Steps

What do you do to relieve stress? Often I clean the house, or putter around and do a project. I am sure many of you do the same thing.

Black stairs, white risers and balustrades

The house I live in is alive with Alberto. Every nook and cranny was touched by his handiwork. He always went along with my decorating schemes and ideas, wiring chandeliers, making cabinet doors, doing repairs, anything and everything I asked him to do. I run my hand along a piece of trim on a cabinet door he made, and know how he taught himself to do this. It is alive with memories that make me smile and cry.

All black stairs

Black has been accepted in decorating. It started with chalkboard paint and black kitchens, and segued into black bathrooms. Then black doors became hot. And media rooms and stairs painted black. I love it.

Black stairs by Kelly Wearstler

We have (notice I still say we) a stairway in our kitchen going up to the camel back second floor. It is very builder looking and not elegant, wood, with open treads. A carpet runner was not possible. The stairs have sandpaper like safety strips. I could never peel or scrape them off. The stairs also had ingrained dirt that never came out no matter how much I scrubbed them.

Carpet stair runner - charcoal with black edge

So I decided to paint the stairs black. At first I was going to do the whole thing, steps and hand rail, and balustrades. But I thought it would be too heavy. There are also some other wood elements in the kitchen, a tall cabinet with chicken wire doors that holds cookbooks and dishtowels, place mats and napkins; an armoire; there is an elaborate wood casing around an archway. The wood stairs always made sense with these other wood elements since they all had a similar mid tone stain.

Whimsical painted stair runner in black

So I just painted the steps. It was my therapy, another small step, on one of the countless nights I couldn't sleep. I painted right over the sandpaper strips. I like the two tones that occur since I only painted the steps. It's not fancy, but I like it, and I know Alberto would have liked it too.

I painted the stairs black and left the rest of the wood alone

I painted over the sand paper safety strips that I could not remove

What have you painted black lately?

Hello Dalai!

A different type of colorful flags have been popping up all over New Orleans. They are prayer flags to welcome the Dalai Lama to New Orleans!

Prayer flags to welcome the Dalai Lama in my side yard visible from the street

from the Dalai Lama website:
"In honor of this historic visit, we are inviting you, business owners and residents across the Greater New Orleans Area, to raise up colorful Tibetan prayer flags outside your homes and businesses beginning April 20, 2013 and leaving them up through May 20 as a celebration of and welcoming to His Holiness the Dalai Lama."

Tracy Thomson made a special New Orleans edition of prayer flags that made to Mount Everest - photo by Marc Pagani

Local artist and milliner Tracy Thomson made a special New Orleans edition of the prayer flags that actually made it up to Mount Everest! Tracy says, "I make them in strings of 12 flags, either in multi colors, or in traditional Tibetan colors. I call the set 'A Prayer for New Orleans', and the prayers are rebuild, recover, recycle, rejoice, etc. They're each hand made." They are out of stock, but Tracy says she is making more and they will be ready in about two weeks. Find her on her website Kabuki to get yours.

Tracy Thompson making the NOLA prayer flags in her shop Kabuki

I got the traditional ones at one of my favorite home furnishings shops, Spruce. Stop by and get a string of them and hang them up outside of your house. His Holiness The Dalai Lama arrives any day now in New Orleans.

The New Orleans prayer flags by Tracy Thomson

As we all know Buddhas of every kind have invaded home decor and fashion over the past few years. I found some rally wonderful pieces of jewelry at Trashy Diva. What a perfect time to get a ring or a pair of earrings to wear when you go see the Dalai Lama.

Wonderful Buddha rings at Trashy Diva at 2048 Magazine Street - They are made from vintage materials

Asian inspired earrings at Trash Diva at 2048 Magazine Street

How many of you have a Buddha in your house, or on a T-Shirt? I have a couple in my garden that I really love. I wonder of His Holiness The Dalai Lama will be cruising around the Irish Channel to see my prayer flags to welcome him.

I made the painting of this Pink Buddhas for my patio

This Buddha came from a restaurant and ended up in an antique shop on Magazine Street before it came to my yard - I love how it looks with all the iris pants

Hello Dalai! Welcome to New Orleans!

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Holiday Limbo

The days between Christmas and New Years are kind of like an end of the year limbo. The huge build up to Christmas is over, with a lull of happy exhaustion. We clean up the debris of wrapping paper and gift boxes, clear up the kitchen, snack on Christmas left overs, and get ready for New Years Eve.

I was up early to set the table for Christmas Day brunch in the dining room - a big jingle bell on a ribbon hangs on the back of each person's chair to be worn as a festive accessory - Commander's Palace does this too - Our neighbors Julie and Larry came over Christmas morning in their pajamas to exchange gifts before they went off to their family lunch

No one feels like getting any real work done. No one feels like writing or reading blogs. It takes concentration to relax until the new year, when pending projects that loom can start in earnest again.

Red damask, white candlesticks, red dinnerware for Christmas brunch

Antique French plates with a lobster or crawfish - It's in the eye of the beholder

We had a beautiful low key Christmas brunch this year. Another couple joined us. We said we'd keep it simple and light.

I cleaned a few pounds of fresh Louisiana shrimp for The Shrimp and Grits - We also had beautiful Louisiana oysters

Shrimp and grits for New Orleans Christmas Day brunch

What does that mean in New Orleans? Well -  smoked salmon, caviar, bagels and all the trimmings to start, along with oysters on the half shell. Then shrimp and grits, and a spectacular green salad with white asparagus and pea sprouts. Finally for dessert, a chocolate buche de noel.

Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans makes my favorite French 75 - Just substitute Proseco to make the Italian 75

All of it washed down by a cocktail I call the  "Italian 75", a version of the French 75, made Italian by using Proseco instead of champagne.

Kitty Kitty Bang Bang under the tree waiting for her present

Cholo got a new toy from Santa

We were so busy Christmas morning preparing brunch we didn't open gifts until December 26!!!!  I haven't touched the computer in a couple of days. Just enjoying the moments, and hoping you are enjoying yours too.

We sent this card by email  - I try to keep a virtual "Rolodex" of everyone of you who comment or email me - You all mean a lot to Alberto and me - If we missed you, we apologize for the oversight and send it to you now

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Under The Tree

As fellow visual vamps and design-centric folks, I am sure you all think about what you put under the Christmas tree. Of course by Christmas Eve the presents that are to be given are usually piled up there. Since trees are up for many weeks before that, the space under the tree is important decor real estate.

Under my tree - Tiffany boxes and reindeer

In the old days, a train set, or a Christmas village was the thing to do. I fondly remember both from my childhood. I especially loved the village complete with a mirror used as an ice skating pond, and all the little cast iron metal figures sledding down snowy hills my mother made. It was magical.

Train sets under the Christmas tree were really popular from the 1930's to the 1960's

As home fashions shifted, my mother had a "decorator tree" in the living room. It was white or silver, and had one size ornament in one pastel color. She wrapped fake presents in one type of matching paper and ribbons to be used as the under-the-tree decor. We all thought it was swank and elegant.

Fake presents under the  designer Christmas tree - use one type of wrapping paper and ribbon - Brown paper is great

Another designer tree with a playful group of little animals under it

In our playroom, there was the old family tree of the past. Green - cluttered with colored lights and every ornament we ever had, tinsel, and of course the train set and the Christmas village. We opened our gifts in the living room by the fancy tree, but once the gifts were opened, we took them all to the playroom and hung out by what became known as the kids tree.

I loved the Christmas village under the tree when I was a child

This year I have two main trees, and six mini trees scattered inside and out. I do the fake gift thing, and a couple of playful elements too.

What do you do under your tree? Perhaps, Mommy kissing Santa Claus?

My second main tree - I use a huge garden urn to hold it - Fake presents are wrapped in wallpaper I found at a yard sale for $1. - I usually use brown paper - I embellish the gifts with ribbons, ornaments, and seasonal foliage - The snowmen are dancing in a New Orleans Second Line, a playful element for sure -  I spy Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, who is really the most playful element under the tree - Even designer trees should be playful and magical

The Visual Vamp decorates under the Christmas tree

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The Leftovers Are Gone

People always ask us if we have a crowd at our house for Thanksgiving. Surprisingly we don't. When we first moved to New Orleans, I tried to bring some of my New York ways with me. One of the things New Yorkers do at holiday time is have "orphans" Thanksgiving and Christmas. So many transplanted people live in New York, and often do not go to the families where they come from for the holidays. It was very easy for me to host a dinner for 20 to 50 people without blinking an eye.

I set up a buffet on the island in the kitchen - I picked greens from the garden and filled a vase, and also put some down as a "tablecloth" - I have a huge collection of white platters from my old days of hosting huge "orphans" holiday dinners in New York - the large oval one is from my friends Puchong & David who now live in Seoul, Korea

I managed to get about 15 people for our first Thanksgiving in New Orleans. We lived in the French Quarter then, and I invited everyone in our apartment building to come. and our new friends Sabina and Joe brought along some friends too. Our apartment was very small, so we set up a table in the old brick courtyard, and we all dined beneath the banana trees to the sound of a trickling fountain. I was off to a great start!

The food is set out on the platters - Turducken, Stuffing, Green Beans Almondine, and Cranberries

We left the Quarter and moved Uptown to open a dance studio. We managed to pull together a couple of large tables of folks. I had a huge dining room, and could open my table up to seat 14 people. Neighbors, Sabina and Joe, and a few tango folks filled out the table. Our families don't have the means to travel to us.

First course of charbroiled oysters - I took the oyster plates down from the wall

Charbroiled oysters - Yummy!

After Katrina things changed. Friends were displaced and left New Orleans. Spirits were low for a couple of years. We found ourselves pretty much on our own. New Orleans is a family place, and holidays tend to be for family only. So we started to to have our holidays une table pour deux.

Pumpkin Trifle for dessert - Renae Moore posted the recipe - I changed it up a bit, using lemon poppy seed cake and no added sugar - I also used fresh whipped cream spiked with vanilla, and sprinkled crumbled Amaretti cookies on top

At first it was bittersweet. We wished family was here, or we were there. I longed for those New York days of a house filled with "orphans". The last two Thanksgivings have been more enjoyable than ever, with "just" the two of us. We have started to prefer it. We cook, we laugh, we eat, we talk, and we enjoy each others company more than ever.

Alberto cooking on Thanksgiving

As you can see, there is plenty of food, and room at the table. So if you ever find yourself orphaned in New Orleans for the holidays, you are very welcome to share our happy times.

The Visual Vamp and Cholo on Thanksgiving

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Who's Your Little Fuzz Butt?

What do you serve your pet's food in? Fine china? Crystal like in a Fancy Feast commercial? Do you match your dog dish to your decor? Your cat bowl to your color scheme?
Here's a little pet dish roundup. Maybe there's something you'd like to get for the adorable one in your life.

Buy Fuzz Butt HERE

I got these for Cholo three years ago at Target.
They don't have them anymore but they have others HERE

Buy Psycho Kitty HERE


from These Creatures

Get this at Bloomingdales


Jonathan Adler


e-mail me your photo with your pet and his/her bowl and I'll do little post
mizvtheb@yahoo.com

All Saints Reprise

We were ready for Halloween kids at our house!

We went to a tango Halloween party last night. Some of us were talking about the small number of trick-or-treaters coming to our respective doors these days. Unless you live in a gated community, it seems like kids trick-or-treating house to house in a city is nearly extinct. Of course safety issues are valid, but in our cases the kids, parents, grandparents, all of them our neighbors, know who we are.
One person suggested that Halloween has sadly been taken over by adults. And it's true - the street is filled with costumed revelers far from childhood years. The decorations festooning the outside of homes are getting more elaborate each year, and they are hardly childlike. This year I saw an entire New Orleans style cemetery (complete with crypts and theatrical lighting) created in someone's small front yard.

I didn't put up Halloween decorations (click on images to a larger view) until yesterday when I got home from work. It was kind of fun decorating for the moment at hand. I have tons of stuff in the shed, so it was easy to haul out a couple of boxes and be ready a half hour later for trick-or-treaters.

It was a cool night, so we wrapped up and wigged out, and opened a bottle of wine and sat on the porch waiting for the kids.

Cholo looks so cute next to the giant Snoopy. This giant tacky suburban lawn ornament cracks me up!

My wicker fan chair awaits my best Morticia Adams fantasy. I love the crows! Do you use them too? A friend of mine set a whole bunch of crows out on her front lawn and the real crows had a fit, cawing and screeching until she removed them!

So I'm taking down the Halloween stuff, and thinking about making a journey to the cemetery to partake in another New Orleans tradition. I am reprinting the following post I did last year about today, All Saints Day.

Calling All Saints

Our first trip to New Orleans in 1999 coincided with Halloween and All Saints and All Souls Days. Although we are Catholic, we had never participated in the traditions of going to the cemetery on November 1.
Our friend Sabina took us to our first All Saints cemetery experience to St. Louis #1 and St. Louis #2, probably the two most famous ones since they are in The French Quarter.
We have no family grave to tend, but we go to take care of the grave of our dear departed friend Miss Anne. It's nothing really, just a little kindness that makes us feel good. The cemetery is very peaceful, and doing some little mundane chore, like sweeping off the the headstone and leaving flowers and some trinkets, is very comforting.
Our loved ones rest far way from us, so having an adopted loved one to tend to makes us feel a part of this time and place.
All over Louisiana, people are tending the graves, washing tombs, sweeping up, planting new flowers, leaving trinkets behind.
Sabina and I made a yearly visit to St. Louis #1 and # 2. We have no one there, but we visited our favorite tombs, including Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau's. You mark an X on her tomb, asking that she guide you and grant a wish in the coming year. Sabina is no longer here (she moved away after Katrina), and I just don't feel like doing this without her.
We'd also bring candles and flowers, and candy, and sometimes little bottles of perfume. I'd bring tango things too, and a personal trinket from my jewelry box.
Though it's a family thing, it is also a solemn day for the church, and the priests come to add their blessings.
It's a custom that has been going on for nearly 300 years. It takes place during the day, unlike other ceremonies in the New Mexico that take place at night.