Taking My Holiday Salutations To The Next Level With Paperless Post

I always sent holiday cards when I lived in the States. Growing up it was a big deal as my parents had a very long list.  They would also enclose handwritten letters to our family in the Caribbean.  I loved sending and receiving cards.  This was a tradition I hoped to continue once I moved to Italy.I was so naive back then.  So naive!I heard that the Italian postal system was not the most efficient.  However, I was surprised to receive Christmas cards in March, April, etc. or not at all.  I mailed my cards in November just in case.  It didn't matter, half my cards would show up long after the holidays were over.Then there's the cost.  It's two euros/two dollars and thirty-five cents for a single stamp to the United States or to the Caribbean. It was annoying spending money on cards that did not arrive on time or were lost.A lot of my friends in Hollywood use for invitations, announcements, and cards.  I've personally never used the brand but adored what I had received. I say this as a person who's a hardcore stationary fan.  When Anagram Interactive asked me if I would be interested in using their client's website, I was excited to try it out for myself.Paperless Post's website is very easy to use.  Hello, nobody has time to decipher websites that are more complicated than filling out a tax return.  There's a wide variety of cards to choose from. Some of the cards are free and cards can be customized for a small additional cost.  Paperless Post has collaborated with several designers (including some of my favorites) as well as having an in-house design team.With so many options you'd think it would be overwhelming to make a decision. Nope, there are filters to help you narrow your selection by color, designer, card shape, greetings, etc.  Below are some of my picks for the cocktail party I'm not having thanks to a leak in my apartment (long story).Here are some of my picks for holiday cards:You also have the option of adding your own photo, or photos, to a card:Paperless Post started selling both digital and paper versions in 2012 after receiving many requests from their customers.  Brilliant idea, especially for those customers who are sending wedding invitations. They may have relatives or family friends who prefer paper invites.It's clear that the young founders of Paperless Post have put a great deal of thought into the design of the cards and the site in general.  They've combined beauty and function. Very impressed.Note: I've been given this product to review in collaboration with Anagram Interactive. All opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by Anagram Interactive or Paperless Post. 

St. Martin and Anguilla Pre Hurricane Irma

As many of you know, my family is from the Caribbean with the majority living in St. Martin and Anguilla.There have been plenty of articles in the international press, and videos, showing the complete devastation and aftermath. As of today, we're still waiting to hear about one of our relatives.  We are sick with worry but thankful that most of our friends and family are safe.  Many have lost their homes, or have sustained major damage, and the non-retired members, their jobs (for now).It may take up to three years for St. Martin to rebuild.  I haven't heard any estimates yet regarding Anguilla.I know these are tiny islands so no one really cares what happens to them.  I was speaking to a Hollywood exec friend of my mine whose parents are also from the Caribbean and she noted the overall silence from well known African-American celebrities, including the ones who are from the region (seriously?) and the ones have vacationed on the islands.Perhaps this will change in the coming days.    

Getting Your Home Ready for Spring - My Fabric Picks for Decorative Pillows

I hope you had a lovely holiday weekend.It's still a little chilly here in Rome but I know better than to complain about it.  Our weather is almost tropical compared to some parts of the States.Growing up in NY/NJ I looked forward to saying, "peace out" to winter and getting ready for spring.  While some of my chores were not fun, I enjoyed helping my parents prep our home.Once I moved to Los Angeles I didn't have to worry about such things.  There are seasons but the changes are subtle. Nothing drastic like mountains of snow and not a single sunny day in February.One thing I appreciate about living in Rome is having "real" seasons again but without the bone chilling North East winters.I've written before about how my mom did not play when it came to keeping a clean house.  Spring cleaning was like Oscars week for her.  I get it. She grew up in the Caribbean and never got used to the weather.  After a long brutal winter, it's nice to open all the windows and let your home breathe.I don't like heights, so I would ask my dad if I could pass on cleaning the gutters. I loved working in the garden with him. What I didn't love so much... changing the draperies. They were heavy and we had a LOT of windows when we lived in New York City and when we moved out to suburban New Jersey.  I couldn't avoid ladders completely.   Once the drapes were down, they were off to the dry cleaners and my mom and I would put up pretty Spring/Summer curtains.After a thorough cleaning, it's on to the next step.Along with swapping out heavy draperies and bed lines (goodbye thick duvets!), pillows are an easy way to bring some Spring into your home.  I'd rather make custom pillows but if you don't have time to pick out fabric, stores like West Elm, Crate and Barrel, and IKEA have some fantastic and affordable choices.  Like this Ella Square from Crate and Barrel.If you go the custom route, below are my some of my favorites for Spring/Summer 2015:Dedar's Rataplan.  A very pretty and interesting take on stripes.  I'm seeing a glass (or two) of Franciacorta with this print.Peter Dunham's Peterazzi in Pale Indigo.  This silvery blue says Spring and a nice chilled white wine from Agrigento, Sicily.Kathryn M. Ireland's Brianza from her Summer in France line. This would look great against a white linen sofa and with a glass of Rosé.For a more graphic design, Kelly Wearstler's Groundworks line for Lee Jofa is gorgeous. I'm thinking a Martini for this one.Also from Lee Jofa, David Hicks' La Fiorentina Red.   A Negroni cocktail (which was invented in Florence) would be perfect.Here is everything (and I mean everything) you need to know about Spring Cleaning from the one and only Martha Stewart.  It's a good thing.   

Io Adoro - Anguilla, British West Indies

Anguilla is quite the A-list celebrity/VIP destination these days.  However, the small island has managed to retain it's relaxed, quiet charm.My most recent piece for FATHOM Magazine went live today. ANGUILLA – I wish I could say I have always appreciated this beautiful island. That would be untrue.When my family moved from New York City to the leafy suburbs of Verona, New Jersey, I knew I had to become a true American teenager. I was hampered by my parents' insistence on raising their children as if we were a family living in the Caribbean.My parents are from St. Martin (totally different from the Dutch side, St. Maarten) and both my grandmothers were Anguillian. Whenever we went to St. Martin to stay with my paternal grandparents, we ferried over to Anguilla to visit family and friends. When I was a child it, was fun to hang out with my cousins, go the beaches, and stuff ourselves on Johnnycakes, rice and peas, and salt fish cakes. But as for the stunning white beaches of the island, they were lost on me when I was older. I mean, I was a teenager. Visiting relative after relative while sitting on their verandas for hours drinking Ting was boring.The final anti-island straw happened one night when I was walking back to my aunt's house and a mongoose ran across my foot. I was done. I thought, "I could be chilling at the Short Hills Mall with my friends instead of being stuck on this tiny island."It wasn't until my parents moved to back to St. Martin after retirement and I moved to Rome that I began to understand why those trips back home were so important.To read the rest and see more pictures, click HERE.

The beach at Cap Juluca with the island of St. Martin/St. Maarten in the background.

Photo: Me and my iPHone

Weekend Insipiration - Have A Seat - Viceroy Hotel - Anguilla, British West Indies

How funky are these chairs?I am a big fan of Kelly Wearstler's commercial work, yet the Viceroy in Anguilla took me by surprise.A few years ago I met clients for a drink at the bar.  At first, when I walked in, the décor seemed so "uncaribbean" to me.Then I walked around.  It IS very Caribbean.  Wearstler's use of natural materials, her color palette, and the subtle nod to more tradition Caribbean design makes the Viceroy one my favorite hotel spaces.This hotel is huge and could easily feel very corporate (thinking of a certain hotel on the Dutch side of St. Maarten that ruined one of the best beaches on the island).Instead it's unique and jaw dropping gorgeous.Not a bad place to meet for drinks, especially with a locals' discount.I have more meetings this weekend about my Caribbean project.Feeling very inspiredBuon weekend!