friday finds: longwood gardens

friday finds: upclose at biltmore estates

friday finds: felt like it!

PROBABLY THE LAST TIME YOU GAVE ANY SERIOUS THOUGHT TO FELT was either that black beret you so charmingly sported for a few moments in college, or late one afternoon when you were frantically searching for the material in a craft store for one of your kids’ school projects.

Well, felt has gone a bit upscale and sophisticated and is enjoying a bit of popularity as the it fabric. This season everything from pillows to hats to chairs — even coffee-cup holders — are all getting that felt feeling.

Shedding some insight on the world’s oldest fabric known to humankind was the spring/summer museum show of Fashioning Felt, at the Cooper Hewitt in NYC. The small, but comprehensive show highlighted felt’s rich history — did you know that in Turkey remnants of felt have been found dating back to 6,500 B.C.? — and paid great homage to one of the most sustainable materials around.

Yes, felt is “green” and we don’t mean the color of the felt that covers the surface of that local pool table in your neighborhood bar. However, for the record, it is avaible in a veritable rainbow of colors.

While the Netherlands seems to be one of the key innovators in the field of felt design, those stateside are getting into the act. Blog sites and websites host a variety of felt afficiandos from those with a sense of whimsy to those infused with indie-spirit. High-end designers continue to push the edge with innovative designs ranging from serious architecture, like the auditorium at The Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance, to home accessories such as curtains with cut-out motifs.

All in all, it never felt so good.

friday finds: apron strings re-attached

EVEN BETTY CROCKER would have been beside herself. As I walked the floor of the 2009 New York International Gift Fair, I was overwhelmed by booth display after booth display of that unmistakable symbol of domesticity: the humble apron. They were everywhere.

The designs of these kitchen-inspired entrepreneurial efforts were not your Food Network, white-aproned, professional-chef -looking variety. They were ruffled and retro, modern and patterned, diva and domestic. Oh — and cute. Kitsch*n Glam stood out with its variety of styles and accessories, including tea towels, potholders, oven mitts, men's aprons and baby bibs. An everyday kitchen ensemble, if you will.

Seems that with everyone heading into the kitchen to prepare a family meal, entertain friends or bake their latest batch of specialty cupcakes, the apron has become a utilitarian accessory once again. Hard to fathom for many Boomer women, who longed to cut the binding ties that the apron strings represented. But for the Xers and the Millennials the stigma has disappeared, and what remains is the ability to trade on a rich history of homespun goodness. The likes of which we're all craving in these uncertain times.

But this stringed fashion phenomenon is not showing up only in a store near you. A quick search on etsy.com turned up 16,304 results for handmade aprons. Certainly handy for a holiday gift. While writer and apron archaeologist EllyAnne Geisel has made a newfound career from aprons, including publishing three best-selling books, designing new patterns and producing a traveling museum show.

What's next? Well, mark November 25, 2009 on your calendar ... and get ready to Tie One On.

friday finds: thinking of napa