Initial Thoughts

7 Steps to Hosting a Successful Cheese-Tasting Party

Who doesn’t love cheeses? If it weren’t for their high caloric count, I could live quite nicely on them for a daily diet of protein. However, a recent front page article…

Newport, RI

Neighborhoods of Newport House Tour 2016

Everyone loves a sneak peek at private homes, especially if they’ve never before been opened to the public. St. Michael’s Country Day School has been presenting the Neighborhoods of Newport…

April in Paris: An Intimate Perspective

Norma Thiessen, who lives in Toronto in “a little blue house,” adores all things French: the people, food, fashion, history, architecture, countryside and culture. But most of all, she loves…

“Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper,” a Preview Screening at The Breakers

One soon learns, and then takes for granted, that Newport is seemingly at the epicenter, in an understated way, of many newsworthy events. Case in point…Tuesday night, in a filled-to-capacity gilded…

15 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Photographer

For many, planning a wedding is preparing for life’s greatest adventure and grandest party. There are many pieces that must come together to create the perfect event, much like a…

Euonymus

Euonymus, an Overlooked Garden Design Asset

It’s always insightful to hear someone else’s “take” on one’s garden, especially if it’s Martha Stewart. Her interest in our use of euonymus (pronounced u-on-a-mus) as a design element caught…

Easter

Easter Entertaining for the Aspiring Hostess

With all the bunnies hopping, flowers blooming and spring fever popping, everyone is in a most celebratory mood; especially since Easter, coming so early, gives us another excuse to put…

Buffet

Bringing a Spring Picnic Indoors: 8 “Pardee” Tips

It’s about this time of the year when cabin fever sets in and the first blush of spring makes us yearn to get out and about; hosting a gathering of…

Iconic Views of Northern and Southern Italy

Isn’t falling in love with Italy something each of us should experience? When my talented assistant, Michelle, returned from her first trip to this magical country, there were stars in…

The REAL Inspiration for Downton Abbey? Gilded Age Newport

Dear readers, yes, we are all bereft that our favorite Sunday night show is no longer there for the watching, but no need to go into a decline — Downton…