Hello! I hope you're having a wonderful summer. I am officially back to the blog on Monday with a post and video on great books I read this summer (along with a giveaway for the exciting new book, Queen's Gambit!) but before jumping back in, I wanted to show you my summer in pictures.

It's been an interesting summer...

I turned another year older...


I got to meet principal ballerina Allyssa Bross of the Los Angeles Ballet* ...


I baked a blueberry cake**


I broke my toe***


I attended the theatre on crutches. (Nothing could keep me from the arts!)****


I did my very first book signing at Anthropologie in Rancho Cucamonga and got to meet so many lovely readers (some who drove all the way from Barstow and San Diego!)*****



Here I am with the amazing and welcoming staff at Anthropologie Victoria Gardens, who hosted a first-class book signing from start to finish.


So, all in all, the summer has been fabulous. Broken toe and all :)

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Monday as I share my favorite books of the summer with you.

See you then! x


*Allyssa and I are at London Sole for Art Walk.

**Yes, I will share the recipe with you soon.

***Boo!

****A very worthy cause, Dizzy Feet Foundation's celebration of dance provides dance education to underprivileged youths.

*****The next book signing is August 29th at Anthropologie Santa Monica from 1pm - 3pm, RSVP HERE! And in this picture I am wearing Anthropologie. A lovely wine lace dress to add to my cocktail dress 'extras'.



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This past weekend I went to see the Los Angeles Ballet perform the Nutcracker at UCLA's Royce Hall. It was a magical production. I've seen the Nutcracker several times but this year's performance was particularly special. I appreciated the artistic choreography and the familiar, beautiful music. The dancing was mesmerizing and I especially loved seeing the children dance in the ballet... joy emanating from their precious movements.

I like to slow down during the holiday season, cut out all of the hype and unnecessary spending and take pleasure from the simple things: lots of baking, decorations from nature (as you've seen in the last few posts), spending time with family, enjoying the arts and (as you will see this week) getting creative with wrapping presents.

Chic Gift Wrap

Brown paper packages tied up with string... the secret behind my budget-friendly, yet very chic, gift wrap. The key to dressing up your special brown package is in the accessories: beautiful ribbon, unique gift tags or natural materials like raffia, dried fruit and lavender.

If you are unable to see my embedded video, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Book News

♥ Check out my interview with Kimberlee from I Have A Degree In This about blogging, publishing and Lessons from Madame Chic. (This same article was also posted on Lucky Magazine's website!) Thank you Kimberlee!

♥ Phyrra is hosting a giveaway of Lessons from Madame Chic on her lovely beauty blog. Enter here.

A final word
I would like to extend my condolences to the families affected by the tragic events in Connecticut this past week. My heart goes out to everyone affected. I pray that we as a society can come together to fix the problems that lie behind these senseless tragedies.

To donate to the Sandy Hook Elementary Victims, you can do so here via United Way.

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Before this week's post begins be sure to check out my latest video entitled Quick Bun and Le No Makeup Look. I shot this video back in April when we were still a bit sleep deprived with baby. The video shows you my version of 'looking presentable always' when dealing with limited time, limited sleep and a bad hair day :) To see the video click here look in the sidebar of this blog or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

And now for this week's post...


I'm slowly falling in love with Richmond upon Thames. It has all of the bustle and convenience of a big city but is not overcrowded or overwhelming. On top of that it has so many beautiful gardens and charming places to walk along the riverside. In fact, it is the quaint riverside that reminds me so much of the Wind in the Willows- a book I've had a lot on the mind recently.





One evening after dinner while walking by the river we happened upon a Barge that did puppet shows. So the following day my brother-in-law's girlfriend (the one that also wears Stella) and I took my daughter to the barge to see a performance of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby. We walked on to the barge and down a narrow flight of steps in to the most charming space. The barge had been converted into a tiny theatre! There was a little ticket and concession stand serving tea and cakes. We had a cup and then made our way to our seats. The curtain came up and the most whimsical show unfolded before us- an hour long presentation complete with sophisticated and life like puppets, soothing narration and beautiful saxophone driven music (what is it with me and saxophones?)



The whole experience was so charming. I just love independent theatre performed in a small, unique setting. It was one of those magical afternoons that I will never forget. When I got home I looked up the Puppet Theatre Barge and learned that Brad Pitt and Angelina had taken their kids to see the puppets the week before… I can imagine that caused quite a stir on the river!

If you find yourself in England – whether you have children or not- you must go seek out the Puppet Theatre Barge- they have both children’s and adult shows. The experience is intimate, charming and quite whimsical.

For more information on the Puppet Theatre Barge click here or visit www.puppetbarge.com

I would love to know... what was your last theatrical experience?

The first three images are my photos of Richmond upon Thames and the last image is of the Brer Rabbit taken from the website www.puppetbarge.com

In late September an article I wrote on the romance of Paris will be featured at Anytrip.com. They are a great company and are currently giving away 4 free trips to Paris! Visit www.anytrip.com for more details or click here for the giveaway information. Bonne chance!


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In my ongoing effort to support the arts and keep myself culturally active, I have been upping my game by attending more films, museums, art galleries, and live theatre. There is a certain feeling that I get when I take part in any of the aforementioned activities. Each occasion allows for a certain specialness- dressing for the occasion, socializing with close friends (or spending some quality alone time) and being fully in the present moment- immersing myself in the art at hand.

Going to the theatre is one of my absolute favorite activities. Theatre is one of the subjects I studied at University and I hold a soft spot of appreciation for it in my heart. There is a lot of great independent theatre in Los Angeles and over the past three weeks I have taken full advantage. I attended: Mother at the Imagined Life Theatre, The Dig at The Doheny Memorial Library of U.S.C., Ruby, Tragically Rotund at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and Meadowmount- an original one act play at the SIPA Performance Space.

The plays were each original pieces- unique in their own right. Their topics ranged from: mother-daughter relationships, to a Jewish archaeologist looking for love, to an overweight Filipino beauty queen seeking acceptance, to a true story of murder, sexuality and intrigue in the military.

While the subjects were largely diverse there was one common denominator at each performance- the audience. That special gathering of people, the excited murmur amongst friends before the curtain goes up, the hushed delight shared when a sacred moment is explored on stage, the joy of shared laughter and the special experience of being moved- even if just a little- by the collaborative effort of everyone involved.

Such, for me, is the specialness of the theatre…

Have you seen any good plays lately?


I am pictured above (left) at the Los Angeles Theatre Center with Fran de Leon (center), one of the stars of Ruby, Tragically Rotund, and Newton Kaneshiro (right), theatre artist and director of Meadowmount.

So far this week has been quite social for me. Monday night was spent dining at The Creperie in Beverly Hills with three of my best friends. We spent the night eating crepes, laughing and reminiscing... who could ask for a better evening?

Tuesday night I went to the lovely Ahmanson Theatre in Downtown to see the Tony Award winning musical, Spring Awakening. This show was fabulous, but a word to the wise- do not see this with your parents! Who knew so much nudity, cussing and racy actions could be packed into a musical that takes place in turn of the century Germany?! I should have known, with a name like Spring Awakening what I was getting myself into. Luckily I saw this with friends so the embarrassment factor was non-existent. Once I got past the shock factor, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

And finally, while searching for images to post on tonight's blog, I came across the fabulous Beryl Cook's work (see Ladies Who Lunch, above). Cook died in May of this year and what a tragic loss. Her paintings, while not necessarily deep, sure did make me smile. I also love Dining in Paris, below.


Trust me, if Gatsby was allowed in restaurants, this is what "date night" would look like for my husband and me... escargot anyone?

For more information the Creperie, please visit: www.creperiebyjacknjills.com

For information on Spring Awakening, please visit: www.centertheatregroup.org

Ladies Who Lunch courtesy of: www.leadingartevents.co.uk

Dining in Paris courtesy of: www.studio18.co.uk

Last night I attended the reopening of the newly renovated Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles to see a production of The House of Blue Leaves starring John Pankow (Mad About You) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle). This time the invitation did not say ‘business casual’ but suggested suits and colorful ties for the men; and gowns or cocktail attire for the women. How fun! I was really looking forward to people watching at this event- I love observing what people view as being dressed up- noting the time and effort they take to adorn themselves appropriately for the occasion.

The crowd did not disappoint. Men came in tuxes or well cut suits and the women shone- some in floor length gowns and some in fun cocktail attire. It seemed the theatregoers of Los Angeles turned out in their best to celebrate this reopening of one of our most beloved theatres. I went with three of my good friends N, M and J- who each, in turn, looked very well turned out indeed. I opted for an art deco inspired cocktail dress and heels.

The biggest showstopper of the night, however, was the Mark Taper Forum, which sits between the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Ahmanson Theatre in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. I had only attended a play there once before but that was enough for me to tell what a spectacular renovation had occurred. The entrance was lovely with mirrored paneled columns and deep rich curtains and carpet. The theatre itself was a wash of color with new velvety chartreuse seats and deep blue floors. The space felt fantastic and I was really impressed with the makeover at hand.

The play was very interesting- a farcical comedy that we later found out was a commentary about fame. (J and I admitted to each other at the after party that it was WAY over our heads). The seats surround the stage in a semi circle so I found myself at several points during the play looking at the faces of the people in the audience. I love observing other people’s reactions- I saw everything from the totally engaged to utterly confused!

This ends a wonderful week in theatre for me. I feel really grateful to have attended two thought-provoking shows and both in the company of good friends.

Can’t wait to see what next week brings!

Image courtesy of www.downtownla.com

Last night I had the good fortune of attending the Los Angeles premiere of A Bronx Tale, starring Chazz Palminteri at the Wadsworth Theatre. I was invited by one of my dear friends, R, who was asked to walk the red carpet before the show… she is an actress on a very prominent Disney show and has lots of devoted fans. The night was a glamorous affair, although I found it odd that it said “business casual” on the invitation. R and I were musing over this strange request. “Business Casual” evokes images of khakis and button down shirts…not quite what I think of wearing when attending an exciting premiere. I interpreted business casual, connoisseur-style, as buttery Ferragamo pumps, a simple black dress and for scent- Narciso Rodriguez For Her.

But enough about fashion- back to the play! Palminteri, of The Usual Suspects and A Bronx Tale (movie) fame, wrote and starred in this powerful one-person show. The play was inspired by an incident that Palminteri witnessed first-hand as a child- the shooting of an innocent man outside of the doorstep in his 1960’s Bronx neighborhood. The semi-autobiographical storyline that then ensues is enthralling.

The show runs for 95 minutes and Palmenteri is on stage the entire time. His storytelling is so engaging that you almost forget that this is a one-man show. The transitions he makes from him as a young boy, to his father, to the gangster, Sonny to the colorful characters of Sonny’s posse are flawless.

Touching on themes of lost childhood, love and the quandaries of a young “working” man, A Bronx Tale is an engaging and moving piece, definitely worth seeing.

Arriving home that evening I felt a sense of satisfaction that I always get after seeing a good play. I love the coming together of people- the ceremony beforehand, the party afterwards and the collective feeling of unity after witnessing a truly original work of art.

This Saturday- it's on to the opening gala at the Taper- such an exciting week in theatre!

A Bronx Tale is directed by Jerry Zaks and runs at the Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles from September 10th through 21st. For tickets: www.ticketmaster.com

Image courtesy of: http://calendarlive.com