Cheating on Glam Monday

This is so not me.

Instead of working on a Glam Monday post, I am walking a golf course in King City outside of Toronto where my husband is representing our local golf course in a tournament. Both my husband and son are exceptional golfers and athletes, our son played professional golf for a few years until he decided it was a exceptionally lonely life and he is an exceptionally social person. I often tell my husband he should have married an athletic woman, I am hopelessly uncoordinated and is has come to pass that people even apologize when talking about sports around me. Sad to say, but it is that physically obvious that I cannot partake of any sports activity or conversation (except cycling, but that was very late in life). But it could be that for a sport-lovin guy I would be the perfect wife. I am really, really good at keeping myself busy with all sorts of creative pursuits. This means I never even notice that he has watched golf/hockey/football/ for hours on end. Clever guy .......I think he knew this from the get-go.

While I am walking the course on what is supposed to be Glam Monday, I thought I should at least leave you some pretty things to look at for the beginning of the week. Hey, one thing I do know is that you can't wear kitten heels on the course, give me some credit! If you go over to House Beautiful, there is a little series {photos and video}about using everyday containers for this year's bounty of fresh-cut flowers by HB floral designer Robert Rufino. I actually have a container just like the trumpet shaped tole vase above but not these gorgeous Sweet Peas which I will surely plant this week. It's just a seasonal reminder to look around and use what is available. Point well taken. No Sweet Peas, but I do have pink and white Peonies blooming all over the place right now. Every year I forget to buy peony cages so they are abundantly leaning to the ground once again. Rufino recommends putting these extravagant bloom in a smaller mug. All those colours and pattern do enhance the vivid pink much better than a clear vase. I don't have a Coronation Mug (even though we do have a Queen) as I always thought they were tourist-tacky. Guess I was wrong again.

Rufino uses only four Hydrangeas in this footed bowl. He recommends you place three stems standing straight (in different stem lengths), then the fourth stem on an angle for height and dimension. I think he is making it sound easier then it is, but I am willing to try his method and see if mine will look like this.

Here is a simpler Coronation mug with softly-tinted Bridal Blush roses.

Gorgeous sitting on a desk.

I have a friend who is mad for Magnolias and their sweet fragrance. She does exactly this, floats the delicate beauties in a clear bath. Nothing more is needed.

Top photo from Vogue Archives/remaining photos from House Beautiful.

Gorgeous File ~ Glam Monday

Isn't this a glamorous pose? This is an image from Vogue from 1948 photographed by John Rawlings. Look how they used the pale blue gloves with this black taffeta dress. I love that type of collar on a party dress. I don't know about you, but gloves are making sense these days, especially in airports. It's about the only fashion item that hasn't come back in full force (I'm not talking about winter gloves), maybe they should?

I always have to borrow some glam from Judith at Paris Atelier, she posted this image last week and said it reminded her of me, it gave me a good chuckle and let me guess is it the colour or all those bows? The funny thing is.....my friend and I started a few of these wired ribbon dresses (my friend was looking to use up all my ribbon cuttings) a few months back but we didn't think of bows! We spent the afternoon layering and glue strips of ribbon into dresses on mini forms. Oh my.....Judith has me thinking in a whole new direction. Though I might need a larger dress form for all those bows.

Ooooh.......I love this dressing area. I always thought vanity areas should be as glam as you can make them. Nothing like paneled or fabric-tufted walls, satin drapes, fur throw, and mirrors to make it all happen. And it sure is happening in this gorgeous setting by designer Graham & Greene.

Fuchsia metallic pink and those signature red soles, that Christian Louboutin loves women doesn't he?

So gorgeous in it's simplicity.

The refined glamour of pearls, this 16-strand is from Slane & Slane for $3,850.00. I have a better idea, I'll just use what I have and put them all together, I must have at least 16 strands from the last 30 years, all sizes and lengths, and most of us do I bet. Wouldn't they be perfect with this Stephen Dwek ring? At $490.00 not too outrageous I didn't think, not that I'm buying a ring right now.

No you won't believe it either, but this flirty dress was created with pages from a phone book. Artist Jolis Paons is thinking outside the box (or would that be in-the-book?) to create this exquisite creation. Another paper dress from French Blue blog, you know how good she is with finding these paper creations. And how good I am at borrowing dresses.

Gorgeous is a shoe that you can't stop staring at......of course I can't wear them! I don't need to, I just like looking at them. Feathers and a duplex satin ribbon......to say nothing about the colour! So inspired.

Gorgeous is this dress from the wild side. When I saw this glorious creation on the Coco & Kelley blog this week, I knew I had to borrow it from her for the day. Look at the shoes with this dress! And I love that touch of turquoise in the bracelet. Dress is from a current Marie Claire photo shoot.

Gorgeous is the simple shape of this candle by Modern Alchemy, especially since it has a black satin bow on the box. I love this type of product presentation....it's make for a special gift for that woman of refined taste.

I don't know if it's the swan topiary, the blue sky, the white cotton, or those well-behaved and manicured dogs...........but I find this July 2005 H & G Fantasy Garden so outdoor glam. We were hoping to do our veranda more glam this year, but we are in ground-zero of a major road construction that will have us spending more time indoors. I am not happy about this at all, I repeat, not at all happy. And yes, the relentless dust even gets indoors.

Gorgeous is a thoughtful friend who goes out of her way to find another Laduree shop in Paris (as the first one was a long, long line-up), then carries home two boxes of fresh macarons, gets her jet-lagged body out of her cosy bed the next morning and brings them to my door and stayed for some lovely Paris chat. Not so fabulous is my nocturnal son who ate most of them that night while I was sleeping. He thinks they are the best thing ever and says he couldn't stop himself. He really likes my friend, he coached her into getting a hole-in-one on the links one day so they have that golfer bond. And now she brought him macaroons.

Nothing more glam that a good reading area. I wouldn't care if the sofa is white, I'd be curled up nice and cosy for days. Our married-student life loveseat was a green leather version of this style and it brings back happy reading memories, something to keep quietly occupied while my husband studied. We should have kept it and recovered it as above. It is a classic style.

Since it's gorgeous Monday I would want to glam up the comfort level while I read-and-recline with this

gorgeous silk pillow from Annechovie, the queen of stylish chairs. It would look sublime and scrumptious on that tufted white sofa. Anne shared this Etsy pillow find {click here to read her post}.

A glam way for event designer Preston Baily to go from job to job. When I see this photo I always think to myself "if I was driven around like this from job-to-job, I would still be in interior design". No wonder he's smiling. I think he should give the wild-girl outfit a ride, that outfit would look fabulous in this setting.

All photo sources listed with image except for 4th from bottom (two ladies) .Photo from PhotographersLimitedEditions via Beautiful Things To Share

Vintage Vogue

Liz Lange - Domino

Using vintage Vogue magazine covers has always been a favorite design look. I always wanted to do this, it makes for a highly visual wall of glamour doesn't it? These ones are shown framed tight and with an exact frame fit. If you have a spot for just a couple, you could matt them with a wide border to extend the size and impact. Conde Nast has a vast online library of reproductions, fashionable covers from Vogue, House & Home, Glamour, Vanity Fair, Gourmet, and an older magazine called Charm which I vaguely remember. They aren't inexpensive, a 12" x 14" will set you back about 185.00 US but are of a magnificant exhibit quality. The fun is in the searching for a cover or photo that has meaning to you, whether it subject matter or date.

The early days of civilized air travel..... I seemed to prefer the older illustration covers. This one is from a January 1, 1947 issue of Vogue Travel and was drawn by illustrator Carl Erickson. This would be a great gift pick for the travelling friend or a fashionable travel agent.

See you later darlin....
another wonderful illustration by Carl Erickson for a November 15. 1938 Vogue issue.


It's fascinating to see the progression of cover artwork, this quaint Vogue illustration by David is from 1910!

Yachting by Edward Steichen 1928

The Conde Nast archives also includes photography. It was in the Vanity Fair archives that I found that fabulous shot of Katherine Hepburn that I used in my Friday Finally post a few weeks back. I think I should buy that image........especially since Vanity Fair is my top magazine read each month.

Top photo from Domino archives on Flickr/All other illustrations and photos from Conde Nast