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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Afternoon Tea

Hello everyone,

I am happy you stopped by as I have afternoon tea all prepared for you.

I was in the mood for some pretty pastels today.

My husband made this 3 tiered plate for me by drilling a hole in the center with a special bit on his drill. He is definitely a keeper!

Love this pretty teacup from Winner's.

I also love this lacy little stand for sweets or teacups that came from TJMAXX a few years ago.

The heart shaped biscuits look pretty on the bottom tier.

My iron angel is keeping watch.

One of my favorite teacups-a thrift find.

I have a gift for you before you go!

Love that rose!

We received several centimeters of snow this afternoon and evening and a little peek outside my door tells me it is beautiful out there. I hope it doesn't all blow off the trees before I get a chance to photograph it!

I am joining A Delightsome Life for Home and Garden Thursday and Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Thank you for stopping in for afternoon tea.

Take care,

Carolyn

Bill Hall, and the (Not So) Super-Utility Bargain Bin

This post is syndicated from The Yankee Analysts.

With the hot stove dwindling just below a simmer, yesterday saw Ken Rosenthal "break" a story with respect to the Yankees' interest in ... Bill Hall. This is indicative of, at the very least, Cashman's continued interest in having a veteran presence to spell Alex Rodriguez. A more optimistic and/or pessimistic view may be that the team is looking to send Eduardo Nunez packing - be it to Scranton to work on his ability to be the shortstop of the future, or to another team ... with the reader determining which version is the better-case scenario. Regardless of your preference, it seems unlikely that the team will do anything other than supplement their bench with such a signing. While none of this is particularly exciting, perusing the list of remaining free agent infielders should be a bit more than an exercise in futility ... so, there's that.

Bill Hall

The method to this madness, Hall "batted" .211/.261/.314, good for a 55 wRC+ and -1.6 fWAR, for the Astros and Giants in 2011 on the heels of a solid 2010 with the Red Sox (.247/.316/.456, 107 wRC+). His defensive metrics range from passable to horrific, albeit in small sample sizes at every position but catcher, with 3B being his best position ... and one that he did not play in 2011. At 32, he's a relatively known commodity, in that he's consistently inconsistent. His ability to man the outfield in a pinch does add some value.

Carlos Guillen

Guillen has played a total of 96 games over the past two seasons, with only 28 of those coming in 2011. He hasn't played a game at a position other than 1B, 2B, LF, or DH since 2008, and he hasn't played those positions terribly well, either. In reality, he only makes the cut to be listed due to his surprisingly stout numbers in 29 games between the two Yankee Stadiums - .293/.354/.500 - and to offer a tip of the cap to a once very good player.

Wes Helms

Helms can be filed under the "only if they're really desperate for a Rodriguez" category, as he has a .239/.300/.344 slash line over the past five seasons. The once solid defender at third has also regressed into something less than statuesque, to boot. Please bear with me, as Helms represents the absolute bottom of the barrel.

Felipe Lopez

Why, pray tell, is Felipe Lopez not the bottom of the barrel? I'm not sure. He did post very strong walk rates in 2009 and 2010 (10.4% and 10.0%, respectively) and he's a roughly average defender at 3B. There really isn't much more to say, though, as he was barely replacement-level in 2010 and below in 2011.

Aaron Miles

The personification of Tony La Russa's love affair with utility players and the double switch, Miles is something of an abomination with both the bat (his 2011 83 wRC+ was 10 points above his career norm) and the glove (at any position other than second). Why does he make the cut? Because he's gritty, and if there's anything the Yankees have been lacking over the last several years, it's grit.

Mark Teahen

In a vacuum, Teahen is an interesting player. Over his seven year career, he has produced slightly above-average walk rates and average-ish ISOs while playing significant innings in all four corners. Prior to his disastrous 2011 campaign, Teahen put up solid numbers against right-handed pitchers, including a solid .269/.332/.411 line between 2009 and 2010 while playing most of his games in the cavernous Kauffman Stadium. However, all of this represents quite a bit of puffery on my part. Teahen is probably a tick below average at 1B, LF, and RF, though his defensive metrics were fairly horrific. His 219.2 innings at the hot corner graded out fairly well by most metrics ... which represents a drastic turnaround for the rest of his career, and a contrarian view according to most scouts and analysts. Additionally, his ISO has slipped for three consecutive seasons and his wRC+ has went from a tick below-average to well below over the past two years. What does all of this mean? In something of a twist ... I'd endorse a minor league deal, or something of that nature for Teahen. Why? Yankee Stadium should suit his swing, he's still young enough to have something left in the tank, and anyone looks palpable on the heels of Aaron Miles.

Eric Chavez

To the best of my knowledge, the last real news regarding Chavez's intentions was way back in November, when he stated that he intends to play in 2012. Much has been written about Chavez's still-solid defense (9.5 UZR/150, 0 TZ, 1 DRS), fine pre-injury production (.303/.410/.424) and post-injury swoon (.252/.294/.339), so it seems redundant to add much else.

If the team is merely looking for a caddy for Rodriguez - that is, someone to spell him occasionally - then Chavez seems like a fine option as a known commodity to the team. That being said, his injury issues remain fairly disconcerting, even in a limited capacity, and it seems that the Yankees would like a semi-reliable option to spell Rodriguez. Unfortunately, with Wilson Betemit signing with the Orioles, however, that option doesn't seem to exist on the free agent market.

Follow me on Twitter - @DomenicLanza

Mark Teixeira = Jason Giambi ?

Soon after Mark Teixeira signed that huge 8-year, $180 million deal back in 2008, I stumbled across an interesting comparison, talking about how Tex could go down the same path as Jason Giambi, who had just finished his 7-year deal with the Bombers.

When I first heard this, I couldn't help but laugh. Giambi was a steroid-user, DL prone for a good part of his contract, and couldn't play first base for his life. Teixeira was arguably the best switch hitter in baseball, and arguably the best first basemen defensively in the league. Teix was a shoe in to dominate and hit .300 every season, and become the new face of the Yankees for years to come.

Or so I thought.

After a terrific 2009 season in which he batted .292 with 39 homers and 122 RBI, Teix's average dropped 36 points the following year, and another 13 in 2011 where he batted .243. Sound familiar?

In Giambi's first year in pinstripes, he batted .314, but out of the blue batted .250 in 2003, and played in only 80 games in 2004, where he batted .208. The final four seasons - .271, .253, .235, .247. Mediocre, and certainly not worth the $120 million George Steinbrenner was paying him. The home runs and RBI were still there, but when he wasn't driving in runs he was striking out, popping out weakly, or killing rallies.

Unfortunately it's not unlikely to say that's what Teixeira will do in his final 5 years of his deal. A promising young star when he signed, Tex is now 31 and this is when he should be putting up his best numbers, not his worst. There's still a chance he could turn it around, but to me, the only way for that to happen is for Teixeira to stop hitting left-handed.

Teixeira is still a career .304 hitter from the right side, but .271 from the left. As is the case with most switch hitters, Mark has much more power from the left (227 home runs) than the right (86 home runs). But making him a solely right-handed batter would be huge as far as the overall production the Yankees would get out of Mark .

Sure, Tex's power would drop, but 25 home runs is still likely. What should be guaranteed is a return to hitting for average and a huge increase in OBP. More doubles, more RBI. You name it. Making Tex a right-handed batter would show incredible improvement and a return to form of the guy the Yankees signed him to be.

However, the likelihood of this happening is not good at all, and it's likely Tex will continue to switch hit and decline. The fans still have his back, as do I, but another year of batting .250 and not hitting in the clutch will make them think back to the days of gold thongs, the 'Stache, and seasons of Yankee playoff failure.

{ Philadelphia Home Show }

In the beginning of this year I had the privilege of being one of 4 designers chosen to participate in

the Philadelphia Home Show.

Each designer was paired with a local celebrity. We designed a room specifically with that celebrity in mind. My local star was Gregg Murphy, of Comcast's SportsNet. I designed a flea market chic guest room/home office for Gregg. We had an imaginary theme that his relatives from Ireland were in to visit and staying in Gregg's "Guest Room".

Gregg is a local sports guy loved by Philly fans across the city. He was so fun to work with and spent a lot of time in this finished room meeting and greeting fans. He really made the room come alive and added a special vibe to the room. We even had an impromptu "happy hour" in the room with some friends one night at the show.

My finished room looked like this...

A far cry from when we arrived in our space and it looked like this...

I'm not kidding when I tell you that I wanted to throw in the towel right then and there when I saw what we had to work with.

But with the help of many generous and talented family and friends, we pulled it off.

I wanted to share some of the small details with you.

Like this mini bar, which was a huge hit. What guest wouldn't love this?

The dresser doubled as a night stand. I tried to go with the travel feel, and added vintage suitcases throughout the room.

I created imaginary windows in the room by hanging woven wood blinds under

camel colored cotton embroidered drapery panels.

I attached these panels to the wall with plumbing pipes.

You can also see in the photo below the "crown molding"

we used to finish off the top of the walls. It is porch flooring from the porch of an old Philadelphia home from the early 1900's.

On the left side of the room I created a home office. It turned out great thanks to the custom barn wood workstation created by John Duffy, of Stable Tables.

Coffee sacks were sliced open and stapled around a plain

cork board to create a spot to hang notes and work papers.

Some gorgeous architectural pieces hung in the room, thanks to Philadelphia Salvage.

Home made accessories for the workstation.

Two second hand ottomans got a quick and inexpensive face lift with coffee sacks.

I used shipping pallets to create file holders in the office part of the room.

This gorgeous and comfy chair was loaned to me by Robert Allen Designs. It was another huge hit of the room and had an Irish sweater texture to it.

Bike spokes were used to create a spot for Gregg to hang his photos of trips to Ireland.

We attached the spokes to a strip of bead board, then used clothes pins to hang the photos.

The bottom half of the walls were covered in wood from shipping pallets.

The bedroom side was covered in luxurious fabrics, thanks again to Robert Allen Designs.

And, the awesome rug from Avalon Carpet and Tile.

The headboard was created by attaching 2 vintage doors to the wall behind the bed, adding 2 corbels, and laying a skinny closet door across the top to create a canopy feel.

The bedside lamps were created by slicing a globe in half and adding a pendant light.

crisis in the chicken coop

There is trouble in the village and it all started when a fox stole Henriette's rooster.

Let me explain. Henriette is our neighbour, she would be the wife of the amazing dancing Henri. She has always kept chickens and when we have a cake to bake or a soufflé to put together hers is the gate to knock at. Her eggs are large, fresh, dated by hand and sell like hotcakes.

Her chickens were an even tempered bunch, laying happily until last Christmas Day when a fox snatched her rooster! Henriette was sad, Henri grabbed his gun and went to look for the fox and her pretty hens went into mourning and stopped laying.

By coincidence, at the other end of the village, the young farmer Sebastien purchased some beautiful young chickens as a present for his wife. I know, I know not everyone's idea of the perfect gift but here we have our country values to defend.

Sebastien's chickens turned out to be des poules extraordinaires and before long were laying so well that he was into egg overflow situation. Having heard that Henriette's chickens weren't doing their stuff he helpfully put up a sign outside the gate offering eggs for sale each Saturday morning from 9 to 12.

His eggs are large, fresh, dated by hand and are selling like hotcakes.

In the meantime Henriette has acquired a replacement rooster, her hens are happy and Henriette is back in business. You can see where this is going.

What started as a simple chicken coop crisis has become a diplomatic situation.

As it is impossible to knock at either Henriette's or Sebastien's gate without being seen, the village folk find themselves with divided loyalties. Do we remain faithful to Henriette in which case Sebastien's new found source of income will dry up as suddenly as it started, or do we continue as clients to Sebastien and risk the wrath of Henri?!

Who would have thought that the appetite of a winter fox could cause so much disruption? In the village I hear whispered conversations discussing the merits of the opposing eggs. The shop has decided to have no part in the egg war and has turned to a new outside supplier. Sebastien seems to have some powerful lobbyists, but Henriette has the vote of the older generation on her side. All part of French village life.

And me in all of this? I now buy a dozen eggs from both gates!

As if life weren't already complicated enough!

Oh, my. Sometimes I forget how much I love this city. We were busy, busy yesterday at mart buying so many treasures for the store. The mart has such great energy, it just keeps you going all day. The apparel showrooms are my absolute favorite. They make you feel so energized about their products. All tried and true with a city twist! The B.D. Baggies showroom, in particular, is just gorgeous. I am so excited about all our new purchases! I swear there is just something about this city that turns on your inner creativity (and, of course, the wine and spirits help, too...). Every time I am here I feel like it shakes something inside of me into remembering how much I love my job. It challenges me to connect with my customers, to take them forward. I cannot wait to share everything we have found back at the store. Oh, did I mention I love New York?

outside the Stella McCartney shop in SoHo.

A delicious lunch at The Dutch in SoHo.

Of course, we followed up lunch with coffee and cookies at this lovely cafe.

A real bunny in the window of this SoHo shop... only in New York!

A beautiful little chocolate shop to get our chocolate fix!

An amazing new designer coming soon to the Willows.

Dinner at Mario Batali's new restaurant.

Until tomorrow!

Tex to start bunting?

From Peter Botte:

No one should expect Mark Teixeira to become a $180 million bunter this season, but the Yankee first baseman admits he’s finally ready to give in to his frustrations over declining numbers the past few years.

The switch-hitter batted a career-worst .224 from the left side of the plate in 2011, often pulling the ball into the pronounced shift most opposing teams employ against him.

And he’s ready to try something drastic.

“When no one’s on base, if they’re playing a big shift, I might lay down some bunts this year,” Teixeira said before he was among the honorees at Tuesday night’s Thurman Munson dinner in Midtown. “I’ve been so against it my entire career. But I might lay down a few bunts. If I can beat the shift that way, that’s important.”

...

He believes an occasional bunt and an increased concentration on driving the ball to the opposite field will keep opposing teams honest and bring those numbers back closer to his career levels.

“That right-field porch is so enticing at Yankee Stadium, and I’m not going to complain about the 39 homers, but obviously I’d love to bring my average up and it’s very simple: lefthanded singles,” said Teixeira, who claimed he hasn’t dropped a bunt in a game since his freshman year of high school. “One hit a week really adds up.”

I never understood why lefties who face that kind of a shift don't bunt more often and I'm very happy to hear that Tex is open to it. If teams are going to give you a free single, take the single, every time.

In an effort to declutter my office, I'm tossing out a lot of magazines. I'm somewhat overwhelmed with stuff. I see others (like designers) holding onto their magazines, and I hesitated for a moment but realized 1. I'm not a decorator and 2. I'm organizing more of my ideas online instead of re-flipping through magazines. Although I still love my magazines I've decided to recycle.

I have had a few key pages pinned to my bulletin boards so I've been scanning them, in an effort to save the inspiration that has lasted year and year. This one is one bedroom from Elle Decor that I've always adored. The pale green wall with the blue tufted headboard and that purple pillow all work for me. So expect a few fun images as I scan and recycle. ;)

Image: Elle Decor