Since you asked:

"Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp, to guard a title that was rich before, to gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
to throw a perfume on the violet, to smooth the ice, or add another hue unto the rainbow, or with taper-light
to seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish, is wasteful and ridiculous excess."

~William Shakespeare,
ca. 1595

Yup, that's us.

March 30, 2009

Book Signing with Amy Hanna

Friday night has come and gone, and it was wonderful! Oh, to be surrounded by friends and the loveliest of things for an evening...what could be better? Theresa brought these beautiful roses for the signing table, shown with the star of the evening, Amy's book...

Here is the girl herself, setting up the beautiful trunk show of her jewelry she brought. If you think the photos in the book are stunning, wait til you see her creations in person...

Draped on antique mannequins, jewelry boxes, old velvet displays and more, the pieces showcased Amy's inimitable talent for composition and marrying seemingly disparate objects into one beautiful piece of wearable art...

Luscious old ledger pages and rustic props were draped with the beautiful pieces from her collection...

I loved this time worn old velvet piece, tufted and adorned with pieces from her current collection...
Lily put on the dog a little bit, too, sporting some antique silk and metal thread tassels here, sent over from a contact in Amsterdam...

And here is my buddy, helping out with the beverage and food detail, which we set up outside on the courtyard. I love this venue, with all its gracious amenities...

Big hanks of Beijing pearls came out of hiding to hang next to the bolts of vintage ribbon...

And we had fun with Lily's trunk show of precious little rarities and finds...

Intent shoppers peruse the clear little cases filled with one of a kind treasures....
I passed this vintage hatbox of millinery flowers on the way out to the wine bar and couldn't resist snapping a picture of the bachelor buttons...my favorite!

One of our guests sampling the buffet of Italian meats, French cheeses (oh, the Delice de Bourgogne!) and more that waited outside for guests. Mr. Gilding arrived on the scene later with pesto shrimp and tandoori chicken he cooked up for us...

Some of the guests visiting outside. It was a mob scene indoors, so we all took turns rotating through the store and out into the courtyard throughout the evening. So many of our gals know each other, it was wonderful...

One of our Lilys, laden with baroque pearls and candle-lit for the evening, standing over a stack of Amy's books...

And the only ones in the group who stayed quietly in their places! Two mannequins draped in necklaces from the store and other accoutrements...

Some of the crowd inside, and Mr. Gilding there at the back chatting and sipping...

This totally cracks me up...he double parked his Porsche outside to bring in the food, and just started visiting. It was still out there an hour later, hazard lights flashing, door open...
I guess boys just wanna have fun, too!

9 comments:

Dede Warren said...

I think this was one of Lily's finest moments yet! What a great time I and all the others had. I am so glad to be part of this circle of fun, talented, happy women!!!

Bravo Nancy, and Amy too... what a time it was!!

Anonymous said...

What fun I had!! I Loved the food, people and just being there. Thank you once again for being such a good hostess and it was a pleasure to meet your better half....as charming as you are!

Hugs
KAREN EILEEN

The Pink Birdhouse said...

Nancy, the evening looked and sounded even more wonderful then I could even have imagined. The fantastic pieces of Amy's jewelry, the displays, good food set up in the courtyard, the ladies all having fun and enjoying themselves, the ribbons in the background of many shots!:-) Even a peek at DH and his fabulous red baby! I am in agony over here at not having been able to be present myself!! I agree with Dede, I believe it really was Lily's finest moment, so far!!! hugs, Debby

Unknown said...

It sounds like an absolutely fabulous evening! Would've loved to have been to something like that! The book looks beautiful as do the jewelry pieces! :)

Jessi Nagy said...

hey there,
i just spent a weekend with amy and pam and christine.
i love those girls, so fun.
your event looked fabulous! wish i could have been there.
oxoxo,
jessi

FrenchGardenHouse said...

Thanks again Nancy for this wonderful evening. Lily looked smashing!! Amy's book and jewelry are divine. You truly went all out, {oh, the Delice de Bourgogne!}and Mr. Gilding's appetizers were fabulous. {Only he could park his car like that for AN HOUR and not get a ticket on a Fri. night!}
:) Lidy

carole said...

Hi Nancy:
You said it best!!! It was so much fun for me to be with all of you.
Thank you for allowing us the privilege to enjoy the evening at The Lily!!!
peace
carole

Anonymous said...

Must have been so much fun! I love Amy's incredible jewels too. Envious of the resources you have in the "Lower 48". Here in Alaska, we have to ship in the vintage stuff!

Blessings ~ Eileen @ Star's Fault

Garden Antqs Vintage said...

Hello, I saw your article in Romantic Homes and was wondering if you sell your vintage ribbon online? I'm interested in purchasing some and was wondering how much it runs. You can email me at garden_antqs@yahoo.com or leave a message on my blog if you'd wish. Thanks, Theresa BTW, The article showed what a beautiful store you have!