A Very, Merry, Warhol Christmas

Andy Warhol's Christmas Tree, drawn in 1954. Estimated USD 6,000 - 8,000. More here.

Christmas Invitation Design. 1956. Estimated USD 7,000 - 10,000. More here.

My personal favorite that lends to my affinity with cherubs.... A Warhol Christmas Cherub. Estimated USD 3,000 - 5,000. More here. 

Fifteen Christmas Fairies. (I wish I had fifteen Christmas Fairies!) Estimated USD 8,000 - 12,000. More here. 

Pine Sprig. Estimated USD 4,000 - 6,000. More here. 

Another personal favorite: "Holly Man" circa 1956. Ink on paper. Estimated USD 7,000 - 10,000. More here. 

A Christmas Topiary. How could I resist! Estimated USD 3,000 - 5,000. More here. 

Now until December 12th, you can bid on a wide range of pieces from pop icon Andy Warhol online with Christie's Auction House. Visit here to see the entire collection accompanied by the respective details of each lot item.

A Classic

An old standby of mine in college, Graphic Image's Desk Diary is a true classic, sewn together with such quality craftsmanship, beautifully formatted and is able to be personalized with your initials. The above crocodile embossed calfskin leather is a C&C favorite, however the desk diary also comes in other leather varieties, including python and pebble grain leather. It would make a fun and functional gift for the holiday. See here. 

Thank You

I try to use this blog as mostly a platform to share my musings on lifestyle topics and the things that inspire me, however today I'm going to get personal. Given the US Thanksgiving Holiday, I want to take the opportunity to thank my readers, friends and family for your support, friendship and loyalty the past year. So far, I've endured a significant year of personal change, hardship, triumph and working toward some life goals. I've shared adventure and deep conversation with you, I've cried with some of you on the most painful occasions, and I've spent a great deal of time laughing with you and looking forward. I've witnessed one of my best friends get married, another have a baby, my parents migrate to a new home and my sister follow her professional passion. Love, family and friendship truly make the world go around and I am eternally grateful for each and every one of you in my life. Hug everyone a little tighter today & as my Father Salty would say, Gobble, Gobble! xx,

Caitlin

The Kids Table

Often when we would host or attend dinner parties and holiday events with my family, my sister and I would be stationed at the "kids table" away from the adult chatter. As the oldest cousin, I absolutely hated this tradition. I wanted to be part of the adult conversations and thus, spent my time at the "kids table" eavesdropping on the conversation nearby. (To this day, I don't miss a trick). I always found adult conversation so intriguing - the political and economic debates, the neighborhood gossip, the sexual puns and nearly all the subjects they "thought" were shielded from youngsters not in the main show. While I am in support of this tradition now in my adult age, I do think the Thanksgiving Holiday begs an exception. The beauty of the holiday, in my opinion, is literally getting everyone together to enjoy each other's company. It is time to relish in the organic havoc that might occur at the dining table, a time to converse with someone you wouldn't ordinarily interact with, and a time to reflect on your collective experiences, triumphs and failings in the past year. This year, nix the kids table.

Take Me There

If I were to be gifted with the superpower of teleporting, well kids, this is where you'd find me. The light might be darker and the room would be illuminated by the flicker of candlelight. James Brown, Stan Getz and all my favorites would sooth me during a long soak while I watch a glimmer of the cityscape from my windows. Image via. 

Young At Heart

My Grandmother loved reading - absolutely loved it. I have vivid memories of her reading to me (usually fairytales and poetry), and as a result, the hand-written letters she would write to me from time to time, were quite poetic and tender. I think I've inherited her knack for loving words, although I don't find myself having the time to immerse myself in books as of late, I still make time to put pen to paper and write to others, or even to myself. I still cherish the letter my Grandmother wrote to me just days before she passed away. It's stained with tears from my emotional reflections and folded in four equal parts, from being tucked away in one bureau to the next. On holidays, she would often gift me with a new book with a sentimental note, always inscribed in the front cover explaining why it was important that I read such text, or why it reminded her of me. Perhaps this is why I love giving books as gifts to this day... I was so delighted to find the release of the large-scale fairy tale books from Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. I think these would make spectacular gifts for anyone who grew up with these magical children's stories. Purchase here. 

'The World's Most Important Car Company'

Morgan Stanley has called Tesla Motors 'The World's Most Important Car Company', that is, the company that has ~$28B in market capitalization. The Model S, the seductive sports sedan released in 2013, can be seen on the daily in California, quietly whipping around the steep hills of San Francisco, on the 101 headed to its driver's post in Silicon Valley, or perhaps on weekends, whisking a couple away to a winery in the Mayacamas. No matter where the car (and driver) finds itself, heads continue to turn. The year the Model S was released, it earned the distinction of Motor Trend Car of the Year, outselling the Mercedes Benz S Class, the BMW 7 Series, and every other large luxury sedan. Impressive stuff. As the company is still a topic of fascination for car fanatics and the business world, Business Insider released an article about Tesla Motors in early November of this year. The article is rather provocative in content, detailing what many argue is the real origin of the company, which involves a date in Disneyland, a New Zealand-born race car driver and an embarrassing NYTimes article...read the article in full, here. 

Above: Elon Musk (Co-Founder & CEO), celebrating Tesla's IPO.

'The United States of Thanksgiving'

The New York Times published a clever article nodding to the Thanksgiving holiday and our 50 beloved states. The article highlights 50 recipes evoking the true essence of each state. Since I won't be home this year for my most favorite holiday, I've shared with you Rhode Island's Bread Pudding feature, although I doubt it's got anything on my Grandmother's Spinach Soufflé dish or my Aunt's Pomegranate Citrus salad.... For the recipe, click here. 

Pirelli 2.0

Last year, C&C touched on the Pirelli Calendar (Nudes & A New Year), and well, it's that time of year again. We'll let the above image do the talking, but we do suggest conducting further diligence here. (If you ask me, I'm rather fond of last year's 1986 throwback with Helmut Newton). Ahoy!

Green Eyes: Treillage in Lyford Cay

I'm quite mad for trelliswork in general, I love how it can exude such sophistication in spectacular gardens and facades on grand buildings, yet it can stand alone casually and timelessly in a beach home like the above retreat in Lyford Cay. At the request of interior designer Amanda Lindroth, the elaborate design, featured in House Beautiful, was commissioned by Philippe Le Manach from Accents of France. Based in California, Accents of France specializes in custom and decorative treillage inspired by 18th century French Designs. The company has worked on projects around the globe and aside from breathtaking work with custom interior and exterior spaces, the group also designs custom planters, jardiniéres, obelisks, vases, urns, lighting and furniture (see portfolio here). Below, a note from Accents of France's site that speaks to the history of treillage:

It wasn’t until the 17th century, under the reign of Louis XIV, that the art of treillage would rise to unseen heights. The King hired emerging landscape architect André Le Notre to design his garden at Versailles; an elaborate design that would soon become the most impressive formal French garden the world had ever known.

Le Notre and other landscape architects like him, relied heavily on forced perspective to bring a sense of grandeur to the garden. While it would have taken years for hedges and topiaries to grow to full maturity, treillage brought instant architecture, impressive scale and elegant formality to a newly built landscape.