CUSTODIANS OF HISTORY by Mary Helen McCoy The last couple of days, I have been pulling photos of wonderful pieces of French furniture and decorative arts for a lecture I am preparing to give on Friday, October 19 in Cashiers, North Carolina. The Cashiers Historical Society is holding their second antiques show which draws people from the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. This antique show event will not have the famous dealers we read about in most trade magazines nor will they belong to the prestigious organizations many of us do

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Starting New Fitness Courses? How to Find Your Next Pair of Trainers by Guest Writer, Angelita Williams It doesn't matter what kind of new fitness regimen you have decided to start; in exercise, just as in life, the right shoes are essential. If you're looking to do some major cross-training, you will want a shoe that give you balance and side-to-side support. Runners will search high and low for the perfect shoe, as the wrong ones can do a number on your knees, shins and joints. Even taking a course like Zumba or kickboxing

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Living the Luxurious Life So you've just made your first Billion (or perhaps hundred million) and are now interested in updating your lifestyle with a fabulous New Home. Where to start? Below we will share just a few pointers for getting the house of your dreams.

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The Sound of Summer By Michael Ryan Despite setting my alarm clock every evening, what wakes me isn't the buzzing of some mechanical gadget, but rather the vigilant woodpecker dedicated to his craft right outside my window. Each morning at around 5:30 he's ready to work on my copper rain gutters, which are obviously not up to his standards. Hearing his beak collide with the gutters, I pull back the covers. It's time to follow nature's example and start the day.

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5 Ways to Get Upgraded to First Class Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, flying is the way to go. Want to travel in comfort and class but don’t want to spend that pretty penny on an upgrade for first class seats? Here are 5 possible ways you can go from coach to first without dishing out the extra cash.

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Dearest Cate, My miserable packing skills are my undoing, again! Why is it the things I wish to pack remain behind and the things of no regard fill my luggage! Found my letter to you neatly tucked in my volume of Homer's Odyssey. Obviously right were I'd left it. Once again I'm in need of an adult beverage. Hugs from the eternal city. James

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Dearest Smythe and Clarke, London is lovely as always. A wee bit of rain broken up by the most pleasant human beings on the planet; one can't complain without feeling that you've insulted a nation!

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Hollywood knows it. Political powerhouses know it. Wealthy Entrepreneurs and Business people at the top of their Game know it. But do you?

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There is a strange trend happening in the design world. A scary trend actually. It appears that everyone thinks he/she is an interior designer. People with marginal training and suspect talent, who have no ‘eye’, (we call these people Decorettes™ are showcasing their Design Disaster™ shenanigans in magazines (Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Veranda, etc.), and worse, hosting television shows (ABC, CBS, NBC, HGTV, Bravo, etc.) under the guise of being ‘experts’! If these people were really ‘experts’ they would be telling you the truth.

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We recently became Facebook Friends with Christopher Radko otherwise known as the “Czar of Christmas” by the NY Times. For over a quarter of a century people with discerning taste have been collecting his ornaments. Christopher brought back the art of fine European glass ornaments and the tradition of collecting them. Private collections have been started by celebrities from Elton John, Barbra Steisand, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Affleck, Heidi Klum, Rosie O’Donnell to Giselle Bundchen. These beautiful ornaments have also graced the Xmas trees of the White House, the Governor’s mansion in Connecticut to Gracie Mansion in NYC. We might add here that your “divas” of good taste, Alexandra and Cate also have their Xmas trees covered in Radko ornaments. With all of these recommendations why would you not start collecting them?

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MAISON MONOGRAMMED Incorporating monograms into your home's interior and accoutrements is one more finishing touch and detail which makes for an elevated lifestyle of gracious living and this doesn't simply mean placing your initials on powder room guest towels.

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Hotel Villa Krupp Viale Giacomo Matteotti 12 Capri 39-081-837-0362 Dearest Cate and Alexandra, I’m awash in the glow that is Capri stretched out as I am on a terrace overlooking the Faraglioni rocks; it’s every bit as glorious as it sounds. Trite as it may be I wish you where here! I arrived last week having counted the minutes til London was just a memory in our little jet’s the rear-view mirror. I wonder if they have rear-view mirrors? Regardless, Kip and Samantha Ebersol we’re such dears to let me ride in their snappy little GV. From the way she’s tart’d up the interior you’d think she was out to impress someone.

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Living Room Feng Shui Design Dos & Don’ts The living room is considered the social hub of the home. It is an area to receive and entertain guests as well as a room to relax and unwind and get together as a family after a long day of work, It is important to make this area of your home comfortable, safe and balanced so the Chi is upbeat and supportive.

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Las Vegas Jewelry Show Trends - Individual Expression Wins Searching For Trends My assignment was to report on what was trending this year at the Las Vegas Jewelry Shows. I found a lot of Bochic, green - green was everywhere, cocktail rings and bracelets/cuffs galore. Early on I found myself walking the isles slightly bored, looking for something to catch my eye. Amongst the waves of pavé this and pavé that - I found some true gems.

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Dearest Smythe and Cadbury-Clarke, London is lovely as always. A wee bit of rain broken up by the most pleasant human beings on the planet; one can’t complain without feeling that you’ve insulted a nation! I’ve just finished luncheon with Charles and Bunny Broughton. They send their very best and insist you call when you’re next in town. Their new townhouse is a charmer; I’m sure you’ve had the “tour” so I’ll save my “Oh’s” and “Ah’s” till we’re face to face, cocktails in hand. But maybe just a snippet of a comment on Bunnies insistence on populating those glorious rooms with her sad collection of world weary potted plants. Honestly, you’d think the woman actually had a green thumb from the number of these sad specimens!

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James Swan is head of New Wall Enterprises, LLC a Beverly Hills-based design and lifestyle group focused on delivering smart-design-daily to consumers across the country and around the world. As a lifestyle leader he has been featured in House & Garden Magazine, House Beautiful and the Los Angeles Times.

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Making Peace With Celebrities I had every intention of posting a blog about why celebrities don’t buy their own jewelry - with only a few exceptions, and then I found myself listening to a panel of women discuss just that. You see, by the end of my blog I had answered my own, very obvious question. Celebrities don’t buy their own jewelry because for the most part, they’re simply billboards that we brand our things on. It seems that gone are the days that these women actually cared about collecting something as precious as jewelry, because people pay them to advertise everything.

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A native Floridian, Elizabeth Anne Bonanno (or, simply, “Beth Anne”) relocated to New York City in 2000 to work with the esteemed jewelry house of Siegelson, specializing in 19th Century through contemporary jewelry. Immediately at home in the New York market, Bonanno focused on nurturing a lucrative relationship between Siegelson and luxury retailers Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. Bonanno’s expertise in sales, public relations, branding and product knowledge allowed the collaboration to flourish. Siegelson has since become one of the strongest brands in collectable jewelry today.

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