrates the individual and I love that!
What is your favorite gift you've given and/or received?
The best gift I have ever received was my dear Yellow Labrador, Lulu! The little butterball arrived with accessories too: a crate, bowls and several books on how to care for a puppy! Seriously, it was a group effort between my parents, my future husband and in-laws to make this surprise gift happen! I love that they all worked together. Lulu is thirteen and a half years old and such a sweetie. Talk about a gift that keeps giving!
Last year we decide not to shop for the holidays. We baked cookies. Exquisite cookies. Hazelnut Checkerboards, Peppermint bark, Venetians, Gingerbread Men, Linzers and Speculaas – just to name a few. I discovered springerle wooden cookie molds from House on the Hill. They make the most amazing, intricate molds, and the cookies are spectacular. I started my collection with a little walnut mold. Two walnut cookies sandwiched with a chocolate ganache …yummy! Needless to say, we made a few extra batches!
At an event you've been involved in, hosted or attended, what was your favorite guest gift?
My little sister was married in Cape May last summer. She welcomed all of her guests with a beach themed tote bag. The tote matched the colors of the seaside cabanas. It was filled with all kinds of goodies: personalized water bottles, a tin of saltwater taffy, popcorn, sun block, a CD of summertime music and a great to do list for the area, rolled and tied with a little sailing knot. A little tag with a note from the bride and groom thanked guests for attending the wedding!
Do you have a gift-giving philosophy?
I am not sure if it is a philosophy per se, but I think it is absolutely necessary to remember to say thank you and express gratitude, if only in a hand written note. To simply acknowledge a person is the greatest gift you can give. I like to give heartfelt gifts, things that are handmade - only when the mood inspires me or I find something that is perfect for someone. I don’t necessarily follow the calendar. The pressure of the calendar agitates me slightly. Weddings are an exception and proper etiquette is a must. If I shop from a registry, I like to look at china patterns. No surprise here, I like a collection of little things that tell a story as opposed to a grand gesture.
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